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Village Social restaurant group opening in Rye
The team behind Village Social — the popular New American-gastropub-cocktail den in Mount Kisco — is opening a second location at the former Encore Bistro at 67 Purchase Street in Rye.
The menu will be similar — American, seasonal, shareable plates — but with some dishes made specifically to suit the clientele in Rye.
“We want it to be based on what’s happening in the town,” says executive chef Mogan Anthony.
He expects construction to take at least four months.
Here’s a preview.
It hasn’t been decided yet, but you can bet it won’t include the word “social.” “Social is everywhere now,” laughs Anthony. “So we’re still trying to find a new name.”
While Anthony will oversee the menu (we hope they keep the signature pretzel-crusted tuna!), a new chef will be in the kitchen at the new location. Anthony mentioned interviewing from staff at restaurants like the Momofuku chain and Jean-Georges, but no hire has been made yet.
Still in progress, but Anthony is installing a wood-fired oven, so expect pizza for sure. “I’m laying down a lot of ideas,” he says. “My mind is really going crazy.”
Don’t imagine the industrial feel of Village Social. No concrete. No dark woods. No edison bulbs. “We’re going old-school, but not exactly old-school,” he says. Expect a light, airy feel with blond woods and an open-to-the-street front. Either a garage door, or folding French doors like the ones at Watermoon on Purchase Street. They’re also going to see about installing a rooftop bar, later in the year.
The next step
This won’t be the only location the group is opening this year. Expect some news out of Pleasantville soon.


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Help is on the way for cooks and diners who love the taste of garlic but hold back from eating it for fear it will cause bad breath and indigestion.
An unlikely Roman duo, a construction engineer and a commercial lawyer, have spent the past three years cultivating a special giant variety of garlic that used to be prevalent in Tuscany but has not been produced in large quantities for 40 years. The garlic, known in Italian as aglione, has a milder flavour, is odourless and easy to digest, say the two entrepreneurs, Alessandro Guagni and Lorenzo Bianchi.
With just a few months to go before their harvest, the pair are trying to get their “kissing garlic” in some of Italy’s Michelin-star restaurants after chefs who sampled last year’s crop gave it an enthusiastic response . They hope to sell the aglione in high quality food markets, where they hope it will come to be seen as a newfound Italian gem.
“We thought this was a typical example of Italian excellence that has been forgotten. Why? Because no one knows it and no one asks for it,” said Bianchi.
Garlic is often associated with Italian cuisine, and is considered an important ingredient when cooking roasted potatoes, lamb, roast pork and bruschetta, but it is not a flavour that dominates typical dishes. Guagni and Bianchi say this reflects concern, especially among young people, that it is indigestible and causes bad breath.
They also say that most garlic consumed in Italy is produced abroad, particularly China and Spain.
Their story started about three years ago. Guagni was on holiday in the Chiana valley in Tuscany, in the heart of winemaking country, when he came across a farmer’s stand that was selling a product he had never seen before.
“It was very big. One bulb weighed from 300 to 800 grams, about 10 times as big as normal garlic. The taste was very good and very light so we thought about the possibility of reintroducing it in the market,” Guagni said.
Their first task was to find aglione seeds.
The product is not totally unknown. Some Tuscan restaurants serve a dish known as pici all’algione on their menu, a fresh, eggless pasta with a tomato and garlic sauce. When Guagni and Bianchi started asking restauranteurs about where they found their supplies, however, they hit a wall.
“We asked: ‘Where can we find it’? And they said: ‘No, there isn’t any. You will never find it because it is over. It’s extinct’,” Guagni said.
They learned that though the dish technically calls for aglione, which translates as “big garlic”, most chefs use a conventional variety.
Eventually they tracked down a few local producers , got their hands on some seeds and went to work on land Bianchi owns in the Marche region, near the city of Ancona. They say they have a tractor they “play” on over the weekend, and a friend with experience who is also helping out.
Asked whether their garlic could be considered organic, the two chuckle.
“It couldn’t get more organic,” Bianchi said. Garlic is not too labour intensive, they add, and in this case much of the labour is done by ducks, which eat the weeds on the land but don’t touch the bulbs themselves. They also produce fertiliser.
The pair have grown their garlic on two hectares of land, which they say is enough to cultivate about 30,000 plants.
According to the Fondazione Slow Food, an organisation that promotes food biodiversity, fewer than 10 producers cultivate what it calls aglione della Chiana, and most do so for personal use. The foundation said the variety does not contain allicin, a chemical compound found in traditional garlic, and that there are usually six large cloves in a bulb.
The garlic is said to date back to ancient times, when Etruscans inhabited the Chiana valley, and it was also present on the island of Giglio. It allegedly arrived on the island in 1544 after the pirate Khayr al-Din killed nearly everyone on it, forcing the ruling Medici family of Florence to repopulate it with aglione-loving inhabitants of the Chiana valley, who brought it with them.
Guagni and Bianchi, who have been friends since they were teenagers growing up in Rome, are thinking big, possibly about creating a supplement or soap, given that garlic is known for its anti-bacterial qualities. They also have a few more ancient products they would like to revive, but don’t want to divulge their trade secrets.
They are also having fun. “We wanted to do something to escape from our offices,” Guagni said.

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The Agricultural Market Agency received nearly PLN 25 million for the promotion of Polish food abroad. Currently, the halfway point is the implementation of a trade promotion program. The first results can already be seen, many companies have gained new markets for their products.
As informed by the director of the Office of International Cooperation of AMA and the project manager Agnieszka Rembisz, the AMA promotes Polish Companies and Polish agricultural and food products to many overseas markets. There are many actions undertaken, for example, the "trade promotion program of Polish food specialities" is implemented. It is calculated for three years and will continue until February 2015. The program aims to help businesses to promote their own brand products and come into contacts. Exhibitors can also count on financing the participation in trade fairs or training. So far, as many as 40 companies have benefited from this program. Rembisz explained that companies are promoted under the banner of national stand, although each of the exhibitors has a separated stand. Earlier, Polish companies have been located in various places in fairs and, therefore, they were less visible. In her opinion, this form of presentation of products is gaining exhibitors' acceptance. The program is implemented in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, China and the Arab Emirates.<br/>Rembisz indicated that support for food producers is already bearing fruit. A survey was conducted at the halfway point of the program. The existing participants evaluated the effectiveness of the activities carried out by the Agency. As it results from the survey, 75 percent of companies established business relationships, 58 percent won new markets, and 25 percent recorded an increase in the export of their goods. The director felt that these were good results if one takes into account that the establishment of trade cooperation with the Arab Emirates or China takes many years.The project involves mainly dairy industry and meat products, dairy products, sweets and cereal products. Due to the presence at the fair, some of the companies managed to promote the brand of their products. For example, little known in our country, the company "SĹ?owianka", confectionery producer, is already recognized in the Chinese market. Rembisz stressed that also beef, apples, cereal and meat products became a hit. The director advised that the AMA is currently recruiting entrepreneurs to participate in trade missions to South Africa (June 2014, on the occasion of the Africa's Big Seven Fair), Hong Kong (August 2014, on the occasion of the HKTDC Food Expo Fair) and Kazakhstan (November 2014 - World Food Kazakhstan Fair).


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South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has yet to officially confirm plans to bring to the market a successor of its last year flagship Android-based Galaxy S III smartphone, but estimates on its market performance have already started to emerge.
Apparently, the company might be able to sell no less than 100 million Galaxy S IV units, at least this is said to be the planned number of devices to be built.
The info comes from Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek, who wrote in a recent research note that manufacturers will have to shift their focus to this device, while leaving other clients aside.
“The enormous 100 million S4 build plan (we estimate the S3 sold 60M) is leading some suppliers to say that they will reallocate resources away from Apple,” Misek wrote in his research note, BGR reports.
This will further help Samsung place itself in a better position than Apple, as the Galaxy S IV component and manufacturing needs will put pressure on the development of new iPhone models.
In fact, Apple has already been rumored to be working on the release of at least two new flavors of its iconic handset, one set to arrive later this year as the successor of iPhone 5, and another to arrive next year with a 5-inch or larger touchscreen display.
Samsung’s current flagship Android device, the aforementioned Galaxy S III, which was officially launched in April last year, is estimated to be sold in over 60 million units until it falls into oblivion. Samsung has already confirmed over 40 million Galaxy S III units to have been sold until January this year.
As mentioned above, nothing has been officially unveiled on Galaxy S IV until now, but Samsung is expected to make a formal announcement on it sometime in March, while planning on pushing it to shelves starting with April, this year.


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Customers of German network carrier Deutsche Telekom can now put their name on a list to reserve a next-generation iPhone, while product assembly has begun in preparation for October launches.
A spokesman for the German telecoms provider confirmed to Bloomberg that customers can put their name on the list for the next-generation iPhone as the company anticipates massive demand for the device.
However, the spokesman didn't name the device or exact launch date, the report states. Customers who reserve the next-generation iPhone will be given a priority coupon for the device.
Evidence that the iPhone 5 - if that is what it will be called - will launch in early October, at least in the US, has emerged in recent days, from a leaked Best Buy document which suggests that the launch will happen in the first week of October.
iPhone assembly has begun
According to Macotakara, a Chinese source has reported that Foxconn and Pegatron have begun assembling the iPhone 5 in preparation for an early October launch in the US and a late October launch for Asia. Timescales for other territories are not mentioned.
The report also claims that the units, once assembled, are not being boxed up. This is because Apple is not ready to install iOS 5 on them yet, so presumably this will happen at a later date. Staff at Apple Stores are also apparently being trained in iOS 5 and iCloud, it has been reported.
We heard back in early August that Apple had ordered 10 million iPhone 5s from Pegatron and that the company would begin shipping them to Apple in September, which fits in with the latest reports. A photograph taken at a plant belonging to Wintek in mid-August was claimed to show an iPhone 5 production line.
Components for the iPhone 5 went into production in July , Digitimes reported, and since then there have been several mystery components that could be for the iPhone 5 or perhaps aniPhone 4S spotted in circulation.


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Amid the ongoing wait GTA 6 users noticed a possible teaser for the game in the recently released NBA 2K24.
One of the players discovered a poster with Roman numerals “VI” in the next part of the annual basketball simulator..
This might not mean much otherwise, but NBA 2K24 is being published by 2K Games, which is owned by parent company Take-Two Interactive. She also owns Rockstar Games, which produces the GTA series.
In addition, the poster depicts palm trees against the backdrop of a city with a purple color scheme.. Previous leaks have indicated that GTA 6 will take place in a modern-day Vice City based on Miami, which further suggests that this poster was added to the game for a reason.
The release of the new part of Grand Theft Auto is expected to take place from April 2024 to March 2025.
Read also: The full release of Witchfire from the creator of Painkiller and Bulletstorm will take place no earlier than autumn 2024.


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Huawei has signed 26 contracts globally to supply 5G equipment for commercial use, leaving it well ahead of its US rivals. Here’s why that’s a problem…
from Zero Hedge
After the US government elicited outrage from the Chinese due to its attempts to convince its allies to bar the use of equipment made by telecoms supplier Huawei, President Trump is apparently weighing whether to take another dramatic antagonistic step that could further complicate trade negotiations less than two weeks before a US delegation is slated to head to Beijing.
According to Reuters, the White House is reportedly considering an executive order that would ban US companies from using equipment made by Huawei and ZTE, claiming that both companies work “at the behest of the US government” and that their equipment could be used to spy on US citizens. The order would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to order the Department of Commerce to prohibit the purchase of equipment from telecoms manufacturers that could threaten national security.
Though it wouldn’t explicitly name Huawei or ZTE, the ban would arise from Commerce’s interpretation. The IEEA allows the president the authority to regulate commerce in the face of a national emergency. Back in August, Congress passed and Trump signed a bill banning the use of ZTE and Huawei equipment by the US government and government contractors. The executive order has reportedly been under consideration for eight months, since around the time that the US nearly blocked US companies from selling parts to ZTE, which sparked a mini-diplomatic crisis, which ended with a deal allowing ZTE to survive, but pay a large fine.
The feud between the US and Huawei has obviously been escalating in recent months as the US has embarked on an “extraordinary influence campaign” to convince its allies to ban equipment made by both companies, and the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada has also blossomed into a diplomatic crisis of sorts.
But the real reason issuing a ban on both companies’ equipment is seen as a priority is because Huawei’s lead in the race to build 5G technology is making its products more appealing to global telecoms providers. Rural telecoms providers in the US – those with fewer than 100,000 subscribers – are particularly reliant on equipment made by both companies. They’ve expressed concerns that a ban would require them to rip out and scrap their equipment at an immense cost.
Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and fear the executive order would also require them to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.
While the big U.S. wireless companies have cut ties with Huawei in particular, small rural carriers have relied on Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be less expensive.
The company is so central to small carriers that William Levy, vice president for sales of Huawei Tech USA, is on the board of directors of the Rural Wireless Association.
The RWA represents carriers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. It estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks, it said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.
As Sputnik pointed out, the news of the possible ban followed questions from Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, who expressed serious concerns over the involvement of Huawei in Britain’s 5G network, suggesting that Beijing sometimes acted “in a malign way.” But even if it loses access to the US market, Huawei’s global expansion and its leadership in the 5G space are expected to continue to bolster profits and growth. Currently, Huawei sells equipment in 170 countries.
According to a statement from the company’s rotating chairman, the company’s full-year sales are expected to increase 21% to $108.5 billion this year. The company has signed 26 contracts globally to supply 5G equipment for commercial use, leaving it well ahead of its US rivals.


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Facebook’s video app may no longer work on Apple TV
Facebook’s app for smart TVs, which lets users tune into various videos, shows, and
livestreams on the platform, may no longer be available on Apple TV, as first reported by
. Some users say they’re no longer able to access the app after its most recent update.
In a thread on
, one user shares an image of the notice they received after
attempting to open Facebook Watch on their Apple TV 4K: “The Facebook Watch TV app is
no longer available, but you can still find lots of videos on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/watch.” Several other users report having the same experience.
Facebook rolled out its Watch app on Apple TV in 2017 after first launching it on Samsung
smart TVs. The app is also available on various other smart TVs and consoles, as well as on Facebook’s mobile app and desktop site.


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- ‘Tis the Season: London florist creates $4.6 million Christmas wreath
- No tailgating allowed at Super Bowl XLVIII
- Pentagon to transport African troops to Central African Republic
- Chinese man fed up with his girlfriend’s shopping jumps to his death
- Ukraine leader to talk with protesters; Washington urges caution
- Pope Francis: A nun saved my life
- Israeli P.M. Netanyahu backs out of Mandela funeral
- Elian Gonzalez makes first trip outside Cuba since custody battle
- U.S., British intelligence agents enter online sci-fi world to spy on gamers
- Sarah Palin to host the outdoors show ‘Amazing America’
Latest Hyundai Items
Hyundai's 2011 Sonata "stunned" veteran analysts from Strategic Vision, tallying the highest Total Value score in the 14-year history of the study, topping all competitors — past and present — including those in luxury segments.
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt got another marketing jolt Monday, when it was named the North American Car of the Year.
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt, which runs on electricity for 40 miles before a backup gas engine kicks in, beat out the Nissan Leaf, another electric, and Hyundai Sonata to be named the North American Car of the Year on the first day of media previews for the Detroit auto show on Monday.
An all-new Hyundai Elantra will join its larger sibling, the Sonata, in production at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) starting in late fall this year.
Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's 21-year-old daughter is on track to get her cosmetics-store shoplifting case dismissed with a day of community service after a judge agreed Tuesday to prosecutors' offer to resolve the case.
The 2011 Hyundai Azera adds power and efficiency to a model known for its luxurious appointments. The updated large sedan now includes an advanced six-speed automatic transmission and other powertrain refinements raising the bar on fuel economy in its class, while still gaining horsepower.
SEOUL — Lee Myung-bak, a former business executive and ex-mayor of Seoul, was nominated by South Korea's conservative opposition party yesterday as its presidential candidate.
When Hyundai revamped the Accent last year, it wound up with an exceptionally well-engineered and sensibly priced compact sedan. There is plenty of quality in evidence, and the entire package is protected by one of best warranties in the business. Unfortunately, a sedan is, well, a sedan. Although there aren"t many nits to pick, the sedan isn"t going to attract that 16- to 25-year-old buyer who is most likely going to be shopping in the sub-$15,000 range. Additionally, when a car company caters to budget-challenged buyers, the lower the sticker price, the better the box office. The goal was to sex up Accent while lowering the retail price. Hyundai tackled the problem this year by introducing a two-door hatchback Accent.


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April 26, 2022 - 10:11 AM 385 views
China's State Council has proposed new efforts to promote consumer potential and assure a long-term recovery, according to CN Wire.
The additional steps that include:
They will guide the financial system to lower the interest rates and reduce the fees that can support the real economy via various measures.
The regions that have implemented automobile
purchase restrictions in certain regions can gradually increase the number of
automobile quota increments and remove qualification restrictions for car
utilization of current financial resources to
support the construction of consumption- related
infrastructure. In order to boost consumption in a better way, they will
include the eligible products in the scope of the local government special


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Six-week food waste reduction programme for 52 UK households run by Tesco and Hubbub found families saved money and significantly slashed food waste once they embraced new food habits
Action is being coordinated by campaign group WRAP, whose Food Waste Reduction Roadmap has helped save around 180,000 tonnes of food - worth £300m - from becoming waste since it launched in 2018
Marks & Spencer food waste initiative aims to turn unsold bread into garlic bread for sale across 200 of its food stores nationwide
Over 50 households to track their food waste in a bid to work out which interventions deliver biggest waste savings
Investors in US firm - which produces thin, edible coating for food products to extend their shelf life - include celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry
Food retailer's tastes success with efforts to redistribute surplus food to charities, community groups, businesses and its own staff
New report from Just Eat and the Sustainable Restaurant Association notes that while restaurant food waste is up during the coronavirus lockdown, takeaway consumers' attitudes towards food waste is showing signs of improvement.
Lewis appointed chair of WWF UK's trustee board, as he prepares to step down from helm of UK supermarket chain later this year


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Apple warned investors, and it's now official: iPhone sales stopped at the Christmas quarter. But after the early January warning, the company reassured the market with a good growth in its service department. Apple's title rose 6% on the stock market last night.
The turnover of the past three months of 2018 fell 5% to $ 84.3 billion. This figure has been reduced by a 15% (to $ 52 billion) decline in iPhone revenue, a decrease that can be attributed mainly to the decline in the Chinese market, where the group's revenue Seen (all combined products) tumbles 27% to $ 13.16 billion. On the other hand, the Mac, the iPad and accessories (headphones, watches) all increased their sales.
Services by 19%
Above all, services surpassed their turnover by 19% to 10.9 billion, slightly above analyst expectations. Services (iTunes sales, apps, Apple Music) now represent 13% of Apple's revenue, a point that Tim Cook insisted on delivering results.
Apple's CA by categories in the last quarter: iPhone dependency is still there, but at 62% it's less than in 2015 (69%). The service department (13%) is now in 2nd position. With 1.4 billion active devices (900 million iPhone), Apple is banking on its ecosystem. pic.twitter.com/qLy5rLDzJ9
– Philippe Berry (@berryberry) January 30, 2019
There are now 1.4 billion Apple devices active on the market, including 900 million iPhone. The company is therefore looking for the use of this ecosystem and is preparing for a streaming service that has to compete with Netflix and Amazon this year. According to Variety Apple invested more than $ 1 billion to develop original programs, including Stephen Spielberg, Oprah and Jennifer Aniston. With $ 245 billion in his suitcases Apple has what to see.


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Aston Martin’s 1921 A3 – the only remaining prototype built by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin – will be on show at Prescott Hill Climb from 3-4 August.
The car, which C&SC featured in April’s Aston Martin supplement, came to light at Bonhams’ 2002 Aston Martin Works sale and has since been subject to a full restoration.
The A3 will be joined by a line-up of historically significant pre-war Astons including Team Cars such as the Green Pea, which ran in the 1922 French Grand Prix, plus Brooklands stalwarts the Halford Special and the Razor Blade.
It is hoped all three will run competitively on the course alongside 250 examples of Vintage Sports-car Club pre-war cars.
Around 15 pre-1939 Bertelli Aston sports cars will also be on hand, including the only Renwick and Bertelli machine in existence, the 1926 Buzzbox.
The display will be located in the pre-war Orchard Car Park on 4 August, while the competing cars will be in the paddock all weekend.
Tickets are priced at £15 on Saturday and £25 on Sunday, with savings of up to £10 to be made by purchasing tickets in advance before 30 July, under-16s go free.


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Verizon success sparks employee bonus
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- Staff Albany Business Review
Verizon Wireless employees are reaping the benefits of their company's recent success.
Employees on Friday received annual bonuses of 8 percent to 10 percent of their paychecks, or roughly $2,400 on average.
Verizon Wireless customer service employees make a base salary of about $27,000 per year, according to Seattle-based PayScale, which gathers global compensation data.
In addition to annual bonuses, employees also will receive merit-based raises and profit sharing awards in the next few weeks.
The company attributes its ability to reward employees to its 2010 performance.
During the fourth quarter of 2010, New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., the parent company of Verizon Wireless, experienced a $4.6 billion profit, a sizeable increase compared with the $2.4 billion recorded in the last three months of 2009. The company said its growth was the result of higher smartphone adoption and data use.
Verizon Communications' (NYSE: VZ) wireless unit was granted permission in January to start selling its version Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone, ending AT&T Inc.'s (NYSE: T) run as the exclusive provider of the popular smartphone. The iPhone has been popular, but still has not passed Research in Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) Blackberry as tops in the smartphone market. Verizon's iPhone is being sold at its stores and at Best Buy Co. (NYSE: BBY) and Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) nationwide.
Verizon Wireless operates more than 2,000 stores nationwide, 12 of which are in the Albany, N.Y., area.
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Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat (C) announces the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement during the launching ceremony in Niamey, capital of Niger, July 7, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)
African leaders on Sunday officially launched the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement in Niamey.
The launch occurred at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government in Niamey, capital of Niger.
Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, hailed the launch of the free trade pact as a "historic moment" in Africa's history, especially toward the realization of the 50-year African development Agenda 2063.
"NEW ERA IN AFRICA'S INTEGRATION"
"The speedy entry into force of the AfCFTA has been a major pride to all of us," Faki said. "Niamey marks the history of a new era in Africa's integration."
"More than just a free trade area, the AfCFTA is by excellence the instrument for industrialization and integration with an objective of the aspirations of the Agenda 2063," the head of the 55-member pan-African bloc said.
The African free trade accord was launched on March 21 last year in Kigali, capital of Rwanda.
It came into force on May 30, after the deposit of the required minimum of 22 instruments of ratification by AU member states to the AU Commission.
Five more instruments of ratification have since been deposited, including Gabon and the Equatorial Guinea, which deposited theirs on Sunday, bringing the total number of countries that have deposited their AfCFTA ratification to the AU Commission to 27.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is also the current chairperson of the AU, hailed Sunday as a remarkable moment in Africa's quest toward improved trade and integration.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed also stressed that the start of the operational phase of the continental free trade pact is "a momentous moment."
She urged the African countries to effectively harness the potential of the free trade pact.
The AfCFTA, which was launched on March 21 last year in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, also on Sunday added Nigeria, Africa's most populous and largest economy, and Benin to its growing list of signatories, leaving Eritrea as the only member of the African Union that has not signed onto the historic accord.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Benin's President Patrice Talon signed the agreement, making the two countries as the 53rd and 54th signatories, respectively.
The AfCFTA, among its major aspirations, calls for a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business persons and investment, paving way faster establishment of a customs union.
Once fully operational, the free trade accord is projected to boost the level of intra-Africa trade by more than 52 percent by the year 2022, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa.
According to the AU, the AfCFTA "has laid the foundation" for what could be the world's largest free trade zone by the number of participating countries, covering more than 1.2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars.


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KOBE, Japan (January 24, 2019) – ASICS Corporation, only the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner in the sporting goods category, is launching the ASICS REBORN WEAR PROJECT (ARWPJ) on January 24, 2019. The project aims to offer a way to cheer for Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team competitors by gathering sportswear rich with memories from people across the country and giving it new life as Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team official wear. A campaign website will also be launched on the same day.
ARWPJ will recycle clothing associated with precious memories from school teams, sports days and marathons into the official wear of Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team to be worn on the international stage. The project is open for all to participate and accepts clothes of any brand.
The project aims to gather about 30,000 items of sportswear with collection boxes set up in ASICS retail stores, sports retailers and at sports events to promote widespread participation. Recycled fibers extracted from the donated clothes will be used to manufacture official wear for Tokyo 2020 Japan Olympic and Paralympic Team.
Additionally, the collection boxes will display a two-dimensional barcode that allows users to access a dedicated website and sign up for a special email newsletter. Registered users will be able to receive messages from athletes, information on Tokyo 2020, and email progress reports as the clothing they have donated is reborn as official wear. There is also a launch of content generator that allows users to digitally frame photographs of sportswear with sentimental value and post it on social media, further building up positive energy ahead of Tokyo 2020.
ARWPJ will also roll out advertisements featuring advisory ASICS staff members, Yoshihide Kiryu and Saori Yoshida along with their personal sportswear.
ASICS aims to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and its target to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 was officially approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)*1 on August 1, 2018. One of the concrete measures which ASICS has set to achieve this target is replacing polyester materials in shoe uppers and sportswear products with 100% recycled polyester.
ARWPJ will apply a circular production and development process to extract polyester from the donated items, use it to manufacture thread and fabric, and then produce new sportswear and shoes*2.
ASICS is launching ARWPJ to advance sustainability and sports promotion, and to contribute towards making the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 the most innovative to date. ASICS will continue to contribute to the success of Tokyo 2020 and to reducing environmental impacts.
*1 The Science Based Targets initiative is an international organization that supports companies in establishing emission reductions targets in line with scientific consensus on how to limit global warming to 2°C compared to pre-industrial era temperatures.
*2 For shoes, the upper and the insole are made with recycled materials.
Overview of the ASICS REBORN WEAR PROJECT
|Collection period||January 24 – May 31, 2019|
Note: Collection may end once the target has been met.
Note: All brands accepted. Polyester will be recycled, and other materials used as fuel etc.
|Collection target||Approx. 30,000 items|
|Collection method||Collection boxes will be set up in stores and sports event venues.|
・ASICS retail stores across Japan
Please see the campaign website for information on stores
with collection boxes, collection period and details:
Notable sports events:
Collection boxes will be set up at the ASICS booth in various sports events.


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Cyber fraud relies on getting hold of identity data and Facebook is the perfect identity data source.
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) June 24, 2013
idcloak’s security team have found that approximately one million English-speakers every month search online under ‘Facebook hack password.’ The free hacking services that appear on the first page of the search results would enable even an unskilled miscreant to gain control of others’ Facebook accounts.
“The public has no idea just how vulnerable their personal data is to snoops, cyber thieves and stalkers,” says idcloak’s Robin Welles. “The free Facebook hacker download allows these groups to gain access to your account without being noticed.”
The motivations behind Facebook hacking are certainly varied, Welles admits, but the evidence suggests cyber theft is a primary goal. “Cyber fraud relies on getting hold of identity data and Facebook is the perfect identity data source. Norton places the annual cost of cyber crime at around $110 billion. Couple this with Facebook's 2011 announcement that 600,000 accounts were hacked each day and I think it’s fair to say Facebook hacking is a major contributor to cyber theft. For obvious reasons, Facebook has chosen not to release any further figures on this subject since 2011.”
As to why users have not discovered the extent of this threat themselves, Welles points to two main reasons, “First, victims of cyber theft are generally the last people to know how they were hit. They are more interested in reclaiming lost funds than getting involved in security forensics. This means most victims of any kind of hack tend to stay silent.”
“The second reason so few people fear Facebook hacking is the media. Press reports on the subject tend to be very light-hearted; for example, BBC’s latest story on a Facebook hack was that Peppa Pig World’s profile had been broken into and… parents got angry. It’s hardly surprising the threat is not taken seriously.”
For those wanting to keep their account safe, Welles had this to say, “Facebook’s own settings, such as login approval and login notifications, offer ample protection and take only a minute to activate. It’s just a question of caring enough to do even this much. People need to recognize that, thanks to search engines, everyone indirectly ‘knows’ how to hack a Facebook account. Once you accept that, the incentive to seek protection shouldn’t be too hard to muster.”
For more help in staying private, free and safe on the web, visit http://www.idcloak.com
Written by Terence Shull


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FinTech Australia x UK Department for International Trade April 2020 Trade Mission Innovate Finance Global Summit
This year marks the two year anniversary of the UK-Australia Fintech Bridge as such FinTech Australia will be leading a trade mission to Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS), supported by UK DIT from 20 – 23 April 2020.
Monday, 20 April: IFGS 2020 Day 1
Tuesday, 21 April: IFGS 2020 Day 2
Wednesday, 22 April: International Day, run by Innovate Finance
Thursday, 23 April: Full day program, run by UK DIT (Scaleups only)
Access to the conference is included through the mission. In addition to this, there will be various social and networking events to allow participants to meet with industry partners and other thought-leaders.
The successful UK-Australia Fintech Bridge, launched in 2018 simplifies access in both directions and opens up opportunities for UK and Australian fintechs.
The trade mission will provide opportunities for participants to meet and network with the UK’s world leading financial services ecosystem, and for UK companies to learn more about the exciting fintech innovations and opportunities in Australia.
Applications close Wednesday, 19 Feb
FA Member Corporates: $2,000
Non-Member Coporates: $3,500


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Polish gov't wants to co-finance up to 400 start-up companies
Poland's Entrepreneurship and Technology Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz said on Wednesday that the government wants to provide funding for up to 400 start-up companies, totalling PLN 120 million (EUR 28 million), to help energise the economy.
After a successful pilot project, we are boldly going further in supporting Polish innovative firms," the minister said at the Impact'18 Congress in Kraków (southern Poland).
"This time, our activities will be even stronger," she added, "We want to co-finance and support as many as 400 start-ups."
Emilewicz explained that under the programme, called ScaleUp, 400 start-up firms will team up with medium-sized and large companies to develop their products. The minister added that it is the role of the state to help everybody start out in business, develop and expand abroad, with the aim of becoming a global leader in its sector.
Planned to run until 2021, the programme is worth PLN 120 billion (EUR 28 million), with individual companies entitled to receive up to PLN 250,000 (EUR 58,380), the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) announced.h


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As financial advisors increase their use of email, social media, texting and other forms of digital communication, the market for products to record and archive these conversations is growing as well.
On Wednesday, Smarsh released an update to its web archiving product that saves content from any point in time in an indexed and searchable form to make it easier to keep track of changes or document reviews. The company also released a new user interface to improve users' experience.
Stephen Marsh, CEO and founder of Smarsh, said the company's product has grown 90 percent year-over-year.
“More companies recognize that archiving web content – alongside email, social media, instant messaging, text messaging and video – is a critical component of a comprehensive information governance strategy,” Marsh said.
At the recent FTF Social Media and Compliance in Financial Services conference, social media risk-management company Socialware released Social Access Control, a new product for firms to implement and configure a set of access controls to enable or disable specific features on social networks. This allows both regulated and non-regulated employees to utilize sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn the way they would normally do so, but with guardrails to keep them out of trouble with their compliance department and regulators.
For example, some employees at a firm may not arequire as rigorous archiving or oversight, but leaving their social media access completely unmanaged could expose them inadvertently put a firm at risk from a legal, cybersecurity, or reputational standpoint.
“Social media offers incredible potential for firms to amplify their brand and serve customers, but there’s always the risk of negatively impacting your brand with a single bad tweet or inappropriate joke,” said Bruce Milne, Socialware’s executive vice president.
Too many companies react to social media by just switching off access to all employees, denying the firm opportunities for brand amplification, customer outreach, customer support or market research, according to Socialware.
By allowing firms to customize the social media oversight options for different groups of employees, Socialware said employees can feel empowered, trusted, confident and safe with social communication online, while executives can sleep easy knowing the activity is managed.


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Should You Use Your Business Credit Card Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic? Here Are 3 Tips to Back You Up
There’s no question that public safety should come first before profit, but this can cost small business owners some serious financial damage. Many of them are now struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic and are unsure how they will survive. With social distancing becoming a norm nowadays, revenues have frozen across industries.
According to a representative of New York City-based debt-relief law firm Tayne Law Group, they have been getting an influx of calls from struggling business owners who have been experiencing financial problems. Many are now wondering whether it’s a good time to open a new business credit card to get them through the storm.
Leslie H. Tayne, debt-relief attorney and founder of Tayne Law Group, spoke with CNBC Select to discuss what small business owners should take into account when making this decision.
Small Businesses Are Affected By Coronavirus
Although the economic impact of the pandemic is felt in almost every industry, the retail business is probably one of the hardest hit. With everyone advised to stay at home, people are simply not purchasing that much and numerous retail stores have been forced to close temporarily.
Those whose sales rely on daily foot traffic like taxi companies, local delis, catering, and more are also affected. Anticipated supply chain disruptions and production delays also pose a threat to businesses across all sectors during this time of uncertainty.
Using a Business Credit Card During the Pandemic
There are different ways to fund your business amid the coronavirus pandemic. This includes the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program of the Small Business Administration.
If you have an excellent credit score, then a business credit card may be right for you. This way, you can earn points on daily business expenses like office supplies. Still, you have to consider these three strategies when considering using a business credit card during the outbreak.
Look for Available Flexible Options
Tayne states that there are small business credit cards that include flexible spending and pay-over-time benefits. These also offer flexible interest rates on some purchases. At a time when businesses may need to rely more on credit than usual, Tayne says that this can be a helpful thing.
The debt-relief attorney advises small business owners to be cautious with how they deal with debt during this uncertain time. They should also be mindful of quick fixes such as cash advances with hefty fees and higher interest.
Applying for a business credit card with a 0% introductory interest period is one way to limit the high-interest debt from immediate purchases. When weighing options, Tayne says that business owners should go with what will keep their business afloat and what won’t do that much negative financial impact in the long run. Charges should still be minimized to avoid accruing more interest over time.
Reach Out for Support and Resources
Amid this all these uncertainties, stress is inevitable for most. So, Tayne recommends seeking the help of the Small Business Administration or other local and national resources for businesses and small business lending to aid you in making decisions.
Even at a time of social distancing, members of the small business community are still finding ways to lend support to each other. In fact, enterprises in Louisville, Kentucky and Asheville, North Carolina have launched websites that have listings of local businesses. They aim to encourage members of the community to purchase gift cards to help lessen their forecasted revenue decline.
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Today at MWC Sony Ericsson officially announced the Alona, which will be sold under the W980 moniker. The latest Walkman phone brings 8GB of internal storage, superior sound quality, which is supposed to be true to the original recording. Also built-in is an FM transmitter that allows you to send whatever you’re listening to to any other device that has an FM receiver. That’s a pretty nifty feature. SE Walkman phones are generally good and this looks to be a great addition that has a 3.2-megapixel camera with 3.2x digital zoom, TrackID, Shake control, stereo Bluetooth, video streaming, video calling and it appears that you can tether it as well.
The UMTS/HSDPA/GSM/GPRS Walkman phone will be available Q3.


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Guru Hariharan spent half-a-decade at
"If you think about labor as the most painful thing in life, that surpassed it probably," says Hariharan, who remembers spending several weeks preparing a six-page document on the successes of Amazon Webstore, a service offered by the Seattle company to other business building online retailing sites.
Long removed from those ulcer-inducing meetings, Hariharan is hoping that his new startup, Boomerang Commerce, can turn the tables and cause Amazon's CEO some headaches as it aids the e-commerce giant's competitors. A big data analytics company that provides online retailers with price-tracking services, the Sunnyvale, Calif. firm announced on Wednesday that it had raised $8.5 million from Madrona Venture Group and Trinity Ventures that will help it expand its operations and offerings.
Some of those offerings are already employed by the likes of Sears,
"Amazon has hundreds of millions of products with the ability to change prices every 15 minutes," he says. "The average retailer has far fewer items but only changes price every one to three months."
Taking his experience from Amazon and a short stint at
For example, a business like RadioShack that is trying to sell a high-definition television could use Boomerang's software to see how well that item is selling at competing stores and at what prices. Hariharan's startup will also allow a business to place conditions on a given price set that could aid a retailer like RadioShack determine the best price to sell televisions to maximize revenues, profits or customer loyalty.
"Pricing is nothing more than a demand curve," says Hariharan. "The holy grail in pricing is not only how to make profits but also how to be competitive."
Trinity Venture's Karan Mehandru, who led his firm's investment, noted that pricing is top-of-mind more than ever for consumers, who now have the ability to check costs immediately on their smartphones.
"You could be standing at Sears looking for something and want to do a quick check on price online," he says. "With smartphones and real-time decision making, retailers want to be as competitive as possible."
That's something that Amazon has grasped for quite some time, developing internal applications that allow them to tweak costs multiple times in an hour. But while the company has created an almost insurmountable advantage in areas like fulfillment and infrastructure, pricing is where traditional retailers with online presences can close the gap, says Madrona's Scott Jacobson, who joined Boomerang's board alongside Mehandru.
"Amazon is not going to be only retailer in the world even though they'd like to be," says Jacobson, a former executive at the Seattle company. "So what are the other things that the other retailers need to have?"
Hariharan is hoping that one of the answers is Boomerang, which is targeting retailers with at least $50 million in revenue. He did not disclose how many of those businesses he's signed to the typical seven-figure contracts, but did note that his company had been profitable prior to the current period of focused growth.
Sacrificing short-term gains for expansion is something Hariharan recognizes he'll have to do if he is to truly take on the l0w-margin king in Amazon. After all, he did learn from Jeff Bezos.


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There have been rumors swirling for months that Marshalls planned to open an UWS store in the retail space at The Larstrand development on Broadway, between 77th & 78th. So while perhaps it’s not exactly a surprise at this point, the signage recently became visible thanks to the construction site undergoing a bit of a [...]
Wrote last week that the Upper West Side had lost two frozen yogurt shops with the closings of Frozen Peaks (2541 Broadway) and Yapple (2056 Broadway). Now comes word that a new froyo spot is stepping in to pick up the slack: Yogurtland is opening their fourth NYC location — and second on the UWS [...]
Looks like the UWS outpost of Area Kids (451 Amsterdam, between 81st & 82nd) has shuttered. Frequent MUW tipster Kevin A. snapped this photo yesterday and the store was entirely empty as of earlier today.
A quick update on Saturday’s massive UWS fire that destroyed a Citibank and forced neighboring businesses to temporarily close: MUW reader Don recently stopped by the scene and sent in this note:
Posted on Monday that Frozen Peaks had closed at Broadway & 95th. Perhaps winter is a bad time to sell frozen yogurt, because Yapple (2056 Broadway, between 70th & 71st) has also recently shuttered.
It’s been nearly a year since Card-o-Mat closed shop at 2884 Broadway (between 111th & 112th) and new tenants are getting ready to move in. Dig Inn Seasonal Market is opening their seventh New York City location at the space.
Good news if you have a sweet tooth — the Upper West Side just got a new bakery. It’s even better news if you’ve got dietary restrictions, as the menu is both gluten free and dairy free. By The Way Bakery opened at 2442 Broadway (between 90th & 91st) last week.
It’s been a little more than five months since Big Nick’s closed, ending a run of more than 50 years at 2175 Broadway (between 76th & 77th). Now a French bakery is getting ready to move in sometime this spring.
It’s been more than a year since West Village based RedFarm confirmed rumors they were planning an UWS outpost of their popular Chinese/dim sum restaurant at the former Fatty Crab space at 2170 Broadway (76th/77th). The eagerly anticipated opening was originally slated for “early 2013,” but UWS fans have been forced to wait as the [...]
It’s been nearly seven months since news broke that Big Nick’s — an Upper West Side fixture since 1962 — was facing possible closure. The restaurant had since managed operate on a month-to-month basis while attempting to negotiate a new lease, but the clock has finally run out. After 51 years on the UWS, Big [...]


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Milliken & Company
Our PPE Products
Reusable medical textiles are ideal when cost is a driving factor and when single-use PPE supply is limited or unreliable. Garments made with Perimeter fabric can be laundered for safe reuse at least 25 times. The current demand for protective medical garments and the potential for shortages in the fall and winter prompted Milliken to prioritize production of the advanced material.“
Scaling up U.S. manufacturing of reusable protective fabrics protects the country’s PPE pipeline, which in turn protects more medical professionals,” said Chad McAllister, president of Milliken’s Textile Division and EVP, Milliken & Co. “These brave people have continued to care for us tirelessly, and we are committed to doing all we can to help keep them safe.”
Milliken’s durable Perimeter fabric is not only engineered for manufacturing Level 1 and 2 gowns for critical medical environments such as trauma centers but also provides a smart solution for other industries such as dental, educational and hospitality environments where advanced PPE is now important. The material’s ability to be used multiple times while maintaining a demonstrated protective barrier makes it a cost-effective, made-in-USA alternative to single-use PPE.
“An increasing number of industries and service providers are looking for American-made PPE solutions to protect their employees and customers. This demand highlights the critical need we noted earlier this year, specifically for the U.S. to have a stable PPE supply chain,” McAllister said. “Our goal at Milliken is to be part of the solution, so we’re proactively taking steps to help avoid another shortage of critical PPE.”
Milliken is collaborating with industry partners to ensure protective garments made with Milliken Perimeter fabric are available immediately across the country.
Meet Our Team
Business Development Director
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Our Sustainable Products
Our Sustainable Practices
Diverting Waste From Landfill
As a company, we have set a goal of zero waste to landfill for all mediums. For example, the Milliken Carpet Landfill Diversion Program helps customers to reuse, recycle, or convert used carpet into new energy. Also, we use reusable containers for many of our textile products, eliminating cardboard waste.
Our team recycles non-woven scraps into new non-woven textiles, and we donate textile remnants to local charities for repurposing—all in an effort to build a more sustainable world.


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Google to pay $22.5m to end Apple tracking case
By Stewart Mitchell
Posted on 10 Jul 2012 at 08:58
Google is set to pay $22.5 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission investigation into charges that the search giant breached the privacy settings of Apple users and tracked their online activity.
According a report in the Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the case, the fine would be the largest the FTC ever brought against a US company.
The action follows allegations that Google figured out a way to track users in both the mobile and desktop versions of Safari, despite the Apple browser having built-in protections against certain cookies being dropped on user's computers.
The FTC is focused on a 2009 help centre page and Google has now changed that page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies
That happened despite a Google help page claiming Safari users would not be tracked, which added fuel to user anger.
According to Google, the tracking was accidental. The company said it was changing it practices to make its actions clearer and to stop using some of its tracking cookies.
"The FTC is focused on a 2009 help centre page and Google has now changed that page and taken steps to remove the ad cookies," the company said in a statement sent to the paper.
However, the case puts Google in the spotlight as only last year it entered into a long-term commitment to better protect user privacy following a series of issues.
Is your business a social business? For helpful info and tips visit our hub.
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The two-day intensive training was conducted May 15 and 16 at NYCE’s headquarters in México City and was led by GLI Canada Business Systems Analyst Robert Cutler. Topics in the training are critically important in today’s iGaming landscape and included an overview of iGaming and of GLI’s iGaming standard, GLI-19, and NMX-I-287-NYCE. Additional topics included peer-to-peer games, sports betting, live dealer games, online progressives, regulatory compliance testing, internal control systems, system security, software verification, change management and ongoing regulation...Read More
LAS VEGAS (May 20, 2013) – Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), the world’s leading gaming testing laboratory and technical consultancy, has completed its testing and certification of Ultimate Gaming’s intrastate interactive gaming system for Nevada.
The testing was exclusively done by GLI in its Las Vegas and Colorado laboratories. The certified system has since been approved for field trial by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, making Ultimate Gaming the first interactive gaming service provider in Nevada to go live with intrastate interactive gaming...Read More


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“Marketing automation is all the rage. Everyone feels like they need to ‘do it’ or they’ll be left behind. That rush to do the latest ‘new thing’ without thoughtful planning often leads to failure,” says Winston Lord, co-founder of Venga, a guest management platform that uses automation to enhance customer experiences. “It’s critical to build a 360 degree view of your client and your strategy before implementing marketing automation.”
With the reviews and other content being posted online about brands coming from an increasingly wide swath of sources, manual techniques for reputation management are no longer viable on a large scale. At the same time, the volume of online opinions bombarding potential customers is making it more important than ever for brands to constantly monitor what’s being said about them online. How are brands coping with the challenge?


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IBM strengthens cyber resilience alliance with Cohesity
Cohesity bolsters its cyber resilience initiative with IBM, accelerating the development of data security capabilities across hybrid cloud environments, with IBM listed as a key investor.
Cohesity collaborates with Intel to bolster AI-powered data security
In a sector-first, Cohesity merges its acclaimed AI-powered data security, Fort Knox, with Intel's confidential computing capabilities to combat data threats in highly-regulated sectors.
Cohesity & NVIDIA collaborate to harness power of GenAI
AI security and management firm, Cohesity, partners with NVIDIA to facilitate generative AI use and enhance data insights, integrating NVIDIA AI Enterprise into the Cohesity Gaia platform.
NVIDIA unveils enterprise-grade AI microservices for custom applications
NVIDIA unveils an extensive array of enterprise-grade generative AI microservices, allowing businesses to develop and distribute custom applications while retaining full intellectual property ownership.
Cohesity unveils Gaia, its AI-powered enterprise search assistant
Cohesity unveils Cohesity Gaia, an AI-powered search assistant that interprets large pools of secondary data into knowledge.
One billion dollars in funding for even more ransomware
Ransomware gangs increase pressure on victims by implementing ruthless extortion techniques enabled by the proliferation of cryptocurrencies and AI.
Cohesity & Veritas combine to form new AI data security titan
Cohesity and Veritas Data Protection Business are set to merge, ushering in a new leader in AI-powered data security and management, under CEO Sanjay Poonen, with revenues estimated at $1.6 billion.
UK businesses defy policies to pay ransomware attacks at alarming rate
Despite policies against it, 97% of UK businesses have paid ransoms following cyberattacks in the past two years, reveals alarming research from Cohesity.
Australian firms breach no-payment policies due to cyberattacks
Research by AI data security firm Cohesity reveals escalating cyberattacks are forcing companies into paying ransoms, contradicting no-payment strategies, with difficulties in data recovery exacerbating the issue.
Peter Hanna appointed Head of Channels for Cohesity Asia-Pacific & Japan
AI data security firm Cohesity appoints industry veteran Peter Hanna as Head of Channels for Asia-Pacific and Japan, aiming to bolster regional sales and partner engagement.
Cohesity appoints Olivier Savornin as Group VP of Sales for EMEA
Data management leader Cohesity appoints IT industry veteran Olivier Savornin as Group VP of Sales for EMEA, enhancing its drive for modern data security in the region.
Cohesity dominating as fastest-growing company in Data Replication Sector
Cohesity, an AI-powered data security firm, is leading the market in the Data Replication and Protection sector, showing remarkable growth in H1 2023.
Sysdig hires Andy Dobrov to champion customer success & support
Sysdig has secured the services of Andy Dobrov as Senior Vice President of Customer Success, Support, and Services.
Pure Storage appoints Lynn Lucas as new Chief Marketing Officer
Data storage provider Pure Storage recruits B2B veteran Lynn Lucas as its new Chief Marketing Officer.
Cohesity named a Leader in IDC MarketScape Cyber Recovery 2023 Vendor Assessment
Cohesity has been recognised as a leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Cyber Recovery 2023 Vendor Assessment.
Cohesity boosts Microsoft 365 data security with enhanced backup recovery
Cohesity partners with Microsoft to improve Microsoft 365 data security, offering enhanced backup and recovery solutions.
Cohesity & Microsoft enhance data recovery in Microsoft 365 collaboration
Cohesity teams up with Microsoft to strengthen data recovery response for Microsoft 365 users using AI-driven solutions.
Cohesity launches AI suite and expands partnership with AWS
Cohesity unveils AI suite Cohesity Turing and extends Amazon Web Services partnership to strengthen data security and management.
Cohesity launches SmartFiles on Snowflake Data Cloud for advanced data analysis
Cohesity announces the launch of SmartFiles on Snowflake Data Cloud, intended to enhance data analysis and ensure compliance.
Cohesity forms industry’s largest alliance of DSPM vendors
Cohesity has formed the industry's largest alliance of DSPM vendors to mitigate cloud transformation and data democratisation risks.
Cohesity and TCS strengthen alliance to boost enterprise cyber resilience
Cohesity expands its Data Security Alliance with Tata Consultancy Services to enhance cyber resilience solutions.
Cohesity reveals companies’ cyber resilience deficiencies
According to the research, 78% of respondents say their company will pay a ransom to recover data and restore business processes.
Cisco and HPE to offer Cohesity cloud services and data security
The tie-up will improve data security and management for companies operating in modern hybrid and multicloud environments.
Cohesity exposes gaps in cyber resilience and security
Cohesity research shows organisations are open to paying ransoms because of cyber resilience and data recovery gaps.


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The Chronic Dev Team promised that their iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool, which was launched Yesterday for Windows users only, will support all the three platforms and they are coming true to their word. The hard working jailbreak team has now unleashed Greenpois0n for Linux which will definitely please iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users belonging to the open source OS family.
Here comes the news which will definitely please Mac based iDevice users particularly iPhone 4/3GS. MuscleNerd has unveiled the release date for the highly anticipated iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool for Mac – PwnageTool. PwnageTool for Mac is scheduled to be unleashed this Sunday which happens to be 17th October.
We all know why Greenpois0n is yet to be released – Limera1n unexpected launch has prompted the Chronic Dev Team to remove the SHAtter exploit from their iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool to save it for an upcoming firmware. Regardless of whenever it arrives, we would want to know the platforms will it support. This very important question has been answered the details of which are provided after the jump.
You knew this was coming even if you are of the optimistic kind. Greenpois0n, the iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool which was scheduled to be unleashed later in the day has been delayed. We are yet to get a specific release date. All we know is that it will be released as soon as possible.
Now that’s we called a pleasant surprise. Last time we talked about Limera1n, we told you that geohotz plans to unleash it on Monday but that’s no longer the case. Limera1n the iOS 4.1 jailbreak tool has gone live today much to the delight of the iOS 4.1 enabled iDevice users.
Where Geekword stands today is mainly due to the continued and consistent support of our loyal and growing fan base. To show our faithful readers how much we love them, we are initiating a give-away which could not have been possible with out the generous offering from Eltima, a software development company.
The jailbreak news just keep coming just the way we like it. The ever popular Dev Team as expected has rolled out redsn0w 0.9.6 Beta 1. The tool which is also called redsn0w 0.9.6b1 brings jailbreak for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G running on iOS 4.1/4.0.
Here you go folks, your question of when will Greenpois0n see daylight has been answered. 10th October which is Sunday is set as the release date for the iOS 4.1 jailbreak.
With the news of Apple TV getting jailbroken thanks to SHAtter, the exploit that has the capability to jailbreak the current line up of iDevices, it is extremely essential that we have a tool that is capable of saving the Apple TV SHSH as it will serve the jailbreak loving Apple TV users in the long run. TinyUmbrella a tool that needs no introduction to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users has been updated to version 4.1.5 which makes it compatible with the new Apple TV.
So, iOS 4.2 Beta 2 is not the only thing that came out from the Cupertinos today. Besides rolling out the second beta of iOS 4.2, Apple has rolled out a beta, the first beta version that is for iTunes 10.1.


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PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Pre-Orders Might Be Harder to Find
If you're looking to snag the digital edition of the PlayStation 5, you might find yourself struggling to obtain one.
Even though Sony said a few weeks back that pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 would be announced well ahead of time for consumers to prepare, the PS5 is now available for pre-order after the company said that pre-orders would go live tomorrow. Despite that, the console is naturally selling like hotcakes with people scrambling to different retailers to try and reserve the box, but those who are looking to pick up the digital edition might find themselves in a tougher spot than physical adopters.
GameStop Employee told me their store only had 14 PS5s available for pre-order. 12 with a disc drive and 2 without a disc drive. Seems the discless version will be less common, or GameStop wasn’t enjoying the discless option…
— Cheap Ass Gamer (@videogamedeals) September 17, 2020
There have been several first-hand reports that GameStop has been getting significantly smaller allocations of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition than the normal console which comes with the disc drive. Cheap Ass Gamer on Twitter, spoke of their personal interaction at a local GameStop store where one of the employees explained that their store was allocated only 14 PS5s with only two of them being digital editions.
An interesting tidbit I learned about GameStop. Apparently, they have 70% of console pre-orders out of retailers and each store will be allocated more than originally given if more accessory pre-orders are made. This is all according to a GameStop employee. https://t.co/gbBSOQjuaH
— Cameron Hawkins (@TheCinephileGuy) September 16, 2020
I also went to my local GameStop to pre-order my PlayStation 5 and while I did not ask about my store’s allocation I did learn some interesting information while I was there. According to a GameStop employee, the company gets 70% of the PlayStation 5 stock across all U.S. retailers who will sell the system. Each store is given an initial number of consoles for pre-order, but if more of the PlayStation accessories are purchased as well, that will potentially give stores more units during the pre-order process.
If you do plan to go into GameStop to preorder PS5, the numbers there are super limited. Like 10 disc, 2 digital for one store
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 16, 2020
Currently, there is no way for us to prove this information to be true, but it seems to be an ongoing trend of buyers learning that GameStop doesn’t have many digital edition PS5s available. There is currently no word regarding this situation at other major retailers like Walmart, Target, or Best Buy, however, VGC reported that according to “publishing sources,” the digital edition is expected to have fewer units available by a wide margin. Just to be safe, unless you’re adamant about getting the digital edition, maybe take what you can get and get the disc version of the PlayStation 5 instead.
Most retailers are currently sold out of the PlayStation 5, but there is a possibility of more going into stock as we approach the November 12 launch date. Amazon has also yet to take to pre-orders. For all information for PS5 pre-orders check out our page dedicated to direct you right to what you’re looking for.


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In addition, the Kirin 970 has 4.5G Cat.18 LTE and offers Gigabit LTE speeds of 1.2Gbps.
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies unveiled its first artificial intelligent smartphone chipset on Saturday as it gears up to compete against the much anticipated launch of a new class of iPhones.
The latest Kirin 970 chipset is powered by an octa-core CPU (four ARM Cortex-A73 CPU cores and four ARM Cortex-A53 cores), 12-core ARM Mali-G72 graphics unit. But unlike its competitors' virtual assistants, which collect and gather information in the internet cloud, the prowess of Huawei's AI assistant lies in processing data on the smartphone, rather than in the cloud.
Huawei said it is positioning the Kirin 970 as an open platform for mobile AI, opening up the chipset to developers and partners that it hopes can find new and innovative uses for its neural processing capabilities. The Kirin 970 has even an i7 sensor processor, iNSE and TEE security engines and support for Hi-Fi audio. Since the upcoming Huawei Mate 10 will be equipped with the Kirin 970 SoC, it is expected to feature powerful cameras. The Huawei Mate 10 will be revealed in Munich next October 16, and it will usher in a new generation of smartphones that combine cloud and internal AI features. "The ultimate goal is to provide a significantly better user experience", said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer business group in a statement.
According to the announcement made by the company, many other future Huawei-branded devices will also sport the same chipset. "We will enable the first use of AI technology in mobile apps, and provide consumers with a never-before-seen AI experience right in the palm of their hands", he added. Supported by strong chip processing capabilities, devices will become more cognitive of user needs, providing personalized and readily accessible services.


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Google shocked just about everyone in the Tech world last week when it announced the purchase of Nest, the home automation company behind the popular thermostat of the same name. Google is no rookie to buying companies, having gobbled up Bump, Bitspin, Boston Dynamics and 18 others in 2013 alone.
Yet no one really saw the acquisition of Nest coming. And with Larry Page’s peculiar comments at I/O last year wishing he had an island free from regulation, no one really has any idea what Google will do next.
As much as we love to see smaller companies and startups flourish without giving in to the big money of a company like Google, here are a few ideas about who Google should most definitely have their eye on next:
One of the most disappointing releases Google made in recent years came in the form of the Nexus Q. The Q was Google’s attempt at a set-top box, or in this case a set-top sphere, and it was a paltry attempt at best. Billed as a “social-media streamer” the Q boasted an interesting, if somewhat puzzling design, decent power—but not much else. It lacked necessary apps for any media-streamer like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video and was widely overpriced. Unsurprisingly, the streamer did not last very long and is no longer offered on the Google Play store.
Enter Roku. The Saratoga based company makes a popular line of streaming devices that are fast, user friendly and have a huge amount of content available. They’re also cheap. The priciest Roku comes in at $99, the same price as the Apple TV, and the cheapest options will pull just $50 from your pocket. If Google were to pick up Roku, they’d be adding an already popular streaming box to their lineup that could be rebranded as a Nexus device and pitted against the Apple TV.
Google and Asus go way back. At least in the way time works in the tech world. The two have had a relationship for years now, with Asus building both iterations of the Nexus 7 as well as an upcoming line of Chromebooks. Despite the fact that the PC market is in decline, Chromebooks continually sell well and Chrome OS is most definitely on the up and up. Add the recent news of dual OS PCs running both Windows and Android on the horizon and the time could be perfect for Google to dip further into the personal computer market in the same way the did when they bought Motorola back in 2012. What better way to enter than by gobbling up a respected hardware builder?
The Ouya is an interesting tale. Touting a “new type of console” that would revolutionize the video game world, intrigue in the Android driven gaming machine exploded upon its announcement. The device’s Kickstarter goal was $950,000. It raised $3.5 million in the first two days and over $8.5 million total. Yet, despite its over abundant funding, the Ouya never fully delivered on its promises. Reception of the console has been lukewarm at best, with many claiming the device has serious faults, chief among them build quality and a less than friendly interface. But this is only round one.
The Ouya, given its cheap, cheap, cheap price of $99 still has heaps of potential because it can continually change without asking users to invest a lot of money in each iteration. Android has become more and more gamer friendly, with Google going as far as touting the 2013 Nexus 7 as a perfect gaming device. If Google is really that interested in gaming, a console would be the next logical step. And under the guidance of the great minds at Mountain View, the Ouya just might reach its full potential.
Let’s get a little crazy. The above companies are, if unlikely, certainly plausible purchases for Google to make. The next two are farther out on a limb. We’ve heard about the flirtation between Sprint and T-Mobile, with a possible merger of the two wireless providers coming in the near future. But with Google’s foot solidly in the mobile door as the company behind Android, Motorola, and the Nexus line, why not buy a carrier?
Google has already shown desire to break the normal cell phone plan model by offering its Nexus phones at affordable off-contract prices, so T-Mobile, who is trying to completely revolutionize the industry with its Uncarrier campaign, would be a nice acquisition if Google is serious about changing the mobile game. Are they? No one knows, and this would be a fantasy scenario purchase if it were to ever happen. Yet owning a carrier could help Google boost sales of Motorola and Nexus devices and would also give them something no one else in the industry has.
Sure, Tesla already has a forward thinking multi-billionaire at its helm. But Elon Musk is a busy man with a lot of dreams. Who’s to say that in five years he won’t be more dedicated to his Hyperloop than he is to Tesla? If he were willing to watch Tesla go, Google could be the perfect hands to snatch it up. Combining their self-driving car technology and Tesla’s electric car technology, the pairing could be a match made in cruise control enthusiast heaven.


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In the United States, despite requesting additional time to review pending mergers, the US antitrust agencies have continued their work through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached settlements with a number of merging parties during Q2 2020, and the FTC is proceeding to trial in several merger cases. Both the FTC and the DOJ are conducting investigational hearings and depositions via remote videoconferencing technology such as Zoom. The FTC also announced it prevented 12 deals from closing in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Five of the transactions were blocked and another seven were abandoned due to antitrust concerns, putting the FTC on pace for one of its busiest years for merger enforcement in the past 20 years.
In Europe, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the European Commission (EC) warned that merger control filings would likely not be processed as swiftly as usual. The EC encouraged parties to postpone merger notifications because the EC envisaged difficulties, within the statutory deadlines imposed by the EU Merger Regulation, to elicit relevant information from third parties, such as customers, competitors and suppliers. In addition, the EC foresaw limitations in accessing information on a remote basis. This period thus saw a drop in merger notifications to the EC; however, notifications increased in June and July.


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A $20 Uniqlo bag – the Round Mini Shoulder Bag – recently climbed to the top of The Lyst Index, fashion tech company Lyst’s quarterly ranking of the hottest products. It’s the cheapest product ever featured on the list – and it even beat a pair of $625 Rick Owens sunglasses. Here’s why this is a big deal and what it says about the state of fashion trends.
Uniqlo’s Round Mini Shoulder Bag Created A Serious Buzz
If you’re wondering what scoring the No.1 spot on The Lyst Index means, Lyst filters more than eight million items by volume of social media mentions alongside searches, page views, interactions and sales in the Lyst app to identify the world’s most in-demand products.
When you consider that Uniqlo is not exactly comparable to the likes of Gucci and Saint Laurent, the usual suspects featured by Lyst, the understated Round Mini Shoulder Bag just achieved a Herculean feat. And you can blame TikTok for it.
After going viral and generating over 87 million views on the platform, the bag sold out multiple times across multiple colorways. TikTokers rave about the spacious interior of the water-repellent top-zip polyester purse and its low-key yet stylish design. It’s the “It” bag that was never supposed to become one.
A Perfect Example of the Rise of ‘Quiet Luxury’
That said, Uniqlo’s bag popularity is actually not all that surprising when you consider the current state of the world. Quiet luxury is on the rise. Glamour describes the trend as “the idea is that certain privileged folk (read: super rich people) are adopters of a subtle dress code that exudes luxury without the obvious markers, such as excessive logos, big name brands and the trending shapes and styles that everyone else is wearing.”
According to Vogue, “it’s not an easy aesthetic to pin down, and it’s more of a mood than anything else.” It’s also a look that will stand the test of time, as it’s essentially “a synonym for elevated basics.”
Fashion experts say the rise of quiet luxury is sort of the antithesis to the loud dopamine dressing trend that followed the lifting of pandemic restrictions. People wanted to have more fun and live again. But with the economy slowing down and fears of recession looming, fashion trends are following suit – those who have wealth don’t want to flaunt it and those who don’t are shopping smartly. “Right now, we are living through times that call for that more paired back approach,” Lorna Hall, director of fashion intelligence at trend-forecasting firm WGSN, told Insider.
In other words, it makes so much sense that people are all over Uniqlo’s Round Mini Shoulder Bag. Perhaps you’ll be able to get your hands on one. If not, keep an eye out for other quiet luxury-inspired fashion finds.


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Scottie Pippen teams up with Bay Area winemaker to release DIGITS bourbon
NBA legend Scottie Pippen had a strong career as a six-time NBA champion for the Chicago Bulls and two-time Olympic gold medalist. But now he’s playing for another team in another industry: distilling.
Pippen has partnered with award-winning winemaker and distiller Dave Phinney ― known for his wine creation, “The Prisoner,” and his distillery on the former Mare Island shipyard in Vallejo ― to create a 5-year-old bourbon whiskey called DIGITS.
Pippen, an avid brown alcohol drinker, said he likes a smooth bourbon.
“I’ve always celebrated with bourbon, now getting to celebrate with my own is something very special to me,” he sad.
Pippen reached out to Phinney with Savage & Cooke, who had been distilling on the former naval shipyard of Vallejo’ s Mare Island, to create a drink that’s versatile enough for any bourbon drinker.
“I wanted something that was smooth, very easy and approachable for new bourbon drinkers that they could get introduced to bourbon through,” Pippen told The Press Democrat. “But I also wanted something that was very classy.”
DIGITS is Pippen’s first endeavor into the alcohol industry and was launched exclusively in Chicago back in 2021. It’s a 46% alcohol volume bourbon whiskey that has been aged for five years and blended by master distiller Jordan Via from Savage & Cooke.
According to the Savage & Cooke website, the bourbon offers a velvety, lush flavor of vanilla bean, caramel, buttered toast and maple.
Phinney said when it came down to making the flavors for the bourbon, it was important for it to have its own “thumbprint” that had to come from Pippen.
“It’s more refined than what we do at Savage & Cooke,” Phinney said. “It has a subtlety and roundness. ... it’s really approachable and almost has an exotic note to it, which is different from Savage & Cooke.”
Sara Edwards is the business reporter for The Press Democrat. You can reach her at 707-521-5487 or firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow her on Twitter @sedwards380.
Small businesses are the bread and butter of Sonoma County. I cover a diverse group: Chambers of commerce and business groups, clothing shops, jewelry boutiques, hobby stores and more. Economic uncertainty is a high concern among Sonoma County consumers, and it’s my job to make sure shoppers know what’s happening in the local economy and how those trends and issues impact them.


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Amazon.com on Thursday said sales growth would decelerate in the third quarter as customers leave their homes more.
While revenue grew by 44 percent in the first quarter of this year, that figure dropped to by 27 percent to $113 billion for the period ended June 30, below most Wall Street forecasts. Sales may only grow as much as 16 percent in the third quarter, sparking a slide of some seven percent in after-hours trading.
Brian Olsavsky, Amazon’s chief financial officer, attributed this to a difficult comparison to last year, when consumers stayed more indoors and relied on e-commerce for their everyday needs. In the United States and Europe, customers are now out and about.
They are “doing other things besides shopping,” he said.
Amazon expects this lower growth to continue for the next few quarters, Olsavsky told reporters.
Profit rose by 48 percent to $7.8 billion, the second-largest quarterly result Amazon ever announced.
Amazon said it expects operating income for the current quarter to be between $2.5 billion and $6.0 billion, which assumes $1 billion in costs related to COVID-19.
Amazon Web Services has fared better. The cloud computing division grew revenue by 37 percent to $14.8 billion, ahead of estimates of more than $14.1 billion.
The Amazon results capped a series of earnings from major tech firms highlighting surging profits and revenues as digital lifestyles and work-from-home trends continue even with the end of most pandemic lockdowns.
Tech rivals Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet all reported higher revenues and profits even as they faced heightened scrutiny from antitrust regulators for their growing dominance of key economic sectors.


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This year we have seen a number of established social media platforms make bigger plays into audio, with a number of Clubhouse copycats in the works and the likes of Spotify doubling down on its push into podcasts. Sticking with this recent trend is Facebook, which is expected to make a flurry of audio-focused announcements, according to a Recode report.
“Sources say the social network is planning to announce a series of products — some of which won’t appear for some time — under the umbrella of ‘social audio’ on Monday. They include Facebook’s take on Clubhouse, the audio-only social network that grew rapidly last year, as well a push into podcast discovery and distribution, aided by Spotify,” writes the publication.
We already know of Facebook’s desire to make a rival to Clubhouse, but the report adds that we could also see a an audio-only version of its current Rooms videoconferencing platform. Added to this could be a drop-in service akin to Clubhouse that features speakers on a virtual stage, along with the ability to record short audio snippets and share them into news feeds.
On the podcast side of things, there may be greater integration with Spotify to help the latter’s content more easily discoverable via Facebook.
“It’s also unclear to me what the timeline is for the products Facebook will announce tomorrow,” writes Recode’s Peter Kafka.
As such it could be a while before Facebook is ready to bring these anticipated announcements to market as fully fledged products and services.
There has been no official word out of the company at the time of writing regarding this report, but if it is to be believed, we should see said announcements being made later today or the coming days.
Whether Facebook users have an appetite for such offerings, remains to be seen.
Either way it looks like big tech companies are leaning into social audio as more people are still stuck at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in need of digital content to consume.


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Apex Legends has officially gone down as one of gaming’s biggest success stories. In its release month alone, Respawn confirmed over 50 million players had already played it. Given its popularity, it’s natural to assume Respawn would be developing another title. But according to Respawn’s head, if that is the case, it won’t be Titanfall 3.
In an interview with IGN, studio director Vince Zampella shut down any suggestion of Titanfall 3 being in development. Simply, Zampella stated “There’s nothing currently in development,” but did acknowledge that Titanfall is “always there,” to think about.
The future of Titanfall 3
Zampella continued on to confirm that even though it’s not in the works, he is still interested. He envisions some kind of “resurrection,” of the franchise which hasn’t had a new entry since 2016. Despite once being Respawn’s signature series, it has long since played second fiddle to Apex.
Interestingly, Zampella claims that Electronic Arts don’t have a negative impact on the Titanfall devs. Instead, the publisher plays a “hands-off,” role and leaves Respawn to the creative stuff. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt. In 2017 EA purchased Respawn Entertainment outright. Given that he’s employed by them, Zampella isn’t going to be overly critical.
Finally, both Zampella and an unnamed EA spokesperson confirmed that fans should expect plenty from Respawn at the upcoming EA Play. Even if that’s not Titanfall 3, something is still clearly planned. Originally scheduled for the cancelled E3, EA Play has since been moved to June 11. Viewers will be able to tune into EA.com at 4 PM ET for the full event.
As for what you can expect at EA Play, a few games are all but confirmed. Battlefield 6, FIFA 21, Madden NFL 21, and Apex Legends are all very likely. Equally, The Sims 5 and NBA Live 21 could show up. Regardless, the wait continues for Titanfall fans.


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Marius Galdikas, CEO at ConnectPay, is ringing alarm bells about the European Payments Initiative, which has the ambition to become the new standard of payments for European consumers and merchants in all types of payment transactions.
Back in July, 16 Eurozone banks from five countries—Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain—presented the idea of a unified payment solution for consumers and merchants across Europe – the European Payments Initiative (EPI).
Already described as a “timely initiative”, it aims to decrease existing market fragmentation, as well as increase Europe’s independence in the global payments market.
Although the idea got a warm welcome from the regulatory authorities, Marius Galdikas, CEO at ConnectPay, draws attention to a few two-fold nuances on the subject that need to be more thoroughly discussed before the solution is fully operational.
In 2019, the European Central Bank report outlined that for the past two decades, various market players have striven for payments’ unity across Europe.
Harmonisation of card payments is still lagging
With the launch of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) initiative, there has been significant progress concerning credit transfers and debit debits, however, the harmonisation of card payments is still falling behind.
To top it off, at the moment there are 10 European countries that still do not accept cards from other EU member states.
Currently, the pan-European access of national card schemes are dependent on international card schemes, such as Visa or Mastercard. This has led European PSPs to have little impact on the market’s further development.
The EPI could provide long-sought-after sovereignty from the industry’s predominant players, as well as give payment providers more control over the questions of cost, competition, and governance.
Questions about how new members will be welcomed into the EPI network
ConnectPay CEO, Marius Galdikas, commented:
“Having a more tangible impact on Europe’s payment landscape would place the continent in a more established competitive stance and strengthen its resiliency against the influences of the currently predominant market players.
“At the same time, newly-obtained independence would come with a set of issues, which could heighten competitiveness among partner banks, for example, the question of interchange fees, as currently, even though capped by the IFR, they are set by Visa or Mastercard.”
Another aspect that needs to be thoroughly discussed is how new members will be welcomed into the EPI network. According to M. Galdikas, if the EPI successfully fulfills – or even surpasses – current expectations, its new-found value should pique the interest of other potential member states.
However, there are risks that they might be imposed unreasonable terms, as to retain the associated value of the network to a close-knit circle. Thus, it is important to ensure any governance-related matters remain closely monitored, especially after the initiative had been fully set in motion.