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Sonoma and Napa counties are easing their shelter-in-place restrictions on many businesses — including the all-important wine industry.
Napa County officials said Friday that wineries, bars and tasting rooms could reopen immediately, with social distancing guidelines in place. Also able to reopen: camping activities, hotels, museums, professional sports, casinos and film and TV production.
Sonoma County’s updated rules take effect Saturday, easing restrictions on restaurants, wineries and hair salons.
In-store shopping, barbershops and hair salons can resume in Sonoma County. There will be no limit to the number of diners allowed in restaurants at one time, provided that tables are 6 feet apart. Wineries, which have been allowed to host outdoor visitors for tastings, can begin letting people indoors, so long as they follow distancing protocols.
Also, some outdoor activities are being permitted, including floating the Russian River, a popular summertime activity for tens of thousands of people. Dog parks and certain outdoor pools will be reopened as well.
The order also allows some “in-person faith-based services” to resume, according to Sonoma County Health Officer Sundari Mase.
Sonoma County has recorded four coronavirus-related deaths this year and its economy, heavily dependent on tourism, has been hit hard by shelter-in-place mandates. As of Thursday, the county reported a total of 610 coronavirus cases — about half of them active — with 17 new cases reported that day. While the county is moving ahead under Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, leisure travel is still not permitted.
“Wineries really are the front door to the tourism industry,” said Claudia Vecchio, CEO of the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. “Getting our wineries to a place where they can welcome people in for whatever experience they can, it’s a great thing.
“The caution on all this is that we still can’t welcome people to visit,” Vecchio added. “We’re still waiting for the moment when we can really promote to leisure travelers.”
In Napa County, where the total number of coronavirus cases to date, 129, is by far the lowest of any Bay Area county, tourism officials seemed ready to move forward.
“We are elated to welcome back visitors to Napa Valley who will experience the world-class hospitality they have always enjoyed, with the added assurance that all businesses, including hotels, wineries, as well as restaurants and retail businesses are committed to practice the highest safety standards, above and beyond the mandated requirements, in order to protect the health and welfare of guests, employees and our community,” Linsey Gallagher, president and CEO for Visit Napa Valley, the county’s tourism bureau, said in a statement.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kate Galbraith contributed to this report.
Gregory Thomas is The San Francisco Chronicle’s editor of lifestyle and outdoors. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org Twitter: @GregRThomas


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Electronics Production | January 07, 2011
Atheros acquisition enables Qualcomm to compete with Broadcom
Qualcomm's planned acquisition of Atheros Communications will position the combined companies to take on rival Broadcom in the burgeoning consumer electronics market for wireless connectivity semiconductors, according to iSuppli.
Wireless semiconductor giant Qualcomm today confirmed it will buy Atheros in a deal estimated to be worth about USD 3.1 billion. Qualcomm is the world’s largest supplier of semiconductors for wireless products, accounting for an estimated 22.4% of global wireless semiconductor market revenue in the 4Q/2010. Atheros ranks 12th in the market with an estimated share of 2.2%. "With Atheros adding only 2.2 percentage points to Qualcomm’s portion of the wireless market, this acquisition is clearly not a market share play for Qualcomm. Rather, it’s a pure strategic play, designed to bolster its position in the fast-growing wireless connectivity space now dominated by Broadcom", said Francis Sideco, principal analyst, wireless communications for iSuppli. Atheros’ main allure is its global leadership in low-power semiconductor solutions that support the 802.11n high-throughput wireless local area network (WLAN) standard, a type of Wi-Fi technology suitable for the transfer of bandwidth-intensive data such as video. Estimated Ranking of the Top 12 Suppliers of Application-Specific Semiconductors for Wireless Products in the 4Q/2010 (Ranking by Revenue in Millions of USD) After several quarters of effort, Atheros has experienced limited success selling its 802.11n semiconductors in the cell phone market. iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service has identified Atheros chips in smart phones such as Samsung’s Galaxy 5 and Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10. Broadcom currently dominates the market for wireless connectivity semiconductors for consumer electronics, the so-called connected home area. This represents a booming segment of the wireless semiconductor business, with shipments of video-oriented consumer electronics devices equipped with high-bandwidth wireless solutions expected to grow to more than 85.2 million units by 2014, up from 606,000 units in 2009. However, Qualcomm is not alone in its efforts to position itself against Broadcom in this critical area. Other semiconductor suppliers eying the connected home market include Marvell Technology, Ralink Technology and Zoran. The acquisition of Atheros’ technology also could help Qualcomm to simultaneously defend against and attack Broadcom in its core business in cell phone semiconductors and help Qualcomm address the fast-growing market for tablets. "Broadcom has enjoyed major success with its connectivity solutions in cell phones, most notably the main WLAN slot in the iPhone. iSuppli believes it is only a matter of time before an EvDO and/or LTE iPhone will be introduced. It is essential that Qualcomm be part of the baseband picture for those types of phones due to its virtual lock on the EvDO market. Because of this, the company could be trying to expand its footprint by winning this slot from Broadcom", Francis Sideco observed.
Tepcomp invests in new additional production line Finnish EMS provider, Tepcomp Group, has made a significant investment at its production plant in Turku. The new surface mount technology production line will significantly improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the plant.
Valoe is on schedule with both production and expected deliveries Valoe says it will start manufacturing IBC test modules in Juva, Finland in June and cell deliveries from Lithuania to customers is scheduled to start according to plan.
AMTE Power and Britishvolt sign MoU for GigaFactory AMTE Power and Britishvolt plans to investigate collaborating to build the UK’s first full cycle battery cell GigaPlant, servicing the automotive and energy storage markets.
ALLPCB’s new SMT factory has launched production On May 10 2020, ALLPCB’s new – self-operated – SMT factory in Guangde, Anhui Province, China was officially put into production.
Schweizer starts production at its new location in China Following a construction period of one and a half years, production has now started at the company’s new high-tech printed circuit board plant in Jiangsu, China.
Jenoptik supplies generators to a US customer Through its Vincorion investment, Jenoptik received a long-term order for generators that an unnamed US customer is integrating into military vehicles.
Rolls-Royce takes heavy hit from COVID-19 – reduces workforce by 9000 The impact of COVID-19 on Rolls-Royce and the whole of the aviation industry is unprecedented. RR has already taken action to strengthen the financial resilience of its business and to reduce cash expenditure in 2020. However, this will not be enough.
Data Link Solutions to provide MIDS cabinet terminals to US Navy The U.S. Navy has awarded a USD 3.2 million production contract to Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace, for new Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) cabinet terminals.
Incap restarts production in India In a move to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of India instructed all state governments to introduce a lockdown in March. As a consequence, Incap had to close its factory in Karnataka, India on 23 March.
NAND Flash Revenue Undergoes 8.3% QoQ Growth in 1Q20 NAND Flash bit shipment in 1Q20 was relatively on par with 4Q19, says the DRAMeXchange research division of TrendForce. The overall ASP of NAND Flash products also climbed during the period. As a result, the global NAND Flash revenue for the quarter went up by 8.3% QoQ to USD 13.6 billion.
Gorenje reduces the number of layoffs At the end of April, due to a sharp drop in orders and revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hisense Europe Group launched a redundancy program in four companies in Slovenia.
NA semiconductor equipment industry posts April 2020 billings North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted USD 2.26 billion in billings worldwide in April 2020 (three-month average basis), according to SEMI.
AWS Electronics to wear the Incap name Following the acquisition of AWS Electronics Group by Incap Corporation in January 2020, the company's units in the UK and Slovakia will now be trading as Incap Electronics UK Ltd. and Incap Electronics Slovakia s.r.o.
PCB manufacturer SQP invests in new plasma treatment system As part of the continuous upgrade of the PCB manufacturing processes the Slovakian PCB manufacturer SQP International has invested in a new plasma treatment system.
Nordson delivers solid quarter considering COVID-19's impact on global end markets Nordson Corporation reported second quarter sales of USD 529 million, a 4% decrease compared to the prior year’s second quarter sales of USD 551 million.
Cicor expands its clean room set up in Bronschhofen Swiss EMS provider Cicor Group is currently expanding its site in Bronschhofen with a 60 square metre ISO Class 6 clean room.
Senate Dems to Trump: Release details of TSMC plant deal Democratic lawmakers are pressuring the Trump administration to respond to serious questions about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd’s (TSMC) plans to build a USD 12 billion plant in Arizona, which the company announced last week.
SOS LAB completes series A+, inks MOU with ON Semi LiDAR sensor maker SOS LAB has secured series A+ investment funding of USD 8 million as of April.
Expanded US rules sanctioning Huawei to have little impact on memory industry TrendForce believes that the latest updates to the sanctions will have a relatively low impact, in the short term, on Huawei’s shipment of smartphones, notebook computers, and servers – products for which Huawei is relatively well stocked on components.
PCB Connect expands with new office Due to the PCB suppliers’ successful growth in Denmark, the company has now decided to invest further in the Danish Market.
Panasonic, Tesla discuss beefing up Nevada battery plant Panasonic Corporation this week said strong demand for battery cells from its U.S. partner, Tesla, has led to negotiations on the expansion of their joint plant in Storey County, Nevada.
Flex taps new leadership for automotive business Flex has named Mike Thoeny, president, Automotive Business Group, effective June 1, 2020.Load more news

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Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. (CSE: GDNS; OTCQX: GDNSF), a physician-led, science-focused cannabis company and IP incubator reported financial its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022.
Third Quarter 2022 Financial Summary
- Total revenue in the third quarter was $18.9 million, an increase of 41.0 percent as compared to Q3 2021.
- Retail revenue excluding Arizona increased 60.1 percent to $16.4 million in Q3 2022. Wholesale revenue excluding Arizona increased by 56.1 percent to $2.5 million.
- Gross profit $9.5 million, or 50.6 percent of revenue, as compared to gross profit of $5.1 million, or 38.3 percent of revenue in Q3 last year.
- Total operating expenses in the third quarter $9.7 million.
- Operating loss in the third quarter was $0.2 million, a decrease of $3.9 million compared to an operating loss of $4.1 million in Q3 last year.
- Total expenses were $7.6 million during Q3 2022, compared to $2.2 million in Q3 2021.
- Net loss in Q3 2022 was $8.4 …


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(JOHNS ISLAND, SC) – SHOT Show® Industry Day at the Range™ is proud to announce Colt’s Manufacturing Co., as the newest Supporting Sponsor. The twelfth-annual Industry Day at the Range will be held on Monday, January 16, 2017, the day before the opening of SHOT Show at the Boulder Pistol and Rifle Range in Boulder City, Nevada.
“We are pleased to welcome Colt as a Supporting Sponsor of Industry Day. This event is devoted to providing exhibiting manufacturers in the outdoor, hunting, and shooting industry a jump on their competition with early media exposure and providing their buyers with an opportunity to sell new products through firsthand experience. It is essential that today’s leading manufacturers are involved so we can continue to join together over 2,000 of the industry’s leading media and buyers where new products are unveiled, tested and analyzed,” said Industry Day at the Range manager, Kelsey Puryear.
“We have been working so diligently to strengthen Colt and build excitement,” said Paul Spitale, SVP for Colt. “Industry Day at the Range gives us the perfect opportunity to share the great story coming out of Colt for 2017 with some of the most influential writers, broadcasters, and tastemakers in the industry. That story is that 2017 will be an even more exciting year for Colt fans than 2016.”
Exhibitor registration remains open with extremely limited shotgun (clay target), airgun and archery shooting spaces available. Limited ATV/truck demo track space is also open. Registration for non-shooting exhibits will be available through October 1 and booth selection is on a first come, first served basis. Pistol and rifle shooting lanes are sold out. To register click here and for more information on what is included in each exhibit space visit the FAQ page.
About Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms. The company has supplied civilian, military and law enforcement customers in the United States and throughout the world for more than 175 years. Our subsidiary, Colt Canada Corporation, is the Canadian government’s Center of Excellence for small arms and is the Canadian military’s sole supplier of the C7 rifle and C8 carbine. Colt operates its manufacturing facilities in West Hartford, Connecticut and Kitchener, Ontario. For more information on Colt and its subsidiaries, please visit www.colt.com.
About Industry Day at the Range
Industry Day at the Range™ is owned and operated by CMG Marketing & Events and Triple Curl Advertising and PR. Held annually the day before the opening of SHOT Show®, Industry Day provides members of the press and retail, wholesale and law enforcement purchasing agents the opportunity for hands on testing of firearms, ammunition and related accessories being introduced to the consumer market during SHOT Show. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the title sponsor of Industry Day at the Range.


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The video communications company is also bringing Zapps, first and third-party developed apps within the Zoom platform to improve productivity.
(Subscribe to our Today’s Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)
Zoom has announced new features for organisations that plan to re-enter offices, and enable hybrid workforces.
“Around the world we are in different stages of addressing COVID-19, with many still working from home while others are reopening or using a hybrid model,” Zoom said in a blog post. “No matter where they are in the process, all businesses want to keep their employees and clients safe.”
Companies returning to offices will be able to use the new Zoom Room features including kiosk mode for visitors with a branded display and a virtual receptionist; scheduling display, to keep a track of people attending a meeting room; enhanced voice commands to start a meeting; native integration of applications with Alexa for Business, enabling voice-activated controls.
Also Read | Zoom to allow ticketed online events, adds end-to-end encryption
Further, meeting attendees will be able to pair their mobile devices or laptops to manage the room controls, and avoid sharing devices. Also, with improved dashboard reporting and supported hardware, a meeting environment can be monitored with insights like the temperature, air quality, and in-room attendees of a room.
While Smart Gallery uses AI to improve face-to-face communication, enhanced whiteboarding is aimed at companies with a hybrid working model.
The video communications company is also bringing Zapps, first and third-party developed apps within the Zoom platform to improve productivity. Users will be able to use these apps for performing multiple tasks without leaving the platform.
Also Read | Zoom’s new features enhance virtual classroom, audio output
Some the Zapps being developed include Dropbox, Slack, Coursera, HubSpot, Lucidspark, SerivceNow and Smartsheet, according to Zoom.
The new features including some in beta, and the first batch of Zapps will be available by the end of the year, the company said.
Source: Read Full Article


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The Australian car company faces a new era as Holden‘s local manufacturing plants close their doors.
So what will the future hold for the car company that has brought us classic models like the Commodore, Kingswood, and Torana? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Let’s then go back to the start with this excellent ABC television documentary produced in the mid-1980’s – The Holden Story…
Follow all the latest Holden News here.


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Tap water anyone? In Mexico, many people bristle at the idea, preferring instead to spend their money on branded bottled water. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the world's largest bottlers, notably Coca-Cola, Dannon and Pepsi, which are fighting tooth and nail to dominate the market.
The brands' aggressive incursions are worth a fortune. According to analysts, Mexico's bottled water market will be worth $13 billion by 2015, up from $9 billion currently, consolidating the market as the world's largest. (Yes, it's even bigger than the U.S. market.)
Mexicans consume 243 litres a year per person, compared to 186 litres per person in Italy, 140 litres in Germany and 110 litres in the U.S. Mexican per capita consumption is much higher because its citizens buy water in bulk instead of using tap water. That trend is likely to last a long time as Mexicans continue to shun unreliable municipal water supplies.
"The market is going to be huge," predicts Ana Trulin, a beverage analyst with Euromonitor in Mexico City. "People are accustomed to drinking bottled water and the brands are doing everything they can to ensure it stays that way."
Trulin expects single-serve sales, which refer to bottles of betwee 1 litre and 1.5 litres, will sharply outperform those of jugs, which can come in 10-20 litres and are mostly consumed by Mexican families. The reason is simple: single-serve bottles sell for 10 times more than jugs when measured on a per-milliliter basis.
Accordingly, bottlers are scrambling to expand their single-serve sales by introducing smaller bottle formats and new flavours and launching differentiated marketing campaigns.
According to Trulin, Dannon has 26.5% of Mexico´s bottled-water market, followed by Coke with 23.5% and 13% for Pepsi.
While Pepsi dominated sales in the early 2000s, it lost a lot of market share when Dannon and Coke expanded into the jug market. Coke acquired a handful of small mom-and-pop suppliers while Dannon's main water brand in Mexico, Bonafont. has deployed clever marketing and distribution campaigns to build a loyal customer base - dealing Pepsi a heavy blow.
Pepsi has been focusing more heavily on its soft drinks business, though that has also taken a beating as regulators have banned soda and other carbonated beverage sales at schools to tackle a child obesity epidemic in Mexico.
Bottlers have responded by launching smaller bottles aimed at children, but industry experts say their sales will undoubtedly be affected.
Analysts expect Pepsi will remain busy consolidating its recent merger of Mexican soft drink bottlers Embotelladoras Unidas and Empresas Polar, leaving Coke and Dannon more room to grow their franchises.
"The big figtht is definitely going to be between Coke and Dannon," predicts Trulin. She expects Coke to launch an aggressive effort to topple Bonafont's stronghold in the coming months, especially now that soft drink sales are set to decline sharply in Mexico.
"Coke is going to start stepping hard on Bonafont´s toes," Trulin says. "Soft drinks are no longer such a great business in Mexico. Water, however, is the big profit maker."
Coke is already hard at work. According to a spokesman, it hopes to spend $1billion a year to double sales of Ciel, its Mexican brand, by 2020, as part of a strategy to double its global market value. Indeed, it´s hard to walk around Mexico City today without being haunted by Ciel ads.
Using catchphrases like "eso que te mueve" ("It's what moves you"), the brand is striving to win new customers, notably young and active adults and children. It is also introducing new bottles, such as those featuring lids that help reduce spilling, and others made of lightweight twistable plastic for easy recycling.
Boasting messages like "Dale la vuelta" (Turn it around), Ciel hopes the new recyclable bottles will seduce Mexico´s growing number of eco-friendly consumers.
Ciel will continue to launch products targeting different consumer types, the spokesman adds.
In that vein, it recently launched a small, 350ml bottle (compared to its typical 500-600ml single-serve sizes) to target children. Coke also hopes to introduce new Ciel flavours and extensions of Ciel +, its functional water brand, to court
Ciel´s marketing director Pablo Lopez says he hopes to grow the brand's sales 8%-10% a year by 2016 (mirroring the growth achieved in past years) though some observers say those numbers look conservative. Coke does not break out sales of its Ciel brand.
For its part, a Dannon spokeswoman says the brand will introduce new Bonafont flavours to boost its market share, which it claims stands at 37.4% in Mexico. However, she declined to comment further on strategic matters.
Bonafont already retails under several flavors and sizes. Through its marketing, Bonafont has positioned itself as a water brand that can help body-conscious female consumers and housewives lose weight and stay healthy in a country with 45 million obese people, the second highest obesity rate globally after the U.S.
Bonafont's labels feature healthy and beautifully-shaped female figures. In TV spots and other marketing initiatives, the brand claims its "Bonafont" diet of 2 litres of water per day for 15 days can help women lose weight. The trademark also hosts annual running marathons for women.
Like Coke, the French firm is also exploiting the eco-friendly wagon by launching 100% recyclable containers -- accompanied by quirky ads featuring Bonafont jugs filled with recycled bottles.
Pepsi declined to comment for this story. Analysts say the firm´s Epura and Electropura brands lead the jug market and that the firm has a 31% market share in flavoured waters. However, as the latter and former segments account for a tiny slice of the market, they give Pepsi little advantage against Ciel or Bonafont.
As it looks to boost sales, analysts expects Pepsi will acquire rivals in new categories such as juices, with Mexican players Boing and Jumex as two possible targets.


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The year was 1983. Swatch introduced a series of colourful watches constructed of only 15 individual components sending shockwave across the entire horology industry. Fast forward to 2020, the brand launched its next chapter: Bio-reloaded – which marked the first time ever a watch manufacturer successfully substituted conventional with biosourced materials extracted from the seeds of the castor plant.
With perpetual innovation the drive force behind Swatch’s identity, the latest breakthrough is the introduction of bioceramic. Swatch Next, the new Big Bold collection, debuts the bioceramic case in five subdued colours including black, white, light grey, sky blue and powder pink. Consisted of two thirds ceramic and one third bioplastic, the lightweight material is significantly more durable, sturdy and less fragile, while offering a silky touch that feels smooth and refined.
Within the bioceramic case, the see- through dial together with the sharp internal wall draw the eyes right to the hands while allowing the quartz movement to be admired as it truly is: simple yet incredibly powerful. Complementing the watch are glass, as well as colour-matched strap and loops made from biosourced plastic.
Although Swatch is expected to extend the integration of bioceramic to the watches in its main product lines, Swatch has no intention to replace plastic with the new material completely.
This story first appeared in the May 2021 issue of Men’s Folio Malaysia.


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Tidal has more than doubled its losses after being taken over by Jay-Z last year.
Aspiro AB, the Swedish holding company that Jay Z and a group of other musicians bought in early 2015, posted a net loss of 239 million Swedish kronor ($28 million) last year, over twice that of its 88.9m net loss in 2014, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Over the same period, revenue rose £30% to 402 million Swedish kronor from 309 million kronor.
However, the newly disclosed legal fillings do not represent a complete picture of the streaming service’s finances as they are missing US revenue figures.
Tidal has been struggling to compete with its rivals Spotify and Apple Music, despite securing exclusives from artists like Kanye West, Beyoncé and Prince.
While Spotify also recorded a net loss in 2015, it grew much quicker than Tidal, doubling its revenue to €1.95 billion.
Under Jay Z, Tidal has attracted 4.2m paid subscribers as of June. That compares with Apple Music’s 17m paying users and Spotify’s 30m subscribers.
Kanye West, one of Tidal’s stakeholders, recently called on Apple to buy the streaming service from Jay Z.


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Popular video service DIRECTV and Panasonic launched today three 3D channels, including n3D powered by Panasonic - a linear channel dedicated exclusively to 3D programming and viewable on 3D television sets including Panasonic?s line of VIERA Full HD 3D TVs.
n3D powered by Panasonic, is now available at no additional cost to DIRECTV HD customers on channel 103. Throughout the month of July, n3D customers will have access to original 3D programming such as Guitar Center Sessions with Peter Gabriel and Jane's Addiction, as well as additional titles such as, Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia, Wild Safari: A South African Adventure and N Wave Picture's S.O.S Planet, African Adventure: Safari in the Okavango and Encounter in the Third Dimension.
n3D will also offer special events such as this weekend?s running of the NASCAR Coke Zero 400, the local broadcast of the Yankees-Mariners series on July 10-11 and DIRECTV's exclusive, national broadcast of FOX Sports 2010 MLB All-Star Game in 3D on July 13.
In addition to n3D, DIRECTV is also launching DIRECTV Cinema in 3D on channel 104, which is currently offering IMAX titles Deep Sea 3D and Under the Sea 3D and n3D On Demand on channel 105, which is currently delivering replays of ESPN's 3D coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches. DIRECTV also launched ESPN 3D on channel 106 on June 11.
Panasonic is the exclusive presenting sponsor of DIRECTV's n3D channel. In January at the Consumer Electronics Show, DIRECTV and Panasonic announced their plans to launch 3D TV channels and have since worked together to leverage relationships with programming partners and movie studios to obtain new and existing 3D content.
Last month, DIRECTV HD customers received a free software upgrade enabling them to have access to the 3D channels on DIRECTV. DIRECTV HD customers will need a 3D television set and 3D glasses to view 3D programming on DIRECTV.
Panasonic has developed the world?s first Full HD 3D video camera that records to solid-state memory, is offering Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc authoring, and the VT-25 Series of Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma TVs and 3D Blu-ray Disc Players.


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Labour Party adopts blogger's airbrushed Cameron campaign
LONDON - The Labour Party has officially adopted the spoof advertising created by bloggers that mocks David Cameron's airbrushed poster campaign launched last week.
Labour: adopts airbrushed Cameron idea
It is thought to be one of the first instances of a major political party in the UK adopting communications ideas created by their supporters rather than an advertising agency.
Spoofs of the poster ad featuring an airbrushed looking Conservative Party leader first appeared on the Go Fourth Labour supporting blog last week, which is run by former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
The Go Fourth spoof had Cameron alongside the headline "Tax breaks for the richest 3,000 estates? Because I'm worth it", while the original created by Euro RSCG had the words "We can't go on like this. I'll cut the deficit. Not the NHS".
Since the original spoof a website has been set up by a Labour Party supporter called Mydavidcameron.com showcasing almost 20 posters spoofing the airbrushed original.
Created by Mydavidcameron.com and by other Labour-supporting bloggers, spoofs on show include "I love the BBC so much, I want to cut it up into little pieces and give it to all my friends". Another has a photoshopped Cameron next to the Madame Tussauds logo.
Clifford Singer, who is behind the Mydavidcameron.com website, said he had more spoofs coming in than time to post and would be putting them on display shortly.
The Mydavidcameron.com website includes a template that can be downloaded by supporters to create their own poster spoof and it is this that Labour has used to create its own ad, which is displayed on the homepage of the Party website.
The Labour Party's version has the headline "Is what you see what you get".
The Labour Party's digital team credited the Mydavidcameron.com site in a tweet yesterday when it launched its version: "Our take on airbrushed for change - is what you see what you'd get? With thanks to #mydavidcameron for template".
Labour launched its spoof and put it on the homepage of its website after prime minister's question time yesterday where Gordon Brown made references to Conservative Party airbrushing.
Digital campaigning is likely to play a significant role in the 2010 election campaign and will be hugely important to the Labour Party, which will have a marketing budget reported to be around £8m and can not match the estimated £25m the Conservative Party will have to spend.
With party supporters on both sides of the political divide more active online than ever before Conservatives and Labour supporters will be trading blows as the campaign gathers momentum.
Last week Tory bloggers launched a campaign to try and oust Labour new media spokeswoman Kerry McCarthy MP called Kerry Out.
However, this campaign was condemned by some Tory bloggers as being over the top.
One Tory blogger known as Tory rascal commented: "I have no interest in ad hominem campaigning and do not support any of the personal slurs or insults that have been doing the rounds on Twitter."
More on Brand Republic
- Guido Fawkes gets knickers in a twist over airbrush spoof
- Labour bloggers keep spoofing Cameron (because he deserves it.
- Because he's worth it.
- Tory bloggers gang up to oust Labour's Twitter tsar.
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Well, I feel like a real sap.
Back in February, I got vaccinated against COVID-19 and it turns out that was a big mistake.
Had I waited, I might have been one of the lucky unvaccinated to win a chunk of California’s $116.5 million “Vax for the Win” COVID-cash prizes.
Instead, like a dope, I queued up to get jabbed as soon as I was eligible, believing it was the responsible thing to do for my own health and the health of others.
All I got for my vaccination was a sore arm and achy joints for a couple of days.
After months of declining vaccination rates (and facing a recall election) Gov. Gavin Newsom turned the deadly pandemic into a game show, “Jabardy!”, offering perks and prizes like $50 virtual cash cards or Albertsons or Kroger gift cards, tickets to any California Six Flags location, (including Hurricane Harbor) and six “Golden State Getaway” dream vacations, like a spa visit in Palm…


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| February 24, 2012
Cost Still High For Brazilians Wanting To Purchase The iPhone 4
While Foxconn in Brazil has been busy producing iPad 2s along with iPhones since the fall, consumers in the country can finally purchase a domestically-made iPhone 4 through Apple's online store. According to MacRumors, Apple hopes that selling Brazilian-made iDevices in the country will help bring prices down and lead to a bigger share of the market in the world's fifth largest country. Apple started selling the iPhone 4S and 8GB iPhone 4 in Brazil late last year. But since the units were made in China, and thanks to steep import taxes, the 4S cost almost $1,500, while the iPhone 4 clocked in at $1,050. The unlocked iPhone 4 is $549 in the United States. But the prices have yet to come down. MacRumors notes that it is unclear whether Foxconn and Apple have received all of the certifications yet to be exempt from the country's costly import taxes. Apparently, the iPhone 4S and 3GS are not being made in the country, which could later cause large price differences. The situation rivals that in China, where the average worker makes $2,400 per year, while the average iPhone 4S sells for $800. But the iPhone is in such demand, that we recently reported that non-iPhone owners can now pay $1 per month to have their mobile messages sent with a fake "sent from my iPhone" tagline. (Image via Gizmodo)


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The Daily Telegraph features ORCHA research
During the summer we surveyed 2000 consumers to find out more about how they were using health apps.
The research revealed that doctors, nurses and care staff are hardly ever recommending health apps to the over 55s – yet many in the older age categories consider themselves tech savvy.
Our research found that 55% of over 55s and 52% of the over 65s are actually willing to embrace health tech.
And a striking 90% of over 55s and 81% of the over 65s who have already used a health app have been satisfied or very satisfied with the end result.
Additionally, the research found that the older the patient, the less likely the healthcare professional to recommend a digital solution. For example, out of the research sample, GPs had recommended apps to 7% of over 45s, 4% of over 55s and just 2% of over 65s. This pattern also played out when it came to pharmacists, nurses and care professionals.
Our thanks to the Daily Telegraph for exploring these findings in more detail.
Read the full article here
‘Tipping point’ reached as public say they prefer health apps to antidepressants to support mental health conditions
Consumer research published on 9th May 2022 reveals that people aged from 18 to 44 years old would choose digital health to support a mental health condition over and above prescription medication, such as an antidepressant
The world’s first cross-border digital health accreditation system to be launched at HIMMS Europe
The Nordic region aims to be the most integrated health region in the world by 2030, according to the Nordic Council of Ministers. A shift towards digital health, and its focus on the self-management of health by Nordic populations, will be an important step on this journey, but it also brings new risks
Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is the world’s leading digital health evaluation and distribution organisation. We provide services to national health bodies across three continents, including the NHS in 50% of UK regions, delivering national accreditation frameworks, bespoke Digital Health Libraries, and professional recommendation tools, specific to the needs of our clients. ORCHA’s unique Review Engine assesses digital health solutions against more than 350 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, plus additional criteria depending on needs.
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Google offers Rs 1.4 crore pay at BITS-Pilani
Technology and e-commerce players have taken the lead over companies in core industries during the campus placements at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS)-Pilani. And Google has offered an annual package of Rs 1.40 crore to students selected this year, sources said. The institute hopes to break its last year record of Rs 1.44 crore, offered to one of its students by Facebook. With companies such as Linkedln, Microsoft, Flipkart, Schlumberger, Goldman Sachs and Amazon also visiting the campus, students eye big offers. All these companies have increased their compensation offer by 5-25%, indicating a better job scenario.
Read the Economic Times news report here.


text: At the age of 22, Rey Gutierrez stood in New York City’s famous Times Square watching his video for Morisson Poe’s Glitter Girl, which helped launch the Xbox 360, play on MTV’s 44 1/2-foot screen. “It made me feel like it’s about damn time that my work and the people I work with get the recognition that it deserves,” Gutierrez explained. “I spent my teenage years working my ass off teaching myself something that no one else could teach me---to nurture my talent.” Born and raised in Miami by a Cuban grandmother, Gutierrez takes pride in his Spanish roots and town. “There’s no place like Miami,” he said, adding that he has no plans to migrate to New York City or Los Angeles. “New York and LA are so saturated with wannabes and know-it-alls that they’ve lost what really matters. Miami is like a reset button. It’s fresh and untapped,” he explained. “New York and LA are so ‘by the book’ and routine. Miami is in a more experimental area. There are no set rules or guidelines. It’s a good place to make your mark.” Gutierrez’s video for Glitter Girl was part of Perfect Dark Zero, the titled that helped launch the initial release of the Xbox 360. “When I got the word that I would be shooting a music video for a game from Rare, one of my favorite developers, I was ecstatic,” he explained. “A lot of my ideas and foundation come from video games and not from books or movies, like other directors."


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Everything you need to need to know about the largest NYC startup funding rounds of January 2021; broken down by industry, stage, investors, and more…
NYC Tech News for the week ending 1/23 featuring news for Brigit, PivotalPath, and much, much more.
The latest venture capital, seed, pre-seed, and angel deals for NYC startups for 1/19/2021 featuring funding details for K Health, Brigit, and much more.
Here are the latest venture capital, seed, and angel deals for NYC startups for 1/24/18. This page will be updated throughout the day to reflect any new fundings.


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BF Games Takes Slots Portfolio Live with Fortuna Brand PSK in Croatia
BF Games, the dynamic games development studio, has further cemented its position in Croatia after launching its slots offering with Fortuna Entertainment Group’s online casino brand PSK.
Through the partnership, PSK has gained access to 30 of BF Games’ certified titles, all of which feature cutting-edge math models, graphics and sound.
The collection of premium games includes recent releases such as Buffalo Trail Ultra, Burning Slots 40 and Lucky Ticket 81, as well as notable classics Stunning Hot Remastered™, Energy Fruits™ and Hot Sunrise™.
The expansion exemplifies BF Games’ ambitious goal to deliver top-performing titles in key markets in Europe where the studio has recently signed numerous commercial deals and boosted its reach.
Fortuna Entertainment Group, a leading gaming company in central and south-eastern Europe, is the parent company of several leading operator brands, aiming to bring fun and excitement to its customers.
The go-live in Croatia is an extension of a successful partnership between Fortuna and BF Games, with the supplier’s content also available in Romania with two of the operator’s brands.
Claudia Melcaru, Head of Business Development at BF Games, said: “It’s been an incredibly successful year for BF Games as we have continued to expand in a number of markets including Croatia.
“We’re delighted to add to this growth by further extending our successful partnership with Fortuna. Our growing portfolio of content has already resonated well with PSK’s customers and we look forward to collaborating together to offer great entertainment to players in Croatia.”


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Mobile device maker Infinix expects around 50-60 percent growth in its smartphone sales this year with its focus on customers in the economy segment, a top official of the company said.
“This year we will focus more on smartphones in the range of Rs 5,000-10,000. Overall we expect sales volume growth to be about 50-60 percent this year,” Infinix Mobile CEO Anish Kapur told.
According to Counterpoint Research, Infinix was among the top three fastest-growing smartphone brands in the country in the last quarter of 2018. The sales volume of Infinix grew by 146 percent in the October-December 2018 period.
Kapur said that the company will target people in socio-economic class B and C by introducing some features that are available in phones priced in the range of Rs 15,000-20,000.
When asked about the company’s plan for 5G, Kapur said that adoption of 5G technology in India will take time and the usage will be limited.
“We will try to reach out to more and more people in tier-2 and -3 towns. Our focus will remain on a limited set of devices. In the first half of the year we will launch around 2-3 smartphones and a similar number of devices in the second half,” Kapur said.
The company has plans to expand its portfolio to wearable devices this year but has excluded them from business growth projection.
“In the next 2-3 months, we will launch wearable devices. It will be also for our target group in the range of Rs 1,000-3,000 a unit. We are also evaluating some accessories that we can get for our target market,” Kapur said.


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Longueuil police are investigating a large amount of a mysterious white powder that was found outside an IKEA warehouse in Brossard, on Wednesday afternoon.
Police responded to a call by IKEA store employees at around 2 p.m.
The unidentified powder was found in a dumpster behind the IKEA distribution store on Place de la Couronne in Brossard, police said.
The employees were in contact with the powder but police say they are not showing any symptoms and are fine.
An ambulance was on scene but only as a precaution, Longueuil police said.
The substance is unknown at this time, and police say they will examine the substance overnight.
A perimeter will be in place around the area until the investigation is complete.
Longueuil police are asking anyone with information on the matter to contact them at (450) 463-7011.


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The consumer-electronics retailer is hoping to capitalize on the launch of Windows 8. It's trying to lure customers with exclusive computers and staffers trained to explain and demonstrate the new operating system from Microsoft Corp.
Retailers and manufacturers typically look to major launches to drive customers into stores. But analysts aren't certain how much the Windows 8 launch will help Best Buy. The company has been struggling with tough competition and a shift in consumer tastes away from big-ticket computers and TVs toward smartphones and tablets, which are less profitable for retailers.
Windows 8 has a new look that's intended to create a seamless experience for users, whether they're on PCs, tablets or smartphones. Featuring a colorful array of tiles that fill the screen instead of the familiar start menu and icons, it's designed especially for touch-sensitive screens. Windows 8 will come pre-installed on almost all new PCs.
Best Buy Co. spent three years coming up with a plan for the launch, according to Jason Bonfig, vice president for computing at Best Buy.
That includes two years of developing 45 exclusive Windows 8 computers and laptops designed with manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and AsusTek Computer Inc. Nearly half of those computers feature touch screens.
They will have combinations of colors and technical specifications available only at Best Buy retail stores and its website. Some examples of exclusives include Lenovo's 13-inch IdeaPad Yoga, which flips into several different configurations, and HP's Envy Touch, a more conventional touch-screen laptop. Each will sell for $1,000. Best Buy will also carry a wide range of non-exclusive Windows products, including tablets and smartphones.
Microsoft's radical remake of Windows arrives at a time when Best Buy is struggling to avoid the fate of Circuit City, which liquidated in 2009. Best Buy has reported a net income decline or loss for the past eight quarters. Earnings fell 90 percent to $12 million in its most recent quarter, hurt by restructuring charges and weak sales.
The Minneapolis company hopes the new Windows will spur sales as it faces tough competition from online retailers and discounters. Consumers are increasingly using Best Buy stores to browse for electronics before they buy the items online at lower prices, a practice known as showrooming.
Exclusive products are one way traditional brick-and-mortar stores are battling showrooming.
Another is customer service. To that end, Best Buy spent 50,000 hours training its staff members to show customers the ins and outs of Windows 8, as it's very different from its predecessors. Windows 8 is the biggest Windows revamp since Windows 95.
In addition, its Geek Squad technical service staff created 12 two-minute tutorials available online, each explaining a different feature of Windows 8.
"The demo experience becomes very, very important because of newness of touch feature," Bonfig said.
Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy's expectations are muted in terms of how much Best Buy will benefit from the launch. He believes Windows 8 "might give a temporary lift to sales, but longer term it doesn't solve any of the real issues facing the company," he said.
Barclays analyst Alan Rifkin crunched numbers on past Windows launches and found they did not provide a significant boost to retailers.
"While our research reveals that personal computer demand has been uniformly weak in the two to three quarters preceding a Windows release, historical Windows releases have not been identified as significant drivers of improved (retailer) performance once the launch has taken place," he wrote in a note last week.
Best Buy sounded more positive. The retailer started taking advance orders for Windows 8 devices and demonstrating the product in all stores on Sunday, and so far the response has been positive, Bonfig said."We've been very happy with interest and traffic in stores," he said.


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let’s dive into October’s happenings! From the AptosOne celebration to the impactful Graffio event and beyond, it was a month filled with noteworthy moments.
Celebrated the 365-day anniversary of Aptos Mainnet’s launch. Find the achievements showcased [here].(One Year of Aptos: Mainnet to Move-ing Web3 Forward - Aptos).
Graffio, Aptos Labs’ decentralized social art platform, debuted with over 600K users participating in the AptosOne NFT event.
Aptos x Outlier Ventures Accelerator:
Concluded with an impressive Demo Day featuring 8 talented projects.
Aptos World Tour Hack Singapore:
Winners announced after thorough deliberation.
NBC Universal Partnership:
Teamed up with Aptos Labs for The Exorcist’s haunting Web3 world.
Coinbase Cloud enabled APT delegation.
while a partnership between Ledger and Petra Wallet boosted security for Aptos users.


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Japanese researchers developed a new method to build large perovskite solar panels with a longer lifespan than ever achieved, according to a new study published on Advanced Energy Materials (1).
We all know that littering is bad, but now scientists found that rubbish can actually have a positive effect on our waterways. In polluted urban rivers, invertebrates, like insects, snails
Amidst heated debate over nutritional and origin labelling for food products in Europe, the European Commission is now undertaking a public consultation on food labels – covering nutrition and origin,
The Arctic Ocean is being “pervasively” polluted with plastic microfibres that are likely shed by synthetic clothing in the washing machine, according to a new study published on 12 January


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TIM GANNON PHOTO
A Lowe’s home improvement store at the shuttered Suffolk Life property on Route 58 would sit directly across the street from The Home Depot.
Site plans for a Lowe’s home improvement store at the former Suffolk Life property on Route 58 were approved by the Riverhead Town Planning Board last Thursday, and the developers say they hope to begin demolition of the boarded-up building by the end of the summer.
“It’s a complete rebuild of the site,” said Joseph Buzzell, the attorney for Lowe’s. “Everything goes.”
The Planning Board’s approval was not unanimous. Board member Joe Baier voted against the site plan and member Lyle Wells was absent.
“I just think we have too many of these home centers,” Mr. Baier said, citing Lowe’s, Home Depot and Riverhead Building Supply, which will all be in close proximity.
“Someone is going to lose and we’re going to have vacant stores,” he said.
“It’s a capitalist country that’s built on competition,” board member Ed Densieski said. “I hope the residents get better prices because of this, and it’s also getting rid of a huge eyesore.”
Planning board chairman Richard O’Dea said a recent court ruling had found that competition is not a factor that can be considered in zoning cases.
That finding was part of a recent state appeals court decision to overturn Riverhead’s refusal to approve a new Walmart store on the west end of Route 58.
Mr. Densieski raised concerns about the lighting on the property, which the town Zoning Board of Appeals allowed to exceed the illumination levels outlined in the town’s “dark skies” ordinance; he said there’s nothing the Planning Board can do about that.
The decision allows Lowe’s to close on its purchase of the property, which was contingent on site plan approval. The property is owned by the estate of Suffolk Life publisher David Willmott, who died last year.
Suffolk Life operated its newspaper there from 1985 to 2008. Prior to that, it had been a Billy Blakes department store, a Great Eastern department store and Big Wheel Roller Rink.
Lowe’s representatives said they hope to begin demolition in July and believe construction should take about a year.
The new Lowe’s will also mean a new traffic light on Route 58.
The company said it would not proceed with the Riverhead project unless a traffic light is installed at the entrance to the property, which aligns with the western entrance to the Riverhead Centre shopping center.
The county Department of Works rejected the new light earlier this year, saying there were too many lights in close proximity on that stretch of road.
However, the county Legislature last month voted to override the DPW and County Executive Steve Levy signed the override, giving the new traffic signal a green light.
Mr. Buzzell said the light will be synchronized with others on Route 58.
He said Lowe’s had agreed to work with the owners of the properties east and west of the site, so that drivers parked in one lot won’t always have to go back out to Route 58 to get to another lot.


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The new football video games that 2K Sports is making will feature real NFL players in addition to NFL teams, courtesy of a new licensing agreement between the publisher and the NFL Players Association, the companies announced Thursday.
What will madden 2025 be called?
Most expected this year’s game to be titled Madden 14 but since this is the 25th year of Madden NFL video games, the name was announced as Madden 25. 25 years of one video game franchise is really quite an accomplishment.
What was the last NFL 2K game?
|Platform(s)||Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube|
|First release||NFL 2K September 9, 1999|
|Latest release||ESPN NFL 2K5 July 20, 2004|
Will EA still make Madden?
The NFL and its players union have agreed to a five-year extension with Electronic Arts to continue the Madden video game franchise, according to Darren Rovell of Action Network. … It leaves EA Sports as the leading NFL game, with over 130 million copies sold over its history.
How long is EA’s deal with the NFL?
It was also recently approved by the NFL Players Association. The current contract was set to expire after the 2021 season. The extension means that EA Sports will continue to be the league’s exclusive publisher of football simulation games through 2026.
Why is Bill Belichick not in Madden?
Belichick isn’t in Madden because EA Sports has an agreement with the NFL Coaches Association to use the name and likeness of the league’s coaches. Belichick is not a part of the NFLCA, and hasn’t been for most of his career, which is why his name and likeness don’t appear in the video game.
What will Madden be called in 2024?
It’ll be called Madden 25 (2024) same way that God of War and God of War (2018) exist.
Will there be a NFL 2k21?
The two sides announced back in March 2020 a new multi-year agreement that will see 2K Sports release multiple non-simulation football games across various platforms. …
Is Madden or 2K more popular?
Recently, NBA 2K has had more success, while overall they are still behind Madden in combined sales. Total, they have sold over 90 million units and in the first week of the 2019 copy, they sold over 1.23 million units.
Does EA own 2K?
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal game development studios.
Will the NFL drop EA?
Unfortunately for fans of the game, the NFL recently extended their exclusivity deal with EA Sports that will see the gaming publisher making football games for the foreseeable future. … The extension means that EA Sports will continue to be the league’s exclusive publisher of football simulation games through 2026.
Is EA and 2K the same company?
Electronic Arts, the parent company of EA Sports, was founded in 1982 in San Mateo, California, United States. … 2K Sports was founded in 2005, years after EA Sports emerged.
Will face of the franchise be in Madden 21?
Madden 21 includes a story-based single-player mode called ‘Face of the Franchise,’ where you play through an amateur career before making it to the pros – and it might just be the worst story mode we’ve seen in a sports video game yet. … Check out these fantasy football player rankings instead!
Is NCAA 14 still online?
NCAA 14 has been officially “sunset’ by EA. They will no longer have a server to access online content like rosters and dynasties.
How much does EA make off Madden?
According to their recent financial reports, EA has reported record numbers in the year 2020. Across all sports franchise titles, including FIFA and Madden, EA generated a total of $1.49 billion through the Ultimate Team platform — which is a $120 million increase on last year’s revenue total of $1.37 billion.
What companies does EA own?
EA also owns and operates major gaming studios such as EA Tiburon in Orlando, EA Vancouver in Burnaby, EA Romania in Bucharest, DICE in Stockholm and Los Angeles, BioWare in Edmonton and Austin, and Respawn Entertainment in Los Angeles.


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Many companies switched to remote working system due to corona virus. In addition, due to the holiday of schools in countries where the epidemic increased, the students’ time spent at home caused some problems. With the increase in internet usage, Facebook and Instagram video quality will be reduced.
Facebook and Instagram video quality will be reduced
Internet providers of some countries announced that the bandwidth used increased due to the users staying at home. The transition of many companies to the remote working system caused an increase in the internet load.
In recent days, YouTube, Amazon and Netflix announced that they will reduce the quality of the video by working on this. Today, Facebook and Instagram are also said to reduce video quality for European users.
Since 2019, Facebook has been serving 288 million people daily in Europe. As it allows Facebook and Instagram users to make video calls, it causes more bandwidth to be spent.
“We will reduce the video quality of European users on Facebook and Instagram for a while to avoid potential internet problems,” said company officials. While we undertake to solve the bandwidth problem with our partners during the period of intense internet usage, we also want to ensure that my users can use our applications smoothly during the corona virus outbreak. ” used expressions.


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In today’s top retail news, Adobe reported that online sales on Black Friday hit $9 billion, while U.S. consumers are expected to spend $12.7 billion on Cyber Monday (Nov. 30). Plus, Outback Steakhouse has debuted a new “curbside concierge” option for holiday gift card shopping.
Digital Sales Surge On Black Friday
Adobe reported that digital sales on Black Friday reached $9 billion — a rise of 22 percent from Black Friday last year. The company reported that electronics sold particularly well on Black Friday, with smartwatch sales up seven-fold in contrast to a year before. But sales were below Adobe’s forecasts of $10.3 billion for the day.
Black Friday shoppers stayed home, providing a feared blow to brick-and-mortar merchants on what typically is one of their largest days of the year. About 50 percent as many shoppers as normal reportedly visited brick-and-mortar locations.
Outback Steakhouse Debuts Curbside Gift Card Concierge
Outback Steakhouse has introduced a new “curbside concierge” choice for holiday gift card shopping. Customers can call ahead or travel to their nearby eatery and drive into a set parking space with the offering. A member of the team will then go to their vehicle to finish the gift card purchase. The service will be provided from Nov. 30 to Dec. 24.
Cyber Monday Looks To Be Biggest Shopping Day To Date
American consumers are forecast to spend $12.7 billion on Cyber Monday (Nov. 30), a 35 percent rise over last year per Adobe Analytics. It’s a day that will test supply chains and fulfillment functions that were already challenged by a record-busting holiday spending take so far.
Chinese Consumers’ Buying Expected To Surge After Months Of Caution
A formidable spike in consumer spending on retail is probable to the be primary economic driver in China as the nation bounces back from the impacts of the coronavirus. The proof could be seen strongly during and around the Singles Day event Nov. 11. That event became a 11-day spree in 2020 and shoppers spent $75.8 billion in orders.


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The Aura Blockchain Consortium, backed by luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Richemont, and Mercedes-Benz, has named Romain Carrere as its new CEO. Carrere brings over 15 years of tech entrepreneurship experience and expertise in advising Web3 startups and luxury brands on blockchain strategies.
Entering a New Growth Phase
Aura Blockchain Consortium is entering what it calls “a new phase of growth,” making Carrere’s appointment pivotal. The Swiss non-profit association aims to further its vision on a global scale under his leadership.
Romain Carrere, incoming Aura Blockchain Consortium CEO and General Secretary. Image: Aura Blockchain Consortium
Carrere is committed to driving blockchain adoption and enhancing the customer experience within the luxury industry. His focus will be on leveraging blockchain technology to push boundaries and deliver unparalleled customer experiences. Carrere holds a Master’s degree from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor’s degree from Bentley University. He has also represented French entrepreneurs at the G20 summit in Tokyo.
A Solid Foundation
Carrere succeeds Daniela Ott, the previous General Secretary, who laid a strong foundation for Aura’s future endeavors. Lorenzo Bertelli, Chairman of Aura Blockchain Consortium, expressed confidence in Carrere’s ability to lead the consortium into this exciting new chapter.
Founded in 2021 by leading luxury groups like LVMH, Prada, Richemont, and OTB Group, Aura provides a permissioned blockchain compatible with Ethereum. It offers NFT minting, SaaS solutions, and authentication functionality to member companies. Use cases include token-linked products, certificate of authenticity access, and more.
Partnerships for Growth
Aura recently partnered with Coinhouse to provide customized digital currency solutions to member brands, including cryptocurrency auto-conversion and KYT analysis to combat money laundering.
With Romain Carrere at the helm, Aura Blockchain Consortium is poised to continue innovating and integrating blockchain to enhance the luxury customer experience.


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Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi had launched ingenuously developed National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) on 28 December 2020. One Nation One Mobility Card will enable people to pay multiple kinds of transport charges including metro services and toll tax across the country. PM Modi also flagged off Delhi Metro’s first driverless train through video conferencing. People can now make National Common Mobility Card online registration and can even check how to apply online for NCMC.
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) 2024
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) or One Nation One Mobility Card is an inter-operable transport card which would allow the card holders to pay for their bus travel, toll taxes, parking charges, retail shopping and can even withdraw money. In the last FY, PM Modi had started this One Nation One Card initiative while inaugurating the 6.5 km stretch of phase I of Ahmedabad Metro, connecting Vastral to Apparel Park Area.
NCMC Online Registration – How to Apply
The RuPay Contactless Card with NCMC is now available with almost 25 banks, including SBI and PNB as debit, credit or prepaid cards. You will have to contact your bank to get the RuPay card. NCMC cards are issued from banks on debit/credit/pre-paid card product platform. A customer may use this single card for making payments across all segments including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail shopping.
The card can also be issued from PayTm Payments Bank. Dubbed as ‘One Nation One Card’, the inter-operable transport card would allow the holders to even withdraw money apart from the payment options. The card is supported by Automatic Fare Collection Gate ‘Swagat’ and an Open Loop Automatic Fare Collection System ‘Sweekar’, launched by PM Modi under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. This “Made In India” developed NCMC is a one-of-its-kind card and the country now no longer have to rely on foreign technology. Only a few selected countries have this technology of performing inter country operations.
One Nation One Mobility Card
One Nation One Mobility Card runs like RuPay Card and this NCMC initiative would eliminate all the travel related problems of citizens. Sometimes, people does not have the change to pay in cash while making travel in metro, bus, train or for toll and parking. To overcome this issue, an automatic fare collection system was introduced. India used to import this One Nation One Card system from foreign countries. As these systems were made by different players, a card issued in 1 city does not works in another city. Thus, govt. has asked various ministries, departments and banks to resolve this issue. Now the dream of One Nation One Mobility Card has finally been realized.
National Common Mobility Card Working on RuPay Card Platform
People can even withdraw money using this National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). People can utilize this RuPay card to travel in metros in any part of the country. In simple terms, the central govt. has merged RuPay card with the mobility card. As per the official sources, NCMC cards are bank issued cards on debit / credit / pre-paid card product platform.
Any customer can utilize this One Nation One Card to make payments across all segments which includes metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail shopping. This NCMC card will have stored value on card which will also support offline transactions across all travel needs with minimum financial risks to all the involved stake-holders. Moreover, this card will also comprise of a service area feature which supports operator specific applications like monthly passes, season tickets etc.
Challenges Associated with Automatic Fare Collection System (AFC)
The major challenge associated with Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system implementation in India till date is the lack of indigenous solution provider. AFC System (gates, readers/validators, backend infrastructure etc.) is the core of any transit operator to automate the fare collection process. As of now, AFC systems which are deployed at various metro locations are from foreign players.
So to avoid vendor lock-in and create an inter-operable system, govt. has developed National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) under Make in India initiative. The central govt. aims to ensure a seamless travel across metros and other transport systems. In addition to this, govt. also wants to facilitate citizens in retail shopping and purchases.
National Common Mobility Card Launch by PM Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurate India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, which connects Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden along with launching the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line.
These innovations are going to herald a new era of travelling, comfort and enhanced mobility for Delhi-NCR residents. With the commencement of driverless trains on the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, DMRC enters into elite league of 7% of world’s Metro networks, which can operate without drivers.
DMRC also announced that after the 37-km Magenta Line, they are also preparing to introduce the driverless technology on the 57-km Pink Line corridor (Shiv Vihar-Majlis Park) by mid-2021. This would increase the driverless network on the Delhi Metro to around 94kms, which is nearly 9% of Delhi Metro’s total network. People can use National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to travel in these driverless trains.
Driverless Trains for 1st Time in India
The driver-less trains will be fully automated, which will require minimum human intervention and will eliminate the possibilities of human errors. Delhi Metro has been a pioneer in introducing technology driven solutions for passenger comfort and this is another step in the same direction.
Officials explained that the driverless train technology has set standards for automation called grades of automation (GoA). In GoA 1, trains are run by one driver and, in GoA 2 and GoA 3, the role of the driver is reduced to operating doors and for taking over in case of emergencies – the starting and halting of trains is automated. Finally, in the GoA 4, trains are set on a completely unattended operations mode.
At the Magenta line between Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden, GoA 3 will be adopted for the services. Apart from this, the Delhi Metro on Monday will also begin the use of the National Common Mobility Card, on the Airport Express Line. This will allow passengers carrying a RuPay debit card issued in the last 18 months by 23 banks to swipe these for Metro travel. Passengers from any part of the country will now be able to travel on the Airport Express line using this card. This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022.


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According to people aware of the issues to be discussed at the meeting, the council will also consider extending GST rate reduction on Covid-19 treatment drugs and medicines till December 31, besides reducing rates on eight more medicines from 12% to 5%. Rate increase on solar PV modules to 12% from 5% may also be taken up.
The issue of including petrol and diesel under the GST structure may also be discussed, said one of the persons aware of the details, who did not wish to be identified.
Petrol and diesel are currently outside the purview of GST and attract central excise duty by the Centre and value added tax by states at varying rates. The GST Council Secretariat has asked the council to decide on the inclusion, following a Kerala High Court order.
The council may also take up the issue of allowing the tenure of the National Anti-profiteering Authority to expire by November-end and empowering the Competition Commission of India.
“There will be a presentation made to the states. A few options will be suggested,” an official privy to the development said on condition of anonymity.
The official said the revival in GST collections from July onwards has indicated that for the current year monthly revenues are expected to improve. The revenue collection along with back-to-back assistance of Rs 1.59 lakh crore will be adequate to cover the revenue shortfall gap and partially compensate for 2020-21 arrears, after taking into account Rs 1 lakh crore that will be paid to states as compensation cess.
The GST compensation is calculated as per the formula provided in the Compensation Act and is released on a bi-monthly basis. However, due to the pandemic, states’ revenues and amounts coming from compensation cess have taken a hit, while compensation due from the Centre has increased. GST compensation of Rs 1.13 lakh crore has been released to states to partly meet the compensation payable since April 2020.
The Centre borrowed Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2020-21 and gave to states as back-to-back loans to meet the shortfall. The council decided to borrow another 1.59 lakh crore for 2021-22 – of which Rs 75,000 crore has been issued – and extended the period of levying cess which will help in repayment of the loan.
The fitment committee has recommended that the GST concession on Amphotericin B, tocilizumab, remdesivir and anticoagulants like heparin should continue till December 31, instead of September 30. The GST Council had exempted Amphotericin B and tocilizumab from GST and reduced the rate on remdesivir and anti-coagulants to 5% from 12% in June.
The committee has also recommended lowering GST to 5% from 12% till December 31, on itolizumab, posaconazole, infliximab, bamlanivimab, etesevimab, casirivimab, imdevimab, 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose and favipiravir drugs. The recommendation has been made after consultation with the health and family welfare ministry, besides the Department of Pharmaceuticals, said people aware of the details.
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Potential suitors for Container Corporation of India (Concor) have sought clarity over shareholder rights after the sale of a partial stake in the logistics major by the government.E-auction for RCap Later this Month; Base Bid at ₹5,231 Cr
Lenders of Reliance Capital will hold an e-auction later this month for Anil Ambani’s insolvent financial services company to identify the highest bidder, two people aware of the development told ET.Premium Models Drive Car, TV, Smartphone Sales in Diwali Season
Indian consumers have purchased more premium cars, smartphones, televisions and appliances than ever before during the week leading up to Diwali this year.
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Christmas Ornament Store Appleton Wi The OnMilwaukee.com editors have a history of hanging up their. I also wore a head band with a black-and-gold flower-type ornament on it, a few bracelets and sparkly clip-on earrings. I was feeling. Some of my fondest childhood memories center around what
He was honored recently by National Geographic for greatly increasing protected land and marine areas in Colombia, one of the world’s most biologically diverse. It’s so evident that we are.
and National Geographic’s "The World According To Jeff. memorable stories behind them-will be featured in the hardbound,
It’s the world’s most expensive coffee, and it’s made from poop. This story was produced by National Geographic’s Special Investigations Unit, which focuses on wildlife crime and is made possible.
National Geographic They live on a reserve that is protected by law, but that has not stopped bandits. With 75 percent of Maranhão’s original forest lost, the most valuable timber left is in the.
Antique Pfaff Sewing Machine Cabinet Vintage or antique sewing machines are those machines that survived the test. Ranging from the Old Style Hemmer to the silver-plated machines in their wooden cabinets, Pfaff sewing machines were known to be durable and heavy duty. Christmas Ornament Store Appleton Wi
“Over half of them were gone, 160 boxes”—days before California’s almond bloom, the biggest and most lucrative pollination event. check out our podcast "Overheard at National Geographic." Listen.
That’s the word you’ll hear National Geographic Explorers emphasize when explaining what they love most about their work as Explorers. Studying tigers has been a valuable life lesson in.
“There’s a reason it’s never been done before,” says Chris Davenport, two-time World Extreme Skiing champion and previous National Geographic Adventurer of. Bartek, conducted valuable.
Disney raised the curtain on a hotly anticipated video streaming service that’s aiming to topple industry pioneer Netflix, once a valuable ally of the Magic. Star Wars and National Geographic.
Designed and recently patented by National Geographic explorer Michael Lombardi and Winslow. visitors using conventional SCUBA techniques.” “It could also be a valuable shared resource,” he adds,
Jaguar teeth—“by far” the most valuable body part. have been made for charges relating to selling and smuggling jaguar parts. In an email to National Geographic, the representative from the.
(Read more about these issues in National Geographic magazine. “This is government-licensed exploitation of our most valuable resource.” In October, Israel’s state comptroller published a report.
Most of her snake products are sold wholesale at the local. As astonishing as this harvest is, says Zeb Hogan, a biologist from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a National Geographic Explorer,
The "One Day at Disney" docu-series on Disney Plus will shine a light on some of the talented men and women bringing Disney’s.
Comic Con 2019hallmark Ornament Sale Keepsake Ornaments. Count down to Christmas all year long with Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. Let the fun begin in April when the Dream Book comes out, and you have a chance to add all your favorites to your Wish List and admire the
[Photo: courtesy National Geographic] For the media company, the competition was a way to activate its massive community–with 350 million followers on social media, it has the largest and most engaged.
About 1,200 years ago, a reef in the middle of Lake Titicaca in what is now Bolivia became the repository of a people’s most valued possessions. NGP, Content may not reflect National Geographic’s.
The 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player continued to press at the plate. He has written for Rolling Stone, Forbes, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Popular.
Disney+ will have Pixar (e.g. Toy Story), Star Wars, National Geographic, and the original Disney library. Think of Star Wars, undeniable, the most valuable IP developed in the history of movies.
A group of scientists plans to find out once and for all if Scotland’s most famous “resident,” the Loch Ness. to the lab to ID them under a microscope.” And currently, a National Geographic Society.
Hannibal’s father, commander and statesman Hamilcar Barca, chafed at the peace treaty, which forced Carthage to surrender the valuable colony of Sicily and. That maneuver remains among the most.
Greenland is a valuable piece of real estate. The World Wildlife Federation, National Geographic Society and Polar Bears.


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Mercedes-Benz provided a glimpse of its next-generation compact range during a presentation on Sunday night outlining its showcase for this week’s 2023 Munich auto show.
A teaser photo depicting a four-vehicle lineup was briefly shown, with only one vehicle, the Concept CLA-Class, which debuted on Monday in Munich and previews the redesigned CLA-Class, highlighted.
The other three shadowy vehicles include redesigned versions of the CLA-Class Shooting Brake, GLB-Class, and GLA-Class.
Noticeably missing are redesigned versions of the A-Class, A-Class Hatchback, and B-Class. Mercedes has decided to drop those models as part of its strategy to focus on higher-margin vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA-Class
The redesigned CLA-Class will be the first to arrive. It makes its debut in late 2024, likely as a 2025 model, and has already been spotted in prototype form.
The vehicles will all be based on a new modular platform known as the MMA. Though designed primarily for electric powertrains, the platform will be Mercedes’ last to also include support for gas engines. The platform is expected to be used for all next-generation Mercedes models ranging up to and including the C-Class segment. Above this, Mercedes will have the MB.EA platform for medium and large models, the AMG.EA for high-performance models from AMG, and the Van.EA for light commercial vehicles. All of these future platforms will be electric only.
The Concept CLA-Class points to specifications for EVs based on the MMA platform. The concept features a range of around 350 miles and the ability to add well over a 100 miles with less than 15 minutes of charging thanks to an 800-volt electrical system.
The MMA platform will also see the introduction of Mercedes’ own operating system, dubbed MB.OS. The system will have its own infotainment and navigation systems, but will support popular alternatives like Google Maps or Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone mirroring systems.


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Red Meat 2019 and MLA AGM
18 Nov 2019 - Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre
Red Meat is a flagship event for Australia's red meat industry. It is open to all local and interstate producers and industry stakeholders, with a bumper program to showcase Australian beef, lamb and goatmeat and the very best of Tamworth.
The program includes producer tours, the latest innovation and marketing insights, trade show and technology demonstrations, a business breakfast, unrivalled networking opportunities and the MLA Annual General Meeting.
More details, including registration information, will be released in the coming months on the event website: https://www.mla.com.au/news-and-events/events-and-workshops/red-meat-2019/


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Food & Farm News
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
» June 26, 2008 «
Processing tomato growers have abandoned several thousand planted acres in the San Joaquin Valley due to lack of irrigation water. Production may also decline in some fields where less water is needed in order to stretch supplies. Thus, without the necessary amount of irrigation water needed, plants will produce fewer tomatoes. Farmers will do what they can to produce as much as possible with smaller water allocations.
Sweet cherry lovers may find their favorite fruit pricier for a few weeks. California growers are wrapping up harvest and it will be a few weeks until the Washington crop gets to market. Volume from Washington growers is expected to be about 40 percent less than last year. California farmers picked about 15 percent more fruit this year and had good demand domestically and for export. The California Cherry Advisory Board reports very good fruit quality.
Now that summer fruits and vegetables are available, more consumers seem to be frequenting farmers markets. Customer numbers vary from market to market, with some reporting large increases. Market managers say part of the increase may be because of higher produce prices at retail stores. Farmers who operate U-pick fields say demand is strong despite higher fuel costs for consumers to get to the farms.
Researchers have discovered how one prepares potatoes has a big impact on the vegetable's nutrient content. Cubing potatoes reduces boiling time, but also reduces the potassium content. Researchers also let the potatoes soak in water overnight and found it had no impact on mineral content. Consumers who want the most nutrients from potatoes would be better off boiling or baking them whole.Top


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YouTube plans to produce a half-dozen original series that will be available for free on the world’s most popular video website, a big expansion of the Google-owned company’s programming and efforts to attract advertisers.
Comedian Kevin Hart, talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and the comedy duo Rhett & Link are producing unscripted shows that will debut this year, YouTube will announce at an event for advertisers in New York Thursday. Alphabet Inc.’s Google also will increase its spending on YouTube Red, a paid video and music streaming service launched in October 2015.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The plans mark a shift for Google, which has typically treated its huge video library as a web free-for-all rather than a home for TV shows. But as more digital rivals venture into high-quality programming, YouTube is feeling pressure to respond, devoting resources to more costly projects and aiming for a wider audience.


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The Government of India has launched the e-commerce portal of India Post, E-Post Office. The portal will offer postal services to customers, who can pay electronically for them.In the first phase of its launch the E-Post Office will offer seven services including Electronic Money Order, Instant Money Order, Sale of Philatelic Stamps, Postal information, Tracking of Express and International Shipments, PIN Code Search and a section to register feedback and complaints. Given the opportunity in sending a money order or transferring money online, this has the potential of becoming another IRCTC, which, at last count, did over $100 million in transactions per month. According to a Government of India press release, plans are in place to scale up the portal to a full-fledged e-Market Place, which will offer a wide range of postal and non-postal products. It will also integrate India…
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A viewpoint on why the regulation of cryptocurrencies and crypto exchnages under 2019's E-Commerce Rules puts it in a 'grey area'
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Posted Feb 21, 2013By
NEW YORK (AP) — Sony showed off what the PlayStation 4 can do, but not what it will look like.
The Japanese electronics giant talked about its upcoming game console for the first time and said it will go on sale this holiday season.
But Sony didn’t reveal the device itself. Presenters played games that were projected on screens in a converted opera house, but the PlayStations themselves were hidden backstage throughout Wednesday evening’s two-hour event.
The Colorado Rockies won a close battle with the San Francisco Giants, 10-9, on Friday, May 17, 2013 at Coors Field
A veteran longshoreman died after his after a truck plunged into the bay near the the Port of Oakland’s TraPa
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Reuters photographer Siegfried Modola travelled to document Ethiopia’s ancient salt trade in the Danakil Depr
Police investigated a shooting scene on I-880 northbound Oakland, Calif., on Friday, May 17, 2013. Two men travelin


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- A Deloitte survey found that patients were increasingly willing to seek health advice online.
- Dermatologists are using social media to fight the misinformation people often find online.
- Some dermatologists are opting to keep offering online visits as things reopen.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the growth of digital health and internet advice have changed what dermatology consumers want, and dermatologists have shifted to keep up.
Deloitte's 2020 Survey of US Health Care Consumers, which polled 4,522 people, found that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare consumers said they had become increasingly willing to disagree with their physicians. They're also trying to take their care into their own hands and get care virtually through digital-health startups and monitoring tools.
To compete, dermatologists are using digital tools to better treat their patients, expand their businesses, and keep up with the competition.
It may be especially important for specialists like dermatologists to find new ways to engage with patients as they change because people generally see specialists for more specific concerns and questions than the ones they'd see a primary-care provider for, David Betts, Deloitte's principal and leader for customer transformation, said.
"When we are engaged with a specialist, the stakes are just generally higher," Betts said.
Betts, who coauthored the report, and Deloitte also found physicians had struggled to keep up with the new modes of care patients prefer.
"Consumers, by and large, are looking for different ways of engaging in their health and with their healthcare providers," Betts said. "And in the context of the pandemic, what I think we also saw is that providers, in particular physicians, are feeling ill-prepared to engage in a virtual world effectively with their consumers."
Some doctors are turning to social media to communicate
Dr. Corey Hartman of the Alabama dermatology practice Skin Wellness uses his social-media presence and blogging to fight back against the waves of misinformation patients find when looking for skin-care advice.
"That's why a lot of dermatologists have gotten more vocal and more present on social media because we understand that there's a lot of not only misinformation but also just bad information out there and lack of information in certain circumstances," Hartman said.
Some dermatologists, such as Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali of Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery, have also found that social media can help expand their businesses.
For example, when Bhanusali's treatment of a little boy who'd gotten attacked by a dog went viral, more people looked to his practice for similar treatments.
"We had a ton of inquiries about scar treatments, lasers, things like that. So it definitely helped it," Bhanusali said.
Offering visits online
The Deloitte survey found that consumer willingness among respondents to use technology for health purposes had increased steadily since 2013, reaching 28% for health issues and 42% for health improvement in 2020, up from 15% and 17% in 2013.
Some dermatologists have taken the opportunity presented by consumers' increasing willingness to engage online to offer more virtual visits.
Some, like Hartman, stopped accepting virtual visits when offices began to reopen, but others have opted to keep seeing some patients virtually.
Bhanusali had been offering some virtual visit options before the pandemic and saw the number of people wanting virtual visits increase as some patients still felt uncomfortable traveling to his office.
"At the end of the day, I don't think every single patient needs to be seen in the office right?" Bhanusali said. "If there's a procedure needed, they definitely should be in."
But for acne follow-ups, he added, "or even psoriasis, things like that — it's completely fine to see virtually."


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MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The board of directors of
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) has declared a quarterly dividend of 8 cents
per common share. The dividend is payable December 10, 2004 to shareholders
of record November 20, 2004. The fourth quarter dividend will be the
company's 149th consecutive dividend paid since October 1967, when the company
became publicly held.
Target Corporation operates Target Stores, a chain of large, general
merchandise discount stores, as well as an on-line business called Target.com.
The company currently operates 1,272 Target stores in 47 states.
Target Corporation news releases are available at http://www.target.com .
SOURCE Target Corporation
/CONTACT: investors, Susan Kahn, +1-612-761-6735, or financial media,
Cathy Wright, +1-847-615-1538, both of Target Corporation/
/Web site: http://www.target.com /


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> Here are some sure signs that the holiday season is upon us. Radio stations have started playing Christmas music 24/7 and consumer electronics vendors and content providers have resurrected 3DTV. First item: ESPN (which of course wants to sell its 3DTV channel) released a report that says, according to Artie Bulgrin, senior VP-ESPN Research + Analytics, that "fans have a higher level of enjoyment when viewing 3D." Now here's the kicker. "For advertisers, this study provides good news on the level of fan engagement when viewing 3D ads," he continued. Story.
> Second 3DTV holiday trend item: CableWholesale has issued a technical paper explaining the "ins and outs of 3D television" beginning with the history of 3D and explaining the stereoscopic presentation types needed to make it happen. Story.
> Of course, if it's Christmas there has to be a Scrooge. The University of California and CBS-TV have jumped into that role with a study that says some people develop motion sickness and headaches when watching 3DTV. Story.
> In normal news, international set-top box maker Pace has purchased Northern Irish software specialist Latens Systems to "help connect the dots" between "different hardware gadgets that live in the home," according to Pace's PR lead Alison Puente. Story.
> As if to prove that there actually is satellite broadband, Hughes Communications reported it expects to reach the 930,000 U.S. subscriber mark by late 2015, a 67 percent increase over the 558,000 subs it currently counts. Story.
And finally... it's now official; there's a u in iControl. In a name-boggling merger, home management vendor iControl Networks basically took over uControl to launch a best-of-breed offering that includes interactive home security, energy management and home health care to broadband service providers. In keeping with the times, neither the merged company, which will be known as iControl, nor the two separate entities that created it could name any service providers with whom they are in deployment or trials. News release.