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Gizmodo Video Guide: Australian streaming services like Netflix, Presto and Stan all come with their own apps for smartphones and devices, but what if you want to watch them on the big screen? From Apple TV to the Google Chromecast, we check out some of the best options on the market to send streaming media straight to your TV.
From Chromecast To Netflix: An Intro To Streaming Movies And TV
Trending Stories Right Now
For a moment, Mark Zuckerberg's appearance before members of the European Parliament looked like it was going to be a very bad day for the Facebook CEO. Then he started answering questions, a flood of pablum spewed from his mouth, and everyone got angry.
The OnePlus 6 might be the most boring phone the company has ever made. Don't get me wrong, that's not meant as an insult, but more as a reflection on how far the company has come since the original OnePlus One. Because even though OnePlus' latest device might not carry with it the same excitement as some of the company's previous phones, as a total package, the OP6 is arguably even more important in today's world of $1000+ handsets. Oh and it's also OnePlus' best phone yet.


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free wi-fi in kolkata to be rolled out soon by Reliance Gio
Reliance Jio is planning to roll out free wi-fi in kolkata covering Park Street, Loudon street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg and Mirza Galib Street.
Users will have to login to free wi-fi mentioning email id and one password will be mailed to access wi-fi.
In one year, Reliance plan to cover whole of Calcutta. As per Reliance Jio, free service will be available for the next 6 months.
Thanks to the initiative taken by CM Mamta Banerjess, calcutta youth and techies are geared up to avail this service. Soon, Calcutta will be a net city like London or Dubai or Egypt , where free wi-fi is easily available across streets , cafe and airports. This is an added advantage not only for students or office, but also for Tourist who are looking for wi-fi availability apart from Hotels.
For sure, now it will give boost to location based mobile phones applications as well, consumers can easily access favorite joints and services across these areas.
The only key issue in start will be traffic as every one would love to access internet and it may put provider under load.

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AP Thailand proceeds with campaign ‘SAVE LIVES, PROTECT PEOPLE’
- Pilot effort underway to save monks and communities in 10 at-risk areas of Bangkok and nearby provinces
- Relief efforts benefit nearly 1,000 monks forced to refrain from going out for alms at 9 temples and 1 priest hospital
- Fresh food deliveries to temple kitchens benefit small-time farmers and SMEs in Thailand through purchases of quality produce from them
- Essential dry foods and anti-COVID-19 supplies also delivered to temples
Bangkok (7 June 2021) – AP (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd., continues to pursue its mission to EMPOWER LIVING in order to deliver good quality of life to customers on their own terms. The company has launched the campaign ‘SAVE LIVES, PROTECT PEOPLE’ whose pilot effort involves dispatching a caravan to save Buddhist monks and communities in 10 at-risk areas of Bangkok and nearby provinces. The caravan delivers dry foods and anti-COVID-19 supplies while supporting Thai SMEs and small-time farmers by purchasing from them fresh foods, vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat to exclusively deliver to temple kitchens throughout the month of June 2021. In total, the campaign takes care of nearly 1,000 Buddhist monks at 9 temples and 1 priest hospital. It further reinforces the company’s intention to play a part in empowering everyone in society to extend a helping hand as much as they can to groups of people who may be overlooked in at-risk areas so they have a better quality of life and can get through the COVID-19 crisis safely together.
Mr. Vittakarn Chandavimol, Chief Corporate Strategy and Creation, AP (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd., said, “The third wave of COVID-19 outbreak is having a far-reaching impact on every sector. Although many agencies have worked together to help each other, we found that many groups of people are probabaly still overlooked and have little access to the assistance. We wanted to play our part in empowering society. That’s why we launched the campaign SAVE LIVES, PROTECT PEOPLE as we realise there are still people who live in at-risk areas and their daily lives are affected by the pandemic while assistance is still limited. Our campaign was first directed at Buddhist monks and communities in 10 at-risk areas Those affected monks cannot go out to take alms and they are in short of supplies – fresh food, dry food and basic protective gear. We hope that this campaign will spark kindness for people in society to extend their helping hand as much as they can to groups of people probably uncared for in those at-risk areas so they can have good quality of life and can get through the COVID-19 crisis safely together.”
“Our pilot is being directed at Buddhist monks at temples in 10 at-risk zones. Our team has visited the temples and talked to the abbots on the impact and what their temple need. We found that many temples have refrained from going out to take alms to minimise risks. Buddhists in those communities are also reluctant to go the temple to make merit. So each temple has to set up a kitchen to prepare meals to minimise hardship during the peak pandemic. Some temples have also set up relief centres for nearby communities, so our relief efforts are also benefiting people in temple communities.” Said Mr. Vittakarn.
The SAVE LIVES, PROTECT PEOPLE campaign has also extended help to a group of SMEs affected by COVID-19 so as to pass on the assistance to society. These SMEs include Happy Grocers, a group of stores selling organic farm produce. The group received an award from Startup Thailand League 2020. AP purchases fresh foods such as organic vegetables and fruits, eggs and safe meat sans chemical contaminants for delivery to temple kitchen throughout June. For temples that did not set up a kitchen, AP has worked with SMEs Boon Nam Pha, which operate alms delivery services, to prepare boxsets of meals for monks.
In serious recognition of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on people in society, AP has prepared and analysed how it can best get help to those affected. When the pandemic was at one of its worst last year, the company came up with a campaign called #SAVE DOCTORS SAVE THAILAND, in which in the pilot effort it donated Bht 3 million to support the purchase of protective gear for Thai healthcare workers as well as life-saver equipment for COVID-19 patients by Ramathibodi Foundation, Rajavithi Hospital Foundation, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, Thammasat Chalermprakiet Hospital and Siriraj Foundation. The company also carried out a campaign called ALL FOR HEROES, which is in its second straight year running in 2021. Under the campaign, AP passed on ‘Kindness Bag’ to healthcare workers, who are Thailand’s frontline heroes. The latest campaign SAVE LIVES, PROTECT PEOPLE seeks to reach out to people society may overlook or ignore, starting with Buddhist monks. AP believes that these activities will provide a bridge of kindness and set an example for people in society to follow in joining together to help society at large so that Thais and the country can get through the COVID-19 crisis safely together.
AP Thailand on a mission to EMPOWER LIVING
seeks to deliver good quality of life on customers’ terms


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The Rise of Big Tech
For most of the planet, it's hard to imagine our lives without the existence of tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook/Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. They are a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, totally immersed in many things we do, from work, social media, shopping and more. And while their products are helpful and keep us entertained, their sudden rise to power and influence carries a dark side already impacting humanity.
"The Rise of Big Tech" examines the astronomic growth trajectory of these tech mega-corporations, not just in sales or financial gains but also in social and economic influence. They don't seem to be slowing down and have dominated everything. They monopolize the industry and control their algorithms that even a slight change can have devastating effects on smaller companies that depend on their platforms.
They have also been influencing politics in various ways. They are significant contributors to various political campaigns and are currently spending so much money on lobbying. They are already affecting the outcome of cases filed against them in different state houses.
How much taxes they pay is also highly opaque, vague and unclear. They use legal tax avoidance techniques that give them every advantage, including subsidiaries in lower-tax countries, moving earnings to tax havens and special accounting techniques.
In Facebook's case, for instance, they exchanged tax cuts for installing their data centres in Prineville, Oregon. The city, in 2020, lost 120 million dollars in potential tax earnings, while Facebook generated nearly 30 billion dollars in profit. Yet, the local politicians know that their city will receive donations from the company, including new school buildings, facilities and the like, making it easier for them to influence these lawmakers.
Of course, the bigger they become, the harder it is for anyone to challenge - or stop - them. They regularly gobble up the competition. The more subscribers they have, the more value, giving them profits and earnings that enable them to buy out their potential competition for extremely high prices. They either assimilate the competition into their "collective" or bury them.
On the other hand, Apple wants software companies to turn over 30% of all their sales through the app store leading to many congressional hearings to try and break these practices.
Finally, the biggest concern is that Big Tech products and platforms can access so much of our data and information that it's insane. They have little to no regulation, so what they do to that data is up to them, and of course, they monetize our information.
Also known as market-driven surveillance violates our sovereignty and should be prevented, mainly when the data is used to perpetuate lies, start uprisings and incite hate.
The question now is if governments and we, their customers, can somehow still control them to help safeguard our freedoms. Only time will tell.
Directed by: Milan Panek, Dirk Laabs
The big tech mob have outgrown the authorities, becoming financially powerful enough to even dictate governments with influence due to the sheer numbers of ppl they can communicate to, and convince.
Governments also coerce with them, abandoning the people they are suppose to be the voice of, to regulate the big tech if they are breaching all kinds of laws like, selling data bases of member details, censorship of what they choose to be right or wrong even if its against civil, human rights, democracy and freedom of speech.
With all the anger in defiance from majority of the people against their breaches, not much ever gets done to prosecute and keep the big tech in check as even today (Dec2022) we find MSM presenters/hosts do not verbalise some banned covid words by making gestures or verbalising it with another word that rhymes or sounds similar to the banned word tells me Democracy has been thrown in the dungeon, chained up, making way to totalitarian governments all over the globe to despots ruling the people in tyranny.
The future is not very bright is what i can vision if covid was any kind of glimpse in to what is to come, even more scarier is how it will end.
Well, at least they have each other to fight against. Don't like it? turn around. Truly intelligent AI and affordable/ easily rechargeable automation is going to be the game changer.
To be quite honest, weighing the pros and numerous cons, I could EASILY do without the existence of tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook/Meta, Microsoft and Amazon. The monopolistic idea that alternatives could not be created is pure nonsense. In fact, some already exist. This is all the predicted "corporatization" of our entire global society.


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Lamborghini Tech Chief Pledges To Keep V12 Alive With Hybrid Assistance
Lamborghini is one of the last car companies heroically clinging on to natural aspiration. It produces not one but two supercars powered by atmospheric engines, but you can’t help but wonder how much longer that’ll go on for.
However, while the future for engines that buck the downsized turbo trend isn’t looking so rosy, Lamborghini is sticking to its guns. Speaking to Pistonheads, the company’s chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani confirmed that Sant’Agata Bolognese is committed to its legendary V12. The replacement for the Aventador won’t just be packing a 12-cylinder engine, it’ll also be one that goes without forced induction.
The key to making this possible will be hybrid technology. “The V12 has been part of the story of Lamborghini since the very beginning,” Reggiani, adding, “It has been present in every year of our history, which is why our strategy and our vision for the future is to continue to have a V12 coupled with a hybrid motor”. He later added: “The very soul of our car will be based on the naturally aspirated V12 engine.”
It’s understood this won’t involve an atypical supercapacitor-type system as used by the Sian hypercar, since a greater level of electrification will be necessary to get the emissions figure down sufficiently. Reggiani, who’s been at Lamborghini nearly 25 hears and has been in the top engineering job since 2006, admitted there will be a weight penalty with this approach. However, he noted that there will be benefits, touting the possibility of a front motor setup allowing for strong torque vectoring forces, similar to what we’ve seen in the Ferrari SF90 and Honda NSX.
If all of this sounds quite familiar, it’s because Lamborghini has touted the use of hybrid assistance as a way to keep its glorious 6.5-litre V12 alive before. That was a couple of years ago, though – since then, the outlook for these kinds of units has become even bleaker. For Lambo to commit itself to a nat-asp V12 when the next Aventador is potentially in the early stages of its development is heartening news.
“For a purist, for a lover of engineering, an engine with a regular firing order is perfection, and with a V12 you have for every sixty degrees a spark and everything is self-balancing,” Reggiani said. Preach.
Source: Read Full Article


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SAN FRANCISCO — Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the biggest nonsecret in the tech world Wednesday -- a multimedia tablet computer named the iPad.
"It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone," said Jobs, attempting to position the iPad as another breakthrough "must-have" tech toy from the company that has revolutionized personal devices.
The half-inch-thick tablet, with a starting price of $499, weighs 1.5 pounds, more slender and lighter than any netbook computer, Jobs said.
The iPad has a 9.7-inch display and comes in three models: 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage. It's equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology and will offer an optional 3G wireless connection. Jobs said the battery lasts 10 hours, and that the device can sit for a month on standby without needing a charge.
The new tablet can act as an electronic book reader, and Apple has launched a new online shop, the iBooks store. Books can be embedded with photos or video, "whatever you want," said Jobs, flipping a virtual page of a book while demonstrating the product in his trademark jeans and black mock turtleneck to an arts center audience.
Jobs demonstrated features of the iPad, which looks like a larger iPhone, such as calendar, e-mail, photos, Google Maps and browsing news sites.
Using his fingers, Jobs browsed through a digital version of The New York Times.
"If I want to go into a story, I just touch it," he said. "The whole Web site (is) in the palm of your hands."
The basic 16-gigabyte model will cost $499; the 32GB version, $599; and a 64GB model, $699. 3G will add $130 to each version.
AT&T will offer two 3G pricing packages: Up to 250 megabytes of data at $14.99 a month and unlimited data usage at $29.99 a month. The 3G iPad will be unlocked, though, meaning it can be used with any technologically compatible carrier.
Applications designed for the iPhone can run on the iPad.
After the presentation, reporters and analysts gathered in a darkened room, filled with music from Moby, to touch the iPad for the first time. Some didn't want to let go of the slender, silver computing machine.
"There has never been a device like this," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. He said the iPad is in a category of its own, though some analysts believe it could put a serious dent in the market for netbooks, which Jobs earlier had dismissed as "cheap laptops."
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes the iPads will eventually become a mainstream device as the price comes down. He believes the company could sell as many as 4 million units over the next 12 months.
"It's transformative," Munster said. "This is a big deal. This is something that will revolutionize mobile computing. But it will take time."
He did not think it would eat into Apple's MacBook laptop business. "That's like saying motorcycles are going to cannibalize cars," Munster said.
Tablet devices have been around for two decades without creating more than mere ripples of interest among consumers.
Though far from the first to jump into the tablet market, Apple is instantly poised to upend and dominate it, said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies.
"They create the hardware, they create the software, they create the user interface and (control) the content sales and distribution," he said, noting the company's online iTunes and App stores and now its iBooks outlet. "That is what sets them apart from everyone else. It gives them the edge."
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Taking note of new device
Apple watcher Scott Kleinberg of Iptib.com sounds off on the iPad:
$499 to start. That's actually a very fair price.
No contract needed for 3G. You had me at no contract.
1.5 pounds, 0.5 inches thick. Thin is in!
A powerful alternative: More than an iPhone or iPod Touch, less than a laptop.
Optional traditional keyboard will silence all those virtual keyboard haters (talking to you, BlackBerry users).
The name. IPad? Really, Steve Jobs? IPad?
No Adobe Flash, and I still can't see any restaurant menus.
No camera. Ability to videoconference would put this in the hands of everyone, even grandma.
No Verizon option as of now: exclusivity on AT&T hasn't been well-received by iPhone users.
No connection, wireless or otherwise, for HDTV. Big missed opportunity.


text: Entertainment Neil Young set for Jones Beach Touring on “The Monsanto Years,” Neil Young will make a Jones Beach stop in July. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison By GLENN GAMBOA / NEWSDAY email@example.com Updated April 21, 2015 6:49 AM Print Share fbShare Tweet Email Neil Young is taking his campaign against genetically modified foods to the next level with his upcoming album “The Monsanto Years” and a tour that stops at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on July 21. Young has joined forces with Promise of the Real, which features Willie Nelson’s sons Lukas and Micah, for the album and the tour. Tickets for the Jones Beach show go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Fans who buy tickets to the show will get a free copy of the album, either physical or digital, when it is released in June. "The Monsanto Years" is expected to include songs directed against Monsanto and Starbucks, which Young urged his fans to boycott last year for its part in trying to stop Vermont’s law requiring labels to disclose whether food has been genetically modified. Starbucks officials say they are not part of that effort. However, Young insists that the company is involved through the Grocery Manufacturers Association trade group. By GLENN GAMBOA / NEWSDAY firstname.lastname@example.org Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comments We're revamping our Comments section. Learn more and share your input.


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CHAMBERSBURG >> The 20th annual Coats for Kids drive collected and distributed 2,183 new and used coats this month in the annual partnership between the William F. Sellers Funeral Home and The Salvation Army.
That's an increase of 962 items from last year's 1,221, which included 361 adult coats, 471 children's coats and 389 hats, gloves and scarves, according to Salvation Army Maj. Duane Harris.
Over 20 years the drive has collected about 40,000 coats, hats and gloves for Franklin County families in need, according to Harris.
Bill Sellers, owner of the funeral home, said the fact the drive has raised over 40,000 coats during the years "speaks for itself."
Harris said the distribution Nov. 14 was busy with people and went smoothly.
"I think it was the best year we had so far in terms of processing," Harris said. "When you get that many people lined up for something and people can't just come in and take things, sometimes things get out of hand."
He said some people waited in line for up to two hours but remained patient.
On average, Harris said between 400 and 500 families come through and found items they needed. The operation took place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The next day, around 50 families who couldn't come to the first distribution came to the Salvation Army building.
"We take great integrity honoring the people who give us the coats," Harris said. "We do not put them in our stores and sell them if there are any left."
Also this year, the drive seemed to focus more on its traditional roots.
"We seemed to get a lot more children's coats than adults'," Harris said. "We did get a lot of new coats for children that still had the tags on them. This was originally what it was set up for. We had enough to send a bag to a preschool and an elementary school in the district."
Harris said the coat drive is one of the "most intense things" that the Salvation Army does during the year and is the first of many drives and outreach events during the holidays. That's including Thanksgiving dinner, the Christmas distribution and the Red Kettle Christmas Campaign that will start at most of the designated locations this Friday.
Sellers said he will continue the drive as long as he can.
"We will keep doing it as long as we have the community support," Sellers said. "I think it says a lot, not just for Chambersburg but for Franklin County."


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John Lewis has warned shoppers in Scotland they could face higher prices in an independent Scotland.
Partnership chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield said the company had no intention of reducing its presence north of the border, where it has nine shops, a contact centre and employs more than 3,000 people.
But he cautioned firms were unlikely to continue sharing the burden of the higher operating costs incurred in Scotland across UK customers in the event of the break up of the Union.
Sir Charlie told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:
John Lewis has reported buoyant trading over Christmas with like-for-like sales climbing 6.9 percent over the five weeks to December 28.
House of Fraser also performed well in the festive period, hailing its best ever Christmas with comparable store sales up 7.3 percent.
A five-year-old girl who wrote a letter of apology to department store John Lewis after she broke a bauble has been found following a social media campaign.
The girl, who signed her name as Faith, sent the letter after she accidentally broke the decoration while visiting a shop in Cambridge.
Branch manager Dominic Joyce launched a bid to find the girl on Twitter using the tag #findfaith, saying he would like to thank her for the "adorable gesture".
John Lewis confirmed that the girl's parents had been in touch this morning but had indicated that no further thanks was needed.
John Lewis has launched an appeal to find a five-year-old girl who wrote to the retailer apologising for breaking a Christmas bauble.
The girl, known only as Faith, sent a handwritten apology to her local store in Cambridge after she said she accidentally broke the decoration on a visit to the shop.
Staff at John Lewis are keen to meet the youngster but baffled as to who she could be.
Store manager Dominic Joyce posted the letter and the appeal on Twitter:
He told the Daily Mail: "We’d like to thank her and because of her adorable letter maybe give her something from the store she would like."
A computing professor from the United States who shares his name with the John Lewis department store has received a selection of gifts from the retailer as a thank you for directing Twitter users to their feed.
Mr Lewis, whose Twitter handle is often assumed by internet users to be the official account of the retailer, regularly and politely points errant tweeters back to the correct @johnlewisretail page.
Visit the @johnlewis Twitter feed to see the volume of helpful tweets he sends every day.
Lily Allen's cover of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know which has been used on John Lewis' Christmas advert has narrowly missed out on the number one spot in the charts.
Dutch DJ Martin Garrix, 17, sold 12,000 more copies than Allen's song with his debut single Animals.
The ad features a bear and a hare in an animated woodland tale, with Allen's tones providing the soundtrack.
The £7 million advertising campaign has also led to Keane's original version from 2004 climbing 74 places to re-enter the Top 40 at number 29.
Garrix, whose catchy dance tune is already a hit around the rest of the world, said he "didn't expect this success at all".
The John Lewis Partnership will pay £40 million to its staff following seven years of miscalculating holiday pay, the company announced today.
Up to 69,000 "partners" who work at the employee-owned retailer will be affected, with individual payments varying according to pay and shift patterns.
More than half of recipients are set to receive less than £120 each, but some workers will be given a few thousand pounds each in compensation.
The John Lewis Partnership has unveiled a staff windfall worth 17 percent of salary from a bonus pot of £210 million after reporting a 15.8 percent rise in pre-tax profits to £409 million.


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Let’s focus on Ford as it has very available data.
In the first move of an announced global manufacturing strategy the newly redesigned Ford Focus, currently a high demand vehicle that as caused one US manufacturing plant to add a third shift, will have it’s new model built both in Europe and the US. Ford will be adding one new plant for that vehicle domestically as well as retooling it’s Mexico plant to switch from the F-150 to the new Focus. These plans were announced in June well before the liquidity problems of today. In addition;
With every new product, Ford expects to be the best or among the best for fuel economy. This is aided by one of the most extensive powertrain upgrades ever for Ford. By the end of 2010, nearly all of Ford’s North American engines will be upgraded or replaced. In addition, within two years, nearly all of Ford’s North American lineup will offer fuel-saving six-speed automatic transmissions or be available with an optional PowerShift dual-clutch unit. Furthermore, Ford will offer EcoBoost on more than 80% of its North American lineup by the end of 2012, and capacity for North American four-cylinder engines to more than one million units by 2011. (July 2008)
Ford has also already leaked they are retooling two plants in the US to bring to domestic production two of their European models that are smaller and gas efficient (June 2008). Ford has also added a third shift to it’s Wayne, Indiana plant to build the high demand Ford Focus. The two Euro models, currently built in Europe for European production, are the Kuga and C-Max both small vehicles to be introduced for the 2011 model year.
(David Axelrods Saturday statement that Detroit must include plans for ‘retooling’ for it’s short term $25 Billion loan shows only the lack of knowledge of manufacturing industries.)
Ford has also announced that it will continue the cost savings reogranization by continuing employee buyouts and reducing management by a minimum of 15%. This doesn’t count the savings of the newest UAW contract that cuts the beginning salary of new hires by 50% compared to long term workers. It’s the biggest reduction in UAW history.
In July industry sources published Ford’s announced intent to have an entirely revamped product line by 2010. In addition to bringing six small vehicles to North America from Ford’s European lineup, the company is also accelerating the introduction of fuel-efficient EcoBoost technology (turbocharging and direct-injection)and all-new four-cylinder engines, boosting hybrid production and converting three existing truck and SUV plants for small car production as early as December.
Notice the long lead time on retooling, moving manufacturing plants and introducing new and revamped models with new technology. It simply takes a long time to retool manufacturing facitilies. In this light the statements from David Axelrod and other implying an ‘immediate’ retooling of plants and product lines is simply naive.
Will 25 Billion get the job done for all three carmakers? This is problematic and short-sighted with the huge bailout of the financial industry. Those industries sustain jobs and illiquidity without creating any tangible goods. In the latest example, which is absolutely necessary, Citi Group will have the US Treasury “invest $20 billion in Citigroup and guarantee $306 billion in risky assets.”
That is a $20 Billion investment and a guarantee of $306 Billion in risky assets for a single company. Why are we now arguing about a $25 Billion loan to three companies that control millions of jobs? GM alone would cost the country over 3 million wage earning jobs if it fails completely. This debate, other than being politically popular as the Big Three are easy targets, makes no sense. More in Part 2


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(Bloomberg) — The former main govt officer of Just Eat is putting his individual income into a single of Egypt’s most important food stuff-shipping apps, looking to faucet expansion in the nation of about 100 million people today exactly where practically all the things can be ordered by a phone connect with.
David Buttress, who led the London-based organization from 2013 to 2017 prior to its merger with Takeaway.com, claimed he’s investing a “relatively significant” sum in elmenus, the Egyptian app, and becoming a member of the board. The services with additional than 1.5 million regular monthly users in the North African country has benefited like many of its peers all over the world from a surge in foodstuff orders as Covid-19 retains people today house.
“The Egyptian industry is huge and has a large amount of prospective to expand” as a lot more buyers switch from calling eateries right to working with applications, Buttress, now a undertaking companion at venture cash company 83North Ltd., mentioned in a movie interview.
Elmenus, which has about 20% of the current market, saw earnings triple very last 12 months as the pandemic spurred much more dining places to outsource deliveries, he explained. It targets tenfold advancement in 2021. The Middle East and North Africa’s on the net foodstuff shipping marketplace was worthy of additional than $3 billion in 2020 with some 22.7 million buyers, in accordance to details cited by elmenus.
Buttress’s elmenus investment decision, the sizing of which he wouldn’t disclose, is his to start with in the area, which he describes as a “maturing market” for food stuff-oriented tech corporations. “There is still a good deal of advancement to accomplish there,” he said, singling out Turkey as “super-fascinating.” Sub-Saharan Africa also has investment decision potential, he claimed, incorporating that he’d seemed at Kenya and Nigeria.
Online video: Razer is still targeted on its world electronic banking options, CEO says (CNBC)
Egypt, where by folks can make a cell phone phone to procure a solitary cup of espresso, a banquet or even a blood check, has evident enchantment for supply applications. Just 6% of the country’s meals orders are at the moment created online, Buttress stated. All the very same, foreign manufacturers have struggled, with Uber Eats and Glovo both equally pulling out final year.
The neighborhood roots and information of elmenus, which began about a 10 years back as an on-line listing and additional deliveries in 2018, may perhaps be critical to its success, according to Buttress, who has beforehand invested in Brazil, North America and Western Europe.
In the coming months, the organization designs to seek out other buyers, like from overseas, although incorporating a lot more dining establishments and recruiting 4,000 new drivers.
Egypt’s market has “real depth,” stated Buttress. “They have significant towns and a massive purchaser base and are turning out to be far more and more electronic.”
(Updates with approximated price of Mideast meals shipping industry in fourth paragraph)
For a lot more articles or blog posts like this, please pay a visit to us at bloomberg.com
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.


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Tencent Holdings sold 74.6 million shares of New Oriental Online on June 15-16, reducing its shareholding from 9.04% to 1.58%, according to Hong Kong Stock Exchange disclosure documents.
It is understood that a few days ago, New Oriental direct broadcast room "Oriental Selection" due to "bilingual live" detonated the network, one day with goods sales also jumped from million level to ten million level, at the same time, New Oriental online stock prices have skyrocketed, a short month rose nearly 10 times. June 8 to June 17, Hong Kong shares of New Oriental Online rose 514.25%.
However, behind the surge, share prices have fallen. On June 17, Shares of New Oriental Online fell sharply and closed down 12.59%. June 20 intraday, New Oriental online decline expanded to as much as 35%.
Ten times cattle new Oriental online drop 20%! A number of foreign capital big "victory escape"


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Hotel California, NY Daily News (Inset)
This longtime cherished American band absolutely will not stand for anyone trying to use the name of its songs lightly and has proven this after filing a lawsuit against a small Mexican business earlier this week.
In a report by The Hollywood Reporter, it is revealed that the Eagles have filed a trademark infringement against a small hotel in Baja, California which is using the name ‘Hotel California’ to conduct business. According to their complaint, the use of the name goes too far and exceeds just simply calling themselves ‘Hotel California’.
Attorney Laura Wytsma writes about the usage of the band’s signature song title, saying, “Through advertising targeted to U.S. consumers, and in-person communications, Defendants lead U.S. consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in ‘Hotel California,’ which is false.”
Furthermore, the lawsuit calls the song “the essence of the band itself” adding that the world-famous music group has been using the name on merchandise and products since the late 1970s.
The hotel, called ‘Hotel California’, is a small business that first opened in 1950 under the same name, but went through a series of changes in business ownership and name changes over the years. Most recently, a pair bought the hotel in 2001 and reverted it back to the original name, but tried to use the namesake to imply to visitors that there was a connection to the song or story behind the song – according to the complaint.
The attorney continues to say that the hotel is playing the Eagles’ music, selling various merchandise that is used to further their guest’s impression that the song and small hotel are somehow connected – a claim that the band and their attorney dispute.
Currently the band is seeking an immediate injunction to prevent the hotel from using the name, likeness, or otherwise while they’re in dispute and is also seeking a return of profits, actual and exemplary damages.
Watch the video below that covers the lawsuit in a little more detail and let us know what you think in the comments.
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Huawei Device USA has named DDB New York as its advertising agency of record.
The agency appointment comes as the Chinese tech company rolls out its first smart watch in markets around the globe. The Huawei Watch, which retails for about $350, recently became available in the US and is being positioned as a stylish, premium alternative to the Apple Watch and other competitors.
DDB’s first work for the brand launched in September, a national digital effort that pitches the product as "Smart, Redefined." A second wave leading up to the holidays launches next week, with a holiday campaign planned for early December.
"Our decision to partner with DDB New York came down to the agency’s drive to create work that is impossible to ignore," said Yanyan Ji, Vice President of Marketing, Huawei Device USA, in a statement.
DBB New York leads the strategic, creative and media functions to promote Huawei’s brand across the US. The agency was chosen after a review of undisclosed agencies this summer.
Chris Brown, president and CEO of DDB New York, a part of Omnicom Group, said the agency came in with a "compelling case" with focus on their digital and marketing strategies to land Huawei’s business. The global tech company, he said, operates in the "intersection of style, fashion and technology" that "creates a great ecosystem" to work in.
Although the agency’s first work for Huawei Devices promotes the smartwatch, the agency’s scope includes generating awareness for the brand and its product portfolio, which in addition to the smartwatch, includes a smartphone, tablet and other wearable devices.
The US appointment is the latest agency partnership Huawei has set up around the world as it expands internationally. Huawei began a search for an agency to work on its global creative business back in September. In August 2014, Huawei appointed Dare as its UK creative agency, and OMD UK for media strategy. Huawei’s global creative agency is Shenzhen-based TEAMHW, a custom agency comprising talent from several WPP shops. Isobar leads global digital marketing activity from Shanghai and London.
Separately, DDB named Wendy Clark president and CEO of North America. Clark was previously president of sparkling brands and strategic marketing at Coca-Cola North America.
Mark O'Brien, who previously held the role, will become an executive vice president with Omnicom.
"I’ve known Wendy since she was a client at AT&T and she is a game-changer," Chuck Brymer, CEO of DDB worldwide, in a statement. "She understands the demands facing corporate marketing and the role agencies play in engaging and winning customers. She is passionate about creativity and a magnet for talent. We are thrilled that she will be leading DDB in North America."


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What you need to know
- Vine is back! But now it's got a different name.
- Byte is a new app that can be used to create 6-second looping videos.
- The new app was made by the creators of Vine and basically this is awesome.
The long-awaited successor to Vine, Byte, is now available on iOS and Android!
The team behind Byte made the announced on Twitter in the small hours of Saturday, January 25:
dear friends,— byte (@byte_app) January 25, 2020
today we’re bringing back 6-second looping videos and a new community for people who love them.
it’s called byte and it’s both familiar and new. we hope it’ll resonate with people who feel something’s been missing. https://t.co/g5qOIdM8qG
The team said:
You know the drill: upload from your camera roll or use the byte camera to capture stuff. there are lots of ways to find new personalities and moments. explore what the community is watching and loving, view posts handpicked by our editors, or browse on your own.
Very soon, we'll introduce a pilot version of our partner program which we will use to pay creators. byte celebrates creativity and community, and compensating creators is one important way we can support both. stay tuned for more info.
Your feedback has helped us get here today. we've got a lot more in store and as we continue to build, we want to hear from more of you.
Byte announced its plan for an app to succeed Vine back in 2019, just 3 months later, Byte is finally here and ready for the masses to enjoy.
The years since Vine left us have been pretty terrible, but all of its most iconic creations still live on thanks to YouTube and its endless source of compilations. Now, there's a new kid on the block, and perhaps the return of 6-second looping videos is exactly what we need in order to restore balance and order to the universe. Happy looping!
Vine has returned
Grab your cat, or your Grandma, and start filming!
Byte is the return of 6-second looping videos, from the creators of Vine. What a time to be alive.
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Charge your iPhone quickly with the Anker PowerWave II Stand
Anker's wireless charging stand is fast, effective, and charges vertically or horizontally.
Zoom's pre-installation script workaround in macOS 'very shady'
In another blow to Zoom's security and privacy record, it has emerged that Zoom has some "very shady" methods for installing itself on your Mac.
The new Fitbit Charge 4 brings built-in GPS to your wrist for just $150
The Fitbit Charge 4 is the first new product to be released since Fitbit’s announced acquisition with Google, and while it’s a fairly minor update, the Charge 3 foundation was already really solid. From built-in GPS, Activity Zone Minutes, and more, here’s what’s new!
Get your sweat on in the comfort of your own home with these accessories
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important. If you find yourself wanting to get your workout on in the comfort of your own home, check out our favorite fitness accessories for working out at home.


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Scientific researchers have now demonstrated that food-grade titanium dioxide, which is used as a white pigment/coloring additive in everything from toothpaste to candy to dairy products, accumulates in colon cells, causing what may be permanent damage, including colon cancer.
Category: Digestive Problems
Skittles Lawsuit: Toxin Titanium Dioxide
Over the years we have published a number of studies linking the food additive titanium dioxide to a number of serious health consequences. Now a consumer has filed a lawsuit against Mars, Inc. arguing their candy “Skittles” are unfit to eat because they contain a known toxin (yes…titanium dioxide) that the company had pledged six years ago to phase out.
IBD Risk Increases with Ultra-Processed Foods
Scientists conducting a new study found that a higher intake of ultra-processed food is associated with higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease.
Food Dyes may Trigger Colitis, IBD in Some People: Study
The results from recent scientific research suggest that certain artificial food dyes can cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when the immune system has become dysregulated.
Food Dye Titanium Dioxide Declared Unsafe by Europe
In May 2021 the European Food Safety Association (EFSA) announced that food dye additive “titanium dioxide” (aka the “white” nanoparticle food coloring *) is no longer considered safe when used as a food additive.
Colon, Gut Microbiota Problems Linked with Common Food Additive
The commonly used food additive titanium dioxide–a nanoparticle (E171)–has once again been linked with serious health outcomes in yet another scientific study. Like the studies before it, the current study found that the food additive titanium dioxide holds the potential to do some real harm to the colon and gut microbiota, and to disrupt liver functioning.
Gut Microbiome Affected by Toxic Chemicals in Products, Environment, Food
The microbes that inhabit our bodies are influenced by what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through our skin, and most of us are chronically exposed to natural and human-made environmental contaminants. In this study, scientists reviewed the research linking dozens of chemicals present in our personal care products, home care products, general environment and our food to changes in the gut microbiome and associated health challenges.
Celiac Disease Linked to Common Toxic Chemicals
New research has linked an increase risk for celiac disease in young people to toxic chemicals commonly found in pesticides, nonstick cookware, and fire retardants.
Consumer BPA Exposure Much Higher than Originally Thought
Using new direct testing methods, scientific experts on the chemical BPA have made a new discovery: Previous estimates of the levels of BPA consumers are exposed to each day have been based on flawed, inaccurate testing methods. The previous measurements and estimates that have been used by regulatory agencies–including the FDA**–have underestimated exposure levels by as much as 44 times. With new, more advanced methods*** scientists are now able to see that previous estimates of exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical are far greater than regulators and legislators believed when establishing guidelines for what is “safe” exposure levels for U.S. children and adults.
Stop Exposing the Public to Unnecessary Toxic Chemicals: Scientists
Scientists are calling on corporations and regulators to stop unnecessarily exposing the public to potentially deleterious chemicals like PFAS.


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The internet owes an awful lot to the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 series, and now it’s giving back. A lot, if the last 24 hours are any judge.
Joel Hodgson must be feeling pretty good right now. He’s just launched a Kickstarter for another 12 episode-long series of the legendary Mystery Science Theatre 3000 show, and the internet has responded very, very warmly indeed.
There’s 30 days left on the campaign. The goal’s a healthy US$2 million ($2,801,787), a solid amount of money to ask for on Kickstarter. But Hodgson should be in no doubt about whether he’s going to get it, since the total funding is already past US$1,177,688 ($1,649,815).
It makes sense, given so much of what passes for humour on the internet these days is riffing over audio or commentary, the style that MST3K popularised. And that’s what the Kickstarter is directly plugging into too. “In a world where riffing has become as common as our national pastime, baseball, it makes sense: like baseball, everyone knows how to play, but sometimes it feels good to just sit back and watch the original movie riffing team take a whack at it. And if we came back, imagine all the riffs we could make about things like Uber or Cards Against Humanity,” the campaign says.
Six people have already stumped up US$7,500 or more for the tier that lets you become a producer, while one shelled out more than US$15,000 to get the Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot puppets that will be used in filming of the show.
“If we want a lot more MST3K, we need to work together to prove that there’s still an audience out there that wants MST3K – and that this isn’t all some pitiable delusion – so that we can find a network or online platform who will agree to pick up the show and keep it going … hopefully for another 200+ episodes,” Joel Hodgson wrote.
You can read the full pitch and find out more on the Kickstarter page. The campaign probably won’t track into the tens of millions like Kicktraq suggests — the rate of funding tails off substantially for crowdfunding campaigns in the middle half — but it seems likely that the goal of US$2 million will be doubled, or possibly tripled, before the 30 days is up.
The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans
Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.


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Clearwire, Comcast and Sprint today announced plans to launch their respective 4G mobile Internet services to additional cities in the summer of 2010. Each of the companies will offer 4G under their own brand.
The companies plan to launch 4G mobile broadband services this summer in the following cities: Jacksonville and Daytona, Fla.; Kansas City, Kan.; Nashville, Tenn.; St. Louis, Mo.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Merced, Modesto, Stockton and Visalia, Calif.; Wilmington, Del.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Eugene, Ore.; and Yakima and Tri-Cities, Wash.
Clearwire’s 4G service is branded CLEAR. Comcast’s 4G service, branded Comcast High-Speed 2go, is sold as part of a Fast Pack that bundles in-home wired Internet with wireless Internet. Sprint’s 4G service is branded Sprint 4G.
According to a press release, the 4G mobile broadband service is available today in 32 markets covering 41 million people. Services are offered by Clearwire and Sprint in each market, as well as Comcast in select markets. By the end of 2010, Clearwire’s 4G mobile broadband network is expected to be available to up to 120 million people across the United States.


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When online retailer Modcloth opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Austin, Texas earlier this month, it decided to offer every available style in sizes XXS to 4X. For a fashion retailer, it was a rare move.
Thanks to testing products in pop-up shops for the past 18 month and constantly monitoring online consumer shopping trends, the vintage-inspired clothing label saw a demand among its female shoppers for styles in a broad range of shapes and sizes.
To read this story, please visit Glossy.co.
More in Marketing
“We are not diminishing the importance of AR,” he said. “In fact, we are strategically reallocating resources to strengthen our endeavors in AR advertising and to elevate the fundamental AR experiences provided to Snapchat users.”
Why Activision Blizzard Media is using an Attention Measurement Scorecard to raise marketers’ confidence in gaming
In Q4 of this year, Activision Blizzard Media is launching in beta a new measurement tool dubbed the Attention Measurement Scorecard. The goal: to raise brands’ and marketers’ confidence in in-game advertising.
The concert film will likely help build on cinema advertising’s momentum after Barbenheimer.


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YAM Properties LLC has officially added The Shops at Norterra to its growing portfolio of commercial real estate assets. The open-air lifestyle and shopping center is located in North Phoenix – off the I-17 and Happy Valley Rd. – and offers more than 50 options for dining, shopping and personal and professional services. Norterra also hosts a variety of events throughout the year including fitness classes and live music.
Over the next three to six months, YAM Properties will welcome more than half a dozen new tenants to Norterra including:
• All American Patio Furniture
• Luv 2 Play
• State 48 Brewery
• Osteria Mia Italian Restaurant
• Crumbl Cookies
• Morning Ritual
• Tikka Shack
• Koi Poke
Located near two of the busiest highways in the state (Interstate 17 and Loop 101) and within five miles of Deer Valley Airport, The Shops at Norterra offers easy access to downtown Phoenix and suburbs across the Phoenix-Metro area. Nearly 700,000 people reside within in a 10-mile radius of Norterra and the population is expected to grow to more than 750,000 in the next five years.
“As a thriving, multiuse retail center in a rapidly expanding part of town, The Shops at Norterra is a great fit for YAM Properties,” said Dan Dahl, director of real estate for YAM Properties. “We look forward to bringing new tenants and events into Norterra and serving the growing North Phoenix community.”
YAM Properties is the Scottsdale-based real estate investment and development group of businessman Bob Parsons. Since it launched in 2012, the company has acquired more than 2.5 million square feet of retail and office space. To learn more about YAM Properties, visit yamproperties.com.


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Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, stressed that the selection of the UAE to host the 13th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference at the start of 2024 is in line with the approach of the UAE’s leadership and its government’s strategy aimed at promoting foreign trade.
In his statement, Al Zeyoudi said that the meeting aims to ensure the free trade of goods and services around the world and discuss the future of global trade.
He added that the UAE is looking forward to hosting the representatives of 164 countries, as well as of the customs and the private sector, in the first quarter of 2024.
The WTO has experienced many challenges over the past 20 years, and its conference held in Geneva this year included positive messages on preparing to address pandemics and cancelling restrictions on food exports, he further added. The coming meeting will discuss the restructuring of the international organisation, removing trade barriers and digital trade.
The government has boosted foreign trade, underscored by figures recorded in the coming months, through the adoption of laws that support investments, Al Zeyoudi said in conclusion.
News Source: Emirates News Agency


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TIGA: Texas shows the way on tax incentives
TIGA has highlighted the grand old state of Texas as a shining example of what can be achieved with tax incentives for the games industry.
Texas's grant system, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, which provides additional funding for the games industry has managed to create an impressive 1700 jobs between April 2009 and August 2010. It provides a compelling argument for what tax breaks could achieve for the British games industry.
TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson said: "This report demonstrates once again that many governments around the world recognise the economic potential of the video games sector and its ability to create highly skilled jobs. Texas is now one of more than 20 states within the USA offering incentives for video game production and development."
He continued: "The UK Governments failure to support the video games sector in the face of mounting evidence is incongruous. If the right tax incentives are introduced then the games industry can create the private sector jobs that the Government claims it wants to encourage. TIGAs proposed Games Tax Relief would create or save 3,550 jobs, generate 457 million GBP in investment and increase and protect 415 million GBP in new and saved tax receipts. The Government must reconsider the case for Games Tax Relief."
The UK Chancellor of the Excehquer, George Osborne, has ruled out tax incentives for the UK games industry until the next general election which could be up to five years away.
- Pillars Of Eternity is going to be massive
- Frontier is bringing Elite: Dangerous to the Xbox One this year
- Xbox One snags Wasteland 2
- Valve settles on a final design for the Steam Controller
- Elite creator David Braben to be honoured with this year's BAFTA Fellowship
- The date's out but Konami reveals the Collector's Edition of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- New Steam Link hardware unveiled by Valve, Steam Controllers dated
- Valve announces the Source 2 engine
- Bethesda announces Wolfenstein: Old Blood a prequel to The New Order


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Video game employees at game publisher Activision Blizzard are waiting to find out if they formed the first union in a major US video game company.
Monday’s ballot count will reveal election results affecting a small group of Wisconsin-based quality assurance testers at Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software, which is developing the popular game franchise Call of Duty.
The campaign to unite employees at Raven’s Middleton, Wisconsin office is part of a larger internal change at Activision Blizzard, based in Santa Monica, California, a gaming giant with about 10,000 employees worldwide.
The game publisher, which Microsoft is in the process of buying for nearly $ 69 billion, has been criticized by the government and some shareholders and recently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that management ignores sexual harassment and workplace discrimination against employees.
Microsoft has said it will not intervene in any union efforts.
The Milwaukee National Labor Council office is due to count the mail sent in the mail on Monday afternoon. The NLRB’s regional director called elections in May after rejecting Activision’s insistence that it cover a wider category of Raven workers – which could blur the union’s vote.
Activision Blizzard said in a statement Monday that it respects workers’ right to vote for a union, but criticizes the way those workers have been classified.
“We believe that an important decision that will affect the entire Raven Software studio of around 350 employees should not be made by less than 10% of Raven employees,” the company said.
Interest in organized labor increased during the pandemic, fueling historical trade union movements in companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Apple. These efforts come amid labor shortages across the country and a record number of Americans quit their jobsproviding greater influence to workers who want to unite.


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Four years after it first provided crypto trading services to some users, and a year after it extended trading to all 7 million users worldwide, Europe’s leading financial app Revolut has finally enabled Bitcoin withdrawals
With exclusive access first given to its U.K.-based top-tier Metal customers, the financial tech firm announced today the beta launch of Bitcoin withdrawals. Revolut, has users in the U.S., Australia and elsewhere — and to other client tier-bases in the future and plans to roll out withdrawal worldwide.
It is imperative to remember that Paypal which launched U.S. crypto trading in late 2020, with many noting at time that coins bought on the platform would not be able leave and which Revolut has followed the move.
To begin with, Revolut users will be able to add three external addresses and withdraw between 500 to 1,000 pounds a month, with Revolut also introducing two-factor authentication to ease security concerns.
Nik Storonsky, Founder and CEO at Revolut, noted that users had demanded withdrawals:
“Crypto withdrawals have been a heavily requested feature within Revolut’s crypto community and we’re delighted that we can begin the gradual process of rolling it out. Customers can lock down wherever they feel safest — whether it’s Revolut, into hot or cold storage, or to another exchange.”
“This is just the start of a long list of new crypto features we plan to launch so we can offer customers one of the best crypto products on the market,” he added.
Revolut is a London based firm that offers its clients’ bank accounts, debit cards, currency exchange, commission-free stock trading, crypto exchange, and foreign exchange services. The app supports customers across Europe, Canada, Singapore, Japan, the United States, and Australia.
In response to the global pandemic, the digital banking app rolled out crypto services for all standard users in April 2020.


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Apple (NAS: AAPL) has always been a trendsetter. The first iMacs were a splash of color in a gray and beige PC world. The first iPhone raised the bar for what a smartphone could and should be. The iPad? Another market created from scratch, because Apple's tablet rewrote the rulebook for tablet computers.
But the iPad line has been around for nearly three years now. Every one of Apple's product categories has settled down in a pattern of refinement rather than revolution. Has Cupertino passed the baton to other tastemakers?
Microsoft (NAS: MSFT) would like to think that its Surface tablet sets a new standard in Apple's tablet stronghold. I'm not so sure. The Windows 8 software on it may be new, but the hardware looks rather familiar.
Google (NAS: GOOG) and friends keep pushing out better and faster tablets and smartphones -- but they're all simply improved versions of existing products. Nobody seems to expect a whole lot of new thinking in the mobile computing market anymore.
But Samsung might change all of that next year.
The South Korean electronics giant is working on smartphones with flexible OLED screens. This is not totally new; Sammy and OLED expert Universal Display (NAS: PANL) have been at this game for many years now, with some of the research funded by military grants.
One of Samsung's flexible phone ideas, courtesy of Inquisitr.com.
The difference is that Samsung now hopes to commercialize flexible screens in 2013, bringing actual phones to market. Universal Display had been hoping for announcements to that effect before the end of 2012 but had to defer that dream to next year.
Can your smartphone screen do this? Source: Samsung.
Flexible screens would enable even thinner and lighter phones, and there's no limit to the new designs Samsung could dream up. Moreover, scratched and shattered screens would be a thing of the past when you're using these high-quality plastics. Handsets like these would be a breath of fresh air among the hundreds of rectangular glass slabs with rounded corners.
Even funkier solutions. Source: Samsung.
If Apple was working on something like this, you can bet that manufacturing partners and tech bloggers would be leaking rumors all over the Internet. But they're not.
It's safe to say that Samsung will blaze a new trail here. Nokia (NYS: NOK) is also working up flexible-screen handsets, probably using Samsung's screen modules. Apple is watching others raise the smartphone bar right now.
Will flexible screens catch on and force Cupertino to follow suit? That's up to the early models to decide. Another novelty feature won't matter one iota, but it's a game changer if the screens change the way you'd use the phone -- in a good way.
There is absolutely no argument that Apple is near the center of technology's largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with more than 1,000% gains. However, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool's senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple, and what opportunities are left for the company (and more importantly, your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
The article Is Apple Losing the Design Lead? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Anders Bylundowns shares of Universal Display and Google, but he holds no other position in any company mentioned. Check out Anders' bio and holdings or follow him on Twitter and Google+. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Apple, Universal Display, and Google, creating a bull call spread position in Apple, and creating a synthetic covered call position in Microsoft. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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With the Tokyo Game Show only being a month away, your favourite German admin Matze will take a quick look on our chances of a Suikoden announcement this year. Would something like that even possible? Let’s take a look!
August has always been one of my favorite months. The weather is really nice, I used to have summer holidays at this time (well, that’s certainly over!) and, most importantly, Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is only one month away. After E3 in July and gamescom in August, TGS is the highlight of the year for every lover of Japanese games. New trailers, new announcements of new games and a lot of surprises – TGS can be a hell of a week. Especially for us Suikoden fans who run a bit dry. The last game that’s been released was in 2012 and only in Japan, the last game to see an oversea release was Suikoden Tierkreis in 2009. We desperately need a new Suikoden game. So let’s take a short look on our perspective and what we can expect of TGS and Konami for the rest of the year.
Let’s do some math!
Why could we even expect a Suikoden announcement this TGS? Let’s take a look at the announcement dates of the last five Suikoden titles:
- Suikoden IV – September 2003 pre-TGS
- Suikoden Tactics – August 2005
- Suikoden V – September 2005 pre-TGS
- Suikoden Tierkreis – August 2008
- Suikoden Tsumugareshi… – September 2011 at TGS
As you can see, Suikoden titles are exclusively revealed shortly prior to (or with the latest title, even at) TGS. Also, if you look at the time between each announcement, you can see that it’s usually 2-3 years until a new game is announced. We are currently in our fourth year without a Suikoden announcement, which means we are a little “overdue”. Announcing something Suikoden related this year would also be the perfect opportunity for Konami to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first game (which was released in December 1995 in Japan).
At the Tokyo Game Show 2011, Konami announced the latest entry in the series.
But of course, this is all statistics. In reality, Konami hasn’t announced anything related to the series’ anniversary this year. And even though Suikoden III was released on Japanese PSN this year (followed by a worldwide release), no news on the sequels coming to PSN as well have been heard so far. Additionally, Konami has reportedly announced a shift towards mobile gaming and their casino business, possibly retracting from the traditional console gaming business altogether after the release of MGS V this year (with the exception of Pro Evolution Soccer which Konami will continue at least until next year as they got the license for the UEFA European Championship). And even if they announced a new Suikoden – we cannot be sure that it will be Suikoden VI and not Suikoden Tierkreis 2 or Suikoden Strangejapanesenamethatnowesternfancanunderstand.
But how could they even develop a new Suikoden? The team’s disbanded!
So let’s now assume a new Suikoden will be announced. Who could work on it? The Suikoden team has been disbanded!
This is one of the most notorious rumours/news we hear probably every day. It’s not true. Or, yes, it is true in a sense, but most people assume that there was indeed a Suikoden team which worked solely on the Suikoden franchise. And this is not true. The news come from Shingo Mukaitoge who gave an interview to Japanese gaming portal 4gamer in 2011, saying that there hasn’t been a Suikoden team in some years, so Konami lost all its RPG know-how. Now two points to notice:
- Mukaitoge was the producer of Frontier Gate, a PSP game developed by Konami and tri-Ace. The director of the game was Osamu Komuta – who also directed Suikoden Tierkreis. If Konami indeed disbanded their Suikoden team, Komuta should have been able to collect it again.
- Even assuming that it’s true that there hasn’t been a Suikoden team in a while – just one month later Konami announced their latest Suikoden game on PSP which means that at some point there were people working again on the series. And this could happen again, you’d just need to get some creative talents together working on the title. You could even again corporate with another company just like Konami did in the case of Frontier Gate.
For some reason, people always quote these news and disregard the Suikoden title that was released shortly after. Talk about selective perception. Recently, something similar to this has resurfaced again: In a report on Konami’s state, Japanese business journal Nikkei released information that all development of Suikoden has been halted (among other rumors concerning work conditions at Konami, but we won’t comment on that here). These news quickly made the round and there was a lot of confusion – an initial translation was ambiguous on whether this means the development of a new title has been cancelled or not and it was later clarified that it meant that development of the series altogether was halted. However, it seems to us that this is just an observation by the author of the Nikkei article, not insider news. After four years of no new announcement, the assumption that development of the series was halted is not surprising. But it’s not a fact. Keep this in mind.
That said let’s go back to our original question. Who could work on a new Suikoden? Unfortunately, we can’t say anything. It’s a fact that a lot of creative talents left Konami in the past months and years, including some Suikoden key staff (unfortunately, we cannot comment on this as this is confidential). A lot of fans want to see the return of Yoshitaka Murayama to the series as a creative director, a scenario which is at the moment very unlikely.
So can we expect a new Suikoden this TGS? I would give it a 5% chance. it’s certainly possible, but with a lot of “if”s connected to it. “If Konami decided to not give up console gaming and if Konami could find a creative head for the series and if… then yes, we can expect a new Suikoden.
We should not get our hopes too high, but I think it is safe to say that Suikoden fans have built a resistance towards being disappointed. And even if no Suikoden news whatsoever will be published for the rest of the year, this will not stop us from fighting our fight. Even if that means we have to overthink our methods and goals – but let’s leave this discussion for the future.
What do you think? Is this just a daydream or is there a real chance that we’ll see a new Suikoden announced soon? And, most importantly – what would you expect from it?


text: Stuart Santoro, former vice president of sales at Opvista Inc., is among three new sales executives hired by Polatis Inc., the manufacturer of optical switches announced today. Santor will direct telcom sales in North America. Also joining Polatis are Sean Gordon, formerly with Foxcom Ltd., as director of sales for worldwide video/broadcast, and Philip Benguhe, formerly of DiCon Fiberoptics Inc., as director of sales, defense and federal sector. Santoro has more than 20 years of experience in sales for telecommunications companies including Ubiquitair Inc., Ceterus Networks and ECI Telecom. Gordon spent 14 years as vice president of marketing and business development at Foxcom, for which he supplied fiber optic equipment to the video broadcast, satellite communications and radio-frequency (RF)-over-fiber markets. Benguhe was previously director of sales, specialty products, at DiCon and national account sales manager at JDSU. He has worked with numerous defense contractors and US defense agencies. Polatis, which has headquarters in Cambridge, England, and in Billerica, Mass., will exhibit at ECOC 2007 (Booth 15017), the 33rd European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication, Sept. 16-20 at the Internationales Congress Centrum in Berlin.


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On the eve of the opening of the Paris Motor Show, Prof Dr Martin Winterkorn, chairman of the board of Volkswagen AG, confidently declared the Volkswagen Group as green.
In a rousing speech at the company’s pre-show press event, Winterkorn presided over the unveiling of reduced emissions and lower fuel consumption models from across Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT.
With cars such as the new Passat BlueMotion II concept and Audi A4 TDIe being unveiled, Winterkorn may be justified in his environmental posturing – the headline 109g/km and 68.9mpg figures of Volkswagen’s Blue-Motion II showcar are impressive for an upper-medium car.
Volkswagen made less noise about the production BlueMotion II Passat, which will produce 128g/km CO2 when it is launched later this year alongside the 99g/km BlueMotion Golf.
However, next year its 2.0-litre TDI diesel will be re-mapped to bring that CO2 figure down to 114g/km.
Audi’s A1 Sportback and Golf TwinDrive concepts demonstrate how the company is looking at implementing mild hybrids into the model range in the future to further reduce emissions.
Winterkorn said the next few years would be tough for the company thanks to the cumulative effects of the credit crunch. He was confident, however, that by producing attractive and environmentally-friendly models, Volkswagen Group would continue to prosper.
Calling for some perspective in the environmental debate, Winterkorn described Volkswagen’s stance as ‘responsible mobility’, suggesting that environmental concerns should not be at the expense of mobility.
The BlueMotion II was shown alongside its Golf BlueMotion relative, as well as the group’s new Audi, SEAT and Volkswagen performance models.
Volkswagen’s new Golf GTI was introduced, the new car seeing its power increased to 207bhp and managing a CO2 figure of 178g/km and combined economy of 37.6mpg – an 11g/km and 2.3mpg improvement over the outgoing car.
Winterkorn’s claims of the Volkswagen Group being “champions of economy” sidestepped the unveiling of a V10-powered four-door Lamborghini concept car and the latest open-topped version of Bugatti’s Veyron.


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FAST-GROWING events ticketing platform Dice has raised $122m (£89.1m) in a Series C funding round led by Softbank with participation from iPod creator Tony Fadell.
Blisce, French entrepreneur Xavier Niel, Mirabaud Private Equity, Cassius and Evolution also participated in the funding round which will help the company to expand its team and secure partnerships with new venues and artists.
The Dice platform ensures artists do not lose out on ticket sales by preventing secondary resale of tickets. It helps more fans get into concerts by running a waitlist and refund feature for sold out shows.
"We believe Dice's technology has the capacity to transform the future of live entertainment," said Yanni
Pipilis, Managing Partner for Softbank Investment Advisers.
"Alongside the flexibility and security of seamless ticketing, the platform connects fans, artists and venues in a completely new way We are excited to partner with Dice to help create remarkable event experiences for fans all over the world," Pipilis added.
Dicehopes 49,000 artists will join its platform by 2023.
(c) 2021 City A.M., source Newspaper


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2023
For Media Inquiries Only
City Department of Sanitation to Host Collection Day for Household Hazardous Waste Materials
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation today announced it will host a Household Hazardous Waste Materials Collection Day on Saturday, May 13, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Recycling Drop-Off Center (2829 Elysian Fields Ave.). The event is open to Orleans Parish residents only (businesses and organizations excluded). Proof of Orleans Parish residency will be required in the form of a valid driver’s license or a motor vehicle inspection sticker.
Household hazardous items that will be accepted on Saturday only include garden chemicals, pesticides, household cleaners, drain cleaners, bleach, paint (latex and oil-based), paint thinner, varnish, grout, flammable liquids, muriatic acid, small mercury devices, aerosols, pool shock, antifreeze, motor oil and gasoline. Household hazardous items should never be placed in garbage or curbside recycling containers.
The following items will not be accepted: tanks, fire extinguishers, explosives, radioactive materials, medicines, medical waste, radioactive materials, asbestos or hazardous waste from businesses or organizations.
Items accepted at the weekly Saturday Recycling Drop-Off Event include:
– Paper (all colors and types)Plastics #1 & #2 (plastic bottles and jugs; empty and dry)
– Aluminum and Steel Cans (empty and dry)
– Cardboard (flattened; no pizza boxes)
– E-waste: iPads, tablets, computers, laptops, telephones/telephone systems, cell phones, bag phones, televisions (up to four), keyboards, speakers, telephone/computer cables, X-boxes, PlayStations, Wii, MP3/DVD/CD players, UPS, circuit boards, portable navigation/GPS devices, inkjet/toner cartridges, digital cameras/video recorders (DVRs), gaming consoles, DVD movies and video games, fax machines, small printers, monitors, processors, networking equipment, stereos, security systems
– Household batteries (AA, AAA, AAAA, C, D, 6v, 9v, Lithium)
– Lightbulbs (fluorescent and incandescent)
– Mardi Gras beads
– Tires (up to five)
– Glass (up to 50 lbs.)
The City reserves the right to limit the type and quantities of items accepted.
Residents can visit the Recycling Drop-Off Center (2829 Elysian Fields Ave.) from Tuesday, May 23 to Saturday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., to reclaim usable water-based and oil-based paint.
Visit https://nola.gov/recycling-drop-off/ for the remaining 2023 schedule for the Recycling Drop-Off Center.


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The past week has been rough to Experience Point (XP) as the digital currency traded at 12.6% lower against the dollar. Currently, it is not possible to purchase the virtual currency directly using US dollars; therefore you can purchase the coin from exchanges such as CryptoBridge, CoinsMarkets, CoinExchange, and Trade Satoshi. Investors in need of purchasing Experience Point now have to first purchase Bitcoin or Ethereum by using a platform that involves US dollars such as Gemini.
The digital currency was first launched in 2016 has real distinctions compared to other digital currencies. It uses distribution rates, mining algorithm, and total supply in providing an excellent approach to proof of stake. It, therefore, offers a higher rate of PoS to smallholders than large balances. Since it is rewarding incentive digital currency it uses a single blockchain designed for rewarding students and gamers. The reward system is the backbone of the coin. It rewards students for their good grades and attendance and gamers for unlocking achievements.
Since last year December, there has been an increase in the value, volume, and price of virtual currencies related to gaming applications. The video games represent an industry that uses blockchain integration and ready to take place this year. Game credits have also attained new heights above the $6.00 mark. Despite the value and questionable legitimacy, Experience Point (XP) have pumped their value to the video games related to virtual currencies. Investors have placed their sentiments that 2018 is the year of game coins. Huge developments slated for game projects back up these sentiments beyond the price appreciation. The developments are set for launch as early as next month.
There have been few initiatives by Experience Point team in offering a store, a game, and a faucet. The store provided by the virtual currency enables users to purchase XP gift cards. The game that uses gift cards faced criticism as it pays the players in XP coins. The game is alleged to pay players who attain high scores. The challenging part is that the game breaks easily, therefore making the one XP per play impossible. The good news is that the faucet appears to work. You can use the faucet and be able to earn five to fifty XP every eight hours.
The Experience Point team will soon offer a plugin that would enable game developers to implement XP. In their current announcement, there were a number of aspects that will constitute of a new reboot announcement. The team will also launch an XP reward system in the beta version. It is a great idea for them as the core component of the coin is kind of challenging to the development team.
Experience Point (XP) growth against other giants in the cryptocurrency space is logical and has been in a natural way. Implementing the new store, a game, and a faucet makes the coin gain its ground. The concept used by the platform of merging blockchain technology with real value reward system enables it to provide an innovative approach to game currencies.


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5 things credit card marketers should do right now to adapt their acquisition strategy during the COVID-19 crisis
At the end of March, US Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, conducted a rare interview on NBC’s “TODAY” show. In the context of credit card acquisition strategy, a number of comments were particularly pertinent and are worth highlighting.
- “We may well be in a recession.”
- This is the sobering reality but hardly surprising as some parts of the economy grind to a halt.
- “There is nothing fundamentally wrong with our economy.”
- In other words, we should be in a good position to bounce back (but with the unemployment crisis mounting there are growing fears of a long-lasting global recession).
- “This is a unique situation. This is not a typical downturn.”
- We can’t necessarily run the playbook from the last recession.
Consumer demand for credit hasn’t necessarily declined and, if anything, will likely increase as the country navigates what some economists are referring to as “The Great Shutdown of 2020.”
This means credit card acquisition can and should continue but, consumer behavior has shifted abruptly and card marketers need to balance being sensitive to a rapidly changing situation while also seeking out new opportunities to add value as consumer needs evolve.
Here are 5 things credit card marketers can do right now to adjust in the midst of the crisis:
1) Focus on everyday spend: It’s very important to audit the creative and messaging for any products going to market to ensure they strike the appropriate tone amidst current travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines. Cash back cards and cards with accelerated earn on everyday spend, as well as non-rewards cards, are more suitable for promotion in the current environment, and lifestyle marketing should be avoided.
2) Offer incentives that resonate: Cash is always king, particularly now with many consumers concerned about the economy. Additionally, elevating incentives for the types of services that consumers are purchasing as a result of spending more time at home, such as third party delivery apps or streaming services, even for a limited time,will resonate with some consumers.
3) Amplify the digital call-to-action: Direct mail offers should amplify instructions for submitting applications online so that applicants do not feel obliged to leave their homes to visit a mailbox, and references to in-branch or in-store applications should be removed – even if the location is still open. Although the risk of catching the virus from the mail has been deemed minimal by experts, the response could decline and supporting a direct mail campaign with email and/or other digital channels, wherever possible, is now more important than ever.
4) Promote contactless and mobile payment functionality: Not all US cards have been converted to contactless so avoid promoting contactless as “safer” from a health perspective; instead, use messages that discuss the security and convenience of contactless and mobile payment features.
5) Get creative on social media: Brands across a range of industries have taken to social media to get their messages across and engage with consumers in new and creative ways during the crisis. With more consumers spending their newfound free time on social media, now could be the time to test out a new acquisition channel or approach that you haven’t tried before.


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(Ecofin Agency) In 2016, Chinese tourists that traveled to Africa represented 10% of all Chinese that traveled out of their country that year (against 3% in 2008). This equals a little more than 11 million trips to Africa by Chinese tourists according to Xinhua, which based itself on data from the World Tourism Organization (WHO).
The number of Chinese tourists visiting the African continent soars by a staggering 50% each year. This is spurred by lighter formalities to obtain visas. Some African nations like Morocco or Tunisia have even adopted visa exemption measures for Chinese tourists.
Moreover, the fact that Africa’s touristic assets vary from those of traditional western destinations is a non-negligible asset in helping Chinese tourists discover new horizons.
Africa’s exotic nature mainly attracts Chinese tourists aged between 25 and 40. Those represent 70% of all Chinese traveling to the continent.
Let’s recall that since 2013, China is the leader worldwide in terms of number of tourists visiting other countries. In 2016, 122 million trips abroad were made by Chinese, generating $110 billion of expenditures.


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Donald Trump says TikTok 'out of business' in US if not sold by around September 15
Washington, Aug 03: United States President Donald Trump said that TikTok will have to close its US operations by September 15 unless there's a deal to sell the social media network's American operations.
The White House has said it's concerned that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance Ltd., could be compelled to hand over American users' data to Beijing or use the app to influence the 165 million Americans, and more than 2 billion users globally, who have downloaded it.
There are reports that TikTok is going to pull out of the holding company, which is China, and operate as an independent American company, White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters here. When asked whether any American company would like to buy the Chinese firm, he said, "I don't want to speculate on that."
"That's really a market question, but I'm just saying that's a much better solution than banning," he said. The top White House economic advisor, responding to another question, said that the servers of TikTok, after becoming an American company, will be in the US and not in China.
A day earlier, the White House indicated that a decision on Chinese banning Chinese mobile applications, including TikTok, could be taken within weeks.
"I do not think there is any self-imposed deadline for action, but I think we are looking at weeks, not months," White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters aboard Air Force One, flying with President Donald Trump form Atlanta.


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Kokomo Indiana: A town on the brink
8 of 8
The future of Kokomo
Chris Rohaly atop his solar powered building. Rohaly started Green Alternatives, a company that brings renewable energy to homeowners, farmers and small businesses.
Local officials hope business like his will help revive the town.
Last updated April 22 2009: 5:45 AM ET
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Tales from the recession
To buy or not to buy
From a 1997 Mercury Cougar to a 2009 Honda Pilot, 8 readers tell us why they decided to buy a new car or keep their old wheels.
An oil town up close
As the price of oil falls, small town producers have been forced to cut back their operations. The effects go far beyond the well head.
As many big companies are announcing mass layoffs, these Fortune 100 employers have at least 150 openings as of mid-April.


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Business in brief
Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill is currently renovating 12 of its restaurants throughout Metro Richmond in an effort it calls the “River City Recharge.” Each restaurant will get a complete interior and exterior makeover worth $200,000, as well as menu and service enhancements. Applebees will also hire 369 team members over six months, including 18 managers. This project will invest more than $8 million in the Richmond/Norfolk market and it’s also one of the first markets in the country to go through these remodels. Completion is expected in mid-June. For details, visit http://www.applebees.com.
ComedySportz has relocated to a new location in Gold’s Gym Plaza, 8906-H W. Broad St. The show schedule is 8 p.m. on Fridays and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. ComedySportz no longer features a restaurant. For details, call 266-9377.
Firehouse Subs opened its fourth restaurant in the region May 9, at 8191-A Brook Rd. in Henrico. This is the fourth location for owner Randy Evans and partners Brad and Brett Osterhout.
A recent report released by HealthGrades named Bon Secours’ St. Mary’s Hospital among the top five percent in the nation for emergency medicine and Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, including Parham Doctors’ Hospital and Retreat Doctors’ Hospital, among the top five percent in the nation for women’s health.
Bon Secours has launched ConnectCare, an application that allows patients to access their confidential information, including medical history, allergies, test results and medications, at any time via PC or Apple, iPhone, iPad or iPad Touch. This technology is the only one of its kind in the region. The patient’s care team, including physicians and medical staff, can also access this information to review charts and have dictated notes transcribed, enabling them to remotely make critical decisions.
Monica Longest Horsley, owner of invitation and stationary store By Invitation Only, has sold the business to Kerri DiStanlo, currently a stay-at-home mom and owner of Polka Dot Paper Shop, an online paper store. Horsley, a former school teacher, bought the business in 2002 and relocated it from Innsbrook to the Shoppes at Westgate in Short Pump. DiStanlo plans on adding new brands, creating online ordering and expanding the store’s wedding selection. Horsley plans to stay on staff throughout the summer to ensure a smooth transition.
Chick-fil-A in The Shops at Willow Lawn recently reopened in a new location just outside the mall. The new restaurant faces Willow Lawn Dr. just down from Starbucks and Staples. Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Since opening in 1987, the store has generated hundreds of jobs and awarded more than $15,000 in scholarships to its restaurant team members. In addition, the restaurant is actively involved in many local schools, churches and community organizations.
The deadline for nominations for Allen and Allen’s 2011 Hometown Heroes award is May 27. A hometown hero is someone who provides random acts of kindness and engages in every day actions that improve the community. Nominations will be taken at http://www.allenandallen.com/hometown-heroes.
Reynolds Community College will host Richmond sculptor Paul DiPasquale Sept. 28 as he shares his presentation “Art Talk, Why Art Matters” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Conference Center Gallery of the Workforce Development and Conference Center on the Parham Road Campus, located at 1651 E. Parham Road in Richmond. This event is free and open to the public. > Read more.
The Children's Clothing Closet at Highland Springs United Methodist Church will be open Saturday, Aug. 27 and Tuesday, Aug. 30 to provide free new or nearly new children's clothing for families in need, prior to the start of the school year. The Clothing Closet will be open from 10 a.m. to noon both days. The church is located at 22 North Holly Avenue. > Read more.
The theme for the annual Dominion GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Lakeside has been announced.
This year's event, which opens Nov. 25 and will continue through Jan. 9, will explore "Living Color" and show how the world's kaleidoscope of colors speaks to people, impacts nature and influences culture, according to Garden officials. The event features more than a half million lights, botanical decorations, trains, holiday dinners, family activities and more. > Read more.
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CalendarCharacterWorks will hold its Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to noon at North Run Baptist Church, 2100 Lydell Dr. There will be a bounce house, photo booth, games and candy prizes, a bake sale, food and drinks, face painting, music and a costume contest. All proceeds benefit CWorks' Missions Trip to the Dominican Republic with Samaritan's Feet in December. For details, visit http://www.cworkstheater.org. Full text


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Reversing camera now standard on every model in the Lexus range.
Lexus say they are leading the luxury vehicle market with the standard fitment of reversing cameras to all new Lexus vehicles.
In what is sure to be a move followed by most other manufacturers in coming years, Lexus recently added a reversing camera as standard equipment to the CT 200h hatch, bringing it in line with the rest of the Lexus range.
Lexus Australia chief executive Sean Hanley says the move is aimed at improving safety for customers.
“Lexus’ commitment to visibility and relating to safety is well documented, with Lexus IS, GS, RX and LX taking five-star ratings in NRMA reversing visibility studies,”
“Additionally, Lexus is continually developing and offering new exterior vision technologies including the front, rear, left and right view cameras fitted as standard on LX 570, as well as the availability of wide-view side cameras on RX.”
Great move Lexus!


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We all know about the importance of moving our savings accounts on a regular basis and reviewing our insurance policies each year.
But many people still fail to review what is, arguably, the most utilised financial product – the current account.
But this apathy comes at a price. For a start, many providers currently offer zero interest to their current account customers. According to data provider Defaqto, offenders include: Barclays; Firstdirect; HSBC; Nationwide; and the Co-operative Bank.
In addition, many providers continue to tweak their charges – catching many customers out.
For example, from 6 December, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will start charging overdrawn customers £1 a day. This charge will replace overdraft interest and bank charges – but whereas a month spent £100 overdrawn would have previously cost under £2, it will now set customers back by as much as £31. People with overdrafts of £2,500 or more will be charged £2 a day.
Dominic Lindley, personal finance campaigner at Which?, says the £1 daily charge is equivalent to 365% APR if you’re £100 overdrawn. "Anyone who's unhappy with the new charging structure should vote with their feet by shopping around and switching to a current account that best suits their needs," he adds.
The past few years have seen packaged accounts – where you pay a monthly fee in return for an account with added extras – boom in popularity. But research from Which? reveals that these deals can cost as much as £300 a year, although many of the ‘benefits’ are just not worth this price.
Which? also found that 22% of its members with packaged accounts had been automatically upgraded by their bank.
David Black, head of banking at Defaqto, says anyone considering a packaged account ask themselves the following questions:
* Do you need the benefits?
* Are they of suitable qualify for you?
* Could you get them cheaper independently?
Insurance products offered as part of packaged accounts should also be scrutinised carefully. For example, if travel insurance is included check to see which areas it covers (the US might be excluded, for example), and whether it covers things like winter sports. There might also be an age limit, so check to see if this applies.
Some top current accounts
|Current account||AER (balances |
up to £2,500)
|AER (balances |
|Abbey||6% for 12 months |
|0.1%||Must deposit |
£1,000+ per month
|n/a||n/a||Earn £5 interest a month |
provided you deposit
£1,000+ per month
|Source: Defaqto 23/10/2009|
|Norwich & Peterborough |
0% for six months
£100 interest-free overdraft
£1,000 maximum overdraft


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The City's revenue collection centre in Jabulani has been cleared to reopen later this week to avoid leaving residents of Soweto in the lurch as the Gauteng province prepares to move to lockdown Level 3, with fewer restrictions.
Possibly the largest revenue collection point in will start serving local residents on Friday, 22 May, after it was disinfected and deep cleaned ahead of the imminent resumption of operations.
The development follows a directive by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) giving municipalities the green light to resume revenue-generating services.
Jabulani's reopening coincides with that of its counterpart in Sandton, which was the first to resume operations this week.
“The City is strictly adhering to the prescribed disaster management regulations and COGTA guidelines. The same will be expected from all people entering our customer centres. Some of the restrictions include social distancing, wearing of cloth facemasks in a correct way, hand sanitising and screening at entrances,” says Jolidee Matongo, the Finance MMC.
Jabulani will operate Mondays to Saturdays, offering a full basket of municipal services like meter readings, account adjustments and the resolution of queries, among others.
“Services like rates clearance certificates, which had continued being processed throughout the lockdown, will continue online through the City’s e-Clearance platform accessible to conveyancers,” Matongo explains.
Municipal account payments can still be made through either electronic fund transfers, automated teller machines or telephone banking as well as through third parties such as Easy Pay in various retail stores: Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Woolworths and the Post Office.
“We appeal to residents to work with the municipality and play their part by continuing to pay their municipal accounts. It is only through working together during this difficult time that we shall overcome,” says Matongo.


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"TV has come a long way in the past 80 years: and the rate of evolution has accelerated so quickly since the 1990s, that even the term “watching TV” has become almost irrelevant: 284 million people, or nearly 50% of US viewers, don’t watch TV on the television, but on the internet, via timeshifting, or on their mobile phones.
The infographic’s other Nielsen & emarketer.com-sourced insights include:
- 60% of people who multitask whilst watching TV do so on social media
- 41% of consumers own an HD and/or 3D TV, and 46% intend to purchase one
- $800m was spent on social games like Farmville in 2012."