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South West Sydney
Retailers attack on online shopping is driven by self-interest, Choice
Consumer rights know them
Streetcorner publishes "direct from" updates so you can make up your own mind about the statements from politicians and organisations like Choice. Streetcorner also invites you to publish your own stories on Streetcorner and be part of the news making process. When locals take the news into their own hands, a broader range of community stories are told, giving power back to the people.
Today's statements from Choice.
"Big stores need to lift game on prices, service & range CHOICE says the advertising campaign launched today by a group of retailers attacking the tax treatment of online overseas sales is an alarmist red herring driven by the self interest of some of the biggest players.
The consumer watchdog says the larger chains are seeking to hijack the debate on the future of Australian retail by crying poor over the GST-free threshold on low value imports and creating a scare campaign over retail jobs.
It says while the federal government’s plan for an independent productivity commission inquiry into the retail sector is the best way forward especially to protect the interests of smaller retailers in the debate.
“The big chains should recognise that it's their high prices, limited range and poor customer service that increasingly encourages people to use the internet,” says CHOICE’s Christopher Zinn.
“Consumers are simply chasing the best deal and the best service and often these days that is found online.”
For example, you can buy a digital camera online from Myer for $557 (including GST and delivery in ‘5-15 working days’). The same camera can be purchased though an Australian online retailer for $433.50 (including GST and delivery) – a saving of $123.50 or 22 per cent.
“This is not about GST. Major stores are not being forced by anyone to charge these high prices. This debate is about quality of service, competitive pricing and the inability of some retailers to understand the future of internet shopping.”
CHOICE says it's a distraction to suggest dumping the GST threshold will make everything right again in the shopping malls. The answer is for retailers in Australia to raise their game and to give consumers a fair go instead of giving them a hard time for seeking the best deals.
"Our message to consumers is don’t be fooled by this expensive ad campaign," says Zinn. "Compare the price of products from shop front retailers with those online – you will be surprised how much money you can save, even without going overseas."
*** *Purchasing the same camera (Canon IXUS 1000 HS) from Hong Kong through a company with Australia-based sales staff will cost you $346 (including delivery by FedEx in 1-3 days), a saving of $211 or 38% off the Myer price."
What do you think of big retailers like Harvey Norman attacking the GST threshold on on-line goods under $1000. Is the GST threshold really hurting small businesses or is this a scare campaign by the big retailers?


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|By Business Wire||
|February 28, 2013 12:12 AM EST||
Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that it will expand its line-up of Visconti™ image recognition processors with the launch of the Visconti™3 series. The first device in this new series, TMPV7528XBG, is enhanced by the integration of additional processor cores to support various applications, and will extend the range of use beyond automotive systems to industrial applications. Sample shipment will start in April.
Toshiba Image Recognition Processor "Visconti(TM) 3" (Photo: Business Wire)
Toshiba initially developed the Visconti™ series of image recognition processors to advance the creation of camera-based vision systems for automotive applications. The processors recognize traffic lanes, vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs and more and both the Visconti™2 and 3 series devices incorporate image processing accelerators that detect pedestrians with high level detection ratio in real time.
In addition to these capabilities, the Visconti™3 lowers the software-development hurdle for customers by integrating an ARM 32-bit RISC Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ (2 cores) dedicated to supporting applications interfacing with the image recognition processor.
With Visconti™3, Toshiba will seek to expand the image recognition processor business beyond automotive systems into camera-based vision systems for industrial applications. The company targets annual sales of 2 million Visconti™ image recognition processors in fiscal 2015.
Advances continue in bringing driver assistance and safety systems to road vehicles. The next impetus will come in the EU, where the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) requires automobile companies to introduce autonomous braking systems next year. These will initially cover other vehicles, and will be extended to include pedestrians in 2016. Initiatives like this are expected to spur 50-100% growth in the global market for image recognition processors between fiscal 2010 and 2015, from 75 to 100 billion yen.
Toshiba has played a pioneering role in image recognition processors. It commercialized Visconti™ in 2004 and the improved Visconti™2 in 2011. The new Visconti™3 offers improvements in functionality, performance and software development efficiency.
1. ARM CortexTM-A9 MPCoreTM
Upwardly compatible with the Visconti™2 series. Integration of the ARM Cortex™-A9 MPCore™ improves connectivity to car navigation systems, smartphones and cloud-based services and makes it easier for customers to implement features during software development.
2. Single/Double-Precision Floating Point Unit (FPU)
Image recognition algorithms and software in embedded image recognition processors must analyze large volumes of image data from the video source, frame-by-frame, in real time, but with limited power consumption and memory resources. Some algorithms for this are difficult to achieve without an FPU, and for this reason Visconti™3 integrates a single/double-precision FPU into each core of the ARM processor.
Outline of New Product
|Part number||Sample shipment||Mass production||Product volume|
|TMPV7528XBG||April 2013||January 2014||100,000 units a year|
|CPU||ARM 32-bit RISC CortexTM-A9 MPCoreTM (2 cores with Single/Double-Precision Floating Point Units)|
Toshiba original 32-bit RISC CPU
|Image recognition engine||
Toshiba's original multi-core media processor Media Processing Engine (MPE) x4
|Image processing accelerators||Affine transform||1 ch.|
|Histogram of Oriented Gradients||1 ch. (HOG/CoHOG features)|
Mask ROM: 64 Kbytes
|On-chip peripheral functions||Video input I/F||4 ch.|
|Video output I/F||1 ch.|
DDR2-533 SDRAM controller
|PCI Express||1 lane|
|CAN controller||3 ch.|
|I2C I/F||4 ch.|
|UART I/F||5 ch.|
|SPI I/F||4 ch.|
|PCM I/F||2 ch.|
|Power supply voltage||Core:1.1V, I/O:3.3V and 1.8V|
|Operating frequency||Max.300MHz (ARM CortexTM-A9 MPCoreTM) /Max.266MHz (MeP, MPE)|
|Operating temperature||Ta = -40 ~ 85 °C, Tj = -40 ~ 125 °C|
|Package||Plastic BGA 516pins, 27mm x 27mm, 1.0mm ball pitch|
: Visconti™ is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation.
: Toshiba data
: Cortex™ and MPCore™ are trademarks of ARM Limited.
Automotive Sales & Marketing Department
|Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.|
Toshiba is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems. Toshiba Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors, storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions, medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more
than 550 consolidated companies, with 202,000 employees worldwide and
annual sales surpassing 6.1 trillion yen (US$74 billion).
Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
Enterprise IT has been in the era of Hybrid Cloud for some time now. But it seems most conversations about Hybrid are focused on integrating AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google ECM into existing on-premises systems. Where is all the Private Cloud? What do technology providers need to do to make their offerings more compelling? How should enterprise IT executives and buyers define their focus, needs, and roadmap, and communicate that clearly to the providers?
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"We are a leader in the market space called network visibility solutions - it enables monitoring tools and Big Data analysis to access the data and be able to see the performance," explained Shay Morag, VP of Sales and Marketing at Niagara Networks, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 19th Cloud Expo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
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Between 2005 and 2020, data volumes will grow by a factor of 300 – enough data to stack CDs from the earth to the moon 162 times. This has come to be known as the ‘big data’ phenomenon. Unfortunately, traditional approaches to handling, storing and analyzing data aren’t adequate at this scale: they’re too costly, slow and physically cumbersome to keep up. Fortunately, in response a new breed of technology has emerged that is cheaper, faster and more scalable. Yet, in meeting these new needs they...
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domain: news


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Minneapolis-based department store chain Target began defending itself in a Brooklyn courtroom Wednesday against alleged violations of federal labor law.
The charges were brought against Target by the National Labor Relations Board following the election by employees on whether to unionize Target’s Valley Stream store.
United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, the state’s largest grocery workers union, began organizing Target employees at Valley Stream in February 2011.
“How a company named Target could be so off course when it comes to obeying the law, respecting workers and honoring democracy is truly ironic,” Local 1500 President Bruce Both said in a statement. “They have failed to grasp the commitment of the workers, our union and the general public to hold Target accountable for its Third-World business practices. Today’s trial affirms that commitment.”
The union said Target management illegally threatened and intimidated the workers.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder denied the union’s allegations in June and said in an emailed statement that the company believed it has acted “in a completely lawful manner.”
More breaking news
- Local governments, firms brace for LIRR shutdown
- Huntington Station resident charged with securities fraud
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- Nassau sales tax revenue down 9 percent
- Economists lower forecasts for US growth
- Amazon asks FAA for permission to fly drones
- LeBron James says he’s returning to Cavaliers
- Voxx sees net earnings, revenue drop
- Downside of low US mortgage rates? Less selling
- Inventor pushes solar panels for roads, highways


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Orange tops Ofcom’s broadband complaints list
Orange has paid the price for withdrawing a free broadband offer for mobile users by soaring to the top of Ofcom’s ISP complaints figures.
Orange had been offering free home broadband for mobile customers, but pulled the deal at the end of the summer.
According to a spokesperson at Ofcom, “the spike in complaints came at around the same time as the company withdrew its free broadband offer, which reflects how customers felt about the changes”.
Although customers could still get free broadband, they had to take line rental from the company as well. The company has offered to cover the costs of switching rental providers in response to customer criticism.
According to the Ofcom figures, Orange had a customer complaint rate of 0.5 complaints per 1,000 customers – a significant increase from 0.29 three months earlier.
Orange’s woes were good news for TalkTalk, which fell off the top of the complaints list for the first time in two years. The company was still the second most complained about ISP, with 0.35 per 1,000 customers, down from 0.42 complaints in the three months to August.
Although the overall number of complaints across all ISPs remained steady, BT saw an increase in customers disgruntled enough to contact Ofcom and was above the industry average of 0.24 complaints per 1,000, with 0.34 angry customers per 1,000.
The two companies with the lowest number of complaints were Sky and Virgin Media, with only 0.09 and 0.12 complains per 1,000 users respectively.


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S&P 500 & NASDAQ 100 Indices Reach New Record High Prices; China’s Services Sector Contracts; US Dollar Sold
According to the data, demand for cars, general merchandise, clothes, and food increased. Sales also increased for small retail establishments, such as convenience and drug stores.
S&P 500 & NASDAQ 100 Indices Reach New Record High Prices; Powell Says No Rush to Hike Rates; Asian Stocks Higher
S&P 500 & NASDAQ 100 Indices Reach Record High Prices; US Dollar Sold Again; Asian Stocks Mixed
European Central Bank Vice President Luis De Guindos recently announced that the bank could revise upwards its previsions for the European economy in September, highlighting that the third-quarter economic indicators are positive.
S&P 500 & NASDAQ Indices Close at Record High Prices; US Dollar Recovers Slightly; Asian Stocks Mixed
New Zealand's numbers are linked with its recent economic rebound, after it re-opened its economy along with other countries.
S&P 500 & NASDAQ Indices Close at All-Time High; Risk Currencies Rise Strongly Against US Dollar; Bitcoin at 3-Month High
Oil markets lost ground for the eighth consecutive day yesterday.
US Stock Market Rebounds from Dip; US Dollar Sold; Bitcoin at 3-Month High
The Unemployment Rate stood at 4.6 percent in July after being at 4.9 percent in the previous month and below the analysts' expectations.
According to the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics the Consumer Price Index stood at 2 percent (Year-on-Year), lesser than expected.
Despite growing more than expected, Japan's economy has underperformed that of other advanced countries.
Apparently, inflation has been decelerating in certain sectors that previously contributed significantly to the rise of prices.
Oil futures gained ground yesterday after the markets learned that fuel demand is rising in the United States despite the COVID-19 pandemic.


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United Democratic Forum Blog
Welcome to our interactive section where we'll have informative articles and a comment section where we can voice and share our opinions as we build this great country
MPs file Coffee Auction Petition
Members of Parliament from the Coffee growing zones have presented their implications following the suspension of the coffee auction. The MPs retaliated that this is the period that the coffee prices are at the highest as it is the main sale of the main crop that the market has been waiting for, so the closure frustrates the realization of the high prices.
Led by Hon. Kabando wa Kabando of Mukurweini constituency, Kabando noted that the auction will deny the country the much needed foreign exchange. He added that a quick look at the last 3 sales revealed that in just two weeks, the country will lose at least US$ 17 million nearly Ksh 1Billion in foreign exchange which is quite a huge loss to the country.
The MPs questioned the delay in dealing with some of the key issues including the non performing dealers. “The board has been notified of it several times, it is almost 5 years now but it seems it will not be resolved,” remarked Hon. Cyrus Muriuki of Imenti Central.
The trade fraternity has two groups, the Kenya Coffee Traders Association (KCTA) mainly comprising of the foreign coffee buyers and the Mild Coffee Traders Association (MCTA) where the small upcoming indigenous traders are lumped up. The MPs claimed that the management of the Board has always listened to the former at the expense of the latter.
With the suspension of the coffee auction, the MPs remarked that such a move will see Kenya lose the international buyers who might substitute Kenya coffee with coffees from other origins. As a result, the farmer stands to be the main loser both in the short term and in the long run.
The MPs pointed out that there is a need to declare the decision behind the closure. Was the decision driven by established market players, who asked that the market be closed temporarily to first weed out ‘coffee market hustlers’? Could these be the dormant but licensed marketing agents who thrive by collecting and selling the free coffee samples submitted by genuine marketing agents?
Among the 12 MPs who presented these petitions include Hon. Njoroge Baiya of Githunguri, Hon. Peter Munya of Tigania East, Hon. Cyrus Muriuki of Imenti Central, Hon. Clement Wambugu of Mathioya Constituency and Hon. Jeremiah Kioni of Ndaragwa Constituency.


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Pre-orders for the Verizon iPhone finally kicked off this morning at 3AM EST, and although the handset isn't supposed to actually launch until February 10th, some customers are reporting that their handsets have already shipped. Reports of shipped Verizon iPhones have been pouring in, and our own Aaron Baker noticed that his iPhone is on its way, too.
It's pretty awesome that the VeriPhones are already shipping, but I would be pretty surprised if they actually end up arriving before the 10th. We've seen new iPhones ship early in the past, and Apple was pretty good about keeping the devices sitting and waiting at shipping centers until they were actually supposed to be delivered. I'd love to be proven wrong, though! Have any of you that pre-ordered the Verizon iPhone today had your order shipped already?
UPDATE: Hopefully if you wanted to pre-order a Verizon iPhone from the carrier's site, you did so some time today, because no more pre-orders are being accepted. You may still be able to head to your local brick and mortar store and secure a pre-order, but if not, Verizon will open online sales of the iPhone to all customers beginning February 9th at 3AM, and retail locations will be opening February 10th a 7AM.


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3 Las Vegas Mario Batali restaurants closing sooner than expected
Three BB Hospitality Group restaurants will close a little earlier than expected, serving their final customers on Sunday.
If you want to get one final meal at Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, B&B Ristorante or Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria, you’ll have to act fast. The three B&B Hospitality Group restaurants will close a little earlier than expected, serving their final customers on Sunday. That’s five days earlier than previously announced.
Nicole Brisson, B&B’s director of Las Vegas operations, says the move is necessary to accommodate a smooth transition out of The Venetian and Palazzo. All three are still taking weekend reservations.
The restaurants announced their closures in May, in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against founding partner Mario Batali.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.
Contact Al Mancini at firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.


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Wed, 11 May 2022 15:41:41 GMT
“It’s very difficult to explain, but there is something special in Cuba…”
Christian Barre and Anne Martin have been all over the world with French drinks giant Pernod Ricard. Between them, they’ve covered off Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and Mexico - but the vibrant and energetic island nation of Cuba has cast a very potent spell on them both. Christian has been CEO at Havana Club International since 2017 and Anne has been global marketing director since 2020 - and the pair positively crackle with delight and enthusiasm when they talk about their experiences living and working in Cuba.It turns out that ‘rum ad’ imagery isn’t a million miles from the truth.
Unsurprisingly, that personality and atmosphere that emanates from Havana’s streets seep into the brand itself - the two are inseparable.
Indeed, the brand’s slogan is ‘el Ron de Cuba’. Havana Club International is a pioneer when it comes to bringing Cuban rum to the world. It’s a 50-50 co-owned venture between French group Pernod Ricard and Cuban state venture Cuba Ron S.A Corporation. It’s been in existence since 1993, blazing the trail for Cuban rum. It’s one of the biggest rum brands in the world - excluding the USA, due to its long-standing trade embargo. In Cuba, the brand is a source of pride and Pernod Ricard employees talk of being greeted enthusiastically by strangers on the street who spot their Havana Club t-shirts.
From a product perspective, there’s a great deal of pride too. Christian reveals that Cuba takes rum production incredibly seriously. There are just a handful of rum maestros working in the country, people who have mastered every part of the rum creation process - and out of a dozen, Havana Club has exclusive access to four. The maestros meet to innovate, maintain standards and improve and promote Cuban rum collectively (as Cuba competes with other rum centres like the Caribbean, Brazil and South Africa, which have their own particular methods, ingredients and processes).
“I think there's this richness of the expertise from the maestros, which is crucial in the success of Havana Club and Cuban rum, specifically,” says Christian.
That spirit of the Cuban streets infuses and informs so much about the brand - and gives their current marketing strategy a bit of context. These days, the focus isn’t just on the brand’s Cuban heritage - instead, the team wanted to make the brand relevant at a street level around the world. That shift happened about five years ago when the team noticed that hipster culture was getting stale and street culture was on the rise.
“The team saw that if we wanted to recruit the next generation of rum drinkers, we had to acknowledge this shift,” explains Anne. “At that time, you know, there were some question marks; will street culture stay here for a long time or not? And a couple of years later, it is the main cultural movement. So I think the team could really identify what was at that time an emerging trend. That has shifted the global marketing strategy and the key initiatives, so very much driven by what we call a ‘collaboration model’.”
Appropriately enough, given the team’s love and passion for Cuba’s own vibrant street culture, it seemed a way to tap into a relevant trend while still staying true to the brand’s cultural roots, if more implicitly than literally.
“The more we were digging into the subject, the more we realised that, in fact, when you speak about street culture, it's super broad. But we saw a clear connection with what's happening in Cuba, the real day-to-day cultural life in Cuba, which is very much influenced by some by the street. It's really part of the DNA of the brand,” explains Christian.
In the first year, they had to lay the groundwork to build credibility and legitimacy, partnering with smaller streetwear brands and such. That’s then allowed the brand to get in with bigger artists - since 2019, they’ve partnered with the UK’s Skepta, who has helped Havana Club create a limited edition inspired by his Nigerian roots.
And as the brand looked to the streets, they also found their marketing strategy becoming less globally homogenous and more about meeting people where they are. That meant recognising that street culture in Spain is different to street culture in Canada, which again is different to street culture in the Netherlands or China. Hence they’ve been working with the likes of Frenna, a Dutch-Ghanaian artist who is huge in the Benelux region of Europe, and Spanish singer Bad Gyal.
“I think also it was acknowledging that it's more and more difficult to only do global campaigns. There is some consumer expectation to be more locally relevant,” explains Anne. “So we've got, for instance, our global campaign, which is called Cuba Made Me, but on top of that, we believe it's important to do things that are more locally and culturally relevant and that's why we are working with our key markets to bring many collaborations to life.”
Cuba’s character is a touchstone for the brand, even as it evolves. “Cuba, as a country, has got very rich imagery. It may be different depending on your age and when you are living, but there is an image associated with Cuba,” says Anne. “There is something that I have in mind when it comes to Cuba as a country of origin which is the strength of the country’s personality. People can feel this creative energy in Cuba. You know, because it's a country where people have fewer limited resources and they have to do with what they have. But despite limited resources, they will always find a way and they always stay positive and smiling.”
With both its rich heritage and cutting edge cultural strategy, Havana Club International is well-positioned for what Christian says is a booming interest in all things rum. Dark and spiced rum, in particular, are picking up and the sub-sector is seeing an influx of new boutique brands entering the market. That, says Christian, is keeping the market dynamic, fuelling interest in rum generally - and keeping Havana Club on its toes. In recent years, other Cuban rum co-ventures have sprung up on the international market and Christian says it’s great for Cuban rum and great for Havana Club.
The covid-19 pandemic has also punched up the rum sector in curious and unexpected ways. Christian says that the lockdown trend for home cocktail making led people to discover the spirit - and now they’re returning to bars with a new penchant for rum. Moreover, the social associations with rum as a party drink mean that the team has high hopes for the post-pandemic landscape as people reconnect and rediscover their inner barflies and party animals. As a reflection of this, Havana Club’s events marketing is back and as energetic as it’s ever been - and they’ve also launched a recent initiative ‘Party Makers’, which is all about celebrating and acknowledging the people who contribute to the party industry, whether bar owners or festival organisers.
“People want to get back together and it’s true that the rum category is very approachable, very social - and also a bit more gender-neutral than a category like whisky,” says Anne. “I think we’ve got, in our range, so many options that can meet consumer expectations.”
So the outlook is exciting but not without challenges. As well as new challenger brands peppering up the scene, Christian also points to the looming global issues facing almost every brand in every sector right now, relating to supply chains and rising food prices. But with a great deal of work done in innovation and sustainability Christian is confident that Havana Club will be able to ride out the bumps. He also says that rum’s future success is dependent on sufficient supplies of premium dark rum - Cuba and Havana Club in particular have been building ample inventories.
But this is a rum from the streets of Cuba. As Anne points out, the attitude that’s prevalent in Cuba is one of positivity so a brand like Havana Club International isn’t about to let anything stop the party. More collaborations are due to be announced and Anne says that the brand has lots of exciting plans in store for the summer.
Categories: Alcoholic Beverages, SpiritsLBB Editorial, Wed, 11 May 2022 15:41:41 GMT


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Is there a tension in using your purchasing power to buy your feminism? Check out this article to find out what researchers are saying. Below is a fascinating snippet from the post:
Examples of “radically literal feminism” and “sexism-positive feminism” include GoDaddy’s Superbowl commercial, which features a female bodybuilder, and Snickers’ complimentary harassment commercial, respectively.
Some beauty companies, with Dove at the forefront, also use feminism and empowerment messages in their advertisements, reported Danielle Kurtzleben at Vox.
Kurtzleben explained Dove sells a variety of products, but viewers see ideologically charged commercials about inner beauty rather than these products. Critics are saying this is a hypocritical message.
“The problem with Dove’s message that women need to have more confidence in their looks, critics say, is that it still upholds the idea that women’s beauty is of utmost importance, albeit in a warm and fuzzy way,” wrote Kurtzleben.
“Some (including Kurtzleben) also pointed out that Unilever (Dove’s parent corporation) is selling “real beauty” even while it sells products like Slim-Fast and Axe, a line whose identity is in part built on the idea that body spray is irresistible to well-endowed, bikini-clad women,” she wrote.


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Sky has launched its latest standalone OTT/multiscreen streaming service, this time in Spain where consumers will get access to 12 of the country’s most popular Pay TV channels for EUR 10 per month, with no contract. The consumer brand is ‘Sky’. Viewers can enjoy the service on televisions via a Sky streaming box that is powered by the Roku streaming platform. There are iOS and Android apps for mobiles and tablets, plus browser access for PCs.
Alongside the linear channels, the service provides programmes and movies on-demand, from around the world, in Spanish language and predominantly in HD quality. A single subscription allows you to watch on up to three devices, all at the same time.
Andrew Griffith, Group Chief Operating Officer at Sky, declares: “We are now Europe’s leading streaming platform. Our customers in Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria already enjoy the freedom of contract-free streaming and we are thrilled to be bringing our new service to Spanish consumers.”


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Tax free weekend for energy saving appliances
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If you are in the market for a new dishwasher or refrigerator, this is the weekend for you. The Memorial Day weekend brings with it a tax-free shopping on energy-efficient appliances.
This is the fourth Energy Star tax-free weekend in Texas, and it can help you save money on Energy Star-rated appliances because you don't pay sales tax. Also, there are extra sales in just about every store.
Looking for a new refrigerator? If you get one this weekend could save you hundreds of dollars if you buy an Energy Star-rated appliance. That's because you will not have to pay state sales tax and you can add that to extra discounts being offered during the Memorial Day weekend.
Chris Carpenter at Lowe's said, "Memorial Day weekend is one of the largest sales for retail establishments out there. Lowe's is offering 10 percent off on numerous items and we have dropped a lot of items down significantly."
The sale on Energy Star-rated appliances helps keep money in your pocket on day one, but the appliance itself saves you money during its lifetime.
"So you don't have to worry as much about spending tons of money over the appliance life," Carpenter explained.
The tax-free Energy Star sale starts Saturday and runs through Monday. Appliance sales people say there is already a demand for energy saving appliances and the tax-free weekend only helps boost sales.
Tanya Morris with Home Depot said, "I have heard from customers here lately that in a year's time they have seen the difference in their light bill, if there is a water bill."
You don't have to spend big money to get the Energy Star discount. CFL light bulbs and ceiling fans are also included on the tax-free list. If you'll need a new appliance in the coming weeks, you can get the tax-free break by purchasing this weekend but holding the delivery date until you are ready.
Washing machines do qualify for the tax-free weekend, but clothes dryers do not. See complete details on the state's website.
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The Texarkana Texas Police are seeking information that may lead to identifying these suspects believed to have passed counterfeit money at Walmart stores in Texarkana Texas, Texarkana Arkansas, Hope, Mt. Pleasant, Atlanta, and Sulphur Springs within days of each other.
Customers of the Central Bowie County Water Supply Corporation are under a boil order affecting customers in Redwater, Malta, Simms, Rural New Boston, and DeKalb. This order does not affect TWU customers.
The Texarkana Texas Police Department has arrested a group of people in the theft of nine vehicles from The Auto Auction Lot on Elm Street. Those arrested include two 18-year-old men, a 14-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 13-year-old girl.
Friends for a Cause will be hosting a life-changing “Firewalking Event” on Saturday October 20, with Claudia Weber. Weber is a Certified Firewalk Instructor & Empowerment Coach and is bringing her “Ignite Your Spirit” program to Texarkana.
The Texarkana Texas Police Department, with a hand from T.A.P.D., recently arrested Francisco Gutierrez, 30, of Anthony New Mexico after a routine traffic stop turned up more than 175 pounds of weed.


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According to the latest report from Ming-Chi Kuo analysts, Apple will launch iPad 2020 at the end of this year. Interestingly, this cheap iPad 2020 version will be controlled by the A12 processor
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday (5/18), iPad 2020 itself is said to be a refresher of the iPad, iPad Air and iPad mini. Of course Apple added a number of improvements from the previous series.
Kou claims that Apple will adopt the same approach when launching the iPhone SE for the new tablet.
Based on Twitter @ L0vetodream, which is proven to be quite accurate, it is claimed that the iPad 2020 is powered by the A12 chipset.
But wait, isn’t the latest chipset from Apple is A13?
And shouldn’t Apple launch the A14 this year? Whatever it is, Kuo has claimed that Apple could carry out an approach similar to that of the iPhone SE.
Using older … Read More...


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Ever wanted to buy chips at the beach but didn’t want to deal with the hassle of seagulls swarming your potato treats? Fast food giant Hungry Jack's has offered a novel solution – holographic packaging that apparently scares seagulls away.
To celebrate the release of its new thicker chip, the food retailer has (allegedly) worked with bird enthusiasts to create a protective coat of arms to ward seagulls off your tucker.
The new packaging works by reflecting the sun to create an optical distraction, detering the winged scavengers in a harmless manner.
And here's how it works:
“We want our customers to be able to peacefully enjoy our delicious new thick cut chips so we’ve brought to market a quick service restaurant first to solve this problem," Hungry Jack’s chief marketing officer Scott Baird says.
As part of the launch, Hungry Jack’s will deck out its Bondi store with large gull-scaring panels in one of Australia’s seagull hotspots.
Hungry Jack's says it can't guarantee adventurous gulls won't put their feathers on the line for a chip run, but AdNews suspects the novelty will be as amusing to chip lovers as it is to the birds.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Square Enix will release the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI on June 22, 2023, according to popular leaker The Snitch on Twitter.
The respected leaker opted for a rather unorthodox method of highlighting the game’s release date (which, we don’t really need to remind you, is not official yet) by waxing poetry that contains some key clues. Final Fantasy 16 is seemingly referenced by mention of a crystal, which have appeared in every mainline entry in the series to date.
Elsewhere, the 22 grains of said is very likely a reference to the 22nd and 6 nations as June, which equals June 22, 2023. In other words, Final Fantasy XVI is out on June 22 next year.
Related Content – Sony PS5 Complete Guide – Everything Explained About PlayStation 5 For New Owners In 2022
While nothing official has been announced yet, the date does match up with Square Enix’s confirmation of a Summer 2023 release window for the game.
Speaking of the game’s release date, Final Fantasy XVI Naoki Yoshida previously said that the game’s release date will hopefully be revealed by the end of the year. As reported yesterday, Yoshida-san will be offering a ‘special message’ as part of The Game Awards 2022 next week, so we could be getting the date then.
Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development for PS5 and PC, with a release set for Summer 2023.
[Source – The Snitch on Twitter via Insider Gaming]


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Report: 93% of etail sites aren't tablet optimized
Mobile is growing by leaps and bounds but still many retailers are missing the mobile boat and for a simple reason: they're not optimized for the mobile device most consumers shop with - the tablet. According to new data out from Skava 93% of US retailers haven't optimized their website for tablet devices - a growing source of traffic to retail sites.
According to Forrester one-third of Americans will own a tablet by 2013 while this year the Zmags Holiday Survey suggests nearly half (44%) of online shopper will make at least one purchase from a tablet device.
• 95% of retailer sites are optimized for smartphones
• Tablet shoppers are nearly four times as likely to make a purchase via the device
• Tablet shoppers spend more (153%) than smartphone shoppers
"Online retailers have recently seen a large increase in tablet traffic and they are beginning to stand up and take notice," said Arish Ali, Co-founder and President, Skava Inc. "We are set to launch a number of tablet optimized sites for several leading retailers in the coming weeks and we anticipate that in 2013 many more will follow the trend. We work with many of the top tier retailers who are looking to create much more engaging, on brand and interactive experience on the tablet to cater to the lucrative tablet owner, and at Skava we are making their vision a reality."
Meanwhile a survey from Offers.com indicates about 13% of people plan to spend more over the 2012 holidays than they did in 2011. And, while most will shop in-store (57%) experts agree that shoppers will use mobile devices in-store to compare prices, look up product reviews and potentially online from inside the brick and mortar location.
- 57% of consumers do not trust a business with their data
- 39% turn blind eye to branded social media posts
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Follow these keys when developing your landing page, and in no time you will have all of the traffic and...


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Netflix Inc. has recently announced a 50% salary hike for its Chief Executive Reed Hastings. This will bring his salary to $6 million for 2014. Netflix had a very good 2013, with stocks that quadrupled in value this year and with growth in its subscriber base.
Most recently, Netflix has been trying to bring in more subscribers with original programming. Its US customer base rose to 31.1 million streaming subscribers in the last quarter with such programming as “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” In November alone, Netflix added four new television series and one miniseries. In December, they secured the rights to make new episodes of a spinoff of the widely popular “Breaking Bad” television series.
Time will tell if the salary hike for Hastings will pay off for Netflix. At the moment, it looks like it is.


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McDonald's U.S. sales continue to struggle in February
By Phil Wahba
(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N: Quote) on Monday reported a bigger-than-expected drop in comparable global sales for February, hurt again by slow business in the United States.
The world's biggest restaurant chain by revenue said worldwide sales at restaurants open at least 13 months fell 0.3 percent last month. That was below analysts' average estimate for a fall of 0.1 percent, according to Consensus Metrix.
U.S. same-restaurant sales fell 1.4 percent, worse than the 0.6 percent decline that analysts had forecast.
McDonald's Chief Financial Officer Pete Bensen said in a press release that the unchanged global comparable sales so far this year "will pressure margins" in the first quarter.
McDonald's has reported nearly two years of turbulent sales at established U.S. restaurants amid sluggish economic growth, increased competition and internal missteps that have complicated its menus and slowed service.
That performance is heaping pressure on Don Thompson, the chief executive of McDonald's since July 2012, who will face new challenges this year.
Beef prices are hovering near record highs and expected to keep climbing. Labor costs also are increasing: several states have raised their minimum wage this year.
Thompson said in a statement that McDonald's is "intent on improving our business performance." McDonald's said it is trying to draw more customers by improving customer service and menu changes. Continued...


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This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
Nikola (NASDAQ:NKLA) shareholders have received a fresh respite today as the investment banking behemoth, JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM), published a cheerful note, expressing optimism that the crucial Nikola-GM partnership deal will achieve closure by the 3rd of December.
JP Morgan analyst, Paul Coster, noted that the two companies form a natural symbiotic relationship as Nikola needs access to GM’s supply chain and engineering resources while General Motors (NYSE:GM), for its part, needs to generate a return on its hefty investments in hydrogen fuel cells. Moreover, in a crucial insight, Coster observed that the Badger electric pickup truck might be just a “distraction” for Nikola but a crucial testing ground for GM’s proprietary technology. Consequently, the analyst believes that a restructured deal may still be possible by the 3rd of December, paving the way for a $41 stock price target and an ‘Overweight’ overall rating.
We have repeatedly noted that Nikola’s proposed partnership with GM is its most vital lifeline currently. Under the terms of the proposed partnership, General Motors will manufacture the Nikola Badger electric pickup truck – the BEV as well as the FCEV variants. It will also provide batteries and fuel cells for Nikola’s Class 8 trucks. To this end, Nikola will utilize GM’s under-development Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel cell technology. In return, General Motors will receive an 11 percent stake – corresponding to 47.7 million shares – in Nikola Corporation at zero additional cost. Additionally, it will also receive $2 billion as compensation for providing services as well as access to key parts and components, including $700 million in production-related costs. As an additional incentive, General Motors has acquired the rights to at least 80 percent of the tax credits that will be generated through retailing the Badger truck. Additionally, GM will also get the right of first refusal to the residual 20 percent of tax credits. For its part, Nikola will simply be responsible for the sale and marketing of the Badger truck while also retaining control of the Badger brand.
Readers should note that, initially, the deal was expected to be concluded by the 30th of September. First rumblings of trouble emerged when this publicly declared deadline passed without the GM deal being formalized. However, in the clearest sign yet of this proposed partnership being in jeopardy, Nikola’s CEO Mark Russell noted in a recent Bloomberg interview:
“We have the ability and we have a base plan of doing it ourselves. If we have a partner, that just enables us to consider going faster and helps reduce the risk.”
In the interview, Mr. Russell also cast a pall over the prospects of Nikola’s Badger electric pickup truck by stating:
“The Badger is part of our discussions with GM. And we’ve been clear all along that we wouldn’t build a Badger without an OEM partner.”
As stated earlier, Nikola shares have reacted in a lukewarm fashion to this development, up only 2.73 percent in the current pre-market. However, the stock had tumbled over 16 percent on Friday after investors digested the ramifications of the Bloomberg interview by Mr. Russell.


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Critics call plans to create a digital currency an ‘assault on financial privacy’
As the federal government advances its plans to create a central bank digital currency (CBDC), critics are sounding the alarm about how much power a digital dollar would place in the hands of federal agencies.
The latest step toward a CBDC, called “Project Cedar,” was launched by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last month as a “wholesale” digital dollar for cross-border payments that is only available to banks and corporations. This effort, barely noticed amid the headlines surrounding the scandalous collapse of crypto-currency exchange FTX, follows Project Hamilton, a retail CBDC beta test conducted last February by the Boston Fed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Digital Currency Initiative.
The Fed lauded the success of its latest digital dollar venture, stating: “Project Cedar showed that blockchain-enabled cross-border payments can be faster, simultaneous, and safer.” But critics of the Fed’s CBDC initiatives were less enthusiastic.
“The launch of a CBDC would most likely be the single largest assault to financial privacy since the creation of the Bank Secrecy Act and the establishment of the third-party doctrine,” Nicholas Anthony, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, told The Epoch Times. By contrast to the U.S. dollar in its current form—cash and bank deposits—a CBDC would be issued directly by the federal government, giving it potentially unlimited access to and control over Americans’ money.
“At its core, financial privacy is important because this information can reveal a person’s relationships, profession, religion, political leanings, locations, and so much more,” Anthony said. “And while cash offers the greatest privacy protection for Americans, banks too offer a sort of air gap that protects Americans from prying eyes. A CBDC, in contrast, would establish a direct link between individual citizens and the central bank.”
In March, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to study and develop a CBDC for the purpose of financial stability and preventing crime, as well as “human rights; financial inclusion and equity; and climate change and pollution.”
“My administration places the highest urgency on research and development efforts into the potential design and deployment options of a United States CBDC,” Biden’s order stated. The agencies tasked with developing a digital dollar include the State Department, the Treasury Department, the Defense Department, the Justice Department, the Commerce Department, the Department of Labor, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of National Intelligence, and numerous others.
The 1970 Bank Secrecy Act to which Anthony referred forces banks to report to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network all transactions over $10,000, and any other transactions banks considered suspicious. According to the Treasury Department, banks reported about 20 million cases of suspicious activity in 2019. CBDCs can make government access to private transactions absolute.
Agustin Carstens, general manager of the Bank of International Settlements, stated in October 2020: “We don’t know who is using a $100 bill today, we don’t know who’s using a 1,000-peso bill today. The key difference with a CBDC is the central bank will have absolute control of the rules and regulations that will determine the use of that central bank liability, and also we will have the technology to enforce that.”
The Progressive Vision for Americans’ Money
In a free-market economy, money functions as both a medium of exchange and a store of value, in other words, as a vehicle for making payments and for accumulating savings. However, the Biden administration has set new goals for its vision of the digital dollar. These include social justice and environmental goals, which can only be achieved if the CBDC is programmable.
A programmable CBDC could allow the government not only to track transactions but also could include features like negative interest rates, which deduct a percentage of your money over time. This would make stimulus policies more efficient by compelling people who receive government payouts to spend rather than save. Another feature that progressives favor is the ability to limit the use of CBDC for certain products, such as gasoline or firearms.
Private companies are already taking steps in this direction. PayPal, for example, does not allow its services to be used for gun purchases. Visa and Mastercard offer credit cards that measure the carbon footprint of the user’s spending each month and can give a “nudge” when certain limits are breached. And Visa, Mastercard, and American Express have set up category codes to track Americans’ gun purchases.
A CBDC can go further, however, discouraging purchases the government doesn’t like by imposing surcharges, or shutting off access to money altogether. In this way, the Fed or the Treasury Department could set government policy on fossil fuels, gun control, and social justice without ever having to get laws passed through Congress.
“That’s exactly what’s not supposed to happen with money,” Wharton Business School professor Christina Skinner told The Epoch Times. “It’s supposed to be this inalienable property right whose value is supposed to be set and maintained by market forces.”
Advocates of a CBDC argue that the United States must have a digital dollar because other countries are doing it.
Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard stated in May that “the People’s Bank of China has been piloting the digital yuan, and several other foreign central banks are issuing or considering issuing their own digital currencies. A U.S. CBDC may be one potential way to ensure that people around the world who use the dollar can continue to rely on the strength and safety of the U.S. currency to transact and conduct business in the digital financial system.”
The Atlantic Council, a nonprofit “group of foreign policy change makers,” reported that “as of December 2022, all G7 economies have now moved into the development stage of a CBDC. The New York Federal Reserve’s wholesale CBDC experiment, Project Cedar, has shifted the U.S. from research into development.”
Governments around the world are increasingly concerned that the rise of cryptocurrencies is undermining their ability to control the financial system. Noting that “in November 2021, non‑state-issued digital assets reached a combined market capitalization of $3 trillion, up from approximately $14 billion in early November 2016,” the Biden executive order states that the United States must issue a digital currency to maintain its role as the world’s reserve currency, as well as to fight financial crime and make banking services available to underserved communities. But the benefit to citizens remains unclear.
Project Cedar has been justified as an effort to make cross-border payments easier and faster, Skinner said. “If this sounds vague, it’s because it is vague. You can’t really pin anyone down and have them explain to you how the CBDC is going to make cross-border payments easier.”
“Central bank reserves that banks hold are already digital,” she said. “It’s difficult to really understand from a legal and technical standpoint what the difference is between a wholesale CBDC—this thing that only the banking sector can have—and the kinds of central bank reserves they already have; and certain members of the Federal Reserve Board have made this point over and over again.”
This has led some to suspect alternative motives.
“A wholesale CBDC is likely to be a stepping stone toward a retail CBDC,” Anthony said. “In the worst case, it offers a sort of beta test for the Federal Reserve to test how effectively a CBDC might work without involving the entire country during the first round.”
Can Biden Create a CBDC Without Congressional Consent?
Biden’s executive order stated that Attorney General Merrick Garland must report within 180 days as to whether the administration needs congressional approval to create a digital dollar. That deadline has come and gone without a report from the Justice Department, and Congress has not granted authorization to the Biden administration to create a digital dollar. However, the administration has been moving forward with beta-testing CBDCs regardless.
“They have not launched a CBDC, but they have conducted extensive theoretical and experimental research with banks, payments networks, and even tech companies,” Anthony said.
According to Skinner, creating a digital dollar without congressional approval “flies in the face of most things we think about separation of powers.” The U.S. Constitution explicitly states that only Congress has the power to “coin money and regulate the value thereof.”
“The constitution was constructed to keep monetary and fiscal power away from the president because of the tyrannical danger that comes from princes who have power over the money and the purse,” she told The Epoch Times.
Last January, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) introduced a bill to ban the Fed from establishing a retail CBDC. “Not only would this CBDC model centralize Americans’ financial information, leaving it vulnerable to attack,” Emmer stated, “but it could be used as a surveillance tool that Americans should never tolerate from their own government.”
Because of its risks and downsides, a CBDC could be a difficult sell to American citizens as long as cash and bank deposits were still available as an alternative. One option for a CBDC to gain widespread acceptance would be to “crowd out” existing dollars by offering a higher interest rate on a CBDC compared to bank deposits, similar to how crypto exchanges like the now-bankrupt FTX were able to attract cash in exchange for digital currencies.
One point that critics make about a U.S. CBDC is that only the government seems to want it; there doesn’t appear to be significant consumer demand for a government-issued digital dollar.
A September 2022 poll of 2,200 bank customers found that 86 percent of Americans were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the bank services they receive. The survey reported that “nine in 10 (88 percent) consumers agree they have multiple options when selecting products and services such as bank accounts, loans, and credit cards, and 85 percent said they have a wide array of choices when deciding where to bank.”
The claim that a CBDC would achieve “equity” by making banking services available to the underserved also appears dubious. According to a report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., more than 95 percent of all American households have checking or savings accounts. Among those who don’t, the top-three reasons cited were: “Don’t have enough money to meet minimum balance requirements,” “Don’t trust banks,” and “Avoiding a bank gives more privacy.” It is unclear how a CBDC would resolve any of those issues.
“For the American people, there are no benefits to be gained,” Anthony said. “A CBDC would solely be to the benefit of the federal government by increasing its surveillance and control over the financial system”


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Tag - Xperia Pro
Sony Ericsson just revealed it will begin updating the software on its 2011 Xperia smartphones to Android 4.0 by the end of March and into April. These will include the Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V, and Xperia ray. About a month after that, the Xperia arc, Xperia Play, Xperia neo, Xperia mini and mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active, and Live with Walkman will get the same update.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro smartphone has just shown up at the FCC, having undergone certification testing. It follows a similar showing of the Xperia Mini Pro and reveals that the new handset is a non-US version with 900MHz and 2,100MHz HSPA band support. A newly revealed feature by the listing is ANT+ for fitness enthusiasts who want to keep track of their heart rate and similar metrics.
Sony Ericsson is reportedly delaying its launch plans for the Xperia Pro handset, which is now said to be on track to ship in October. The company initially paired the device with a July launch time-frame, however unofficial reports recently suggested the schedule was pushed back to the third quarter. Unnamed sources have told SoMobile the launch is facing further delays.
Sony Ericsson announced it will allow whom it calls advanced developers to load bootloaders and unlock its smartphones in a secure and legal way. Certain phones shipping later in the spring will get the functionality, including some versions of the Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia pro, and Xperia Play. Some requirements will need to be met, including having a SIM-unlocked phone.


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Industry awards entries open
NOMINATIONS are open for the 2015 WA Industry and Export Awards.
There are 15 categories covering a variety of industries, including agribusiness, marketing and design, minerals and energy, construction, biotechnology and small business.
Nominations close on Friday, July 17 and can be submitted at www.commerce.wa.gov.au/
Finalists will be announced on August 16.
The awards will be presented at the Hyatt Regency Perth on October 16.
Mirrabooka Square Shopping Centre facilities co-ordinator Steve Mitchell and Water Corporation key customer manager Elonn Tyl.


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Yirendai Ltd. (YRD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.04 EPS
Yirendai Ltd. (NYSE:YRD) issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The technology company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.04), Briefing.com reports. Yirendai had a net margin of 32.37% and a return on equity of 80.79%. The business had revenue of $227.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.27 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. Yirendai’s revenue for the quarter was up 73.0% compared to the same quarter last year.
Yirendai (YRD) traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 526,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 516,858. The company has a market cap of $2,500.00 and a PE ratio of 13.10. Yirendai has a 12-month low of $19.85 and a 12-month high of $53.50.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: This article was posted by American Banking News and is the property of of American Banking News. If you are reading this article on another domain, it was stolen and republished in violation of U.S. & international copyright and trademark laws. The original version of this article can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/11/14/yirendai-ltd-yrd-releases-quarterly-earnings-results-misses-estimates-by-0-04-eps.html.
An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Yirendai stock. Northern Trust Corp bought a new stake in Yirendai Ltd. (NYSE:YRD) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,375 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,000. 6.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Yirendai Company Profile
Yirendai Ltd. is engaged in online consumer finance marketplace business in China. The Company conducts its business in China, through Yi Ren Heng Ye Technology Development (Beijing) Co, Ltd. (Heng Ye) and its consolidated variable interest entity, Heng Cheng Technology Development (Beijing) Co, Ltd.
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Loudon County car repair shop owner arrested on sales tax evasion, theft charges
KNOXVILLE (WATE) – A Lenoir City businessman was arrested for sales tax evasion and theft after an investigation led by the Tennessee Department of Revenue.
Robert Wayne Berry, Jr., 50, was indicted by the Knox County grand jury on 24 class E felony counts of sales tax evasion and one class C county of theft of property over $10,000 on Nov. 3.
The indictments charge that from January 2011 through January 2013, Berry failed to remit state sales tax from sales at Eurohaus Motorsports, LCC.
Berry’s bond was set at $20,000.
If convicted, Berry could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $3,000 for each count of attempted sales tax evasion and a maximum of six years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $10,000 for theft of property.
Berry has been accused by several car owners of not completing repairs on time and leaving them not knowing where their cars are.
Ryan McElveen took Berry to court where a judge ordered Berry to return his classic Mercedes, more than 18 months after it had been taken in for repairs. Another repair shop completed the job.


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Wal-Mart Inc., which held meetings last week with its top 300 suppliers, announced plans to expand its radio frequency identification (RFID) and electronic product code (EPC) initiative. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer is already working with its top 100 suppliers and 13 volunteers to meet a January 2005 deadline for RFID technology implementation. Additional deadlines announce by the retailer include:
- June 2005: technology live in up to six distribution centers and up to 250 Wal-Mart stores and Sam's Clubs;
- October 2005: technology live in up to 13 distribution centers and 500 stores; and
- January 2006: Next 200 top suppliers begin tagging cases and pallets with RFID tags.


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161 Articles in Change-Makers
The World's Leading Environmentalist Shares How Global Warming Is Making Us Sick — And Exactly What We Can Do About It
Plus, the surprising connection to the obesity epidemic.
Mayiet's former co-founder just launched a new company—and it's game-changing.
She's changing homelessness, one meal at a time.
Would you swim all the way from Tokyo to San Francisco for the planet?
Lead by example, and make it a game!
If her success is any indication, eco-friendly fashion is about to go mainstream.
Founder and CEO Jason Wachob takes a stance.
The United Kingdom is taking a stand against plastics.
Let's be real: Gas stations and convenience stores are typically where wellness goes to die. The Goods Mart wants to change that.
Recycling doesn't have to be a pain, here's how it's done
These thought leaders have some fascinating insights into the state of our planet today and how we can all wake up to a brighter tomorrow.
Holistic tips for maximizing sleep? Count us in!
Plus the lesser-known holiday she wants you to put in your calendar.
The red carpet will be tinted green this Sunday.
All the wellness news you need to know today, including new ways of looking at depression, penguin migration, and how to fight crime with gardening.
We'll raise our pinkies to that.
This cleanup brigade has been at it for over two years.


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-- Dawn Pabst hates the wait for a pizza delivery. So after she orders a pepperoni pizza from the Domino's website, she never waits.
The Air Force technician from Las Vegas tracks the second-by-second status of her pizza via colorful, thermometer-like gauges at Dominos.com. She's one of millions of customers who monitor everything from order accuracy to the moment their pizza is prepped, baked, boxed or sent for delivery. Pabst says she even tracks the name of the person who bakes her pizza.
"I've never been known to be the most patient person in the world," says Pabst, who has used Domino's Pizza Tracker six times over the past four months. "It's nice to be able to call back and say, 'So-and-so made my pizza, and it's all messed up.' "
America is becoming a nation of track-a-holics. We want to go online and track the whereabouts of everything we order — or do. It's sometimes because we need to know, but often it's simply because we want to know.
Marketers are keenly hip to this growing consumer demand. In the early days of online package tracking, UPS had just 100,000 online tracking requests in December 1995. By last December, that number was 27.3 million requests a day.
And they know that the marketers that track best, win.
"Data is money," says Patricia Martin, author of Renaissance Generation: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business. "The more information you have, the more interesting you are."
That's why Domino's rolled out Pizza Tracker last year. It's why UPS and FedEx will send constant updates to consumers who want to know the whereabouts of their packages. Website FlightAware lets folks track the status of virtually any domestic flight. The Chicago Transit Authority Bus Tracker online system lets commuters track the whereabouts of their buses. New York City has Stimulus Tracker, which lets folks track where its stimulus funds are being spent. There's even a website that helps parents track — from a distance — their infant's sleeping, eating and, yes, pooping patterns.
In the end, this national obsession with tracking may be about consumers wanting some sense — real or perceived — of control. "I'd much rather know if I'm secure in my job," says Barry Glassner, sociology professor at University of Southern California. "But if I can't know that, at least I can know the status of my pizza."
The relentless consumer need to track is really about how valuable our time has become, says Grant McCracken, a cultural anthropologist. But, he warns, 24/7 tracking "fits us with a harness that some may resent. Someone is obliged to feed us perfect information and delivery time, and we're obliged to do the same."
McCracken admits to being a track-a-holic. After recently ordering a Lenovo ThinkPad from overseas, he closely tracked — via a UPS site — the route that his computer took from China to Hong Kong to Alaska to Memphis to his home in Connecticut. Sure, he was eager to get the new computer, which he was going to use to plan a new project, but equally important: "It was fun to watch it move through virtual space."
For Domino's, the tracker is more than a marketing tool. Even as it gives consumers a window into the status of their pizzas, it gives Domino's a window into the online world of its customers.
"Americans love knowing where their things are," says Chris McGlothlin, chief information office at Domino's. Folks constantly tell Domino's how much they hate not knowing when — or if — their pizza will arrive. The Pizza Tracker, used by 75% of Domino's online customers, is an attempt to solve that problem. While current technology also could track the whereabouts of drivers, Domino's won't track that for security reasons.
Besides connecting consumers to their pizzas, the tracker gives the first names of workers who make and deliver their order, says Russell Weiner, chief marketing officer. As a society, "We're not just time-starved, we're starved for connections to others."
Among the things we devote huge chunks of time tracking:
Tracking is a core function for FedEx. Its site, FedEx.com, gets 6 million package-tracking requests daily, says Mark Colombo, senior vice president of digital access marketing.
"Tracking is one of our top drivers for customer satisfaction," Colombo says. "People are obsessed with it."
Also, pay for many of the 100 top executives at FedEx is directly measured against the company's success in delivering packages on time.
The only way to measure that is, of course, to track it.
So it should be no surprise that FedEx has 14 tracking "events" for the average package, from pickup to when it gets on the plane to when it's on a local truck to delivery.
Consumers can choose to be notified of any of these handoffs. But the one requested most often — to follow the driver who brings the package to their home — they're not allowed to see.
"They'd love to watch the exact truck or plane that's carrying their package," Colombo says. While FedEx has the technology to do that, it won't take the step for security reasons, he says.
Over at rival UPS, tracking also is relentless. It keeps track of each time a package is touched by a handler — and offers that data to curious customers.
It handles about 23 million tracking requests a day at UPS.com for the 15 million packages it delivers each day, says Dave Barnes, chief information officer. In other words, the average package is tracked about 1½ times.
The fastest-growing part of tracking at UPS is mobile tracking via smartphones, Barnes says. BlackBerry owners can receive e-mail updates on packages.
In Europe, UPS lets customers download widgets to their desktops so they can track packages without even going to the UPS website. That easy ability to track is coming to the U.S., too, though Barnes doesn't know when.
Some folks are big trackers of flights. That's why Daniel Baker started FlightAware in 2005. It's a free service that receives FAA information and converts it into maps that track almost all non-military flights in the USA and Canada. That's about 50,000 flights a day.
The service receives 100 million flight-tracking requests a month, CEO Baker says. Spouses often use it to track the status of flights of their husbands or wives. Some folks use it to track packages. "But there are tons of people who are just tracking to track," says Baker. He says that's about 20% of his site's business.
Last year, the Chicago Transit Authority began to roll out a Bus Tracker that lets riders go online and track what time their bus will arrive.
The CTA's slogan for the new service: "The wait is over."
Well, not always. The site, www.ctabustracker.com, which is refreshed every few minutes, gives estimated arrival time based on traffic, scheduling and GPS systems on most of the city's 2,000 buses. Sometimes it's a bit off, but more often, it's on target, says Noelle Gaffney, a spokeswoman for CTA.
The site is averaging 27,600 visitors a day. It's just rolling out a new service: bus information via text messages on cellphones. Folks who text the numbers of a bus and bus stop will get back the approximate arrival time.
"This takes uncertainty out of the equation," Gaffney says. "Just knowing that your bus is coming in 15 minutes gives you a sense of control."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who made millions tracking data, is giving New Yorkers the chance to track city agency performance at www.nyc.gov/cpr. The website includes 550 data points that residents can track — from the response time of the local fire department to how quickly potholes are filled.
It also now is tracking spending of the $5 billion in federal stimulus money the city is receiving, at www.nyc.gov/stimulustracker.
Folks can track everything from the $47.2 million allocated for a Brooklyn Bridge rehab project to the $290,000 being spent on elevator repair at Bedford-Stuyvesant public housing.
"People are surprised this data exists," says Jeffrey Kay, director of operations for the mayor. "Data adds transparency, and transparency is good in government."
Web designer Ben MacNeill became a stay-at-home dad after his daughter, Trixie, was born six years ago. To help his working wife, Jennifer Egan, keep tabs on their daughter, he began to chart Trixie's daily diaperings, feedings and sleep patterns, which at first seemed random.
"I discovered immediate trends after five days," MacNeill says. He figured most sleep-deprived parents weren't much good at calculating trends with their newborns. So he developed software that converts daily input into formatted charts, which his wife, a pathologist, could view at any time from work.
Then he started charging others $8 a month for the real-time service at his website, Trixie Tracker (trixietracker.com). He's attracted about 7,000 customers.
One is Tracy May, a 33-year-old full-time mom from Lombard, Ill., who started tracking the habits of her 8-month-old daughter, Abby, days after she was born.
Abby wasn't a great eater or sleeper. So May tracked her habits "for my own peace of mind." Now, she says, "I've become addicted to tracking her. My friends think it's a little excessive."
May says she became a compulsive tracker at the non-profit she formerly worked for, where everything is results-oriented.
If nothing else, she says, tracking Abby's sleep, feedings and diaper changes has accomplished one very important thing. "It keeps me off of Facebook."


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the “kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”
The email, sent to Bezos from a man named Dave, criticized the billionaire for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bezos screenshotted the email and posted it to Instagram.
“You obviously are not an idiot or you wouldn’t have the financial success that you have had,” Dave, whose last name was redacted by Bezos, wrote.
“I was placing an order with your company when I discovered your statement of support for Black Lives Matter,” Dave continued. “I canceled my order and I know for a fact I won’t be the only one.
Bezos and other Amazon executives have been vocal in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death. In a May 30 Instagram post, Bezos wrote: “The pain and emotional trauma caused by the racism and violence we are witnessing toward the black community has a long reach.”
The company also announced that it would be donating $10 million to organizations supporting justice and equity, including the NAACP and the National Urban League, among others.
Bezos wrote in a caption alongside his Instagram post that he has received “a number of sickening but not surprising responses” to his email inbox in response to his previous Instagram posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
Credit: Business Insider


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Christmas comes early for west-side shopping district
WAUSAU — The Christmas on First Open House this weekend was one of the first holiday shopping events of the season, but it was less about buying Christmas presents and more about supporting a growing sliver of the Wausau community.
"It's been a really fun neighborhood event," said Kari Bender, event organizer and owner of The Needle Workshop and The Quilting Workshop on South First Avenue. "This is really the second big year that we've had it as a full-scale walking tour. ... We finally have some businesses around us, for one thing."
The event started 22 years ago with Bender and the owner of Wausau Awards & Engraving. Now it includes nine businesses, among them Blossoms and Bows and the River District Antique Mall. Participants who visited every stop were eligible for a $500 gift basket. The winner will be drawn this week, Bender said.
Joyce Koeppl did the rounds with her husband, Ray, on Sunday. The couple wasn't shopping for Christmas presents, but the two bought a plant and were eying some art at Buttermilk Creek for their own home.
"We did it last year. We had a ball, he and I," Joyce said. "It's our fun time, one of the few we get this time of year."
She was drawn to the open house as a regular at The Needle Workshop and said the event gets her out of her shopping comfort zone.
Bender said some of her regulars come every year. Her businesses offer a sale on Christmas fabrics, and she has a reasonable explanation for hosting a Christmas event the week after Halloween.
"I know it's a little bit early for some people," Bender said. "But originally for our clientele, we needed people to start earlier, because they're going to make the projects (by Christmas)."
This is the third year that Katzenbarkers Natural Pet Food and Supplies and The Planted Seed, both located on South Second Avenue, have participated. For The Planted Seed, a natural food store, the open house was an opportunity to draw new customers, said Judy Brayton, who owns the store with her husband. They see a lot of familiar customers, and first-time visitors also come in and ask questions, Brayton said.
About 200 people had been through Katzenbarkers by Sunday afternoon, well exceeding normal traffic, said store manager Rebecca Bearjar.
Sales, Bender said, aren't at the center of the open house.
"It's more of a motivator to get people started and thinking about shopping locally and getting in the holiday spirit," she said.
Nora G. Hertel can be reached at 715-845-0665. Find her on Twitter as @nghertel.


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With high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets fueling the demand for beef, and a fast-paced society favoring the convenience of heat-and-serve beef products, cattle producers are selling just about anything on the hoof to take advantage of record-high prices.
"The whole market trend right now or the psychology is ‘let's rush them to market,'" said Ernie Davis, Texas Cooperative Extension livestock marketing economist.
Record-high cattle prices in 2003 continue as experts say this year will go down as the best ever. Average steer prices a week ago were at $1.04 a pound, while finished steer prices hit a record $115 per hundredweight during October.
To take advantage of the high prices, cow-calf producers have been opting to send lightweight calves to market sooner, further decreasing the nation's beef supply. Even packers are pulling feeder cattle "green" from the feedlots to meet supply demands.
"Our placements in feedlots [for this time of year] are expected to be 10 percent higher at least from a year ago," said Jim Robb, director of the Livestock Marketing Information Center in Denver. "Clearly, this is a very unique set of market circumstances."
The million-dollar question on the minds of those in the beef industry is how long will the high prices last? According to Davis and Robb, prices will remain historically high on into the first quarter of 2004, but not at the record levels seen in October.
Several key factors are fueling the current market:
- All eyes are on Canada and when it will be allowed to resume trading of live cattle across its border. "That's at least four months down the line," Davis estimates. "As early as the market could open is in March."
- Attention is being paid to feedlots. According to Robb, the feedlots "hold all of the cards.
“They don't need to market animals until the packers come to them," he said. "That will go on for three or four more weeks. I suspect by the time we get to December, we're trading lower fed cattle prices still at historically high levels, but they are getting into the 90s mostly as opposed to the $1 (per pound) range. That's still the highest prices we've ever posted barring this year or this quarter."
- The price of corn. Analysts say there has been a record U.S. corn crop this year. With prices hovering around $2 a bushel, many feedlots aren't too worried about the price of corn. However, a poor corn crop in 2004 could change the price of cattle.
"If you have a short corn crop, most of the adjustment will be on the cattle side, which means cow-calf prices have to adjust accordingly," Robb said.
- Expect the nation's beef cow inventory to be tighter by Jan. 1. Davis and Robb expect fewer cows will be slaughtered in 2004 because they will be worth more due to limited beef cow numbers.
Davis said, "We're still trying to set the long-term stage for the cattle cycle. We've delayed this cycle another year."
While beef producers are enjoying the high prices, the liquidation of cattle across the United States continues, and will again cut into supplies heading into 2004. With the exception of Texas, which has been rebuilding cattle inventories the past three years, the Midwest has experienced drought conditions for the last two years, preventing rebuilding efforts.
"When we go through this year's liquidating numbers, that will be a 14-year cattle cycle," Davis noted. A normal cattle cycle is approximately a 10-year period in which the number of U.S. beef cattle is alternatively expanded and reduced over several consecutive years.
Generally, low prices occur when cattle numbers (or beef supplies) are high, precipitating several years of herd liquidation. As cattle numbers decline, prices gradually begin to rise, causing cattle producers to begin adding cattle to their herds. The cycle is relatively long due to the time lag between when a cow-calf operator decides to expand a herd, and when those additional animals reach slaughter weight.
"This is now the longest liquidation phase in the cattle cycle since we have had relevant records," Robb said. "It goes back to the late 1880s, but they didn't have good records then. The key to keeping us from rebuilding in 2004 is if we have drought in cattle country. Every year since 1996, we have had some cattle states affected by drought."
With drought and fewer cattle numbers, beef producers are managing to still place cattle in feedlots.
"How are we doing that? No. 1, we are still using a large percentage of heifers off each year's calf crop," Davis said. "In fact, heifer slaughter has made up nearly 40 percent of federally inspected steer and heifer slaughter for the past few years. The other thing is we are pulling cattle younger and lighter. Our slaughter ages have been pushed down.
"We were slaughtering cattle at 16 months to 17 months, now we're looking at 13 months to 14 months on these cattle. The feedlots are trying to keep up their numbers. That's been the trend the whole year."
Blair Fannin is a writer for Texas A&M University.


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Thank you for the June 27 article on electronic or digital billboards or “Powerpoint on a Pole.” Your article serves as a useful “wake-up call” to alert the public about an outdoor advertising technology that is sure to affect many people, and affect them negatively based on experience locally and around the country.
One justification by the outdoor advertising industry for electronic billboards is to present the faint hope that the signs would be readily used for Amber Alerts and other public service announcements. Well, the social benefit of using electronic signs would be so small as to be negligible, relative to the social costs.
The incremental benefit from electronic billboards would be so small because the capability for Amber Alerts is pervasive, even now. Capabilities for Amber Alerts are available via “variable message boards” in highway medians, as well as via TV, radio and cell phones. The social costs of electronic billboards, on the other hand, are high in terms of degrading the visual environment, creating light pollution, distracting drivers, causing accidents and reducing property values. And the real cost to the city could be millions, if they had to buy one out.
Curiously, the outdoor advertising industry has the opportunity now for “public/private partnerships” with standard legacy billboards. But, to my knowledge, there are few, if any, recent examples of the billboard industry proving gratis public service messages, such as for the El Paso County Health Department fairs and alerts, or important school district events and notices. Hence, the prospects for using electronic billboards for similar purposes are a faint hope.
Our community of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, which touts its beautiful setting and invests heavily in highway safety, would be better off without electronic billboards that compromise the visual environment and increase driver distractions.
Larry Barrett, Scenic Colorado


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SYNTHESISED perfumes have now reached detectable levels in the air we breathe. The compounds can accumulate in our bodies, but nobody yet knows if they are dangerous.
About 8000 tonnes of musk fragrances are synthesised every year for perfumes, cosmetics and soaps. For the past five years, researchers have been finding synthetic musk compounds in fish and mussels and in human fat, milk and blood. The compounds seem to build up through the food chain in much the same way as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some pesticides, such as DDT.
Now, for the first time, these molecules have been found in air samples. Robert Gatermann and his colleagues at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research in Tromsø found high musk concentrations in indoor air samples and much lower concentrationssimilar to PCB levelsin outdoor air. "I think it comes from cosmetics and all kinds of cleaners or air freshener sprays," he ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.


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Hyundai will currently focus on premium mid-size segments.
Hyundai Motor India Managing Director Young Key Koo has divulged to ET that the Hyundai compact SUV will launch in India by the end of the decade.
Mr Koo said:
The subcompact SUV is a very interesting concept. We are looking at it very closely. It will take another three-four years to hit the market, Each market has its speciality. For China, it is Elantra-size vehicle, For Russia, it is the Verna. For India, a compact SUV is very apt.
Most of the SUV's core development will be handled by HMIL's engineers, so as to develop the model with special focus on Indian customers. The sub-4m SUV was previewed as the Hyundai Carlino concept at the Auto Expo 2016.
Hyundai's current focus is on the premium mid-size segments, and have unveiled the latest Hyundai Tucson that will launch in the market this year. Also in the cards are the next generation Hyundai Elantra as well as the new Hyundai Sonata, which was showcased in its hybrid guise at the Auto Expo.
Hyundai will, reportedly, spend Rs 1,500-2,000 crore in the coming three years towards these new products. Mr Koo also expressed interest in launching Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand in India.
[Source: Economic Times]


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Tottenham Hotspur have given fans a way of taking a walk through their brand new stadium from their phones or tablets.
Spurs' new ground is currently under construction, but the new app allows you to take a glimpse around what the finished ground will look like, using augmented reality to stand in the centre circle and get a feel for how big the new stadium will be.
All you need to do is load up the app, then download a tracker image which you then point your phone or tablet at to dive in and take a tour, looking around the 61,000-seater state-of-the-art stadium.
Previously those looking to buy premium seat packages were among the few that were able to take an augmented reality tour of the new ground, which is set to house Spurs for the 2018/19 season.
Now anybody can take the tour.
You can download the app from iTunes here.
Or from the Android Play store here.


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Unionised workers at Hyundai Motor plan partial strikes starting Friday and a full one-day walkout on Tuesday to demand higher wages and bonus payments, a union official reportedly said.
Reuters noted that South Korea faces a tough bargaining season with unions every summer, but labour unrest this year poses a big headache for a government struggling to bolster depressed local consumption and lift business investment to guide growth higher.
Hyundai’s strike is also widely expected to spark similar industrial action by affiliate Kia Motors, SUV maker Ssangyong Motor and GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the news agency added.
According to Reuters, workers belonging to Hyundai’s 40,000-strong union, which demanded a 10.48% increase in base salary and bonus payout equivalent to 30% of the firm’s net profit, will down tools for three hours on Friday and for six hours on Monday.
They also plan a full strike on Tuesday, the union reportedly said – about 70% of unionised workers voted in favour of the strike.
The news agency noted that Hyundai’s union is the country’s largest and most powerful member of the umbrella labour group Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which is planning a general strike among hospital workers, taxi drivers and some other industry unions.
“We did not have another choice but to go on strike as the management has not shown a sincere attitude towards negotiation,” union spokesman Chang Gyu-ho told Reuters.
“Whether to stage further strikes after Tuesday wholly depends on what the management does at the negotiating table,” Cho reportedly said.
Union officials reportedly said workers at Kia Motors and Ssangyong Motors are scheduled to vote on Friday whether to down tools to demand better pay and working conditions.
Analysts told Reuters Hyundai would have to overcome unruly unions and spend more on R&D if it is to emulate the success of Toyota, which has become the world’s most valuable and profitable car maker.
Hyundai wants to become one of the world’s top five car makers by 2010. It ranks seventh, selling three million vehicles last year, the report added.


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As Microsoft is getting closer to the finish line, the company is becoming increasingly vigilant about squashing any and all bugs they can find. To that end, the company has already released numerous hotfixes and security patches since last Thursday, when build 10240 hit RTM. A bug that is currently affecting the battery life of some laptops running Windows 10 is being worked on by Intel and Microsoft.
Intel confirmed the existence of the problem and stated:
Intel and Microsoft are working to optimize drivers for battery performance on Windows 10 across Intel platforms. While we are working on technical optimizations, we have seen very minor hits to battery life but even the upper end of what we have seen is below 10 percent. Do know that we expect battery life on Windows 10 systems to be nearly the same as on Windows 8.1 systems once the final Windows 10 drivers have been updated and released.


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A surprisingly large number of consumers are poised to cut off their pay TV service and use their computers to access their favorite TV programs and videos, according to a new report from the Yankee Group.
According to the report, one in eight consumers will ditch the coax and go online for video over the next 12 months. Dubbed "coax cutters," these consumers will follow in the tradition of telephone cord cutters who dumped traditional phone service in favor of mobile phones.
Three factors are driving consumers to make the switch, including a new wave of Internet-connected TVs, climbing pay TV subscription prices and a variety of connected consumer devices, including game consoles, that can act like a set-top box.
"At the most basic level, the decision to cut off pay TV services is an economic one," said Vince Vittore, Yankee Group principal analyst and co-author of "Consumers Consider Axing the Coax."
"As programmers continue to demand ever higher fees, which inevitably get passed on to consumers, we believe more consumers will be forced to consider coax-cutting," he said.
Among the report's other findings: • The Pay TV market is flat-lining. Subscribers in Western Europe will increase 3.9 percent from 2010 to 2013; the number of U.S. subscribers will grow 6.9 percent in the same period.
• Younger consumers, ages 18 to 34, are more likely to cut off pay TV services.
• Consumers will turn to other devices to skirt pay TV services; 56 percent of households have at least one HDTV, and 43 percent have at least one gaming console.
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