text:
Back on Sunday 14th October (2007) I wrote about a Mr Linn Murphy in a post titled, “UFO Hoaxers And Their Toys”.
“Meet Linn Murphy, a man with perhaps a little too much time on his hands? Linn Murphy has built himself a 3 foot wide reinforced foam flying saucer that’s remote controlled and can hit 40 mph thanks to a tiny electric motor.”
The only reason I mention this is I recently came across the following article from the Mercury News:
|UFO toy seller in OC held for alleged pants fraud|
The Associated Press
IRVINE, Calif.—A man known for selling flying, flashing toys that have prompted UFO reports was arrested for a more earthbound problem: allegedly faking torn trousers.
Murphy had been trying to get a local restaurant called Houston's to reimburse him, claiming he had damaged his designer pants in a fall in the restroom, police said.
Murphy claimed the trousers were part of a suit valued between $500 and $1,800, police said.
When Houston's manager called a clothing store to verify the value of the pants, he was told that a Home Depot in Irvine had made a similar call because Murphy was trying to get that store to pay for his trousers, police Lt. Rick Handfield said.
The clothing store also said Murphy had requested a letter stating the value of the suit, Handfield said.
Murphy was booked at the Orange County Jail, where he was held Saturday on $20,000 bail, according to inmate information on the Sheriff's Department Web site.
Murphy is known locally for selling radio-controlled toy saucers with flashing lights. Murphy and the toy's creator, Steve Zingali, sell them for $1,000 apiece. Orange County police agencies say nighttime flights of the toys have prompted floods of UFO reports.
“Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it.”


text:
Image: Push the square
In a rare appearance in podcast, the large PlayStation Jim Ryan hat promised that other acquisitions are planned. This follows heavy rumors earlier in the week from the industry experts Greg Miller and Jeff Grubb, in which they alluded to a “really big” redemption. Since Microsoft bought Bethesda a few years ago, companies started in the studio race for their empires, which brought Sony to hang developers like Bungie, housemarks, etc.
“We grow up through the acquisition,” he told the PlayStation Blogcast. “We acquired five studios during the year 2021. We are in discussion with Bungie. And we have more planned. More recently, PlayStation bought the Canadian developer Haven Studios, although he has already signed an editing agreement with Jade Raymond’s team.
So, who is next, so? Who knows? Despite the chatter of a “really important” acquisition, it should be recalled that those familiar with trade agreements like this will be legally required to shut up. As such, you probably should not believe everything you read about social networks. From what Jim said here, however, we will surely learn more once the ink has dried.

domain: news


text: Amazon says it will start capping the number of product reviews any customer can submit in a given week, limiting each person to five/week except for products that have been verified by the company as purchased by the reviewer. From a GeekWire report: Books, music and video are exempt from the limit, but the new cap applies to the rest of Amazon's vast online selection of products. It's the latest move by the e-commerce giant to police its online reviews, a critical resource used by many online shoppers to assess products before buying. The news comes during the peak holiday shopping season, the most important time of year for Amazon, as the company tries to get more people comfortable with doing more of their shopping online. An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the changes in a message to GeekWire, and they're spelled out in Amazon's updated Community Guidelines.


text:
The latest study from Green Research identifies the trends, tools and best practices at the next frontier in corporate sustainability: the supply chain. The study found that a lack of data standards and concerns about data reliability have hindered supply chain sustainability progress. Sixty-two percent of executives surveyed for the study said their efforts to track supply chain sustainability performance are impaired by a lack of measurement standards. The study advises firms to support industry and cross-industry groups that are working to develop supply chain sustainability standards. An important recent development in this area is the release by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition of its “Higg Index,” a standard measure of environmental performance at the product and facility level for the apparel and footwear industries. The Higg Index should dramatically improve communication about performance and sustainability goals throughout apparel supply chains, leading to sustainability improvements over time. The report notes efforts with similar goals in other industries.
Just a few years ago many companies avoided taking responsibility for the environmental performance of their supply chains, often on the grounds that they had little influence over this aspect of supplier performance. But attitudes are shifting: Sixty-four percent of senior sustainability executives feel their companies can have significant influence on their top suppliers’ sustainability performance, and eighty-four percent consider it likely that their companies can obtain much better environmental performance from suppliers without compromising their companies’ business goals.
Sustainability improvements sometimes depend on advances in technology — such as renewable energy systems or mechanical or electrical systems with advanced, resource-efficient designs. But often they depend on advances in management practice. The research identified ten supply chain sustainability best practices followed by one or more of the dozens of companies discussed in the report. These include educating and motivating suppliers, setting goals, using scorecards, and enlisting buyers and sourcing managers as front-line representatives of a company’s sustainability strategy.
The research revealed that effective management of sustainability data is critically important for companies aiming to drive supply chain sustainability improvements. A vibrant collection of vendors is offering software tools and web-based systems to help companies track, analyze and manage this data. The report provides capsule profiles of a dozen vendor offerings along with a vendor selection framework prospective buyers of the tools can use to help select one appropriate to their needs. For more information about the research, please visit greenresearch.com.
Other Studies Featured This Month
Towards Zero-Impact Growth
Consultancy Deloitte teamed up with sustainability visionary John Elkington to help make Elkington’s vision of a zero-impact growth economy more accessible to major corporations. The team developed a scoring system to plot companies along Elkington’s “pathway to zero,” the five stages from recognizing the opportunity of a zero-impact growth strategy to fully embracing one. Of 65 companies studied, none had yet reached the final stage but according to the analysis, six companies — Puma, Natura, Nestlé, Nike, and Ricoh and Unilever — have arrived at the fourth stage. Among a range of findings, the study identified several best practices, including taking a holistic approach to sustainability, exemplified by Unilever and its Sustainable Living Plan; acting collaboratively, exemplified by a group of competing apparel manufacturers that have jointly committed to eliminating the discharge of hazardous chemicals (and, I would add, the work of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition); and internalizing externalities, exemplified by Puma, which released the first environmental profit and loss statement.
Six in Ten Consumers Globally Think Green Products Cost Too Much
Market researcher GfK has released its third annual global study of consumer environmental attitudes and behaviors. The study is based on a survey of 35,000 consumers in 25 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. According to the new research, the proportion of consumers whose purchase decisions include a consideration of environmental protection grew 6 percentage points in China and 5 points in Brazil, compared to 2011. Mexico and South Africa also recorded significant increases in the past year, the study found. Sixty percent of consumers globally feel environmentally friendly products are too expensive — twice the percentage of those who see a green lifestyle as a “status indicator.” More information here.
Article written by David Shatsky, President, Green Research for Sustainable Life Media – August 22, 2012


text:
Auradine Unveils Next-Generation Teraflux™ Bitcoin Miners Setting New Benchmarks for Efficient and Sustainable Mining
SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auradine, a leader in web infrastructure solutions including blockchain, AI, and security, today announced the launch of the next generation of its Teraflux™ Bitcoin miners, the AT2880 and AI3680. These miners are the fastest and most efficient Bitcoin mining systems in the world, achieved through breakthrough architectural and process advances in ASIC technologies. Additionally, they offer cutting-edge uptime and demand-response features that help miners reduce costs and effectively partner with energy providers.
Bitcoin, the world’s first blockchain, accounts for over half the global cryptocurrency market value. It is also poised for wider adoption, with leading analysts projecting that the United States SEC is likely to approve a number of Bitcoin ETF applications. Currently, nearly all Bitcoin mining hardware comes from China-based ASIC suppliers. Amidst geopolitical and other risks to supply chains and cybersecurity threats, there is growing demand for US-based mining solutions. Auradine, an American company, is spearheading innovation in breakthrough data-center-scale Bitcoin solutions while enhancing supply chain resiliency.
“After delivering our first generation of Bitcoin miners, we are raising the bar again to help customers achieve the best economics and sustainability, even beyond the Bitcoin halving in 2024,” said Rajiv Khemani, CEO and co-founder of Auradine. “We also offer Bitcoin mining operators a compelling alternative to foreign ASICs, which is vital to the cotinued growth, security, and confidence of the North American blockchain economy.”
Unparalleled Performance and Capabilities
"Auradine’s technology offers cutting-edge hardware that prioritizes energy efficiency and optimizes total cost of ownership,” said Ashu Swami, CTO of Marathon Digital Holdings. “The company’s next-generation ASIC chip allows miners to achieve best-in-class performance and improves their economics. As one of the largest Bitcoin miners, Marathon is encouraged to see companies like Auradine working to make the Bitcoin ecosystem more energy-efficient and resilient.”
Invest in Bitcoin America Initiative
Availability and Ordering
Setting up a Private Cellular Network in Under an Hour
Wrap-up: Update on Asterisk and FreePBX


text:
CHICO, Calif. — Jan. 25, 2012 —Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is pleased to announce that it has chosen a site in western North Carolina for the future home of an East Coast brewery. The site, approximately 90 acres in the Henderson County Town of Mills River— along the French Broad River, 12 miles south of Asheville — will be home to the new production facility, as well as a proposed restaurant and gift shop. “We are thrilled to have found an ideal location in western North Carolina for our second brewery,” says Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada. “The beer culture, water quality and quality of life are excellent. We feel lucky to be a part of this community.”
The new facility will add much needed capacity for Sierra Nevada, and will allow for the quick shipment of brewery-fresh beer to consumers in the east. The East Coast brewery will start with a capacity around 300,000 barrels, with room to grow. The added barrelage will accommodate wider production of the myriad of seasonal beers and bottled specialties Sierra Nevada has produced in recent years, as well as an expansion of the brewery’s well‐known flagship product: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
The new brewery is expected to be up and running in early 2014 and employ 90 workers.
We can close the book on this story now. Congratulations to Asheville on the great addition to your community.
Given all the great breweries that already call Virginia home, we're still doing just fine.
The entire press release is here.


text:
The Tag saga is nearing an end
The first approved companies for the new cattle tag system have been announced. Euro Tag produced Mullinahone Co-op will be the first to sell their tags.
The approval covers the full range of cattle tags including sampling and electronic. A rise in cattle tags prices has been expected and Euro Tags have stated their will be an increase in price from them. A move which the IFA have warned over.
IFA Animal Health Chairman Bert Stewart has said that farmers should recieve finincial support to counter this price rise.
A department statement said:
“These requirements include that the tags are tamper-proof and are not re-usable, as objectively assessed by independent experts. This process will enable the supply of approved tags from 1 November next. The new arrangements will remain in place until 31 December 2017.”
It is expected that Cormac tagging will also be approved by the department this weekend. Ursula Kelly of Cormac Tagging informed That’s Farming;
‘This is the biggest month of the year in regards tagging so we want to just start selling.’
The department has given no reason to Ursula why it has staggered their approvals. Cormac tagging has a background in sheep tagging controlling 35% of the electronic sheep tagging market and hopes that consumers will make the switch.
‘One of the key features of the tag is its a tamper proof tag and its a one action tag, so the sample is safe and contained there’s no need to put it into the vial.’
Ursula said they have had a fantastic response from consumers. Their tags will be priced competitively.
‘We just want to get started there’s 30,000 tags a day bought every November, our product is good, we have a new website ready to launch and our price will be competitive.’
Thats Farming contacted the department of Agriculture regarding the staggered announcements but as of time of publsihing they had not responded.


text:
The Kadjar is the latest reveal from Renault and it has Qashqai and the Yeti fully in its sights.
The Crossover SUV category seems to be getting stronger and stronger every year so it is no surprise that manufacturers are trying to get in on the act. Renault will be introducing their new Kadjar officially at Geneva though there will be an unveil before that next week on February 2nd. No doubt the teams behind the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Yeti and Mazda CX-5 will be watching closely as this story develops.
It will be interesting to see if they release a 7 sea variant to rival the Nissan Qashqai +2, though nothing has been mentioned as of yet. It is probable that the Kadja will share similar design traits to the Captur and it will be built on the same CMF platform as the Qashqai itself courtesy of its alliance with Nissan, we also imagine the engines on offer will be pretty similar. Renault are going to utilise social media to create a bit of buzz, by uploading teaser pictures and videos, so far they have uploaded a picture of a handglider, shower head and a bus door…. It is unclear why.


text:
Z kraju Wygraj drona w konkursie firmy Farnell
Farnell element14 obchodzi w tym roku 10-lecie działalności w Polsce. Z tej okazji firma ogłosiła konkurs, w którym codziennie wygrać można Nagrodę Dnia, a na jego zakończenie - Nagrodę Główną w postaci minidrona Spark.
Konkurs rozpoczął się 10 października i potrwa 31 dni, do 9 listopada. Jedyne co trzeba zrobić, by wziąć udział w konkursie, to odpowiedzieć na proste pytanie dotyczące firmy Farnell element14.
Informacje na temat konkursu, wraz regulaminem oraz zestawem pytań konkursowych i pełną listą nagród, dostępne są na stronie organizatora.
środa, 18 października 2017 19:52
NXP Semiconductors N.V. has announced an all new control and compute concept for connected, electric and autonomous cars. The NXP S32 platform is the world's first fully-scalable automotive computing architecture. Soon to be adopted by both premium and volume automotive brands, it offers a unified architecture of microcontrollers/microprocessors and an identical software environment across application platforms. The NXP S32 architecture addresses the challenges of future car development with a host of architectural innovations designed to allow carmakers to bring rich in-vehicle experiences and automated driving functions to market much faster than before. więcej na: media.nxp.com
środa, 18 października 2017 17:53
Synopsys, Inc. announced that it has acquired Sidense Corporation, a leading provider of one-time programmable non-volatile memory for automotive, mobile, industrial and Internet of Things applications. The acquisition complements Synopsys' existing DesignWare Multi-Time Programmable NVM IP solution with OTP NVM IP in 16-bit to 1.28-Mbit configurations. With this acquisition, Synopsys gains access to proven, market-leading OTP NVM IP in process technologies from 180- to 16-nm along with a team of highly experienced R&D engineers. The terms of the deal, which is not material to Synopsys financials, have not been disclosed. więcej na: news.synopsys.com
środa, 18 października 2017 16:03
It has been reported that Apple’s older iPhone 7 models are outselling the iPhone 8s and iPhone X that launches early November. Most of the time the new editions of iPhone have sold faster but it is not true in this case. According AT&T the last week its third-quarter postpaid handset upgrades were fewer by nearly 900,000 from a year ago, and brokerage Jefferies attributed it to weak iPhone 8 demands. “Many respondents indicated that a meaningful portion of customers are buying iPhone7 in lieu of the new iPhone 8, given the lack of significant enhancements in the new phone.” KeyBanc analyst John Vinh wrote in a client note. więcej na: www.dailytech.com
środa, 18 października 2017 14:06
IBM shift to newer businesses such as cloud and security services helped it beat analysts’ quarterly revenue estimates, and the technology major hinted at sales growth after nearly six years of declines. Shares of the Dow component rose nearly 5.1 percent to $153.93 in extended trading on Tuesday. IBM has been focusing on cloud, cybersecurity and data analytics, or what the company calls its “strategic imperatives”, to counter a slowdown in its legacy hardware and software businesses. Revenue from these businesses climbed 11 percent to $8.8 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, accounting for about 46 percent of the company’s total revenue. więcej na: www.reuters.com
środa, 18 października 2017 12:03
Volvo announced that it would transform its Polestar performance sub-brand into an all-electric Tesla competitor. "Polestar has confirmed the company’s first three models, a new purpose-built production facility in China and a new, customer-focussed route to market with all-inclusive subscription-based services that will set a new industry benchmark for performance car buyers," Volvo added. Polestar's vehicles have been impressive - we've tested the wagon at Business Insider - but the company now thinks that shifting the brand to an all-electric identity is the way to go. The first vehicle - called a "halo for the future Polestar brand" by Volvo - will be dubbed "Polestar 1" and be a gas-electric hybrid two-door cranking out 600 horsepower. więcej na: www.businessinsider.com
środa, 18 października 2017 10:06
Samsung Display is striving for OLED panel orders from China-based mobile device vendors, but will be facing competition from its China-based rivals such as BOE Technology and Tianma Micro-electronics, according to industry sources. Samsung's OLED panels are already being used for its own-brand smartphones, as well as Apple's iPhone X. The Korea-based vendor is vying aggressively for OLED panel orders from China-based smartphone brands, but is aware of the potential customers' preference for China-made panels, the sources indicated. LG Display is another competitor of Samsung in the OLED panel field, but Samsung regards its China-based rivals as a major threat when it comes to orders from China, the sources noted. więcej na: www.digitimes.com


text:
Brevard store aims for world record 700-pound kale salad
Brevard's known for a lot of things: the space program, Cocoa Beach Pier. After next week, we'll also be known for producing the largest kale salad in the world.
What started out as a joke to celebrate a health food store's fifth anniversary became a feat of epic proportions. How epic? 500 pounds of kale epic.
On Nov. 8, Nature's Market on Apollo Boulevard in Melbourne will mix 500 pounds of the superfood and 200 pounds of salad dressing in an inflatable pool. The salad will be sold for $1 a plate, with proceeds going to the Daily Bread.
"The kale salad out of our deli case is the No. 1 seller. We probably make it close to six times a week, if not more," said chef Lucy Hendry, who came up with the recipe six years ago when Nature's Market was on Harbor City Boulevard.
Hendry has reached out to the World Record Academy, an online site that certifies anything from human body records to mass-participation records. Some salad records? Largest fruit salad, longest salad bar, largest Greek salad. But no largest kale salad. Yet.
Nature's Market also applied to Guinness World Records, which, according to its website, has six salad records. Largest potato salad and most Caesar salads made in one hour stand out.
Hendry will have some help with the prep work, likely Nov. 5 or 6, with students from Keiser University taking out the stems, washing and storing the kale. Along with her husband and son, Richard and Kyle Hendry, respectively, she'll prepare the kale salad in large plastic tubs, weigh it and then pour into the inflatable pool. The dressing — a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil and spices — will have its own plastic tub containers, too.
For those wondering: Why?
Hendry said Nature's Market is known for its kale salad: "We'll go through two or three trays a day. We probably have 20 or 30 regulars who come just for the kale. In big portions, too. Usually a pound or two."
Barry Dansky of Melbourne visits the health food store and café four or five times a week. Although he cooks the superfood at home with heavier ingredients like salsa, he enjoys the "light" and "fluffy" salad from Nature's Market.
"It's one of the few places in the area where you can grab something pretty quickly," he said. "You know it's pretty much organic, high-end ingredients."
And kale's reputation as a superfood doesn't hurt when it comes to sales.
"It definitely helps upsell it when you explain to people that it is a superfood and it does benefit your body greatly and it is healthy for you," Jacob Stankowitz of Melbourne said. He's been working the deli at Nature's Market for a little over a month. "That definitely makes people want to eat a lot of it. Especially people who are trying to get healthier."
For Richard Hendry, who also organizes '80s in the Park and the Dragon Festival at Wickham Park, being home to the largest kale salad in the world makes sense.
"Why would we make the biggest doughnut? We're a health food store," he said. "We do know how to make salad."
For more information, call 321-254-8688 or visit naturesmarketmelbourne.com.
Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630
Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @byjensangalang
By the numbers
500: pounds of kale for Nature's Market's five-year anniversary event
200: pounds of salad dressing for the kale salad
700: weight in pounds of the finished product for Nov. 8
1: inflatable pool that will hold 700 pounds worth of kale salad
$15: The cost for a 30-pound box of kale
$9.99: The cost for a pound of kale salad from Nature's Market
2: pounds of kale salad in a "normal" deli tray
20-30: number of regulars who buy the kale salad from Nature's Market per week
Guide to salad greens
Here's a sample of salad greens and what they taste like.
Dandelion greens: Very bitter
Arugula: This green has a peppery taste that can be a little bitter to some.
Kale: A light, crispy green. Don't eat the stems.
Romaine: Famously used in Caesar salads, it's leafy, thick and crunchy.
Radicchio: Eaten raw, this red-purple bitter vegetable has a spicy flavor to it. If it's cooked, it becomes a little sweet.
Butter lettuce: Soft lettuce with a buttery texture, hence the name.
Spinach: Eaten raw, this nutrient-rich green has a mild, leafy taste. When cooked, it takes on the flavor of whatever ingredients are paired with it. Try sauteing it in olive oil and garlic.


text: Though Google made significant strides in smoothing out Android performance with Project Butter, apparently it's not yet satisfied. According to L'Express, Mountain View has just purchased French firm FlexyCore for €16.9 million ($23.1 million). That company made its name with software like DroidBooster, which improves the speed of apps running Android without increasing battery drain. A Google spokesman in France said that the business is already integrated with its Android teams, and confirmed that the software will "help optimize the performance of (Android) on mobile devices." Whether it'll bear fruit in the soon to be released Android 4.4 KitKat remains to be seen -- but given Google's promise that the new OS will make even low-spec phones sing, we wouldn't be surprised.


text:
Five Wives Vodka Banned
The state of Idaho has prohibited the distribution of Five Wives Vodka for legislators find it offensive – especially to the Mormon population.
The drink comes in clear bottle with a cream label that features five women dressed conservatively that many see as a reference to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ past acceptance of polygamy.
Idaho State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson revealed to AP that the controversial middle-shelf vodka is insulting a portion of the population.
The makers of Five Wives Vodka, Ogden’s Own Distillery in Utah find the ban baseless and is fighting back by releasing a statement that read:
‘The average person can look at our bottle and they don’t find it offensive. It’s certainly not obscene, which is what it would require for it to be banned.’
The company which sells the beverage in Oregon is using the free publicity to their benefit.
They are currently selling ‘Free the Five Wives’ T-shirts in hopes of overturning the ban and better promote their brand.
Many citizens who have seen bottle stated that the bottle is not an issue and added a Mormon would never go to a liquor store to buy such a product.


text:
The team at Westend Estate Wines raised their glasses last night, in celebration of winning the coveted and very prestigious Stodart Trophy at the 2012 Royal Queensland Wine Show. As one of Australia’s oldest wine competitions – first staged in 1876 – and the first national show held in a capital city each year, the RQWS provides the platform for the nation’s best wine producers to reveal their new season’s vintage. 1,900 wines went head to head last week, being judged by a panel of senior professionals in the winemaking industry, all in a bid to be crowned Australia’s best wine.
Westend’s flagship brand, 3 Bridges was awarded the Stodart Trophy for its 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, being announced the ‘Best Gold Medal winning One Year Old Dry Red Table Wine’ – class 16. The Stodart trophy is recognised as one of the most prestigious and influential awards on the Australian wine show circuit and signifies the strength and testament of the Westend Estate portfolio.
The fruit for the 3 Bridges 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the Riverina (60%) and Hilltops (40%) regions in NSW. The award is a very promising start for the wine, which is scheduled to be launched at the end of this year. Chief winemaker Bryan Currie was thrilled with the outcome; “This is history breaking for the Riverina region as the first Riverina based wine to win the award and showcases the winemaker’s skills coming from the difficult 2011 vintage. Very careful fruit selection and skilled winemaking has enabled Westend to make small parcels of fantastic wines from the cool vintage. The wine is fragrant with classic cassis fruit and fine grained tannins and will be keenly awaited when released later this year.”
The Stodart Trophy means an unbelievable amount to the winery and in particular Bill Calabria, who has always kept faith in the Riverina region, where he has been making wine for the past 49 years. “To be announced as the winner of the Stodart Trophy reinforces the winery’s position as one of the most respected and recognised wineries in Australia. I am so proud of Bryan and all my team, who have supported me in achieving not only this award but all accolades that Westend have received over the years. We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated and conscious team who take great pride in the Westend product.
For more information on Westend Estate Wines please visit http://www.westendestate.com/
Westend Estate Wines was established in 1945 by Italian immigrants Francesco and Elizabeth Calabria. Today the company is managed by the third generation of the Calabria family which now has interests in the Riverina, Hilltops and Barossa Valley wine regions. Westend Estate Wines is one of Australia’s great wine exports, winning the NSW Premiers Export Award in 2010 and 2011. Westend Estate wine products can be found in over 26 countries across the World.


text:
A Minnesota-based medical marijuana company is battling Google after the web giant reportedly blocked its attempts to advertise online.
According to the Star Tribune, Vireo, the parent company of Minnesota Medical Solutions, was unable to purchase a series of online ads due to Google's policy against promoting "dangerous products or services."
Google did not respond to requests from the Tribune for a comment, but their guidelines, which prohibit advertisements for everything from explosives and tobacco to "recreational drugs and drug-related equipment," state: "We want to help keep people safe both online and offline, so we don’t allow the promotion of some products or services that cause damage, harm, or injury."
But Vireo states that they are only looking to advertise medical marijuana as a pharmaceutical.
“As a physician, it’s hard to understand why Google willingly accepts ads that promote highly addictive painkillers, like OxyContin, that are responsible for thousands of deaths each year, but knowingly rejects medical cannabis ads that could, in many cases, be a significantly safer therapeutic option for patients,” Dr. Kyle Kingsley, the founder and CEO of MinnMed and Vireo, said in a statement.
"I think it is going to be challenging for Google to explain why it is comfortable accepting advertisements from companies that promote the sale of alcohol, knives, hatchets and infidelity, but is uncomfortable accepting ads from medical cannabis companies," he continued. "We don’t live in a black-and-white world, and Google ought to adopt more thoughtful and nuanced advertising policies.”
(Photo Courtesy of TabloideBR)
‘Real Housewives’ Star Luann de Lesseps Spotted Smoking Weed
Over 200 Michigan Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Forced To Close
What Does “Whole Plant” Mean?
Best Buds: 8 Celebrity Stoner Duos
Culture2 weeks ago
9 Coolest Cannabis-Friendly Career Fields
Laws1 week ago
Marijuana Laws in Canada: Province by Province
Business2 weeks ago
These 6 Industries Don’t Want Hemp Legalized
World1 week ago
The 6 Most Advanced Countries For Marijuana Research
Sports1 week ago
7 Ways Athletes Use Cannabis
Business2 weeks ago
5 Ways To Make The Cannabis Industry More Sustainable
Products3 days ago
15 Products That Can Be Made From Hemp
News2 weeks ago
Trump Makes Deal to Protect States with Legal Cannabis


text:
• Bank of Colorado has purchased land at 1888 W. Eisenhower Blvd. in Loveland and plans to build its 34th branch within the state.
Demolition of the existing building on the site will begin in late spring with construction on the new bank beginning in early summer. The new branch is expected to open in January.
Bank President Shawn Osthoff said in a press release: “Bank of Colorado is a family-owned organization and has never lost sight of what has made the organization successful. It’s about the employees who have become part of the family and building relationships with our local community. Our new location in Loveland will complement our location in Johnstown off of (U.S.) Highway 34 as we continue to expand our banking business.”
Mike Bellus will transfer from the Fort Collins office on Harmony Road to become president of the new branch. Bank of Colorado has 33 locations through Colorado including offices at 1609 E. Harmony Road in Fort Collins and 1102 Lincoln Ave. in Loveland.
• Architects Randy Shortridge and Jason Kersley have formed [au]workshop architects+urbanists in downtown Fort Collins focusing on “quality, authentic architecture and catalytic urban, civic and commercial projects that sustainably invigorate neighborhoods and cities.”
The company is designing the Encompass Technologies headquarters in Fort Collins that will also include residential and restaurant space on the banks of the Poudre River, along with projects in New Mexico and California. International projects include EmQuartier, a 2.5 million-square-foot urban retail and entertainment destination linked to a sky train station under construction in Bangkok, Thailand.
The firm is sharing workspace with Oglesby Design in Fort Collins and plans to move into new offices this summer. Information: (970) 818-1589.
• Jeff and Aimee Jensen have created Cover Your Assets Better, a company that helps homeowners inventory and document their property.
The company uses digital video, digital photography and specialty spreadsheets and stores the information on the cloud.
Jeff Jensen, a lay pastor, attended most of the relief meetings and disaster recovery meetings for victims of last summer’s High Park Fire, witnessing the issues people faced in coping with the loss of everything they owned. He said he saw firsthand how some planning and preparation can help homeowners prepare for the worst.
Information: firstname.lastname@example.org or (970) 364-6191.
• Furniture Consignments by Kristynn is moving into a new home at 3701 S. Mason St., just south of Chipper’s Lanes in Fort Collins. The store will be open for business in April and will host its grand opening April 19-21. The new space provides about 600 square-feet of additional display and storage space as well as easy access to loading and unloading.
“I’ve had so many customers come in and say they’ve driven by our old location many times but kept missing the turn-in,” owner Kristynn Jenkins said. “This new space will improve our access and visibility while allowing us to maintain the same quality our customers appreciate. Fort Collins has really opened its arms to us and now we can serve them even better.”
Furniture Consignments by Kristynn is an upscale furniture and home decor store carrying new and gently used consigned pieces.
Information: www.ConsignMyFurniture.com or (970) 282-1816.
Is your company moving, expanding or making significant changes? If so, contact email@example.com or call (970) 224-7742.


text:
The Taco Bell brand will be unveiled at last in India in the middle of 2008 and JWT will handle its creative duties
Yum! Restaurants International, owners of the Pizza Hut and KFC brands, is finally going to introduce the Taco Bell brand in India. Though the exact timing of the launch is still uncertain, a spokesperson from Yum! claims mid-2008 should see Taco Bell here.
At present, Taco Bell is conducting a consumer research study to understand the Indian market and the customer palate. Earlier this month, the Mexican QSR (quick serve restaurant) chain called for a pitch, and Ogilvy and JWT were asked to make presentations. JWT has already been entrusted with Taco Bell's launch duties. The development was confirmed to agencyfaqs! by Ashok Bajpai, general manager, Indian subcontinent, Taco Bell.
Bajpai says, "It may take a few more months to roll out the Taco Bell brand in India. The decision has already been taken and right now we are trying to get a hold on understanding the Indian consumer's tastes. Taco Bell being the second largest QSR format, next only to McDonald's, we expect to leverage its brand equity immensely. We have the right combination of tastes and the ability to offer something refreshing to this market." Taco Bell will be rolled out in the major Indian cities initially.
Yum! Restaurants owns five brands globally: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, All American, Long John Silver and Taco Bell. It entered India in 1994-95 with the launch of Pizza Hut and KFC. While Pizza Hut took off, KFC lagged behind. It was later re-launched in 2006, after a gap of seven years. In Asia, Taco Bell is present only in the Philippines and in Singapore. Pizza Hut is the major revenue earner for Yum! Restaurants in India, clocking close to 67 per cent of its entire turnover. The rest is earned by KFC. The expectations from the Taco Bell chain are high.
For the record, at present, JWT handles the creative duties for Pizza Hut, while Ogilvy is the custodian of the KFC brand. Taco Bell declined to comment on the marketing strategy for the Indian market.


text:
Microsoft's Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 2 are running into some crippling issues, as processor (CPU) clock speeds throttle down incredibly low speeds, TechRepublic reports. The report comes from user complaints that indicate their machines' Intel processors are slowing down to as low as 400MHz.
For reference, the lowest-spec Surface Pro 6 runs an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, which normally clocks at 1.6GHz. That's four times faster than the throttled speed users have experienced. And, that CPU can boost up to 3.4Ghz, more than eight times faster than the reduced clock speed.
The culprit for the throttling is unclear, but the systems in these instances are reporting a "BD PROCHOT" CPU flag that indicates that some component inside the computer is running too hot, which results in the CPU throttling to decrease the temperatures inside the computer. Unfortunately, the throttling doesn't stop, as the 400MHz clock speed remains for some even after shutting down and rebooting the computer.
- See how the Surface Pro 6 and Galaxy Book S stack up
- Here's our pick of the best laptops of 2019
- These are the best 2-in-1 laptops
But, which component?
Normally, you'd hope for the computer temperatures to go down and have CPU return to normal speeds after the component that raised the flag stops overheating. But, in this case, it's not clear that any component actually is overheating.
Some users did suggest the throttling stopped when disconnecting a Surface Dock or AC adapter, while others suggest antivirus software may be at fault. What may be the root of it all is a firmware update. One was recently released for the Surface Pro 6.
This wouldn't be the first time an update caused issues for Microsoft's machines. Just recently, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers were hit with issues, and the Windows 10 May 2019 update has caused problems for the Surface Book 2.
A Microsoft spokesperson told TechRepublic, "We are aware of some customers reporting a scenario with their Surface Books where CPU speeds are slowed. We are quickly working to address via a firmware update."
- Here's what we want from a Surface Pro 7
Sign up for Black Friday email alerts!
Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team.
Over the last several years, Mark has been tasked as a writer, an editor, and a manager, interacting with published content from all angles. He is intimately familiar with the editorial process from the inception of an article idea, through the iterative process, past publishing, and down the road into performance analysis.


text:
In China, scientists have genetically modified cows to produce milk with the same properties as human breast milk.
So far, human genes have been introduced into 200 cows to produce the milk.
The research scientists involved think that milk from genetically modified cows can provide the high quantities of nutrients found in human breast milk, and can provide an alternative to human breast milk and formula milk for babies.
The research team has said it has the backing of a major biotech company and that products from the genetically modified cows could eventually be sold in supermarkets.
There is likely to be strong opposition to the move, from critics of genetic modification. Critics have already questioned the safety of the milk from genetically modified animals and impact on the health of the cattle.
Lead scientist for the research, Professor Ning Li, of the State Key Laboratory for AgroBiotechnology at the China Agricultural University, maintains that the genetically modified milk will be as safe for humans to drink as normal milk from cows. He said that within ten years, people will be able to pick up these products at a local supermarket.
The researchers used cloning technology to introduce human genes into the DNA of cows, and then the genetically modified embryos were implanted. Researchers said they succeeded in creating cows that produce milk containing the human protein called lysozyme, which is found in human breast milk, and has been found to protect babies from bacterial infections.
How do you feel about genetic modification of this kind? Are you for it or opposed to it, and why?


text:
Adobe Scraps $20 Billion Figma Deal
Adobe's blockbuster $20 billion bid for Figma, the web-based design darling, is officially off the table! This dramatic pivot throws a spotlight on the tightening grip of global regulators on tech mergers, leaving investors and industry players to wonder: where does innovation stand amidst these market maneuvers?
Let's dissect this juicy tech saga:
** Deal Down, Path Unclear:** After facing mounting regulatory hurdles from both the UK and EU, Adobe and Figma have thrown in the towel. Antitrust concerns about stifling competition in the design software market ultimately outweighed the potential gains of the merger.
** Market Moves:** News of the deal's demise sent Adobe shares soaring 2.47%, a sigh of relief for some investors worried about the hefty price tag. But the bigger picture paints a complex landscape:
** Regulatory Crackdown:** This saga signifies a shift in the regulatory landscape. Tech giants are no longer guaranteed smooth sailing when it comes to acquisitions, particularly those affecting innovation and competition. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) flexing its muscle after the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal is a clear signal.
** Adobe's AI Pivot:** While the Figma deal was initially seen as a way to bolster Adobe's web-based collaboration tools, the company has since made significant strides in AI development. With tools like image generator Firefly, Adobe is carving its own path in the AI-powered design world.
** Figma's Future:** Despite the deal falling through, Figma's business has thrived, adding 500 new employees since the announcement. CEO Dylan Field, who could have become a billionaire with the deal, remains steadfast: "If this deal fell apart tomorrow, I'd feel just fine." Public offering plans remain unclear, adding an intriguing layer to Figma's next chapter.
** So, what does this mean for the future of tech?**
Innovation may take center stage: With regulators scrutinizing mergers that stifle competition, companies might focus more on internal innovation and organic growth.
Collaboration, not consolidation: Partnerships and strategic alliances could become the new wave, fostering healthy competition and diverse solutions.
The rise of challengers: Smaller, nimble players with innovative solutions could find fertile ground in a landscape where mega-mergers face stricter scrutiny.
The Adobe-Figma saga might be over, but the implications for the tech landscape are just beginning to unfold. In this era of heightened regulatory scrutiny, the focus is shifting from mega-mergers to fostering an environment where innovation thrives.


text:
The U.S. Senate is likely to vote on a Food Safety bill (S. 510) when it reconvenes after the election. Unfortunately, as the bill is currently written, small local farms and processing facilities will come under a sweeping new industrial regulatory standard that threatens to put many of them out of the food business. These small producers provide food for our local community through CSAs, farmers markets, local co-ops, and direct sales to consumers.
Sen. Jon Tester (MT), with Sen. Kay Hagan (NC), has an amendment to exempt small, direct-marketing farms and facilities. This amendment is critical to protecting local food systems and giving consumers a choice to buy fresh local products. It would be counter-productive and deeply disturbing if a bill designed to curb the abuses of Big Agribusiness snuffs out local food businesses as an "unintended consequence." Please call your Senators to urge them to vote for the Tester-Hagan amendment.
All of the well-publicized incidents of contamination in recent years – including the recent egg recall – occurred in industrialized food supply chains that span national and even international boundaries. The food safety problems in this system can and should be addressed without harming the local food systems that provide an alternative for consumers.
The growing trend toward fresh, local products improves food safety by providing the opportunity for consumers to know their farmers and processors, to choose products on the basis of that relationship, and to readily trace any problems should they occur.
Farmers and processors who sell directly to consumers and end users have a direct relationship with their customers that ensures quality, safety, transparency and accountability. For these farmers and processors, new federal requirements are unnecessary and would simply harm both the food producers and their consumers.
Although S. 510 includes some provisions for flexibility for small and diversified producers and processors, the bill still authorizes FDA to impose new hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls on facilities and to dictate growing and harvesting practices for produce. These requirements will impose significant expenses and burdens on individuals and small businesses. Please contact Senators Enzi (Toll free: 888-250-1879) and Barrasso (Toll free: 866-235-9553) and voice your support for the Tester/Hagan amendment for The Food Safety Bill (S.510). We need the Tester-Hagan amendment to protect our vulnerable local businesses!


text:
As if we needed any further proof that this decade is just the 1990s with better internet (Clinton running for office, Pokemon relevant, O.J. think pieces, etc.), the Toyota Supra is slated to make a return to the market in 2018.
According to information gleaned from undisclosed sources, Autocar says the new Supra will arrive in 2018 following the the debut of its platform mate from BMW, likely the Z5. No final decision has been made on where the cars will be manufactured, but a quote from BMW board member Ian Robertson suggests that they’ll be built at the same factory, quite possibly Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.
“One part of the next phase will be deciding who builds the car – which company and in which country. We need to find out where the markets are and whether the biggest markets are the same for both companies.”
Regardless of where it’s built, when the new Toyota Supra arrives, it’ll have design elements pulled from the FT-1 concept you see above. The marriage of a high-tech constructed body and a complex powertrain will slot the car above the GT86, bringing back the old Toyota one-two sports car punch it had when the Celica and Supra were both in production.
However, unlike the original Supra and Japanese sports cars of the era, the new Supra likely won’t be rear-wheel-drive. Instead of a twin turbo six-cylinder feeding power to the rear wheels, a BMW gas engine and electric motors will power all four of the new Supra’s wheels; similar to competition like the F-Type and TT RS. One car that the new Supra won’t be competing with, however, is it’s platform mate, the BMW Z5.
“The one thing we’re clear on now is that a platform for both companies can work,” said Robertson when speaking to Autocar, “The cars in themselves don’t actually need to be positioned the same. The platform can spawn two positionings. The concept works, the platform can deliver and now we have two proud sets of engineers – one group German, one group Japanese – who are each fighting and arguing for the car they want.”
Sounds like we, the consumers, are all going to win on this partnership.


text:
Dish Network has AT&T, a new network operator partner under the MVNO brand. The two companies have signed a Network Services Agreement (NSA) that will pay AT&T at least $5 billion over the next decade for Dish to use 4G and 5G networks as Dish brings its own 5G networks online.
The deal takes effect immediately and comes at a time of particularly strained relationship between Dish and T-Mobile, its major network partners. This is a non-exclusive agreement, and Dish said some customers will continue to connect to T-Mobile’s network. This agreement also grants AT&T the right to request access to use some of Dish’s wireless spectrum.
Dish owns Boost Mobile, Ting, and Republic Wireless MVNOs that operate on different carrier networks. Dish acquired Boost Mobile in a T-Mobile/Sprint acquisition deal, part of a plan to establish the company as the fourth wireless operator in the United States. Dish’s acquisitions of Ting and Republic Wireless also provided the company with access to its backend infrastructure and subscribers in anticipation of its launch as a full-fledged mobile carrier.
Things didn’t go smoothly. T-Mobile CDMA shutdown, the network many Boost customers still depend on, is imminent. Dish said it’s happening sooner than expected (T-Mobile’s response to this issue has a strong “Stop beating yourself up” vibe). Dish also lost hundreds of thousands of wireless subscribers during its recent financial quarter.
AT&T does not operate a CDMA network, so this new deal is not intended to solve that problem. At the very least, we hope that Dish avoids further potential setbacks, as it includes a two-year transition period ending the contract that AT&T will have to work with to allow users to continue their service.


text:
Retailers will not be forced to share Holiday numbers until the 7th of January, or so. However, the analyst's numbers have already started breaking, and all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!
Must read article from the Wall Street Journal HERE.
This came in very late last night on Christmas Day, so I knew the news would be bad. The numbers actually play out in line with what I have been telling you for the last 7 weeks, retail got mugged this season.
The strange thing to come out of this report is how far off the actuals are from everyone's estimates. After Black Friday we were told, in spite of the photojournalistic evidence provided by yours truly, that "sales were up", and "things might not be as bad as expected."
Now that we are dealing with the staticity of facts, everyone is stating the obvious, this was one of the worst shopping seasons since the compilation of retail figures began.
The only thing scarier than these numbers is what lies ahead.


text:
MIDLAND – The letters to Santa have long been posted, and now the anticipation begins for thousands of children across the region.
But while past Christmas wish lists undoubtedly featured more than a few requests for Tickle Me Elmo, this year’s great gift ideas range from the sporty to the strategic to the nostalgic.
Janet Weersink, co-owner of Minds Alive in downtown Midland, said the board game the Settlers of Catan is a popular choice for those 10 years and older.
“It’s a commodity-trading game and there’s a lot of strategy,” Weersink said, referring to the hit game series in which players transform into recent immigrants to the newly populated island of Catan.
Players expand their colony by building settlements, roads and villages, and by harvesting commodities from the land. They can trade sheep, lumber, bricks and grain for a settlement, bricks and wood for a road, or try to complete other combinations for more advanced buildings, services and specials.
For the hockey-minded – hey, this is Canada – SlapShotz is proving to be a favourite gift idea for helping the next Sidney Crosby improve his or her wrist shot.
“It’s made in Canada, which is kind of unique,” Weersink said. “It’s a really good seller and is just $20. Sometimes, it’s hard to buy for the eight-year-old boy and hockey’s very popular.”
But this year’s hot toys also have a decidedly nostalgic feel. According to the Canadian Toy Association, some of the most sought-after children’s Christmas gifts this year originated before the 1980s. Redesigned Meccano construction sets, tie-dye craft kits, Hot Wheels, Cabbage Patch Kids, Transformers and Mickey Mouse all have lengthy histories and are expected to be in high demand this month.
“I think every generation has retro toys,” said Jeff Hurst, president of the Canadian Toy Association. “Parents – and often grandparents, too – want to pass on to their children their own childhood memories with the toys that they remember fondly or the ones they wished they had had as a child but never got.”
On the flipside, Hurst said, the toy industry continues to offer new, innovative play concepts to fulfil the modern child’s need for high-tech, interactive play.
At Toys R Us, which has two Express locations in Midland, Hot Wheels is very popular.
“The Hot Wheels Wall Tracks is big this year,” said Maggin Blundell, manager of the Toys R Us location on County Road 93. “They connect to the wall.”
The little cars are also a favourite across the road at Zellers.
“It doesn’t go out of style,” said store associate Nola Trueman. “The boys always like their wheels.”
Trueman said the Monster High fashion doll series is also a hit this season, along with all things Lego: “Lego’s always big because kids always like to build things.”
Blundell said Lego has developed into so much more than just a traditional building-block activity with a full range of options and special series dedicated to “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and city living.
There’s even a Lego board game where players build the board using Lego and then play a game.
“Barbie is always really popular,” added Blundell, who joked the store’s Barbie section is “destroyed every day” as shoppers seek out a specific outfit, accessory or doll.
As well, Transformers toys are primed for another big Christmas, thanks to the popular movie franchise.
At the height of the Cabbage Patch craze more than 30 years ago, armoured trucks were needed to transport shipments of dolls past hysterical youngsters before Christmas. New commercials for Cabbage Patch Kids show a mother reminiscing about her old doll and wanting to pass her childhood memories to her daughter through a new doll. There’s even a special Cabbage Patch Kid designed by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler – and the doll looks like a lady.
Mickey Mouse is another character who has stood the test of time. This Christmas, the adorable rodent is even getting super-powered backup. Disney’s $4-billion purchase of Marvel Entertainment a few years back means we’ll see more of Mickey and Donald Duck teaming up with plush versions of Iron Man and Spider-Man.
Like Weersink, Blundell said board games remain a favourite, with yesteryear classics like Mousetrap, Connect 4 and Hungry, Hungry Hippos finding a new audience.
Weersink said fashion sketching is also popular with girls aged eight and up, which makes the Fashion Angels design light-box series a great choice.
For older kids, a remote-controlled helicopter is a good bet.
“It’s very well-made,” Weersink said. “We have a lot of dads come in for that one, as well.”
And with the hope of a white Christmas on everyone’s wish list, having fun in the snow remains a Canadian staple. That makes the Zipfy toboggan an essential element for partaking in hours of exhilarating downhill enjoyment.
“It’s lightweight and is designed for six and up,” Weersink said, pointing out the sled is very popular with teenagers and is engineered for all ages thanks to its 250-pound capacity.
As for stocking stuffers, Weersink said the Mugz Ice Cream Maker is a perfect choice. The single-serving unit sells for less than $10 and allows kids to quickly make ice cream from ingredients like orange juice and chocolate milk.
Overall, Weersink said, sales have been up this season.
“It’s actually been really good,” she said. “People want to shop locally. It’s been up for November and December.”


text:
Apple launches satellite-powered Emergency SOS feature (PHOTOS)
No cellular or WiFi coverage required.
Apple ups its game with a feature-filled 10th-generation iPad
All-day battery life! 🔋😍
Apple unveils colourful, redesigned iPad and iPad Pro (PHOTOS)
"More capable, more intuitive and even more fun"
Daily Hive acquired by ZoomerMedia in "unparalleled" deal
We are now part of the largest millennial and Gen Z-focused media platform in
Opinion: It's time for BC to show its support for Vancouver-Seattle high-speed rail
BC needs to keep up with the growing momentum for high-speed rail on the US
Zeppelin airline: Fly from Vancouver to Seattle by 100-passenger airship
This alternative way of flying would take about four hours 🎈
Apple is adding "edit" and "undo send" functions for iMessage
Bye bye regrettable texts!
Zero-emission cruise ship corridor eyed between Seattle, Vancouver and Alaska
The aim is to accelerate the development of zero-emission cruise ships 🛳
Amazon hiring for over 1,000 jobs in Seattle and some pay over $100K
Not quite Bezos money but pretty good!
Receive direct access to our top content, contests and perks.
Harbour Air resumes flights from downtown Vancouver to Seattle Lake Union
The service between Vancouver and Seattle is popular with tech workers.
Flight simulation ride FlyOver to be built at Chicago's Navy Pier
FlyOver will be built on downtown Chicago's iconic waterfront.
Bomb '90s technology that kids today will never know the beauty of
They'll never understand the grip Tamagotchi had on us...
Amazon's new fashion retail store includes a high-tech "magic closet"
An AI will be your shopping assistant 👗👕
The PNW's first museum for the NFT is opening in Seattle next month
The digital artforms are coming to real life.
FlyOver Las Vegas brings thrilling immersive flight ride attraction to the Strip
The flight ride attraction has opened on the Strip next to MGM.
Zillow axes home-flipping business after losing $381 million
Zillow entrusted an algorithm that unintentionally kept overpaying homes.
Seattle looking for suitable site to build second major international airport
Seattle needs a second airport the size of Sea-Tac to meet long-term demand 🛫
What you need to know about Apple's new iPad Mini
Coming later this week 👀 👀 👀


text:
There was a rather unusual exhibit at the recent Ethereal Summit auction in New York: a virtual dress called Iridescence which had been created using blockchain technology. The lot was sold for an exorbitant $9.5 thousand.
Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) and CMA CGM, two global shipping leaders, have both joined the TradeLens blockchain platform.
Ernst & Young (EY), a Big Four Accounting firm, has introduced a patented blockchain solution that will allow Asian customers to check the quality and origin of European wines.
Shinhan Bank, one of the oldest South Korean financial organizations, has recently launched a lending platform based on blockchain. This measure will speed up the process of speeding up the lending process for businesses and individuals.
There are thousands of cryptocurrencies in the world today. According to the Coinmarketcap analytical portal alone, there are 861 of them. In fact, there are many more digital coins as the portal does not add...
London-based football team West Ham United is partnering with blockchain platform Socios.com to launch their own ecosystem of tokens for fans. This was revealed in a press release on April 30.
Taiwanese household electronics giant HTC has announced plans to release a second-generation blockchain-oriented smartphone this year. The news was shared by local media.
While populists are dreaming about blockchain transforming the global financial system, corporations are busy adapting distributed ledger technology to suit their specific business needs
The initiative was proposed by Moscow City Council. They proposed a bill under which the counting of votes would be done using blockchain.
After the official presentation for Galaxy S10, new details about the smartphone have emerged. Experts have confirmed that the phone will have a built-in cryptocurrency wallet, a feature that was discussed before to the official release.
A lot of people think that the cryptocurrency market is dead, but JPMorgan top management clearly doesn’t agree. In fact, the bank has recently announced the launch of its own cryptocurrency.\n
Hello everybody. Let’s have a look at the market developments. We wrote about a possible decline earlier, and our readers were ready for such a turn of events. On 10 January the price went down to $3,700 where...


text:
Brian O'Leary, a well-known industry consultant who heads up Magellan Media Partners, has been named the new executive director of the Book Industry Study Group.
O'Leary, who will begin October 3, succeeds Mark Kuyper who resigned from the position in August after one year on the job.
“We feel very fortunate that Brian has decided to join our organization as executive director,” said BISG chair Tara Catogge. "Over nearly two decades as a consultant, he has worked with a wide range of book publishers and associations, using his insight and experience to shape their strategy and operations."
O'Leary, who has written the Digital Perspectives column for PW for about one year, has long ties to BISG. He served as a board member and worked on several BISG projects, including a study of metadata in the publishing supply chain.
"For the last four decades, the book publishing ecosystem has relied on BISG for leading-edge information, standards and research," O’Leary said. "Formats, channels and markets continue to evolve, and BISG serves a central role in improving revenues, promoting product visibility, reducing costs and ensuring transparency across the book industry supply chain, both in the U.S. and across global markets. I look forward to the opportunity to continue and extend that work."
BISG will celebrate 40 years of industry leadership at its annual meeting of members on September 30.


text:
Kelly B Motors is undoubtedly Ghana’s number one car dealer and no one can dispute that fact.
He lined up all the expensive cars Africa can brag of for the MTN Pent Hall Week Celebration currently underway at Legon on the University of Ghana campus.
Cars such as posh Benz, Wranglers, G-Wagons, Maserati, Porsche Panemera, Range Rovers, Lamborghini, Chevrolet Camaro among others were spotted on the campus.
All had his logo as the number plate to clearly attest to the fact that he is topmost when it comes to dealing in expensive rides.
This isn’t the first Kelly B has lined up expensive rides in the country.
A few months ago when Cardi B landed in the country for the Live Concert, he was the one behind all the posh cars that were spotted at the airport in which Cardi rode and had her convoy.
Kelly B has a massive track record of selling cars to Ghanaian celebrities like Medikal, Wendy Shay, Captain Planet, Criss Waddle, Kelvynboy and outside stars like Diamond Platnumz and some close friends of Wizkid and Davido.
Ghana indeed has some crazy ‘low key’ entreprenuers.
Watch The Video Below:


text:
Samsung's interface aesthetic seems to morph with every iteration of its flagship Galaxy, and if a set of leaked screenshots are to be believed, the upcoming Galaxy S5 is to be no exception. Renowned leaker Evleaks tweeted a trio of images depicting a Samsung user interface unlike any we've seen before.
The interface swaps out the current font for a lightweight alternative, and removes drop shadows from beneath all the type. Plain text is also used for the "swipe screen to unlock" prompt, eschewing visual cues. It looks a lot like the Magazine UI featured in Samsung's new Pro line of tablets, albeit scaled down to a smaller display.
All of the icons are changed from its "Nature UX" as well, with the bold and bright colors of old replaced by pastel hues and color gradients. Only the Google applications like Gmail and Play Books look familiar. There's also hint of an HTC Blinkfeed-like stream that pulls in information from various sources like apps, social media, and news sites.
This is, of course, just a purported leak, and no guarantee that Samsung will ship a product with this or a similar-looking interface. Evleaks has a good record for accuracy, but only says the Korean company is currently "exploring" new interface options for its smartphones, implying the UI revealed by the leak is by no means final. That said, it shows that Samsung is at least considering a fairly drastic departure from the aesthetic in its current interface.


text:
Student housing developers frequently promote projects not just by mentioning the given size of apartment units, and the availability of swimming pools and fitness centers, but also the likelihood of grocery or retail stores on the development’s ground level.
Such developers, the site WealthManagement.com has noted, dread the idea of completing a multi-use project and being left with large amounts of empty store space.
But for projects built near a campus, “retail space can add significant value.”
According to the analytics site Axiometrics, around 35% of all new student apartment projects built between 2016 and 2021 included first-floor retail.
In an article published by Due Diligence magazine, it is noted that the potential of “net income earned on the space compared to the construction costs” of the building itself, remains alluring for developers and builders, as does the visual appeal of a busy store fronting a project.
But of four multi-story student housing projects put up in the last decade in the vicinity of the University of Florida campus, all the retail space at two of those projects remains vacant, while the percentage of vacant space ranges between 54% and 83% in the other two.
Despite those numbers, developers and investors continue to see ground floor retail as a marketable asset.
In recent weeks deChase Miksis, with offices in Eugene, Oregon, announced plans to build a multi-story apartment building geared for students near the University of Oregon in Eugene that will feature first floor retail.
The Buccini/Pollin Group, a Wilmington-based developer, says it wants to build an apartment complex near the University of Delaware campus. In an interview with the Newark Post, company spokesperson Claire Neste said the project will “provide amenity-based retail that will serve both the workers on the campus as well as visitors and residents.”
CRG Acquisition of Chicago is making plans for the construction of a 10-story student housing project near the University of Wisconsin’s campus in Madison that will very much include commercial space at the ground floor corner of the structure.
Despite advertisements promoting such amenities, student housing projects around the country continue to see vacant space due to retail operations that never materialized, or stores moving out of complexes as a result of too-high rents and too-low store revenue.
In Starkville, Mississippi retail space on the first two floors of the College View apartments, which was opened in early 2019, remained empty well into 2021. The Pugh Centre in State College, Pennsylvania opened in 2020 with 6,000 square feet of retail space that has yet to be filled.
A Target shop on the ground floor of a project called The Standard near the University of Florida announced recently that it is closing what is described an “underperforming store.”
According to the Due Diligence article, the goal of successfully combining retail with apartment housing has proven all too often elusive. Despite the good intentions of building retail under apartments, “the reality is that a tremendous amount of vacant retail space is the result.”
By Garry Boulard
Get stories like these right to your inbox.


text:
BATESVILLE, AR (KAIT) - Ozark Mountain Poultry plans to expand its operation and bring new jobs to Independence County.
The company received a $2.2 million grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
The grant will help Ozark Mountain expand, bringing jobs to Batesville and Independence County. The company will open a feed mill and production line in Magness, a small town 12 miles south of Batesville.
Batesville city leaders are excited. "We are set for growth and set for industry here in Batesville," Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said.
According to Elumbaugh, Ozark's expansion will have a trickle-down effect in the county. "It gives so much promise to our community when you have someone like [Ozark Mountain Poultry] that wants to invest in it," Elumbaugh said
The expansion will bring 225 jobs to the area.
"Those jobs reach out farther than just the jobs," Elumbaugh said. "You know, our hardware stores our poultry manufacturers."
Bob Stroud, chairman of the Independence County Economic Development Board, agreed the new facility will be a huge benefit.
"It helps our local farmers who provide grain that the poultry industry needs," Stroud said. "They in turn provide jobs that will help the people who live in this area."
Elumbaugh said growth helps retailers, which increases sales tax revenue for the city.
"Any type of growth is going to be positive," Elumbaugh said. "I don't care if it's in the city of Batesville or Independence County or the outlying counties."
Stroud believes other businesses and industries will be interested in coming to Independence County once they see the growth.
"People like to see success, and they like to build on that success and other ventures," Stroud said. "If your payroll increases then, theoretically, that's more disposable income that will be spent in the area and that will have a multiplier effect."
Elumbaugh said the plant should be up and running by the end of the year.


text:
Sprint has decided to release the Instinct Mini that will be known as the Instinct S30. The phone offers a similar haptic touchscreen display, a 2MP shooter, and a Speech-to-Action button that allows you to “text, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news and search” simply by speaking to it.
Samsung has provided access to core Java APIs, which should allow creative developers to take advantage of all the handset has to offer. The Sprint Instinct S30 will be available on April 19th, 2009 for $129.99 after a 2-year agreement and $70 mail-in-rebate. [Sprint]


text:
You are here
No Signboard shuts hawker-themed fast food outlets due to losses
SEAFOOD restaurant operator No Signboard is closing its hawker-themed fast food outlets due to "continuing losses".
The Hawker QSR outlets are located at Esplanade Mall, Jewel at Changi Airport and Kent Ridge.
The group said it expects an impairment loss of approximately S$500,000, which were incurred for the outlets' renovation, as a result of closing these restaurants for the financial year ending Sept 30.
No Signboard said it is currently looking for replacement tenants and will make the necessary announcements as and when there are material updates on the matter.


text:
Technology giant Apple Inc. has confirmed an event next month in US hinting at iPhone 6S launch. It might also announce a new product category during the much-awaited event.
The company will be holding a keynote presentation at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on 9 September, 10:00 am PDT (10:30 pm IST). This the first time Apple has a chosen this stage, which has a staggering seating capacity of close to 7000. This apparently has led many to believe that the Cupertino firm has got something new to announce besides the new generation iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
Apple will stream the webcast of Keynote speech and also the unveiling of the smart-device online. The interesting thing to note is that the event can now be viewed on Windows PCs provided the system is running the latest Windows 10 featuring Edge browser. Previously webcast could only be watched on Apple devices via Safari browser.
Even the company's invitation, which reads "Hey Siri, give us a hint," indicates that Apple's upcoming event will leave many spellbound.
Word on the street is that Apple might bring back 4.0-inch model with iPhone 6C moniker, believed to be the successor of 2013's plastic model iPhone 5C and also a new Apple iTelevision.
The big rumour that is getting lot of buzz lately, is Apple's self-driving iCar. For past one year, the company has been on a hiring spree, inducting high profile car experts from Tesla, Volkswagen and other automobile firms.
Last year, Apple launched the iWatch in the new smart wrist-gear category. Will we get to see iCar as the new addition to its iconic product portfolio? Our guess is as good as yours. We just have to wait for few more days to really know what Apple has in store for us.
Here are the few witty replies from iPhone 6's voice-assistant Siri when asked for a hint on Apple's 9 September event:
"What, you can't tell from my colourful wavey words?"
"The only hint i can give you right now is a hint of lime. And that there's a big announcement on 9 September."
"You're cute when you're desperate for information"
"You'll have to wait until 9 September. I bet you were one of those kids who snuck downstairs to open presents early, weren't you"
Apple iPhone 6S & iPhone 6S features:
Both the upcoming new iPhones are said to come with identical hardware such as Apple's proprietary A9 SoC (System on Chip) backed by new iOS 9.0 OS and 2GB RAM. They are also expected come packed with 12mp camera with 4K video recording ability on the rear-side and also boast Force touch feature similar to the one we see in the flagship Apple Watch.
Force Touch is a technology that senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to quickly and easily access controls within apps.


text:
A free trade agreement between Australia and China appears to be a step closer, after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said his government would seek to “accelerate” an agreement with the Australian government.
Li made the comments during a speech to the Chinese parliament this week, in which he said the Chinese economy will grow at around 7.5% this year, according to reports in Fairfax.
He also said China will look to speed up free trade agreements with South Korea and the Gulf states.
However, Li give no timeframe for the signing of an agreement, which would allow imports and exports to enter each country without paying duties.
Get daily business news.
The latest stories, funding information, and expert advice. Free to sign up.
An Australia-China free trade agreement has been in the works for more than nine years and Prime Minister Tony Abbott has previously said he is aiming to secure a free trade agreement with China and Japan by the end of 2014.
Peter Mace from the Australian Institute of Export told SmartCompany Li’s comments are a “positive sign” ahead of Abbott’s scheduled visit the China in April.
But he says “there is still some water to go under the bridge” before the parties can reach an agreement and it is unlikely that an agreement will be secured anytime soon.
Nevertheless, Mace is “hopeful” a deal can be nutted out by the end of the year.
Mace warns there are “still some sticking points” that will be need to be addressed for an Australia-China free trade agreement to proceed, including improved access to investment in Australian firms for Chinese companies and access to the Chinese agricultural market for Australian exporters.
He says based on the New Zealand experience, where agricultural exports to China rose “exponentially” after the country signed a free trade agreement with China, an Australian agreement presents significant opportunities for Australian companies.
University of New South Wales economics professor Tim Harcourt previously told SmartCompany a free trade deal would make trading with China easier for Australian SMEs.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises are now more likely to go to China and south-east Asia than anywhere else in the North Atlantic,” said Harcourt.
“Opportunities exist particularly in regards to the urbanisation in China, which is opening up opportunities for architects and construction and services firms.”


text:
Shoppers are being told to buy only what they need, following shortages caused by panic buying.
So, what can be done to get supplies back into stores?
How many people are panic buying?
Empty shelves in the UK’s supermarkets have become a common sight.
The increase in demand has been similar to that seen at Christmas, according to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary George Eustice.
It has caused shortages of many products, including:
- anti-bacterial products including hand sanitiser
- toilet roll and tissues
- long-life milk
- tinned vegetables
- cleaning products
- pain relief
“There is £1bn more food in people’s houses than there was three weeks ago, so we should make sure we eat some of it,” said head of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson.
What is the government doing about panic buying?
Retailers say they have enough food and groceries to go round, but they are struggling to get items into stores as fast as people are buying them
Rules have been relaxed by the government to allow supermarkets to work together.
This means they can share resources, such as distribution depots, delivery vans and staff, as well as co-ordinating stock levels across the country.
Rules around drivers’ hours have been eased and the 5p plastic bag charge is being waived for online orders, to speed up deliveries.
Nevertheless, shortages remain common.
“Buying more than you need means that others may be left without,” said Mr Eustice. “As you shop think of those who are finishing their late shifts and need to pop to their local shops.”
How are supermarkets trying to stop panic buying?
The major supermarkets are imposing limits on how many of each item people can buy:
- Tesco is limiting customers to three of any product, and only two of toilet roll and paracetamol
- Sainsbury’s says people can buy up to three of any grocery product and two of more popular items like toilet paper, soap and long-life milk
- Asda will let people purchase up to three of any food, toiletry or cleaning product
- Aldi is limiting customers to four of any product
- Waitrose is allowing people to buy only three of any grocery product and two packets of toilet roll
What else is being done for customers?
On Thursday, Sainsbury’s dedicated the first hour of opening in stores, apart from its Local shops, to elderly and vulnerable customers. It has since extended that to include NHS staff and social care workers.
Iceland has also been opening an hour early for elderly and vulnerable people, and Tesco and Waitrose are introducing similar schemes
However, retail expert Katie Hardcastle, said supermarkets could still do more: “A lot of elderly people need support with their shopping, or are not looking to go out at all, so I think that needs looking at.”
Morrisons has said it will take on 500 staff from Marie Curie and CLIC Sargent charity shops to help the elderly and vulnerable in stores across Great Britain.
And it is also going to introduce a special hour in its large stores on a Sunday morning for its own staff and NHS workers to shop.
Many stores, including Tesco, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl have said they are hiring thousands of staff to meet the unprecedented demand. Some have shut cafes and deli counters to allow more staff to focus on restocking shelves.
Tesco has said it will introduce distancing measures at checkouts to reduce the risk of infection and Aldi is installing clear screens at all its checkouts.
Why there could soon be less choice
Several food retailers are “drastically cutting” the range of products they sell. They are also telling manufacturers to stop making some products to focus on those for which there is greatest demand.
For example, one retailer, which makes 60 kinds of sausages, will only produce a fraction of those.
And Morrisons has reduced its bakery lines from 17 to seven.
Are online deliveries holding up?
Online deliveries are being used by more people, but there are questions over how robust the systems are.
Ocado suspended its website and app after struggling with the number of bookings.
Some Tesco deliveries are not arriving in their scheduled time slot and others are not being delivered at all if the driver runs out of time.
Most major supermarkets have all their delivery slots booked up for at least the next couple of weeks.
Morrisons said it would increase its number of delivery slots by recruiting 2,500 extra pickers and drivers.
Sainsbury’s says it is going to prioritise delivery slots for elderly and vulnerable people.


text:
Manufacturing employment crept up slowly last month. On July 2, the Census Bureau’s latest Employment Situation report showed that goods-manufacturing businesses hired 15,000 more people in June after hiring 39,000 in May.
That’s despite significant losses in motor vehicle and nondurable goods production. The overall nonfarm economy added an estimated 850,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate, currently 5.9, changed little.
Durable goods manufacturing added a net 18,000 jobs, though the largest change in employment was a loss: Motor vehicles and parts manufacturing lost 12,300 employees last month, a little more than half of the 22,800 people hired there in May. The significant loss was offset by substantial gains in different durable goods industries, including furniture manufacturing (which hired 8,500), fabricated metal products (5,700) and primary metals (3,100).
Nondurable goods manufacturing as a sector lost a net 3,000 jobs mainly thanks to jobs lost in food manufacturing, plastics and rubber products. Food manufacturers dropped 4,100 employees and the plastics and rubber industry lost 2,900. Although growth in miscellaneous nondurable goods manufacturing perfectly offset plastics and rubber losses, with an estimated 2,900 jobs gained, losses of more than a thousand jobs in printing industries and petroleum products pushed nondurable goods employment into the red.
An industry-wide shortage of available labor appears to be exerting upwards pressure on average wages, especially in manufacturing. Compared to this time last year, average hourly earnings in manufacturing rose 4.9%, with average hourly take in durable manufacturing increasing 5.7% and 3.8% in nondurable manufacturing.
That’s a notably faster increase in hourly earnings than the economy at large. Average hourly earnings in all private, nonfarm companies rose 3.6% year-over-year from June 2020 to June 2021. The average U.S. manufacturing worker currently made $23.75 an hour last month, still somewhat less than the average private worker, who made $26.68.
The rise in average hourly wages reflects the urgency manufacturers currently face with hiring talent. The latest report on manufacturing business from the Institute for Supply Management found labor shortages an increasing challenge for respondent industrial executives, and lowered its manufacturing employment index to 49.9% from growth territory.
Despite a streak of employment growth as the manufacturing economy opened up again, the number of people employed in manufacturing in the U.S. is still down 480,000 from where it was in February 2020, the Census Bureau reported.


text:
SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.
Here you will find the latest news and most recent developments on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with regular updates and all the information you need.
Samsung's new Galaxy S23 may be the best Android smartphone for mobile gaming to date, and it's partly thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which Samsung and Qualcomm overclocked with higher CPU and GPU frequencies. An early 3D benchmark indicates that the Galaxy S23 series is almost twice as powerful in 3D […]
Samsung has finally launched its first flagship smartphones of 2023. The much-rumored Galaxy S23 series is now official. As expected, the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra have arrived with several decent upgrades. Samsung has also made some design changes to refresh the look and feel. Much has already been leaked about the […]
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship chipset earlier this week, and as you may have expected, the SoC will power Samsung's Galaxy S23 series. More so, the Qualcomm-made chipset will power the Galaxy S23 lineup in Europe, meaning there will be no division between Snapdragon and Exynos next year. If you're interested in […]
Qualcomm officially unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset earlier today. After the announcement, the upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra popped up in the online benchmark Geekbench again. More specifically, the European Galaxy S23 Ultra variant carrying model number SM-S918B showed up in the benchmark browser, complementing the US variant that was spotted in Geekbench last […]
MediaTek is finally all set to unveil its flagship Dimensity processor for 2023 at an event in China. On November 8, the Taiwanese chip firm will take the wraps off its Dimensity 9200 processor, which has been making the rounds in the rumor mill for quite some time now. An AnTuTu benchmark surfaced last week, showing its […]
The Galaxy S22 Ultra had the difficult task of joining the best of the Galaxy S and Note lineups into one device. The upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra won't be as big of a generational leap but should refine the current design formula. Similarly, some hardware components will get replaced and upgraded, while others won't. Samsung […]
It hasn't been that long since Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which is supposed to be a follow-up to the non-plus variant. Still, Qualcomm appears to be working on another flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and purported specifications have emerged online on a Chinese social media network. The chipset, codename […]


text:
netgem.tv expands into Ireland
March 27, 2019
netgem.tv has announced the launch of its personalised Internet TV service in Ireland with a range of smart-home devices available on Amazon and eBay, and more retail distribution channels and broadband service providers to be added soon.
The app-controlled TV service will bring together the best of saorview live channels and on-demand content through one interface, for the first time to Irish viewers.
netgem.tv currently partners with Freeview Play in the UK following a successful launch last year, and features Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten, Youtube, Hayu as well as a growing number of new TV channels and On-Demand services added every month.
Sylvain Thevenot, Managing Director of netgem.tv said: “We are excited about this expansion of our next generation TV service and look forward to bringing the best of free and paid-for content to the Irish market. Personalised, on-demand TV is the future of home viewing and we are proud to be at the vanguard of the streaming revolution. We’re confident that our combination of great content in a smart and reliable service will be a big hit with TV lovers in Ireland and look forward to growing our proposition here with more distribution partners and more brilliant Video services.’’


text:
Off-price retail company TJX (NYSE:TJX) will be reporting earnings tomorrow before the bell. Here's what you need to know.
Last quarter TJX reported revenues of $12.76 billion, up 7.7% year on year, beating analyst revenue expectations by 2.5%. It was a very strong quarter for the company, with an impressive beat of analysts' revenue estimates. The company also lifted its full-year revenue and EPS guidance.
Is TJX buy or sell heading into the earnings? Read our full analysis here.
This quarter analysts are expecting TJX's revenue to grow 7.4% year on year to $13.07 billion, improving on the 2.9% year-over-year decline in revenue the company had recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.99 per share.
Majority of analysts covering the company have reconfirmed their estimates over the last thirty days, suggesting they are expecting the business to stay the course heading into the earnings. The company missed Wall St's revenue estimates five times over the last two years.
Looking at TJX's peers in the apparel and footwear retail segment, only Boot Barn has so far reported results, delivering top-line growth of 6.5% year on year, missing analyst estimates by 0.8%. The stock traded down 6.2% on the results.Read our full analysis of Boot Barn's earnings results here.
There has been a stampede out of high valuation stocks and while some of the apparel and footwear retail stocks have fared somewhat better, they have not been spared, with share price declining 2.1% over the last month. TJX is up 2% during the same time, and is heading into the earnings with analyst price target of $99.0, compared to share price of $91.5.
One way to find opportunities in the market is to watch for generational shifts in the economy. Almost every company is slowly finding itself becoming a technology company and facing cybersecurity risks and as a result, the demand for cloud-native cybersecurity is skyrocketing. This company is leading a massive technological shift in the industry and with revenue growth of 70% year on year and best-in-class SaaS metrics it should definitely be on your radar.
Join Paid Stock Investor Research
Help us make StockStory more helpful to investors like yourself. Join our paid user research session and receive a $50 Amazon gift card for your opinions. Sign up here.
The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.


text:
Suhail Sameer to Quit as BharatPe’s CEO
Suhail Sameer, the CEO of BharatPe, will quit as the fintech struggles to identify a new leader after firing its founder in 2022 for allegedly mismanaging funds. The new startup based in Delhi, which is supported by Tiger Global, Sequoia India, Dragoneer, Ribbit Capital and Coatue announced that Sameer will transform to the role of a advisor on the 7th of January and Nalin Negi, the prevailing chief financial officer, will get into the position of interim CEO.
Chairman of the BharatPe Board, Rajnish Kumar, stated that Nalin Negi would be the interim CEO as the company strives to provide several global financial products to millions of MSMEs. He mentioned that the company, meanwhile, was on the lookout of a leader who could take take it to great heaights in the future. Ashneer Grover, the founder of BharatPe, was made to quit after a bizarre public spat with the startup’s board, which accused him of misusing company funds. Last month, the startup filed a lawsuit against Grover and his wife, Madhuri Jain.
In the 2nd half of 2021, Sameer became the CEO. As the relationship between Grover and Sameer deteriorated, Grover claimed that Sameer became the “board’s puppet” as the startup identified fraud allegations against Grover. BharatPe, which was once appreciated at 2.85 billion dollars and has raised $580 million so far, is still reeling from the controversy surrounding its founder’s ouster and public squabbles. Rajnish Kumar, the former chairman of SBI, has attempted to remake the startup’s management and leadership teams in the last two years, but is not sure whether his gamble will succeed.
Visit our website to read the recent fintech news, insightful analyses, and updates on fintech events.


text:
The city’s Urban Renewal Agency approved the conditional sale of two downtown properties this morning. Tony and Frank Cristiano, owners of several local businesses through out the area, are purchasing the former Cosmopolitan Center, at 470 Whitesboro St.
The Cristianos plan on redeveloping the site into a mixed use property, one part will be a manufacturing center for Italian bread and pizza shells. The other aspect of the business will be a sports bar and restaurant.
According to Frank Cristiano, the restaurant, which will include outdoor seating, will cater to residents attending events at the Utica Auditorium.
“It will be a place for people to go before they go to a hockey game or other events at the Aud,” he told the Urban Renewal Agency’s board.
Down the road the pair plan on also developing a smaller indoor turf soccer field, video game lounge and party rooms for children’s birthdays. They will also keep the outdoor basketball courts on the site and develop outdoor volleyball and bocce courts.
The second sale was to two out-of-state businessmen, Alen Ahmetovic and Elvir Sahovic. Ahmetovic owns a trucking business in Hanover, Pennsylvania and Sahovic owns Pronto’s Pizza in Hackettstown, NJ.
They discovered the former Security building, at 120-126 Bleecker St., online and decided to re-locate to Utica.
“We saw a lot of potential in (the Security building),” said Ahmetovic. “We really liked the city, it’s a great community and the mayor immediately made us feel welcome.
The sale is conditional on the pair developing a cost estimate for repairs as well as a more exact financing picture within six months.
According to the two, the building needs between $800,000 and $1 million in repairs. They will be seeking assistance from the city to help develop the building but will be able to finance at least half the repairs on their own, Ahmetovic told the agency’s board.
Their tentative plans are to put the pizza shop and offices for the trucking company on the first floor and then turn the other floors into loft apartments.


text:
You are here
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., Inc. has launched its first-ever “Find Your Inner Chef” contest, which encourages consumers to submit their own favorite recipe using Del Monte fresh fruits and vegetables. Participants will have a chance to win the “Del Monte Fresh Chef” title as well as a retreat for two at a renowned culinary institute.
“Del Monte knows that several of our consumers are chefs in their own right, serving up delicious nutritious meals for their families and friends,” said Dennis Christou, VP of Marketing, North America for Del Monte. “So we created this contest specifically with them in mind. It’s a perfect opportunity for consumers to tap their culinary creative juices, show off their cooking skills using Del Monte fresh produce, and share healthy new recipes.”
Four finalists will be selected, one each week for four weeks, based on the number of Facebook “likes” and Twitter re-tweets the submission generates. Those finalists will be flown to Miami, Fla., to participate in the Del Monte Fresh Produce Cook Off Challenge and compete for the grand prize. Judges for the Cook Off Challenge will include, among others, retailers, Produce for Better Health Foundation representatives, and a local chef.
Additionally, daily winners will be selected as part of the contest, giving participants an opportunity to cash in on retailer gift cards, culinary kitchen tools and tabletop appliances, among other prizes.
To enter, participants can “like” and complete the pop-up registration form on Del Monte’s Fresh Produce Facebook page, and submit a copy of their original recipe. Submissions will be accepted through June 15.
Del Monte will encourage consumers to purchase ingredients for their recipe from participating grocery stores – giving grocers an opportunity to participate locally. To boost store traffic and alert shoppers about the promotion, retailers are encouraged to use the “Find Your Inner Chef” logo in their weekly printed and online advertising, e-newsletters, websites, Facebook and Twitter feeds, and POS.


text:
The BitDepth column written by Mark Lyndersay.
Commentary about current technology events, trends or developments.
Press releases from technology related vendors, clients and developers.
Old reporting that’s relevant again
Brief notes and reports on technology developments in Trinidad and Tobago.
Reporting on technology matters.
Conversations of interest
Reporting on the impact of Covid-19 in T&T
Samsung Electronics showcased its portfolio of innovative display solutions at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas in March. The company’s collection of cutting-edge solutions included […]
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd unveiled its 2018 television lineup today at the company’s First Look New York event at the American Stock Exchange. At the event, […]


text:
Orbitz Worldwide Inc.'s shares jumped Friday after the online travel company's fourth-quarter revenue exceeded market expectations, and there were signs that its hotel business was improving.
THE SPARK: Orbitz said Thursday that its loss for the quarter had widened as it wrote down the value of some assets. But its revenue increased 7 percent to $189.7 million, beating the $184.9 million that analysts polled by FactSet had anticipated.
For this year, Orbitz expects revenue to grow 2.5 to 5 percent — to about $798 million to $818 million. That bracketed what had been analysts' prediction: $809 million.
THE BIG PICTURE: Orbitz got a boost from more hotel room bookings and higher ad revenue. It also made more per hotel and air deal.
Orbitz has struggled recently with weaker demand due to the impact of the tough economy on consumers.
THE ANALYSIS: Stifel analyst Michael Purcell said that hotel trends are improving for Orbitz, but he believes it still faces some pressure in its U.S. flight-booking business. He said he remains concerned about competition and maintained a "Hold" rating.
SHARE ACTION: Orbitz shares increased 17 cents, or 5.4 percent, to $3.31 by Friday afternoon. Its shares are slowly recovering after taking a sharp dive this summer. The stock has traded between $2.07 and $4.75 in the past 52 weeks.