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Archive for the ‘Chip Miller’ tag
The documentary (which we previewed back in March) covers Carlisle Events co-founder Miller’s goal of finding and acquiring the Briggs Cunningham 1960 Le Mans class-winning Corvette, restoring it and taking it back to Le Mans, as well as Miller’s battle with amyloidosis, the disease that claimed his life in 2004. Tickets are currently on sale online for $15 or may be purchased at the door for $22. A portion of each ticket sale will go to the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation for its efforts in aiding research and awareness of amyloidosis.
The following day, August 26, marks the start of Corvettes at Carlisle 2011 at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. This year, one of the Northeast’s best-known Corvette gatherings will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
In recognition of the event’s 30th, General Motors announced Carlisle Blue Metallic as a color option for 2012 Corvettes. Event goers will get to see the new shade of Corvettes parked on the Carlisle Fun Field. The Carlisle Blue car will also be part of the downtown Corvette parade, Saturday night, August 27.
You can even raise a glass to Corvettes at Carlisle with the event’s signature beer. Market Cross Pub & Brewery will brew and brand a special batch of beer called Carlisle Blue Brew that will be available starting August 25 and remain on tap throughout Corvettes at Carlisle. Don’t worry, the beer won’t be blue; it’s a pale ale.
Pictured at Le Mans, on the left, the 2010 C6R #63 driven in the GT2 class by Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen, and Antonio Garcia; on the right, the 2010 C6R #64 driven in GT2 class by Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Emmanuel Collard; and in the center, the Team Cunningham 1960 Corvette driven by Bob Grossman and John Fitch that finished first in GT at Le Mans in 1960. 1960 marked the first year that Corvettes competed at Le Mans.
Photos by Michael Brown
If you read any of the Hemmings titles, you have to know that one of our world’s most faithful friends was the late Chip Miller. He was co-founder of the Carlisle franchise, and just may be the most committed Corvette collector of all time. The story of his quest to get a landmark racing Chevrolet back to Le Mans has been documented in a film that will make its world debut, appropriately, in Carlisle.
The story arc that surmounts The Quest is the Corvette’s class win at Le Mans in 1960, the car being part of a team fielded by Briggs Cunningham. More specifically, it discusses Miller’s determined effort to locate the car, restore it to its race condition and return it to Le Mans in time for the Corvette triumph’s 50th anniversary. Regrettably, Chip didn’t live to see it. His son, Lance, completed the project in conjunction with John Fitch, who teamed with Bob Grossman to race the car in 1960. Filmmaker Michael Brown, himself a Corvette collector of note, produced the Oscar-nominated documentary Deliver Us From Evil. The premiere of The Quest is set for May 6 at the Carlisle Theater in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with proceeds earmarked to combat amyloidosis, the disorder that claimed Chip Miller. For information, visit www.questdocumentary.com, or see the trailer below.
With the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction coming up fast, many of the featured lots are beginning to spool up interest in anticipation of the big show. One that we recently learned of is a ’73 Corvette coupe being offered to raise funds for the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation. Miller’s name is familiar to many auto enthusiasts as he was one of the founders of Carlisle Events in Pennsylvania, along with partner Bill Miller. Chip Miller passed away in 2004 as a result of the disease amyloidosis; the foundation was then created to help raise awareness of the relatively little-known disease in an effort to foster earlier diagnosis, which, in turn, can affect better treatment outcomes.
The Foundation also works to raise money for educational and research purposes, and last year auctioned a 1974 Corvette at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale sale, yielding $47,000 for amyloidosis research. The success of that sale has led to a follow-up for 2011 with the ’73 Stingray coupe, which was donated by San Diego Classic and Muscle Cars of Escondido, California.
Glowing in brilliant Mille Miglia Red, the coupe features the L48 350 engine, which is said to be numbers-matching, along with an automatic transmission. Inside is a black interior with tilt/telescoping steering, power windows and a set of the original T-top storage bags.
The ’73 model is often referred to as the “transition year,” thanks to the first appearance of the deformable front fascia, which was combined with the carryover tail treatment that retained chrome bumpers. This was the only model year to feature this arrangement, as the ’74 Corvette received a soft rear fascia to match the front, both coming in response to the 5 MPH federal bumper mandates of the time.
Winning the bid on the ’73 Corvette will also yield a goodie bag containing a set of new custom floor mats and a copy of the second edition of the Corvette Bible, authored by Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks. As well, the winning bidder will receive two passes to the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant and four passes to the National Corvette Museum, in addition to a season pass to Carlisle Events.
The lot number for the featured Corvette is 413, and it is scheduled to roll onto the block at approximately 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19.
One of the most loyal Corvette enthusiasts, Chip Miller, died from a rare disease called amyloidosis in 2004. Chip was a partner in Carlisle Events and had the foresight to buy old Corvettes in the early 1970s, when not many others wanted them. He was involved at every level in the Corvette hobby.
So, a bunch of folks got together November 11, and held the 1st Annual Corvettes for Chip event in historic Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The Corvette Club of Northern Delaware and the Keystone State Corvette Club co-hosted the event with all proceeds going to the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation. The foundation was formed to raise money for the research, education and awareness of amyloidosis, which is a disorder characterized by the deposits of amyloid in body organs. The heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract are the areas most affected.
This event raised more than $2,500 from the 18 Corvette clubs that showed their support. More than 170 Corvettes and hundreds of attendees were on hand.
Chip’s interest in automobiles began when, as a child, he saw a magazine in a gutter with a custom car on the cover and he soon became fascinated with Corvettes after seeing an ad for a new 1957 model.
(This post originally appeared in the November 22, 2007, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)
It’s that time of August again when the Corvette shows start happening and one of the biggest and best is Corvettes at Carlisle. Carlisle co-founder Chip Miller, who died four years ago, was a major Corvette fanatic and his name lives on with this event from August 24 through August 26 at the Carlisle Fairgrounds off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
This year’s event is jam-packed with everything for the Corvette fan. The popular burnout competition will be held Saturday, there is a Corvette-only auction being run by Carlisle Events, the infield will be full of beautiful cars from 1953 through 2008 and Corvette Chief Engineer Tom Wallace and his staff will conduct a seminar on Corvettes you won’t want to miss.
The celebrity judging will take place once again this year with media representatives and others in the Corvette world judging cars as their favorites. Also on hand will be a large collection of 1957 Corvettes as Carlisle celebrates that car’s 50th anniversary. The owners of Callaway Corvettes also will be celebrating that car’s 20th anniversary.
Reeves Callaway built his first special Corvette in 1987 and continues in business today with some of the fastest and best-handling cars on the planet. And near Gate 1, the National Corvette Restorers Society will feature many beautiful and accurately restored Corvettes from all model years. Don’t miss it.
For more information on the Corvette-only auction, call 717-243-7855 ext. 167 or go to www.CarlisleAuctions.com.
(This post originally appeared in the August 16, 2007, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)
Among the offerings at the Spring Carlisle auction next month will be this ultra-rare 1966 427/450 coupe from Chip Miller’s collection.
photo courtesy Carlisle Auctions
Everybody loves auctions, especially finding out who paid what and who got the best deal. Problem is, most of the cars for sale have changed hands more than you change socks in a week. Not so for several cars up for auction at Spring Carlisle 2006 next month.
You see, several of Chip Miller’s personal cars are being sold at the auction at the new Carlisle Expo Center from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Friday, April 21, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. About 260 vehicles are slated for sale. For example, Chip bought a 427-450hp 1966 Corvette coupe in 1975, and kept it. This car is one of the very rare cars with a 450hp label on the air cleaner. Chip died at age 61 in March 2004, from complications related to amyloidosis.
That coupe, along with a 1963 Sebring Silver split-window coupe from Chip’s collection, will be sold. Others being auctioned, but not from his collection, include a red-on-red 1970 GTO Judge, a 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe with just 3,592 miles and a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible, reportedly a one of one Detroit Auto Show car with a 440 Six Pack. Other muscle includes a Verdero Green 1969 Judge hardtop, a red 1969.5 Dodge Super Bee Six Pack with a lift-off hood and another 1969 Super Bee, this one a Hemi and one of 38 known with a four-speed.
For more information go to www.carlisleauctions.com
(This post originally appeared in the March 9, 2006, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)
Beginning at Spring Carlisle 2006, April 20-23, there will be a high-end collector car auction with antique and special interest vehicles, said Carlisle spokesman Brad Adcock.
The inaugural Carlisle Collector Car Auction will be held Friday, April 21, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the annual Spring Carlisle event. The auction will take place in the new Carlisle Expo Center, located one block from the fairgrounds. The Expo Center, a $2-million addition to the Carlisle Events family, opened in October 2005. The 30,000-square-foot facility can accommodate up to 7,000 spectators.
Carlisle Events CEO John Detrick is proud of the new auction. “Not only is the spring show one of the premier events at Carlisle, and in this hobby, but now we have this world-class auto auction to add another dimension to an already power-packed weekend.”
Detrick added there will be classic cars, motorcycles, cars from the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. Early entries consigned to the event include several from Chip Miller’s personal collection. Chip, along with Bill Miller, no relation, founded Carlisle events in 1974.
Those cars include a 1955 Bel Air convertible, 1963 Buick Rivera, 1963 Corvette coupe, 1967 Dodge Coronet, 1971 Ford Torino GT and a 1987 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. From his son Lance’s collection comes a red 1994 Porsche Turbo, 1963 Impala and 1956 Chrysler Windsor. For more details call 717-243-7855 or go to www.carsatcarlisle.com or www.carlisleevents.com,Carlisle holds 11 collector car, truck and motorcycle events annually.
(This post originally appeared in the December 15, 2005, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)


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March new home sales in March totaled 621k, 37k more than expected and up from 587k in February which was revised down by 5k. The 621k is just 1k from matching the peak in this cycle but still has progress to make to get back to the 25 year average of 715k. Home sales out West led the way. The median home price was up by 1.2% and months’ supply fell to 5.2 from 5.4 but is around the long term average of around 6 months unlike what is seen with existing homes. From a price perspective, most of the new homes again were those priced above $300,000 but we did see a pick up in homes sold priced below $150k. This is the area of the market that can most entice the cash strapped first time buyer from renting but is also the least profitable for builders.
Bottom line, the spring selling season has had a pretty good start notwithstanding higher mortgage rates y/o/y in March. Looking at April mortgage applications so far has purchases though about flat y/o/y. I’ll say the industry continues to play catch up and the rise in rates hasn’t had that much of an impact. That said, this all comes in the context of a homeownership rate that is still hovering around 60 year lows. Rent increases of 4-5% continues to be matched by home price gains at a similar pace with both rising twice the rate of consumer price inflation. Builder stocks are down by 1% but mostly off the Pulte earnings news. Pulte though was positive in the earnings release saying this: “Buying interest during the spring selling season of 2017 has been high and points to the ongoing strength in recovery for the housing industry.” The market didn’t like the slowdown in their order rates and drop in gross margin.
The April Conference Board Consumer Confidence index fell 4.6 pts to 120.3 and that was 2 pts below the forecast. This though does come after a nearly 9 pts rise in March. Both the Present Situation and Expectation components were down as was confidence in business conditions. Those that said jobs were Plentiful fell 1 pt but after a 5 pt jump last month. Those that said jobs were Hard To Get were little changed. Disappointingly there was a 3.2 pt drop in those expecting an Increase in Income which completely gives back the March rise.
Buying intentions were mixed. Those that plan to buy a car/truck within 6 months did improve by .4 pts to the best since 2012. We’ll see if that shows up in the auto data which has seen the opposite trend. Those that plan to buy a home fell .4 pts to a 3 month low. Those that plan to purchase a major appliance was higher by 1.1 pts to the most since January 2016. Lastly, one year inflation expectations stayed the same at 4.7%.
The Conference Board’s bottom line is that “Despite April’s decline, consumers remain confident that the economy will continue to expand in the months ahead.”
My bottom line is confidence continues to be buoyed by post election hopes for tax and regulatory reform which we will get in some form. However, the confidence increase has yet to show up in any of the consumer spending data in the aggregate where we might see a decline in real spending in Q1. As I’ve said many times, don’t take this data to mean anything about what’s to come in the future as its really only a snapshot of how people feel today.

domain: news


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With all the gloom surrounding the market these days, it's refreshing to see that things may not be so bad for some companies. In wireless software maker Smith Micro's
Smith Micro has been in an acquisitive mood, recently buying the mobility division of prime competitor PCTEL. The acquisitions boosted expenses in 2007, eating into operating income, which came in at $4.25 million for 2007, less than half the level of 2006.
This trend of declining income -- even in the face of rising revenue from acquisitions -- caused Smith Micro's stock to fall 70% in the six months leading up to earnings day. The company's outlook for revenue growth of $95 million to $105 million for 2008 helped buyers come back, though, and the stock jumped almost 30% on Thursday.
One beef investors have always had is Smith Micro's high dependence on revenue from prime customer Verizon Wireless -- a joint venture of Verizon Communications
Smith Micro's operating margins will continue to be hampered by integration, because of mergers and development work on new contracts in the first half of 2008. But management expects 30% operating margins to return in the back half of the year, and it's optimistic about the benefits the acquisitions bring.
If Smith Micro can indeed hit its operating goals and realize the benefits of the mergers, the financials would certainly sparkle. Investors need to keep in mind, however, that significant differences exist between Smith Micro's GAAP and non-GAAP numbers, and dilution with the mergers and stock options is significant (the share base increased nearly 23% in 2007). Even taken together, the company has a shot at significant growth and cash flow in the coming year.
For more Foolishness:
The Motley Fool Inside Value service looks for companies like Sprint Nextel and Best Buy that trade below intrinsic value. To see what other companies the analyst team has picked, take a free 30-day trial.
Fool contributor Dave Mock has never come face to face with a shark and is just fine with that. He owns no shares of companies mentioned here. He is the author of The Qualcomm Equation. Sprint Nextel and Best Buy are Inside Value recommendations. Best Buy and Amazon.com are Stock Advisor recommendations. The Fool's disclosure policy hails from the cabbage patch.


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CVC, which bought the company from Ford in 2002 in a £330 million deal, has sold the business to Speedy 1, a company controlled by French equity firm PAI Partners, for £800 million.
A PAI spokeswoman said: ‘It is early days yet but we see growth potential across Europe, particularly in the UK and Germany, and for fleets it will be business as usual as both head office and the management team stay the same.’
The deal is still subject to certain regulatory and other approvals.
CVC partner Rob Lucas said: ‘Kwik-Fit has been an excellent investment for CVC. Since our acquisition in 2002, the company has been transformed and is now delivering substantially improved financial performance. Kwik-Fit is well positioned for its next phase of growth.’
PAI partner Hamish Mackenzie said: ‘Kwik-Fit has exceptional brand recognition in its key markets and benefits from significant growth prospects as a market leader. The company enjoys a high reputation for trust, reliability and value for money; PAI intends to support the management team to further strengthen Kwik-Fit’s leading positions in the fast-fit European market.’
Kwik-Fit, which was launched in 1971, has more than 1,900 outlets across the UK, Netherlands, France and Germany and employs 11,000 staff. Its turnover last year was £854 million.
It trades as Speedy in France and the Netherlands and as Pit-Stop in Germany. PAI is a European private equity form with offices in Paris, London, Madrid and Milan, specialising in managing and advising on buyout funds.


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Online Casino Companies Sold Around the World
The latest news of a purchase of one online casino company by another, this time involving an online casino software company, keep coming in with every week that passes. What has changed over past several months, perhaps as much as a year, is that the purchases are international, between online casino companies in different countries, and typically with similar motivation, to stretch and serve new markets internationally, in different countries and continents.
This time a Canadian online casino software provider signed a three year deal that will tie it with a Dutch online casino company in the Netherlands, serving it with its software. The case in which an online casino site is launched and will serve a certain country, and yet adopt elements provided by companies located outside that country, show how international the online casino industry is, even when the motivation is to keep the entire operation within certain geographical and political borders.
The online casino software was further motivated to seek such international markets and operations ever since the United States, formerly the largest market for online casino gambling, closed its doors to any such activities. Entirely on the opposite polar from the USA is Holland, where a government controlled online casino market is the standard. For online casino software companies it is a much more comfortable situation to enter, as no unexpected behavior from the government is likely to come in the near future. “We have an excellent template,” said Chief Executive Officer of the online casino software provider, “for other governments interested in realizing the benefits of safe, secure and regulated Internet gaming.” Such opportunities are indeed a blessing for the online casino industry, keeping companies in business and players in games, as is made possible in this globalized, internationalized world we live in.


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A Twitter account called Incentive $1200 is currently tracking the value of the first $1200 incentive if you invest in bitcoin when the funds are released since the 15th. April 2020 have been sent.
The passage of the first $1,200 stimulus bill in April coincided with a huge bull market in cryptocurrencies and equity markets.
The 15th. In April, bitcoin was at $6,848, and if you put in a premium of $1,200, it would now be worth $10,211, at the current price of about $56,000. The return on investment is 751%.
You’d have over $10,000 if you bought #bitcoins with your incentive check.
Visit https://t.co/jckMs158A2 for live updates pic.twitter.com/TXp2HnOpEc
– A $1200 incentive is worth it now (@BitcoinStimulus) March 10, 2021
And if for some reason you missed the opportunity to invest the first incentive check in bitcoin, the second incentive check of $600, which will be issued in late December, would still provide a decent return. If you used bitcoins on January 1 at a price of about $29,000, that $600 investment would now be worth about $1,160, or a 93% return.
A third stimulus package is on the way after the US Senate vote on the 6th. In March, it approved the launch of a $1.9 trillion bailout package that will pay $1,400 to Americans who qualify.
To make the same profit with the third stimulus, the price of bitcoin must rise significantly. If you wanted a repeat return of 751%, the price of bitcoin would have to reach $476,000. With a return of 93%, bitcoin will reach $108,000.
In the short term, many institutions believe that bitcoin could pass the $100,000 mark by 2021. Earlier in January, Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, head of strategy at JPMorgan Chase, said bitcoin could reach $146,000 or more by the end of 2021, as he expects bitcoin to surpass gold as a long-term hedge and store of value for investors.
According to Grayscale Investments’ June-July 2020 study, COVID-19 has increased investor interest in bitcoin. The company surveyed 1,000 investors between the ages of 25 and 64 with personal investments of $10,000 or more.
The survey found that the pandemic affected the decisions of 63% of respondents who invested in bitcoin in the past four months.
The catch is that you get your first reminder on the 15th. April in Ethereum would have outperformed your Bitcoin counterparts. If you invested $1200 in Ethereum back then, you would have received 7.5 Ether, which is worth about $13,500 at today’s prices, an increase of 1025%.
frequently asked questions
How much money would you have if you invested in Bitcoin?
If you invest $100, you can buy about 1,000 bitcoins. On the Thursday he broke his record, those 1,000 bitcoins would have been worth over $48 million, not counting compound interest and assuming you bought and held that asset all along.
Can I invest $10 in bitcoins?
You can buy almost any amount, even $10. Most bitcoin exchanges set a minimum order amount, and in cases where $10 is less than that limit, you can buy that amount of bitcoins from a friend who has a certain amount. When it comes to making money, the key is to be consistent.
Will the value of bitcoin rise again?
Because bitcoin is so powerful and has so much potential, the expected value and perceived growth of bitcoin could be astronomical. Speculations from crypto analysts and industry experts suggest that the long-term value of bitcoin could exceed $100,000 to $1 million per BTC in the future.
how much are bitcoins worth,bitcoin,bitcoin stock price,bitcoin news today,Feedback,Privacy settings,How Search works


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Tag Archives: children
The Toys for Tots campaign had been helping give toys to less fortunate children since 1947.
USO centers are lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families. At more than 160 locations worldwide the USO provides a home away from home for troops and their families. Last year alone, USO centers were visited 8 million …
Many airmen carry precious cargo everyday: their kids. And you might be surprised how many people aren’t doing it correctly. Car seats are an important safety standard when transporting kids, but there are a surprisingly high number of people who …


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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. - Frozen fruit pulp imported from Guatemala was implicated in an outbreak of typhoid fever here that may have affected 15 people in the South Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Pinellas.
Twelve cases were confirmed; three cases are waiting confirmation from the state laboratory. The patients ranged in age from 3 to 55 years old; all were hospitalized for treatment with good outcomes. Some continued treatment with outpatient antibiotics. The strain of Salmonella Typhi was the same in 11 cases tested by pulse-field gel electrophoresis, said Mary Jo Trepka, MD, MSPH, an epidemiologist with the Miami-Dade County Health Department.
Typhoid fever is rare in the United States; fewer than 400 cases occur each year, according to surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Trepka said that Miami-Dade County usually experiences 10 or fewer cases a year among its 2.1 million people. These usually occur among people who have traveled to a developing country. Miami-Dade County encompasses Miami and the surrounding areas.
"All of a sudden we had six cases within one month, and no one had been outside of the country," she explained. This triggered an epidemiological investigation that began with interviews to look for a common source. Salmonella Typhi is usually spread through contaminated water or food.
In the first several rounds of interviews, no common source was found. Finally, several people mentioned drinking mamey shakes. Mamey is a tropical fruit with a soft and smooth pink to red pulp. It is an ingredient in a popular frothy, tropical drink. "Mamey shakes are made by mixing mamey, often frozen mamey, with milk and ice or ice cream," she explained.
The researchers did a matched case-control study interviewing four controls for each patient. When required, because most of the study participants were Hispanic, the interviews were conducted in Spanish. "The only food item associated with Typhoid fever was the frozen mamey," said Trepka. The odds ratio was 8.4 and was statistically significant, she said.
The epidemiologists looked at where the drinks were consumed and found they were consumed in several restaurants as well as homes. Epidemiologists found El Sembrador brand frozen mamey in the freezers of the victims and in all the restaurants where some of the patients ate this product. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Department of Health collected samples of frozen mamey for laboratory analysis; results are pending.
The FDA issued a warning to consumers not to eat El Sembrador brand frozen mamey from Guatemala or drinks made from El Sembrador brand frozen mamey due to the outbreak in South Florida The FDA said its warning was based on epidemiological data in the South Florida cases that showed a strong link between eating frozen mamey and getting typhoid fever.
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection that causes persistent and high fever, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite and fatigue. Trepka said that the incubation period is generally one to two weeks after exposure, but cases can occur up to 60 days after exposure, so a few more cases might be found.
The FDA is continuing its traceback investigation to find the source and distribution of the frozen mamey products linked to the illnesses.
Typhoid fever in the United States is a rare illness most often acquired by traveling in developing countries. The illness is most often acquired by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water or beverages.
You can express your views on this article, or other relevant themes, in the Infectious Diseases in Children Specialty Forums.


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Post Office closure blow for Selkirk
ONE of Selkirk's oldest businesses is set to close next month.
The Station Road Post Office has been trading for around a century - just yards from the town's former railways station.
But current sub-postmaster, Derek Wood, has decided to pull down the shutters for good.
The businessman has been behind the counter of the Post Office and newsagents for 19 years.
And, according to one local councillor, he will be sorely missed.
Gordon Edgar told us: "Derek is really popular with all of his customers and it will be a shame to see him go.
"It's also disappointing to see the Post Office go as it is in the perfect location and caters for the bottom end of Selkirk - there's plenty of parking and it is handy for so many people."
Derek will close his corner shop on Saturday, October 13.
Post Office bosses say that they will attempt to find an alternative service.
A spokesperson said: "Due to the imminent retirement of the subpostmaster at Selkirk, Post Office Ltd would like to reassure its customers that we are currently exploring a number of options so that we can continue to provide a service in the area.
"In the meantime, customers can access Post Office services at the main Selkirk Post Office in the High Street. "
Border Telegraph Poll
Do you think community councillors should support plans to spend £5,500 on a new lamp post in Galashiels to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? See this week's Border Telegraph for more details.
This Poll is now closed.


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Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
ValueClick Buys Greystripe
ValueClick has taken a reported $75 million plunge into the mobile advertising business with the acquisition of mobile ad network Greystripe according to TechCrunch’s Mike Arrington. He writes, “Greystripe has raised $18.1 million in funding to date over four rounds. They have a direct sales force that sells rich mobile ads directly to brands, and are on pace to bring in $25 million – $30 million in revenue this year, with about $6 million in gross profit.” Read more.
Mobile And Privacy
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Apple and Google were using mobile data without users’ permission in their mobile operating systems. Read it. In a follow-up piece, Google defended itself against claims that it’s sucking down mobile data in its Android mobile operating system without a user’s permission. According to the article, “A Google spokesman said ‘all location sharing on Android is opt-in by the user.'” The WSJ article then says, “However, this definition of ‘opt-in’ doesn’t mean the system is off by default for people who use the typical Android set-up.” Read what the WSJ means. Finally, the WSJ’s Robert Lee Hotz pens a detailed “What They Know” piece titled, “The Really Smart Phone,” and looks at the different types of data coming out of smartphones. Read it.
TellApart Seeing RTB Results
Online ad retargeter TellApart is seeing its real-time bidding-enabled, buying efforts yielding big results according to a new DoubleClick Ad Exchange case study which reads: “[TellApart]’s pay-per-conversion business model is adding as much as 8% in total revenue growth for top e-retail sites like Diapers.com, eBags, Drugstore.com, CafePress, Hayneedle and more.” In confirming the case study’s findings with AdExchanger.com, TellApart CEO Josh McFarland claimed that his company is one of the top five bidders on the DoubleClick Ad Exchange.Download it (PDF).
On ClickZ, Tessa Wegert examines the do’s and don’t’s of the local ad business and writes, “When it comes to advertising on local content sites and planning campaigns on group buying services, a single rule can be applied to both: use special offers to lure new customers, but rely on CRM to keep them.” She makes clear it’s not all about placement – read more.
More On Cloud Outage
Amazon EC2 cloud service outages stretched into Friday as an AdExchanger.com editorial staffer found himself unable to check-in on Foursquare when “researching” some local NYC fare. Meanwhile, on their company’s development blog, B2B audience marketing company, Bizo, explained how it survived late last week in spite of what looks to be long odds: “Bizo’s infrastructure is 100% AWS (Amazon Web Services) and we support 1000s of publisher sites (including some very well know business sites) doing billions of impressions a month. Sure, we had a few bruises early yesterday morning when the outage first began, but …” Read more. On O’Reilly Community blog, George Reese says, “These kinds of failures don’t expose the weaknesses of the cloud—they expose why the cloud is so important.” Many of the commenters on his post seem to disagree. Read it.
Data Drives Productivity
In a piece titled, “When There’s No Such Thing as Too Much Information,” The New York Times’ Steve Lohr says that “big data” is a good thing and data-driven decisions can actually help companies’ productivity. He offers IBM as an example: “I.B.M. alone says it has spent $14 billion on 25 companies that focus on data analytics. That business now employs 8,000 consultants and 200 mathematicians. I.B.M. said last week that it expected its analytics business to grow to $16 billion by 2015.” Read it. Along those lines, need a big data infographic? – try Nieman Journalism Lab, see a video of a new data-driven tool by the NY Times R&D team using Twitter feeds.
Marketing To Ad Agencies
Dierdra Teodorczuk offers her thoughts on how to successfully market to ad agencies. As it turns out, her efforts to network during a recent Advertising Week did not do the trick. Instead, she turned to eBay and “a flier advertising an eBay auction for meetings with ad-agency CEOs to benefit The New York Advertising Club’s foundation.” She adds “I almost didn’t take it. I owe a big thank you to the woman who handed it to me. After researching the prizes, I started bidding. A spirited contest ensued and I ended up winning five CEO meetings — not bad market penetration for $3,000.” Read more.
RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh Chahal joins this past weekend’s blogosphere buzz (Aol/TechCrunch’s Mike Arrington, vc Fred Wilson) on whether or not we’re in a “tech bubble” a la 1999 and 2000 and the whole ecosystem is running too flush with investor cash. Chahal is pessimistic, “What’s going on right now is just bad for the ecosystem. We’re breeding a very different type of entrepreneur. We can’t train entrepreneurs to think this way; its bad for innovation and just doesn’t work in the long run.” Read more.
ClickZ’s Kate Kaye reports that Microsoft has filled the top global ad exec role vacated by Carolyn Everson when she left the company to take a similar role at Facebook. Frank Holland, previously Microsoft’s corporate vp of operations, gets the job. Read it.
Adap.tv Adding Publishers
Online video marketplace and platform provider, Adap.tv, announced a deal with Intergi’s online video platform, Playwire, which will now be plugged into buyers in Adap.tv’s Marketplace. According to the release, with the deal, Adap.tv’s video ad Marketplace reaches “4,200 premium sites and 60 million monthly users.” Read more.
Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution
Marketing maven Seth Godin says on his personal blog that there is a revolution afoot as “The exchange of information creates ever more value, while commodity products are ever cheaper. It takes fewer employees to generate more value, make more noise and impact more people.” He thinks there’s opportunity for anyone – with a few caveats. Read it.
But Wait. There’s More!
- Foursquare Seeks New Round At $500 Million Valuation – The Business Insider
- In a Data-Heavy Society, Being Defined by the Numbers – The New York Times


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Shopify is quietly fuelling India’s challenger brands. Now, it needs to nurture the ecosystem.
Independent brands across categories are relying in a big way on D2C websites built on Shopify’s SaaS platform, which automates almost all e-commerce functions for a monthly subscription. However, Shopify will eventually have to find ways to attract small, unorganised brands and expand its potential market to make the subscription model viable.
When the pandemic hit, Gurugram-based food company Slurrp Farm knew what to do. It was “newly digital” but its website was up and running, and it had begun selling via Amazon and Bigbasket, too. Largely dependent on offline so far, co-founder Shauravi Malik made an almost unthinkable decision – moving 50% of Slurrp Farm’s business online. Around 1,400km away, in Mumbai, Disha Singh was grappling with a serious question: “With the pandemic


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Spending on cloud technologies across EMEA is expected to exceed $4bn by the end of 2014, signaling a new high in market penetration as more customers embrace hosted environments .
The claim comes from an IDC survey which explores infrastructure hardware elements in different types of cloud environments such as on-premise, private and public.
Giorgio Nebuloni, research manager, IDC EMEA Enterprise Server Group, said the research revealed that cloud technologies were revolutionizing the way technology is adopted in commercial and consumer environments.
In 2013, 42% of cloud hardware spending was by public cloud environments, 38% by on-premises private clouds, and 20% by hosted dedicated private clouds. IDC is forecasting that in the coming years hosted private and public clouds will be the fastest growth areas.
Cloud penetration varies markedly by country, and is more advanced in Western Europe than in emerging EMEA markets.
In Northern Europe, hosted private and public cloud deployments have been accelerated over the past two years, driven by large multinational providers especially in business to consumer environments.
The IDC report, EMEA IT Infrastructure Hardware for Public and Private Cloud 2011–2018 Forecast, says that year-on-year cloud spend is slated at 19 percent with 15 percent of EMEA infrastructure spend attributed to cloud technologies.
This cloud infrastructure spend was only 8% in 2011 and predicted to grow to more than 22% by 2018.
Nebuloni added: “"The rise of cloud has triggered a revolution in the hardware market. While white-box and a few large OEMs fight to absorb the surge in demand for public cloud, most incumbent hardware players invest heavily in offerings enabling on-premises and hosted private cloud environments, such as integrated systems, high-end networks, and high-performance storage."


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(Special for CAFS) Angola, South Africa renew cooperation relations at Luanda's international trade fair
Contributed by NAMPA / Xinhua.
LUANDA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Angola and South Africa have strengthened cooperation relations in the commercial and economic domain, said Thursday the Ambassador of South Africa accredited to the country, Fannie Mfana Phakolo.
The South African diplomat made the statement to the press while visiting the exhibitions of the South African companies participating in the 34th edition of the International Trade Fair of Luanda (FILDA/2018).
Phakolo stressed that with the new laws on private investment an ...


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Sure, today’s products are shiny, but as soon as you take them out of the box these days, they’re out of date. So let’s look into the crystal ball to see what we can look forward to in the next 12 months when it comes to sexy smartphone tech. UPDATED!
Tegra 4 still on track for this year, but by next year it’s going to be dwarfed by the next generation, and shortly after that by what Nvidia’s calling a 100-fold improvement in power.
While we’re all waiting to play with tablets running on NVIDIA’s smokey quad-core (plus one) wonder, Wireless Goodness got its mitts on photos of the chip in the flesh.


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Additive Manufacturing Conference 2015: Record Crowds Discuss the Future of Industrial 3D PrintingMonday, October 26, 2015
Additive Manufacturing Conference (AMC) 2015 closed October 21st, 2015, in Knoxville, TN. The inaugural event featured more than 500 industrial professionals participating in technical sessions, professional networking and facility tours focused on 3D printing / additive manufacturing technologies.
Presented by Additive Manufacturing and Modern Machine Shop magazines, in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Local Motors, the two day technical conference included 25 expert speakers from global OEMs; leading additive manufacturing service bureaus; machinery suppliers; cutting-edge research outfits and product developers. In addition to technical insights on additive manufacturing technologies past and present, AMC speakers explored the future impact and potential applications of 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
The event also included an exhibition and networking room that hosted two gala receptions and featured more than 40 exhibitor displays. Exhibiting companies ranged from machinery and materials suppliers to contract manufacturers, and provided attendees a hands-on look at the equipment and services driving today’s industrial additive manufacturing production.
A unique AMC highlight was the opportunity to tour Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) and Local Motors’s Knoxville Microfactory. Participants were able to get an inside look at the innovative collaboration that produced the world’s first 3D-printed electric car and the replica Shelby Cobra that has been featured prominently in mainstream and trade media.
Presenter, Additive Manufacturing, opened and closed the event with exciting news about the future of its media brand. Publisher Travis Egan welcomed the 500 plus attendees by announcing the newly expanded, reformatted and redesigned Additive Manufacturing print and digital properties. Executive Director, Allison Miller, closed the event by announcing that Additive Manufacturing Conference 2016 would take place next September alongside the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2016 at Chicago, IL’s McCormick Place.
Full event details are available at AdditiveConference.com.


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Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The price per gallon for diesel fell 4.8 cents to $3.956 per gallon, falling 0.5 cents short of last week’s 5.3 cent drop, which was the steepest decline in almost five months.
Posted on 05/22 at 09:08 AM
Diesel Prices •
Monday, May 21, 2012
Recent data from TransCore noted that April marked the best single month volume output for the spot market, based on its TransCore’s DAT North American Freight Index, which reflects spot market freight availability on its network of load boards in the United States and Canada.
2011 marks the second year of double-digit growth for the SCM software market as supply chain investments kept their priority status and moved forward, despite caution from IT budget decision makers.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Carload volume—at 279,063—was down 5.2 percent annually, and intermodal at 238,980 trailers and containers—were up 3.1 percent annually
Posted on 05/18 at 10:12 AM
The Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said this week that it has set a December 3, 2012 deadline, which requires passenger air carriers to conduct 100 percent cargo screening on international inbound flights.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Class I railroad carrier Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said ahead of its annual shareholder meeting earlier today that Fred Green, president and CEO, has left the company. This move comes in the wake of a proxy vote by activist investor Bill Ackman, head of Pershing Square Capital Management, and the single largest CP shareholder with a 14.1 percent stake in the company.
April volumes at the Port of Long Beach (POLB) were down 13 percent annually, according to data released by the port this week.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
This marks the third consecutive year that supply chain concerns have increased, says BDO USA, a leading accounting and consulting organization
YRC Freight President Jeff Rogers said the decision to add drivers is due to the fact that “YRC Freight is growing and our volumes are building.”
Posted on 05/16 at 11:19 AM
YRC Worldwide •
YRC Freight •
At a time when truckload capacity remains fairly tight and is expected to remain that way, freight brokerages appear to be reaping the benefits. That was a central theme in a recent report issued by TransCore,


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Posted Wed Jun 12, 2013 at 09:00 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
"Due to low adoption of 3D at home."
Troubling news for fans of 3D and sports as ESPN has announced plans to shut down its ESPN 3D channel by the end of the year. The reasoning behind the decision leaves little to the imagination. ESPN banked heavily on the idea of capturing a new wave of 3D owners, but with "low adoption," the Disney-owned sports giant has made its 3D determination.
From Katina Arnold, ESPN PR, "ESPN 3D was great at home but due to low adoption of 3D to home, we are discontinuing to focus on other products for fans and affiliates."
One of the earliest boons of the recent 3D TV push was ESPN. ESPN 3D was launched with the last World Cup in June of 2010 but will not be around for a second 3D World Cup broadcast. In less than three years the network launched, moved to 24 hour 3D content, and was carried by major carriers such as Comcast, DirecTV, Verizon FIOS, and AT&T. Unfortunately for ESPN 3D, AT&T stopped carrying the channel back in 2011 citing high costs and low demands.
Of course, if demand for 3D content at home increased, say due to better than current 3D display methods, ESPN might hop right back on board. Before that happens though, it is likely that ESPN will pursue delivering Ultra HD broadcasts.
"ESPN 3D production (is) unmatched! As tech leader ESPN will continue to experiment with things like UHDTV.
Source: The Verge
Author: Brian Hoss
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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Remember when Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to sign on with the Everytown for Gun Safety crew and stop selling “assault rifles” in their stores? They didn’t just halt sales… they destroyed their stock rather than letting someone else sell it. They were clearly sending a message and that message was heard loud and clear in the hunting community. Their sales tanked almost immediately.
With that bit of history in mind, it’s not surprising to hear that they’re modifying their policies. But it’s not the sort of modification you might be imagining. Rather than conceding that their previous decision was tone deaf, the company is doubling down. They will now stop selling all firearms in more than 100 of their stores. (Ithaca Journal)
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced Tuesday it will remove firearms from 125 of its stores, according to news reports. The move follows the company’s ban on assault-style weapons last year in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
CEO Ed Stack said Tuesday that Dick’s will pull hunting gear from 125 stores starting in around August in response to its slumping sales in those stores, Bloomberg reported, a move that may spread to more stores next year…
Dick’s last year announced it would ban sales of assault-style weapons after the Parkland, Florida, school shooting and revelations that its shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had purchased a gun from a Dick’s store. The company also halted sales of high-capacity magazines and guns to anyone under 21 years old.
As the Daily Caller points out, CEO Ed Stack may not have lost all of his marbles entirely. There’s a strategy behind the choice to end firearm sales in these particular stores. They’re all located in specific markets where “hunting isn’t as popular” and, presumably, guns and the Second Amendment aren’t either. A list isn’t provided, but it’s probably safe to assume that these outlets are in the larger coastal cities.
It sounds as if Dick’s is hoping to lure more liberals into those stores by making a big show of removing all the guns. But that’s a seriously limited slice of the market, isn’t it? You’re trying to attract anti-gun liberals in cities who are also heavily into fishing, camping and hiking? (Yes, they sell some other sports equipment, but that’s the main thrust of their merchandise.) Are they going to also stop selling hunting licenses but continue to offer fishing licenses? This is a confused marketing program from the looks of it.
The problem is, Second Amendment advocates in general and hunters, in particular, tend to be a fairly media savvy group. And there’s a lot of crossover between the various sports. Hunters tend to fish and vice versa. They keep track of stories like this. So even if they find themselves in need of some fishing gear or a new tent, they might consider going to another store that isn’t making such a point about being anti-gun.
I still find this entire story arc really sad. I don’t know what got into Ed Stack’s head, but I personally always liked going to the Dick’s outlet near where I live. They had a wide variety of fishing lures, rods and related equipment. But I haven’t set foot in there since the gun ban began. I’m pretty confident that I’m not the only one around here either.


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Whatever you feel towards the upcoming Madden NFL 15 game releasing later this month, or American football in general, you have to watch this bizarre new trailer.
It features Kevin Hart and Dave Franco one upping each other as they prepare for the new football season, with musical numbers, giant megaphones and Franco's house burning down during a pool party. And there's some of the new game in there too, somewhere.
Madden NFL 15 will be released on August 29 in Europe and August 26 in North America, and features Richard Sherman as a cover star.
An advanced trial of the game will be part of EA's new subscription service for Xbox One.


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All updates to existing Play Store apps must now target Android 9 Pie
Back in late 2017, Google made a bold decision: force Android app developers to target newer API levels by adding new Play Store requirements. Google’s goals are to improve ecosystem security (by making sure apps abide by all privacy and permission-related platform changes) and encourage the adoption of new APIs (so users can enjoy new features on their phones.) On August 1st of each year, Google requires that all new apps submitted to the Play Store target the major API level introduced in the previous year. On November 1st of each year, Google extends this requirement to cover updates to existing apps. Thus, as of August 1st, 2019, all new Android apps uploaded to Google Play must target API level 28, or Android 9 Pie. Starting today, that same requirement now applies to app updates.
According to Google, Android 9 Pie was running on 22.6% of all Google Play certified devices in late August of this year. With the certification window for new Android 9 devices closing on January 31, 2020, the percentage of devices running API level 28 or higher is bound to get even bigger. With features like Adaptive Battery in Android 9 and Scoped Storage in Android 10, you’ll want to make sure that your existing app continues to work as intended, at the very least. Personally, I hope the new requirement pushes developers using the older FingerprintManager API to adopt BiometricPrompt so Pixel 4 owners can enjoy Face Unlock in all their apps.
There are a ton of new APIs and tweaks to existing APIs in both Android 9 and Android 10, so you may even be able to create an innovative new app or enhance an existing feature once you take a look through the documentation. Unfortunately, this requirement will likely lead to a few developers abandoning the development of their apps, as we saw when the API level requirement was incremented last year. You can’t really blame Google here as they not only gave plenty of time for developers to update their apps but they also have a valid reason to force developers to target newer API levels.


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The Game was recently in NYC to promote his upcoming album The Documentary 2, disc 1 of which comes out October 9. Yesterday, he released a new single ‘Standing On Ferraris‘ featuring Diddy but there’s another disc that hits stores a week later on October 16th which will also feature 19 songs.
Game was a guest on Ear Candy Mornings show with Renada Romain on Sirius where he talked about the album, working with so many guests, his past beef with 50 Cent (says he’s a fan of his ‘Power’ show) and G-Unit, taking Drake to Compton for the first time, and guest appearances on disc 2 of the album, the track list of which is yet to be revealed.
Game announces that Nas, Lil Wayne and YG are some of the featured guests on the second disc. Watch the full interview below.
Discussion about this post


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HIALEAH (CBSMiami) – Attorney General Ashley Moody is hoping to make it a lot harder for organized retail theft rings to operate in the state. She joined local leaders in Hialeah Tuesday to push for new laws that will help prosecutors mount charges against criminals involved in such crimes.
"What it does is it adds another way for a prosecutor on multi-jurisdictional prosecution to go after folks. So, instead of just using a dollar amount which is sometimes very difficult if you're hitting multiple stores in multiple jurisdictions within a short amount of time, we can prosecute that as organized retail theft," State Attorney General Ashley Moody said.
The move comes one month after Moody launched a statewide task force of police agencies, prosecutors and business representatives targeting organized retail theft.
Moody said in December the task force will focus on organized criminal schemes that can result in major losses by helping to spot trends, identify suspects and take down massive, organized retail theft rings.
The interactive database, called Florida Organized Retail Crime Exchange (FORCE), creates a space for shareable, searchable information on thousands of incidents of theft statewide.
"So, you can put the pieces of the puzzle together and you realize one theft wasn't one theft that one theft was one of a hundred thefts," Scott Shalley, Florida Retail Federation said.
Shalley also expressed that organized crime rings are getting more violent, and often lure minors to commit crimes. That's why he thinks the laws must change.
"One in five Floridian works in retail, retail is one of the primary foundations of our economy and when they're stolen from prices go up, we don't our employees to be vulnerable," he added.
Through the T-FORCE database, retailers will have the ability to upload data about recent retail theft occurrences. Data, such as items stolen, suspect description, method of operation and vehicle identification organized in T-FORCE, will make it easier to identify a nexus among seemingly single-incident thefts and could lead to organizational charges and increased penalties. Once information is uploaded, other retailers and law enforcement agencies will have access to the information, providing a greater ability to link related crimes and perpetrators.
Seventy percent of store owners across the nation have reported an increase in crime, according to Moody.
According to the National Retail Federation, organized retail theft costs businesses in Florida and across the United States an estimated $30 billion every year. Since taking office in 2019, Attorney General Moody's OSP has filed nearly 60 cases involving more than 250 individuals suspected of organized retail theft or crimes related to organized retail theft. FORCE will help bolster these ongoing efforts.
The new proposal underway could make penalties stiffer, but that's not a guarantee.
"With mounting charges is there going to be mounting penalties, and so that's one of the things that we will hash out," Alex Rizo, 110th District (R) said.
Leaders hope the bill will make it out of committee and for it to be introduced within the first two weeks of the new session.
for more features.


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Darren Adam 1am - 4am
Puppy dies of heart attack after 'being scared by fireworks'
4 November 2019, 15:51
A puppy has died of a heart attack after being frightened by fireworks, as forty per cent of owners claim their pet is scared of Bonfire night, pet charity PDSA says.
Pet owner Susan Paterson posted on Facebook about Molly, her 18-week-old terrier, who "died of fright" due to "loud bangs" going off in the Wombwell and Darfield area in South Yorkshire.
"Please think of the animals. Molly was only 18 weeks old and died of FRIGHT caused by fireworks," she wrote.
The post was inundated with support from social media users, and another heartbroken pet owner commented that her rabbit had also been "scared to death" by fireworks.
Ms Paterson has shared a petition on Facebook that has been signed by almost 600,000 people. It calls for an "urgent review of firework regulations to further restrict their use, as a step to preventing needless animal suffering."
The RSPCA's #BangOutOfOrder campaign also calls for regulations to be changed to protect animal welfare.
The charity says it received 411 calls on Bonfire Night from concerned pet owners in 2018. It says 62 per cent of dogs show signs of distress during fireworks, 54 per cent of cats and 55 per cent of horses.
It also says farm animals are "easily frightened" by loud noises and sudden flashes of bright light, which can "startle and cause them to injure themselves on fencing and farm equipment".
Last month Sainsbury's was widely congratulated by animal welfare groups for becoming the first major British retailer to stop selling fireworks this year.
A spokesperson for the Dogs Trust said: "We congratulate Sainsbury's on their decision not to sell fireworks this year and would encourage others to do the same."
In parts of Europe, quiet fireworks displays have grown increasingly common. One town in Italy, Collecchio, passed a law in 2015 that all fireworks displays must be quiet.
🎇 Not everyone's pets struggle with fireworks, but many think they're #BangOutOfOrder. If you're holding a display, please tell local people so they can take the necessary steps to try and prep their pets. Find out how to make displays less frightening https://t.co/0upmaG8zFi pic.twitter.com/Rsc7n4MvAp— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) November 4, 2019
Medivet UK issued the following advice for pet owners on Bonfire Night:
1) Create a safe space for your pet – but don’t confine them as this can stress them even more ·
2) Provide plenty of hiding places - under the bed, or behind the sofa for example.
3) Walk your animals early – gradually change the routine a week before fireworks begin
4) Consider bringing hutches and runs indoors – whether in the house, garage or shed, this will help create a solid noise barrier. If you’re unable to bring them inside, lay a few thick blankets over their hutch to help muffle the bangs.
5) Close windows, curtains and blinds – both muffling noise and stopping them fleeing
6) Provide extra bedding – rabbits and some other exotics burrow when scared
7) Stay at home – your presence alone will help soothe your pet
8) Turn up the radio/TV – this provides a mask to the noise and a familiar sound to reassure them
9) Give them a treat – whether stimulating toys or a tasty treat, reward their bravery
10) Invest in a pheromone adaptor – place a few throughout the home to help calm your pet’s nerves (ask your vet for the best option for your pet)
"Ensuring cats and dogs are microchipped, just in case they escape, is crucial," according to Medivet’s veterinary expert Dr Gareth Richardson, Head of Clinical Standards.
"With a microchip, owners have the best chance of being reunited with their pet," he said.
"For us fireworks inspire joy and wonder, but for pets it’s often the opposite. Realise the specific needs of your pet and do what’s best for them, he added.


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SAN FRANCISCO - Netflix, the world's largest subscription streaming service, projected better-than-expected subscriber growth and said it may change prices to reduce account sharing.
Netflix is forecasting 2.25 million new domestic subscribers this quarter, according to a statement Wednesday on its website. The company predicts first-quarter profit of $48 million, or 78 cents a share, compared with analysts' projections of 75 cents.
New price strategies are being tested that would curb the ability of viewers to share accounts without paying more. Netflix is considering three tiers affecting how many devices customers may use at once, compared with the current $7.99-a- month unlimited tab. That would increase how much some new subscribers pay every month.
"Management appears more confident than at any time in their history," said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles. "It's either a sign that things are really great or that they're starting to believe their own hype."
Netflix forecasts first-quarter domestic streaming revenue of $796 million, with an operating profit of $198 million. International streaming is forecast to lose $42 million on revenue of $267 million.
Ahead of Wednesday's quarterly report, Netflix stock rose 1.5 percent to $333.73. It was the top performer last year in the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index.
CEO Reed Hastings has resisted calls to raise prices by investors who cite the company's $6.4 billion obligation to pay for exclusive content over the next five years. Instead, Netflix has begun testing different prices.
Netflix is offering some new customers plans that provide access on as many as four screens, letting household members watch different shows at the same time. The monthly prices ran from $6.99 to $11.99, according to an offer posted on the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company's website in December.
"Eventually, we hope to be able to offer new members a selection of three simple options to fit everyone's taste," Hastings said in a letter to investors. "If we do make pricing changes for new members, existing members would get generous grandfathering of their existing plans and prices."
Fourth-quarter net income soared more than fivefold to $48.4 million, or 79 cents a share, Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix said on its website, beating the 66-cent average of 31 analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Domestic subscribers, including free trials, rose to 33.4 million, compared with the 33.1 million average of 10 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. International losses shrank.
With U.S. subscribers at Netflix topping those of Time Warner's HBO, investors are looking to gauge the growth potential beyond so-called premium cable networks. Hastings' strategy of offering unlimited Web viewing of movies, TV shows and original programs is financing international expansion.
Overall fourth-quarter sales grew 24 percent to $1.18 billion from $945.2 million a year earlier, beating estimates of $1.17 billion. Net income totaled $7.9 million, or 13 cents, a year earlier. The company's international loss shrank to $57 million from $105 million a year earlier.
In October, the company forecast profit of $29 million to $45 million, or 47 cents to 73 cents a share.
Netflix potentially faces higher costs after a U.S. appeals court this month overturned the Federal Communications Commission's so-called net neutrality rules.
If upheld, cable-TV and telephone providers could demand Netflix pay fees for faster Web service to customers' homes.
The Internet service providers "are generally aware of the broad public support for net neutrality and don't want to galvanize government action," Hastings said in his letter.
Domestic paid users rose 5.9 percent to 31.7 million from the third quarter. Outside the United States, the total grew 20 percent to 9.72 million from the previous quarter.
Netflix also said it plans to raise $400 million in additional debt to finance international expansion and original programming over the next few years.


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A new Starbucks branch is due to open on the A34 – without its famous 30ft high sign.
Stafford Borough Council said Starbucks could not put up its totem pole sign after it was compared to ‘Blackpool illuminations’.
It comes as 43 people objected to the planned drive-thru at the former Dans motorcycle show on the A34 in Stone due to the impact on the green belt, road safety concerns and the the impact on existing independent businesses in the city centre. .
For the latest news from StokeonTrentLive
But 17 people had backed the plan and welcomed a global brand to Stone.
Now members of the council’s planning committee have approved the project at a meeting this week.
It was feared that the pole – with its illuminated logo – would impact neighbours, birds, bats and insects.
Resident William Clarke told the meeting: ‘We live opposite the proposed development and I don’t think there is a lot of drive-thru in a greenbelt opposite residential accommodation. I’m not advocating no advertising, but advertising tailored to Stone’s location.
“It should at least try to fit into the place, not replicate an interstate highway. A nine meter tall totem is a complete indulgence and best suited for a business park.
Councilor Jill Hood said the totem pole was “not acceptable to Stone”.
She told the committee, “This 30-foot-tall totem pole resembling an advertisement for an American motel will be abutting Green Belt and adjacent to an ancient forest. It does not highlight the local area and is not visually acceptable.
“It’s light pollution, it’s hideous. It is going to be illuminated like Blackpool Illuminations.
She added that downtown Stone already has 10 cafes, with two more opening in the coming weeks.
She added: “People who use cafes in town are more likely to spend in town, which boosts the local economy. But drive-thru customers won’t visit the city and the city center won’t benefit.”
Candidate Daren Burney says the Starbucks will bring 25 new jobs to the area as well as more electric vehicle charging stations.
He added: “The proposal recommissions an existing business and uses existing access points on the A34.
“As far as signage goes, it’s the company’s standard signage. The proposal will support the economy and it is considered acceptable in the green belt.
The committee granted permission for eight neon signs – and refused the totem pole.
Councilor Carolyn Trowbridge said: ‘It would be so much better if it was a local cafe, not a chain, but that has nothing to do with the planning.
Do you have something to say about this story? Join the conversation by clicking the green comments icon at the top of this page or the image box


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Google Awards April Fools’ Contest Winners the Title of Pokemon Master
What started out as an elaborate joke on April Fools' Day by Google has turned into an awesome reward for those who caught 'em all.
Kotaku reports that Google has started sending small prize packages to those who were able to locate every single Pocket Monster on the planet using the Google Maps app back in the beginning of April. As an April Fools' joke, Google updated its popular map app, scattering 150 of our favorite Pokemon throughout the world for users to collect. Users had to zoom in and pan across the entire planet using the app, finding creatures on the North Pole, on a random street in London, at the Eiffel Tower, etc. Google Headquarters was even converted to a massive Pokemon Center.
Reddit user Tinygrump has posted her reward sent to her directly from Google for finding every single Pokemon the company's app had to offer. Tinygrump was mailed a formal letter declaring her an official Pokemon Master and thanking her for playing with the app throughout April Fools' Day. She also received 10 personalized business cards summarizing her fictional employment at Google as a Pokemon Master. Just look at that crisp Poke Ball printed on the card opposite from the Google logo. Here's to hoping Tinygrump doesn't give her cards to all of her friends right away and tries to make copies somehow.


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- Realme 3 Pro will be offered in two colours
- First 1,000 Realme 3 Pro buyers from Realme e-store will get free earbuds
- The new Realme phone is powered by Snapdragon 710 SoC
Realme 3 Pro will go on sale for the second time in India today, at 4pm IST. To recall, the smartphone went on sale for the first time in India today, at 12pm (noon) IST. The first Realme 3 Pro sale in India saw over 170,000 units sold within 8 minutes of the sale starting. Just as with the 12pm (noon) IST sale, the second sale at 4pm will be held at Flipkart and the company’s own e-store. Realme has launched the smartphone to take on Redmi Note 7 Pro, which is currently one of our top picks in sub-Rs. 15,000 price segment. Realme 3 Pro features a waterdrop-style notch with a 6.3-inch screen. The Realme 3 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC and will be available in three variants — one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, the mid-tier one with 6GB of RAM and same amount of storage, and the top-end variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.
Realme 3 Pro price in India
Realme 3 Pro price in India starts at Rs. 13,999 for the 4GB + 64GB variant. The 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB variants will retail at Rs. 15,999 and Rs. 16,999 respectively. The phone will be sold in Carbon Grey and Nitro Blue colours. As we mentioned earlier, the second sale for Realme 3 Pro will begin at 4pm (noon) at Realme online store and Flipkart. The company in a tweet following the end of the first sale announced that over 170,000 units had been sold.
In terms of the launch offers, the first 1,000 customers to buy the Realme 3 Pro today via the company’s online store will get free Realme Buds. Additionally, the Realme online store buyers will also be eligible for 15 percent supercash cashback (up to Rs. 1,500) on payment via Mobikwik.


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Easy HDTV DVR (x64) is a simple HDTV/DTV viewing and recording software for 64-bit Windows versions and ATSC/QAM tuner cards. It features...
Showing results 1 to 7 of 7
Graphics chipmaker ATI Technologies on Monday announced the release of the All-in-Wonder VE, a budget-priced multimedia card based on the company's older Radeon 7500 graphics processor. The PC graphics card includes a TV tuner, software for video recording and DVD playback, and other multimedia features.
Graphics chipmaker ATI Technologies announced a new PC graphics card Monday based on its high-end Radeon 9700 chip. The All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro will include advanced features for viewing TV programming on a PC, including support for dual TV tuners and software for video recording.
If you have a fast PC and a spare PCI slot, this is a very cost-effective solution.
Hercules, the European graphics card maker, and 3D chip company ATI announced a tie-up on Thursday that will give ATI's products greater visibility for European consumers, while giving Hercules the ability to manufacture its own graphics cards using ATI technology. The deal is a boost for ATI, which is locked in heated competition with rival chipmaker Nvidia in the 3D graphics business. ATI and Nvidia both make the graphics accelerators that are coveted by gamers, and are also used in most PCs and laptops. Under the partnership, Hercules and ATI plan to develop a range of graphics products for European consumers. Hercules will exclusively carry ATI's All-in-Wonder products, which combine graphics acceleration with PC-TV and digital video recording capabilities, in European retail and distribution channels. Hercules said it will incorporate ATI technology such as the Radeon 8500 chip into its 3D Prophet range. --Matthew Broersma, ZDNet UK
A telly and a video inside your PC...
Easy HDTV DVR is a hi-definition DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and viewer for ATSC DTV (Digital TV) tuners. Features include free program...
Until now, if you wanted to watch TV on your computer, you had to purchase a TV tuner card and go through the often painful process of installing it.
Graphics card maker ATI Technologies today announced the ImpacTV video-out chip which allows a PC to connect to a TV via a graphics card. The chip will allow users to play games, browse the Internet or watch PC-based video clips displayed on conventional TV sets.


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The public beta of the Hedera Hashgraph has finally been deployed after years of development dating back to 2017.
The project developers are promising to offer an enterprise-grade distributed ledger platform. Further, the team says that Hedera is a 3rd generational distributed system that is more advanced than not only Bitcoin but also the second-largest Altcoin on Coinmarketcap Ethereum.
Therefore, Blockchain technology enthusiasts can only hope that the new platform would offer a new technological impetus for revolutionizing DLT.
Improved Blockchain Features
According to the official website, Hedera Hashgraph improves on Blockchain technology and offers a new dimension of how an ideal system should look like.
For instance, the hash rate of Hedera is said to be powerful to process an excess of 10,000 transactions per second. This is by far faster than conventional Blockchain platforms such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar, the self-styled RippleNet, etc.
Hence, Hedera Hashgraph proffers a solution to scalability issues that slow down the speed of validating transactions on conventional Distributed Ledgers.
Secondly, Hedera Hashgraph is built on the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) technology. This is a unique feature in the traditional Blockchain technology where proof-of-stake, proof-of-work, or proof-of-authority consensus mechanisms are common. Consequently, DAG enables the new system to allow participants to act as nodes that validate transactions leading to instant consensus.
The only aspect of Hedera Hashgraph that may attract criticism is the fact that there is a governing council consisting of notable corporate bodies such as IBM and Boeing. Nevertheless, there is a degree of decentralization as the system is peer-to-peer based and transactions are validated by users.
A Generation Ahead Of Competitors
The new competitors of Hedera Hashgraph are all Blockchain in the market. However, as the new entrant to the field, the CEO and co-founder Mance Harmon is confident that the system has what it takes to be relevant for the current needs in industries and retail markets.
Additionally, the team behind the project is focused on adhering to compliance principles to be on the right side of the law to guarantee prospective users and investors of business consistency.
HBAR Coin And Roadmap
The self-styled Blockchain platform has native Token codenamed HBAR that promises to offer low cost, customizable, and super-fast financial solutions. A Token is exchanging at $0.038 on the official exchange where there are 50 billion Tokens.
Other solutions on Hedera include distributed management of files, smart contract-based exchange of assets, security, and fairness. Users can also build DAPPs and so far they are 26 in number.
Deployment of the Hedera Hashgraph and HBA for community use is set for anytime between 2019 and 2020 according to the website. However, early access of the mainnet is already available and everything seems to be going according to plans.


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I was going to update the Coronavirus dashboard today, but since half of the States no longer bother to report over the weekend, Monday is basically useless. There may be a few interesting things happening … but let’s wait until tomorrow.
In the meantime, I see where Bill McBride posted a graph of spending on gas as a percent of total consumer spending, which brought to mind one of my “alternative” methods for forecasting (at least in the very near term) a recession.
Start with oil shocks. As the graph below shows, all three of the non-pandemic recessions in the past 30 years were immediately preceded by a large jump in oil prices compared with income:
Certainly in the past year, there has been a comparable jump, but note that, *unlike* right before those recessions, the “jump” has been from very low prices to prices in line with the average over the last 10 years. A similar thing happened in late 2009, and that did not derail the recovery from the Great Recession.
Also, typically before a recession begins, consumers are unable to cash in on appreciating assets, in particular houses and stock gains.
Here is the YoY% change in house prices divided by average hourly wages (blue) compared with single-family permits (red):
As I have noted many times before, permits declined first. Prior to three of the last four recessions, house prices followed suit before the onset of the recession (prior to 2001, which was not a consumer recession, house price increases stabilized).
Similarly, stock prices have typically peaked shortly before the onset of a recession:
And debt service as a percent of personal income has increased:
In short, except for recessions that do not focus on the consumer, incomes are squeezed, debt service increases, and the ability to cash in on appreciating assets halts.
None of those conditions obtains at present. I would expect to see the cushion of savings accumulated by consumers during the recession (graph below):
decline to prior rates; and house prices to hit a wall before a consumer pullback manifests in a recession. We’re just not there.


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The company behind the community site to 900 million users worldwide will raise up to $ 10.6 billion in stock market by introducing some 337 million shares at a unit price that would be of the order of from 28 to 35 dollars.
But demand could encourage it to meet these intentions.
Facebook has made no comment.
Last week, Facebook has reported a drop in sales compared to the previous quarter. Revenues, which represented $ 1.06 billion from January to March, declined 6% over the last three months of 2011.
But the growth potential of this amazing company to the trajectory, created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg in a dormitory at Harvard and now present in several parts of the digital economy, selling online advertising, attracting investors.
The first quotations should start on May 18.
Facebook will overwrite the previous IPOs of technology companies from Silicon Valley.
For its IPO in 2004, Google had raised just under two billion dollars. Last year, Groupon, group buying site, has raised $ 700 million and the online game developer Zynga one billion.
Useful links: dissertation help


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Marvel Announces Brand New Monica Rambeau Series
She is one of the Marvel Universe’s most enigmatic characters to fans who aren’t akin to the vast comic book history but is set to be thoroughly explored as the hero known as Photo, as Marvel has announced a brand new Monica Rambeau series.
There is no shortage of cosmic characters with immense powers riddled throughout the vast history of the Marvel Universe; from Captain Marvel to Silver Surfer, to Adam Warlock, to Blue Marvel, these are characters that have traveled the cosmos protecting the galaxy from its biggest potential threats.
Yet, of all of these heroes, one of the most underrated is undeniably Photo, a character that has already made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe- kind of- and is set to be a character that Marvel comics focus on heavily in the very near future.
That is all the more evident as Marvel has announced a brand new Monica Rambeau series that delves into her time as the cosmic hero in a brand new way; reimagining the hero for a brand new Photon series that we are tremendously excited about.
Photon's limitless power threatens to break the Marvel Universe in Monica Rambeau's first solo comic series!
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 23, 2022
What is clear about the hero known as Photon is her tremendous power, and that same power threatens to wreak havoc on the Marvel Universe in a press release announcing the brand new run from the creative team of Eve L. Ewing and Michael Sta. Maria.
A press release stated, “This December, universal powerhouse Monica Rambeau will star in first-ever solo comic series! a five-issue limited series, MONICA RAMBUEA: PHOTON, will be written by award-winning author and schola Eve L. Ewing and drawn by new Marvel talent, artist Michael Sta. Maria.”
The release goes on to state that this newly announced solo run is following, “Four decades’ worth of amazing stories” and signifies a brand new age for the character that has long had a presence in the Marvel Universe.


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Huawei has long worked with partners and customers worldwide at various stages of digital evolution to fully support their digital transformation by leveraging advanced ICT capabilities and years of industry experience. Huawei, as always, will help customers grow their unique value, making the strong stronger
Public and private sector leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa were hosted region during the Huawei MENA Industrial Digital Transformation Summit 2021 held in Dubai, UAE, under the theme of “Dive into Digital”.
To address critical business challenges, and how stakeholders can work together more effectively to develop an open industry ecosystem for shared success, the summit explored how digital technology can better integrate with business scenarios and industry know-how.
Huawei believes that in the MENA region specifically there are enormous opportunities to help support digital transformation, and build the digital economy of the future. With specific objectives to close the digital infrastructure and connectivity gap, the Middle East region is a pioneer in digital transformation, and that digitalization in Africa is growing at a rapid pace, the summit highlighted.
Steven Yi, Supervisory Board Member and President for Middle East and Africa Area, Huawei, gave a welcome speech at the summit and noted, “At Huawei, we believe deeply in the power of innovative solutions and strong cooperation with our customers and partners. We are confident that we can innovate to support the businesses of tomorrow, and assist nations in achieving their national development visions”.
The summit, indeed, comes at an extraordinary period that has seen the exponential growth in digital transformation across all industries. Going digital is no longer viewed as an option, but has become a necessity, as over 170 countries around the world have put digitization into their national development strategies.
Commenting on the acceleration of digital transformation in the MENA region, Jyoti Lalchandani, Group Vice President & Regional MD, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, IDC, noted that over 63% of CIOs in MENA have brought forward their digital roadmaps by 1 year or more, and organizations will need to spend more time delivering upon strategic mandates, and converged technology, data, and business ecosystems will be required to run the “digital enterprise” of the future.
Diving into the digital world is an iterative process. The focus has been shifted to how to go digital from whether or not to go digital because digital transformation has become an industry consensus. Huawei highlighted primary areas of focus for diving into digital to help enterprise customers innovate models, improve quality and efficiency, enhance experience, and strengthen resilience.
David Shi, President, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East, discussed how enterprises and governments can truly ‘Dive into Digital’ in practice, and make digital transformation a reality. He said, “Digital transformation requires forward-looking willingness and determination, strategic planning, and the ability to facilitate the implementation of digital transformation in three areas: business transformation, digital capabilities and transformation partner alliances”.
Ahmad Yahya, Group CIO and COO, American Hospital Dubai, was also one of the key speakers at the summit, where he discussed how patient experience can be enhanced with healthcare digital transformation. Speaking at the summit, Yahya said, “The pandemic has resulted in acceleration in digital transformation in all industries with healthcare being at the forefront. Patients demand choice and control over their care and Providers must ensure the patient experience is a focus by adopting these digital technologies. We have embarked on an ambitious digital transformation journey together with an ecosystem of technology partners like Huawei”.
Several Huawei key executives from the global and regional leadership team, in addition to industry analysts, customers and partners, spoke at the keynote sessions during the summit. To accelerate digital transformation in the education sector, breakout sessions and Roundtables during the summit examined topics like government digital transformation, cloud for enterprises, cyber-security best practices for a secure digital world, and technology solutions.
Huawei has long worked with partners and customers worldwide at various stages of digital evolution to fully support their digital transformation by leveraging advanced ICT capabilities and years of industry experience. Huawei, as always, will help customers grow their unique value, making the strong stronger.
Huawei demonstrated the growing value of digitalization to national economies during GITEX Global 2021 throughout the week of Oct 17 to 21. Organized by Huawei during this period, the Huawei MENA Industrial Digital Transformation Summit was one of a comprehensive series of summits & exhibitions.
CIO News, a proprietary of Mercadeo, produces award-winning content and resources for IT leaders across any industry through print articles and recorded video interviews on topics in the technology sector such as Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Cloud, Robotics, Cyber-security, Data, Analytics, SOC, SASE, among other technology topics.


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Has Sky just revealed the iPhone 13 release date? (Image: SKY • APPLE)
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Apple’s biggest secret of the year might have just been exposed by Sky Mobile. The UK network has published a webpage to give iPhone fans the chance to sign-up to hear news about an “upcoming big announcement.”
The site features an image of a smartphone box alongside a headline with the words “The next generation is about to land.” There’s also a message that says customers should register their interest about the news before September 14 to get access to an exclusive Sky Mobile offer.
A little bit of digging also reveals some hidden code on Sky’s webpage which references Apple’s iPhone 13 – clearly a hint that Sky knows what is coming soon from the US technology giant.
Apple is renowned for its secrecy. The company doesn’t reveal any details about its new devices until they’re announced on-stage at its trademark keynote presentations. According to the firm, it does this because customers like to be surprised. Of course, the UK’s mobile networks are never surprised having been handed details about Apple’s upcoming launch to allow them time to get their deals and offers ready.
With the Californian company keeping things so close to its chest, it’s unusual to see Sky giving consumers such a massive hint about what’s to come. The September 14 cut-off date on Sky Mobile’s pre-registration page also tallies perfectly with a number of rumours about the launch date for the iPhone 13.
A recent report from YouTube show Front Page Tech, which has had a pretty solid track record with details of unannounced Apple products, corroborates the above date. According to sources speaking to the show, iPhone 13 will arrive on store shelves worldwide on September 24, with pre-orders starting online a week earlier, September 17. And the all-important announcement will be streamed from Apple’s headquarters on September 14.
If an event takes place next week, Apple will almost certainly push out invites within the next few days so full confirmation of the iPhone 12 launch could arrive soon.
This could be another big year for this popular device with Apple expected to bring a swathe of new features and upgrades to its iPhone range. Perhaps the biggest news is that the next generation of iPhones will finally get a 120Hz screen which will improve the speed when scrolling through emails and websites. This is a feature most Android phones have had for a while so it makes sense for Apple to follow.
A faster processor, bigger battery and better charging via the new MagSafe connection could also feature. Some leaked images have also shown how Apple may change the dual-camera system on the iPhone 12.
Instead of being stacked on top of one another, the iPhone 13 could feature two rear snappers that sit in a diagonal pattern on the case. The lenses also appear to be larger than the current model which could mean improved images, especially when using the camera at night.
This is pure speculation right now but if all the rumours are true we might finally find out full details about the latest iPhones next week. Express.co.uk will bring you all the latest updates and news from Apple so watch this space to find out more.


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At the Foreign Trade Administration in the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry, we find it only fitting to ring in the new decade by looking back on the past ten years of incredible accomplishments for the Israeli economy.
Since 2009, Israel signed, negotiated and updated seven new free trade agreements (with countries such as the Republic of Korea, Canada and the Ukraine – doubling its previous total), grew exports by 70%, with a record $114 billion expected in 2019 alone (4.5% more than 2018, 68% over 2009), and increased exports to China by a factor of five. While these outstanding achievements are exciting on their own, a deep dive into some of the accomplishments of the 2010’s may give us insight into the further promise for Israel’s economic future as we head into the 2020’s.
Israeli Exports of Services Soared 160%
While Israel’s overall exports enjoyed an impressive annual growth rate of 5.3% over the last decade, exports of Israeli services grew nearly twice as fast – at 10%. What’s more, this rate is accelerating, with annual growth of exports from Israel’s service industry climbing to almost 12% in 2019. Whereas services exports constituted just 32% of total exports in 2009, it rose to 49% in 2019. This exponential lift is largely due to the breakout success of Israel’s high-tech exports.
Expanding International Ties and Trade
In recent years, there have also been significant changes to Israel’s geographical export destinations (of non-diamonds goods). In 2009, only 18% of non-diamond exports were directed to Asian countries. By 2019, export to Asian countries is expected to account for 22% of total non-diamond exports.
The Latin American sector also saw marked growth in the past decade, with exports climbing by over 40% (an increase of about $584 million in the past decade). The region now constitutes roughly 5% of Israel’s total non-diamond exports.
Among the leading markets for which exports have been growing over the last decade are China (402%), Japan (73%), Turkey (66%), Brazil (61%), Chile (58%), Taiwan (38%), and more.
Plugging Local Businesses into the Global Economy
The Foreign Trade Administration’s support has given a great boost to this geographical diversification. This comes through various programs and via a number of incentives aimed at increasing exports in emerging and developing markets in Asia, Africa, Latin-America and beyond.
In addition, the network of economic trade attaches run by the Foreign Trade Administration in approximately 45 financial capitals around the world has greatly evolved with the world economy. The network has expanded and redeployed in markets such as Japan, China, India, and Latin America, helping over 10,000 Israeli exporters forge invaluable international business connections. Over the past decade, these relationships have generated some 1,250 success stories yielding $4.3 billion worth of deals.
Looking Forward to the Decade Ahead
With the “Startup Nation” reaching new, innovative milestones and gaining new traction in markets worldwide, the Foreign Trade Administration takes great pride in the country’s accomplishments, but is also filled with hope and ambition for the decade to come.


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German retail giant Metro Group is to remodel its Cash & Carry stores in Romania.
The company currently has 14 Real hypermarkets, opened in 2006, and 23 Cash & Carry stores in the country.
Peter Ruben, a spokesperson for Metro, told just-food: “There has been a lot of emphasis on remodelling the Cash and Carry stores over the last few years. Romania is such a growing and emerging market and consumer habits are changing so fast we have to react to that.”
In December, just-food announced the creation of a compliance unit by Metro. Managing director Rainer Grunewald, managing director of the Cash & Carry unit moved to the newly-created audit and compliance division at the company’s international office.


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Another Chinese brand looks set to enter the Malaysian market, as indicated by the sighting of this test mule. Reader Yeoh ChinHann spotted the taped-up pick-up on making its way on the Federal Highway, and duly snapped some photos of the unit, which happens to be a Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC) Vigus Pro.
The debut of the JMC brand here isn’t a surprise, as it was signaled last year when Tan Chong Group company Warisan TC Holdings announced that it was entering into a manufacturing and assembly contract with the Chinese automaker through its Angka-Tan Motor subsidiary. At that point, the indicated first model was listed as the JMC Yuhu 7 pick-up.
This looks to have been changed to the Yuhu 9, which has a bolder front end compared to the 7. Based on a search, the not-yet public local site shows the Yuhu 9, unmistakable from its prominent grille. Here, like in other export markets, the Yuhu will be known as the Vigus, and in this case, with a Pro suffix.
Of course, there’s the possibility that the Vigus nameplate ifself may be changed for local consumption, given that Warisan TC has in the past carried out such activity, as shown by the 2013 rebranding of the Foton Tunland to the Bison Savanna.
No tech details have emerged on the local spec Vigus Pro, but in other markets, the truck is available with a Ford EcoBoost 2.0 litre GTDi petrol mill offering 217 hp and 350 Nm, which is paired with an eight-speed ZF auto transmission. There’s also a 2.4 litre turbodiesel (again, from Ford) and a manual transmission option.
It isn’t the only Chinese brand that the group is involved with – last year, Tan Chong Motor Holdings’ (TCMH) subsidiary TC Overseas Assets Holdings Labuan (TCOAHL) inked a MoU with GAC Motor International on the potential and feasibility of selling and assembling GAC models in Malaysia and Vietnam.
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Speaking with journalists attending the Crypto Finance Conference held at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California last night, co-founder of Stellar Jed McCaleb outlined his vision for the future direction of Stellar as well as the reasons for which he does not consider Ripple and current, established payments providers as a threat to Stellar’s own future adoption.
In the context of a discussion on public vs. permissioned blockchains, McCaleb stated, “In the future there won’t be so much of a divide on these two things … it will be similar to LANs which connect to the larger internet … permissioned chains won’t be able to operate fully as blockchains unless they can interact with [permissionless] elements outside of the permissioned group.”
As a public, permission-less blockchain, McCaleb added that “…this is what Stellar will give you – the ability to interact with everyone else” implying that private, permissioned blockchains such as Ripple may end up leveraging technologies such as Stellar for interoperability with other private technologies.
.@StellarOrg co-founder @JedMcCaleb speaks on the partnership with IBM, the private vs. public blockchain debate, and why he doesn’t see @Ripple or @ethereum as direct competition. #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/7A8FSgfm6u
— Cheddar (@cheddar) September 7, 2018
Space for Many Different Players
On Ripple specifically, he stated that, whilst the technology has some overlap in capability with Stellar, “the world of payments is super large, so I don’t consider ourselves competitors with either of those [Ripple and establishment payment institutions such as Visa] … there is space for many different players.”
After the announcement of a Stellar / IBM partnership back in May, many analysts now see Stellar as a leading challenger to become a global leader in blockchain-based borderless payments.
However, whilst there is increasingly strong justification for that view, some still question the ability for Stellar’s native XLM cryptocurrency to take on the required fundamentals momentum over the longer term for it to become a store of value.
“Fees are so incredibly low and the total supply of coins is so incredibly high, the velocity of the tokens is virtually insignificant, [meaning] there is very little economic case for the tokens to rise in value in the near future,” stated one eToro analyst back in August.


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BIG 92.7 FM Mangalore station has announced a new breakfast show ‘Beat the Heat’ which will be hosted by RJ Manjushree. The show according to a company release , this show is a special Summer campaign where the Station is offering extremely innovative and cool on-air and on-ground elements to help listeners’ remain cool this summer.
The campaign, which will run up to the end of May, will see interesting take on how to remain cool this summer with topics revolving around Skin Care, Food habits, Effective Air conditioning usage, general Do’s & Don’ts and will also comprise of expert speak and listeners suggestions. Popular personalities will also come on air to share their tips on how they keep themselves cool and stress free this summer.
The Station is going all out to connect with its listeners on ground through local buses, malls and residential complexes where RJ Manjushree will play games and give away Cool Ice Cream Vouchers from Ideals Ice Creams & Nestle Hampers. Through on-air contests, winners will get to spend time with RJ Manjushree over ice-creams at special Meet & Greets at Ideals Parlour which is the most popular Ice Cream joint in the city.
RJ Manjushree, BIG 92.7 FM says, “We are having a fabulous time entertaining Mangaloreans with our new Summer campaign ‘Beat the Heat’ and have received tremendous response so far. With our favourite ice cream joint’s vouchers & chocolate hampers for grabs, people are mobbing us every time we go down to interact with them.”
The station has also identified over 20 key locations in the city where the BIG bus would park itself on different days inviting people to come over for a chilled glass of water and dedicate songs on-air.