text:
Posted on 25th January 2017
Are you updated about the latest trends and discoveries that took place in 2016 in Supply Chain Industry?
It’s ok if your answer is in dissent.
I will take you through all the details of MHI Industry Report 2016, which has some incredible findings regarding this industry.
About the Report
The 2016 MHI Annual Industry Report, developed in collaboration with Deloitte, reﬂects the views of nearly 900 Industry Insiders – almost double that of last year’s survey.
Respondents include manufacturers, distributors, service providers etc. – more than 50% of them with Senior Executive, General Manager, or Department Head titles.
The report introduces the concept of “always-on supply chain” :
An integrated set of supply networks characterized by a continuous, high-velocity ﬂow of information and analytics, creating predictive, actionable decisions that better serve the customer.
This report talks about 8 technologies out of which 2 technologies (Robotics and Automation, Driverless Vehicles and Drones) have already had a bigger and more rapid impact on supply chains than previously predicted.
- With a 12% growth spike since last year, Robotics and Automation both led in their perceived ability to create either supply chain disruption or competitive advantage.
- 74% will be the adoption rate of Robotics and Automation in 6 years as compared to 35% today.
Respondents believe that the major barrier to investment in supply chain innovation is the lack of a clear business case (43%), followed by a lack of adequate talent to utilize technologies effectively (38%), and thirdly, cultural aversion to risk (35%).
51% of survey respondents believe that Robotics and Automation have the potential to either create competitive advantage or be a disruptive force in their industry. While adoption is currently 35%, that number is expected to rise to 74% over the next six to 10 years.
According to the report, Innovations in robotics and the laws that govern its use, are now allowing machines to work side-by-side with human workers.
A new generation of these Collaborative Robots is putting this technology in the hands of human workers, who train them through physical demonstration.
Topics:   Automated Guided Vehicles.


text:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lead provider SMA Alliance Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, USAutoplex, is developing a platform to provide subprime auto financing to the branch’s vehicle buyers. The platform, called Autoplex Credit, will soon be launched through USAutoplex's exclusive agreement with Credit Union Dealer Network.
This new platform will provide dealers with subprime financing at low interest rates and a service contract offering six months to one year of coverage. The network will also feature an inventory merchandising site.
"With subprime lending increasing in 2012, offering a financially advantageous option for our dealer clients and their buyers fits into the SMAA business model of service excellence,” said Timothy Stephens, CEO of SMA Alliance. “Offering this platform to dealers will assist in securing each dealer's share of the 89 percent of vehicle sales that are financed yearly.”

domain: news


text:
Holidaymakers to the Caribbean this winter are being told they can avoid UK quarantine restrictions under a new initiative revealed by Virgin Atlantic Holidays.
Under the Escape Pass scheme, customers will be notified of their destination and holiday details two weeks before departure.
Travellers can opt for a full refund or a travel voucher if the operator is unable to fulfil the holiday.
Countries on offer include Barbados, Antigua, Grenada and Tobago with plans to include Jamaica and further Caribbean islands as they are added to the government’s ‘safe’ travel corridor list.
Holidaymakers choose the length of stay, hotel rating, board basis and aircraft cabin.
They then receive an Atol-protected Escape Pass which “guarantees” a Caribbean holiday without quarantining on return to the UK, according to the company.
Packages start at £759 per person for seven nights.
The move to target Caribbean islands on the UK’s travel corridors list follows research showing more than half of people (54%) would be more likely to book a holiday if they knew there was an full guarantee they would not have to self-isolate when their return.
More than 66% of British adults avoided booking a holiday this year over fears travel rules would force them to self-isolate, cut a trip short or have it cancelled, the poll of 1,000 people found.
When asked what their biggest concerns are around self-isolating, being unable to fulfil work commitments (28%) and having to rely on other people (16%) topped the list.
As lockdown restrictions in England are expected to be eased in the coming weeks, respondents plan to take a holiday abroad (31%) if travel restrictions are no barrier, above buying new furniture or home appliances (18%).
Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said: “We know customers are keen to get away on their next adventure after a difficult year.
“Top of the list is a holiday to the Caribbean, where the Covid-19 pandemic has been managed extremely well, allowing holiday makers to enjoy sun, sea and beaches safely.
“The Escape Pass has been created to take all the stress and uncertainty out of booking that dream Caribbean holiday.
“Through the Atol-protected package, we will ensure customers are sent to a beautiful island with the peace of mind that they won’t need to quarantine on their return.
“We have implemented a comprehensive set of measures including enhanced cleaning of our aircraft, individual health packs for all our customers with medical grade face masks, and an improved service which minimises contact between our cabin crew and customers.”


text:
Riding on better-than-expected performance in the Indian market, Swedish music-streaming platform Spotify on Wednesday said it now has 433 million monthly active users (MAUs), up 19 million (year-on-year) and above the company’s guidance by 5 million.
Spotify’s premium subscribers grew 14 percent to 188 million in the April-June quarter, up from 182 million in Q1.
“Quarterly performance versus our guidance was impacted by outperformance in India, Indonesia and The Philippines as a result of marketing campaigns and elevated OEM intake,” the company said in a statement.
The company said that excluding its impact from Russia exit and the “service outage benefit” its experienced in March, it added 19 million MAUs in the quarter, which is its largest quarter in history.
Its net loss in the quarter was $197 million on revenue of $2.9 billion.
The company said that its now hosts 4.4 million podcasts on the platform, and “the number of MAUs that engaged with podcasts grew in the substantial double-digits year-on-year and per user podcast consumption rates continued to rise.”
The company said that advertising revenue grew 31 percent to reach 13 percent of total revenue, reflecting growth across all regions and sales channels.
“Our music business saw healthy double-digit growth and podcast revenue grew in the strong double-digit range led by the Spotify Audience Network,” the company informed.
In June, Spotify announced plans to slow headcount growth by 25 percent beginning in Q3, while also taking a closer look at marketing activity.
“While we continue to monitor the uncertain macro environment, we are very pleased with the resilience of the business, particularly our strength in MAUs and subscribers,” said the company.
The post Spotify witnesses 433 million monthly active users, says ‘better-than-expected performance in India’ appeared first on BGR India.


text:
US consumers are most concerned about the ability of retailers and government departments to protect their personal data, according to a new survey.
The Security Insights survey from Unisys (opens in new tab) shows that 44 per cent of American respondents are worried that their personal data held by retailers is likely to be breached in the next year, as many consumers seem to be losing trust in retail data security owing to recent high profile breaches.
Concerns about unauthorized access to personal data held by US government agencies is also quite high at 39 per cent, again possibly due to recent high profile breaches. Healthcare and banking organisations fare better in terms of retaining consumers' confidence that their personal data won't be breached in the next year, with only 28 per cent worried about healthcare breaches and 24 per cent about banking.
"Organisations that hold consumers' personal data have a major challenge maintaining public confidence that they safely protect private information," says Dave Frymier, vice president and chief information security officer at Unisys. "While hackers will always find their way into an organisation's network, enterprises can protect high-value data through basic precautions like patching and sharing threat intelligence as well as using advanced security technologies like micro-segmentation".
Americans are less worried about data breaches than those in other countries, however. US respondents had the lowest overall level of concern about likely security breaches among the 12 countries surveyed. For example, nearly twice the percentage of respondents in the Netherlands and Germany thought a breach of their personal data was likely than their counterparts in the US.
Results from the survey also show mixed feelings about the use of biometrics to protect smartphone data, with only 38 believing that it strengthens security. It also shows that men are more likely to use biometrics to protect their devices than women.
The full US report can be downloaded from the Unisys website (opens in new tab). Details for other countries will be available soon.


text:
Every year, the world's most valuable company refreshes its most important product. Apple typically announces new iPhone models every September. This September was no different.
Apple launched the iPhone 14 this week. As expected, the new flagship phone is faster and more powerful than its predecessor. It's also gaining lots of attention online, which might have convinced some consumers that it's a good time to buy this new phone.
However, given Apple's pricing strategy and product evolution this could be the worst time to purchase the latest model.
Here are three reasons why you don't want to be first in line to purchase the iPhone 14.
What do Ashton Kutcher and a Nobel Prize-winning economist have in common? An investing app that turns spare change into a diversified portfolio
Mitt Romney says a billionaire tax will trigger demand for these two physical assets - get in now before the super-rich swarm
You could be the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger (and collect fat grocery store-anchored income on a quarterly basis)
Apple's pricing strategy
Apple has been shipping iPhones for 15 years. That means its pricing strategy is well-understood.
The launch of new models usually means a price cut for older models. Last year, Apple cut the price of all iPhone 12 models when the iPhone 13 was launched. The company didn't break tradition this year. iPhone 13 now starts at $699 instead of $799. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 mini starts at $599 instead of $699.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly iPhone and don't necessarily need the latest features, the iPhone 13 is ideal. This might be a good time to buy an older model.
However, if you're willing to wait a few months you might be able to get a refurbished iPhone 14. Some of the devices bought this month could find their way back to Apple for repairs or upgrades in the near-future. These refurbished products are usually 15% cheaper and have a full year's warranty.
If you're looking for a bargain on the latest features, patience is key.
The 'tick-tock' technique
Apple's product cycle is also well-understood by industry experts. Software engineer Dan Hansen calls Apple's product cycle the "tick-tock model." Put simply, the company announces new phones every year but makes minor improvements the first year after launch (tick) leaving major upgrades and consequential new technology for the year after (tock).
2022 seems like a "tick" year for Apple. The iPhone 14 has only minor upgrades from its predecessor. In fact, some technology reporters called the latest upgrades "underwhelming."
The industry expects a more noteworthy upgrade with the iPhone 15 which is due next year. The next generation phone could have a better camera and a new type of LTPO OLED display that lasts longer than its predecessor.
If you're looking for a better reason to upgrade from your current phone it might be more prudent to wait until next September.
Global supply chain
The global supply chain is yet to recover from the disruptions of the pandemic. China's zero-tolerance Covid policies crimped production of everything from iPhones to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, a shortage of microchips compelled Apple to cut back on its production targets for this year.
Apple's ability to release a new phone at the same price as the previous model is a testament to Tim Cook's management prowess. However, the global supply chain hasn't fully healed yet. Apple could find it easier to add new components to the next generation of its flagship device once production ramps up. That means iPhone 15 could have significant upgrades from this year's model.
This is yet another reason for you to skip the current model and wait for the iPhone 15.
What to read next
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.


text:
Ajmal Perfumes invests Dh17.5 million in new Dubai plant
Dubai-based Ajmal Perfumes, fragrance house and perfume retailer, forges ahead with extensive expansion plans, investing 17.5 million Emirati dirhams ($4.76 million) in a new manufacturing facility in Dubai. The perfume manufacturing plant, which will be fully operational by the third quarter this year, will comprise two complexes, including an extensive Research and Development (R&D) wing.
The new 147,000-square foot manufacturing facility, located in Dubai’s Al-Quoz industrial area, will meet Ajmal Perfumes’ increased demand for fragrance products, which has been growing at a steady rate of 25 percent per year for the past three years, according to a company press release.
In addition to the R&D wing, which will also include the manufacturing units, the plant will house a separate unit for packaging of the full line of fragrance products—designed to complete all production processes from raw materials to fully packaged products.
In turn, Ajmal’s existing plant will be converted into an exclusive Oudh processing and Dahn Al-Oudh production facility. With a strong emphasis on R&D, Ajmal Perfumes plans to invest more than Dh2.5 million in the facility’s key unit.
Besides blending and testing processes, part of the R&D function to ensure that the quality of fragrances created conform to the standards set by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO), the authority for ensuring International Quality Standards in the region.
Furthermore, Ajmal Perfumes, the only regional perfumery company in the Middle East authorized to issue quality certificates on behalf of SASO since 1997, will continue to analyze perfume products of other manufacturers in the region for compliancy with SASO standards.
With the new manufacturing plant, Ajmal’s production capacity will increase by 300 percent, allowing four million units of Eau de Parfum per year to be produced, in addition to three million units of powder and one million units of concentrated perfume.
Production capacities of other bodyline products will also be boosted with the new plant. As part of the company’s plans for growth, the numbers of retail outlets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman will be boosted over the next few years and an extensive distributor network in new markets, such as Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Egypt, India and Europe will soon be in place. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)


text:
Bundle Of Joy: First Look At Kim Kardashian And Kanye West’s Daughter Chicago West
Photos have been released of Kim’s baby though the face could hardly be seen as she was bundled up in blankets. Here’s a first look at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter Chicago West. It had been reported earlier that the couple refused to sell any photos of their baby to the press as they want to control when the first images get out on their own.
According to TMZ, Kim was pushing Chicago in a stroller with a nanny and bodyguard close behind havinv visited a pediatrician.
Click Amebo Book for more stuff.


text:
Is it raining outside? Then it may not be a good time to post a review on Yelp. That's according to new study that reveals bad weather can adversely affect online restaurant reviews.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Yahoo Labs who found that restaurant reviews tend to be more negative when the weather is either very cold or very hot, the New York Times reports. Here are some of the findings:
“Online reviewers posted most often in July and August, researchers said, but those reviews were more likely to be negative. And regardless of season, if the weather was uncomfortable, all the worse for the chef. The most negative reviews were written when it was colder than 40 degrees or warmer than 100 degrees, or if it was raining or snowing.”
To come to this conclusion researchers examined online data from websites including Foursquare, TripAdvisor and Citysearch (Yelp did not release enough data so it wasn’t included). The team tracked 1.1 million reviews of 840,000 restaurants over the span of a decade.
Among the findings is the fact that bright and sunny San Diego has more five-star reviews than rainy Seattle. Hmmmm..this is certainly food for thought!
Has the weather ever influenced your restaurant reviews? We want to know! Tell us in the comments below!


text:
Inflation soared to a 43-month high of 6.1 percent in June, on higher food, transport and electricity costs, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.
The PSA said in a report Tuesday the inflation rate moved up from 5.4 percent in May and 3.7 percent a year ago. It averaged 4.4 percent in the first half, above the government’s target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the year.
“The uptrend of inflation for June 2022 was primarily brought about by the higher annual growth rate in the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages at 6.0 percent from 4.9 percent in the previous month,” the PSA said.
It said inflation for food at the national level rose to 6.4 percent in June from 5.2 percent in May, led by increased prices of meat, fruits and nuts.
This was followed by transport whose index grew by 17.1 percent annually, from 14.6 percent in May 2022.
The PSA also noted higher inflation for the following commodity groups: clothing and footwear at 2.2 percent; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 6.6 percent; furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance, 2.9 percent; health, 2.6 percent; recreation, sport and culture, 1.9 percent; and personal care and miscellaneous goods and services, 2.6 percent.
“On the contrary, the annual mark-up in the information and communication index decelerated to 0.5 percent. Moreover, the indices of education services, restaurants and accommodation services and financial services retained their previous month’s inflation rates,” the PSA said.


text:
"TWITCH" content on TweakTown - Page 13
We found 633 items for the tag: TWITCH
ESWC brings eSports action to Canada
21 million people tuned in to watch E3 using Twitch, company says
Millions of people relied on Twitch to watch E3.
Dota 2 rakes in one million concurrent viewers on Twitch at ESL One
ESL One Frankfurt cracks one million concurrent viewers for Dota 2 across two live streams.
AMD continues to push its huge PC Gaming Show at E3 next week
Will you be tuning into the PC Gaming Show that AMD is hosting during E3 2015 next week?
ESL, Twitch and ReedPOP Return to the Theater at Madison Square Garden to Host East Coast's Largest Esports Tournament
AORUS X5 Earth's Most Powerful Slim (Gaming) Laptop
Leaked shots show NVIDIA launching GeForce GTX 980 Ti at Computex 2015
NVIDIA is all systems go to launch its GeForce GTX 980 Ti on June 2 at Computex 2015.
Big developers have joined AMD and PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show at E3
AMD and PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show at E3 gets some more big AAA developers joining the event.
AMD announces it is sponsoring the first ever E3 conference for PC
PC gaming takes center stage at E3 2015, with an event sponsored by AMD, PC Gamer, Twitch and more.
Razer introduces Seiren Pro digital microphone for users
Razer has introduced a new Seiren Pro digital microphone.
EVOLVED SHOOT 'EM UP PROJECT ROOT ACTIVATED, LAUNCHING TODAY FOR PLAYSTATION4, PLAYSTATION VITA, AND XBOX ONE
Record-breaking Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2015 Katowice Aftermovie is out!
Unikrn Announces Global Partnership With Tabcorp To Create New Platform for Worldwide eSports
Like the Super Bowl, but only cooler - Dota 2 gaming at the pub
Video games are seeing hundreds of screaming fans flock to their favourite pubs or bars to watch the best hit it out in competitions - we're not joking.
French CS:GO player fxy0 released from Epsilon with a 1-year Valve ban
Joey "fxy0" Schlosser has been removed from Epsilon and given a 1-year Valve tournament ban, alongside ex-teammate Kevin "Uzzziii" Vernel.
Banned canadian CS:GO professional Joshua 'steel' Nissan speaks up
Banned Canadian CS:GO professional player Joshua 'steel' Nissan speaks up - issuing a public statement on his Facebook fan page.
Paid to play - Top CS:GO players earning $3k per month each and more
Some gaming organizations come out and admit how much their CS:GO players are being paid in salaries - the answer is $3,000 per month or more!
Twitch now features royalty-free music that can be used in broadcasts
After issues with licensed music being used on Twitch, the streaming giant now has over 500 royalty-free tracks users can play in broadcasts and more.
SteelSeries aim to improve your game with an eye-tracker at CES 2015
SteelSeries team up with Tobii technology to produce an eye-tracking system to assist general and professional gamers alike.
Interested in eSports? Here's a guide to start your viewership journey
Many people are interested in supporting, watching and following eSports without any idea where to start. This guide by Chris Smith gets you started.
The Razer Comms program has just added a live Stream Viewer
Razer Comms adds a live Stream Viewer to their list of services.
Employment in eSports - Azubu TV have been hiring multiple roles
Azubu.TV go on a staff-hiring rampage, setting themselves up for a massive 2015 by aquiring different personnel from big-name organisations.
COD: Advanced Warfare the most-streamed console game of 2014 on Twitch
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is already the most-streamed console game of 2014 on Twitch.
Microsoft also made a bid on Twitch, but Twitch chose Google
Twitch had multiple offers for its acquisition, deciding on Google as it thought YouTube was the best decision for its mainstream success.
YouTube to acquire Twitch in a deal worth $1 billion
Google and YouTube to buy Twitch for $1 billion, would be YouTube's biggest deal yet.
Twitch.TV now offering private chat rooms for its streaming service
Twitch.TV has just introduced a new group chat feature that allows viewers to engage in conversation with other channel viewers. Stuck in beta for now.
Twitch adds option for mobile games livestreaming and screen capture
The mobile SDK will enable to have Twitch's livstreaming and screencapture & sharing options in mobile games for Android and iOS.
Twitch Live game broadcasts land for Xbox One in March
Twitch live game broadcasting coming to Xbox One in March alongside Titanfall.


text:
This month, Feed the Future caught up with Salif to hear about Malô’s progress since 2013 and how he envisions the private sector continuing to advance food security in Mali.
You and your brother spent much of your youth in Ethiopia and came to the United States to attend American universities [Salif attended Purdue and Mohamed attended Temple]. Since your father studied at Purdue and went on to pursue a career as an international food security and sustainable development expert, you both have roots in the U.S. university system as well as agricultural development. Now that you’re pioneering a new model of rice processing and distribution with Malô in your home country, how are you seeing your company help advance Mali’s agriculture sector?
It’s funny, because our relatives in Mali told us we were crazy when we left the United States to start Malô and work with rural rice farmers! But Mohamed and I saw a real opportunity in our home country, and our American-based family members were more supportive because they recognize that launching a startup can have big potential. It’s also clear to us that momentum is building behind African countries’ agriculture sectors, and we wanted to be a part of that.
We’re really excited about the progress we’re seeing in Mali’s rice value chain. One of the biggest challenges in this country is sourcing: farmers want to know that they’re getting a fair price for the rice they’re selling, and processors want to know that the rice they’re buying is high-quality. To help build that trust, Malô is pioneering a partnership model where we purchase rice from farming cooperatives instead of individual rice farmers. This transaction helps reduce risk and control costs in order to create a stable market model.
The benefit of this system for smallholder farmers is that, assuming their rice quality meets the standards we’ve set in advance, Malô is a guaranteed buyer committed to purchasing rice at a fair, agreed-upon price at harvest time. When they have access to a fair and reliable buyer, we’ve found that farmers will spend the time and mobilize the resources to improve the quality of their harvests.
When we last heard from you in 2013, Malô was preparing to launch its first rice processing and fortification facility, with the capacity to meet the needs of more than 25,000 people per year. Can you tell us about the importance of that facility and how fortification links an agricultural product like rice with nutrition outcomes?
This facility is actually not just a first for Malô; it is also Africa’s first rice fortification facility. The launch has been delayed due to various constraints, but once it is fully operational it will be a model for how to add economic and nutritional value to rice.
In Mali, 80 percent of all rice is milled on inefficient, diesel-powered machines. Milling needs to be more modern and specialized. Once we reach that point, it will improve the quality of rice products, but it will also create much-needed jobs for young men and women who are educated but struggle to find meaningful work.
One of the things we’ve come to realize is that, in Mali, sprinkling nutrients on rice doesn’t work very well in terms of improving nutrition due to this country’s socio-cultural norms. It works in the United States because there is a robust food safety system in place that people trust, so they can forego rinsing. But in Mali, washing rice before cooking it is essential and customary, so cleanliness and fortification go hand in hand. Increasingly, people are more likely to buy rice because of proper packaging, taste and, of course, price. At Malô, we’re working toward a more modern, sophisticated process for fortification while also developing products that will be culturally appealing to our consumers.
Are there any exciting new products you’re helping bring to the market in partnership with the farming cooperatives you’re working with?
We see great export potential for Timbuktu rice, which is an indigenous, organic heirloom variety. High-value crops like these can be a game changer for smallholder farmers. Connecting farmers to export markets has significant potential to encourage existing farmers and new farmers/entrepreneurs to invest and view farming and food processing as a serious, viable career.
In your mind, what does it mean to be a social entrepreneur? How do you think the private sector can advance agriculture and food security in a profitable but also sustainable way that reduces poverty and hunger?
We see social entrepreneurship as existing at the nexus between a deep challenge and a powerful opportunity, and we’re working to address multiple challenges at one time. If Malô’s model succeeds and is replicated and taken to a larger scale, it will have an impact on food availability, nutrition, employment, education and the environment (e.g. energy production from biomass).
Our business philosophy is rooted in partnership with communities and our strategy is to work from short-, medium- and long-term goals, always with the vision of sustainable agricultural growth and food security in mind. We strongly believe in the power of food – from farming to grocery stores to fine dining – to drive countries like Mali forward.
What’s next for Malô? How are you expanding your operations as this new guaranteed buyer model takes off in Mali?
We expect to see additional financing in 2015 that we’ll use to expand our capacity, including acquiring new equipment and production space. This expansion will coincide with the counter-season harvest in June this year.
Our facility will also have a boutique which will carry fortified rice as well as fruits, vegetables and poultry products from our family farm and farming partners. Above the boutique we designed an open workspace that will be open for local and visiting social entrepreneurs.
We’re working to be at the forefront of innovation by constantly studying trends in technology and business and seeing how they can be applied at the grassroots.


text:
The limit pertains to individual debts owed by the customer, stated Linda Jun, senior policy counsel at People in america for Financial Reform. Somebody with increased than one bill in collections could quickly be overwhelmed, Jun stated. вЂњIt could mount up quickly,вЂќ she stated.
In the event that loan companies emailed or texted many times it might be considered harassment and stay unlawful, based on the CFPB.
But unlike with telephone calls, the bureau just isn’t proposing a particular cap on the amount of connections.
The proposal additionally asks loan companies if it could be viewed by a third party whether they anticipate using social media to contact consumers while prohibiting such contact. Some loan companies have previously discovered methods to utilize social media marketing.
Diandra Rivera of Brooklyn said she stopped publishing to Twitter and shut her LinkedIn account after realizing loan companies had started monitoring web sites. One combed through her LinkedIn web web page to get a boss that is former also family, whom your debt collector then contacted, she stated.
Another monitored her Facebook web web web page. The representative would mention social outings she had posted on Facebook, Rivera said during phone calls with the debt collection agency. The representative questioned why she had been behind in repaying her education loan re re re payments if she could manage to visit ApplebeeвЂ™s, Rivera stated.
вЂњIt really was creepy,вЂќ she said.
The proposed guidelines are going to set a battle up between collectors and customer advocates. The CFPB received about 81,500 complaints about loan companies in 2018, in accordance with a study released in March, making the industry certainly one of the agencyвЂ™s most common resources of customer complaints.
Providing loan companies such latitude that is wide expand electronic communication is unwarranted, stated Christine Hines, legislative manager when it comes to nationwide Association of Consumer Advocates.
вЂњWith the extreme types of collectorsвЂ™ harassment and intrusion of consumersвЂ™ privacy that weвЂ™ve seen, it is constantly an idea that is bad exempt collectors from obligation or grant them a secure harbor, in every circumstance,вЂќ she said. вЂњSeems such as a invitation to encourage more punishment perhaps perhaps not deter it.вЂќ
Many industry officials state the transfer to the space that is digital be transformative. Loan companies are usually combing through social networking to trace customersвЂ™ electronic footprints and building models to find out if they could be more prone to react to male or voices that are female.
TrueAccord, established in 2014, is trying to put a face that is friendly your debt collection industry and hardly ever calls customers, Samet stated. The business he co-founded вЂњcrunches plenty of dataвЂќ to create a profile of customers, predicated on what type of items they usually have bought as well as on their past reactions to attempted associates, he stated. Ninety % associated with the ongoing companyвЂ™s interaction with customers will not include a individual, he stated.
вЂњThere is machine learning at play here,вЂќ he stated.
Samet said he thinks consumers appreciate TrueAccordвЂ™s approach. Texting and email messages are a definite вЂњchannel you engage with additional frequently but in the event that you donвЂ™t like my e-mail it is a swipe associated with the hand to create me disappear completely. You can easily put up filters. You can certainly do large amount of items to handle your communications,вЂќ he said.
The CFPB has gotten significantly more than 50 complaints about TrueAccord since 2015, based on the bureauвЂ™s database, which does not determine complainants.
вЂњThis woman keeps emailing me personally constantly. She’s got also went as far as to share with me personally I am opening the emails that she knows. This woman is harassing me personally at this time,вЂќ according up to a problem filed utilizing the CFPB previously this season. вЂњThis is certainly not ok. Please assist me.вЂќ
In 2017, a customer told the CFPB that TrueAccord was indeed too aggressive. вЂњThis e-mail had been written this kind of a matter as to convince me that they can threaten me personally both actually and attempt to destroy my reputation. They reported they’d use any means open to gather the income they do say is owed,вЂќ in line with the grievance.
Samet said the complaints are typical associated with the sort gotten by other solution organizations such as for example Comcast and a вЂњfractionвЂќ of exactly exactly what rivals get. вЂњWe never want individuals to complain,вЂќ he stated.
To be certain, electronic communications from creditors can often be beneficial to customers. Email messages and texting create a footprint which can be used to trace down loan companies hiding behind post-office containers and shell businesses, said Ohio lawyer Jonathan L. Hilton, whom consumer law that is practices. In a few situations, Hilton stated he has subpoenaed Bing or cellphone businesses to get the names, details as well as banking account information of loan companies. вЂњItвЂ™s extremely useful through the side that is investigativeвЂќ he said.
Vicki Chester, a retired nurseвЂ™s associate, said she had been overwhelmed with telephone online title loans with no credit check Tennessee calls from the financial obligation collector about an old $350 financial obligation for months before she relented and made two $60 re re payments. вЂњThe phone phone phone calls had been nasty,вЂќ said Chester, a customer of HiltonвЂ™s. вЂњI became throwing and switching every wondering if i will be acquired. eveningвЂќ
Finally, she asked your debt collector to deliver details about the debt to her an email. That is when Chester said she discovered she was being hounded about cash she did owe nвЂ™t. вЂњI recognized, this really isnвЂ™t my debt,вЂќ said Chester, whom received a $6,000 settlement up against the commercial collection agency agency. вЂњThey had the incorrect Vicki.вЂќ
The 1977 Fair commercial collection agency ways Act had been written before cellphones became the constant friend of People in america. What the law states forbids loan companies from calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. and forbids harassment. Nonetheless it failed to straight address many kinds of electronic communication.
The CFPB proposition would alter that, which will be described as a relief for Elle Gusman.
Minnesota-based Direct healing Services has attempted both texts and e-mails, stated Gusman, whom founded the company in 2012. Email messages had been effective at first then again began getting flagged as spam by Bing, particularly when sent away in big batches, she stated. The business also developed a domain that is new, but terms contained in the e-mails or their accessories — such as for instance financial obligation, password, account, pay on the web — would get flagged, she stated.
вЂњIt wonвЂ™t get through,вЂќ said Gusman.
Customers also seemed to like getting texts about their delinquent bills, stated Gusman. вЂњMillennials simply want to go surfing and spend their bills, she stated. вЂњIt will be crazy, within an hour or so of simply giving our communications, we’d get 20, 30 re re payments online.вЂќ
Delivering the communications had been high priced plus it had been tough to add every one of the needed disclosures in a few figures, stated Gusman.
Among the people Recovery that is direct Services ended up being Fultz, the Ohio paramedic, whom stated he discovered the communications intrusive.
The business has stopped the practice but Gusman stated this woman is hoping the CFPB proposition will permit the business to test once again.


text:
The Chinese manufacturer Nio has just inaugurated its first third-generation battery exchange station in Europe, located in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio has just announced the opening of its first battery exchange station Third Generation Power Swap Station in Europe: it is located in the port of Frihamnen, in Stockholm, Sweden.
“We are proud to be the first country in Europe to inaugurate a new, faster and smarter Power Swap Station. With our station in Enköping and the upcoming one in Arlandastad, we now offer flexible battery exchange opportunities in the Stockholm area”declared on this occasion Mattias Lundgren, CEO of Nio in Sweden.
Nio’s new Power Swap Station 3.0 contains a total of 21 batteriesi.e. eight more than the previous generation: it can thus carry out up to 408 battery exchanges per daya 30% increase in capacity over the second generation.
The speed of battery swapping has also been improved: Nio customers can now replace their discharged batteries with fully charged ones, less than four minutes.
This new Power Swap Station 3.0 provides an even faster user experience, and helps reduceanxiety related to the autonomy of his electric car : Nio thus offers a new full charge experience for electric vehicle drivers.
With every battery swap, users can also enjoy a full inspection and health check of the car’s battery, motor, and electronic control system. Other new security enhancements include 3D vision systems to prevent unauthorized access to the station at all times.
In addition to battery exchange, the new Power Swap Station 3.0 also includes Nio’s latest generation fast charger: a Super Charger the 500 kWequipped with a liquid-cooled charging cable, 50% lighter and allowing a maximum charging current of 660 A. This charging station is capable of charging all electric cars equipped with a connector very quickly. Combo CCS.
To date, Nio has performed more than 26 million battery replacements in the world, thanks to its 1.650 stations Power Swap and service, don’t 24 and Europe. Nio’s European Power Swap network also includes 26 Nio ultra-fast chargers, and allows access to more than 500,000 third-party charging points: Recharge, lonity, Allego and Fastned, all accessible via Nio’s smartphone app.
Read also :
• Nio: 200,000 electric models produced
• Nio ET7: deliveries of the electric sedan have started
• Nio: a look back at its most emblematic cars
This collection is made up of many American sports cars as well as some muscle…
In Italy, many changes to the highway code will come into force. Overview so as…
With the new ecological penalty in 2024, new models will be affected. Here are the…


text:
Q2 GMC Sold 47 Hummer EVs and Kills 2023 Blazer SS EV Production: What’s Going On?
What’s going on with the GM EV programs? Apparently, it is a lot harder for the General to produce electrified vehicles than Tesla or Ford. This, despite its pronouncements to the contrary. Ford F-150 Lightning sales are up over 100% for Q2 2023. But it could only eke out 47 GMC Hummer EVs, while Chevrolet announced it is pushing back 2023 Blazer SS production to 2024.
This news is casting a pall over GM’s plans to out Tesla in the EV market. Granted, it has enough firepower to make that happen someday. But, especially looking at the GMC Hummer’s year-and-a-half production period, it should be doing incredibly better than selling 15 a month.
What does GM say is the GMC Hummer EV issue?
Ford says it is on track to sell over 150,000 F-150 Lightning pickups in 2023. But that is being challenged by how many have actually sold. So far, 2023 sales have amounted to 4,200. That makes its 119% sales increase look much worse than at first glance.
Back to the GMC Hummer, sales were down 83% from the same period in 2022. Since production began seven quarters ago, it has sold a grand total of 900 GMC Hummer trucks. It says it has issues with supply shortages, specifically battery challenges.
“What’s held us off right now is getting our battery plants running. Getting the cells ramped up is constraining our Ultium platform,” Barra said. “It’s all new manufacturing, and we’re working with different suppliers.”
Why is Blazer SS EV production pushed to 2024?
GM makes batteries in Warren, Ohio. Other plants are being readied for production to begin in Tennessee, Michigan, and later in Indiana. However, batteries haven’t stopped Tesla, Ford, and Rivian from seeing stronger sales. All of this is taking time. But you can see that once it begins hitting on all cylinders, or should we say cells, the production of EVs will definitely increase.
As for the much-anticipated Chevrolet Blazer EV, deliveries of the SS version were to begin later this year. Now Chevrolet says production won’t begin until 2024. So here again, something isn’t quite right under the GM EV umbrella. It does say that production of the bread-and-butter version of the Blazer EV is still slated for this summer; summer is here.
Is GM making any Chevrolet Blazers yet?
Production of the Blazer EV only started on June 29, 2023, at Chevrolet’s Ramos Arizpe assembly plant in Mexico. Depending on how long it will take for production numbers to ramp up is in question, based on how GMC Hummer production is going. If production scales up reasonably soon, then it is only a matter of building up supplies before Blazer RS EVs begin showing up on dealers’ lots.
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, the same day the first Blazer rolled off the line, GM CEO Mary Barra made some big announcements. She said GM expects plug-in production to hit 400,000 by the end of this year and over a million by 2025. But that’s for plug-ins, not fully electric versions.
So EV production is taking much longer than GM planned and expected. However, it is much better situated than Stellantis, which won’t see any EV deliveries begin until 2025. But that’s another story…


text:
CEBU CITY ---- The province of Cebu has reopened its doors to tourists to revive its economy crippled by the coronavirus pandemic.
But no walk-in guests will be allowed in all travel destinations on the island to contain the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
In an executive order issued last July 23, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said those who want to visit the tourist destinations in the province should register through the centralized online portal being created by the Cebu Provincial Tourism Task Force.
Payments shall be made through money transfer, e-wallet service, and other cashless payment options.
Once registration and payment are completed, guests shall be sent a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) confirmation code through their emails, Messengers, Viber accounts, or any other similar platform.
The RFID shall be presented upon arrival. Once verified, each guest shall be given an RFID bracelet that must be worn at all times for the duration of their stay at the tourist destination.
Garcia said the procedures were meant to limit the number of visitors, determine their target destination in advance, and for quick and efficient contact tracing in case it is needed.
"This time around, we are not going for quantity but quality. We should not open our tourism industry abruptly. The right way to do it is gradually. We have to be able to manage this very, very carefully," she said.
The activities that were given the green light include whale shark watching, canyoneering, island hopping, snorkeling, diving, beach activities, sightseeing, zipline adventure, all-terrain vehicle riding, parasailing, hiking, trekking, mountaineering, spelunking or caving, and visits to cultural heritage sites and museums.
In her executive order, Garcia required persons who intend to engage in snorkeling to bring their mask and snorkel, while divers must also have their buoyancy control devices, mouthpieces, and towels.
The use of disposable water bottles is also prohibited.
Garcia said guests shall instead be provided with a brand-new refillable water tumbler, the cost of which shall be part of the tour package.
Freshly squeezed juice that boosts the immune system, she said, would be served to welcome guests at every site destination. These include turmeric or salabat (ginger) tea, lemongrass juice, calamansi juice, and other similar drinks.
All service crew is required to strictly comply with the health protocols, such as wearing face masks, shields, and personal air purifiers as well as to observe physical distancing at all times.
Resort management and tour operators shall also regularly disinfect and sterilize safety gear, facilities, equipment, and surroundings.
Garcia said the curfew, which is from midnight to 5 a.m., shall be implemented within the province.
Except for Talisay City, the towns of Minglanilla, and Consolacion, which are under general community quarantine, are on a more relaxed modified general community quarantine since June 29, which allowed the resumption of tourism-related activities.
Cebu City remains the only local government in the country under modified enhanced community quarantine until July 31.


text:
Netflix streaming in High Definition has been a long time coming but it finally looks like Netflix customers are in for a treat – as long as you’re an XBOX 360 owner, that is. News is rolling in this morning that the leading remote movie rental service provider is finally just about ready to drop its HD streaming service, but it will initially do so only via XBOX Live. Microsoft’s popular console is scheduled to receive a dashboard refresh on November 14th and when it rolls out, Netflix HD will come along with it (presumably in the US at least). The new service will come with a library of 300 titles but many expect that number to balloon relatively quickly. Further details are unavailable right now but expect a formal announcement as we get closer to d-day. It is also still unclear how long Netflix’s HD content will be confined to XBOX but provided all goes well we would expect a pretty timely transition to a broader audience. Who’s excited?
If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.


text:
Lost property: Police find dog, majestic tiger and sunset
DOGS, tigers and sunsets don't have many similarities, but Bundaberg police have found a common denominator between the trio.
Saved as the screen savers on two mobile phones and an Apple iPad, which have been handed in to the Bundaberg station, police are hoping to reunite users with their smartphone devices.
Found on November 16, a silver mini Apple iPad (QP2002374780) was handed into the station with a photo of a white tiger with black stripes set as the screen saver.
Days later a black Apple iPhone (QP2002390350) with a picture of a dog on the locked screen was left at the front counter of the local police station, on November 18.
A black Nokia phone (QP2002394516) was also handed in to police on November 19, with the screen saver set to a picture of a sunset.
If you think these items may belong to you and you can provide proof of ownership, please contact Bundaberg police and quote the corresponding reference number.


text:
What do shareholders really gain if Tribune's parent scoops up the Sun-Times?
Devoted readers of the Chicago Sun-Times—and many local journalists—may welcome news that Chicago Tribune owner Tronc aims to bail out the city's No. 2 daily. Investors, however, aren't cheering Tronc's plan to rescue a struggling crosstown rival. Tronc shares have dropped 9 percent since the potential tie-up was announced on May 15.
The sell-off isn't surprising. For all its journalistic prowess and civic importance, the Sun-Times offers Tronc little financial upside beyond consolidation-driven cost savings likely to be offset by falling revenues within a few years. And the Sun-Times won't give Tronc and Chairman Michael Ferro what they need most—a sustainable newspaper business model for the digital age.
It's hard to evaluate the deal without knowing the purchase price, which hasn't been disclosed. Tronc also won't quantify potential cost and revenue synergies, or the ultimate bottom-line value of the pending deal, which could close as soon as June 1.
Here's what we do know: The Sun-Times is a shadow of its former self. Circulation has dropped to 130,000 from 250,000 three years ago. Its privately owned parent, Wrapports, doesn't release financial information, but it wouldn't be looking for a buyer if it were able to sustain itself over the long term.
Why buy such a company? One rationale is consolidation. Acquiring Wrapports, which also owns the Chicago Reader, would make Tronc the dominant provider of local newspaper ad space in Chicago. (Tribune Publishing, as it was then known, bought Wrapports' suburban newspapers in 2014.) But Tronc could achieve the same result by watching the Sun-Times continue down the path to oblivion.
True, a Sun-Times collapse would deprive Tronc of $25 million in annual revenue for printing and distributing the tabloid. Is that a good reason to buy the company? That depends on the acquisition price and the profitability of the printing and distribution contract, neither of which are publicly known.
Tronc spokesman Dennis Culloton calls the acquisition "a solid business deal with a lot of digital upside for Tronc." Culloton points out that the Sun-Times would add 5 million to 10 million unique monthly online visitors to Tronc's current web audience of 60 million, although an unknown number of Sun-Times visitors already frequent Tribune's website. He adds that Tronc's superior digital capabilities will boost online Sun-Times subscriptions and mine customer databases more effectively for additional revenues. "The digital upside could be several million dollars, but we'll have to see," Culloton says.
Others doubt the deal would yield much revenue growth beyond the one-time benefit of adding Sun-Times sales to Tronc's $1.6 billion in annual revenue. Industry analyst Ken Doctor says the digital audience increase wouldn't give Tronc enough leverage to raise online ad rates, while other digital initiatives wouldn't move the needle very far.
In print, Tronc's clout as the only source for major local newspaper ad space wouldn't stem continuing declines in pricing and demand from advertisers that have plenty of cheaper digital alternatives. "They can scoop up all the newspaper advertising revenue in Chicago," says media consultant Alan Mutter, "but they are still facing the long-term secular decline of newspaper advertising."
More realistic are cost savings from combining sales and back-office operations of the Sun-Times and Tribune. Doctor estimates consolidation could lift annual profit by $3 million to $5 million. But declining revenue would squeeze out those gains before too long. "They'll have a short-term—say one to three years—cash flow advantage," Doctor says.
A short-term cash bump won't neutralize the existential threat to all newspaper publishers—a seemingly inexorable loss of readers, advertisers and revenues to online outlets. Tronc, which publishes the Tribune, Los Angeles Times and nine other major dailies, posted a $3 million first-quarter loss as advertising revenue dropped 13.1 percent.
What Tronc needs is a new business model, not another shrunken newspaper.
Joe Cahill is the assistant managing editor for enterprise at Crain's Chicago Business. He served as editor of Crain's Chicago Business from 2005 through 2011. Before that, he held various editing positions at Crain's and worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
It's time to stop bragging about meeting minimum job requirements and start tackling Illinois' worst problems.
The team doesn't need taxpayer help to move to Arlington Heights.


text:
, the acquisitive communciations and marketing group, has made another swoop.
The AIM-listed Manchester company, which splashed out more than £13m in September on boosting its firepower in the digital market, has bought the business and trade assets ofAmaze
, a Cheshire-based web solutions agency, from its administrators.
The business, which Hasgrove has bought for £600,000 employs more than 90 people, who will be retained.
The Daresbury-based company was placed into administration last month after racking up major losses during an expansion programme.
Unaudited figures for the year to July 31, 2007, show it posted an operating loss of £1.9m on turnover of £7.7m. It has particular expertise in digital marketing for automotive companies. Clients includeLexus
, while corporate work has been done for bluechip firmsBT
and accountantsErnst and Young
Hasgrove chief executive Rod Hyde (pictured) said: "The core of the Amaze business has been very successful for many years. It has great staff and a strong proposition which attracts high-profile international clients.
Describing the deal as 'an exceptional opportunity' to grow its digital business, Mr Hyde said it 'catapults' Hasgrove into the top 10 of players in that market, 12 months ahead of schedule.
He added: "Redundancies were made by the Amaze board before an administrator was appointed. While I cannot give guarantees, we are looking to grow the business and build on the strengths of its current staff."
Finance director Paul Sanders said Hasgrove now employs nearly 250 people in the north west, and would have to look at even larger premises to house its enlarged workforce.
"The Amaze deal has arisen very quickly, and it's a great opportunity. It has been quite fortunate that it has come before anything has been decided in term of taking new office space."
Hasgrove has appointed Peter Cookson to head the Amaze business.
He said: "The nucleus of the enterprise in terms of staff and clients is strong, and the company has a bright future."


text:
By Paul Pannone
eWedNewz has learned the first meeting of the board for the American Bridal and Prom Association is set for tomorrow, Thursday, June 7th, to discuss how the wedding industry can unify under a single organization and create meaningful benefits for the business. eWedNewz broke the newZ last week to a business in serious trouble ranging from marriages falling out of favor to pirated materials over the internet and everything in between.
The board of the American Bridal and Prom Industry Association meets tomorrow, while the wedding industry waits to hear of the benefits of membership.
The board meeting is confirmed for June 7, 2012 @ 3:00 p.m. EST, according to sources familiar with the story. Newz of the formation of the organization was top newZ last week.
According to sources the plan is to consolidate and eventually replace product specific organizations that no longer have the support of their business category. Redundancy and lack of interest is often cited as the main reason for failure. The new idea is to give members a reason to participate that includes strength in numbers, pooling resources and negotiate better prices for products that everyone in business uses. Healthcare is the number-one interest to small business owners in the wedding industry.
eWedNewz also learned a member of the Knot will not be include on the board due to a reported conflict.
In an ongoing eWedNewz poll wedding industry members want a well-run organization that offers benefits of membership and isn’t costly to join.
Take the poll
All Rights Reserved


text:
Job offersmore »
- Account-Manager - Wickede/Ruhr, Germany
- Grower for pot plant production - Tönisvorst - Germany
- Assistant Grower & Growers - Ohio, USA
- Fruit & vegetables Export-Import manager - Avignon or Perpignan, France
- Area Manager North Europe - Netherlands
- Area Sales Manager Oost Europa - Netherlands
- Benelux Sales Manager - Grow lights, Holland
- Productie Manager - Ethiopia
- Head of Sales Europe
- Engineer support in agricultural sciences - Switzerland
Top 5 - yesterday
Top 5 - last week
Top 5 - last month
Exchange ratesmore »
Puration announces acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-OpPuration, Inc. (USOTC: PURA) announced the acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op to position itself for the recreational marijuana market expected to be legalized nationwide in Canada this summer. Shortly after an online presentation on the company’s cannabis cultivation business operation was published online, a paper intended to provide more detail on the company’s long-term cannabis cultivation strategy to establish a recognized brand name in what is currently a $9.7 billion market place, according to ArcView Market Research, and expected to reach $24.5 billion by 2021. The presentation also includes details on the company’s plan to expand its existing cannabis infused beverage business into Canada. The narrative from the presentation is included in its entirety below. The presentation can be found on the company’s website.
The company entered the cannabis cultivation sector last year in 2017 with the acquisition of First Choice Nursery and the implementation of a long-term cannabis cultivation strategy to navigate the evolving legal environment and ultimately establish a recognized brand name in the cannabis market place.
Puration’s Cannabis Cultivation History and Go-Forward Strategy
The acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op dramatically accelerates Puration’s cannabis cultivation strategy by entering the company into Canada’s estimated $5 billion market for recreational marijuana expected to be implemented this summer (2018). While the company has already initiated a long-term cannabis cultivation strategy in Texas, the existing legal medical marijuana market in Canada and their pending recreational market, move Puration’s plans to establish a recognized brand name in the cannabis market place several big steps forward. The company has already achieved notable success establishing brand name recognition for its EVERx CBD Infused Sports Water and now with the acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op, the company is positioned to achieve similar results with its cultivation business. Management has a unique strategy to differentiate itself from other leading brand names in Canada such as Canopy Growth Corp. (TWMJF), currently the largest pot stock by market cap in the world, and not too far behind Canopy, Aurora Cannabis (ACBFF), Aphria (APHQF), MedReleaf (MEDFF), and OrganiGram Holdings (ORGMF). Current estimates suggest these leading publicly traded cannabis company’s may not be selling recreational marijuana until sometime in 2019 after addressing all the licensing hurdles. Puration expects to establish a revenue foothold much faster through its unique strategy.
Puration’s Cannabis Cultivation Foundation
Puration has implemented a long-term cannabis cultivation strategy to navigate the evolving legal environment and ultimately establish a recognized brand name in the cannabis market place. Through the acquisition last year of First Choice Nursery, Puration has already setup a 25-greenhouse operation in its home state of Texas where limited medical marijuana legalization has passed. The company is working to establish a university backed cannabis cultivation research facility within the 25-greenhouse operation. In the meantime, the facility is financed through being utilized for conventionally growing household and landscape plants. It is expected to generate $1 million in revenue this year and self-finance the expansion of the 25-greenhouse operation into as many as 400-greenhouses. Once, recreational marijuana is legal either through state or federal law, the Texas facility will be in a leadership position with a robust production facility ready-to-go and a university research backed cultivation process in place.
Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op Business Plan
The acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op positions Puration for the estimated $5 billion recreational marijuana market expected to be legalized nationwide in Canada this summer. With the acquisition, Puration now has inhouse cultivation experience garnered from the operation of a licensed medical marijuana facility of substantial size. The company plans to apply for a recreational license and anticipates its medical marijuana experience to be of benefit in the recreational license application process. Similar to other Canadian marijuana sector companies such as Canopy Growth Corp. (TWMJF), Aurora Cannabis (ACBFF), Aphria (APHQF), MedReleaf (MEDFF), and OrganiGram Holdings (ORGMF), Puration has plans to build substantial inhouse operations. The company has already received interest from investors in backing the construction of facilities for pursuing the Canadian legal marijuana market. However, in addition to building out inhouse operations, Puration plans to take its acquired expertise to what it expects to be a robust micro-cultivation and micro-processing market. Health Canada recently announced plans to introduce new micro-cultivation and micro-processing licenses. A micro-cultivation license would be issued to an authorized plant canopy area of less than 200 square meters (2,153 square feet), and a micro-processing license allowed for those processing less than 600 kilograms, or 1,323 pounds, of dried cannabis a year. The legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada also includes individual cultivation for up to four plants. Puration plans to serve the micro-cultivation, micro-processing and home-growers market place with products and services necessary for production. By establishing a recognized brand name in cannabis cultivation from its inhouse production, Puration expects to leverage its brand name to tap into the more profitable micro-cultivation, micro-processing and home-growers market place. To help illustrate the opportunity, consider the micro-brewery and home brewing market place in the United States alone. Retail dollar sales for craft micro-brewed beer in the U.S. is approximately $26.0 billion, accounting for more than 23% of the overall $111.4 billion U.S. beer market.
Expanding Puration’s Existing Cannabis Infused Beverage Business
Last year, Puration introduced EVERx, a CBD infused sports water. The sales of EVERx yielded over a 60% gross margin as reported in the company’s 2017 annual report. The initial sales have won the interest of additional distributors to include a recently announced national distribution contract. Puration has now designed a THC infused beverage and registered the name THCSavor. The company recently introduced the initial package design for the THCSavor beverage. With the recent acquisition of Canadian Cannabis Farmers Co-Op, Puration plans to leverage the acquired medical marijuana industry experience and traction to rapidly introduce THCSavor into the existing legal medical marijuana market in Canada and later through the pending legal recreational market.
For more information:
Publication date: 5/11/2018
Other news in this sector:


text:
The internet is what made IoT happen, providing a common protocol to take the place of separate, specialized networks. But the public internet itself may not always be the best path between a connected device and the cloud.
Enterprises can now connect cellular IoT devices to back-end systems via NetBond, a private network service from AT&T, instead of the Internet. The NetBond service sets up a VPN (virtual private network) from an edge device to the cloud. It can connect to 16 different public clouds, including Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, or a private or hybrid cloud.
The carrier announced NetBond for IoT at an event on Wednesday meant to showcase the benefits of AT&T’s software-defined networking. More than one-third of AT&T’s infrastructure is virtualized now, and over half should be by the end of this year, the company said.
Specifically, what AT&T has done is combine NetBond with AT&T’s Control Center IoT services platform, which is an IaaS (infrastructure as a service) for managing connected devices. Control Center is based on IoT provisioning and management technology from Jasper Technologies, which Cisco Systems acquired last year. About 600 AT&T customers use Control Center, AT&T says.
NetBond shields IoT traffic from Internet threats like DDoS attacks and has a portal for controlling things like bandwidth and latency on the links between edge devices and the cloud. It’s designed to make IoT connections more predictable and meet the requirements of applications in areas like manufacturing, health care and city infrastructure.
The offering plays into concerns that enterprises have about IoT, according to GlobalData analyst Peter Jarich. GlobalData surveys show many enterprises hold back from using IoT because of security worries and sometimes get even more concerned after they start working with it, he said.
NetBond for IoT works with devices on AT&T’s network in the U.S. and partner carriers’ systems in other countries. It’s available worldwide.


text:
Washington, D.C. – A federal advisory encouraging pregnant women, nursing mothers and children to eat more seafood fails to protect them from methylmercury exposure and guide them to better fish choices, according to a new analysis released today by Environmental Working Group and the Mercury Policy Project.
“It seems the government doesn’t want to tell us the whole truth about the risks and benefits of fish and shellfish,” said Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group. “With this analysis, we hope to expose the shortcomings in the government’s advice and provide consumers with the right information to help them make smarter and safer decisions.”
The advisory, issued earlier this month by the federal Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, ignores more than a dozen scientific studies since 2004 that suggest that methylmercury is more damaging than previously documented. Studies show that a pregnant woman’s exposure to methylmercury in amounts similar to or only slightly above the typical levels in American consumers can harm her fetus.
The FDA-EPA advisory recommended that pregnant women and children eat at least 8 ounces and up to 12 ounces per week of various lower-mercury fish in order to gain important developmental and health benefits. The agencies’ previous guidelines, issued in 2004, did not set a floor for seafood consumption.
The EWG-MPP analysis points out that the government’s recommendation to “eat more fish” is oversimplified and unlikely to achieve the intended benefits because methylmercury and omega-3 concentrations vary widely between species.
The analysis concludes that the federal guidelines do not:
- Give clear guidance on which fish contain too much mercury when eaten frequently;
- Steer consumers toward the safest and healthiest seafood choices;
- Correct the agencies’ outdated and erroneous advice and information on eating canned tuna;
- Ensure that pregnant women and children who already eat a lot of fish do so safely.
“There’s something really 'fishy' about the agencies’ fixation on health benefit studies while appearing to ignore the latest science on methylmercury exposure since the 2004 advisory was released,” said Michael Bender, executive director of the Mercury Policy Project. “In particular, Americans should be asking FDA and EPA why they are offering the same outdated advice on canned tuna consumption when more than one-third of exposure to methylmercury comes from this source.”
Last January, an EWG report that analyzed fish contaminant and nutrient data concluded that 10 of 35 seafood varieties sold commercially in the U.S. would face an unacceptable mercury risk to a pregnant woman of average weight if she ate eight ounces weekly, as the FDA now recommends.
The FDA plans to issue final guidelines this fall. EWG and MPP recommend that it overhaul these seafood consumption recommendations to help Americans keep their exposure to toxic methylmercury within safe limits.


text:
Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has expressed satisfaction about the private sector initiative to transform industry and produce mass organic fertilizer led by Zoomlion Ghana Limited amidst the global fertilizer shortage. He said the capital industrial investment that Zoomlion Ghana Limited has sunk into the transformation agenda supported by other private companies in their produce organic fertilizer to feed the agrarian community was monumental and worthy of commendation by the government.
The Agric Minister was speaking to journalist after a tour of the Kumasi Compost and Recycling Plant (KCARP). The minister earlier visited a liquid fertilizer plant in the Atwima Nwabiagya District and farmer groups in other parts of the Ashanti Region as part of his working visit to the region to assess progress and problems related to agriculture.
Dr. Akoto was amazed at the size of KCARP saying this is bigger than the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) situate at Adjen Kotoku in the Greater Accra Region.
KCARP a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited under the Environment and Sanitation Cluster of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) is projected to be the biggest of its kind in Africa.
It receives all kinds of waste, processes it to produce quality and efficient organic fertilizer and recycles the plastics into useable products such as waste bins, tables, chairs and different kinds of containers for storage purposes.
The minister said he was panicked when in one of the ECOWAS agric ministers meeting under his chairmanship it became clear that fertilizer shortage had hit the sub-region but upon seeing what the KCARP, ACARP and the IRECOPs all subsidiaries of Zoomlion and other partners are doing in the area of organic fertilizer production he is most relieved of his fears and assured that Ghana has a better alternative after all.
He attributed the chemical fertilizer shortage worldwide to the Ukrainian and Russian upheavals and advised Ghanaian farmers to patronise the local products.
Dr. Akoto said it was reassuring to see that the 18 producers and suppliers of fertilizer who have applied to the ministry and assured it at a meeting recently of their capabilities are working hard to provide the needs of the farmers.
He specifically pointed out that it was clear Zoomlion has invested hugely into organic fertilizer production and government appreciates that effort and will ensure that the farmers patronise it for the good of the Ghanaian economy.
“I am also particularly impressed about the almost instantaneous demand for organic fertilizer in Ghana during my tour of the regions” the minister disclosed.
He said government will subsidise organic fertilizer as it was part of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme and increase the threshold given to local companies to supply organic fertilizer accordingly.
Communication and Corporate Affairs Manager of KCARP, Mr. Eugine Amoh-Asamoa, disclosed that KCARP alone produces over 3,000 (25kgs bags) a day. Meaning 35,000 bags are produced in a week.
He said the fertilizer that is produced by KCARP is highly potent and enriched by natural nutrients to help the nation produce more organic food and vegetables for consumption.
He assured the Agric Minister of the company’s readiness to increase production once the demand has improved.
Zoomlion is currently constructing the IRECOP concept in all 16 regions which are at various stages of completion. These plants will all produce organic fertilizer for the farmers and recycle plastics to improve the sanitation situation in the regions.
Two different plants are operational in Accra, one in Kumasi while Goaso, Takoradi and Oti are are test operations levels.


text:
U.S. Growth of U.S. manufacturing, global economy will turn up chemical demand
Strong auto sales and an uptick in housing starts, which combined to spur modest growth in U.S. chemical production in 2013, will continue this year. What will be new and notable in 2014 is a manufacturing revival in the U.S. and economic expansion around the globe that will buoy demand for basic chemicals.
“Manufacturing needs and exports will drive demand for basic chemicals, especially where shale gas drives competitive advantage. Europe and many emerging markets will be stronger in 2014,” says T. Kevin Swift, chief economist at the American Chemistry Council, a trade group. Combined, the positive trends should impact most segments of the U.S. chemical industry including plastics, basic chemicals, and specialties, according to ACC.
Compared with the 1.6% growth in chemical production that the U.S. saw in 2013, this year’s expected growth rate of 2.5% will be rather robust. But the acceleration won’t happen until mid-2014 or later, says Sergey Shchepochkin, chemical industry analyst at credit insurance provider Euler Hermes. By then, the rise in construction will have had downstream effects on demand for appliances and other durable goods. Consumer spending will also create more demand for plastics and electronics, Shchepochkin says; paper and textile markets, in contrast, will continue to underperform.
Consumers around the world, not just in the U.S., will demand more autos and homes, which will boost chemical exports by 6.6% this year, according to Swift. He expects a continuing trade surplus, with basic and specialty chemical exports more than offsetting imports of pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals.
Last year’s slowdown in demand from China’s manufacturing sector is likely to turn around this year, to the benefit of U.S. chemical exporters. Meanwhile, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates, a trade group for smaller firms, has turned its eye to Europe as it advocates for the U.S. and European Union to agree early in the year on the trade-enhancing Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership.
Another big change for the U.S. chemical industry this year should be in employment, where expansion is helping to reverse what had been more than a decade of workforce decline. Chemical jobs grew by an estimated 1.3% in 2013, says Swift, who expects additions to continue through 2018. Employment will follow the large capital investments in the U.S. brought by shale gas; the tally of new projects has reached 135 with a combined value of more than $90 billion.


text:
Apple may be working on a new wearable that can be worn on multiple parts of the body and is capable of tracking exercise and serious health data.
The folks at PatentlyApple has spied a patent application from Apple, which talks of a device that communicates to wearable sensors that are capable of monitoring both health and fitness features.
Essential reading:Best Apple Watch apps to download first
The system describes a central device, which we imagine could be an iPhone or Apple Watch, that can talk wirelessly to tags that can be worn up and down the body and on clothes possibly via adhesives, magnets, clips and hooks.
Those sensors can work individually or collectively to generate a range of different information including data on posture or sun exposure. There's also talk of the ability to track and analyse activity such as running, cycling, hiking and walking.
On the health monitoring front, the wearable sensors could also deliver information such as blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar levels and respiration rate.
This kind of setup would require a range of different sensors, with motion, electrocardiogram, temperature and humidity sensors among the type that could be used.
Picture credit: Patently Apple
From the central device, the user will be able to control, configure and update sensors when required and additionally locate where various sensors are placed.
While this is a patent and like with so many patents it doesn't guarantee it's ever going to become a real product, it's not too far fetched to think it could become a reality.
Apple has already launched its AirTag to help keep track of items. We've also already seen examples of wearable tags that can monitor a range of data. In 2018, startup Spire launched its Spire Health Tags, which used adhesive to stick onto clothes and could track data like breathing, stress, heart rate, sleep as well as automatically detect workouts.
Our testing experiences with the Spire Health Tags weren't without its problems, so if Apple is thinking HealthTag after its item-tracking AirTag, we imagine it's going to another level of complexity to try to promise reliable tracking of a range of activities and biometric data mentioned in this patent application.
If anyone can do it and do it right, it's Apple. This could well be the answer to delivering the big health tracking features it seemingly wants to deliver from its smartwatch.


text:
Number of Russians who download films for free irrespective of quality shrinks 5 times in past 5 years - poll
MOSCOW. Sept 21 (Interfax) - Five percent of Internet users in Russia prefer downloading or watching films online for free irrespective of quality, versus 25% in 2018, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) said in a statement on its website on Thursday.
One in six, or 16%, prefer paying to download or watch a film online for the sake of good quality, about half less than five years ago (34%), the pollster said.
The number of Russians who prefer to wait for a free online copy in good quality grew from 16% to 36% over the past five years, while the number of Russians who would rather watch a film in a theater has quadrupled, from 3% in 2018 to 12%.
Two percent of Russians have no intention to watch films online, VCIOM said. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they never download or watch films online. Two percent are undecided on what they would do if they wished to see a film.
VCIOM polled 1,600 respondents aged 18 and up by phone nationwide on September 10.


text:
© Infineon Technologies AG Products | July 16, 2018
Infineon hits 5bn production milestone of its bulk-CMOS radio frequency switches
Highest quality standards and industry-leading semiconductor components through innovation and manufacturing: In 2008, Infineon Technologies AG started the volume production of its first bulk-CMOS radio frequency (RF) switch.
This is a product release announcement by Infineon Technologies AG. The issuer is solely responsible for its content.
Then, in the dawn of 5G era, Infineon’s well-engineered portfolio and products have received an unprecedented welcome from innovators in wireless markets across the world. By now, the company reached a yearly run-rate far above one billion and a cumulated number of five billion radio frequency bulk-CMOS switch shipments to its valued customers. “With its proven expertise and legacy in semiconductor manufacturing, Infineon became a preferred partner of all original equipment and design manufacturers and chipset distributors,” said Philipp von Schierstaedt, Vice President and General Manager for Radio Frequency Systems at Infineon. “The overwhelming market acceptance underlines our radio frequency front-end system understanding, our technical strength, superb quality and supply assurance interwoven into Infineon’s production strategies.” Bulk-CMOS offers multiple product integration advantages. Since the introduction of “solid-state” in the 1960s, design technologies for RF switches fall into two categories: electromechanical switches (MEMS) and solid-state switches. Low switching speed, weak repeatability and reliability of MEMS exclude itself automatically from being an ideal candidate for 5G applications. In the meanwhile, scientific efforts have furthered solid-state with several technology options. In comparison with gallium arsenide and gallium nitride, transistor-to-transistor logic based on bulk-CMOS manifested best integration capability. This ultimately enables space-constrained designs on printed circuit boards. Unlike other alternatives, bulk-CMOS requires neither extra oxide layer, nor different materials as part of wafer processing, which implies direct economic benefit. The advent of the 5G telecommunication is placing ambitious challenges on an array of technical parameters in the hands of OEMs and OMDs besides the ever accelerating pace of the industry overall. Infineon is about to develop more products that foster RF-designers’ ambitions. Availability The industry-leading electrical performance is proven by available samples of the next-generation bulk-CMOS RF switches, the new antenna swapping devices BGSX22G5A10 and BGSX33MA16. Volume production will start in late summer 2018, guaranteeing continued supply of RF switches. More information is available at www.infineon.com/rfswitches.
JEOL Ltd. acquires Integrated Dynamic Electron Solutions JEOL Ltd. , manufacturer of semiconductor equipment and other industrial instruments and equipment, announced the acquisition of Integrated Dynamic Electron Solutions Inc. (IDES), an entrepreneurial venture specializing in technologies related to transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
NEXT receives major order for Indian government program NEXT Biometrics has received an order for UIDAI and STQC certified fingerprint biometric readers in India with a value of USD 750,000.
Cadence completes acquisition of AWR from NI Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has completed the acquisition of AWR Corporation from National Instruments Corporation.
Fiat Chrysler and Foxconn plans EV joint venture A new competitor in the industry for electric vehicles are in the making.
Sponsored content by CMLCML manufactures Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) solutions Printed circuit boards (PCBs) plays an important role in our day to day life. Whether it’s the car you’re driving, the phone that you’re scrolling through or computers that you’re sending emails from. What happens when you use heat generating components on a PCB? That’s right, cooling is needed!
Collins Aerospace inks multimillion-dollar space contract Collins Aerospace Systems has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to provide critical subsystems to support production of NASA’s Orion spacecraft fleet for Artemis missions III through VIII.
Imagination Technologies expands with new European design centre Imagination Technologies has opened a new design centre in Timisoara, Romania. The centre will focus on IP designed for artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision.
AKI Electronic becomes Schurter Electronics As part of the further integration into the Schurter Group, AKI Electronic spol. s r.o. changes its name to SCHURTER Electronics spol. s r.o.
From Bosch to Silicon Mobility - Kallenbach takes the helm Automotive semiconductor company, Silicon Mobility, has appointed former Robert Bosch GmbH executive Rainer Kallenbach as CEO of the company as of January 6, 2020. The current CEO Bruno Paucard will remain with the company as COO and on the Board of Directors.
NEXT Biometrics reorganises - reduces headcount NEXT Biometrics says it is executing a program to optimise the organisation and cost base with its strategic priorities and market opportunities; which also translates to layoffs
LPKF delivers laser system to semiconductor industry customer In December, LPKF delivered – for the first time – a highly automated version of its LIDE system for integration into a semiconductor fab to an unnamed semiconductor manufacturers.
ROHM company SiCrystal & STMicro ink wafer supply deal ROHM and STMicroelectronics have signed a multi-year silicon carbide (SiC) wafers supply agreement with SiCrystal, a ROHM group company having a top share of SiC wafers in Europe.
Cadence expands collaboration with Broadcom Cadence Design Systems says it has expanded its collaboration with Broadcom Inc. for the creation of semiconductor solutions targeting next-generation networking, broadband, enterprise storage, wireless and industrial applications.
Marvell expands R&D footprint in India Marvell has announced the addition of its new facility in Bangalore, part of Marvell India Private Limited, the company’s second largest research and development (R&D) effort spanning three sites – Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.
imec spin-off raises €4,5 million in funding MICLEDI Microdisplays, the latest spin-off of imec, has raised EUR 4,5 million seed capital from imec.xpand, with participation of PMV and FIDIMEC.
Synopsys to acquire certain IP assets of INVECAS The acquisition broadens the company’s IP portfolio and adds a team of experienced R&D engineers to the company’s development department.
Fire at Kioxia's Yokkaichi NAND fab A fire broke out at Kioxia’s Yokkaichi plant – a joint venture facility owned by Kioxia and Western Digital – in Japan on January 7.
New Hella electronics JV starts production in China The joint venture HELLA BHAP Electronics has started production. The company was founded in 2018 by HELLA and BHAP, one of the largest automotive suppliers in China.
European backing for Prodrive's growth plans The European Investment Bank is providing a EUR 50 million loan to Dutch technology company Prodrive Technologies.
Murata acquires 3DHaptics company Murata Manufacturing and MIRAISENS, which offers haptic solutions technology using 3DHaptics technology, have signed an agreement for MIRAISENS to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Murata Manufacturing.
Diodes updates on Lite-On acquisition Since the initial announcement of the acquisition back in August, 2019, all customary closing conditions have been met, including approval by the Lite-On shareholders. In conjunction, Diodes has been working through the final process of securing the required regulatory approvals in both Taiwan and China.
Grant helps Diodes to grow in Greenock Semiconductor manufacturer Diodes Incorporated has received a GBP 13.7 million funding package from Scottish Enterprise towards a GBP 47 million project enabling its future growth in Greenock, Scotland.
Murata starts construction on new production building Okayama Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture), started construction on a new production building in December 2019.Load more news


text:
In an alternate universe, RadioShackwould rule the world, supplying all of your electronics needs from computers to cellphones, and even making them. But in this world, RadioShack is almost bankrupt, having missed almost every opportunity to be the center of the technology revolution.
Last week, the electronics retailer announced its latest quarterly loss — $119.4 million — and said that it might not have enough capital to continue as a “going concern.” The announcement was a surprise to no one. RadioShack, despite some terrific marketing, has been in turnaround mode for almost two decades. Now, with 10 consecutive unprofitable quarters and a stock worth a little over $1, RadioShack is a battery running out of charge
Have an amazing project to share? Join the SHOW-AND-TELL every Wednesday night at 7:30pm ET on Google+ Hangouts.
Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!
Learn resistor values with Mho’s Resistance or get the best electronics calculator for engineers “Circuit Playground” – Adafruit’s Apps!
Maker Business — Presentation: Ten Year Futures – Benedict Evans
Wearables — Simulate tattoos
Electronics — Servo Pulses
Biohacking — Nutrigenomics – Personalized Vitamin Supplements Based on DNA
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


text:
Sony to abandon PlayStation 3's Cell processor with PS4
Following last week's rumors that chip-maker AMD would make the graphics tech for the PlayStation 4, "industry sources" close to Kotaku are claiming the PS4 will not use Sony's Cell processor.
The sources say Sony is ditching the Chip tech, which Sony said would revolutionize consoles. The Cell chip consisted of a "Power Processing Element" joined to eight "Synergistic Processing Elements" - a project PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi hoped would lead to home where multiple Cell devices could work in conjunction with each other.
Unfortunately, the Cell did not catch on and only led to many game developers struggling to work with the complex chipset on the PS3.


text:
Messaging apps consumers are becoming tricked into setting up a trojan on their Android phones that spies on them by gathering pictures, movies, messages, and recording audio. The researchers at Cisco Talos are calling it “WolfRAT”. It targets consumers of Whatsapp, Fb Messenger, and Line in the guise of a Google Play or Flash update and gets them to install the trojan on their phones just after which it not only collects unique varieties of facts but also sends them to the trojan command and manage (C2) servers.
Scientists explained that WolfRAT, a Remote Entry Trojan (RAT), is a modified version of DenDroid, an older malware. DenDroid’s resource code was leaked in 2015 and considering the fact that then, other malware like WolfRAT have come out to attack unsuspecting consumers. Messaging apps are specially on their radar. The trojan was witnessed recording the screen when WhatsApp Messenger was becoming operate.
In accordance to researchers, Thai consumers are becoming qualified by WolfRAT. Some of the C2 servers are also dependent in Thailand by itself. The C2 server domain names comprise Thai meals names as very well. What’s more, Thai comments have been also uncovered on the C2 framework.
The researchers claim the WolfRAT is extremely possible becoming operate by Wolf Investigate, an organisation that utilized to build interception and espionage-dependent malware. Though the organisation could not be formally lively, its members are possible to be functioning. This trojan is also possibly accomplishing the role of “an intelligence-collecting tool”.
Moreover, the researchers uncovered that function on the trojan was completed in a lazy fashion. There was a great deal of duplicate/paste from general public sources, useless code, unstable code, and open panels and many others. On the other hand, it was also extra by them that the skill to assemble facts from phones is a significant earn for the operator because individuals send out a great deal of delicate information by using messages and are mostly unafraid about their privacy and security.
For the most current tech news and evaluations, follow Gizmos 360 on Twitter, Fb, and Google News. For the most current movies on devices and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Microsoft Warns of Enormous COVID-19 Themed Phishing Campaign That Allows Attackers Get Remote Entry


text:
10k Gold Watches
News about 10k Gold Watches
Eisenhower letter to West Point grads earns $41K at RR Auction
BOSTON – An early presidential letter signed in full by Dwight D. Eisenhower, addressed to the graduating class of the United States Military Academy, sold for $41,250 at RR Auction on February 17.
Turner to auction seized Rolex, wine, currency & art Oct. 18
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present a seized property auction on Sunday, Oct. 18. Featuring property from Southern California, the sale includes gold and silver coins, noted wines, artworks, signed sports jerseys, jewelry, books, armed service medals and decorative items. In addition, the auction offers coins from a Northern California […]
Freeman’s Luxe: Boutique Jewels sale Aug. 20 includes watches
PHILADELPHIA — On Thursday, Aug. 20, Freeman’s will hold its Luxe: Boutique Jewels auction. It is the latest in Freeman’s online Luxe Sale Series, which aims to bring high-end jewelry and lifestyle objects to beginning and lifelong collectors alike. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
Brownwood Collection offers Asian art, antiques in Aug. 25 online-auction debut
TOMBALL, Texas – Brownwood Collection in suburban Houston will offer its very first grouping of Chinese antiques, jade, furniture, vintage jewelry, Wedgwood and decorative art in a Sunday, August 25 online auction exclusively through LiveAuctioneers. Start time will be 1 p.m. ET.


text:
Coffee retailers have made their way to the Pikes Peak region from Seattle, Oregon and even Nebraska.
Now, one of the area's newest brands has arrived from Hawaii — via suburban Denver.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii late last month opened its first Colorado Springs-area location in The Shops at Meridian Ranch, northeast of Meridian Road and Stapleton Drive in unincorporated Falcon. It's the second Bad Ass Coffee in Colorado; the first opened in October in Denver.
The brand, founded in 1989 on the Big Island of Hawaii, takes its name from donkeys that gained a reputation as the "bad ass ones" because they reliably carried heavy loads of locally grown coffee beans down steep mountains, according to Bad Ass Coffee's owners.
Bad Ass Coffee made its way to the mainland when it was purchased in 1995 by a Utah businessman, who moved the company to that state. In 2019, Bad Ass Coffee was acquired by Royal Aloha Coffee Co. of Centennial, where it now has its headquarters.
Bad Ass Coffee specializes in 100% Hawaiian coffees and its menu includes international coffees, lattes, cold brews, espressos, blended drinks and teas. Among other items, a food menu features the Aloha sandwich made with ham, eggs, Swiss cheese, pineapple and sweet barbecue sauce served on King's Hawaiian bread.
Franchisee Lee Wilwerding, a veterinarian in the Colorado Springs area for several years who founded Powers Pet Emergency Services in 2005, said he's been a fan of Hawaiian coffees for years after visiting there.
"I love coffee and I love Hawaii and I love Hawaiian coffee," he said. "I just think it is the best coffee there is."
Competition, however, is fierce in the coffee world. Seattle-based Starbucks and Dutch Bros of Grants Pass, Ore., dominate the Springs' market, while Scooters of suburban Omaha, Neb., and Ziggi's of Longmont recently added locations in the Springs. Local favorites include Solar Roast Coffee, Story Coffee and The Perk Downtown.
Wilwerding said he's counting on the Hawaiian allure of Bad Ass Coffee to set it apart.
"Kona (an area of the Big Island) coffee is, people know it, they've heard of it," he said. "I don't know how many people actually get to experience it. Once you do, you get the smell of it, it just smells different. It's got a great rich smell to it. The taste of it is much more smooth and rich. It doesn't have the bitter (taste) that many other coffees do have."
Wilwerding, who lives east of Black Forest in unincorporated El Paso County, opened Bad Ass Coffee in The Shops at Meridian Ranch to take advantage of the fast-growing Falcon area northeast of Colorado Springs.
Once a rural area of large lots and multi-acre ranches, Falcon over the last 30 years has become home to thousands of rooftops in developments such as Meridian Ranch and Woodmen Hills.
Walmart, Safeway, Walgreens and several other familiar retailers, along with national restaurant chains and mom-and-pop eateries, all have opened locations in Falcon.
Bad Ass Coffee has indoor seating for about 20 people in its 1,800-square-foot storefront, Wilwerding said. There's also a patio with additional seats, though no drive-thru.
Wllwerding said he's eying possibly four Bad Ass Coffee locations in the Springs area, but wants to see how the first store pans out before he expands.
Bad Ass Coffee now has about 20 locations nationwide and owner Royal Aloha Coffee says it plans an aggressive expansion.
Over the last 18 months, Royal Aloha says it's sought to relaunch the brand nationally with a new logo, packaging and restaurant design.
As part of a goal to open 150 locations over the next five years, it's hired a dozen new full-time employees, while it seeks to add franchisees, move into more markets, expand online sales and establish a wholesale operation.


text:
The days of online tax-free shopping in Georgia are over.
The state became the 10th in the country to change its tax code this week.
Many online retailers like Amazon will now collect the state's 8-percent sales tax. If the site you shop doesn't collect the tax, you'll still have to pay what's called a 'use tax' to the Georgia Department of Revenue.
State officials say the change will bring in about $18 million a year.
|7:00pm||How I Met Your Mother|
|7:30pm||2 Broke Girls|
|8:00pm||Mike & Molly|
|10:00pm||WTVY News 4 at Ten|
|7:00pm||Law & Order: SVU|
|8:00pm||Law & Order: SVU|
|9:00pm||Law & Order: SVU|
|7:00pm||Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special|
|8:00pm||One Direction iHeartRadio Album Release Party|
|9:30pm||Primetime News at 9|