text:
E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is right around the corner again. Next week, as a matter of fact. You can expect plenty of coverage from TheGamer on the event, but before it comes around, let’s have a little lesson on hype culture.
Games are announced and hyped at E3 every year, which is what the event is for. It’s a trade show for video games, not usually held open to the public except for this year. Really, it’s less about showing games off to fans and more about stockholders and such. Sometimes, games get announced and showed off very early, as was the case with Final Fantasy Versus XIII and The Last Guardian, and are still years off from release. Sometimes, a game will debut at the show before there’s even any certainty that it’ll even come out.
Over the years, there have been several new games announced at E3 that ended up getting canceled somewhere down the line. It’s always a shame when developers and publishers rush to show their game to try and grab on to some of the hype, because it only leaves everyone feeling disappointed and even ripped off if they bought a new console just to play that game.
So, here’s our list of the 15 Best Games Revealed at E3 That Got Canceled.
15 Brothers In Arms: Furious 4
Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was announced by Gearbox at E3 2011. It was a spin-off to their criminally underrated first person shooter series Brothers in Arms, but still a massive departure from what fans knew. Where Brothers in Arms was traditionally a realistic, solemn first person shooter based on World War II, Furious 4 was a wacky, comedic, over-the-top co-op shooter.
The game starred four characters, hence the name. These characters were the basis for the strange plot, and included a Native American who wielded hatchets, a lumberjack with a machine gun, a Texan who branded Nazi’s with an iron, and an Irishman with a taser.
Fans of the series didn’t take to this new game well, complaining that it ruined what made the series so great. Eventually the name was changed to just Furious 4 in an attempt to distance it from the franchise, but it wasn’t enough. The game was eventually canceled by 2015, though many elements of the game were carried over to Gearbox’s online shooter, Battleborn.
14 Coded Arms: Assault
Coded Arms: Assault by Konami was a sequel to the middling, but still beloved, Coded Arms on the PSP. This new game would instead make its way to the PlayStation 3 and debuted at E3 2006 as one of the first games for the new console.
Little is known about the game other than the E3 trailer and another TGS trailer later that year. It was a sequel to the original Coded Arms, but was set in a different timeline than Coded Arms: Contagion, a sequel that did get released, also for the PSP.
Despite how little we know of the game, it looked incredible. It had a futuristic vibe that not a lot of shooters were going for at the time. Environments would randomly transform and break up into computer code, and there would have been an online, 16 player mode. However, the game was canceled not long after it’s reveal for unknown reasons.
13 The Outsider
The Outsider may very well be the most mysterious game on this list. Though, thanks to Unseen64, a lot of new information has come forward about this interesting open world crime thriller since its cancellation.
The Outsider was an open world action crime thriller being developed by Frontier Developments, a company famous for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, and more recently Elite: Dangerous and Planet Coaster. But in 2005, the studio began work on its most ambitious project yet, The Outsider.
Debuting at E3 2005, The Outsider would have put the player in the shows of a CIA operative who was accused of a crime he did not commit. You would have had to travel around several locations, including real life places like CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA and Joint Base Andrews, to prove your innocence. The player would have also had the chance to influence the plot, though details on this are minimal.
After five years of troubled development however, and the game changing into a Jason Bourne game at the behest of publisher EA, The Outsider was canceled.
12 The Phantom
We’re cheating a bit with this one since it’s not a video game, but it’s certainly interesting. The Phantom was a highly touted gaming PC that could download and play games on a monitor or your TV. It had great hardware that allowed for some future proofing and the creators promised it could play games in the future with ease.
That may not sound like much these days with digital downloads and Steam Boxes everywhere, but The Phantom was announced at E3 2004. This was years before downloadable games would become the norm. The console was demonstrated at E3, though it was rumored the prototype shown was a fake, with the software running on a more powerful computer off stage.
Unfortunately, this would be the last time anyone saw The Phantom. Believe it or not, developing a video game console/PC is very expensive and creator Infinium Labs (later Phantom Entertainment) just didn’t have the money to get the project off the ground.
11 Jurassic Park: Survival
Jurassic Park: Survival was announced at E3 2001 and was meant to be released not long after Jurassic Park III. It had an incredibly short time in development, beginning only in October 2000.
The game would have been an action adventure, survival game developed by Savage Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal and Konami. It would have played a lot like the original Tomb Raider games and feature a unique story-line. Survival was supposed to be based on Jurassic Park III, but the team behind the movie refused to share any details of the film, so the team had to come up with their own ideas.
However, development was shut down not far from its planned release. According to people who worked at Savage Entertainment, higher ups at the developer decided to cease production due to payment conflicts with Vivendi. An unnamed spokesperson for the company went so far as to accuse Vivendi of not paying them.
After that, production on the game was not passed to another developer, and the game was canceled.
10 Eight Days
Eight Days was an action game, being developed by Sony and revealed at E3 2006. In fact, footage of the game was even used in a tech demo for the PS3 at E3 2005, so it has a bit of an E3 pedigree.
Not much is known about the game other than a few exciting details. It would have taken place over eight days (obviously), but also eight US states. It would have used your PS3 internal clock, so if it were night in real life, it’d be night in the game. It would have featured two playable characters, one a detective searching for a mob syndicate who kidnapped his son and another who’s seeking revenge against the same syndicate.
The game was being developed by Sony’s London Studio and would have had 120 people working on it at its peak. But in 2008, it was abruptly announced that Eight Days was canceled, along with the next game on our list…
9 The Getaway 3
It’s hard to remember now, but back in the days of the PlayStation 2, The Getaway was kind of a big deal. That’s why everyone was so excited when Sony showed off a demo of The Getaway 3 at E3 2005, running on their new PlayStation 3 console. The demo was brief, only showing a recreation of the real life location Piccadilly Circus, but it was incredible at the time.
The years passed with little to no information, until screenshots were leaked by the game’s writer, Katie Ellwood, in 2008, who reassured fans the game was still in production. As if prompted by Ellwood’s remarks, Sony officially announced later that year that The Getaway 3 was officially “on hold.”
To this day, there has been no official word on the status of the third Getaway game. People from the studio, including producer Nicolas Doucet who said the game was being “put to one side” while the studio focused on Eye Toy and Singstar games, games the London studio continue to work on to this day. Truly a sad fate.
When Rockstar announces a new game, the whole world pays attention. But when they actually announce a new IP, any extra-terrestrial lifeforms have to stop and take notice. Such was the case at E3 2009, when the longtime Grand Theft Auto developer announced Agent at Sony’s press conference.
The game was originally announced in 2007 and that it would be exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It didn’t get a name or any gameplay information until 2009 however. It was then that we learned Agent would be a stealth action game set during the Cold War in the late 1970s. And… that’s all we ever found out about the game before it was eventually abandoned with little fanfare.
For years after its 2009 debut, Agent floundered. Sony became unsure of its status as an exclusive and Rockstar was having trouble with its development. Eventually 2013 came, as well as the PlayStation 4, and with it the expectation that the game would be moved to that platform. Instead, Rockstar owner Take Two Interactive quietly abandoned the trademark for Agent and that was the end of it. Neither they, Rockstar, nor Sony ever really spoke of it again, and the public never even got to see any gameplay.
7 Killing Day
Sony’s E3 press conference in 2005 was spectacular. As well as footage of Killzone 2 that looked spectacular, they publisher also showed off a new IP called Killing Day. This was a first person shooter with gorgeous graphics, a fun cover system, and an expressive protagonist. Although we’d later come to find out that most of Sony’s showings at E3 that year were actually CG trailers, including Killing Day.
We know absolutely nothing about the game, other than what we saw in the trailer, and that it was being developed by Ubisoft. It’s making this list solely based on a 40 second long pre-rendered trailer, which should tell you something about how great that trailer looked.
No information was ever revealed about the game and no word was ever officially given about its cancellation. However, after years of silence, it’s pretty clear Killing Day has itself met its death. In 2013 Ubisoft refiled its trademark on the title, though this is standard practice for companies.
6 Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada Of The Damned
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned is an original game based on the Johnny Depp vehicle of the same name. Announced at E3 in 2010, Pirates of the Caribbean would have been a massive, open world pirate-em-up similar to Assassin’s Creed IV.
Not much is known about the plot, other than it would have been an entirely new story with all new characters. The player takes the reigns of James Sterling (Jim?), a pirate who gets killed on his first voyage, but is mysteriously resurrected through dark magic. From there, you would have had the choice to become a “Legendary” or “Dreaded” pirate, which was this game’s version of a moral choice system.
Armada of the Damned was being developed by Propaganda Games and published by Disney Interactive Studios. The game had been in development for years by the time it debuted at E3 2010 and it was mere months away from release when Disney mysteriously pulled the plug. To date, no reason has ever been giving on why the game was canceled.
Whatever you think about Microsoft, you have to admit they’ve always struggled with new IPs. That’s where Platinum Games’ Scalebound was supposed to come in.
Announced at E3 2014, Scalebound would have been a third person action game, in line with Platinum’s other works. A big part of the game was a dragon companion that you could occasionally give commands to and if it died, so would you. You would also have been able to transform into a human-dragon hybrid, giving you stronger attacks. Scalebound would have featured RPG elements, more so than previous Platinum developed games.
Microsoft canceled Scalebound in January 2017, after months of speculation that it was going to happen and a delayed release from 2016 to 2017. There’s been no official word on why the game was canceled. Reports suggest technical issues with the game’s engine, and a strained relationship with the developers.
Serial over-promiser Peter Molyneux announced Lionhead’s newest game, BC, at Microsoft’s E3 2003 conference. The game, set during the prehistoric age of the caveman, looked incredible. Molyneux had a demo for the game running that showcased massive attention to detail, showing features that were unheard of at the time in gaming.
The game-world would allow for a lot of interaction from the player, including hunting animals to eat, moving large rocks to create obstacles or get to new areas, and climbing large mountains. There was also a dynamic weather system that affected the dinosaurs movements. Yes, this was a game about hunting dinosaurs and trying to build a tribe in such a world that could survive.
But that’s all BC ever really was: a demo. Molyneux stated that the team was so busy rushing to get the demo ready for E3 that year, they cut too many corners. This meant that, when the show was over, the game was in such a rough state it would take a lot more time fixing the broken code than what was spent implementing it in the first place. This forced Molyneux to cancel the game in 2005.
3 The Agency: Covert Ops
As we’ve seen in this article, Sony has a penchant for announcing games at their E3 conference only to have them canceled one day. This time it was Sony Online Entertainment’s The Agency: Covert Ops, an MMO announced at E3 2007. The game would have been noted as one of the first MMO’s designed from the ground up as a first person shooter, as well as primarily a console game.
The player would have taken the role of an international secret agent, a la James Bond, or as a terrorist agent in the “Paramilitary Global Operations Network.” The Agency would have been chock full of gameplay options, such as switching between first and third person, forming cells with other players, playing mini-games such as poker, and switching between multiple classes on the fly.
The game was in development hell for years, as SoE was struggling to develop for the complicated PS3 hardware. In 2011, Sony announced that it was closing the offices of Sony Online Entertainment in Seattle, Tucson, and Denver and canceling The Agency.
2 Star Wars 1313
Star Wars 1313 was revealed by LucasArts at E3 2012. The game would have been a third person cover shooter, with an emphasis on scripted events, similar to Uncharted. The demo showed at E3 showed a man making his way through a collapsing space station, hunting after a bounty.
In game, you would have played a bounty hunter. Originally, the game was designed around an entirely new character. That changed when none other than George Lucas himself suggested to the developers that they change the game into a prequel story for fan favorite character Boba Fett on Coruscant.
The game was canceled when LucasArts was sold to Disney, who chose to cancel all ongoing Star Wars video game projects. Originally it was said that development was continuing on 1313, but that proved not to be the case. On the bright side, Disney’s Star Wars movies have been pretty good, so this sacrifice, if necessary, was worth it.
1 StarCraft: Ghost
StarCraft: Ghost remains one of the most disappointing game cancellations in gaming history, unless you want to count Beyond Good & Evil 2. Originally announced at E3 2004, StarCraft: Ghost would have been a third person action-stealth game set in the StarCraft universe.
Take it from somebody who doesn’t really care about StarCraft – this game looked great, and still does. The player would have taken control of Nova, a “Ghost,” a Terran agent who specialized in stealth and assassination missions. Nova would have been sent on a mission to take out a new terrorist organization called the Koprulu Liberation Front, but slowly would have uncovered a grand conspiracy of some sort that forces her to question her own loyalty.
Like its namesake, the game disappeared for years sometime in late 2005. Whenever asked, publisher Blizzard would always say that work was continuing on the game, despite refusing to further elaborate. After suffering through game development hell for years, including switching studios multiple times, it was finally confirmed in 2014 by Blizzard that StarCraft: Ghost was no more.


text:
Leads360 Ranked in Deloitte's 2012 Technology Fast 500 List
November 21, 2012
Lead management is the process of contacting, qualifying and converting leads into customers. Leads360's web-based lead management software enables continuous communication with leads through a variety of marketing techniques. The company’s lead manager allows users to deploy a consistent and repeatable sales process that encourages accountability and performance.
Recently, the company was ranked on Deloitte’s (News - Alert) Technology Fast 500 for a second consecutive year. According to the company, this is a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America.
With an average growth of 2,774 percent, 2012 Technology Fast 500 companies achieved revenue growth ranging from 128 percent to 279,684 percent from 2007 to 2011.
“With Leads360 lead management and integrated sales dialer, our customers are experiencing transformational sales results, boosting conversion rates by as much as 400 percent,” said Leads360's President and Chief Executive Officer, Nick Hedges. “Our customers invest significantly in generating leads; Leads360 ensures those leads don’t fall through the cracks.”
Last year, the company introduced Leads360 Dial-IQ, the first intelligent outbound predictive sales dialer, which, after making its way to the market, has already assisted to increasing efficiency in a few short months. By facilitating sales reps to make more calls in less time, while enabling the correct sales agent to make the call at the right time, Leads360 Dial-IQ predictive dialer encourages business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi
Article comments powered by

domain: news


text:
As pet owners, we’re always going to want the best for our pooches and fur balls. Naturally, this means we’ll go to great measures to ensure they’re always pampered, well-groomed and fed on a pet food diet as nutritious and as rich as their shiny coats. We love our fur babies, even if they’re a bit expensive. And they are.
The Low Down on the Pet Food Industry
To no one’s surprise, the pet care business is a booming and increasingly profitable industry. In fact, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), pet owners spent $60.28 billion dollars in 2015 on pet related costs, with $23.05 billion of that being spent on pet food alone. Moreover, the APPA estimates that consumers spent an additional $2.75 billion in 2016; rising costs to a whopping $62.75 billion.
Sources like Pet Business have attributed a great deal of the upsurge to the increase of pet owners treating their companions more like cherished family members. Additionally, they suggest that “manufacturers have also played a key role by making pet ownership easier and more fun for consumers.”
So, What’s the Issue?
Although the current state of the pet food industry encourages innovation, PetMio Chief Science Officer Kasra Farsad says the pet food industry is a challenging environment. He says that even though there’s greater pressure on manufacturers to use high-quality ingredients and first-rate recipes, the market struggles to address consumer’s demands because of associated production costs.
“This has created a divide where the majority of pet food purchased is mediocre at best, the premium foods offered being only slightly better (to stay economical), and then a large gap where the niche, truly premium products are offered with little ability to market themselves, get on store shelves, and gain a following,” says Farsad.
PetMio Chief Veterinarian Dr. Arlianne Velez further explains the problem. Unlike foods for humans, pet foods and supplements are not as regulated, and governing laws vary by each state. For example, pet owners rely on the FDA to ensure that ingredients in their pet’s foods are safe for them to eat.
However, some meats and grains are not required to be vetted and approved before being sold on the pet food market. Additionally, the FDA generally recognizes ingredients labeled as minerals, preservatives, vitamins and processing aids as safe, without the need for further testing. Although not always the case, this means that at times harmful ingredients may bypass the scrutiny of regulators.
Plan of Action
Fortunately, not only are Farsad and Dr. Velez able to pinpoint the problem, but they also offer a solution. The key to combating the issue would involve extensive research to better understand and fulfill pet’s unique needs. This would include studies of the nutritional requirements of each animal breed. Such research would have to span the different life stages and environmental factors of every breed.
Farsad adds that currently there isn’t an all-encompassing organization facilitating said research. As such, the burden would fall on companies in the private sector to conduct research of this nature.
The company would also have to go above and beyond the base regulation rules. Every ingredient tailored for each dog or cat should be scrutinized for high quality.
The New Kids on the Block
PetMio has happily to taken up the challenge. The team says initially PetMio wasn’t focused on doing research for the entire pet care industry. However, after surveying its current state, they agreed that improvements had to made. Enter: PetMio’s unique SMART technology.
The unrivaled wearable technology efficiently will capture your four-legged friend’s valuable data in real time. What’s more? Farsad says this information will create “the most comprehensive database available concerning your pet’s nutritional needs.”
In short, the database will be a best-of-both-worlds solution. The pet industry can learn from a database full of information that will advance the industry as a whole. More importantly, our four-legged friends will benefit from care specially customized for them by PetMio.
Pedro Moras, PetMio Chief Executive Officer closes by putting it quit simply. He says: “As humans, we all have distinctive tastes and needs, so why would we view our pets any differently?”


text:
John Whoriskey, Margaret McFadden, Aaron Orr and William Toy pictured with their awards at Eurospar Ramelton
Two well known Donegal shops - famous for delivering quality and excellence over the years - had special awards delivered their way this week.
Kernan’s EUROSPAR Newtowncunningham and Whoriskey’s EUROSPAR Ramelton were due to receive both a Customer First @ EUROSPAR award and a Top of the Tree accolade at a gala celebration evening in March. Unfortunately, due to the health crisis, that was not possible and instead their awards were couriered to them.
These awards are recognition of true retailing excellence and among the most coveted in the grocery retail industry.
Customer First @ EUROSPAR is the retail operations standards programme that has been implemented across the EUROSPAR supermarket group.
The Top of the Tree awards is special recognition for outstanding retail practice across EUROSPAR’s six pillar Retail Strategy of Value, Freshness, Rewards, Choice, Service and Experience and is unanimously endorsed by their retailers.
Accepting the award on behalf of EUROSPAR Newtowncunningham, Anthony Kernan said: “We are delighted to receive this accolade which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and a timely boost to us all as we trade through the Covid-19 crisis. This acknowledgement lets our customers know that we are leaders in the field and we’re honoured to receive the recognition.”
Ronan Coyle, Gavin McDaid, John Tinney, Jonathan McCarron and Michael Buchanan pictured with their awards at EUROSPAR Newtowncunningham
Hugo Whoriskey, EUROSPAR Ramelton said, “We are proud to serve the local community and have continued to do so over the last number of weeks and months as we have all navigated the challenges thrown up by this global health crisis.
"I want to thank the staff and our customers for their loyalty and dedication. We are thrilled that our high standards have been recognised with these awards.”
How retailers communicate with their shoppers and local communities has never been more important. The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the need for all retailers to reassure their local communities that they are providing safe environments for all shoppers.
EUROSPAR’s retailers have been working tirelessly to promote the importance of health and safety in their Supermarkets by producing individual videos that are being shared across their social media channels.
The innovative videos are proving immensely popular and have been viewed by more than 1 million people since first being produced.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Donegal Live editorial team any time. To contact Donegal Democrat and Donegal People's Press, email firstname.lastname@example.org To contact Donegal Post, email email@example.com To contact Inish Times, email firstname.lastname@example.org.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.


text:
When the task force pursuing fugitive homicide suspect Christopher Dorner asked residents and business owners in the communities in and around Big Bear to check their security video for images of the former LAPD officer, William Hernandez said he doubted Dorner would be seen.
Hernandez is owner of Tri Data Communications in Big Bear City and said he has installed security cameras at Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre in LA, and the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
Hernandez said he figured only 10 percent of residences and businesses in the Big Bear area had security cameras. He spoke Feb. 12 as he installed a security system at the Copper Q culinary shop (in photo, above) in The Village. Hernandez pegged the chance that a camera would capture Dorner on tape -- or actually a hard drive -- at 5 percent.
He said that with the downturn in the economy a few years ago, few businesses had the spare $2,500-$3,500 to add security cameras, which usually number 8-10 for a system.
Hernandez added that after Dorner's truck was found burning Feb. 7 near Bear Mountain Resort, two homeowners called and asked that he install security systems. They specifically cited the threat posed by Dorner as their reason, Hernandez said.
Kent Stallcup is owner of the Copper Q, which sells cooking products and fresh pastries and does cooking demonstrations. He said he had been planning to add security cameras since he opened the shop. He was doing so now to prevent theft and monitor the lines of customers, not because of Dorner, Stallcup said.


text:
It’s sounding like The Callisto Protocol is going to go all out on gore for the game, as it’s apparently been inspired by “real-life examples of horror and gore.”
Aside from the choice to be inspired by real world horror and gore, a big chunk of inspiration obviously comes from Dead Space, created by Glen Schofield, who’s now directing The Callisto Protocol.
The Callisto Protocol is set to launch at the end of 2022, and so far, it’s not looking like a game for the faint of heart.
“We’ve found ourselves looking at a lot of real-life examples of horror and gore,” said Stone, who also served as animation director on Dead Space.
→ Full news story
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Want to submit Games content?
Animefice covers the latest Anime news.
Gamefice covers the latest Game news.
Screenfice covers the latest Film & TV news.
The Artifice is a long-form writing platform that covers a wide spectrum of art forms.


text:
Image from Engadget
It was rumored for a while that Verizon would introduce some sort of unlimited data option for iPhone users. Who knew that it meant doing away with the $15/month 150MB option, as Engadget recently found out. Of course, most Verizon iPhone users would probably opt for the unlimited data plan anyway.
It still beats AT&T's plans, which top at 200MB for $15 a month and 2GB for $25. Though AT&T was said to be introducing a better texting plan. Perhaps more changes are around the corner for them as well.
This plan won't include phones on Verizon's new LTE network, which will no doubt have their own, much higher, pricing tier. Oh well, speed comes at a price.


text:
Thirty jobs are being created at Hampshire’s latest shopping village thanks to the arrival of three new shops.
Fashion retailers Monsoon, Joules and Fussy Nation have all announced they will open at Whiteley Shopping Centre over the next two months.
Monsoon will open this month, while Joules and Fussy Nation will welcome customers from April.
The £84million village was officially opened by television star Denise van Outen last May, with 1,550 jobs created at its array of new stores, cafes and outlets.
Another 30 jobs were recently created when Japanese eateries Wagamama and Yo! Sushi opened.
Work is also set to start soon on the second phase of the shopping centre, which will feature posh restaurants and a nine-screen Cineworld cinema.
Centre manager Neil Carter said: “Welcoming Monsoon, Joules and Fussy Nation’s first store outside of London is a real pleasure, and they are all great additions to our already impressive fashion line-up.”


text:
Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, who left the company a few years ago, is coming back to Tesla as a board member.
JB Straubel was a co-founder at Tesla and the company’s longtime chief technology officer until he left in 2019 to launch Redwood Materials, which is helping create a North American battery supply chain.
After Elon Musk, Straubel was the most well-known executive at the company and was widely credited for helping give Tesla a technological edge when it came to batteries and power electronics. It was a big loss for the company when he decided to leave, but now we learn that he is returning – though in a non-executive role.
In its SEC filing for its upcoming annual shareholder meeting, Tesla disclosed that Hiromichi Mizuno, the head of Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, is not going to seek re-election on Tesla’s board and instead, the company’s board is nominating Straubel:
Hiromichi Mizuno, a Class I director, will not stand for re-election to the Board when his current term ends at the 2023 Annual Meeting. Accordingly, the Board has nominated JB Straubel to succeed Mr. Mizuno as a Class I director. Mr. Straubel joined Tesla in 2004, and spent 14 years as our Chief Technology Officer, where he played a key role in our battery cell design, and engineering and production. Mr. Straubel also led the construction and concept of Gigafactory Nevada and the production ramp of our Model 3. After his departure from Tesla in 2019, Mr. Straubel founded Redwood Materials Inc. (“Redwood”), which is dedicated to building a circular supply chain to power a sustainable world and accelerate the reduction of fossil fuels. We believe that Mr. Straubel’s extensive operational experience in senior leadership at the Company, combined with his engineering expertise and passion for cleantech, will make him an important asset in our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Tesla shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on Straubel joining the board next month during the annual shareholders meeting.
Musk has had negative feelings about virtually all other official Tesla co-founders (of which, there are five in total) except for Straubel – even after he left the automaker.
This is awesome news. Obviously, it hasn’t happened yet, but I think it’s a done deal. JB was universally appreciated at Tesla, as far as I’m aware. The same goes for his esteem among the shareholders.
It’s not a given, but it would be interesting if it also leads to closer ties between Tesla and Redwood, with the latter making incredible progress in deploying battery material processing capacity in North America.
Either way, it is hard to argue against the fact that JB is aligned with Tesla’s mission and should be a great addition to the board.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


text:
August 3, 2022
Washington D.C. – International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) joined 446 agricultural trade associations, agribusinesses and farmer co-ops Tuesday, Aug. 2 to call on the Senate to pass agricultural immigration reform legislation this Congress. The letter, addressed to Senate leadership in both parties and copied to all 100 Senators, included 145 signatures from IFPA member companies.
“The availability of labor remains one of the greatest challenges facing America’s farmers today,” said IFPA Chief Public Policy Officer, Robert Guenther. “The domestic workforce shortage not only leads to rising prices for our consumers, but threatens the existence of the farms that we rely on to feed our country. Without a reliable workforce, consumers will continue to experience high food costs, and also limited variety and availability. Immigration reform is urgently needed to ensure our farmers can continue to provide the nutritious, fresh products we all need.”
The letter also noted that “inaction will force many farmers to consider whether they can continue in labor-intensive agriculture,” citing a decline in the number of farms over the last decade. This decrease creates an economic impact that “reaches further into truck and equipment dealerships, restaurant and other businesses on main street. In order to protect America’s domestic agricultural production, the Senate must act now to provide stability for our existing workers and make key reforms to the H-2A program, the visa program farmers use to hire legal workers to supplement their U.S. workforce.”
In July, IFPA’s CEO, Cathy Burns, joined U.S. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jim Baird (R-IN), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) and other agricultural leaders at a press conference to call on Congress to pass bipartisan workforce solutions.
“Without immigration reform, we know that American consumers will continue to experience higher prices and fewer options at the grocery store, threatening food security and availability,” said Burns. “Any threat to the availability of fresh produce undermines the health benefits of fruits and vegetables in combating the chronic diseases that cost our economy billions.”


text:
Government has said that it will take all necessary steps to support farmers to produce more pulses. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh today held a meeting with pulses associations in India in New Delhi. During the meeting, he said, importers will be supported for seamless imports of pulses so that the pulses are available to the consumers at affordable prices.
Mr. Singh said, in the coming year global availability is expected to be better with increase in production expected from Myanmar. The secretary further reiterated the importance of both domestic production and the imports of pulses especially Tur, Urad and Masoor.


text:
Jaipur: After the Ministry of Home Affairs said that agricultural activities would continue during the lockdown period, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) issued a national advisory enumerating precautions that farmers must take while harvesting, threshing, storage and marketing produce.
Despite this, states like Rajasthan have not taken up any effort to initiate procurement operations.
In Rajasthan, E-mitra, an e-governance service platform, has been suspended amid the lockdown, making it impossible for farmers to begin registering themselves for the procurement process.
Registration is must if a farmer wants his or her produce to be procured by government agencies at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). It involves submission of a farmer’s personal information and land details in a pre-designed form on the co-operative department’s portal.
While the government e-procurement operations are shut, farmers are now eyeing procurement at the mandis operated by the state government.
At these mandis, the farmers sell their produce to wholesalers at the price decided by them with the help of brokers and agents. The wholesalers then sell it to the mills and retailers, who in turn sell to the consumers.
However, mandis across Rajasthan and several other states have decided to put procurement on hold until April 20.
Farmers, who in the absence of proper storage facilities would sell their produce right after harvest at throwaway prices, are now left with no option other than to make arrangement for storage at their houses.
The farmers say it is impossible to store produce at home because it will still be at risk from rats, rain or storm.
“We can still manage to store mustard and barley which are already being harvested, because we usually produce 40-50 quintals of these crops but once harvesting for wheat is over, the farmers would not be able to store the produce at home because even a small farmer grows about 100-200 quintals of wheat and this production only increases as the size of farm increases,” Ram Kumar, a farmer in Rajasthan’s Rawatsar, told The Wire.
What about other crops that are not usually procured?
In most parts of Rajasthan, it is usually mustard, gram and wheat crops that have already been harvested.
Without adequate means for storage, the farmers are selling their surplus produce to retail shops in their nearby areas which is fetching them a price below the MSP.
For instance, in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, mustard is being sold at Rs 3,800 per quintal, gram is sold at Rs 4,000 per quintal and wheat at Rs 1,900 per quintal as against their MSPs, Rs 4,425, Rs 4,875 and Rs 1,925 respectively.
Speaking to The Wire, Siraj Hussain, former Union secretary of agriculture and farmers’ welfare said, “The purchase rate of wheat is still close to the MSP but for other crops like mustard and gram which are not usually procured by Food Corporation of India, they are already being sold below MSP. If the state would not intervene, farmers would suffer a major setback.”
Can procurement and social distancing go hand in hand?
Even if it is assumed that the procurement would begin April 20 onwards, the question still remains as to how social distancing would be maintained in the whole procurement process.
“During the procurement at the mandis, it is difficult to avoid farmers and buyers coming in contact with each other but having said that, the government must try to make arrangements for procurement while maintaining social distancing,”said Hussain.
Usually, the farmers carry their produce to the Mandis in trollies and submit them to the shop of their choice. This is usually the one that had agreed to lend them money in advance to meet farm expenses.
After this, produce is graded. The Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 provide for grading and marking of agricultural produce, to ascertain its quality in terms of weight, shape, colour, texture, moisture content, stage of maturity and presence of disease or physical deformity.
Grading is the most essential part of the procurement operation because without proper grading, farmers fail to fetch a good price for their produce.
“Grading is not a standalone operation, it needs at least one person if the crop amount is 10 quintals or less and four to five persons if the amount is 500 quintals and above. One person loads the produce to the blower machine, second person rotates it, third person shifts the grains and the four person collects it after the grains are separated,” said Anil Karwasara, a buyer in Hanumangarh.
After grading is completed, buyers bid for the produce of every farmer. The highest bidder, consequently, purchases it.
The shop owner informs the farmer about the bid rate and if he agrees to it, the deal is locked.
All farmers keep their produce in heaps outside shops at the mandi. Bidders, who come from outside the mandi as well as the shop owners at the mandi, stand close together for the auction.
“Since the Mandi area is not big enough to accommodate hundreds of farmers, the heaps are placed very closely. Sometimes, the farmers have to separate two heaps by using a tarpaulin,” another buyer added.
Buyers take the help of labourers called ‘palledars‘, who put the produce in gunny bags and stitch them. The buyer, then, transports the purchased produce to different cities within the state or outside.
Ganganagar starts a mandi as a pilot case
In Rajasthan, a mandi in Ganganagar district has opened for procurement as a pilot case to test if social distancing is possible during the process.
D.L. Kalwa, joint director, marketing in Hanumangarh and Ganganagar explains how the mandi in Ganganagar is carrying out procurement in a controlled manner. “There are about 300 shops in the Mandi. We don’t allow all of them to open on the same day,” Kalwa told The Wire.
However, this well-intentioned system of procurement while maintaining social distance is facing a lot of trouble on the ground.
“Since we are not calling all the buyers at once, many buyers are upset with us because they are not able to join the procurement bidding. They tell us that we are doing partiality against them,” Vinay Jindal at the Ganganagar mandi told The Wire.
He also added that the purchase rate has gone up drastically.
“Rates have gone up because this is the first batch of supply this season and the buyers are well aware of the uncertainty in the procurement. So, whoever is getting the chance to procure is offering high rates because at the end of the supply chain too, that is, the consumer side, the rates are high,” Jindal added.
Deficiency of gunny bags?
Gunny bags are most essential for storage of grains in the warehouse. Before each Rabi and Kharif season, under the guidelines of the Ministry of Textile, government agencies purchase gunny bags for packaging of food grains, after assessing the month-wise requirement.
After assessment, supply orders are issued directing manufacturers to produce bags of specified quality and quantity. They could also be purchased through open tender.
Various buyers in Rajasthan have flagged at least 2.5 times rise in cost of gunny bags while hinting at possible shortage of supply.
“I was planning to purchase produce from Ganganagar, so I went to purchase gunny bags and found that the rates have gone up to Rs 17 -18 for a bag that was available at a fixed rate of Rs 7,” said Subhash Agarwal, a buyer in Rajasthan.


text:
/12/2017True, a unit of bitcoin passed the dollar value of one troy ounce of gold this year, and is now more than $600 higher. But the daily swings in …. The early months of 2017 have been particularly heady days for bitcoin. Since the beginning of the year, the value of the cryptocurrency has surged as it gains legitimacy in countries like Japan .
Popular article Bitcoin value 2017
Bitcoin into Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) - August 1, 2017 Bitcoin value: $2787. 85 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3383. 79 View Event #66 on Chart After years of debating about how Bitcoin should scale the controversy turned into action. . Bitcoin Price Prediction for 2017: 6 Major Events to Impact Bitcoin Value . The price of Bitcoin is difficult to predict as various factors impact the value of the digital currency.
View real-time BTC price, and stay up to date on BTC value with live charts. Millions of users trust eToro to trade crypto. Buy or sell Bitcoin. View real-time BTC price, and stay up to date on BTC value with live charts. Millions of users trust eToro to trade crypto. . 017 Bitcoin Return: Cryptocurrency is Not an Investment. Bitcoin is a digital currency built on top of a public, digital ledger known as a blockchain. Bitcoin is ‘mined‘ by miners incorporating recent transactions into a collection called a block while searching for a nonce.
Bitcoin started the final day of 2017 with an increase in value, and looked set to end the year on a high note. The cryptocurrency was up more than 10% as of 6 p. m. on New Year's Eve 2017. Bitcoin Price Predictions for 2017. Daniel Masters, a co-founder at the multi-million dollar bitcoin hedge fund, predicts that bitcoin will hit $4,400 by the end of 2017. Masters believes that bitcoin adoption will continue to increase, and more companies will accept it as payment.
/9/2017EXSCUDO WEEKLY #20- …. /15/2017An image of Bitcoin and US currencies is displayed on a screen as delegates listen to a panel of speakers during the Interpol World Congress in …
All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization. Enjoy this graphic? You can also find it in our new infographic book – it’s available until Oct 31st, …
Inspired by the rarity of gold, Bitcoin was designed to have a fixed supply of 21 million coins, over half of which have already been produced. Several early adopters were wise or fortunate enough to earn, buy or mine vast quantities of Bitcoin before it held significant value. The most famous of these is Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakomoto.
Bitcoincharts is the world's leading provider for financial and technical data related to the Bitcoin network. It provides news, markets, price charts and more.
Bitcoin Price Forecast 2017. After years of volatility, the Bitcoin price forecast is finally on an upward trek through 2017 and beyond. In just five years, the Bitcoin price (BTC price) rose from
- Bitcoin halving explained
- Bitcoin computer requirements
- Bitcoin current value
- Bitcoin nousussa
- 60 gh s bitcoin miner bitforce single sc
- I have 1000 bitcoins
- Cdixon bitcoin news
- Arbitraging bitcoins worth
- Bitcoin racist mexican
- Bitcoin double review mirrors
- Blockchain bitcoin android apps
- Andreas petersson bitcoin
- Bitcoin wikihow resume
- Bitcoin currency news
- Pointshound bitcoin news
- Sarutobi bitcoin game android
- Ppmc bitcoin wiki
- How bitcoin works info graphic resumes


text:
At the New York International Auto Show which concluded recently, the Toyota Mirai emerged as the winner of the 2016 World Green Car award. The model won the award on the basis of its fuel consumption, tailpipe emissions, and its use advanced power plant technology for minimizing the car’s impact on the environment. The Mirai faced stiff competition in this category from seven other models which debuted this year on a global basis.
Commenting on the award, Bill Fay, Group Vice President and General Manager, Toyota pision said that just like Toyota’s Prius made a major impact on the automotive scene two decades ago, the hydrogen-powered Mirai is all set to make history. The model has definitely set new benchmarks in its segment with its range of over 500 km per tank, a refueling time of under five minutes and emissions that consist only of water vapour.
According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation the award recognized Toyota as one of the pioneers in hybrid technology. With the Mirai, Toyota was aiming to make a real difference for for future generations by using hydrogen fuel-cell technology to minimize the impact of harmful emissions. He went on to laud the support of Toyota’s customers who have responded favourably to the Mirai and Toyota’s future direction in terms of environmentally-friendly vehicles.
Toyota is a long time winner at the World Car Awards program, which is now in its 12th year. Previously, the Toyota Prius 2010 won the ‘Top Three in the World’ status for both the World Green Car and the overall World Car of the Year categories. In 2013, the Toyota 86 model was a ‘Top Three in the World’ finalist for World Car of the Year while the Toyota iQ was a finalist in 2009 for the same category. In 2006, the Toyota Harrier Hybrid was shortlisted as a finalist for World Green Car.
The winning entries for the World Car Awards were voted on and selected by a highly expert international panel of judges consisting of 73 top-level automotive journalists drawn from 23 countries around the world.
Manju Mathew, an MBA in marketing, completed publisher training courses from the Oxford Brookes University and New York University. She started with marketing and PR roles before moving on to her current position as a full time writer. Currently living in Dubai, her life as an expat has sharpened her observation skills and flair for writing. She enjoys writing about luxury cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc even if she can only dream of owning them.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
© 2017 Morjan Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Fortune: California lawmakers pass Delete Act that would force data brokers to eliminate all personal info they possess if people request it
September 15, 2023
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit focused on bolstering the right to privacy, defines data brokers as companies that collect and categorize personal information, usually to build profiles on millions of Americans that the companies can then rent, sell or use to provide services.
The data they collect, per EPIC, can include: “names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, gender, age, marital status, children, education, profession, income, political preferences, and cars and real estate owned.”
That is in addition to “information on an individual’s purchases, where they shop, and how they pay for their purchases,” plus “health information, the sites we visit online, and the advertisements we click on. And thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and wearables, data brokers collect and sell real-time location data.”
Privacy advocates have warned for years that location and seemingly non-specific personal data — often collected by advertisers and amassed and sold by brokers — can be used to identify individuals. They also charge that the data often isn’t well secured and that the brokers aren’t covered by laws that require the clear consent of the person being tracked. They have argued for both legal and technical protections so consumers can push back.
Read more here.


text:
Cambodia and Thailand will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cross-border trade in early November to comply with Thailand’s new customs law, which is due to come into effect on November 13.
The announcement of the new MoU comes after the prime ministers of both nations, meeting during the Third Cambodia-Thailand Joint Cabinet Retreat in September, agreed to increase efforts to boost cross-border trade, attract more investment and reach $15 billion in bilateral trade by 2020.
The announcement was made by Kun Nhem, the director of Cambodia’s General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), who last week led a trade delegation to Bangkok to meet his Thai counterparts and negotiate the details of the agreement on cross-border trade.
“The purpose of the MoU is to fulfill the conditions to provide legitimacy on the transportation of cross-border goods by land in accordance with the new customs regulations of Thailand,” the official statement of the GDCE reads. “The MoU does not only fulfill the conditions to provide legitimacy to the transportation of cross-border goods by land in accordance with Thailand’s new customs regulations, but also benefits Cambodia in that it strengthens the control of goods imported into Cambodia via Thailand.”
Bou Bunnara, the chief of the public relations unit at GDCE, told Khmer Times yesterday that both sides are working hard to have a draft of the agreement ready by the November deadline. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pledged in September to increase imports of agricultural products from Cambodia, open more border-crossings between the nations and seek new ways to reach the targeted $15 billion in bilateral trade. “We will launch a new customs law that will make it easier for Cambodian businessmen who want to export to third countries via Thailand,” added Prayut.
During the September meeting, agreements were also reached on double tax avoidance and preventing the declaration of fraudulent income to avoid tax, which are considered essential to investment and foreign technology transfers. According to the statement from GDCE, both sides will also work together to establish six checkpoints for cargo transported by land to or from a third country, among other initiatives to crack down on smugglers. Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand reached $5.6 billion in 2016, a rise of $100 million year-on-year. Thailand’s exports to Cambodia last year were worth $4.7 billion, while Cambodia’s exports to Thailand were valued at $937 million.


text:
You are here
LAVAL, Quebec -- A push into the United States by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), Canada's largest convenience store chain, helped it post sharply higher profit and sales.
Couche-Tard also announced it would split its shares 2 for 1 as of July 19 to increase the liquidity of its stock, which has enjoyed a steady climb over the past year, the company reported.
ACT said it earned $5.8 million, or 31 cents a share, in its fourth quarter, ended April 28, up from $4.13 million, or 11 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales improved to $866.2 million from $571.3 million, the company said in a statement.
The Laval, Quebec-based chain operates approximately 2,000 stores in Canada and the United States and plans to open about 60 new stores before the end of next April. ACT also said it would continue to expand by buying rivals until its network in the U.S. Midwest reaches about 1,000 stores.
The company has currently 247 U.S. stores, to which about 450 stores previously owned by bankrupt Dairy Mart should be added in the coming months.
"Last year's acquisitions immediately yielded outstanding benefits, as reflected by our strong growth in sales and net earnings, while also positioning us solidly in the Midwest where we continue to expand," chief executive Alain Bouchard said in a release.


text:
The 2,300-page Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed into law by President Obama last year, enshrines "too big to fail," further politicizes the Federal Reserve by planting diversity czars at each of its banks, imposes a huge regulatory burden on the consumer financial services industry, and does nothing to prevent what caused the financial crisis: easy Fed credit and politically driven weakening of mortgage credit underwriting.
Doughty Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, has introduced legislation to repeal the Dodd-Frank Act in its entirety. A laudable goal, but while conceivably repeal can pass the House, mustering 60 votes in the Senate will be tough. A two-thirds majority necessary to override an all-but-certain Obama veto is unlikely. Nonetheless, a repeal vote would be symbolically valuable.
In the absence of outright repeal, it should be dismantled, brick by brick.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and debit-card interchange price controls are two worthy targets to start with. The CFPB will wield vast authority to define and ban consumer financial products and suppress innovation, reducing the availability of consumer financial services.
An animating CFPB sentiment is the perception that financial institutions are fat-cat bankers - rapacious and untrustworthy - and many American consumers should not be trusted to manage their own financial affairs. Rather, Washington mandarins are better equipped to decide what's in Joe and Sally Sixpacks' best interest than they are.
Before 2009, the Fed's regulatory approach was to work toward full disclosure of consumer financial products' material facts. Consumers were considered sovereign - a notion few questioned for the first several centuries of the Republic.
How radical is it to suggest Americans who can vote, serve on a jury and join the Army ought to be considered competent and free to choose a credit card?
But today, many members of Congress and regulators are at heart paternalists. Most Americans, however, want to govern themselves.
Those who want to roll back Mr. Obama's regulatory onslaught on the financial services sector should propose narrowing the CFPB's mandate to ensuring products' material facts are fully disclosed. Then consumer choices in the market can determine what financial products succeed and fail.
Eighty percent of Americans have a debit card. Sen. Richard J. Durbin's amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act imposes punitive price controls on debit networks' interchange fees. Most of the $16 billion in debit fees banks earn will be eliminated. Consequently consumers, who today take free debit and checking for granted, will be hit with a battery of new debit, checking and account maintenance fees and lose their rewards. Chase Chief Executive Officer Jaimie Dimon suggests 5 percent of consumers may be driven out of the banking system.
It takes chutzpah for advocates of treating networks such as MasterCard and Visa as public utilities to say they're pro-consumer. Visa Chief Executive Officer Joe Saunders says "consumers have been thrown under the bus." That's exactly the right way to frame the issue. No congressman wants to be tagged as anti-consumer. By pressuring Congress, the merchant lobby was successful in winning price concessions in Washington it couldn't win in the market. Similarly, the financial services industry has to engage consumers to put heat on Congress.
Retail payment networks such as MasterCard and Visa are fiercely competitive and deliver enormous value to consumers and merchants. If there's a problem, it's that consumers, merchants and politicians take payment cards' convenience, availability, security and near-ubiquitous acceptance for granted and some have slipped into thinking of them like public utilities.
Price controls stifle innovation, availability and choice - always. Debit cards are no exception.
Repeal is possible. The political climate has changed. The 112th Congress is more skeptical than the last of the efficacy and right of government intrusion into the private sector to fix prices and direct business activities.
Retired Senate Banking Chairman Christopher J. Dodd in December acknowledged he thought the Senate might not have gotten it "right." House Financial Services Committee minority leader Rep. Barney Frank says he's open to working with Republicans to amend debit-card interchange regulation.
Two senators who voted for debit-interchange price controls in 2010, Republicans David Vitter of Louisiana and Michael D. Crapo of Idaho now oppose them. Urging consumers to call their congressmen would spur more to switch.
Five other senators who voted for the Durbin Amendment are not in the 112th Congress, thanks to vote results and retirement. All were replaced by free-market Republicans.
Other than plucky TCF Financial, banks didn't try to engage consumers in lobbying Congress during debate over the legislation. Goliath banks were AWOL then but they cannot afford to be so again.
The time to fight for free markets in consumer financial services is now, before the CFPB and debit interchange price caps take root.
Eric Grover is a principal at Intrepid Ventures.
© Copyright 2015 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.


text:
Early bird gets the bargains in southwestern CT
The early bird got the bargains on Black Friday in southwestern Connecticut.
Stores across the state opened early and offered huge discounts on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Shoppers lined up before the 4 a.m. opening at the Kohl?s on Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk. And shoppers brought coffee and donuts along with them to wait for the Circuit City to open on Connecticut Avenue. Those who lined up early knew exactly what they were looking for.
Many of the shoppers say they got up early because they know the stores have a limited supply of bargain items.
Over at the Trumbull Mall, morning shoppers created a literal mob scene outside the Circuit City store. Police were forced to use Taser guns to try and maintain the crowd. The store only allowed one person in at a time.


text:
Upper Mount Gravatt is leading the development charge in Brisbane property as its million dollar apartment project proves a ground-breaking success with locals after an urban feel.
The apartment project
Sky Gardens has reportedly sold 90 per cent of the first buildings apartments within 12 months leaving only six one and two-bedroom apartments still available.
Sunnybank Hills consultant Alex Stevenson said that the market project was not expected to propel such an attraction amongst local downsizers and young people.
“Twenty-something’s who have family nearby and want cosmopolitan conveniences are also buying here,” he said.
Westfield Garden City has grown by $400 million with 40 per cent in retail space since 2013 through redevelopment and Mr Stevenson said that the area has a lot more energy now with the recent bars and reinvigorated shopping centre.
The Commonwealth Bank revealed mid-way through the launch last year that there was a demand for being well connected to the centre of town and that Mount Gravatt would be a future focal point for the Brisbane City Council because of its ideal transport corridor to the city.
The Sky Gardens compromises 112 apartments across two eight level buildings.
The apartment development totalled $53 million.
It is located within walking distance from the popular Westfield Garden City shopping centre.


text:
Global provider of bitcoin (BTC) and crypto payment services BitPay has announced it now supports Litecoin (LTC). As such, companies using BitPay should now accept LTC as a payment option.
Recent reports indicate that Newegg.com, an online tech-focused retailer, will be the first merchants worldwide to accept LTC via BitPay. The first of what the Litecoin Foundation believes to be thousands.
LTC’s creator, Charlie Lee, remarked, “Litecoin’s fast transaction times and super low fees are ideal for an ecommerce giant like Newegg.
“We’re extremely excited that Litecoin is now supported by BitPay, making it very easy for any merchants to accept LTC.”
A history of early adoption
Newegg.com was also the first business to accept BTC as a payment option all the way back in 2014. At the time when the e-retailer first formed its partnership with BitPay. At first, the BTC payment option was only available in the U.S. and Canada. However, the success of the collaboration allowed them to extend the option to their customers in 73 other countries in 2019.
Andrew Choi, Senior Brand Manager at Newegg, commented, “As the first major online shopping destination to work with BitPay to accept Bitcoin and now Litecoin, Newegg supports our early-adopter customers globally and emphasizes our commitment to bring innovation to the online shopping experience.
“The excitement and momentum around cryptocurrency are undeniable, and we are committed to making it easy for our customers to shop online.”
Furthermore, the company added the meme-inspired Dogecoin (DOGE) back in April, around the height of its considerable growth.
BTC, LTC, and DOGE make up the 12 cryptocurrency payment options also available on BitPay. It supports other market frontrunners such as Ether (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), as well as Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC). Furthermore, the platform supports stablecoins like the U.S. Dollar Coin (USDC), Gemini Dollar (GUSD) and Paxos Standard (PAX).
According to reports, settlement in LTC should become available on BitPay in Summer 2021.
Litecoin on an upward creep
While by no means anywhere near the heights it reached in May, data indicates that LTC has had a positive week. Steadily creeping up from a decline it faced around July 20th, at which point it saw a low point of $104.33.
And while the growth from that price has hardly been monumental, it is still significant. At time of press, LTC was worth $147.24. Furthermore, it ranked as the 14th most valuable cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
BeInCrypto has reached out to company or individual involved in the story to get an official statement about the recent developments, but it has yet to hear back.


text:
After months of silence, OnePlus has officially confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will not get the Android 7.0 Nougat update. This news is bound to disappoint many OnePlus 2 owners out there especially since the phone got only one major OS update to Marshmallow.
The move comes from the company after initially promising 24 months of confirmed software update for the handset. The Never Settle company says that it has already been telling customers through its customer support service that the OnePlus 2 will not be getting the Nougat update.
Additionally, it says that it is “happy about what we’are doing with the software. We already confirmed Android O will come for the OnePlus 3 and 3T. So [no Nougat for the OnePlus 2] isn’t new and we think people were aware of it.”
As for the reason as to why the OnePlus 2 is not getting the Nougat update, OnePlus says that when it built the phone, it did not have the software infrastructure in place that they have now.
OnePlus usually builds a great deal of hype around its upcoming products, but when it comes to delivering the bad news, the company decided to silently inform it to selected users and assume that everyone else will automatically come to know about it.
The OnePlus 2 was a terrible handset right from the get go, with its performance being marred by the fiery hot Snapdragon 810 chipset. Its display was also nothing to write home about and the phone generally felt sub-par when compared to the OnePlus One.[Via Android Authority]


text:
Last month, Warner Bros. announced
that their Montreal branch will be developing Batman: Arkham Origins
, the third installment in the Batman: Arkham
series which will focus on the early career of the Dark Knight several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum
. Now we know the basics, it's time to see a little of what the game will look like, thanks to some newly released screenshots that show off GCPD, thugs and of course the Bat himself:Batman: Arkham Origins
is set to release in stores worldwide October 25th.


text:
It's no secret that Bajaj Auto is planning to launch as many 6 six new bikes in India this year. Out of the six bikes, the Pulsar 200SS could be the first one to hit Indian shores. In fact, the company has started the bike's production at its facility in Pimpri, Pune. The fact that the company has also begun testing it here, and a production-ready version of the bike has been recently spotted in Kolkata further assures us that the launch is just round the corner.
Just so you know, the Pulsar 200SS is based on the Pulsar NS200, but shares its design with the Pulsar SS 400 concept, which was showcased at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo. Powering this fully-faired motorcycle will be the same 199.5cc engine that is also found in the Pulsar NS200. This engine is capable of churning out a maximum power output of 23bhp and 18Nm of peak torque.
Talking about its design, the Pulsar 200SS features twin projector head-lamps, clip-on handlebar, a small-side slung exhaust, split seat, and a NS200 - inspired fuel-tank and plastic splatter guard.
Likely to be priced around Rs 1.1 lakh - Rs 1.2 lakh, the Pulsar 200SS will take on the likes of KTM RC200 and Yamaha R15.
Source: I Am Biker FB Page


text:
Downtown Raleigh has been inching its way toward top tech clout – first with Red Hat, then with companies such as Citrix and Ipreo.
But lately, the tech entrepreneurship community has decided it’s tired of inching. A set of new entrepreneurial endeavors could give Raleigh a big boost in innovation, making Raleigh not just a place for larger tech companies to settle, but also an ideal place for that technology to be born.
The theory is, budding companies recruited to downtown Raleigh will be so excited by the communal entrepreneurial spirit that they’ll stay in the City of Oaks. And if just one of the companies happens to be the next Red Hat? It will be more than worth the gamble.
HQ Raleigh, an entrepreneurial co-working space hosting such companies as WedPics, isn’t even a year old and is already expanding. According to executive director Jason Widen, 45 companies are working in the space, and there’s a waiting list. Widen is also spearheading something called “ThinkHouse,” where even more entrepreneurs can participate in a new living learning community downtown.
And Adam Klein, chief strategist for Durham entrepreneurial staple American Underground, has announced that effort is expanding into downtown Raleigh as well.
“We want the Triangle to be one of the top five entrepreneurial regions in the country, and that can’t be done without working together,” Widen says.
According to Derrick Minor, innovation and entrepreneurship manager for the city of Raleigh, the new entrepreneurship options won’t have any difficulty finding tenants. He estimates about 300 startups are housed in Raleigh.
“These are rough numbers,” he says. “I still seem to uncover new companies fairly regularly.”
And the budding entrepreneurship community is already being recognized. Raleigh nabbed the number 13 spot for tech startups nationwide in a Kauffman Foundation study.
Lauren Ohnesorge covers information technology and entrepreneurship.


text:
Soul and R&B artist Robin Thicke will headline Macy’s Glamorama this year and female-male pop duo Karmin also will perform at the annual music and fashion bash held Aug. 3 at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis.
Tickets run $60 to $1,000 and will benefit the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Tickets go on sale June 8 at the State Theater box office or through Ticketmaster.
Thicke has written and produced more than 20 songs that have reached gold or platinum status. He is currently featured on the ABC reality series “Duets” alongside Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles.
Karmin also is enjoying some national recognition this year. In February, they performed “Brokenhearted” and “I Told You So” on “Saturday Night Live.” They released a new album earlier this month.
The 21st annual Glamorama will also include a runway show featuring designers such as John Paul Gaultier, Armani, Marc Jacobs, and Tracy Reese. A catered post-party at the downtown Minneapolis Macy’s store will follow the show. In the past, Bruno Mars and Macy Gray have headlined the event.
Nancy Ngo can be reached at 651-228-5172. Follow her at twitter.com/nancyngotc


text:
French Fnac Darty has significantly increased its turnover in the third quarter, as online sales and turnover in the Benelux grew sharply.
» Read more
Ceconomy, the owner of the Media Markt and Saturn chains, is to show its CEO Jörn Werner the door - despite the fact that he had only started his job in March and was fully engaged with the restructuring.
» Read more
Amazon is currently in talks to make the technology behind its cashierless Go stores available to other parties, such as retailers in airports and cinemas.
Has the long-running conflict between MediaMarktSaturn and the Kellerhals family finally been resolved? The co-founder may be tempted to exchange his remaining MediaMarkt shares for an interest in parent group Ceconomy.
After more than two years of renovations, Apple Fifth Avenue, Apple's underground flagship store in New York, has opened its doors once more.
Dutch e-tailer Coolblue is opening its first Belgian Coolblue XXL store in Ghent, replacing the smaller store in nearby Lochristi later this year. There already are three stores of the same format in the Netherlands.
German chains MediaMarkt and Saturn have seen their losses grow by 50 % and turnover stagnate, but owner Ceconomy believes the future is positive as transformation should bring rewards.
After Apple started selling its products directly on Amazon, a lot of external sellers were banned from the platform and prices have gone up. A US watchdog looks if this is legal.
At the end of this month, Amazon will terminate its Dash order buttons. Earlier this year, the American e-commerce giant had already stopped selling the buttons, but said then they would continue to work.
Amazon will not pay the "Amazon tax" or "Gafa tax" in France, the American e-tailer said in response to the recent ratification of that law. Instead, it will be increasing its selling rates by 3 % in that country, so that the suppliers will in effect pay the tax.
Chinese telecom manufacturer Huawei seems to remain largely unaffected by the sanctions of the United States: turnover increased drastically in the first six months of the year.
Google employees listen to, and analyse in detail, recordings made by its Home speakers and the Assistant app on smartphones. And all that without clear notification, let alone permission, a Belgian news show claims.
Samsung is suffering from the trade war between the United States and China: for the third quarter in a row, the smartphone producer predicts lower profits. Fortunately, the decrease is less dramatic than initially feared.
French electronics chain Boulanger has acquired its Belgian rival Krëfel, including Hifi International from Luxembourg. The new group aims for market leadership in all three of the countries.
Microsoft is going to open its first European store in London's commercial centre, "coincidentally" just a stone's throw away from the local Apple Store.
Domestic appliance manufacturer Miele has announced it will open two experience stores in the Benelux: Amsterdam is planned for next week, Brussels for later in the year. The stores are meant to offer a multi-sensory experience, with workshops and events.


text:
Walmart Inc. is in discussions to spend about $7 billion to become the largest investor in India’s leading e-commerce company, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that would put the U.S. retailer in competition with Amazon.com Inc. in one of the most promising online retail markets.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant plans to buy about a third of Flipkart Online Services Pvt, in part by purchasing stakes from Tiger Global Management and SoftBank Group Corp., said the people, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. The deal may push the valuation of the homegrown startup to about $20 billion, the people said, up from about $12 billion last year. The talks are at a critical stage and may wrap up this month. It’s also possible specifics such as the valuation or stake size may still change, and the deal may not come to fruition.


text:
In a statement, the company said that the license, which is effective immediately, has a four-year term until August 9, 2023 unless renewed.
The company pointed out that that the license will allow one of Canada’s newest and most advanced formulation labs to carry out investigatory work in both THC and CBD delivery. The lab is fully rigged with the latest equipment needed to produce DehydraTECH infusions, it added.
The Kelowna, British Columbia-based company’s novel drug-delivery platform, masks unwanted tastes, improves onset speed and increases the bioavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients in a simple and cost-effective platform.
It allows drugs and vitamins — in the case of cannabis, CBD and THC — to enter the bloodstream faster than existing drug delivery platforms.
Previously, Lexaria used third-party agencies and institutions to conduct much of its R&D with controlled substances. The new lab, where Lexaria now has a new full-time PhD research scientist, will drive forward many R&D programs which have already been designed on paper.
In a statement, John Docherty, who is the chief scientist at Lexaria said: “Receipt of our R&D license from Health Canada will allow us to implement and complete investigatory studies significantly more rapidly now, than at any previous time in our company’s history.”
Docherty also noted that the license will “greatly enhance” the lab’s ability to work with cannabis licensed producers to perform work in-house on customized formulations that could Canadian cannabis companies.
Lexaria shared its R&D blueprint, saying its lab will focus on producing and evaluating topical creams and lotions, orally-ingested product formats for delivery of active ingredients including THC, CBD, NSAID’s such as ibuprofen, PDE5-inhibitors such as those used in Viagra; nicotine and other molecules.
Contact Uttara Choudhury at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive


text:
The development of mobile phone technology is in the top level right now. It is proven by this project Tango. This is outstanding mobile phone software that focuses in 3D space imagery. This is the first development of 3D space imagery. There are many people, especially gadget freak, which believe the greatness of this software. This superb mobile phone software is a big step in the development of mobile phone technology. Well, gossip of this great mobile phone software has been roaming around the world of mobile phone market since two or three years ago, but now it is officially released and it is indeed special.
There are many new types of mobile phone technology, especially software, which introduces this year. From all the new mobile phone software, it seems that this stunning mobile phone software is the one that become that will be the center of the attention this year. This incredible mobile phone software is created by a company that has special connection with Google. It has been said that Google plays an important role in this awesome mobile phone software development. This 3D mobile phone software is the first released project from Google Company since the Google Glass that become the center of the attention of last year technology development. It seems that this special mobile phone software has more “fans” than the Google Glass. The video of this mobile phone software has been released on Youtube.com. It looks solid and it has outstanding 3D imagery accuracy.
This advance 3D mobile phone software is planned to be released in the one of the biggest technology expo events this year, the Mobile World Congress. That event will be the main stage of this futuristic mobile phone software. Mobile phone technology is rapidly developing and this mobile phone software is one of the evidences of that phenomenon.


text:
Evolve Strength, a one-stop shop for personalized health and fitness, will be adding it’s first location in the Vancouver marketplace to QuadReal’s ‘The Post’ project in the fall of 2023. It will be the fifth location for Evolve in Canada.
“Evolve Strength is excited to work with QuadReal on this high-profile central Vancouver heritage redevelopment as we continue our strategic portfolio growth into the BC market. This represents a key next step for our brand as we execute on our vision of becoming Canada’s premier club facility in the professional health & wellness category,” says Ray Yue, Co-Founder/Director of Real Estate of Evolve Strength.
“We are really trying to curate something that will be especially compelling to the office worker contingent here, which is why we are thrilled to welcome Evolve Strength to this very special project,” said Larissa Jacobson, Vice President, Retail Leasing, QuadReal Property Group.
“Evolve Strength’s high-end amenities coupled with its unrivalled atmosphere will together provide members with an unforgettable health and fitness experience. This is a natural next step for us since the Vancouver market has long expressed interest for the Evolve Strength experience on the west coast. We anticipate reaching capacity before grand opening; our team looks forward to introducing our unique model to Vancouver’s downtown community and also serving the Amazon team onsite,” says Jon Cheung, Co-Founder and President of Evolve Strength.
Perri Zimmerman of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiated the deal and represents Evolve in its lease negotiations in Canada.
With over 1.1 million square feet of office space and 185,000 square feet of retail, The Post will be adding a number of other key tenants to make up the full tenant offering.
Retail Insider has covered a number of the announcements since the project was announced in 2019, but it’s important to keep up to date with the tenants already slated to join. Amazon, Loblaw CityMarket, Buro The Espresso Bar, Deville Coffee and The Joseph Richard Group, which will operate the food hall.


text:
I don’t know about you, but for the past year and a half, I’ve worn nothing but sweatpants on a consistent basis.
Working from home has been the norm since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, and many of us have adopted a new dress code. This obviously has been much more comfortable than normal office wear.
Now that many of us are getting vaccinated and the world is slowly beginning to reopen, there is a drive to return to “normal” again. Sadly, this means that for those who are returning to work in an actual office space again, pjs and sweats will become a thing of the past.
If you’re like me, the thought of having to say goodbye to comfy clothing is just too much to bear. Thankfully, there might be a happy middle for those who like to wear Crocs. As it turns out, there is a new fashion collaboration happening between two very unlikely designers: Crocs and Balenciaga.
That is how the Croc stiletto came to be. It looks like it’s bringing a whole new meaning to the term, “business casual.” Saint shared a photo of the new shoes on Twitter and they’re quite interesting.
You might be surprised to learn that this isn’t the first collaboration of its kind. In fact, Crocs and Balenciaga have worked together before in the past.
Back in 2017, the two companies came up with a pair of platform Crocs which sold for $850. However, according to CNN, these stiletto Crocs could probably sell for something closer to $1,000.
If you’re looking at these and already planning how to buy them, then you’ll be happy to know that there are three different colors to choose from, such as black, grey, and bright green. The one thing they all have in common though, is they have the same black stiletto heel.
If you’re excited to get yourself a pair, you will have to wait a little while as the stiletto Crocs are part of Balenciaga’s spring 2022 collection. In the meantime, while you wait for their release, there are other unusual Balenciaga items to purchase, such as their toed heels.
What are your thoughts on this collaboration? Would you ever buy a pair of stiletto Crocs? Let us know!SKM: below-content placeholder


text:
Foods That Give You Fuel: Racing on Bioethanol
From your fridge to your gas tank.
The exhaust fumes coming from Oregon-based Matt Coffman's 25-year-old, 860-hp Nissan 240SX drift car smell like brownies and maple syrup. Last year, Coffman's team started using ethanol instead of gasoline—not the widely used corn-based kind, but bioethanol from food waste.
The change came about because a store near the team's shop, Summit Foods, had an expensive problem. Summit sold dried-fruit confections to candymakers, but the disposal of excess sugary liquid, a side effect of drying fruit, cost them upward of $30,000 a month. "You can't just pour that down the drain," says David McCoy, head of Summit's newly formed fuels subdivision, Summit Natural Energy, which
turns leftover sugar and other carbohydrates into bioethanol.
Excess waste is an expensive, industry-wide issue that affects podunk mom 'n' pop shops, McDonald's, and everyone in between. Once Summit figured out what to do with its by-product, it started taking in expired items being offloaded by other nearby manufacturers and stores. "Pie filling, outdated syrups, doughnut mix—those kinds of things," McCoy says. Americans waste 40 percent of all the food we produce—36 million tons in 2012, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Having plenty of waste to work with, Summit's new business saw great success, so much so that the company spun off a performance-fuel division. Thunderbolt Racing now supplies bioethanol fuel to some 30 race teams, including Coffman Racing.
"It's long been part of our philosophy to be environmentally conscious, but motorsports is inherently environmentally impactful," says the team's manager, Jeff Mailley. "What these guys do to reduce waste and make a stable, consistent fuel attracted us. There's lower consumption and emissions, and we saw a noticeable power bump after we changed over."
Your car won't run on bioethanol anytime soon, if ever, but the fuel could become more common in motorsports applications. You'll be watching a car drifting or doing a burnout, and you'll catch a whiff of last week's lunch.
How to Make Bioethanol
The fermentation process uses the same yeast that helps produce bread and beer. Microorganisms eat sugar and excrete ethanol. Since these little guys can't process sugar's calories very well, the ethanol is chemically rich in energy. The conversion from sugar to bioethanol is straightforward, but sources of sugar can be hard to find. Starches such as corn are relatively easy to come by and convert into sugars, but bioethanol's future could also lie with waste biomass, which uses cellulose from wood or grass clippings, or small algae ponds, which produce huge amounts of carbohydrates that can be converted.
Why you'll (probably) Never Pump Bioethanol
The big problem with food as a fuel source is, as any bachelor knows, it rots if you try to store it too long. Its energy value degrades during this process, says Robert C. Brown, director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. Add to that the fact that bioethanol is only about 70 percent as energy dense as unleaded gas and that it's bulkier than crude oil, which translates to higher transportation costs. But Brown hasn't given up hope: "It took the petroleum industry a century to get to a point where we have a multitrillion-dollar system to make and distribute gasoline."


text:
JAPANESE camera giant Olympus’s £935m deal to buy keyhole surgery equipment maker Gyrus yesterday cleared US competition hurdles.
Olympus unveiled the 630p-a-share offer for Gyrus, which has its UK manufacturing headquarters in Cardiff, last month.
The Japanese company is well known for its digital cameras, but is also one of the world’s largest medical camera makers. Following the US approval, the acquisition now needs European clearance as well as the green light from Gyrus shareholders.
The deal should be completed in February.
The deal is set to further expand Olympus’s medical division and enhance its position in America, where Gyrus has a significant presence.
Gyrus employs around 1,600 staff across the world, led by chief executive Roy Davis, recently promoted after nearly four years as chief operating officer.
The firm makes a range of keyhole surgery equipment, from forceps to tiny cameras used to view internal organs.
It floated 10 years ago, when its corporate headquarters was in Cardiff, before moving to Reading, and last year made underlying operating profits of £35.2m – up 59% on 2005 – although the firm has recently been hit by the weakness of the US dollar.
The deal marks the latest move for Japanese firms to snap up international groups, with Japan Tobacco buying the UK’s Gallaher Group earlier this year.


text:
All drivers of petrol or diesel cars will be penalized under new tax rules from April
UK drivers who own petrol or diesel cars have been warned they should be penalized in the spring.
This is because Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates will increase for everyone from April 11.
Close Brothers Motor Finance spokesman Sean Kemple warned petrol and diesel owners would feel the impact more solely depending on the “type of vehicle they buy”.
READ MORE: UK drivers face £200 fine following January 29 traffic rule change
However, drivers with models that produce a lot of air pollution are expected to be the most affected, reports Manchester Evening News.
By signing up for the KentLive newsletter, you’ll get the latest news straight to your inbox twice a day.
It couldn’t be easier and it only takes a few seconds – just tap here, enter your email address and follow the instructions. You can also enter your email address in the box below the image on most desktop and mobile platforms.
You can also sign up for our website and comment on our stories by tapping here and logging in.
VED rates for vehicles that produce more than 255g/km of CO2 pollution will rise to £2,365.
This will be a massive £120 increase from the current 2021 rate.
Meanwhile, drivers of cars producing 226-255g/km will see a £105 increase, with the charge for cars producing 191-225g/km increasing by £75.
Price increases will be observed on all vehicles except for those emitting less than 75 g/km of CO2.
Mr Kemple also warned of the “challenge” ahead as drivers look to switch to electric cars.
He said the government should “offset” tax revenue as more drivers started to ditch their existing petrol and diesel cars.
Speaking to Express, he said: ‘You can see the incentive from a tax point of view of road tax and in-kind benefits moving towards low-emission vehicles.
“It’s better for everyone involved, so it’s a win-win situation.
“The challenge then is how the government offsets that tax revenue against what it would have gotten from gasoline and diesel vehicles.
“What you see then are the consumers of petrol and diesel, in their opinion, I guess being penalized by the type of vehicle they are buying.
The Treasury has previously estimated it will have to fill a £40billion black hole due to the loss of VED and fuel tax rates.
The VED increase is expected to take effect on April 1, 2022.
The changes were first announced in last year’s fall budget.
HM Revenue and Customs said the hike was to ensure VED rates are increased along with the retail price index (RPI).
They said increasing VED rates in 2022 will ensure rates are “maintained in real terms.”
They said the changes will ensure motorists “a fair contribution to public finances”.
They added: “This measure will impact motorists owning a car, van or motorbike or using a motorbike trade licence.
“The increase in VED rates is in line with the RPI, which means rates will remain unchanged in real terms for vehicle owners.”


text:
A U.S.-based company has rolled out a line of T-shirts and sweatshirts that feature large Nazi-style swastikas in rainbow colors, in a supposed attempt to reclaim the symbol for the ideals of peace and love.
Three versions of the shirts by KA Design are being sold online through the company's website, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The shirts and sweatshirts range in price from $20 to $27 and feature the words, “peace,” “love,” and “zen” with the Swastika symbol above – either in rainbow colors or in white against a rainbow color background. The swastika is otherwise exactly like the Nazi version, in its thickness, in facing to the right and in standing on one tip.
"Here at KA we explore boundaries. We push them forward. Let’s make the Swastika a symbol of Love and Peace. Together, we can succeed,” KA Design said on its website.
A promotional video for the shirts posted on the firm's Facebook page in mid-July has garnered 1.8 million views.
In the clip, the company said:
“This is the Swastika. It’s 5000 years old. It’s a symbol of peace, it’s a symbol of love, it’s a symbol of luck, it’s a symbol of infinity, it’s a symbol of life.
“But one day, Nazism. They took the Swastika, rotated it by 45 degrees, and turned it into Hatred, and turned it into Fear, and turned it into War, and turned it into Racism and turned it into Power, they stigmatized the Swastika forever.
“They won, they limited our freedom, or maybe not?
“The Swastika is coming back, together with Peace, together with Love, together with Respect, together with Freedom. Introducing the new Swastika.”
No word yet on how well the shirts are selling, although chances are it will be a hit with anti-Semites.
Comments on the video were mostly negative.
"You know what else use to be cool back in the day, slavery. Maybe we should throw a rainbow on some museums and remember the good ol days with a bunch of Uncle Tom's giving the tour", wrote Daniel Morales.
"Go to hell and burn with the Nazis", suggested Madison Weiss.
"Throw a rainbow on it. It is still the Symbol of destruction...mass murder and the people that tried to kill my Gdad, a US pilot. Maybe we can rainbow up the tattooed numbers on the encamped survivors. That will make it all better. Cause it's pretty, new," said Swiss Allen.
However, out of the 12,000 emoticon reactions, roughly 10,600 were positive – thumbs up, "love" and lols.


text:
- Alcatel 7 with 4000mAh battery and dual cameras announced; to cost around Rs. 12,500
- Alcatel 3V review: A budget-smartphone with 2K display
- Alcatel 5V announced with Face Unlock, dual rear cameras and more
- Alcatel 1 to be launched as one of the cheapest Android Go phones
- Alcatel 3V First impressions: Offers dual rear camera in budget
- Alcatel launches A310 Tablet series in India at Rs 11,999
Alcatel, as scheduled, has launched a new tablet in the Indian market. Dubbed as Alcatel POP4 10, the tablet comes with nifty features and specs and has basically been designed to cater to the needs of the consumers. Additionally, the company has also announced a special launch offer where the first 200 customers of the Alcatel POP 4 10 will be able to purchase the Alcatel KB9030 Bluetooth keyboard for just Re. 1.
Commenting on the launch, Praveen Valecha, Regional Director, Alcatel India said, "Premium design and high performance are two of the most sought-after features by a tablet user. This tablet is designed to cater to the requirements of our consumers featuring a wonderful 10.1 FHD display and providing an incredible 4G LTE network with Snapdragon 430 Octa-Core processor. I am sure the Indian consumer will love our latest offerings."
Adarsh Menon, Head of Electronics and Private Lables, Flipkart, said, "Larger screen tablet is a growing segment in India. With more and more media consumption on mobile devices, larger screen is gaining prominence. We are delighted to partner with Alcatel for the launch of POP 4 10. It a perfect blend of productivity and entertainment packed into one device."
While the company has a lot to say about the device, let's have a look at what the tablet has to offer.
Alcatel POP4 10 Specifications
Alcatel POP4 10 comes with a 10.1-inch full-HD (1920x1200 pixels) display. The tablet is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC which is paired with 2GB of RAM. The device offers 16GB of inbuilt storage and it is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
Talking about the cameras, Alcatel POP4 10 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and there is a 5-megapixel camera at the front. The device is backed by a 5830mAh battery and the company has claimed that the device will provide up to 30 hours of talk-time. Alcatel is also offering 5GB OnetouchCloud storage support with the device. As for the software, Alcatel POP4 10 tablet runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) out-of-the-box.
Connectivity Options and More
The single-SIM (Micro) device offers connectivity options like 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Alcatel POP4 10 measures 259.2x156x7.955mm and weighs in at 449 grams.
The device also comes with pre-installed learning app with NCERT books for all grades and it is available in English, Hindi, and Urdu which will be accessible offline.
Pricing and Availability
Alcatel POP4 10 is priced at Rs. 10,999. The tablet will be available for purchase exclusively via Flipkart starting February 16. It will come in Dark Grey and Silver color variants.


text:
The seventh day of the budget session was very rude. The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned twice due to the ruckus between the party and the opposition over Rahul Gandhi’s statement. When the proceedings started for the third time, both sides created a ruckus after which Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha till tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Central Government told in Parliament on Friday that under the One Country One Ration Card Scheme, a ration card will be implemented in the entire country from June 1. The scheme is currently implemented in 12 states. Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said in the Rajya Sabha in response to a supplementary question during the Question Hour that ‘One Country One Ration Card’ to facilitate those living below poverty line to take ration anywhere in the country The scheme will be implemented from June 1.
Paswan said that after the National Food Security Act came into force in 11 states in 2013, now all states have come under its purview. He said that in the next phase of this scheme, the government took the initiative to issue a single ration card for the entire country on January 1 in 12 states (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala Karnataka, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tripura Goa, Jharkhand And Madhya Pradesh).
He clarified that one country will not need a new card for a ration card. At the same time, Paswan cautioned against rumors of new cards being issued, saying that this is a game of middlemen, if the game is not stopped then the ministry will not back down from conducting a CBI inquiry.
Paswan said in response to another supplementary question that the ministry has set a target to implement one country one ration card across the country from June 1. Only the northeastern states are excluded from this deadline.
He said that under this scheme, due to the imperative to equip all ration shops with finger print identification machines (posh machines) and link the ration cards to Aadhaar, the northeastern states are exempted from this time limit.
Regarding the scheme of sending the price of food grains on ration card directly to the beneficiary’s bank account (DBT), Paswan said that the pilot project in three union territories (Puducherry, Chandigarh and Dadar Nagar Haveli) has not been completed. For this, he cited the Puducherry government’s unanimity as the main reason that ration card scheme cannot be linked to DBT without the consent of the state governments. That is why the government has focused only on implementing one country one ration card scheme.
Paswan said that where the state government gives consent, there will be distribution of cashless ration through DBT, where the state governments will not agree, they will wait there.