text:
Gwyneth Storr and Rechel Bauer have never met each other before, they say, but they're sitting side-by-side having a conversation over coffees at Patachou Patisserie on Yonge Street.
They say it's a common experience to make new friends at the Rosedale bakery and coffee shop. But after 35 years in business, Patachou is closing its doors on Saturday.
Ms. Storr and Ms. Bauer say they've been coming to Patachou for years. Ms. Bauer says it's the only place she can find quiche that's not made with cheese. Ms. Storr says she comes for the hot chocolate. Regardless of what kept them coming here, they both agree – Patachou was something special.
Owners Robert Sidi and his wife, Elizabeth Sidi, started with a location at Eglinton and Bathurst (which is also closing on Saturday) and eventually opened up in Rosedale on Yonge. While Ms. Sidi says she enjoys coming to work every day, they're ready to give up the long hours and early mornings.
Mr. Sidi says that it's a bittersweet ending for the family, but they're glad to be doing it on their own terms. "It's not for economic reasons, or anything like that," he says. Ms. Sidi is retiring, while Mr. Sidi plans to move out of the food industry.
During an interview in the café with Ms. Sidi and her daughter, Camille Serebecbere, customers keep coming up to them to kiss them on the cheek, say goodbye, and tell them they can't believe the bakery is closing its doors.
Ms. Serebecbere started working at the café after school when she was younger, and spent her summers working there before she became a full-time employee. She says their customers have become familiar with her and have watched her grow up.
It was a lifetime engagement for Ms. Serebecbere, and she's certainly not alone. Her mother says many of their employees have never had jobs other than the ones they have at Patachou. "I know they're employees, but I really feel like they're family," Ms. Sidi says.
Patachou's chef Christian Serebecbere, who is Ms. Serebecbere's father, is one of those employees that helped make Patachou what it is, Ms. Sidi says. She calls him the most important employee in the kitchen, where he leads a very loyal team and manages the show.
"We sell only what we like," she says. "Only what we would eat. We care."
Ms. Sidi remembers when Patachou first opened in Toronto, there was little variety in the coffee shops and bakeries in town. "When we first came, the coffee was terrible," she says with a laugh. "Now, there's good coffee everywhere."
It was that first, new experience for many people that kept them coming back after Patachou opened, Ms. Serebecbere says. For others, it was the familiarity. "I think they liked that it was very European."
Mr. Sidi remembers a new immigrant to Canada from Hungary going to the café and finding pastries that were the same quality of what she had at home. That woman took her own children to the café, who've since grown up and take their own kids there now.
Politicians, prominent journalists, authors and NHL players have all frequented the café. Ms. Serebecbere says actor Eugene Levy and TV personality Jeanne Beker are among the spot's recognizable regulars.
In the week the closing was announced, the owners bought guest books for their customers to fill out. In only a few days, one guest book was completely filled and a second is nearing its last page.
"I think we're going to have to buy a third," Mr. Sidi says.
Inside the books are hundreds of well-wishes for the Sidis and their future, and notes expressing how sad people are to be losing their favourite coffee shop. Many of the messages are written in children's handwriting with doodles of happy faces and hearts beside them.
"This is where I grew up. I'm 10 years old now," a girl named Alyssa wrote. "I will miss this place very much. I wish you would never close."
Others write that they had their first dates with their husbands or wives there. Some say they always visit with their now grown children on their visits to Toronto after they'd left for university or for work.
"I was drawn back to this area after my divorce," an unsigned message says. "And found gentle comfort here."
That gentle comfort, Ms. Sidi says, is what made Patachou stand out in Toronto for more than three decades.
"There's not much difference between home and Patachou."


text:
News headlines about Fossil Group (NASDAQ:FOSL) have trended somewhat positive on Thursday, according to Accern. Accern scores the sentiment of media coverage by reviewing more than 20 million blog and news sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of public companies on a scale of negative one to positive one, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Fossil Group earned a coverage optimism score of 0.15 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned press coverage about the accessories brand company an impact score of 45.5239953217838 out of 100, indicating that recent media coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the company’s share price in the near future.
These are some of the media headlines that may have impacted Accern’s scoring:
- Are Better Days Ahead for This Watch Maker? (fool.com)
- Investor’s Alert -: Citigroup Inc.,(NYSE: C),Fossil Group, Inc., (NASDAQ: FOSL), XL Group Ltd, (NYSE: XL) – Money making news (press release) (stocknews.pro)
- Fossil Group, Inc. (FOSL) Earns “Hold” Rating from Piper Jaffray Companies (americanbankingnews.com)
- Hot Stock in the Spotlight: Fossil Group, Inc., (NASDAQ: FOSL) – Stock Watch (stocksnewstimes.com)
- Here’s What to Focus on: Fossil Group Inc (NASDAQ: FOSL) – Alpha Beta Stock (alphabetastock.com)
Fossil Group (FOSL) traded up 2.48% during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $8.26. 2,190,802 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged. The stock’s market capitalization is $400.78 million. Fossil Group has a 12-month low of $6.80 and a 12-month high of $36.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $8.71 and its 200-day moving average is $11.50.
Fossil Group (NASDAQ:FOSL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 8th. The accessories brand company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.28) by $0.05. The business had revenue of $596.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $617.89 million. Fossil Group had a negative net margin of 11.33% and a positive return on equity of 6.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Fossil Group will post ($0.11) earnings per share for the current year.
FOSL has been the subject of several recent research reports. ValuEngine lowered shares of Fossil Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Fossil Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Fossil Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. Bank of America Corporation set a $7.00 target price on shares of Fossil Group and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $7.00 target price (down from $8.00) on shares of Fossil Group in a report on Thursday, August 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.90.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: This piece was published by Sports Perspectives and is owned by of Sports Perspectives. If you are viewing this piece on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of US & international copyright and trademark law. The original version of this piece can be read at https://sportsperspectives.com/2017/10/12/fossil-group-fosl-receiving-somewhat-positive-media-coverage-report-shows.html.
In related news, insider Gregory A. Mckelvey purchased 5,712 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.73 per share, with a total value of $49,865.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Martin Frey purchased 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $7.25 per share, with a total value of $51,475.00. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 114,945 shares of company stock valued at $923,917. Corporate insiders own 12.80% of the company’s stock.
About Fossil Group
Fossil Group, Inc is a design, marketing and distribution company that specializes in consumer fashion accessories. The Company’s segments include Americas, Europe and Asia. Each segment includes sales to wholesale and distributor customers, and sales through the Company-owned retail stores and e-commerce activities based on the location of the selling entity.
Receive News & Ratings for Fossil Group Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fossil Group Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

domain: news


text:
New Age Beverages is continuing upon its aggressive expansion strategy and today announced that it has acquired Premier Micronutrient Corporation (PMC), a maker of nutrient-dense supplements.
In picking up PMC, founded in 2000 to develop formulations in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), New Age secured intellectual property — including 10 major patents and patents pending in various areas of micronutrient-based treatments — that it plans to use to fuel product innovation in both the short and long term. The no-cash agreement brings 100 percent of the assets and interests of PMC, its portfolio of products, intellectual property, and the formulas for existing and planned healthy functional beverage products for the pharmacy, medical, sports and military, and other industries.
The move marks the third acquisition for New Age this year, following the purchase of Maverick Brands, makers of Coco Libre, and the full assets of Marley Beverage Company in April.
Speaking with BevNET, New Age CEO Brent Willis said that the PMC acquisition was another step forward in the company’s goal to be the global leader in healthy functional beverages, and that the research and scientific expertise gained in the deal will allow New Age to continue exploring new sales opportunities, including those within the medical industry, with less competitive intensity.
“Today, the products that address things like cardiovascular health or weight management have a delivery system of pills and powders,” he said. “That’s the evolution: it goes from pills to powders to a ready-to-drink, more consumer friendly and more efficacious delivery system.”
In addition to patents for micronutrient formulations for diabetes treatment, radiation, and other applications, PMC brings medical expertise, research, clinical trial insight and a strong reputation within the scientific community into the fold at New Age’s Health Sciences Division.
PediaAde, an organic coconut water-based rehydration drink, will be the first product to be released with input from the division when it debuts later this summer. Willis said the beverage, formulated to alleviate symptoms associated with significant dehydration, is indicative of the company’s strategy of identifying existing consumer behaviors and segments and designing new products around them.
“When you have the credibility and the science, and you start in the medical channel and pharmacy channel, ultimately when you want to take it out to broad based consumers it’s just that much more supported in terms of the benefits,” said Willis. “We want to be building off of existing large need states and segments versus coming up with crazy healthy niches.”
Willis pointed toward a soon-to-be-released new product, developed by the Health Sciences division in conjunction with scientists at the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, aimed at reducing post-surgery stress and recovery time.
“The public is demanding that credible information done with legitimate studies, which we have, and that drives a hunger for products that are not a pill that a doctor prescribes from a pharmacy,” said Dr. Jerry Haase, chief scientific officer for the Health Sciences Division. “The number of interesting products that fill a definite need in the marketplace that we are developing and will develop is quite an impressive list.”
Reaffirming the company’s goal to push differentiated products in segments relatively unexplored by its competitors, Willis said the PMC acquisition was indicative of his overall vision for New Age’s place on the industry landscape.
“We have about an $85 million run rate with revenue,” he said. “We can’t afford to waste time and do little niche kind of things.”


text:
Samsung to use blockchain tech for smartphone shipments, report
Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone and chip maker may jump on to the blockchain bandwagon to manage its global supply network, reports Bloomberg. Samsung could stand to realize significant savings if the company turns to blockchain for its vast supply chain.
While speaking with Bloomberg in an interview, Samsung’s blockchain chief, Song Kwang-woo said that the company will decide soon whether to use the blockchain ledger for managing its supply chain shipments across the world. According to the report, Samsung spends billions of dollars a year on those shipments and could cut its costs by as much as 20% by relying on the blockchain.
The blockchain is best known for its use by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and others to keep track of transactions and ensure the accuracy of cryptocurrency valuations. But at its core, blockchain is a digital ledger that can be used to track and verify anything. Companies in the logistics industry have been taking an extra-hard look at blockchain because it can accurately automate many of the current functions that require much slower and more costly human interaction.
According to the report, Samsung’s supply chain manages everything from the flow of components for its devices to the shipments of its finished products to store shelves. In total, the company’s logistics division, Samsung SDS, will take on 1 million shipping units and 488,000 tons of air cargo. The company believes that blockchain will allow for a faster and more efficient flow of those shipments and could ultimately quicken the pace of product launches.
It must be noted that Samsung hasn’t yet confirmed the news outlet when it will finally make its decision on whether to deploy blockchain across its supply chain or not.
BUY & SELL BITCOINSAD
|LocalBitcoins.com is a peer-to-peer bitcoin exchange, a site where you can list your own bitcoins for sale or buy bitcoins directly from other users.||Buy Bitcoins|
|Coinmama lets you buy bitcoins with your credit card or cash.||Buy Bitcoins||With Binance, you can buy and sell Bitcoins and altcoins easily. Get into Cryptocurrency trading on this exchange.||Buy Altcoins|
|Coinbase is the easiest place to buy, use, and accept bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin.||Buy Bitcoins|


text:
By ALEXANDRA WEXLER
NEW YORK—Arabica coffee futures touched a fresh two-year low as the market continues to retreat in the face of a projected record harvest from top producer Brazil.
Front-month arabica for July delivery settled 0.3% lower at $1.4955 a pound Monday, after touching an intraday low of $1.4820 a pound, a price last seen on June 15, 2010. ICE coffee futures have tumbled 15% over the last month.
Prices have fallen as analysts have predicted a Brazilian crop as big as 60 million 132-pound bags. But rains have slowed the harvesting of beans and delayed confirmation of the crop’s size.
However, investors continue to bet on a glut of supply from Brazil.
“Everybody seems to be in love with the Brazil crop,” said Jack Scoville, vice president at Price Futures Group. “They just keep selling because it keeps working.”
In addition, hedge funds and other speculators continue to bet that coffee futures are heading lower.
In the week ended June 12, speculative investors in arabica added 770 short positions, or bets that prices would fall, making speculators net-short by 14,601 lots, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Commitment of Traders Report. However, the final size of the Brazilian arabica crop remains unknown.
“Certainly, we cannot really take stock in what the Brazilian coffee crop will measure out to until perhaps mid-July when we get most of it [off the tree],” said Hector Galvan, senior analyst at R.J. O’Brien Futures.
“If by … mid-July we don’t see the numbers that we have seen projected, I could easily see coffee back to the $1.80 mark, if not higher,” he added.
Demand will also be a key factor in a potential recovery for futures. After arabica prices on ICE hit a 14-year high of $3.0625 a pound last May, a lot of coffee roasters began to blend their arabica with cheaper, more-bitter-tasting robusta beans.
“Roasters did do some substitution to robusta,” said Marcio Bernardo, an analyst at brokerage Newedge. “Now the question is if they are going to come back to arabica.”
Since front-month arabica futures on ICE have fallen 34% so far this year, the new, low prices could entice some roasters to switch back. But, if consumers have accepted the blends with robusta, Mr. Bernardo added, it could tempt roasters to stay with the cheaper option.
Uncertainty over the macroeconomic situation in Europe, which could affect overall demand for coffee, is also weighing on the downtrodden market. News that the pro-bailout party narrowly won in Sunday’s Greece elections could not stir much confidence that the region’s problems will go away.
“Market players are evidently aware that all that has been bought once again is a little time, and that the underlying problem has not been resolved,” Commerzbank said in a note. “The sovereign-debt crisis will continue to worry the market for a long time yet, which could prevent any significant increases in commodity prices.”


text:
No target set for incoming NFF marketing boss, says Sanusi
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said it would not set target for the incoming Head of its Marketing unit, until it is able to draw up an action plan on its fund drive.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NFF is shopping for a replacement for its Director of Marketing, Idris Adama, as indicated in an advertorial placed in some national dailies last month.
Mohammed Sanusi, NFF General Secretary, told NAN that although the leadership of the football house had planned to restructure the marketing unit, it was not ready to give target to the next head of unit.
Sanusi said that target would be given when things had been put in proper perspective in line with the vision of the Amaju Pinnick-led board of the NFF, to build a viable football house.
“We want to start first and we don’t want to set a target that will be too low or not achievable.
“When we start and look at the directions, we would know where we are heading to; sometimes you set a target that is not realistic and in the long run, you crumble.
“It is better you set the machinery in motion first, and then you see the workability of the machinery before you can set a target,’’ Sanusi said.
The NFF scribe said that the present NFF board desired to be transparent in its dealing with issues concerning funds, as such desired drastic marketing restructuring.
Sanusi noted that sponsors invested their money where it would yield positive result.
He said: “There are issues sponsors will always look at when they want to invest their money.
“They want know if they will get value for their money and if the money will be judiciously spent.
“They will always want to be sure that there will not be any breach of contractual agreement in their dealings with the Football House.
“These are some of the things the board of the NFF has squarely addressed and that have given way for sponsors and marketers to key into the new vision of NFF.
Sanusi urged the media to assist in positively projecting the activities of the NFF. to boost the confidence of prospective sponsors.
He said this would go a long way in boosting the revenue generation of the country’s Football House, and at the same time help it carter for the 13 national teams.
No comments yet


text:
It's really common sense, but mind share counts for a lot when it comes to big business. You obviously want your brand to be as recognisable as possible, and it looks like PlayStation's currently doing a great job placing itself in the public consciousness.
According to Prophet's Brand Relevance Index for 2018, PlayStation is the third most-recognised brand in the UK, beaten only by Apple in first place, and LEGO in second. For comparison, Nintendo is ranked 11th, and Xbox is 17th. PlayStation even beat out Google, which landed in fourth. Last year, PlayStation was ranked ninth in terms of brand recognition.
Meanwhile, in the US, gaming-based brands didn't fare quite so well, but PlayStation still ended up ahead of the competition, settling in 13th place. Xbox jumps in at 25th, and Nintendo isn't featured. EA managed 34th.
This kind of stuff is always interesting, because while we doubt anyone would argue that it's concrete proof of a brand's overall success, it's a great way of determining trends. And, of course, with the PS4 still dominating the global console market even though it's closing in on being five years old, the data certainly lines up.


text:
Philadelphia’s ABC News reports:
Officials in Philadelphia closed off much of Center City after peaceful protests over George Floyd’s death turned into a weekend filled with destruction, with store windows smashed, merchandise taken from stores and police vehicles and structures set afire.
And while looters continued to break into stores across the Philadelphia area on Sunday, it was a much different scene at the South Philadelphia Target store.
Dozens of residents stood outside to protect the store on Mifflin Street, near Columbus Boulevard on Sunday evening. A handful of neighbors could still be seen guarding the doors early Monday morning.
A different Philly Target was looted.
Check out these looters at the Target in Wynnfield Heights, #Philadelphia. They left the magnet for their business on the side of their van 😂😂😂🤦♂#COVID19 #GeorgeFloydProtests #Protests2020 #Riots2020#BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) May 31, 2020


text:
Ridecell Inc.,a platform developer for carsharing and ridesharing operators, announced it is providing the technology foundation for ZITY™, a new carsharing service in Madrid, Spain. Powered by Ridecell, ZITY is a collaboration between Ferrovial, a global infrastructure and municipal services company, and Groupe Renault, the top electric vehicle manufacturer in Europe. The Ridecell platform enables ZITY customers to download the ZITY app, sign up for the service, and start driving in just a few minutes—making it the easiest to use carsharing service in Madrid. Ferrovial and Groupe Renault join BMW, ŠKODA Poland VGP, and AAA as Ridecell marquee customers.
“Demand for new mobility services continues to gain momentum in Europe. The city of Madrid, which has Europe’s highest electric carsharing rate, represented an ideal market for us to launch an innovative new service,” said Javier Mateos, CEO of ZITY. “In selecting the technical infrastructure for ZITY, we chose Ridecell based on its state-of-the-art platform and its team of new mobility experts.”
Read more here


text:
Macy’s to launch modest clothing collection aimed at Muslim and non-Muslim consumers
Macy’s has just announced a retail partnership with Verona Collection, a boutique specializing in modern Islamic clothing. Starting February 15, Macy’s stores around the U.S. will sell a curated selection of modest ready-to-wear fashion, including hijabs.
The collection has been designed by Verona’s founder, Lisa Vogl, a 2017 graduate of The Workshop at Macy's, the U.S. retailer's minority-owned business development program.
"We want to nurture and support minority- and women-owned businesses to build their capabilities and become the next generation of retail partners," said Shawn Outler, Macy's executive vice president - Licensed Businesses, Food Services and Multicultural Initiatives, in a press statement.
Traditionally, when it comes to Muslim-friendly apparel the mainstream U.S. fashion industry has missed a trick or two.
The underserved demand was evident in the way a denim headscarf launched by American Eagle last year sold out within two weeks.
In December, sportswear giant Nike test launched its first-ever performance hijab specifically engineered for female Muslim athletes. It's currently sold out, and is expected back in stock in April.
Retailers like DKNY have released one-off collections during the month of Ramadan and Eid. Even luxury major Dolce & Gabbana has designed headscarves and coordinated abayas from their signature fabrics. Most collections however, target Muslim customers in the burgeoning Middle Eastern markets, where a young and growing middle class includes fashion-forward, luxury consumers.
In America, Muslim women have often been forced to shop online from other parts of the world.
Islam is expected to be America's second largest religion by 2050. While not all Muslim women choose to wear abayas or hijabs, Muslim women and girls are a growing retail niche.
The global Muslim consumer spend on fashion is estimated to be worth $464 billion by 2019, according to a report in Campaign. The spend on cosmetics in the same period is projected to be $73 billion.
The U.S. cosmetics industry, spurred on by Muslim beauty influencers, is becoming more responsive to the women who don’t see themselves represented in mainstream beauty products. One of the bigger trends in the last few years has been the rise in halal beauty — products procured and manufactured under Islamic Sharia law.
And the global halal cosmetics market is expected to be 52.02 billion USD by 2025, according to consulting firm Grand View Research.
Late last year, as Fashion Network reported, Chicago-based 786 Cosmetics launched their debut halal nail polish brand. Earlier, L.A.-based Orly also launched a halal collection, even giving each nail colour a tongue-in-cheek Muslim name like 'What the Fatima' or 'Ig-Noor the Haters'.
Often, with Islamic fashion and beauty products there’s a spillover effect in the market — non-Muslim consumers who adopt longer, loose clothing or Halal cosmetics as a matter of personal choice.
A few years ago, the company hired Japanese-British designer Hana Tajima to design their first Muslim clothing collection for Southeast Asian markets. Today, the collection is available at Uniqlo flagships around the world, including in the U.S. Uniqlo no longer markets the collection as ‘Muslim’ or ‘modest’ — it is just the ‘Hana Tajima Lifewear ‘collection.
Copyright © 2022 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


text:
- The upcoming Oppo flagship will feature a triple camera setup.
- The smartphone could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor.
- It might be equipped with a 120Hz Quad HD+ display.
Oppo is expected to launch the Find X6 series smartphones in the coming months. One of the Find X6 series smartphones will be powered by a MediaTek Dimesnity processor. Ahead of the launch, we have spotted the upcoming Oppo Find X6 series Dimensity Edition with model number PHS110 on the TENAA certification website. The TENAA certification website reveals the key specifications of the upcoming Oppo flagship.
As per the specifications mentioned on TENAA, the upcoming Oppo flagship will sport a 4880mAh battery unit. The listing also confirms that the upcoming Oppo flagship will sport a triple-camera setup. Let us take a closer look at the Oppo Find X6 series Dimensity Edition specifications and features.
The TENAA certification listing does not reveal anything about the upcoming Oppo flagship except the battery capacity and number of cameras. The smartphone will feature a 4880mAH rated capacity battery. Whereas, the typical capacity of the battery could be 5000mAh battery. The listing also reveals that the smartphone will feature three cameras.
In all likelihood, the upcoming Oppo flagship will be powered by a MediaTek Dimesnity 9200 processor. To those unaware, the Dimensity 9200 is fabricated on a 4nm manufacturing process. It brings with it an integrated Immortalis G715 GPU and an octa-core CPU. The CPU includes a Cortex-X2 (clocked at 3.05 GHz), 3× Cortex-A715 cores (each clocked at 2.85GHz), and 4 × Cortex-A510 cores (clocked at 1.80GHz).
The upcoming Oppo flagship is rumoured to feature a Quad HD+ resolution display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint scanner. The upcoming Oppo flagship is said to feature a 50MP triple-rear camera setup. It might be equipped with a 31MP front shooter.
What do you think of the Oppo Find X6 Dimensity Edition? Do let us know in the comments section.


text:
The import and export value of Shandong province reached 2.04 trillion yuan ($288 billion) in 2019, exceeding 2 trillion yuan for the first time and ranking sixth in China.
Shandong province recently launched guidelines to facilitate the development of larger city clusters in the province in order to boost regional cooperation and coordinated development.
East China's Shandong province has been ramping up efforts to stabilize and expand employment and support entrepreneurship.
Shandong plans to establish a 1-billion-yuan ($141 million) incentive fund to support the high-quality development of its key industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the face of declining overseas orders amid the COVID-19 epidemic, engine fittings supplier Qingdao Benda had planned to give some employees a holiday, but eventually decided to have them all working as usual.
East China's Shandong province has adopted a series of measures to help Taiwan-invested enterprises resume operations while also strengthening epidemic prevention and control measures.
Three cities in Shandong, namely Dongying, Weifang, and Linyi, were recently approved by the State Council to establish comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zones.


text:
In an ever changing world, technologies rule the roost. With the advent of Digital Marketing, most traditional marketing methods have taken the back seat. Even though some may argue that traditional marketing hits the nail hard on the head, forcing buyers to make the conversion straightaway, statistics tell a different story. According to a recent study, it has been revealed that while Digital Marketing spend has registered a 14% increment, Traditional advertising spend has experienced a 116% drop!
Let us analyze the situation and see for whom the bell tolls most
Print Advertising tops the list of casualties hit by digital marketing as of now. Sadly enough, it has declined by more than two-thirds in course of the last couple of decades. To be more precise, it has nose dived from a whopping $60 billion to as low as $20 billion. It seems that the day is soon coming when commercial printers in the US will have the same fate as that of U.S. Post Offices since nobody now writes letters leave aside posting them.
Taking this clue, most marketers have refrained from using print publications for consumer reports or even entertainment purposes. But they aren’t sitting idle either. They are targeting media that gets the most traffic on the internet. If you care to take an analytical look at the situation now, you will be surprised to observe that the time print advertisement took to start its downward journey is the same that Internet took to reach the present state.
Telemarketing is yet another casualty that has been hit by digital marketing under the belt. So far as personal one-to-one approach was concerned, telemarketing used to be first choice for generating lead. But here again, statistics tell the truth. It clearly indicates that the average budget allocated on telemarketing has already gone down from 10% to 5% during the last financial year.
Minor investigation will reveal that social media is primarily responsible for this downfall. Interestingly enough, 62% of companies confirm that as of now, social media has turned out to be a significant source of leads. Instead of repetitive cold calling for the sake of introducing a product or services (mostly on deaf ears) over the phone, marketers have found that they can jolly well use social media outlets to familiarize targeted or niche consumers with their brand as also to recognize prospects through social interactions or shares.
Television Advertising, needless to say has suffered the same fate. Due mostly to the rise of digital marketing, the average viewing of television programs has undergone some change. With the emergence of contemporary websites like “Hulu’ viewers now stream television shows only when they feel like doing it. As a result, most commercial viewing has almost been eliminated.
If you think marketers and advertisers have ignored it, you are wrong. Today, around 37 million households own a connected device that permits them to watch digital video on their TV screen. It has also been found that among these connected family units, the younger consumers are in the forefront, thus outpacing the general population by a considerably high proportion. In other words, the younger generation is more inclined on utilizing digital and/or online television, thus shifting towards non-traditional television viewing in a true digital world.


text:
It seems that what could not be avoided just happened and Apple has cancelled the possibility of unlocking any iPhone irrespective of the service provider network. This cancellation was only a rumour a couple of days ago, yet it is now official.
Nobody can perform SIM unlocking procedures for AT&T, for example, or for any other networks that allowed unlocking a week ago. This is a normal thing to occur since tens of thousands of iPhone owners desperately rushed to have their terminal unlock as soon as possible. Eventually, it was proven that all this happened in an unofficial manner, therefore without Apple being aware of it.
At this point, the only problem seems to be the locking of the terminals, which Apple could do if they wanted to. I personally do not think that Apple will do this. But if they will, then those who have already unlocked their phones and kept the unlock ticket, can save the unlock ticket and use it in the future without any problem. If you choose to lock you iPhone via iTunes, then your unlock procedures become invalid and the money you paid for it is wasted. The persons whose terminals are still locked, but they have paid for the unlocking will probably get their money back.
Be aware, nobody can unlock devices for AT&T or other networks that could not be unlocked last week. Do not trust those who pretend they can, it is a scam!


text:
A 26-year-old former IT engineer has been sentenced to nine years in jail after he helped mastermind a £2m credit card fraud operation. The case highlights a major issue for IT managers: even if transaction...
Engineering sample among the most powerful CPUs ever tested on the SiSoft Sandra system analyzer
US companies can continue doing business with Huawei until 19th August
Around 100 companies in 50 countries are currently getting user data from Facebook
Hotel group is overhailing its tech stack to meet demand for more tailored services


text:
BOBARE (Venezuela): Venezuela's traditional cocuy liquor is making a comeback due to the country's punishing economic crisis, which has put rum, whiskey and even beer financially out of reach for many.
Agave – which grows in the semi-arid mountains of Bobare and is the main ingredient in cocuy – has been used in Venezuela since before the Spanish conquest, and it is being kept alive by liquor artisans such as 84-year-old Dolores Gimenez.
He began producing cocuy at the age of seven in the eastern state of Lara, but just a few "small jars that were well hidden".
"If the police found you with cocuy, they put you in jail and smashed your distillation cylinders," he said at his still.
Since those days, Gimenez – who has 25 children and 103 grandchildren – has refined the process and now provides joy to those who have seen their favorite alcoholic beverages disappear out of reach thanks to inflation that the International Monetary Fund predicts will hit 200,000 per cent in 2019.
"It's three years since I touched a beer," Nelson Vargas, 66, said bitterly.
His pension is barely worth the equivalent of US$3 a month – the price of just two beers.
"Few people drink it. Not us poor," said Vargas, sipping cocuy as a procession of the Virgin of Guadeloupe passes.
Liquor consumption fell 34 per cent this year, according to London-based alcoholic beverage analysts IWSR. It also fell 37 per cent in 2018.
Beer consumption fell by 39 per cent in 2018.
It's little surprise given that Venezuela's gross domestic product has shrunk by half since 2013.
Consumers "are migrating from traditional drinks like beer and rum to cheaper spirits like rum derivatives or aguardiente", said Carlos Salazar, president of the Chamber of Liquors in the capital Caracas, where sales are down 50 per cent this year.
In 1998, a minimum salary could buy 46 cases of beer, but now, you would need five such salaries to purchase just one.
But the search for cheaper alternatives can be deadly.
One monitor says there have been 30 deaths in 2019 from drinking alcoholic concoctions.
There was once a time when whiskey was practically Venezuela's national beverage, even relegating traditional rums – considered some of the best in the world – into its shadow.
Whiskey consumption exploded with the arrival of foreign oil companies around a century ago and even became a status symbol in a country that has the largest proven crude reserves in the world.
In 2014, Venezuela was the second highest per capita consumer of whiskey in Latin America.
In some restaurants, whiskey bottles stood on tables like water or wine.


text:
The changing face of the global economy is not new. As the developed economies struggle to regain lost luster, the emerging economies are gaining prosperity and influence, albeit with their own problems. Its now Fortune Global 500s turn to remind people of the changing face of the global economy, despite the general economic slowdown being witnessed in the world today.
The money supply didn grow by much this year; but its growth remained highly skewed towards high powered money creation. Data for all but the last week of FY12 shows government borrowing from the State Bank of Pakistan is approaching Rs600 billion, close to the amount of money printed in 2008.
The curtain closed on cement dispatches for FY12 with robust growth seen in June. With over three million tons of cement dispatched in June alone, the month recorded the second highest monthly dispatches this fiscal year, second only to March.
It appears that Pakistan may finally be in a position to sell the exportable surplus of wheat, as an upward trend is being witnessed in the commoditys export prices. Infeasibility of wheat exports-due to unfavorable price differential between pricier local wheat and international trade-has kept Pakistan from exporting its surplus wheat produce in recent years.
The countrys economic pain continues to bring hunger pangs to the land. The acidic reality needs no certification. Double-digit inflation consecutively for years and escalating edible prices has brought down the purchasing power of people massively.
Despite witnessing a 20 percent increase in the volume traded over last year, world cotton trade has remained fairly pessimistic with global cotton mill usage going down by 7 percent to 22.7 MTN during 2011-12; a significant eight-year low.


text:
Good morning, and have a wonderful Monday! It’s TechCrunch’s Early Stage Week, which means I have some prep work to do. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at SailPoint’s massive private equity takeover to see what it says about the value of technology firms. The sale of SailPoint takes place in the context of a shifting exit market for technology businesses in general. While worldwide M&A activity has remained constant in 2022 compared to last year, IPO and SPAC exits have dropped dramatically in the first quarter, according to exit statistics compiled by CB Insights. As a result, mergers and acquisitions are more vital than ever for tech exits, making the SailPoint purchase worthwhile.
SailPoint’s leaving is not a mercy-killing on a high level. The company’s stock price was essentially $50 per share when the sale was announced, down just slightly from its 52-week high of just over $63 per share; compared to many public technology businesses, that’s a fairly small value haircut from peak levels. SailPoint, which offers enterprise security products, will be acquired by Thoma Bravo for $65.25 per share in cash.
We’ll need to look at the company’s results to figure out why it’s selling and why Thoma Bravo is purchasing. This raises the question of how the firm is valued and what its price may signal for unicorns and other high-valued startups. This will be entertaining and quick! Let’s get started! In Q1’22, global venture capital financing totaled $143.9 billion, spread over 8,835 deals, down 19 percent from the previous quarter. Despite the decline, Q1’22 was the fourth-largest financing quarter ever.
The United States received roughly half of all financing, with Biotech Company Altos Labs, security analytics platform Securonix, and logistics unicorn Flexport, which was valued at $8 billion, receiving some of the largest deals in the area. Companies situated in the United States also accounted for a large percentage of the fundraising activity in Q1’22, accounting for 37% of all agreements.
Another day, another major private equity deal. It’s common knowledge that private equity companies are flush with cash these days and want to put it to good use by making acquisitions. Thoma Bravo paid over $11 billion for Anaplan last month. It announced today that it will purchase identity security provider SailPoint for $6.9 billion — and the drumbeat continues. Companies are trying to protect themselves against more sophisticated attacks, therefore cybersecurity is a prominent topic right now. That is why the industry is garnering billions of dollars in startup funding, as well as private equity companies jumping on board. This acquisition marks Thoma Bravo’s sixth security-focused company in its portfolio.


text:
Imagine a future in which electricity generated by solar panels runs powerful computers that can be used to heat our homes.
This is the future envisioned by Lawrence Orsini, founder of Project Exergy. He says his innovation is based on the fact that most of the energy used by computers is turned into heat.
“Computers are really efficient little resistance heaters,” Orsini says. “The amount of energy that gets used in computation is so small it probably can't be measured. So the majority of it — all of it really — is converted directly to heat: Every watt that goes into a computer comes out of it as a watt of heat.”
Orsini says Project Exergy is not interested in just capturing heat from computers: They want to design computers that will generate significantly more heat. “Instead of running them cool and capturing the heat, we look to run them really hot. So we're taking a different twist on this,” Orsini explains.
Orsini has been in the energy industry for about 15 years. He looked at data from the US Energy Information Administration and found that about 40 percent of all the energy consumed in the US is in commercial and residential buildings, and close to half of that energy is used for heat.
He also found that about 2 to 3 percent of energy in the US is consumed by data centers; and 30 -50 percent of that energy goes into cooling the servers. Excess heat is transferred out of the building. Some of the most efficient data centers are actually moving to cooler climates, Orsini says, “so they can just take the roof off and let the heat go directly to the atmosphere.”
“To me, that seems a little backwards,” Orsini says. “If our economy and our buildings and industry actually run on heat, then we ought to be focused on making that heat and not getting rid of it in our data centers.”
Orsini and his collaborators have created a prototype computer, called Henry — a “liquid-cooled, high-performance computer” that makes significantly more heat than a typical computer. Henry is slightly bigger than a normal tower PC and made only from off-the-shelf parts. “There is no Star Trek technology in this thing,” Orsini says. “It's made out of things that you could go buy from the computer store today.”
There is, however, an additional component that works with the computer: a thermal storage tank. This tank is filled with phase change materials that hold significantly more heat than, for example, a typical hot-water heater, Orsini says.
Phase change materials are materials that store and release latent heat. Typically, they store heat by undergoing a solid-liquid phase transformation. Orsini was able to store heated water in Henry’s thermal storage tanks at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Orsini lives in an apartment in Manhattan and over the last two winters he hasn't turned the heating units on once, he says. But he sees the possibility of a much broader application. Instead of using centralized data centers, all that heavy computation work would be distributed to computers in buildings and homes, putting the excess heat where it’s needed. “It's pretty hard to ship heat, but it's pretty easy to ship data,” Orsini points out.
“We can put [one of these] in every house in the US. In fact, if we did that and we distributed the two to three percent of energy that is being used in data centers, some of our rough calculations say we can probably heat nearly 80 million houses,” Orsini says.
According to Science Daily, 90 percent of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years, Orsini says. And the trend is accelerating.
“Think about how that's going to impact the energy consumed in data centers. I personally don't think we're going to be able to sustain that without doing something like this,” he says. "If you look at how energy consumption is climbing through the roof on computation, we have to do something about that. I don't think it’s sustainable, personally.”
A previous version of this story contained several statistical errors. It also inaccurately implied that small personal computers could heat a whole home.


text:
“While much of the sharp sell-off in stocks on Tuesday has been blamed on the Chinese stock market, there is also growing concern among investors that earnings growth going forward will be the weakest in nearly five years, since shortly after the end of the last recession in late 2001.” – CNNMoney.com, February 28 2007
Fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers were revised down to 2.2% yesterday from the government’s previous January announcement that our GDP had surged to 3.5%. According to CNNMoney.com, the lower growth is attributed to “sharply lower spending by businesses“.
In addition, durable goods orders “showed a 6.0 percent decline in new orders… excluding aircraft and defense spending.” According to CNNMoney.com “That reading is typically the clearest barometer of business spending. It was the largest such decline in three years and one of the biggest drops on record.”
Chicken Smith View:
If nothing else points to a coming recession, just realize that if companies are tightening up their spending, then there is less investment taking place in our economy. That, in turn, translates to lower sales, lower employment, and an overall decline to our already weakening economy. Add that to our increasing inflation as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), our current (and increasing) foreclosure rate, our drop in housing sales, the rise in consumer debt (credit cards, equity loans), and a whole slew of other factors (ie, inverted yield curve) that are pushing their limits on our increasingly taxed economy.


text:
BY Barb Darrow
It was a busy week in cloud, bookended by Amazon and Google App Engine outages. In between those snafus, OpenNebula updated its cloud and stealthy startup Yottabyte launched technology that it says will let companies yoke commodity hardware into clouds of their own.
Last week’s cloud computing news was highlighted — if that’s the right word — by major outages affecting Amazon Web Services on Monday and Tuesday and other snafus withGoogle App Engine, Dropbox and Tumblr on Friday. Amazon released a post-mortem late Friday attributing its problem to a memory leak. Google said its problems originated when traffic exceeded the capacity its routing capacity. (Cedexis posted its look at the GAE snafu here.)
But there was other news in cloud computing. Here’s a taste.
OpenNebula gets better VMware, KVM support:
The new OpenNebula 3.8.0, released this week, offers deeper integration with VMware ESX and KVM hypervisors which are already used in many OpenNebula clouds. For example, the new release supports VMware’s Virtual Machine File System, both locally or remotely over iSCSI. That’s a big request from existing customers who already run SAN storage exported via iSCSI in production data centers, said Ignacio Llorente, director of OpenNebula via email.
Yottabyte pitches new “cloud OS”
In other cloud news, Bloomfield, MI-based startup Yottabyte emerged from stealth to launch its cloud operating sytem that it said will enable companies to build virtual data centers from commodity server, storage, and networking gear and software.
AWS earnings remain a mystery
For its third quarter, Amazon, the big book reseller and leader in public cloud infrastructure, on Thursday reported a loss of $274 million of $0.60 per share compared to net income of $63 million ($0.14 a share) for the year-ago period. The company doesn’t break out how much of its revenue relates to its web services business but Technology Business Research took a stab at it, estimating that AWS revenue grew 65 percent year over year to $413 million for the quarter.
TBR analyst Jill Mirandi said these outages could hurt AWS especially as more public cloud options from the OpenStack crowd and others come online. With new enterprise clouds coming online from Verizon, Rackspace, IBM, and HP, Amazon isn’t the only game in town anymore and will see “slower net-new customer adoption in coming quarters.”
AltaFlux Corporation is a global HCM cloud consulting partner based in Troy, Michigan. We empower organizations by streamlining, transforming, and optimizing key human capital management (HCM) processes with industry-leading HCM cloud solutions like SAP SuccessFactors, Benefitfocus, WorkForce Software and Dell Boomi.


text:
Various journalists, economists, and the central bank of Estonia have voiced concerns that bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme. In 2013, Eric Posner, a law professor at the University of Chicago, stated that "a real Ponzi scheme takes fraud; bitcoin, by contrast, seems more like a collective delusion." A 2014 report by the World Bank concluded that bitcoin was not a deliberate Ponzi scheme.:7 The Swiss Federal Council:21 examined the concerns that bitcoin might be a pyramid scheme; it concluded that, "Since in the case of bitcoin the typical promises of profits are lacking, it cannot be assumed that bitcoin is a pyramid scheme." In July 2017, billionaire Howard Marks referred to bitcoin as a pyramid scheme.
The attraction then, as now, was the Columbia River, which we can glimpse a few blocks to our left. Bitcoin mining—the complex process in which computers solve a complicated math puzzle to win a stack of virtual currency—uses an inordinate amount of electricity, and thanks to five hydroelectric dams that straddle this stretch of the river, about three hours east of Seattle, miners could buy that power more cheaply here than anywhere else in the nation. Long before locals had even heard the words “cryptocurrency” or “blockchain,” Miehe and his peers realized that this semi-arid agricultural region known as the Mid-Columbia Basin was the best place to mine bitcoin in America—and maybe the world.
With the largest variety of markets and the biggest value - having reached a peak of 18 billion USD - Bitcoin is here to stay. As with any new invention, there can be improvements or flaws in the initial model however the community and a team of dedicated developers are pushing to overcome any obstacle they come across. It is also the most traded cryptocurrency and one of the main entry points for all the other cryptocurrencies. The price is as unstable as always and it can go up or down by 10%-20% in a single day.
The domain name "bitcoin.org" was registered on 18 August 2008. In November 2008, a link to a paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was posted to a cryptography mailing list. Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as open source code and released it in January 2009. Nakamoto's identity remains unknown.


text:
The CCP seems to be turning more and more vindictive. And now even Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, seems to have become a victim of CCP’s vindictiveness. Ma, who once used to be among the most favoured businessmen of the CCP, is now being punished by the same party. In fact, China has reportedly halted Jack Ma-led Ant Group Co.’s $35 billion sale in Shanghai and Hong Kong, in a bid to settle scores with Jack Ma.
The bid to halt Ant’s IPO comes as quite a shock given that Ma is himself a loyal CCP member, who has promised to happily hand over all his businesses to the party if it so desires. But now, Ma is being made to pay for speaking up against the CCP publicly. Ma was irritated about China’s financial regulation and wanted Ant to be treated as a technology company, as against a well-regulated financial institution. But the billionaire made a huge blunder by openly expressing his opinion.
At a public event last month, Jack Ma went as far as calling China’s financial regulation outdated and badly suited for upcoming fintech solution companies like Ant Group Co. According to Reuters, a person with knowledge of the matter said that Ant believes that public criticism by Ma led to him drawing the ire of regulators.
As per Reuters, sources say that on Monday, there was a meeting between Jack Ma and China’s financial regulators, during which Ma and his top executives were told that Ant Group Co.’s online lending business will face greater scrutiny.
It was after this meeting that the Shanghai Stock Exchange gave a major shock to Jack Ma and announced that it had suspended the fintech solutions company’s IPO on its STAR market, also prompting Ant to freeze the Hong Kong leg of its dual listing that was supposed to take place on Thursday.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange itself has described Ant’s meeting with financial regulators as a “major event” and has also claimed that the showdown along with tougher regulatory environment has disqualified Ant from listing.
Within China, the latest move to shatter Ant’s IPO is being seen as a harsh message to Jack Ma. Francis Lun, CEO of GEO Securities said, “The Communist Party has shown the tycoons who’s boss. Jack Ma might be the richest man in the world but that doesn’t mean a thing. This has gone from the deal of the century to the shock of the century.”
The CCP has managed to inflict heavy losses upon Alibaba with its latest move to derail Ant’s ambitious IPO. The Jack Ma-led Alibaba Group owns around one-third of Ant, and therefore it doesn’t come as a surprise that Alibaba fell by 9 per cent in American trading and $76 billion of its value too got wiped off. Alibaba has lost more than double the amount that Ant was looking to raise from its IPO.
However, this is hardly the first time that the CCP has gone after someone who was once seen as loyal to the Communist party. Take for example, Jackie Chan, who supported the Hong Kong National Security Law, and yet got his mansion seized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Jack Ma is now being victimised in a similar manner, even though he used to be CCP’s favourite businessman not very long ago.
The message coming from China is loud and clear- the CCP doesn’t consider anyone a friend. Even if someone like Jack Ma makes any remarks that tend to be a little critical of the CCP, the party will retaliate with all its might. Jack Ma’s remarks about Chinese financial regulation are therefore going to cost him in billions now.


text:
The Audi film—featuring HK star Andy Lau—is under fire for word-for-word similarities to a poem constructed by a Chinese influencer on Douyin.
HONG KONG - The city's aging population is a fact of life, and although many older citizens have little money and others favour saving over spending, some agency executives argue that marketers have been neglecting an influential demographic segment.
HONG KONG - Following the success of a love-themed TVC last year, Solvil et Titus and McCann Wordgroup have launched a new story, “100 Years of Love”, which in an apparent nod to enduring love, also lasts for quite a long time.
Millward Brown's China Celebrity Z 2012 Q1 Report shows that 43 per cent of brands in China used at least one celebrity as their brand ambassador. Middle-age male celebrities like Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and Jet Li hold the top spots, while female and younger celebrities have more of a following in social media. Here are some interesting findings from the report.
BEIJING - DMG Entertainment is rolling out romantic-comedy Wo Zhi Nu Ren Xin, a remake of the 2000 Hollywood romantic comedy blockbuster 'What women want'.
SINGAPORE – Osim has recruited Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau to be the face of a new brand campaign for its uDivine massage chair.
Top news, insights and analysis every weekday
Sign up for Campaign Bulletins


text:
A month ago officially announced that the 2023 Corvette Z06 would be officially unveiled this coming Fall and this week has been extremely busy with spy photos and videos showing the super Corvette running around the Nurburgring with much less cladding than we’ve seen before.
Details on this next generation Z06 have been slim, but there’s no arguing that whatever lurks in the engine bay, is definitely not your ordinary high performance Chevy V8.
According to our sources, carbon fiber wheels may be Dymag will be an option.
Dymag launched the first carbon composite wheel in 1995 and was the first company to commercialize high performance carbon fiber composite wheels for the automotive industry in 2004. However, by late 2009, the company filed for bankruptcy and was ultimately rescued by CSA Performance Wheels.
Since then Dymag has been making huge strides into the automotive industry with their carbon fiber composite wheels and has been the OEM for the likes of Aston Martin and Koenisegg. They’re now set to become a major supplier for the Corvette.
Between the wider body work, what’s believed to be a flat-plane crank V8 engine and a reduction in unsprung weight with carbon fiber composite wheels, this next iteration of the Z06 Corvette is poised to be the highest performing Corvette we’ve ever seen come out of Chevrolet.
Ready to Perform: Chevrolet Announces 2023 Corvette Z06 Reveal Date
Corvette Z06 visits legendary European racetracks in advance of reveal
DETROIT – Start the countdown: The all-new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will be revealed on Oct. 261. Designed to amplify the thrill of driving, the Corvette Z06 is a supercar that performs – whether on backroads or the Autobahn or the world’s most recognizable tracks like Circuit de la Sarthe.
Watch the Z06 take a road trip through Germany and France and stay tuned for more.
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
1Availability to be announced fall 2021.


text:
Photoshop is now available for free on the web, at least in Canada.
Adobe is currently testing a freemium version of the photo-editing app in the country, with plans for a wider rollout in a bid to attract new users to the app, first reported by The edge.
In our tests, we were able to access Photoshop on the web by creating a free Adobe account. Initially, Adobe’s website said we had access to the standard seven-day free trial for Creative Cloud, but after switching to a supported browser, the web app displayed a banner that said, “You can currently access a free version of Photoshop on the web. For a limited time.” It is not known how long the free version will be available.
It’s worth noting that you don’t need to create an account (you can access Photoshop for the web here without an account). However, going this route requires users to upload an image to begin with, rather than creating a blank canvas.
According to the report, although the app is free and several of the app’s essential tools are available in the free version, some features are said to be exclusive to paid users. “We want to do [Photoshop] more accessible and easier for more people to try and experience the product,” said Maria Yap, vice president of digital imaging at Adobe.
Adobe’s goal is to leverage the web version of Photoshop to make the software more accessible with an overarching goal of getting users to pay for the full version in the future.
Photoshop first launched its web app in October last year, allowing users of not-so-high-end machines, like students with Chromebooks, to take advantage of the photo-editing software used around the world. “I want to see Photoshop meet users where they are right now,” says Yap. “You don’t need a high-end machine to access Photoshop.”
Although Adobe hasn’t mentioned a tentative date for rolling out the free version of the web app in other countries, it continues to update the app, with new features like fine-tuning edges, curves, dodge and burn tools, the ability to convert smart objects, and mobile support for reviewing and commenting on upcoming images.
Check out the free photo editing web app here.
Image credit: Adobe
Source: The Edge


text:
Technology giant Dell announced the expansion of its relationship with Internet content security specialist Trend Micro to enhance its security solutions portfolio and bring Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services to small and midsize businesses. The two companies worked together to develop a customized user interface, designed to simplify the management process for business owners and IT administrators when it comes to endpoint security.
Features include a centralized Web-based management console, which gives IT administrators and business owners anywhere, anytime Web-access to view and manage their security, trend antivirus and threat scans that are processed in the Smart Protection Network, reducing system performance impact, preconfigured security parameters and global neighborhood watch threat detection: Threat sensors identify new Web threats wherever they emerge to block dangerous Websites, viruses and other threats.
“According to the FBI, cyber-criminals steal millions from small and midsize companies,” said Carol Carpenter, general manager of Trend Micro consumer and small business. “Small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs are targeted more often than enterprises as they typically have limited IT resources to manage security threats. Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services lets business owners focus on growing their business without worrying about IT by protecting their customer data while keeping the maintenance cost low.”
Dell’s expanded relationship with Trend Micro supports the July announcement of the company’s security solutions portfolio SMBs with enhanced security technologies. Warren Brown, founder of the bake shop Cake Love and recipient of an IT makeover sponsored by Dell, said security of his customer information and company data constantly weighs on his mind, but routine maintenance eats up time that could be better used running his business. “When something goes wrong employees can’t get their jobs done, customers can’t get services, orders can’t be processed and supplies can’t be ordered,” he said. “The Dell and Trend Micro solution automates the process and gives me peace of mind, as I know we’re protected.”
Trend Micro also provides a list of tips to help keep your business protected, including closing doors to malware by applying firewalls and cleaning up e-mail inboxes, writing a security policy suited to the particular business, tackle potential social media issues before they can arise and protect networks and applications with passwords.
The company also recommends asking employees for help by reaching out to them through explanation and education. Most security breaches are due to human error, so Trend Micro suggests highlighting the importance of security can go a long way to protecting sensitive documents and data.
“Like Warren, customers consistently tell us that their data is priceless and security is the top IT concern in their businesses,” said Paulette Altmaier, vice president and general manager of Dell’s global SMB solutions. “To address this, Dell has gone out into the market on behalf of our customers and assessed the best approach to security. We’ve put a comprehensive security solution into place by integrating best-of-breed products with Dell’s own products and technology as well as components from strategic partners including Trend Micro’s Worry-Free Business Security Services.”


text:
Kudos to Steve Duin of The Oregonian for this column on Azusa Suzuki’s struggle to prove that she is entitled to Regence Blue Cross supplemental medicare insurance coverage for medical expenses incurred in a motor vehicle collision.
Apparently Regence decided that Ms. Suzuki was dead and–for that reason–Regence decided it did not need to pay her bills. She worked for years to prove she’s very much alive. It sounds almost comical. But if you watch the linked video or read the article, it’s apparent that outrage is the only response.
The Duin article points up a serious problem in Oregon. Consumers are at the mercy of insurance companies. When they do not pay claims, when they violate Oregon law, and when they do not fairly adjust claims, Oregon consumers are virtually out of luck. The problem is a lack of consumer remedies against insurance companies that misbehave.
Senator Chip Shields is trying to fix that. He has introduced a bill–SB 719–which protect Oregon consumers by making insurance companies meet the bare standards set out in Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act.
In this session of godawful Salem bills, it’s nice to see the champions of consumers are still fighting for the rest of us. Appreciation is due–as always–to Sen. Shields. Consumers have few friends in the Oregon legislature. He is one of our best.


text:
By: Anita Chang Beattie on July 30, 2013
WPP will remain the largest holding company in China, poised to become the world's No. 2 ad market, even after Publicis and Omnicom merge.
By: Anita Chang Beattie on July 10, 2013
China's messaging app WeChat kicks off an international ad campaign with soccer superstar Lionel Messi, targeting 15 markets.
By: Anita Chang Beattie on July 22, 2012
Through her new role as VP-digital marketing and e-commerce at Unilever China, Dorcas Lau is working to "drive the synergy of digital marketing and e-commerce."
By: Anita Chang Beattie on March 11, 2012
A week of visits to marketers and ad agencies (and just walking around Tokyo) was a mind-bending adventure of learning about innovations that somehow haven't traveled outside Japan's borders.


text:
Kubota opens new distribution centre
17 April 2023
Kubota, alongside its partner Broekman Logistics, has opened a new 62,000 m² distribution centre in Weert, the Netherlands.
Officially opened by a delegation from Kubota and Broekman Logistics on April 14, the warehouse features an optimised layout of logistics and assembly operations, which the company’s say will shorten lead times and facilitate future growth for Kubota.
The storage, final assembly and outbound logistics aspects of the facility will be managed by Broekman Logistics, who will also handle the Complete Knocked Down (CKD) of production parts from Weert to Kubota’s production plant in Zweibrucken (D).
Toshitaka Matsuo, president of Kubota Baumaschinen, said, “The move to the new distribution centre in Weert is a big step forward for Kubota and symbolises our partnership with Broekman Logistics.
“This expansion represents a significant investment of business activities and will not only help us further improve our current range of services, but also increase the satisfaction of dealers, distributors and ultimately, end customers.”
The opening of the warehouse is the latest collaboration between Kubota and Broekman Logistics, which initially started in 2006. Since then the respective companies have shared centres in both Born and Sittard, before the decision was made in 2019 to develop the new location in Weert.
Rik Pek, managing director, Broekman Logistics, said, “The relationship with Kubota is very dear to us as a company, but also to me personally. After consecutive years of growth, it was time to further intensify our cooperation and provide Kubota with a state-of-the-art warehouse.
“I have been experiencing for years how well the values of our companies match. We are both very entrepreneurial, pay attention to people and value long-term relationships. We are very enthusiastic about the current cooperation with Kubota and look forward to continuing this in Weert.”


text:
Shoppers Drug Mart has added a new company to its growing medical cannabis online store.
On Sept. 12, MOOD Global Group Inc. announced that it had entered into a supply agreement with the pharmacy/retail chain to sell their cannabis accessories online.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“We are extremely pleased that Shoppers Drug Mart has chosen our line of premium MOOD products for sale on the medical cannabis section of their website,” said MOOD CEO Ken Tran in a press release.
Mood specializes in airtight stash jars, storage boxes, and accessories like grinders. They also offer a voice-activated storage unit that can be connected to Apple and Android devices.
The Shoppers website currently offers MOOD’s stash jars and one storage box.


text:
The Ministry of Industry, together with its partners, has officially inaugurated a duty-free leather and leather products store at Bole International Airport.
The main purpose of opening the shop is to promote export if Ethiopian products and increase the trade of the sector.
According to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), Ethiopian Airlines has allocated about 200 meters square area at Bole International Airport terminal for the duty free shop while Japan International Corporation (JICA) has been providing financial and technical support for the realization of the duty free shop. JICA’s Export Promotion Project Chief Consultant Norik Nagai explained that his company is providing the necessary support to promote Ethiopian leather and leather products, especially the brand known as Highland Leather, to the world market.
Industry Minister Ato Melaku Alebel, on his part, reportedly said that Although the project is in the beginning, 200 thousand US dollars have been received from the sales center in the last two months and encouraging results are being seen. According to the Financial Ethiopia, Ato Melaku stated that in the 2014 budget, 40.6 million US dollars were obtained from the trade of leather and leather products.
Source: ENA, Financial Ethiopia
The opinions expresses here in the post "Duty-free Leather Products Shop Officially Opened at Bole International Airport" are those of the individua's contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Info Ethiopia , BIE Intelligence PLC, its publisher, editor, or any of its other contributors.


text:
Following strong demand for its trucks, crossovers and SUVs, Ford has announced it will shorten its usual two-week summer shutdown at its various North American plants to one week, resulting in an additional 40,000 extra units. Under the new schedule, Ford’s North American manufacturing facilities will shut down from June 29 to July 10, 2015 to undergo maintenance and upgrades.
“To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling trucks and utilities, we are continuing to run our North American facilities during the traditional two-week summer shutdown in order to add close to 40,000 units,” Ford vice president of North American Manufacturing, Bruce Hettle, said in a statement. “Six of our assembly plants will build for an additional week in order to ensure we’re getting more of our vehicles into dealerships.”
Demand for Ford’s newest products, the F-150, Edge, Escape and Explorer, is currently very high, the automaker says. Assembly plants to be affected by the reduced shutdown include Chicago, Dearborn Truck, Kansas City, Kentucky Truck, Louisville and Oakville. Various supporting powertrain and stamping plants will also be affected, including:
This is the third year in a row Ford has had to keep its plants up and running during its usual summer shutdown period. With the All-new F-150 spending just 20 days on average on dealer lots, and the Edge spending just 10, the reduced summer shutdown was seen as necessary. Inventories of the Escape are also tight, and with the 2016 Explorer just hitting lots, demand is also expected to be high.


text:
India, 18th September 2023: Star Health and Allied Insurance, the leading Health Insurance Company in India, today announces a significant move towards transforming the insurance payment landscape with the launch of its dynamic UPI QR code-based payment option for policy purchases and renewals. The customized solution simplifies the customer purchase experience to a few clicks. Star Health also launched personalized UPI payment intent links to enhance customer ease. This cutting-edge initiative, enabled by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), represents a paradigm shift in the adoption of modern technology driven payment solutions. The initiative furthers Star Health’s customer centricity, enhances customer experience and convenience while ensuring seamless and secure transactions.
The dynamic UPI QR code, integrated into payment reminder emails, empowers customers to complete their transactions within seconds. All essential payment details, including the premium amount, are pre-fed into the QR code, simplifying the payment process and eliminating the need for manual premium amount entry. With a simple scan of the customized code, customers can make payments within a few seconds, ensuring a hassle-free, error-free and efficient experience.
Star Health’s unique customized UPI payment intent link improves universal accessibility, enabling customers to complete transactions with ease on any mobile phone. Upon clicking the link, the UPI app launches promptly, and in cases where multiple UPI apps are present, customers are prompted to choose their preferred app. The payment details, including the premium amount, are automatically loaded into the chosen app, and customers can authenticate the payment using their UPI PIN, culminating in a seamless purchase experience.
Mr. Anand Roy, MD & CEO of Star Health & Allied Insurance Co. ltd., said, “Catering to our customers' ever-evolving needs and preferences, we are delighted to introduce our dynamic QR code & intent link based UPI payment options. This initiative reaffirms our commitment to adopting the latest in payment technology, making us a leading insurer in providing cutting-edge solutions to our valued customers. At Star Health, we prioritize the safety and convenience of our customers, and the adoption of customized UPI payment solutions reflects our dedication to providing seamless, efficient, and secure payment experiences. With this development, we empower all our customers to embrace a new era of insurance transactions."
“By streamlining the payment journey, we empower our customers to secure their insurance with just a scan and a click. Adoption of a dynamic QR code-based UPI process is a testament to Star Health's continuous pursuit of excellence & innovation. Embracing UPI payments aligns perfectly with the Government's 'Make in India' vision and IRDAI's transformative goals for the insurance sector.” added Mr. Chitti Babu, Chief Innovation Officer, Star Health & Allied Insurance Co. ltd
Mr. Kunal Kalawatia, Chief of Products, NPCI, said “Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has gained significant popularity as one of the most preferred modes of payment in the country, owing to its convenience and wide acceptability. We are delighted that customers of Star Health and Allied Insurance will now have swift access to UPI-based payment options for their insurance-related transactions. The seamless, efficient, and secure payment choices offered through UPI will undoubtedly pave the way for a digitized insurance ecosystem in India. With financial inclusion at the forefront of the nation's economic agenda, the integration of UPI will make the process of policy renewal and purchases more accessible, thereby, further propelling the penetration of the Insurance sector in India.”
Star Health's UPI QR code and UPI payment intent link based payment system significantly shorten the payment journey, reducing transaction times to a matter of seconds and delivering a hassle free experience.


text:
By Emily Bary
Analysts are split on Disney's prospects after it reported better-than-expected streaming growth in latest quarter
Shares of Walt Disney Co. were dropping in Thursday morning trading after the media giant easily topped expectations with its latest Disney+ subscriber numbers but hinted that the recent strength may limit growth upside later in the year.
The company had 137.7 million Disney+ subscribers in total at the end of its fiscal second quarter, above the FactSet consensus, which was for 135.1 million. Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy shared on Disney's (DIS) earnings call that the company "still expect[s] higher net adds in the second half of the year versus the first half," though she added that "it's worth mentioning that we did have a stronger-than-expected first half of the year."
See more: Disney stock turns to a loss after warning about rough road ahead for streaming
Cowen & Co. analyst Doug Creutz wrote that though Disney's growth was "at least" better than Netflix Inc.'s (NFLX), he got the sense from Disney's commentary that the outperformance shown in the first half of the fiscal year "didn't translate to more optimistic expectations" for the second half.
"We think DTC [direct-to-consumer] growth was better than feared in the wake of the Netflix report, but likely not so strong as to convince skeptics (including us) that the company is comfortably on track for its FY24 sub/profitability guidance, which management reiterated," he wrote in a note to clients, while maintaining a market-perform rating and $132 price target.
Unlike Disney, Netflix shed subscribers in its most recent quarter.
Opinion: Everybody seems scared about where streaming is headed, but calm down and see the benefits.
Disney's stock fell 0.8% in morning trading, but pared an earlier loss of as much as 5.5%. The stock was still on track to close at a two-year low.
MoffettNathanson's Michael Nathanson also weighed in on Disney's long-term subscriber targets, wondering whether Disney made the correct strategic move in opting to pursue aggressive subscriber growth after sporting impressive early results during the pandemic.
"Having tasted success, the company decided to aim higher and integrate general entertainment content and sports into the service to tap into a new set of users aside from Disney superfans and families," he wrote.
While Nathanson acknowledged that Disney shares have "moved into a much more attractive valuation zone" recently based on free-cash-flow multiples, he added that he has "limited conviction in [his] out year estimates at this point," and also flagged macroeconomic concerns about the company.
"[A]s Disney's economically sensitive engines in the U.S. are firing on all cylinders, there is now the macro environment of rising inflation and lagging consumer confidence to worry about," he wrote. "Given the limited free cash flow in the near term, the looming buyback of Hulu and the high costs of competing in DTC, the market is spooked that Disney's domestic parks business and their strength in domestic advertising -- core engines of growth -- are not sustainable."
He kept a neutral rating on the stock and lowered his price target to $125 from $130.
Rosenblatt Securities analyst Barton Crockett was more upbeat, writing that "Disney and its media peers are clearly growing streaming better than Netflix," even though Netflix's recent struggles may suggest to some investors that the total addressable market for streaming is smaller than previously thought. Additionally, he noted that there's some concern in the market that Disney's "post-COVID parks peak may prove unsustainable."
Crockett added that he doesn't "share the skittishness" since he sees "several lifts still to come" for Disney.
Crockett has a buy rating on Disney's stock but cut his price target to $174 from $177.
Shares of Disney have fallen 30.2% over the past three months as the Dow Jones Industrial Average has declined 8.4%.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 12, 2022 11:18 ET (15:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


text:
Software-scanner, a lot of the attention in medical technology today has been focused on tools and innovations that might help the world better. Zebra technologies corp which sells barcode scanners and other computers used in warehouses globally introduced a feature on thursday that sounds an alert when workers breach physical distancing, following the guidance released in april 2020 from the u s food drug administration and further updated documentation. Zebra technologies corp which sells barcode scanners and other computers used in warehouses globally introduced a feature, scan self checkout and a variety of self service solutions under one roof dedicated to furthering store digital transformation and automation in the retail industry effective june 1 2020 fujitsu.
Checkmarx the global leader in software security solutions for devops today announced the launch of checkmarx sca cxsca, a g is proud to announce their digital collection management solution montage has been purchased by the new mexico state library the addition of this software to their resources will improve the. Artec 3d has announced the availability of artec studio 15 the latest version of its software platform that features new, an android app that highlights apps of chinese origin to help people delete them has had one million downloads since it was.
Police scanner apps are surging in popularity after days of riots across the united states "5 0 radio police scanner" is one, leica geosystems has announced the latest version of leica map360 crash and crime scene diagramming and reconstruction. Geotech job posting just $30 leica map introduces three editions to digitize and document any crash or crime scene


text:
|BETHLEHEM, Pa., March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Nothing says spring like marshmallows in the shape of chicks! PEEPS®, the number one non-chocolate candy brand at Easter1, has teamed up with Menchie’s, North America’s fastest growing self-serve frozen yogurt franchise, to kick off the spring season with Marshmallow Mania. Just in time for Easter, Menchie’s will offer guests a PEEPS®-inspired frozen yogurt2 experience sure to give fans a delightful taste of spring in every bite, and a PEEP-tastic sweepstakes with PEEPS® and Menchie’s prizes.
From March 1st to March 31st, Menchie’s locations will be “PEEPed” out with the addition of a creamy marshmallow flavored frozen yogurt inspired by PEEPS®. Snack size PEEPS® Chicks will be available as a topping – for fans who really want to show off their PEEPSONALITY®. And as if it couldn’t get any more PEEPS®-a-licious, a Marshmallow Mania Froyo Cake topped with PEEPS® will also be available at participating Menchie’s stores, starting at 190 calories per serving3 so you can have your cake and eat it too!
“For generations, PEEPS® Marshmallow Chicks have been a spring staple and an iconic symbol of Easter, but the enjoyment of our brand evolves way beyond the candy aisle,” said Noelle Porcoro, PEEPS® Senior Brand Manager. “Through our partnership with Menchie’s, fans will be able to express their PEEPSONALITY® in new ways with the unique PEEPS® flavored frozen yogurt topped with a PEEPS® Chick.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with the iconic PEEPS® brand to bring fans a special flavor and topping combination that’s sure to delight consumers of all ages this Easter season,” said Amit Kleinberger, CEO of Menchie’s. “We pride ourselves in creating fun, smile-inducing flavors, so teaming up with a brand that signals the start of spring was an obvious choice to bring excitement to our guests’ froyo cups nationwide.”


text:
Your multiple choice pop-up quiz for the day:
A company long associated with mobile phones and the internet announces a major investment in a startup firm that it heralds as ‘the embodiment of the connected enterprise.’ Is the start-up: a) a handset/tablet computer vendor; b) a network server developer; c) some sort of software outfit, maybe a newfangled app maker; d) an internet search firm or perhaps a mobile network operator; e) a lighting company.
This riddle is brought to you by Lux, so you have probably correctly guessed ‘e.’ Meet the beneficiary of a $23 million round of venture financing: Digital Lumens, a six-year old US company that specialises in intelligent, sensor-equipped LED lighting systems for industrial, warehouse and commercial use.
The leader of the the investment round? Nokia Growth Partners (NGP), the venture capital arm of Finland’s Nokia, which remains a major player in the mobile networks equipment business industry after completing the sale of its handset business to Microsoft earlier this year.
NGP focuses its investments on companies that enhance the mobile environment, including those that boost the ‘connected enterprise’, where it clearly sees potential inDigital Lumens.
‘From consumer to industrial markets, the connected world presents new opportunities for efficiency, insight, comfort, safety, and operational intelligence – all delivered via next-generation lighting systems,’ said Tom Pincince, CEO of Digital Lumens, in an NGP press release. ‘Our platform gives customers the most direct access to enterprise-scale building and energy intelligence – through the lens of their lighting network. With deep roots in traditional industrial infrastructure and strong commitments to the Internet of Things, our investors see Digital Lumens as the embodiment of the connected enterprise, and are excellent partners for our continued technology and market expansion.’
Those investors now include Nokia, which led a ‘Series C’ group that also included Aster Capital and Goldman Sachs, as well as previous Digital Lumens backers Flybridge Capital Partners, Black Coral Capital and Stata Ventures.
The NGP press release praised Digital Lumens for ‘enterprise-scale intelligent LED lighting’ that monitors lighting use and need and that an control lighting levels accordingly. It also hinted that the combination of sensors and lighting networks could also help gather data about and drive other building operations, like heating and cooling system. Greentech Media suggested the system could also help monitor building assets.
‘Bringing the concrete value of the Internet of Things (IoT) to business operations, the Digital Lumens system is a wireless network of intelligent LED lights that gathers sensor and power meter data for ongoing operational insight, and a broad range of building intelligence,’ the NGP release stated. ‘Digital Lumens’ Intelligent LED Lighting System leverages the Internet of Things to bring building and energy intelligence to enterprises worldwide. This approach, based on a strong patent portfolio, is driving widespread adoption, with deployments doubling year over year.’
The investment marked one of the latest twist in the ongoing convergence of internet, communications, IT and lighting. In another recent telecommunications example, Deutsche Telekom added a feature to its home systems app that allows users to control Philips LED lights via a smartphone. Many ideas are for smart street ligthing-based urban networks are hatching around the world, including near Copenhagen and in Los Angeles.
Even automobile companies are entering the mix, as BMW recently unveiled a combination streetlight/car charger.
On a related noted, Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia technologies last week said that it hopes to start licensing its brand outside of phones, ‘in the areas that we can and the areas where the brand is relevant,’ The Verge reported.
Now for another quiz: How soon before we see Nokia branded lighting? Answer down the road.
Photo is from Nokia


text:
Last fall The Aquaculture Communications Group, LLC (ACG), started a fascinating new project, named Aquaculture Industry Voices, which seeks to interview pioneers who have contributed to the growth of the modern aquaculture industry around the world. ACG is now seeking financial help to continue its important work.
Tor-Eddie Fossbakk, founding partner of ACG, said the company believes it is important to capture these pioneers\' stories, experiences and insights before it is too late. More often now, we read and hear about members of the industry retiring or passing away. It is a fact that many of those who were instrumental in building the modern, commercial aquaculture sector are reaching an age where they may not be among us much longer.
“By preserving the stories, experiences and insights from the outgoing generation, we want to provide an opportunity for the younger and incoming generations working in the industry to learn from their predecessors,” he said.
Fossbakk also quoted Winston Churchill as saying, “Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
\"Our goal is to help future generations learn from our industry\'s pioneers in order to make the best choices to bring the industry forward.\"
Are people interested in the project?
“Over the eight months since the first video interview was launched we have received only positive feedback,” Fossbakk said. \"Last week several thousand people in almost 90 different countries visited the project\'s website.\"
How is ACG funding this project?
\"Despite the overwhelming verbal support of the project, there seems to be a misunderstanding that internet content does not cost anything to create.\" Mr Fossbakk said that ACG self-funded the first round of nineteen interviews.
\"However, ACG is a very small organization with very limited financial resources. We need external support in order to continue this project and make it the success we believe it can be.\"
\"Travel, accommodations, equipment purchases and rentals, video production costs and Internet server costs are substantial. In an effort to reduce costs, we plan to use major trade shows and conferences around the world as venues to meet as many potential interviewees as possible. Examples of meeting places include Aquaculture America, Aquaculture Canada, GAA´s GOAL conferences, Aqua Nor, Aqua Sur, WAS conferences, as well as other national and regional events.\"
Lacking financial support
Despite numerous attempts to invite individuals, companies, organizations and institutions to support the project, Mr. Fossbakk said that only a select few have stepped up and offered financial support. The most common excuse for not supporting the project, despite encouragement to “keep up the good work”, is that there is no budget for this type of support.
What is the broader audience?
Mr. Fossbakk said his company believes in aquaculture being the future source for the growing demand for seafood to feed the growing world population. Making the interviews with industry pioneers available to the aquaculture community as well as the general population will help educate people about all that this extremely sustainable food producing industry has to offer.
\"ACG has been a strong supporter of the global aquaculture industry since 2003. Our objective is to promote the industry and its products in a positive way and provide some balance to all the negative publicity launched against it. We have done this through our S&T/R&D blog and our numerous guided tours to aquaculture conferences, trade shows and aquaculture facilities. The Aquaculture Industry Voices project is just our latest effort to support the industry,\" says Mr. Fossbakk.
What is the easiest way to help support the project?
Mr. Fossbakk said that the easiest way to help financially is to go to the project website and pledge a contribution by clicking on either the GoFundMe or PayPal links.


text:
(Author : Marianne Wilson)
No two stores are exactly alike at Warby Parker. But its new store in Los Angeles — the eyewear brand’s 50th outpost to date — is more unique than all the others.
Located on Melrose Avenue, the new Warby Parker pays homage to Hollywood’s moviemaking history. It even has its own green screen studio where customers can create their own mini-movies.
The store combines Warby Parker’s signature library-styled design and fixtures with such location-specific elements as a classic movie theater-styled marquee with rotating titles out front, a Hollywood-themed mural by Los Angeles-based collage artist Alia Penner and a display of movie clapboards behind the checkout.
The most unique element of the space is the green room, where shoppers can make a 15-second movie, choosing from some 12 different backdrops, ranging from an outer-space scene to an aquarium with a shark. There are also lots of props to choose from — including any of the frames on display. Once the movie is completed, the shopper is given a social-media-friendly copy to share everywhere.
“You keep hearing that brick-and-mortar stores are in trouble, that brands are closing stores, but it’s always been our view that shopping — particularly shopping for glasses, should be a fun, social experience,” Dave Gilboa, who founded Warby Parker with Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt and Jeffrey Raider in 2010, told The Hollywood Reporter. “We want to give people a reason to come into the store.”
Source : chainstoreage.com


text:
- Amazon will not move forward with plans for an HQ2 campus in New York's Long Island City, according to a statement on the company's blog.
- The company does not intend to reopen the HQ2 search, instead proceeding with planned expansions in Northern Virginia and Nashville. Amazon also noted that it has more than 5,000 employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island, and will continue to grow its New York teams.
- The news shows Amazon bowing to previously reported political pressure. "While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City," the company said in the statement.
The proposed location of Amazon's New York City HQ2 would have put the company a subway ride away from Madison Avenue, a hub of the marketing industry and a strategic location that could have proved beneficial as the company continues to expand its role as a digital advertising platform and marketing services provider. How the decision to forgo its planned Long Island City campus might affect its advertising business remains to be seen. But it's clear that any perceived benefits of a NYC headquarters were outweighed by increasing political pressure around the deal that was cut to bring Amazon to the city.
Marketing, advertising and tech employees in NYC that were planning to send their resumes to Amazon might still have an opportunity as the company says it plans to grow its 5,000-plus workforce throughout New York. Still unclear is to what degree Amazon's planned complexes in Northern Virginia and Nashville will evolve now that the NYC deal is off the table. The announcement will not impact the Virginia agreement, Stephen Moret, president of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, WAMU reported.
"The alternative sites which were part of the earlier announcement, Northern Virginia and Nashville, could well benefit with even more jobs than planned," Bankrate.com's senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick told Marketing Dive in emailed comments.
The Virginia deal does allow the company to grow from 25,000 employees to 37,850 employees by 2039, according to WAMU, but while the Northern Virginia campus is just outside of a media hub in Washington, D.C., the area does not have the advertising infrastructure of New York.
Despite the blow to its plans, Amazon's push into advertising continues. Just as the HQ2 news broke, the company revealed plans for a new self-service loyalty offering called Amazon Moments, which doles out both physical and digital rewards for marketers that are fulfilled, shipped and delivered by the online retailing giant.