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At the branch of department store De Bijenkorf in Rotterdam, two young employees, neatly in suits, hand out mouth masks at the entrances on Tuesday. ‘Welcome to De Bijenkorf’, a large billboard reads next to them. The department store announced on Tuesday that it would require visitors to wear a mouth mask in Amsterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven and Rotterdam. But that turned out to be one of the few retail chains.
For example, on Tuesday morning, HEMA was one of the first to report that mouth masks were not mandatory in the major cities. Only the employees of the retail chain will wear them from now on. On behalf of CBL advocate, the supermarkets soon followed: they too would advise shoppers to wear a mouth mask, but not to force it. Because that “is expected to lead to a lot of extra discussion and even aggression at the door”, according to the CBL. Eventually more and more retail chains were added. They all endorse the government’s advice to wear masks in shops, they said, but they would prefer to leave the choice with the customer.
Urgent advice, not an obligation
So the discussion about whether or not to wear mouth masks flares up again. During the press conference of Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) and Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health, CDA) about new national corona measures, there was no national obligation. But this time there was an advice for the cities with the most corona infections. However, it did not become concrete.
The cabinet advises shoppers in a number of large cities to wear face masks, but does not enforce this. At the same time, retailers may refuse customers who do not wear a mask, the prime minister said.
The security regions of Amsterdam-Amstelland, Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Haaglanden and Brabant-Zuidoost went even one step further: residents were given the ‘urgent advice’ to wear a face mask in public indoor spaces, shopkeepers were ‘asked’ to include this in their door policy. But there is no question of coercion in this either.
The advice follows months of haggling. While mouth masks are compulsory almost everywhere in Europe, in the Netherlands that obligation never went further than in public transport. Now a small twist follows, but it is not really happy yet. Prime Minister Rutte called the advice on Monday a “limited addition to the entire package”. The number of infections in the big cities “is now so serious,” he said, “that we must try everything.” But „it won’t do the big trick”. The Outbreak Management Team has again been asked for advice.
Mayors and many shopkeepers crave clarity. Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam said on Monday evening that she would very much like to see wearing a mouth mask in indoor areas as a matter of course, but that a regional obligation to wear it is legally complicated. Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam also appealed to shopkeepers to only allow people with a mouth mask to enter. He said he was pleased with this ‘move’ of the cabinet.
The Eindhoven mayor John Jorritsma also spoke out last week in favor of a national obligation. In line with the cabinet, the municipality has “assumed the responsibility of the shops” for the mouth masks advice, his spokesman says. Now that stores are not taking that responsibility, “the ball is even more in the hands of the cabinet,” he says. According to him, it will not be the fault of most Dutch people: “We also wore the mouth caps abroad this summer.”
Also read: The vulnerable areas of the new package of measures
Now that a mouth mask is not compulsory nationally, shopkeepers are afraid of discussions at the door. Because if shops themselves determine what their policy is, they will also have to account for that policy to customers. “One shopkeeper will enforce it strictly, the other not. Customers then no longer understand anything about it, ”says Jan Meerman, director of the INRetail trade association AD. A duty would work a lot better, he said. “Then you have clarity.”
Ikea Netherlands, which advises staff and customers to wear a mouth mask, says it has no obligation to maintain “as long as there is no obligation from the government”.
In De Bijenkorf in Rotterdam, ‘safety coordinators’ now see to the door that everyone wears a face mask. “Some people turn and leave,” says one of them. But there were no discussions or angry refusers today.
Although a group of young girls, standing a few meters away near the Marc Jacobs bags, have already pulled their mouth caps under the chin. That talks easier.
A version of this article also appeared in nrc.next on September 30, 2020
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text: It's that time of the year again where two of the biggest football video games in the industry are pit against each other. With every new iteration of FIFA and PES, fans of football games are forced to pledge their allegiances to one or the other, and picking between them is a much harder task than you might think. On the one hand, EA's FIFA 19 has all the official licenses, making it the go to for those looking for an authentic broadcast experience. However, Konami's PES 2019 has shown big improvements when it comes to gameplay, thanks in large part to the increased physicality. Given that this decision effectively means investing in one or the other for an entire year, until the next entries in the series roll around, fans scrutinise both games intensely. And that's exactly what we're doing in this episode of Versus, in which Oscar Dayus and Adam Mason discuss the merits of both titles. Both Oscar and Adam have spent a great deal of time playing the games and are well placed to talk about them. However, you can also give our PES 2019 review a read for a more in-depth analysis of Konami's title. GameSpot is currently putting FIFA 2019 through its paces and will have a review in the near future. In the mean time you can watch some Survival Mode gameplay.

domain: news


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Belgian group Ontex has hired Bank of America to sell its operation in Brazil, sources say. The transaction has been going on in recent months and is now entering its second phase. Among those interested, Ontex received a proposal from Daio Papers – the Japanese company that bought Santher last year – and also from the Belgian company Drylock.
Ontex is asking for a value between R$600 million and R$700 million, despite initial talks having indicated proposals closer to R$500 million. The company has a depressed EBITDA, which has caused some troubles – the acquisition of the operation from the hands of then Hypermarcas, now Hypera, became a reason for arbitration and, recently, Ontex won the battle.
The companies did not reveal the reason for the arbitration case. Ontex bought the brands for R$1 billion in 2017. In the September decision, Hypera had to pay Ontex R$500 million, a bite of 38% of its last annual profit.
This year, Ontex advanced in marketing investments. In February, the group signed a 10-year licensing contract with Maurício de Sousa Produções, to use the Turma da Mônica Baby brand in diapers and moistened towels. Turma da Mônica's previous contract was with Huggies, owned by Kimberly-Clark.
Ontex also owns baby diapers brands Pompom, Cremer and Sapeka, in addition to lines of shampoo, conditioner, ointment and baby powder. It also owns BigFral, line of adult diapers.
The deal is complementary for Daio, which transformed the Santher personal care manufacturer into its Brazilian subsidiary, and for Drylock, which also has its own brands for children and adults, such as Bummies, Baby Willy and Maturi Care, and manufacturing for third parties.
Daio and Drylock are considered favorites in the race, but other multinationals have also made proposals, according to sources. Sought for comment, the Ontex group did not answer until the publication of this story.
The original story in Portuguese appeared first in Valor’s business website Pipeline


text: With the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Indonesia since March 2020, people tend to choose to stay at home and take advantage of online services, one of which is a startup company called Grab. This product is welcomed by customers in various circles, price, service quality and promotion, including in the marketing strategy, have a very important role in influencing customer satisfaction. Customer loyalty will have a big impact on the company. Therefore it is necessary to carry out an analysis for online transportation service companies to find out the services provided in an effort to increase consumer loyalty. According to the 2020 BPS publication, Lamongan Regency is one of the districts in East Java which has a population of more than 1.5 million people. The large number of residents in an area opens more profit opportunities for companies, especially online services. So a research on binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the satisfaction of Grab customers in Lamongan Regency with the predictor variables used, namely Price, Service Quality and Promotion. Based on the analysis, the variables that have a significant effect on customer satisfaction are Price and Customer Quality. Where the cheap price provided by Grab will affect customer satisfaction 1.475 times greater than the expensive price, and good service quality will affect customer satisfaction 1.450 times greater than poor service, with classification accuracy of 92%.


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THREE men accused of mixing horsemeat with beef before passing it off as beef have been charged with fraud.
Ulrick Nielsen, 57, from Denmark, Alex Ostler-Beech, 43, from Hull, and Londoner Andronicos Sideras, 54, will appear in court in September accused of dishonestly arranging "for beef and horsemeat to be combined for sale as beef", the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
They are jointly charged with conspiracy to commit fraud between January 1 and October 31 2012 following an investigation led by City of London Police.
In 2013 UK supermarkets were rocked by the horsemeat contamination crisis, with products labelled as beef and other meats were found to contain various amounts of horse flesh.
IPOD SCAM-OLearn how quick-thinking cash machine user foiled fraudsters who used hidden iPod to record pin
BRITAIN'S WORST BEST MANFraudster fleeced mates out of £8k for sham stag then faked cancer to squirm out of it
Kristin Jones, CPS head of specialist fraud, said: "The CPS has today authorised charges against three men relating to the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products which were sold as beef.
"After carefully considering evidence from the UK and overseas, the CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to charge these three men."
City of London Police, which worked with the CPS and the Food Standards Agency, said that Ostler-Beech, of Highfield Close, Hull, and Sideras, of Friars Walk, Southgate, north London, were first arrested and questioned in July 2013.
Nielsen, from Gentofte, near Copenhagen, was interviewed under caution in Hull the following month along with a 52-year-old man who faces no further action, the force said.
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With a market cap of $1.69 trillion, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has already soared 34% so far in 2024 as optimism continues to swirl around its artificial intelligence (AI) chip business, which is expected to boost near-term growth and margins. But Nvidia’s long-term story looks just as bright. Let’s discuss the strategies this technology giant can use to maintain its momentum over the next five years and beyond.
Software and cloud computing
Over the last two years, one product type has powered most of Nvidia’s growth: AI-capable graphics processing units (GPUs) like the a100 and h100, which help train and run generative AI applications like ChatGPT. Nvidia records sales of these chips under its data center segment, which expanded by an eye-watering 279% year over year to $14.51 billion in the third quarter. However, the company could soon play a bigger role in the software side of the fast-growing AI industry.
According to analysts at IT analytics and investment firm Melius Research, Nvidia could be on the cusp of an “Apple-like transformation” as it uses its hardware business as a springboard to expand into software, much like the iconic smartphone maker used its iPhone to drive adoption of iOS and the app store.
Nvidia has developed a supercomputer called DGX Cloud designed to give enterprise clients access to the infrastructure needed to train and run their AI applications on the cloud without the hassle of building their own on-premises system. While this move could bring the company into direct competition with cloud service providers, Nvidia’s industry-leading hardware business could create synergies with its software and services.
CEO Jensen Huang waxed poetic about the DGX Cloud service’s long-term prospects at the launch in March, 2023.
“We are at the iPhone moment of AI. Startups are racing to build disruptive products and business models, and incumbents are looking to respond,” Huang said in a written statement. “DGX Cloud gives customers instant access to NVIDIA AI supercomputing in global-scale clouds.”
Nvidia’s biggest customers are American tech giants like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet, which typically use its hardware to develop large language models and enterprise services for their cloud computing divisions. But while these companies can buy huge amounts of expensive hardware, they are also developing their own AI chips for internal use to reduce their reliance on third-party suppliers like Nvidia.
The good news is that Nvidia is diversifying its revenue streams. CEO Jason Huang expects a “second wave” of AI-related demand as national governments address the need for “sovereign AI” to suit their unique characteristics and national security concerns.
Recently, Nvidia inked a partnership with Singtel, the Singaporean state-owned Telecom, which aims to use Nvidia GPUs to bring AI services to companies in the Southeast Asian nation. More importantly, this deal will involve the use of Nvidia’s AI software solutions, which could help the company gain market share and compete against traditional cloud service providers.
Unlocking a higher valuation
Despite being the sixth most valuable company in the world with a $1.69 trillion market cap, Nvidia’s stock is still relatively affordable. While the company’s forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 33 is slightly higher than the Nasdaq-100 average of 30, this is a small premium to pay for a business growing at a triple-digit rate in an innovation-led industry.
The discount could be a response to Nvidia’s overreliance on h100 chip sales. Over the next five years, the company’s investments in different sides of the AI opportunity (like software and international expansion) could help diversify its revenue streams and unlock a higher valuation.
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Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Will Ebiefung has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Where Will Nvidia’s Soaring Stock Be in 5 Years? was originally published by The Motley Fool
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Federal right to repair legislation needed to protect consumers and Canada’s auto care industry
November 1st, 2022, Ottawa, ON – Yesterday, the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) appeared before the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology to speak to Bill C-244, An Act to amend the Copyright Act (diagnosis, maintenance and repair). AIA Canada advocated for amendments to the bill that will help to address systemic issues around vehicle data ownership, allowing Canadians contending with higher prices due to skyrocketing inflation the opportunity to compare prices and choose where they get their vehicle repaired.
“Canadians are already stretched with cost-of-living increases. We know of many examples where an inability to service a vehicle at the auto repair shop of their choice has resulted in increased costs for consumers,” said Alana Baker, Senior Director of Government Relations for AIA Canada. “From having to tow a car to the dealership because an independent auto repair shop doesn’t have access to vehicle data, or being pushed towards higher-cost parts manufactured by the automakers, most Canadians haven’t factored these new realities into their budget.”
Every new vehicle sold in Canada generates copious amounts of data on how the vehicle is performing. This data is then transmitted, wirelessly, to car manufacturers, allowing them control over who has access.
“In the past, if you had engine problems, you called around to a few auto repair shops who provided quotes to compare. You’d then make a choice about who to give your business to, whether that was the local mom and pop shop that had serviced generations of family vehicles, or the garage down the street that could offer the quickest turnaround,” said Baker.
Without intervention, automakers will continue to grow their role as gatekeepers for access to repair and diagnostic data, increasing their ability to control the terms through which independent auto shops access this critical data. What this means is that vehicle manufacturers – and not consumers – will determine who can repair vehicles, thus risking shop closures, compromising thousands of jobs, and limiting access for consumers to an affordable repair market.
“For a truly open, fair and competitive Canadian automotive aftermarket, consumers need to be protected by legislation that reflects the new reality of vehicles in Canada. This includes giving the aftermarket direct, remote and real-time access to diagnostic data,” concluded Baker.
About the Automotive Industries Association of Canada
We represent, support and lead innovation in Canada’s $32.2-billion auto care sector. With more than 4,000 members across the country, our vision, research, training programs and advocacy supports Canada’s collision and mechanical sectors. Our best practices for the auto care industry help our members keep Canada’s fleet of almost 29.8-million vehicles on the road.
Whether you’ve been in a collision or require maintenance, our members help vehicles last longer, pollute less and keep drivers safer by offering Canadians any product or service a vehicle may need after it rolls off the dealership’s lot.
For more information, please contact Communications at:
180 Elgin Street, Suite 1400 Ottawa, ON K2P 2K3
1-800-808-2920, ext. 2285


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Sega America and Sega Europe have announced today that Yakuza: Dead Souls will be releasing on retail shelves this week.
A big fan of the last 2 Yakuza games. Getting this on day 1.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Canadians have embraced the opportunity to buy electric cars with the help of a federal incentive, using nearly half of the $300 million allocated for the rebate in eight months
Background image credit: Transport Canada. Photo: Minister Garneau/Facebook
Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau stated Monday that the federal government is considering expanding its electric vehicle rebate program following its strong success in encouraging sales.
Since last May, the federal government has offered Canadians up to $5,000 towards the purchase of battery electric and long-range plug-in hybrid vehicles. Transport Canada figures show that $134 million of the $300 million allocated by the government to fund three years of the program was spent in its first eight months.
Transport Canada also states that overall EV sales have increased by 30 per cent since the rebate was introduced (compared to the same period in 2018), with over 33,000 Canadians having received the rebate through January 19.
As upfront costs of EVs are typically higher than most vehicles, experts say incentive programs will play a crucial part in increasing adoption rates until EVs reach price parity with gas cars, which some have forecasted will occur as soon as 2022. Following this, adoption will likely continue to increase without government support.
“It’s very encouraging to see how many people are now thinking about and actually going ahead and buying [zero-emission vehicles],” Garneau said outside the House of Commons, according to Canadian Press.
According to Transport Canada, EVs made up 3 per cent of vehicle sales in 2019, up from 2 per cent in 2018. Last year, the government announced an aim to have electric vehicles account for 10 per cent of light duty vehicles sales by 2025, 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040. The same goal was reiterated in Prime Minister Trudeau’s mandate letter to Garneau at the end of last year.
As the program’s funding is on track to be depleted by the end of 2020, an expansion of some kind would likely be necessary in order to make meeting these targets feasible.
Garneau said that he was “certainly working very hard” to expand the rebate program, but would not indicate specifically what that might entail. An expansion of the rebate program would likely be announced in the 2020 federal budget, which will be introduced this February or March.
British Columbia and Quebec are currently the only Canadian provinces that offer provincial rebates on electric vehicle purchases; they also have the first and second highest (respectively) EV ownership rates. Ontario, which no longer offers an EV purchase incentive, has the third highest rate.
High rates of EV adoption can also be attributed to the adoption of zero-emission vehicle mandates. B.C.’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Act and Quebec’s ZEV Standard each require that a certain percentage (set to increase over time) of vehicles sold in the province are electric. By enacting such legislation, governments can ensure increased adoption without having to commit to the same degree of investment that a rebate requires.
There are also non-government rebate programs available to Canadian drivers looking to go electric. SCRAP-IT, a program based in B.C., offers drivers up to $6,000 for scrapping their gas vehicles, to be used towards the purchase of an EV. Last spring, Ontario-based non-profit Plug’n Drive introduced a $1,000 incentive towards the purchase of a used electric vehicle in Ontario. In February, the program will be expanded to offer another $1,000 to those willing to have their old gas car scrapped and recycled.
Note: An earlier version of this article reported that EV sales have increased by 32 per cent in 2019 from 2018. The correct statistic is 30 per cent; this article has been updated to reflect that.


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By Levi Sumagaysay
Shift Technologies Inc. Chief Executive George Arison didn’t even know what a SPAC was until last year. Now, his San Francisco-based online marketplace for used cars is hopping aboard the blank-check train on its way to becoming public.
Special-purpose acquisition companies, also known as SPACs or blank-check companies, have been around for decades, but have made a big comeback this year amid the pandemic, thanks to low interest rates and stock-market volatility. Sports-betting operator DraftKings Inc. /zigman2/quotes/213120645/composite DKNG -1.91% , electric-vehicle maker Nikola Corp. /zigman2/quotes/208704275/composite NKLA -3.70% , electric-truck powertrain maker Hyliion Holdings Corp. /zigman2/quotes/211349827/composite HYLN -2.08% and space-flight company Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. /zigman2/quotes/208333884/composite SPCE -1.58% are among the companies that have gone public via the SPAC route.
SPACs raise money in an initial public offering, then look to buy businesses, usually within a couple of years. When a SPAC finds a business and successfully negotiates the transaction, the two merge and the acquired business becomes publicly traded. Shift is merging with Insurance Acquisition Corp. , and is expected to be listed on the Nasdaq under a new ticker symbol, SFT, soon after the deal is approved by Insurance Acquisition shareholders in a vote Oct. 13. In other such recent deals, shares of the new company traded the day after the merger was approved.
“Public markets were hungry for a business like us,” Arison told MarketWatch in one of a series of interviews as he navigated the process. “Post-COVID in particular, e-commerce was among the winners. A SPAC would allow us to go public sooner.”
See: When this California company tried to build a diverse board, ‘it was really hard to find people’
The 6-year-old company wanted to seize the moment as going through the process of a traditional initial public offering, with its more involved disclosure rules, would probably have meant having to wait until next year, Arison said. Another advantage of a SPAC is that it allows companies with a valuation of under $1.5 billion to raise more money than in an IPO, he said.
“If you’re a billion-dollar company, you maybe raise $100 million in an IPO vs. $300 million to $500 million in a SPAC,” he said.
The “de-SPAC” process for Shift was made easier because of the lawyers, bankers and analysts the company worked with, Arison said.
“Getting the right help is really critical, and don’t assume you can do this all yourself,” he said. The company chose lawyers (Jenner & Block) and bankers (Wells Fargo) with relevant experience because “SPAC deals are a unique animal,” he said.
Jose Cobos, chief revenue officer of private-equity marketplace Forge Global, said companies are going the SPAC route as opposed to a traditional IPO or direct listing “because of the lower cost when considering banking, legal and accounting fees as well as the ‘pop’ or discount.”
For more: 2020 is the year of the SPAC, but traditional IPOs offer better returns
There is also less guessing and anxiety involved. “For a company considering a public listing, the SPAC route provides certainty on both valuation and minimum capital raise at the time the transaction is announced,” said Benjamin Kwasnick, founder of SPAC Research. “In a regular-way IPO, a company won’t know those two things until the night the IPO prices.”
There is plenty of optimism about the online car-buying industry, including among Shift’s competitors: Carvana Co. CVNA said in August when it reported second-quarter earnings that it saw unprecedented demand and expected to set records in revenue and gross profit per unit in the third quarter. Its shares are up 145% so far this year, and have skyrocketed 232% over the past 52 weeks.
Shift focuses on buying and selling low-priced used cars, and would-be buyers can request vehicles be brought to them for test drives. All that is serving the company well, especially during a pandemic, Arison said.
“We sell a different type of inventory than our competitors,” he said. “We sell lots of value cars, older than eight years, with 80,000-plus miles.” Arison said 29% of Shift’s sales fall under that value category, which generally sell for under $10,000.
In its investor presentation, Shift also cited a Capgemini survey that said 46% of U.S. adults surveyed said they planned to use cars more often than public transportation because of COVID-19.
See also: With car dealerships closed, discounts on new and used cars are popping up online
Other Shift competitors include Vroom Inc. /zigman2/quotes/218801255/composite VRM -1.43% , Cars.com Inc. /zigman2/quotes/210492562/composite CARS -0.77% and Amazon.com Inc. /zigman2/quotes/210331248/composite AMZN -0.66% — as well as CarMax /zigman2/quotes/204412041/composite KMX -0.33% and AutoNation Inc. /zigman2/quotes/208363778/composite AN -0.58% , which are huge retailers that also do business online — although those are national companies and Arison stressed that Shift is focusing on the Western region. It buys and sells cars in California (Sacramento, San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles), Oregon and is expanding to Washington state.
Shift recently raised its third-quarter estimates 10%, to an adjusted gross profit of $3.9 million and adjusted gross profit per unit to $1,334.


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Here are the sectors that saw the most jobs gains in LA County, Inland Empire in November
By Kevin Smith
Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire got a healthy bump from holiday hiring last month and both regions saw their unemployment rates drop.
California’s final employment report for the year shows that L.A. County added 19,400 jobs in November, and the county’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent. That was down from 4.7 percent in October and well below the year-ago rate of 5.1 percent, according to the state Employment Development Department.
Retail helped fuel the hiring
Trade, transportation and utilities led the way in November with 16,600 new jobs. Retail accounted for the lion’s share of that with a seasonal increase of 14,100 jobs. Educational and health services added 3,700 jobs and additional gains were seen in government (2,300), the financial sector (1,100) and manufacturing (200).
Leisure and hospitality posted the biggest decline with a loss of 1,600 jobs. Arts, entertainment and recreation also shed 2,900 positions.
Year over year, L.A. County added 36,900 jobs in November, landing slightly below the previous month’s annual gain of 40,400.
Target adds 8,000 seasonal workers in LA area
There’s no doubt that retailers have bulked up their staffing for this year’s holiday season. In October, Target announced plans to hire 8,000 seasonal workers for its Los Angeles-area stores. Others, including Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Walmart and Toys R Us, have also boosted their local hiring.
Walmart took a slightly different tack . The company opted to first give its employees the chance to work extra hours during this holiday season instead of offering those hours to seasonal workers.
Judith McKenna, the mega retailer’s chief operating officer, explained it this way: “These extra hours will help staff traditional roles like cashier and stocker, and newly created technology-empowered positions such as personal shoppers and pickup associates,” McKenna said in a statement. “This is the same approach we took last year, and we heard […]


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Third Medal of Honor Experience Trailer Features Pricey Tech Built to Explode
Beyond its current controversial standing and our "worried" E3 2010 multiplayer impressions of the game, the single-player portion of EA's Medal of Honor revival has us amped up for more.
BOOM video 6412
In its third "Medal of Honor Experience" video, developer Danger Close gives players a peek at the hectic and intense warzone and shows off some of the pricey tech available to the U.S. military.
Thankfully--from a gameplay perspective--most money goes into creating bigger, more awesome explosions.


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After various reports indicated that Apple’s iPhone suppliers including Foxconn and Pegatron are getting ready for the iPhone 6, Bloomberg chimed in saying that the two bigger iPhone 6 models will enter mass production in July. The publication has learned from people familiar with the matter that the two iPhone 6 models will have 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, and could both be released in September.
However, Apple is apparently encountering some manufacturing issues with the bigger iPhone 6 model, having to overcome “lower production efficiency” before volume can be increased.
The bigger iPhones should help Apple better compete against Android, especially in the numerous markets where buyers frequently purchase smartphones with larger displays. The publication reveals that in China, 40% of Android devices sold in 2014 had displays bigger than 5 inches, according to an estimate from Forrester Research.
Bloomberg also says the new iPhone 6 models will be rounder and thinner than their predecessors, which is consistent with what the impressive number of distinct leaks, showing basically the same dummy iPhone 6 units, have revealed.
“Apple is developing new iPhone designs including bigger screens with curved glass and enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure, Bloomberg News reported in November,” the publication wrote. “Called 2.5-dimension glass, the material lets manufacturers taper the edges of the screen where the bezel meets the frame of a smartphone.”
However, Bloomberg did not reveal any specific hardware details, or release dates for either iPhone 6 version.


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UAE – The corona pandemic has focalized the world’s attention on food supplies specifically in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which imports about 90 per cent of all its food.
In the previous year the pandemic coerced the UAE to assess its food supply chain after the country experienced some initial disruption.
The Minister of State for Food Security, Mariam Al Mheiri, has revealed that the authorities responded swiftly to guarantee people’s access to vital products.
The government’s policy in supporting Agri-tech companies to increase local food supply also helped.
This has seen them tighten their food safety regimens and over the next two months, a new food safety standard system will be launched under a ministry of Climate Change and Environment initiative.
“Now only food that falls into the A category will be allowed to enter the UAE.”The minister of Climate Change and Environment – Abdullah Al Nuaimi
The minister of Climate Change and Environment Abdullah Al Nuaimi has stated that the rules will ensure only acclaimed products that comply with the highest international standards will set foot in the country.
Mr. Al Nuaimi told The National, that food previously imported into the UAE fell into three categories-A, B and C- with A representing the highest quality.
“Now only food that falls into the A category will be allowed to enter the UAE,” he said.
His comments came as the country launched an initiative to encourage more young Emiratis to consider careers in agriculture.
Five centers are to be built by the government where Emiratis interested in learning about animal and crop agriculture, beekeeping and aquaculture will spend up to 18 months undergoing training.
The first center known as, “youth food security stations”-will be built in Abu Dhabi and more will follow.
It is hoped hundreds of Emiratis will be trained up to become agricultural experts in a few years to come.
During the recent years there has been an escalation in the number of UAE food manufacturing companies including farmed fish in Jebel Ali and leafy greens grown under LEDs in Abu Dhabi. This project aims to support these trends.
Mr. Al Nuaimi said the plan was for Emirati youths to spend much longer than the initial 18 months in the training institute.
“It’s not a year and a half-it’s a career for the youth. We are designing agriculture into the future and we want people taking part to establish their own stations and own businesses,” said Mr. Al Nuaimi.
“This isn’t about planting food for the good times-it’s for emergencies,” he said.
MS Al Mheiri also backed the initiative stating, “As a source of hope for a better future, youth empowerment and capacity building is a key element of advancing the UAE’s vital priorities, including food security.
“To this end, the youth food security stations will engage Emirati youth and harness their power to create innovative food projects.”
The initiatives are further set to drive the growth of the agriculture sector in the United Arab Emirates which is projected to register a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period of 2021-2026, according to Mordor Intelligence.
The UAE with high per capita food consumption of about 1,500 kg per year is the most promising agriculture market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.


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South Korean companies should brace for the sophistication of China’s economic structure that will be accelerated during Xi Jinping’s second five-year term as Chinese leader, economists here say.
The possible easing of China’s economic retaliation against South Korea over the latter’s hosting of a US anti-missile system could not mask fundamental challenges facing them in the Chinese market.
Guarded optimism has been raised here that Beijing will ease retaliatory measures following last week’s closure of the 19th congress of the Chinese communist party, in which Xi cemented his grip on power.
China's President Xi Jinping (Yonhap)
Some Chinese travel agencies are moving to resume the sale of South Korea-bound tour packages.
Since March, Beijing has banned local travel agencies from selling tour programs bound to South Korea in the wake of the initial installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here.
The number of Chinese tourists to South Korea declined 56 percent on-year to 318,000 last month, according to figures from the Korea Tourism Organization.
Beijing’s retaliation over the THAAD deployment, which has hit South Korean companies particularly in tourism, retail, cosmetics and auto sectors, is estimated to have so far caused economic damages worth more than $12 billion to the country.
Policy aides to President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting of chief presidential secretaries last week that China’s retaliatory measures would result in drawing down South Korea’s economic growth rate by 0.4 percentage points this year.
Along with the signs of easing tour restrictions, a South Korean actor has been selected as the cover model of the November issue of a popular Chinese magazine, raising hopes China will be reopened to South Korean entertainment and cultural contents.
The country’s food, fashion and cosmetics companies have recently been recovering lost sales in the Chinese market.
On the back of the upbeat mood, share prices of South Korean companies heavily affected by China’s economic reprisals have risen more than 20 percent on average over the past month.
Caution has still been raised against the hasty expectation of China’s moves to roll back retaliatory measures.
Tourism industry officials say it has yet to be seen whether Beijing will lift a ban on group tours to South Korea.
The country’s automakers, airlines and electric car battery manufacturers have seen no improved conditions in their business with China.
The Chinese government has continued to exclude electric vehicles equipped with batteries made by South Korean companies from state subsidies.
Seoul and Beijing have been working towards a proper way out of the THAAD dispute to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between Moon and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in Da Nang, Vietnam, next week.
The meeting is expected to be followed by Moon’s visit to China in December. Seoul officials hope the visit will be reciprocated by Xi’s trip here to attend the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
An aide to Moon last week denied reports that Beijing had demanded Seoul express regrets over the THAAD deployment as a precondition to holding a summit between the South Korean and Chinese leaders.
It will be difficult to find a diplomatic tone that will temper Beijing’s possible demand for apology while also addressing the damages inflicted by its economic retaliation on South Korean businesses.
“China seems to have judged that relations with South Korea cannot be allowed to continue to remain as it is,” said Lee Se-ki, head of the Korea-China Friendship Association.
He said Beijing would still take a gradual approach rather than hastening to solve the strain over the THAAD issue.
Experts here say South Korean firms need to look beyond the possible easing or settlement of the THAAD dispute and step up efforts to cope with changes to be brought about by Xi’s policy focused on sophisticating the Chinese economy.
They note the country’s firms should try to enhance technological competitiveness to export more value-added products to the world’s second largest economy and go ahead of Chinese rivals in global markets.
China has already caught up with South Korea in traditional industries such as steel, petrochemicals and shipbuilding, while increasing investments in high-tech sectors.
“Now, the technological gap between South Korea and China is too close to be discerned in most areas,” said Lee Hang-koo, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, a state-run think tank.
Under this circumstance, the government needs to strengthen measures to help boost the competitiveness of local companies through sweeping deregulation and tax relief, he said.
By Kim Kyung-ho


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As VP of human resources for McDonald's USA, she fights against the low-wage stigma attached to the company and hails their managerial training programs.
"We are not a minimum wage employer," she said. "In fact, most of our restaurants start well above minimum wage."
About 75% of McDonald's restaurant managers and 40% of their corporate staff started as crew members, she said.
"Whether you're coming into McDonald's for a year or for a career, you can work for us," she said.


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Why lumber prices soared in 2021
How a do-it-yourself (DIY) boom and home-renovation craze fueled the fire.
Lumber prices in the United States hit an all-time high in May, topping $1,500 per thousand board feet (MBF) based on the Fastmarkets Random Lengths Composite Price. That is more than four times the prices recorded last spring.
These soaring prices not only create bidding wars and tighter margins for professional builders. They also mean higher prices at local home improvement stores for your average US homeowner.
So, what’s behind the increase? One element identified by Fastmarkets senior economist Dustin Jalbert is the DIY and home-renovation craze itself.
Demand for consumer wood products rose significantly over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Home-renovation spending increased by 7.3% in 2021 after having grown by 5.3% in 2020. As bored homeowners sat quarantined in their homes, the itch for home renovations spiked. Decking, studs, shorter-length dimension lumber, appearance-grade boards and fencing became popular purchases.
Home Depot reported a 32.7% increase in sales in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year. Lowe’s reported a 24% increase in sales in the same comparison.
Extra income and sustained employment
Despite a recession and higher unemployment in the US during the pandemic, many homeowners were largely unaffected. Since homeowners in the US held positions that were less impacted by layoffs, their income was stable.
Stimulus checks from the Cares Act and American Rescue Plan fueled spending on the home. Homebound owners turned to DIY projects with the increased discretionary income and free time on their hands due to canceled vacations and empty social calendars. Soaring home equity and the stock market paired with the stimulus checks kept much of the economy afloat.
So why did homeowners decide to direct their funds to home renovation? The first factor was historically low housing inventory limiting their buying options, causing existing homeowners to build onto their homes to outfit their needs rather than move. The second consideration homeowners made was the need for functional work and school spaces due to stay-at-home orders and the emergence of hybrid work trends.
Will lumber demand remain high even while the DIY boom loses steam?
Lumber prices dropped by 20% week on week on Tuesday June 15, which suggests the DIY boom might be losing some urgency. Are builders and homeowners breathing a sigh of relief? Not just yet.
“Inventory correction is going to take time to sort out: Mills are not only producing to meet existing demand from construction and manufacturing, but also to fill that inventory hole that we dug in 2020 as demand outpaced production,” Jalbert was quoted as saying in a recent Fortune article.
Lumber demand is not expected to die down anytime soon. In the near term, home-renovation projects are expected to pivot to more expensive, contractor-intensive home improvements. Due to tight supply, many contractors are indicating home-remodeling wait times of between six and 18 months, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
New home construction will also remain a big factor. New construction rose by 8% in 2020, its highest level since 2006. Because there is a lack of inventory for new homeowners to enter the market, new home construction remains elevated, adding to demand.
While some easing in the market has occurred in recent weeks, Fastmarkets reports construction-sector demand for Southern Pine treated lumber has remained high by historical standards. Contractor yards have needed constant replenishment to keep job sites supplied. These wood prices can cause swelling home construction costs and new home build price increases.
Among many other considerations, Fastmarkets economists are watching home starts and building permits as key indicators for future lumber demand.
Prepare for future volatility
Unexpected shocks in the industry can have a deep impact on price, sometimes in unexpected ways. Pandemic stay-at-home orders led consumer demand to quickly shift and fed into a DIY boom.
Industry players are operating in the most volatile market environment the industry has seen in several decades. It is more important than ever to have expertise and visibility into what is driving market conditions. An objective view will be invaluable if you are managing commodity price risk as a buyer or trying to effectively assess market conditions as a producer.
To learn more about the other key drivers behind wood product prices, read our report: Lumber: Unprecedented Volatility, where we outline the current six factors behind the skyrocketing market, including:
- A housing market on fire
- The DIY and renovation boom
- Soaring wood product demand
- Lagging industry supply
- Supply chain disarray
- Long-term capacity restraints


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Chrissy Durcak, founder of Dispatch Coffee, holds onto her philosophy of offering accessible quality products as she prepares to open the new store. Though her philosophy remains, the aesthetic of the new location will differ from their current ones: The new Plateau spot will feature a more diversified menu, and[Read More…]
Search Results for author "Emily Huang"
i-Week celebrates campus cultural diversity
From Feb. 3 to 7, McGill’s International Student Leadership Program’s (ISLP) annual i-Week celebrated cultural diversity and pluralism. According to the International Student Development and Communication Manager of the International Student Society (ISS) and ISLP Coordinator, Caroline Guay, the design of the project was designed to provide an opportunity for[Read More…]


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While a future full of hybrid replacements for the Lamborghini Aventador and Huracan is imminent, the spicy Italian automaker may show off its new powertrain approach a little early with a new hybrid hypercar that may use supercapacitors instead of batteries. Oh, and they want it to glow in the dark.
The initial rumor of a hybrid hypercar set to preview Lamborghini’s electrified future came from Autocar, which reports the new car, codenamed LB48H, will get a tweaked V12 couple to a new hybrid setup for the 2020 model year.
The car was reportedly already shown off to buyers back in June, as we suspected at the time, and will only be a limited-run special. Lamborghini anticipates that, even with the lightest setup and weight cuts elsewhere in the car, we should all expect the new generation of hybrid hypercars and supercars to still be a little bit heavier than the current offerings.
Following up on Autocar’s report, a source over at Road & Track claims the special LB48H will cost around $3 million and glow in the dark, because the rich aren’t satisfied only being able to show off in daylight, of course.
Will it glow in the dark like the stickers from your youth and the strips on the sides of airplane aisles? Or just with lights, which isn’t really “glow in the dark” but people stretch the definitions of lots of things these days?
Road & Track also speculates the new hypercar would be the perfect place to implement the supercapacitor technology Lamborghini has been developing. Supercapacitors are ideal for Lamborghini over traditional batteries in other hybrid and electric vehicles because they can charge and discharge much quicker than batteries, and don’t wear out as rapidly.
The only thing holding supercapacitors back in automotive applications is their limited energy density compared to a lithium-ion battery, which Lamborghini has been working with MIT on improving, as Road & Track points out.
If this new hypercar does glow in the dark, though, I’m just personally proud that Lamborghini continues to recommit to being the Most Hot-Wheels-like of all the automakers.


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image credit: Unsplash
SMEs have always been one of the growth pillars for many global economies. However, the pandemic disrupts many industries. While the recent outlook is showing plenty of healthy improvements, SMEs continue to struggle to strive post-pandemic. However, if we look at the current situation, what applies pre-pandemic does not necessarily translate well into the post-pandemic age. SMEs now have a greater demand to ensure their moves during the pandemic pay off, especially for the sustainability of their operations.
In the name of an adaptive system to different business models
The Fintech industry has certainly taken notice of the growing demands of SMEs. According to the Fintech Malaysia Report 2019 by Fintech News, there are 198 players offering Fintech services and there has been an increasing amount of technology that is now geared to SMEs as their target market.
For SMEs, low-code automation is very much welcomed as it allows greater flexibility in tailoring the interfaces to small and medium-scale enterprises. Besides, low-code also places an emphasis on automating the daily in-and-out processing of these business models, as it requires less workforce to maintain it. Process automation has been embraced as a significant feature, especially after the massive workforce entrenchment that happened in 2020.
Maximising resources for small and medium-scale businesses
The workforce entrenchment has been a part of cost-reduction strategies for many SMEs, as they struggle financially to prolong their operation. Thus, when Fintech players started introducing credit products with real-time financing during the pandemic, it was seen as a brilliant move.
Besides, this helps in the financial flexibility where capital is needed to maintain the liquidity of a business; especially where long payment terms are involved. The Fintech industry is certainly poised to take over conventional banking by offering P2P (peer-to-peer) and ECF (equity crowdfunding) financing. The Fintech players taking part in providing this financing crafted customer online journey with a simplified application process, expediting the approval process with increased transparency.
When every cent is accounted for
Despite all the assistance provided by these SME-specific credit products, ultimately a business’ goal would always fall back to generating revenue and be paid by their debtors. However, with the current situation and the prolonged health concerns, there is a rising demand for the adoption of a cloud-based debt collection solution. With fewer employees on the roster, businesses develop a preference for automatic reminders to eliminate any mis-looked invoices while maximising their limited employees’ resources simultaneously.
This has encouraged the growth of subscription-based debt collection solutions, placing 24/7 accessibility and cloud-based as key features to attract SMEs. The adoption of these platforms has led many Fintech players to innovate their existing debt collection products by incorporating seamless integration with other accounting software to enhance the overall experience.
Building back the SME industry for the global economic recovery
As we welcome 2022 in less than a quarter of the year, the Fintech industry gears towards developing more SME-enabled solutions to assist the global economy to recover at a faster pace while keeping many SMEs afloat and thriving gradually. The world of Fintech is definitely here to offer more innovations; disrupting the traditional financial industry interestingly in a move that is welcomed by many. Supporting the SMEs industry would not only encourage a faster economic recovery but also benefit many countries’ GDP letting the world return to a slice of global prosperity that was halted abruptly when the pandemic hits.
JurisTech’s products are developed with low-code technology to ensure the highest adaptive potential. If you are interested to know more about products that help SMEs grow their businesses, check out our CollectXpress, NexColl , and Juris Access for more information or reach out to us at email@example.com


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A new Lincolnshire Co-operative food store and pharmacy will create 14 jobs in a village. Lincolnshire Co-Operative has submitted plans to transform the former Capel Lodge in Swineshead into a food.. Lincolnshire Echo
The LGBTQ community is one of the most marginalized groups in the U.S., but more and more businesses are standing by their side. These eight companies proudly support LGBTQ rights. Source: TEEN VOGUE -
www.instagram.com If you are a Starbucks fanatic, you know all about the secret menu. But it turns out that not enough people know about Starbucks’ region-specific menu items. Thus, we need to try.. Source: Hello Giggles -
Starbucks has always given us what we want. In fact, Starbucks made it even more difficult with a new drink lineup for 2017, which included the winter exclusive Cascara Latte. That doesn’t even.. Source: Hello Giggles -
US President Donald Trump's healthcare plans are running into a spot of trouble.
Repealing Obamacare was a cornerstone of Trump's election campaign, but he is struggling to gain support from.. City A.M.
A group of conservative Starbucks investors are warning the coffee company against provoking Donald Trump, which could cause an angry tweet and a drop in stock prices.
The investors met Wednesday.. City A.M.
A boutique spa set in a quiet and tranquil setting in Lincolnshire has won a prestigious award in the run up to its 10th anniversary.Simpsons Boutique Spa at Branston Hall won Spa of the Year for the.. Lincolnshire Echo
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp co-founder Howard Schultz will host his final shareholder meeting as chief executive officer on Wednesday before Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson takes the.. Reuters
Starbucks is looking to build Lincoln's first ever drive-thru coffee shop. Developer Taylor Lindsey has submitted a planning application to the City of Lincoln Council for a Starbucks Drive-Thru on its.. Lincolnshire Echo
In their rush to service customers that haven't arrived yet, Starbucks has exposed itself to a classic market structure and complexity challenge.
Continue reading: How pre-ordering coffee has turned.. FT.com
Romeo Beckham left his fans in stitches by revealing his mum's Starbucks order [Getty] Romeo Beckham proved that he has quite the sense of humour when taking to Instagram during a coffee date with his.. OK!


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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will be released on 31 July 2015, according to Tesco Direct.
The game's entry on their site lists the release date with no further information on the Naughty Dog-developed sequel.
The general assumption has been that Uncharted would be released in late 2015 as per the previous three titles released in October, November and December.
However, last year Naughty Dog enjoyed huge success when they released The Last of Us in July, so it's entirely possible they are trying to emulate that success by releasing during the typically barren summer months.
When a release date leaks in this manner it is wrong more often than it is right, so take the news with a hefty pinch of salt.
Gameplay from the title was shown off this past weekend at the PlayStation Experience event in Las Vegas.
The footage revealed a more open game than players have been accustomed to in the series to date, but still enjoyed the same blockbuster thrills and gorgeous visuals that have become a staple of the swashbuckling franchise.
Popular video game voice artist Nolan North will once again play Indiana Jones-like explorer Nathan Drake, with the current king of video game actors Troy Baker making his debut as Drake's brother.
As the title suggests, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End may be the final entry in the series, whenever it is finally released on PlayStation 4.


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We’re all happy that the Ranger is finally back in the US, but we were also disappointed when Ford announced that the off-road ready Ranger Raptor wouldn’t be coming here. Well there’s hope, since a new report claims that the Ranger Raptor will come to the US, but not for a few years.
According to Road & Track the Ford Ranger Raptor will come to the US when the next-generation Ranger debuts. Even though the 2019 Ranger is new to the US, the current generation has actually been in production in other markets since 2011. Ford said that the main reason the Ranger Raptor isn’t coming to the US, is because it wasn’t designed for this market.
Road & Track speculated that the Ranger Raptor would arrive in the US with the debut of the next generation and now according to the social media profiles of some of Ford’s engineers, the publication may be right. The next-generation Ranger has a project code of P703, which will share lots of its parts with the new Bronco.
Some details about the next Ranger have showed up on social media and a Chassis Engineer recently posted details about a Ranger Raptor that’s being developed for North American market.
The next-generation Ranger might debut in 2022, which means the next Ranger Raptor will debut shortly after that. Ford has obviously not made any announcements about the Ranger Raptor for the US market, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Source: Road & Track


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Dealabs user billbil-kun has said that Epic Games Store Christmas giveaway will run sometime between December 15th and January 10th, 2023. It’s unclear which or how many titles will be available for free during the giveaway. Perhaps, billbil-kun could leak the number of games as well as their names just days before official announcement from Epic Games Store. Epic Games is expected to reveal the exact dates for its Christmas giveaway in the coming days.
Epic Games Store offers multiple games for free each week. You can currently get Star Wars: Squadrons for free until December 1st. From December 1 to December 8, the storefront will offer games like Fort Triumph and RPG in a box for free. Epic Games Store has given away hundreds of games for free since it launched in 2018. Last year, the storefront offered 89 free games worth a total of $2,120 (approximately Rs 1,73,231). Epic Games Store users have claimed more than 765 million games for free in 2021. The store will continue to offer free games every week even after the upcoming Christmas giveaway.


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updated 01:20 pm EST, Tue February 8, 2011
Spotify and Warner hint US service getting nearer
Spotify gave a hint that it might be getting closer to its long delayed US launch. The streaming music network told those few who have test accounts in the US to choose a payment method in prep for when the paid Premium access goes live "over the coming months." While it had a copy of the notice, AllThingsD didn't get an indication of what the price might be or whether plans would change.
Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman also contributed to the signs of progress for Spotify. While he wouldn't confirm any tentative deals, he showed an unusual warming to the service. Spotify and other services like it were "ever-more meaningful for [Warner] results," he said.
The statement is a major reversal of stance for the CEO. A year earlier, he had savaged Spotify in public. He cast the service and others offering free, ad-based music as being "not net positive" and threatened to refuse licenses for any of them in the future.
Spotify has been promising to expand to the US for the past two years but has faced stiff resistance from labels that prefer usually more profitable pay-per-track services like iTunes, Amazon MP3 and 7digital. The company has only just started making progress and is known to have had a Sony deal with a possible EMI deal imminent. Signing Warner onboard would likely be enough as it would cover the majority of music in the US and pressure Universal to follow suit.
In the US, the service might face limitations it doesn't in Europe, such as a reduced free catalog. It could still be less costly for the Premium version, as most predictions have it costing $10 per month to get ad-free unlimited music and access on Android and iOS devices.


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One cellphone billing plan allows customers to upgrade to a new device in less than two years. Another allows a pool of data to be shared across multiple devices. Yet another offers unlimited data, but only at slower Internet speeds. All these perks are there for the taking, yet the average wireless telephone bill continues with its monthly sting.
Welcome to the confounding world of cellphone billing plans. Even executives at wireless telephone companies say their industry has created a Tower of Babel of competing plans, with highly specific requirements and offerings and even, in many cases, unique language buried in the fine print.
For cellphone customers, all this competition has meant they occasionally receive more for their money, or they might even obtain a better deal when they switch to a different phone carrier. However, with that savings opportunity has come the risk of telephone bill surprises, even for knowledgeable consumers.
“I think we’re propagating some confusion in the marketplace — us as an industry,” AT&T Mobility Inc chief executive officer Glenn Lurie said in a recent interview. “There’s been so much noise that customers are getting confused.”
It all started nearly two years ago, when T-Mobile USA Inc killed the traditional two-year contract, a move that shook the wireless industry. In the past, a phone subscriber signed a two-year contract to buy a telephone for a discounted price and paid a flat monthly bill. With T-Mobile’s new contract-free plan, a customer could pay the full price for a smartphone in monthly installments and the bill would be reduced once the phone was fully paid off.
The move set off a flurry of changes among carriers. Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint responded with similar contract-free plans that allowed people to pay for their own devices in exchange for lower rates.
However, that was just round one.
“Since there are new deals every couple of weeks, even if you go with the best deal today, things might change tomorrow,” independent telecommunications analyst Jan Dawson said. “Ultimately, all this is good for consumers, but it takes more work now than it did to figure out the best deal.”
In February, AT&T and Verizon expanded the data packages for their family plans. AT&T offered 10 gigabytes of data for families to share, starting at US$130 per month for a family of two.
However, then there was the fine print: Brand-new customers signing up for the family plan would have to choose AT&T’s contract-free plan, Next, and pay off a telephone in monthly installments. Or they would have to provide their own device, like an iPhone bought from Craigslist. Or they would have to buy a new cellphone at full cost from AT&T.
Existing customers could sign up for the new family plan, but they would have to meet the same criteria once their contracts were up.
Also in February, Verizon sweetened its family plans, but it offered discounts only for certain types of customers. For example, subscribers to Verizon’s Edge program — an option to pay off a telephone over monthly installments — got US$15 off their bill.
This month, Sprint said it would, for a limited time, cut the bills of any Verizon and AT&T customers in half if they switched to Sprint, with one big caveat: Sprint said it could not promise that customers would be billed the same rates for future device upgrades.
On Dec. 16, T-Mobile announced an offer to roll over customers’ unused mobile data month after month. It was reminiscent of older phone plans, but remarkable in today’s market because cellphone customers often buy more data than they need to hedge against running out and paying more for going over.
Industry insiders acknowledge that, short of creating a spreadsheet to sort out the pitches, expecting consumers to navigate all of these offers is unrealistic.
“We’re in a state of the industry where the carriers have sown a massive amount of confusion,” T-Mobile USA chief marketing officer Mike Sievert said in a telephone interview. “Can you even decipher what’s going on with the carriers anymore?”
Sievert said T-Mobile’s goal with Data Stash, its new offering for rolling over unused data to the next month, was that customers would no longer have to guess how much data they would use every month.
Even T-Mobile’s plans can be confusing. Its plans are advertised as including unlimited data. However, what actually happens is that users pay for a bucket of high-speed data, and once it is depleted, the cellphone’s data connection is switched over to slower speeds. While the slower Internet data is marketed as unlimited, critics have said it is so slow that it is unusable. T-Mobile separately offers a plan with unlimited high-speed data.
“A T-Mobile user might be really disappointed in the end if they think they have an unlimited data plan, and then when they hit the ceiling of 1 or 3 gigs, it’s pretty much denial of service because you cannot use your phone,” said Toni Toikka, chairman of Alekstra, a research company that studies cellphone bills.
POOR INTERNAL CONTROLS: Insurance Bureau Director-General Shih Chiung-hwa said the company is expected to get back on track while its chairman is suspended The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday fined Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) NT$27.6 million (US$939,415) for a reckless investment that endangered its solvency, and suspended its chairman Eugene Wu (吳東進) for poor supervision. The penalty is the second-highest in a single case after Nan Shan Life Insurance Co (南山人壽) was fined NT$30 million in September last year and its chairman Du Ying-tzyong (杜英宗) suspended for two years, the commission said. In three rounds of special and regular examinations conducted since last year, the commission found that Shin Kong Life had given too much power to an asset and liability management committee
Sony Corp has cut its estimated Play Station 5 (PS5) production for this fiscal year by 4 million units, down to about 11 million, following production issues with its custom-designed system-on-chip (SOC) for the new console, people familiar with the matter said. The Tokyo-based electronics giant in July boosted orders with suppliers in anticipation of heightened demand for gaming in the holiday season and beyond, as people spend more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company has come up against manufacturing issues, such as production yields as low as 50 percent for its SOC, which have cut into
HEAVY INVESTMENT: Moody’s affirmed the firm’s ‘Aa3’ rating with a ‘stable’ outlook due to its leading position in the industry and ability to match customer requirements Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) revenue this year is expected to increase about 21 percent to NT$1.29 trillion (US$44.01 billion) from NT$1.07 trillion last year, driven by strong demand for advanced 5-nanometer and 7-nanometer chips mainly used in smartphones and high-performance computing devices, a Moody’s Investors Service report on Wednesday said. TSMC’s rate of revenue growth next year is to increase to 7.5 percent, the ratings agency said. The company, which supplies 5-nanometer chips for Apple Inc’s new iPad series, has introduced the advanced chips ahead of its competitors and gained a significant share of the market for the foundry industry’s
O2O BICYCLE SHOW: The Taiwan Bicycle Show next year is to be online to offline, with forums, audio-visual conferences and livestreaming of the offline events Local bicycle makers expect demand to continue outpacing supply due to orders triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some companies seeing orders back up through next year. “Next year is all full in terms of orders. Our lead time on components is one year,” Giant Manufacturing Co Ltd (巨大機械) chairwoman Bonnie Tu (杜綉珍) told a news conference in Taipei organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to announce next year’s Taipei Cycle Show. The pandemic has reduced bicycle supplies and increased demand around the world, Robert Wu (吳盈進), chairman of KMC (Kuei Meng) International Inc (桂盟國際), one of the world’s


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By B.N. Frank
Got medical implants? The warnings keep coming. Let’s recap:
- In 2016, the American Heart Association (AHA) warned that cell phones and other electronics could interfere with pacemakers and ICDs.
- Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that both cell phones and smart watches could cause interference issues with medical implants.
- Earlier this month, the Journal of American Heart Association warned that Apple iPhone12 models could cause interference issues with pacemakers and other implants. Earlier this year, Apple had issued warnings as well.
Now Apple has issued the potential for interference issues with even more of their products.
Serious New iPhone 12 Warning Issued For Millions More Apple Devices
Apple’s iPhone 12 range is selling in record numbers but now Apple has issued an updated warning to its millions of owners and also extended this to AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod and MacBook users as well.
Apple has issued stronger guidance for more of its devices, including iPhone 12 models, interfering … [+] with CIEDs.
In a new support document, Apple has significantly revised its guidance regarding the “potential magnetic interference with medical devices” caused by its products. The revisions greatly expand the number of its products the company believes may cause interference with medical devices and removes language which previously downplayed the risks. If you own an Apple device, you need to understand the changes.
The most surprising development is Apple no longer limits this warning to iPhone 12 models, as it did previously (WayBack Machine copy of this support page). Now Apple lists all models of AirPods and their charging cases, Apple Watch and its magnet bands and accessories, HomePod and HomePod Mini, all iPad models and their smart covers and keyboards, all Mac and MacBook models and Beats X, Flex, PowerBeats Pro and UrBeats 3.
“Keep these products a safe distance away from your medical device,” Apple warns. It also draws a clear distinction between them and its other devices, saying “Certain other Apple products contain magnets that are unlikely to interfere with medical devices.” This is a big change from previous language on the page which said: “though all iPhone 12 models contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, they’re not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models.”
Explaining the risk, Apple reveals that:
“Under certain conditions, magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices. For example, implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact. To avoid any potential interactions with these types of medical devices, keep your Apple product a safe distance away from your medical device (more than 6 inches / 15 cm apart or more than 12 inches / 30 cm apart if wirelessly charging). Consult with your physician and your device manufacturer for specific guidelines.”
This language closely aligns with medical studies by the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) and the Heart Rhythm Journal (HRJ) published earlier this year. JAHA concluded that the iPhone 12 range “has the potential to inhibit lifesaving therapy” while the HRJ used almost identical language in its report, saying iPhone 12 models “potentially inhibit lifesaving therapy in a patient”
Don’t have medical implants? Manufacturers still warn against carrying and/or holding cell phones and other wireless devices next to your body. Research has already determined that exposure to cell phone and wireless WiFi radiation is NOT SAFE (see 1, 2). This includes 5G. Children are more vulnerable to exposure. Got pets? It affects them too.
Activist Post reports regularly about unsafe technology. For more information, visit our archives and the following websites:
- Electromagnetic Radiation Safety
- Environmental Health Trust
- Physicians for Safe Technology
- Wireless Information Network
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.


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Over the last ten years cars have become packed full of new technology that makes it easier to play music and movies, take calls, or get directions all from your dashboard. But this digitization has come at a cost, giving cybercriminals a seemingly endless amount of access points to take over vehicles. Cybersecurity firm IntSights recently released, "Under The Hood: Cybercriminals Exploit Automotive Industry's Software Features," a study on how hackers are managing to get into cars and do damage. The study notes that hackers have infiltrated automotive systems and hardware since 2010. "The pressure to deliver products as fast as possible puts a big strain on vehicle security capabilities, manufacturing facilities, and automotive data. Industry leaders have since come to understand that cybercrime threats to cars were not as far-fetched as originally thought," the report said.
Nov-6-2019, 00:17:01 GMT


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Before he got into some very ugly, still ongoing drama with Blac Chyna, Rob Kardashian easily held down the title of the most low-key Kardashian-Jenner—to the point that, for a while, his major defining trait was that he designed luxury socks. Sadly, as of this Wednesday, that seems to be coming to an end: According to the Blast, Kardashian’s recent financial strife has forced him to sell half of his sock company, Arthur George, to his mother, Kris Jenner. (Adding insult to injury, he’s reportedly also had to move in with her.)
It’s certainly not the best time for Kardashian to lose out on a (potential) source of income: He’s currently wrapped up in a custody battle with his ex-fiancée over their 2-year-old daughter, Dream Kardashian. (He reportedly can no longer afford to pay the $20,000 expected of him every month for child support.) On the other hand, it might be good news for the company: Some of his most prominent family members have turned their backs on him as of late, with Kim even turning his name into an insult over the summer, when she and Khloé called their sister Kourtney “the new Rob.”
Over the course of its four-year lifespan, Arthur George—the name is a combination of both Rob’s and his late father’s middle names—has made an effort to reward those who’ve stood by its owner. Khloé has gotten a couple of shout-outs on the brand’s Instagram page, where his half-sister Kylie Jenner has also appeared. Indeed, she has even collaborated with Rob through Kylie Cosmetics, which is how some limited-edition pairs of socks for those looking to sport Kylie’s eerie likeness around their ankles came to be.
Predictably, though, the one who’s appeared most often on the page’s grid has been Kris Jenner, who promoted the brand to her 22 million Instagram followers as recently as last month. Indeed, astute Arthur George followers may not even find Jenner’s takeover to be a surprise: Practically every bit of non-sock-related content that’s appeared on the page has been a tribute to Jenner, whether for her birthday or Mother’s Day. (In return, Jenner has used the hashtag “#proudmama” to celebrate the socks’ sale at Selfridges, and has even worn an Arthur George onesie in public.)
Kardashian, who graduated from the University of Southern California’s business school in 2009, joined the many entrepreneurs in the family in late 2012, determined not to use the family name (though he was not above documenting his company’s inception on Keeping Up With the Kardashians). Arthur George was first inspired by the multicolored socks worn by Kardashian and his former brother-in-law, Lamar Odom. With a little help from Scott Disick, whose love of suits helped inform Kardashian’s approach to dress socks, and Kanye West, the family “fashion icon,” Kardashian eventually came to the line’s signature all-caps cheeky slogans like “DILF,” “MILF,” and “HOT TAMALE.”
Originally, he thought of all that as “just a starting point to doing apparel and street wear.” Alas, Kardashian barely got the chance to live out those dreams while maintaining full control of his company. He only managed to release a few slogan baseball hats (“LIT,” etc.) and several patterned onesies. Still, the socks found a footing in the market on their own: At one point, they could be found next to the designer goods sold at stores like Selfridges and Colette.
Kardashian now credits Jenner with the fact that Arthur George is still kicking: “When the business was struggling, my mother infused it with capital to keep it afloat, and from her infusion gained a 50 percent share in the company,” Kardashian reportedly says in the court documents that the Blast obtained, with Jenner adding that she acquired 50 percent of the business’s interest in exchange for her work and money. “Previously, the line’s success was in large part due to my regular posting and general promotion on social media,” Kardashian continued. “Angela [Blac Chyna]’s request for a restraining order against me includes various prohibitions on what I could post online. In order to avoid any potential future issues, I nearly eliminated my social media presence.”
Help may be on its way, but Jenner chose a tricky time to dip a toe back into the luxury sock market; whereas Kardashian was relatively alone in the field when he launched Arthur George, hordes of otherwise unrelated celebrities have since followed suit, ranging from the model Bambi Northwood-Blyth to the basketball player Dwyane Wade to the burgeoning retail queen Rihanna. The drawer is pretty full.


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Toyota Motor has a challenge: How to heed President Akio Toyoda’s insistence on heart-racing design for the next Camry and Prius models without jeopardising their mass-market appeal.
Getting it wrong risks knocking Camry from its perch as the best-selling US car, a title held for 12 consecutive years, and seeing Prius, which sells more than 200,000 units annually in the US, eclipsed by newer hybrid vehicles. While next- generation versions of both cars are in the works, Toyota executives haven’t provided many details.
The aim for the next Camry is a “more emotional, more impactful design,” Kevin Hunter, head of Toyota’s US design studio, said in an interview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. “Camry’s taken some hits on styling, but it’s still selling well. But we need to create better design for Camry in the future.”
Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, is pushing an overhaul of vehicles with an emphasis on “waku-doki” design, shorthand for the Japanese phrase for heart-racing qualities. That would break from the current styling of the Camry and Prius, which together accounted for about a third of the Toyota City, Japan-based company’s US sales volume last year.
“Finding the right balance is going to be very tricky” for the Camry, said Jack Nerad, analyst and executive editor at Kelley Blue Book in Irvine, California. “Most consumers like good-looking cars, they don’t want to drive appliances.”
Because Camry’s customer base, which Toyota estimates is five million owners, is so large, there are limits to how far the company can go in changing the design, Kazuo Ohara, head of Toyota’s US sales unit, said.
“I would not go so far as saying we could be adventurous, but at least more aggressive,” he said in an interview in Detroit this week. With the current Camry, “we were probably a little bit too conservative.”
The emphasis on the next version of the car is enhanced interior packaging and materials and more “emotional” exterior looks, Ohara said, without elaborating on specific details. The company isn’t ready to say when a new Camry or Prius will go on sale, the executives said.
US Camry sales were 408,484 in 2013, topping newer sedans, including Honda Motor Co.’s Accord, Nissan Motor’s Altima and Ford Motor’s Fusion, with faster-growing sales. The Accord is the No. 2 car, with 366,678 units sold last year, according to a Honda statement this month.
Even with Hyundai Motor adding a revamped Sonata and Chrysler Group releasing a new 200 model this year, Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, forecasts that Camry will maintain its lead and 400,000-unit volume for a 13th straight year, Bob Carter, Toyota’s US senior vice-president, said in an interview.
The Prius also faces competition. The world’s iconic hybrid is losing the one-of-a-kind status it held into the mid-2000s as the most advanced electric-drive auto in the US Rival hybrids, plug-ins and all-electric cars, such as Nissan Motor’s Leaf, General Motors’s Volt and Tesla Motors’ Model S, are all alternatives to Prius.
“In the beginning Prius was the pioneer of the segment,” Jim Lentz, Toyota’s North American chief executive officer, said in an interview in Detroit this week. “As we put the powertrain into the Camry, it put hybrids into the mainstream. Prius did its job in creating hybrid as a mainstream option.”
The styling challenge for a new Prius isn’t as tough as for Camry, Nerad said. That’s because buyers “are very loyal to the name and more likely to accept something different,” he said.
As Toyota’s designers refine the look and layout of the next Prius, they said they will need to retain the car’s triangular profile for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and top- level fuel economy.
“The next Prius is in a difficult location in the market because hybrids already have become a fundamental technology,” Tokuo Fukuichi, a Toyota senior managing officer and head of global design, said in an interview in Detroit.
“We have to try to make a ‘future feeling’ and ‘best in the world’” fuel economy, Fukuichi said. “If we couldn’t get the best mileage, we don’t need a next Prius.”
Toyota’s US sales unit is in Torrance, California. The company’s American depositary receipts fell 0.5 per cent to $119.19 at the close in New York.
Upon arrival, Scholz condemned the Iranian strikes on Israel
His work has led to the development of a new form of therapy called CAR-T


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LG has now announced the release of its highly limited release dubbed the Signature Edition. The handset will offer 6GB RAM and 256GB internal storage and will come priced at $1,820.
Windows 11 22H2 build 22621.160 (RTM) gets File Explorer Tab navigation
tabbed file explorer
Windows 11 in the Dev Channel fixes Windows Security app issues, and more
windows 11 insider preview


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eBay plans to relaunch eBay India after it makes $1.1B
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Uber to end post-trip tracking of riders
Uber Technologies Inc is pulling a heavily criticised feature from its app that allowed it to track riders for up to five minutes after a tripUpdated: Aug 30, 2017 09:37 IST
Uber Technologies Inc is pulling a heavily criticised feature from its app that allowed it to track riders for up to five minutes after a trip, its security chief told Reuters, as the ride-services firm tries to fix its poor reputation for customer privacy.
The change, which restores users’ ability to share location data only while using the app, is expected to be announced on Tuesday and rolled out to Apple Inc iPhone users starting this week. It comes as Uber tries to recover from a series of crises culminating in the ouster of CEO Travis Kalanick and other top executives.
Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of travel-booking company Expedia Inc is set to become Uber’s new CEO.
The location-tracking update is unrelated to executive changes, said Joe Sullivan, Uber’s chief security officer, in an interview with Reuters. Sullivan and his team of about 500 have been working to beef up customer privacy at Uber since he joined in 2015.
“We’ve been building through the turmoil and challenges because we already had our mandate,” said Sullivan.
An update to the app made last November eliminated the option for users to limit data gathering to only when the app is in use, instead forcing them to choose between letting Uber always collect location data or never collect it.
Uber said it needed permission to gather data in order to track riders for five minutes after a trip was completed, which the company believed could help in ensuring customers’ physical safety.
The option to never track required riders to manually enter pickup and drop-off addresses.
But the changes were met with swift criticism by some users and privacy advocates who called them a breach of user trust by a company already under fire for how it collects and uses customers’ data.
Uber said it never actually began post-trip tracking for iPhone users and suspended it for Android users.
First Published: Aug 30, 2017 09:34 IST


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UK-style laws could convert more than 200 million smokers to vaping worldwide
Research by the Consumer Choice Center reveals the potential for 76 million people to switch in China alone.
Research by the Consumer Choice Center has found that 200 million smokers worldwide could switch to vaping by following the UK’s approach.
The company analysed 61 countries and pointed to the UK’s approach to advertising, displays and lower taxes as examples the rest of the world should follow.
“We used the UK’s progressive tobacco harm reduction policies as a reference point and estimated how many current smokers could be helped to switch by having a more permissive vaping framework,” said Fred Roeder, managing director of the Consumer Choice Centre. “In China, 76 million people could switch. The US (6 million) and Germany (4 million) would also see huge public health benefits by emulating the UK’s approach.”
The interactive map below reveals the worldwide potential of vaping:
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Everyone can develop their own personal strategies against anxiety — it’s about finding simple activities that shift your focus.
As we continue to adapt to changing norms due to stay-at-home orders, many are adding cannabidiol to their comfort consumption habits during this time of social isolation.
We look at how social distancing and essential business orders have impacted CBD.
Cannabis regulation is always shifting. We explore some early 2020 changes in legislation that impact CBD.
The U.S. government recently awarded nearly $3M in research grants to study cannabinoids and CBD.
CBD products are everywhere, but you should be careful about where you get your CBD oil.
A collection of recent news and legal updates about CBD for the month of September.
We review what the latest research says about how CBD can help your pets.
CBD use among elite athletes has grown since the World Anti-Doping Agency removed it from its list of prohibited cannabinoids.
What does this mean for consumers?


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New Braunfels police have obtained surveillance images of at least two suspects who are accused of using stolen credit cards to make thousands of dollars in purchases.
According to authorities, on September 9, 2015 the female in the photos allegedly stole a wallet from a Gold’s Gym in New Braunfels and less than an hour later used the stolen cards at an area Target and Best Buy, charging thousands of dollars.
Police said the male in the photo was seen with the woman at both Target and Best Buy and the pair was seen leaving the area together in a late 90's or early 2000's white Dodge Caravan.
Authorities said the female in the photos has a medium to heavy set build, long dark hair, has olive skin, and stands between 5'6 to 5'7. She was last seen wearing dark shorts, a shirt, and a large, floppy black hat.
Police said the male is black, with a medium build, and was wearing a white shirt, shorts, hat, and shoes. He is between 5'8 and 5'10.
Authorities are asking anyone with any information on the suspects to call the New Braunfels Police Department, (830) 221-4126, or Comal County Crime Stoppers, (830) 620-TIPS.
There is a reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to an arrest and/or grand jury indictment.