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Researchers from Bern have developed a method to simplify the search for Earth-like planets: By using new theoretical models they rule out the possibility of Earth-like conditions, and therefore life, on certain planets outside ...
Poland on Thursday defended a contested "coal summit" that will be staged in Warsaw next week alongside climate talks on curbing Earth-warming fossil fuels.
Sony's new SmartWatch 2 doesn't get as much attention—and doesn't do as much—as Samsung's Galaxy Gear computerized wristwatch. But for the things it does, Sony's version performs better.
An iceberg the size of Manhattan has broken off a glacier in Antarctica and could survive long enough to drift into international shipping lanes, scientists said Thursday.
So-called "Super Wi-Fi," a new kind of wireless broadband, got a boost Thursday with the announcement that the technology would become available to hundreds of US colleges and universities.
US tech giant Apple said Thursday that it fully pays the taxes it owes everywhere, and was confident that a tax evasion probe in Italy would find it in compliance.
Light is of fundamental importance. It allows us to see the world around us and record pictures of our environment. It enables communication over long distances through optical fibers. All current methods of detecting light ...
Brazil's government reported Thursday that annual destruction of its Amazon rainforest jumped by 28 percent after four straight years of declines, an increase activists said was linked to recent loosening of the nation's ...
Apple and Samsung are grabbing virtually all the profits in the red-hot smartphone market while most other makers are losing money, an analyst said Thursday.
The last time Sony and Microsoft came out with new video game consoles, there was no iPad, the iPhone was months away and "FarmVille" and "Angry Birds" had yet to be conjured up.


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We have seen the LG built next Nexus smartphone leak and also seen the sample pictures taken from the purported 8 MP camera on the rear of the smartphone.
And now, the smartphone has appeared in the inventory listing of Carphone Warehouse as ‘LG Nexus 4’
Now, as per the screen shot which was sent to TheVerge, there are possibilities that the next Nexus smartphone might be named officially as ‘LG Nexus 4’ or the ‘4’ is just for the sake of reference that this would be the forth Nexus smartphone in the line-up.
The leak also suggests that we could see the LG Nexus 4 arrive in two colour options: Black and White for users an extra option to choose from.
As per the previous leaks, the LG Nexus 4 looks like the previous Nexus smartphones with curvy edges and not like the Optimus G which as initially suggested. Also the smartphone is said to run on Android 4.2, be powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and have a 4.7 inch screen.
We expect Google to announce the smartphone by the end of October and make the device available in November.

domain: news


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In this troubling economic malaise that is engulfing the globe due to poor decision making in political circles, there is a ray of hope in White Shark Media. Thanks to the great balancing of technology and reach there is a life saver on the rough waters of turbulent economic recessions that never really end because of the socialism that has taken grip of the greatest free market system that ever existed. Despite the thwarting obstacles that have been thrown in the way of entrepreneurs and start ups in the United States, there have been some minute successes from those who have found a way around the quick sand.
White Shark Media is the top Digital Marketing Agency that is not being weighted down with a jungle of regulations to stifle its brilliant online marketing solutions that will allow small and medium sized businesses to thrive. That is the hope, until some government bureaucrat finds a way to put a straight jacket on it. Hopefully that will never happen because White Shark Media will be several steps ahead of them so they cannot shackled the customers who are so pleased with the results they are getting from working with White Shark Media’s online marketing solutions to raise their transaction rate with their online niche markets.
Julian Patrick of Stovefitters, said that his conversions have increased month over month with a CTR that increased from 1% to 2.92% in just a couple of months. He had been struggling to use Google Adwords and flailed around without having a clue as to whether he was doing anything right. He had little time to waste on the steep learning curve so he turned to White Shark Media and all the problems disappeared because he let them take the reins. Now he spends his time tracking phone calls and completing purchase orders.
Jorge Forte of Saico Equipment Rentals and Sales says that “The White Shark Media Team is a huge part of our success.” White Shark Media again will grow a business in about one week. Jorge’s PPC Strategist, Sabrina came up with a detailed plan to get quick results with a personalized touch. With the business focused in Latin America, a bilingual campaign was crafted by Sabrina which resulted in a maximum exposure that caused a spike in conversions and increased the reviews from customers.This has changed the lives of the workers at Saico Equipment Rentals and Sales for the better.


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Hot on the heels of the W100 dual touchscreen tablet, Toshiba also unveiled the AC100 today, a 10.1-inch netbook that runs on Android 2.1. One of the big selling points of the AC100, which is the company’s first Android machine, is that it can remain in standby mode for up to seven days (the eight hours of battery life aren’t too shabby either).
These are the main specs of the so-called “cloudbook”:
In the European press release, Toshiba says the AC 100 will become available “in the third quarter of 2010 throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa” without giving any details on prices or availability in the US. In Japan, Toshiba will start selling the AC 100 (under a different brand name and with different specs) in late August for $440.
Here’s a video (shot by netbooked):


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Tuesday, 19 Apr 2016
German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine reports that Apple is partnering with automotive manufacturer Magna to build the Apple Car. The Austrian-based firm specialises in building limited editions models for major brands such as BMW and Mini.
Monday, 18 Apr 2016
By paying a small one-time fee, Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners can get waivers for yearly phone upgrades, subsidized out-of-warranty repairs, and even house visits from Samsung Concierge, among other premium perks. Learn more about the new program here!
Friday, 15 Apr 2016
Microsoft has sued the US Justice Department over its right to inform customers when the government has accessed their data. Microsoft is sometimes bound by secrecy orders that prohibit it from telling its customers about requests of this nature.
Thursday, 14 Apr 2016
Amazon has unveiled the Kindle Oasis, its new flagship Kindle that comes with a smaller, sleeker design and a six-inch screen that promises more even and consistent illumination.
Microsoft's new Signature Type Cover keyboard is intended to be a luxurious take on what a detachable keyboard can be.
Wednesday, 13 Apr 2016
At its F8 developer conference today, Facebook announced the Surround 360, a 17-camera, open-source VR rig that could make it easier for content creators to produce high-quality VR content.
Tuesday, 12 Apr 2016
The Korean electronics company expects to report an operating profit of about 6.6 trillion won (S$7.7 billion).
According to the latest figures from IDC, Apple has continued to gain global PC market share even as sales of Macs have declined.
Monday, 11 Apr 2016
To say that the Tesla Model 3 was well-received would be an understatement. The car racked up over 325,000 reservations in its first week, and has been hailed as the vehicle to take electric vehicles to the mainstream. But that may not actually be the case. Here's why the hype may be overblown.
Sunday, 10 Apr 2016
Check out the inside story of how Casio’s G-Shock watches were born, how they nearly failed to be made, and how a little girl playing in a park saved them.


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E-commerce-ware provider eCorner upgrades but shuns AWS and Azure, replaces Microsoft with VMware
Dominos in hunger games to deliver 'Internet of Food'
CSIRO taps Cathy Foley as next chief scientist
Labor pushes inquiry into My Health Record
Banks warned of global ATM cash-out campaign
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NAB switches on chatbot for business customers
Further foray into virtual banking.
Sep 4 2017 10:02AM
ANZ Bank in process automation push
Latest big Aussie org to join drive.
Apr 21 2017 11:36AM
Lloyds Bank to deploy Windows Hello biometrics for logins
Facial or fingerprint recognition for online banking authentication.
Apr 19 2017 4:10PM
Westpac outage downs branches
Update: Fall back to manual processes.
Feb 27 2017 1:32PM
Macquarie Bank to build next-gen data platform
Microservices-based, spanning cloud and on-premise storage.
Aug 30 2016 6:40AM
CBA more than doubles annual system changes
Credits core banking overhaul with newfound agility.
Aug 10 2016 4:30PM
Global fintech start-ups take on Australia's big four
A new frontier?
Apr 20 2016 9:53AM
Visa debit users charged twice in Cuscal glitch
Transactions duplicated on Saturday.
Apr 19 2016 2:58PM
How CUA plans to get to a single customer view
Digital drive in full flight.
Apr 13 2016 6:45AM
Why ANZ Bank's mobile wallet took three years to arrive
Solutions 'not mature enough'.
Feb 16 2016 6:50AM
ANZ Bank to give new digital exec a seat at the top table
Creates role to lead transformation efforts.
Jan 27 2016 12:20PM
CBA, global banks test blockchain-based trading system
Can settle transactions almost instantly.
Jan 21 2016 1:44PM
Mirvac beats Atlassian to buy Australian Technology Park
Commonwealth Bank to move 10k staff to site.
Nov 12 2015 4:06PM
Westpac tweaks technology accounting
Big IT spend likely next year.
Oct 6 2015 5:53PM
Bitcoin floundering in Australia
Regulations, ambivalence part of the problem.
Oct 6 2015 6:36AM
St George online banking goes down over long weekend
Update: Maintenance problems cause lengthy outage.
Oct 5 2015 12:13PM
CBA hunting for a head of data science
New role to propel analytics strategy.
Sep 29 2015 12:19PM
False positives stymie bank digital ID checks
Hume Bank struggling with low third-party success rates.
Sep 25 2015 9:37AM
Inside ING Direct's new lego block app architecture
First Australian Google Polymer customer.
Aug 13 2015 6:50AM
Tech boosts CBA's investment spend to three-year high
$1.25 billion in FY15.
Aug 12 2015 8:50AM
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Halifax-based recycled plastics manufacturer Iplas has gone into administration.
The company, which made everything from bollards, decking and fencing from a blend of polymers, went into administration on 2 October.
Grant Thornton have been appointed as administrators for the company which attracted £2.5 million investment from Foresight Group in 2010.
Administrator and Grant Thornton partner Joe Mclean said: “The business was struggling to attract orders over the last several months and the orders that it did have were not of sufficient margin to keep the business operating.
“Over the last couple of years, the company took on equity investment to take it to the next level. But the expected growth hasn’t matched the investment level.
“Three weeks before it went into administration, Grant Thornton was asked to find a buyer for the business. None of the parties we contacted who viewed the business were interested.
“As a result, there was not enough funding to continue to trade. I was appointed as administrator on 2 October and 45 people out of 50 were made redundant. I also contacted the parties that had viewed the business, but none of them have been interested in buying the business, only the equipment and other assets.”
The company made the Zyplex blended polymer that could be used for a variety of applications.


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While pushing the truth is probably expected when it comes to advertising, making false claims is intolerable -- oh, and illegal.
General Motors (GM) is facing several investigations regarding its role in the recent recall of over 1.6 million defective cars.
The FTC recently took action in “Operation Failed Resolution” against four companies for making unsubstantiated claims in advertising.
Car-sharing programs can save infrequent drivers loads of money, especially when you consider the cost of car maintenance and insurance. People are...


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In her latest column with Triple Pundit, Elisabeth Comere, Director of Environment & Government Affairs for Tetra Pak Inc., predicts 2016 will be a year food and beverage leaders simultaneously invest in solutions that maximize resource value and reduce their carbon footprint.
In the piece, Comere shares how brands can live up to a new and higher bar of corporate responsibility that benefits both the planet and their business by implementing these four initiatives:
- Investing in bio-based materials
- Communicating the sustainability value on clean labels
- Maintaining supply chain transparency
- Opting for lightweight packaging options
You can read Comere’s full 2016 trends forecast here.
Subscribe to Ideas Unpacked and receive our weekly newsletter packed with food and beverage industry insights.
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"Intel (NSDQ: INTC) and STMicroelectronics on Wednesday said they have shipped to customers the prototype of a new memory technology that the companies are pushing as a faster alternative to traditional flash memory.
The technology, called phase-change memory, is being shown in a memory device codenamed Alverstone. The device shipped for evaluation stores 128 Mbytes on a 90-nanometer chip. Cellular and embedded customers are expected to test the PCM features to see whether the technology can be incorporated in future system designs, Intel and STMicroelectronics said in a joint statement.
PCM is a type of non-volatile computer memory that's being offered as a rival to the almost universal flash memory, which has become a low-margin, commodity product. Proponents say PCM devices have faster read and write speeds at lower power than conventional flash. Manufacturers are expected to seek a premium for the higher-performing devices."


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Google has just officially launched Google Workspace Individual, the new paid plan for those who are using personal Google accounts for professional purposes, which will allow them to have several premium capabilities in some of the company’s services.
For now, this new plan is available in five markets: Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. for $9.99 per month, although the company offers facilities for its adoption. Upfront, users can try this plan for 14 days for free, and until January 2022 they will pay slightly less, about $7.99 per month, for a savings of two dollars per month.
In return, they will have an unlimited group calling on Google Meet (just as they have removed this communication feature from free personal accounts), although they will also benefit from recording capabilities, audio enhancements such as noise cancellation, and more.
Users will also be able to have a professional booking page integrated with their Google Calendar, where their clients can set up professional appointment booking, even avoiding scheduling conflicts.
For its part, Gmail will soon have professional email templates, where it will be possible to customize the look and feel of emails according to the purpose for which they are intended.
In addition, users will be able to benefit from live support, and in the future, they will be able to enjoy other premium capabilities. However, they will keep the same storage capacity of 15GB, so if they want more space, they will have to contract it through Google One. There will also be no customizable email addresses, for which they should switch to the full Workspace pack.
As we say, it is a plan that is aimed at one-person professionals who are using their free personal Google accounts. It will be a matter of the plan progressing, both in terms of features and its deployment in other territories, complementing the rest of the paid offers provided by the company.
As we mentioned before, this plan also comes at a time when Google has decided to limit the duration of Google Meet group calls, so perhaps this is an incentive for those who need to have a longer duration in their group calls because of their professional activity requires it.
Users will have all the information that currently exists on the official Google Workspace Individual page.


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Liverpool Chamber of Commerce (LCC) has presented an award for innovation to Wild Thang, a specialist in branded clothing, merchandise and print.
The Bootle-based company won the international category in the awards because of its “success in international business development alongside its broader response to the pandemic”.
It was part of the Liverpool Chamber Innovation in Business Awards, celebrating the spirit of innovation that has driven many businesses in the region since the start of the pandemic. They were presented at the new Innside by Melia Hotel on Old Hall Street in Liverpool.
Presenting the award, the chamber’s statement said: “Our independent judging panel highlighted the company’s success in international business development alongside its broader response to the pandemic.”
Wild Thang’s managing director, Andrew Dwerryhouse, said: “To win the international award is super special: it made me think back to what was a perfect storm.
“I clearly remember when the pandemic hit and sales fell off a cliff for many areas of our business, but we were determined as a team that we would not be defined as a company by our incomplete development, Covid or Brexit so we adapted quickly to ensure we could not only survive, but also thrive as a team and company, so it makes this is an incredibly special moment because it’s recognition at the highest level in the Liverpool city region.
“We are proud to have retained all of our staff throughout this challenging time and have now already added eight new staff to our team over the past month in preparation for that projected growth.
“Export growth was highlighted in the supporting finalist evidence and our plans to grow turnover and our exports by 20% to 25% in 2022, so we have never been more excited about the future as a team.
“Wild Thang also recently participated in a LCC video that highlighted our Brexit challenge and highlighted how we have adapted as a company and team. We genuinely hope this will help inspire other businesses.”


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Prescryptive Health Welcomes Dr. Luyuan Fang as Chief AI and Data Officer
Dr. Fang previously served as Chief AI Officer and Senior VP at Change Healthcare.
REDMOND, Wash., May 12, 2021 – Prescryptive Health, a healthcare technology company focused on empowering consumers by improving the way healthcare is delivered, announced today that Dr. Luyuan Fang has joined the leadership team as Chief AI and Data Officer. In this role, Dr. Fang will be responsible for Prescryptive’s AI and Data strategy and roadmap.
Dr. Fang was most recently Chief AI Officer and Senior VP at Change Healthcare, where she was responsible for driving all AI initiatives. She led an extensive team of AI Product, Data Science, Engineering, and Behavioral Science/UI/UX and launched the Healthcare AI-First platform with HIPAA compliance and a comprehensive portfolio of AI-First healthcare financial management solutions.
“Dr. Fang has a long track record of delivering customer-centric, high impact products. We are thrilled that she is joining us in our mission to transform the patient experience and deliver the information they need in real-time to their mobile device, while they’re with their healthcare provider,”said Chris Blackley, CEO of Prescryptive Health. “She is an industry-recognized pioneer in delivering AI-First in the healthcare space and will be instrumental in driving our goal–empowering consumers to take control of their health.”
“I’m excited to join the Prescryptive team,” said Dr. Fang, “because we share the same passion about transforming the prescription drug market and the healthcare system at large, putting patients at the center and having a positive impact on millions of people’s lives.”
Dr. Fang is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the AI in Healthcare Compliance and Certification Institute (AIHCCI), a non-profit organization providing certification services to evaluate effectiveness and safety of AI/ML-based products for healthcare use and establish their compliance to FDA regulatory frameworks.
Prior to Change Healthcare, Dr. Fang was Founder and Head of AI Labs, VP, at Expedia Group, where she led the successful delivery of the Expedia AI-First platform and 20+ AI-First products in 20+ countries and 11 languages. She has also held senior roles at eBay, Microsoft Azure, Cisco, and AT&T, and has 10 U.S. patents.
Dr. Fang is a frequent speaker, keynote, and chair in major global AI and Networking tech conferences and has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications. Dr. Fang holds a Ph.D. in computer science, AI, from Flinders University, Australia, and a M.S. in computer science, AI, from Brigham Young University.
About Prescryptive Health
Founded in 2017, Prescryptive Health is a healthcare technology company delivering solutions that empower consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions and take control of their health. Prescryptive’s mobile-based solutions are powered by blockchain and scaled through the cloud to provide consumers with the choice, transparency, and control they need in real-time. To learn more about Prescryptive Health, visit www.prescryptive.com.


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This is exactly the type of news we expect to hear from a company which has its eyes set on major growth in the coming years. By 2017, the discount retailer expects to drive $100 billion or more in sales, up from $67 billion in 2011, and that will require selling more than just a few extra bananas and cleaning supplies.
How does it plan to do it?
Target's near-term strategies focus on the further enhancement of recent guest experience efforts, including the 5% Rewards program and store remodels.
Since its launch in the fall of 2010, Target's 5% Rewards program has been giving loyal guests yet another reason to choose Target over competitor Wal-Mart (NYS: WMT) . Target now offers a 5% discount on almost all items when guests use their Target REDcard credit or debit card to complete a transaction. This has resulted in an increased number of issued cards, as well as higher usage by existing card members.
And, just two months ago, Target announced that card members will additionally receive free shipping on all Target.com orders, with no minimum spending limit. This could take some business away from Amazon.com (NAS: AMZN) , which requires you to spend a minimum of $25 or pay for a premium membership to qualify for free shipping. Amazon has leveraged a fair amount of their success on their free shipping program, and they can't be happy to see so many other retailers mimicking the experience.
Target guests have also embraced recent store changes, most notably the expanded grocery section, with a larger selection of frozen and dry goods and the addition of fresh fruit, dairy, and meat products. By combining fresh and healthy food choices with everyday value, Target hopes more happy customers will make Target their one-stop shopping choice. Target has remodeled about half of its stores in the past three years, with plans to update more locations in the future.
Target's longer-term strategies focus on major market expansions, including the addition of CityTarget and Target Canada.
CityTarget, a smaller, urban-format store, will open in four major U.S. cities this year -- Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These new stores will feature fewer but more-tailored items than their current generalized stores. The results of these pilot locations will help determine the future expansion of CityTarget to other U.S. cities.
Target is also expanding into Canada, with plans to open 100 to 150 stores throughout the country in 2013 and 2014. And its transition over the border may be easier than you think. Through extensive market research, Target discovered about 70% of Canadians are already familiar with the Target brand, 11% have shopped at a Target store in the past year, and more than 30,000 are already REDcard holders.
So there you have it.
Target has big goals for the next five or six years, but it also has some solid plans for reaching those goals. Is it enough for 50% growth? Time will tell, but I like its odds.
Target is just one retailer that's reinventing itself to address the changing face of retail, but their actions are still very reactionary. If you're looking for the new leader in the retail space, you must read The Motley Fools' special free report: The Death of Wal-Mart: The Real Cash Kings Changing the Face of Retail.
In the report you'll uncover the retail company that's set to dominate the retail space for years to come.
At the time thisarticle was published Robyn Bigler owns shares of Target, but no other companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Amazon.com, and Apple.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Wal-Mart Stores, Amazon.com, and Apple.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended creating a diagonal call position in Wal-Mart Stores and creating a bull call spread position in Apple. The Fool has adisclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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By Robert Goldberg
February 6, 2018 at 5:00 am ET
In announcing their partnership to manage health care spending and improving employee satisfaction Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase stated it will use technology to provide “simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost.” Additionally, the new venture will be free from profit-making incentives and constraints. And that’s not a good thing. Instead of a revolution that prevents disease and enhances health with one or two clicks, the venture could become a highly efficient form of rationing that makes people sicker by limiting access to new treatments.
Indeed, the joint venture is stirring excitement and driving down share prices of pharmacy benefit management companies (the entities that administer drug benefits and set drug prices for most Americans) because of the possibility that the group will, using Amazon, cut out the PBMs such as Express Scripts and CVS, to distribute and dispense medicines directly.
PBM rebates are a huge source of cash. Companies like Express Scripts make money by extracting rebates from drug and biotech companies in exchange for being included in a formulary, the list of medicines PBMs will cover. (Of the $450 billion spent on prescriptions drugs, nearly $120 billion is rebates that PBM pocket or share with health plans instead of consumers.)
Rebate cash is critical to any health care company including the new venture. Indeed, recent CVS-Aetna and the failed Anthem-Cigna merger were fueled by expectations that rebates would finance the cash portion of each deal as well as finance other acquisitions. Anthem sued Express Scripts for failing to share $3 billion a year in rebates from 2009-2014. That’s about equal to Anthem’s net cash flow over the time period. Though the deal was blocked by a federal court, Anthem simply set up its own PBM to generate its own rebate cash. Similarly, the CVS-Aetna merger will increase cash flow by several billion because of rebate revenue alone. Longer term, CVS is likely to steer all the new customers to its formulary, which excludes more and more medicines.
While it eschews profit making incentives, the venture is being urged to use cost effectiveness evaluations by health policy experts in determining which drugs and treatment people should get. Such analyses place a dollar value on the quality and length of life and are designed to reduce what the new plan spend. Cost effectiveness assumes that sickest patients cost more and are worth less.
As ICER, a nonprofit organization leading the charge for replacing the profit motive with cost effectiveness has noted, the opportunity cost of supporting the use of ultra-orphan drugs necessitates that patients with a more common disease, for which a cost-effective treatment is available, are denied treatment.
By contrast, profit driven Amazon’s core principle is: “Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.”
Simply pocketing rebates and forcing patients to use the drugs based on cost effectiveness evaluations violates that principle. A more efficient PBM using machine learning to refine cost effectiveness analysis is a more lethal one. Evidence shows clearly that cost sharing and delaying access to new medicines keeps people sicker, reduces their quality of life and productivity and drives up healthcare spending. Moreover, in an era when more medicines – and treatment patterns – are personalized to the unique situation and biology of smaller groups of patients with complex disease, pushing everyone to the “Amazon Basics” drug formulary could betray customers.
In announcing the venture, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stated: “Hard as it might be, reducing healthcare’s burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort. Success is going to require talented experts, a beginner’s mind, and a long-term orientation.”
But what experts and entrepreneurs will they call upon? Will the new venture recruit them to create cost effectiveness algorithms that go after medicines that work for patients but generates less rebates in favor of drugs that generate the most? Will it require people with cancer, MS, cystic fibrosis to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket even as it pockets discounts and rebates. Or will the venture team up to reduce health care costs by eliminating the barriers to personalizing care. Will it bring to bear the deep learning they have used to enrich the consumer experience to the vocation of saving lives?
If the venture starts with customer well-being and work backwards to match people to the medicines that transparently achieves that goal, it should make a lot of money. And that will encourage other entrepreneurs to follow suit. If it simply replaces one type of PBM with a more efficient version that uses cost effectiveness analysis as a guide, the endeavor may not turn a profit, but it will also make the lives of millions of Americans more miserable.
Robert Goldberg is vice president of Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.
Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be found here.


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Bristol-based Bosco Pizzeria on Whiteladies Road is working on a smaller, takeaway and delivery-centred pizza outlet called Pizzucci.
The business, which includes former Wagamama chief executive Steve Hill, is reported by Bristol Live to be looking to open a new site in a former tanning salon on Gloucester Road. This follows the opening of a Bosco in Bath in the summer and the second site in Clifton’s Regent Street which operated as a takeout in the pandemic and is now undergoing a refit.
The new Pizzucci site will have around 40 covers and be more focused on takeout and delivery. According to Propel, the company – led by Miles Johnson – will open another Bosco site in December at the Quadrangle complex in Cheltenham. It will include an open kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven.
Inspired by “the best pizzerias of Naples and New York City”, Bosco’s menu includes small plates, salads, Italian cured meats, Italian cheese, pizza rossa, and pizza bianca as well as pasta dishes and large plates such as Venetian fisherman’s stew, ribollita and porchetta.


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UPDATE - 23.08.18
We're just three days away from the Pebble Beach reveal of Porsche's hotly anticipated 'Project Gold' - a resto-modded 993 911 Turbo - so to whet our appetites, the Stuttgart car maker has released a new teaser video.
Filmed at Porsche Classic, where specialist engineers work on the brand's vintage models, the car recieves a rebuilt engine, wiring loom and a lick of gold exterior paint, the quality of which hints at the high specification of the finished car.
Porsche is yet to put out any official details about the car, but our guess is it'll be something rather spectacular and could signal the beggining of a restoration and modification service for classic Porsches. Watch out Singer...
ORIGINAL STORY - 10.08.18
PorscheClassic looks to be cooking up something rather special in the basement at Stuttgart, with the main ingredient for its just announced ‘Project Gold’ apparently being a 993 911 Turbo. While no specific details of the division’s newest programme have been revealed yet, Porsche’s historic arm has flaunted the detailed design work that will be involved in the car’s creation with four videos.
Each suggests that the car, likely to be shown later this month at the Monterey Car Week in California in what is the brand’s 70th year, could be an in-house alternative to resto-modded Porsches produced by high-end firms like Singer. If it were, there’s good chance Project Gold will come as the first of several projects because, well, there are lots of rich people out there who want custom-built classic Porsches.
So what’s Project Gold going to be like? Well, as this is an in-house project, swe can expect any changes made to the car’s exterior design to be evolutionary at the most - although a bare 993 body featured in one video reveals that the work will be all encompassing. The interior is set to get a re-trim as well, with footage of a seat getting a new leather skin illustrating the changes due there.
We’re expecting a similar scenario for the all-wheel drive 993 Turbo’s engine, a blown 3.6-litre flat six producing 408hp, which will probably receive modest enhancements that ensure it stays true to its original, almost turbo lag free, form.
Either way, whatever rolls out of the Porsche Classic basement and into the wider world later this month is sure to represent the very best in craftsmanship, design and engineering. Question is, how will it compare to the meticulous work of Singer?


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The price of Bitcoin (BTC) lagged behind Ethereum (ETH) and other major altcoins today, despite a series of bullish news coming out of the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami, USA.
BTC is currently trading around $42,800, up just 0.6% in the last 24 hours and down 4% in the last 7 days.
Meanwhile, the price of ETH is hovering around $3,230, up 2% in the last 24 hours and remaining unchanged in the last 7 days, while other major altcoins such as BNB and Solana (SOL) were up 0.8% and 3.5%, respectively, in the past 24 hours.
Evolution of the price of BTC over the last 14 days:
Mallers pushes for adoption of BTC as a means of payment in the United States
Jack MallerBitcoin payment provider CEO Hitsaid on Thursday that his company has reached agreements that will allow BTC to be used as a means of payment with online merchants using the platform Shopify and at a large number of physical retailers across America.
“When I go to Whole foodswhen I go home Chipotle later this year, and now want to be able to use my Lightning node on TorI care about my privacy,” Mallers said on the conference stage.
Mallers also announced that:
“Strike has also partnered with Black Falcon, […] one of the largest alternative payment providers in the world. They have 400,000 storefronts and 37,000 partners,” adding, “We have also partnered with the largest point-of-sale provider on the entire planet, NCR.”
Commenting on Mallers’ announcement, the renowned macro-economist and investment strategist Lyn Aldenfounder of Lyn Alden’s Investment Strategysaid bitcoin acceptance at retailers is important to keep the network “permissionless.”
“Some people naturally reject this idea because they don’t want to spend their BTC; they want to save it. However, the more places that accept BTC at the point of sale (on-chain or Lightning or whatever) , the more the entire network is permissionless”, a declared Alden in a Twitter thread.
“That’s because, if all you can do with BTC is convert it back to fiat on a major exchange, then it’s easy to isolate it. […] But if you can directly spend it on goods and services across businesses and jurisdictions, it’s harder to isolate,” she added.
However, some have warned that the news may not be as good as it sounds, saying the ability to pay with BTC will depend on a specific retailer enabling Lightning integration with their payment system.
Robinhood launches crypto wallet
The popular trading app Robin Hood also have announcement major news at the conference. She said she has deployed a crypto wallet solution for over 2 million customers on a waiting list.
According to Aparna ChennapragadaHead of Products at Robinhood, waitlisted platform users can now send and receive any cryptocurrency available on the platform.
She added that the company is also working to add support for Lightning Network.
Robinhood is a popular stock trading app among retail investors in the United States, and is known for offering commission-free trading to its 31 million users across the country.
Nation-state adoption is on the rise
Samson Mowformer director of strategy for the Bitcoin development company, Blockstreamwho says he is now working on state adoption of bitcoin, also had important news to report.
Mow said a designated free economic zone on the island of Roatán in Honduras and the Madeira region in Portugal are both ready to “adopt Bitcoin” as a payment method in their territories.
Separately, a Mexican senator said she is proposing legislation to the senate that would make bitcoin legal tender in the country if approved.
“This is what I managed to do solo in a month,” Mr. Mow said at the end of his presentation at the conference.
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Haniah Sweeney first realized that selling vegan doughnuts could be a viable business enterprise when customers flocked to her little stand at the Clark Fork Market in 2018.
“We sold out the first market in an hour,” she said. “I thought, ‘Holy s---, Missoulians will actually go for this!”
A year later, Sweeney has just opened Veera Donuts at 617 S. Higgins on the Hip Strip, in the same building as Green Source Missoula and next door to Big Dipper Ice Cream.
Sweeney calls her shop the place where you can “open up your taste buds to a world where rock n’ roll/metal, flavor and compassion meet to form the world’s most amazing donut.”
Everything’s 100% vegan and she bakes everything fresh in-house every day using local, fair-trade, organic and non-GMO ingredients as much as possible.
The War Pig, for example, comes with Vermont maple glaze and coconut "bacon" flakes. The Sweet Leaf comes with matcha glaze, black sesame and raspberry dust. There are savory options too, like the Space Cowboy that’s made with an English muffin, vegan mayonnaise, organic lettuce, a hashbrown patty, Beyond Meat Italian sausage, a tofu egg made with nutritional yeast and turmeric and a vegan cheese.
Sweeney, who pronounces her first name just like the regular spelling of "Hannah," said she worked as a bartender at Charlie B’s for a long time and that's how she's able to withstand the irregular, late-night/early morning hours that baking demands. She's been a vegan for about five years.
“I went to Seattle and Portland and the vegan donuts there are amazing,” she said. “There were not a lot of options here in Missoula.” (Missoula's Tandem Bakery sells vegan and gluten-free doughnuts.)
Sweeney uses coconut oil and other ingredients instead of animal products. A few options are also gluten-free.
She said she doesn’t really try to push veganism on people, so she hopes people will just enjoy the taste of her doughnuts and the fact that they are “cruelty-free” is just a little perk. Indeed, the word "vegan" is found nowhere on the store's outdoor signage.
Brooke Beighle, who bit into a White Zombie for the first time Thursday, said she’s had vegan doughnuts before, but never in Montana.
“I’m not a vegan, but I do love vegan food,” she said.
Beighle heard about Veera Donuts through word of mouth, and said it’s great to support a local business that went from operating a booth at the Missoula Farmer’s Market, to running a full shop on Higgins.
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“The doughnut feels classier,” she said, comparing it to chain-store donuts. “It’s healthier, and it makes me feel better about what I’m putting into my body.
“Plus, I’m a huge metal head, and it’s hard to find a place playing this kind of music during business hours,” she said over the opening riff to Metallica's “Master of Puppets.”
Sara Rhynard, a former coworker of Sweeney’s at Charlie B’s, has already found her favorite.
Rhynard, a “simple kind of doughnut person,” has preferred the Veera, a combination of French toast, maple syrup and powdered sugar since Sweeney began bringing them to Charlie B’s.
“The day after they opened, I was able to grab the last Veera,” she said.
On Thursday, the vegan chicken and waffles doughnut sold out by noon.
Sweeney sings in a local rock band called Drift, and names all her baked creations after rock or metal themes.
“I just love rock ’n’ roll,” she said.
The interior of the shop was designed by the same interior designer who did Five on Black downtown and other shops, and it’s got an artistic, upbeat feel inside.
As for the name Veera?
“It’s my dog’s name,” she explained.
Missoulian reporter Paul Hamby contributed to this story.


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Some Visible customers reported in posts on social media this week that their accounts appeared to have been hacked, that account information had been changed and in some cases new phones ordered using their payment information. On Wednesday, the Verizon-owned prepaid carrier Confirmed that some customers’ accounts were breached.
“We are aware of an issue in which certain member accounts were accessed and/or charged without their permission,” the company said in a tweet. Visible did not say how many customers were affected.
The carrier said its investigation indicated that “threat actors were able to Access username/password from external sources, and use that information to login to Visible accounts.” The company urged people to update their log-in information if it is used across multiple services.
Visible is a prepaid carrier that offers unlimited phone service, with individual plans for $40 per month and a . Huh. The company uses Verizon’s network and says it offers the same coverage as the big carriers, including 5G. One thing’s different about Visible: It has no storefront and handles all business — from billing to technical support — on its website and Visible app.
“Protecting customer information – securing customer accounts – is critically important to our company and our customers,” the company shared on its Twitter account. Visible urges customers who believe their accounts to be compromised to contact via chat visible.com.


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News stories featuring Azimo:
November 10th, 2016
PayPal has enabled money transfers via Apple’s Siri voice command function, enabling users with iOS10 devices to make payments by speaking requests. The function will be available in 30 countries. “PayPal users can now send…
October 20th, 2016
Users of the Azimo money transfer service can now send money through Apple’s voice-activated Siri system. “Customers can transfer money by telling Siri the amount of money they want to send and the recipient’s name,” Azimo says. “Existing Azimo customers can get the free iOS upgrade now by clicking the App Store icon and tapping updates in the bottom right.”
Feed for stories featuring Azimo.
• Find a list of all the companies and other organisations that have been featured in NFC World in our directory.


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Apple iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 11 lead the way
Jusy Hong, director of smartphone research at Omdia, broke down the results. “With the launch of the iPhone SE in April, Apple has released a long-desired product, with an attractive price. The launch added a new iPhone model into Apple’s product mix just as lockdown restrictions had reached important markets, such as the United States. A $399 starting price point makes the iPhone SE an attractive new device, especially in the face of continued economic uncertainty in many markets. For existing iPhone users who needed to upgrade their smartphones in the second quarter, the new SE represented an affordable option that does not require a large down payment or high monthly repayment rates.”
After shipping 28.9 million phones during the quarter, Xiaomi finished fourth while Oppo delivered 22.5 million phones putting it in fifth place. Omdia notes that all manufacturers suffered a year-over-year decline in shipments except for Apple, iTel, Tenco, and Infinix.
For the latest tech news and updates, Install TechCodex App, and follow us on Google News, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, if you like our efforts, consider sharing this story with your friends, this will encourage us to bring more exciting updates for you.


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A new Harvest Market opens December 5th in the parking lot of the Coconut Grove Playhouse Theater, 3500 Main Hwy., Miami FL 33133.
“Our market is different from other Miami-Dade Markets,” says Harvest Market organizer Carlos Fernandez, owner of Coconut Grove Farms. “We are all south Florida small farms and ranches. Some products sold are picked in the morning and sold in the afternoon.”
The new Harvest Market opens at 2 p.m. and closes at 8 p.m.
Free parking is available adjacent to the market in the parking lot.
Farm and ranch vendors include:
• Nick Bernal, Seasons Farm Fresh (fruits and vegetables, the Redland)
• Michael Borek, Michael Borek Farms/Teena's Pride (vegetables and fruit)
• Louis and Kim Duncanson, Green Garden Organics (wheat grass, micro-greens)
• Carlos Fernandez, Coconut Grove farms (fruit and vegetables and Arrowhead grass-fed beef)
Jon Gambino, Three Sisters Farm
Hani Khouri, Hani's Organic Goat Farm in the Redland (goat milk products and Middle Eastern dishes)
Out of the Ashes, non-profit urban egg farm
Maggie Pons, Urban Greenworks (non-profit urban farm growing vegetables at multiple locations in the City of Miami)
Salvatore Santelli, Health and Happiness Organic Farm (fruits and vegetables)
Note: Click on the "Subscribe" button above to receive an email each time the Miami Food and Drink Examiner publishes a new article.


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Construction, Roofing, Solar Industries Pump Revenue Flow During Coronavirus Crisis
Aerial imaging has benefitted the construction industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Construction, roofing, and solar industries have been augmenting the advantages of aerial imaging for contracted surveying, onsite inspections, and design planning applications. This signals that the aerial imaging market is one of the few markets, which has not been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Detailed 3D (3 Dimensional) geographic mapping and automation have facilitated roofing, solar, and government contractors to conduct business reliably with fewer personnel onsite. Companies in the aerial imaging market are taking advantage of the need for detailed prospecting from a distance for roofers and solar installers in order to obtain accurate measurement down to a pixel. An increase in surveying speed has been achieved with aerial imaging, whilst maintaining the safety of workers and employees.
Customization as per your requirement, Buy Now
Privacy Concerns of Citizens about Data Collection by Drones Causes Stir
Recently, Amazon Prime Air, a drone delivery system was in talks for a future of package deliveries in 30 minutes or less. However, numerous consumers, states, and regulators believe that sanctioned UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) can be potentially detrimental. This is anticipated to hamper the growth of the aerial imaging market.
Several countries have passed their own laws on drone usage for commercial, recreational, and public use. The widespread use of drones is raising privacy concerns among citizens who are nervous about corporate and government data collection. Hence, companies in the aerial imaging market are increasing awareness about testing and research of UAVs in order to comply with drone regulations.
To understand how our report can bring difference to your business strategy, Ask for a brochure
Drone Technology Combined with AR Creates Lucrative Opportunities for Indian Sports
The need for audience engagement has led to drone-based augmented reality (AR) production to enliven sports. Companies in the aerial imaging market such as Quidich Innovation Labs is gaining recognition for its drone-based AR production solution for transforming the Indian Premiere League (IPL) and Men’s Hockey World Cup, among others.
Since the drone technology is still in its nascent stage in India, stakeholders in the aerial imaging market are tapping into lucrative opportunities in this country. Sports being an integral part of entertainment in India is estimated to witness the rise of the drone technology to make live production from the sky in an affordable and efficient way. Moreover, the AR technology is adding a new dimension to live stream and broadcast sports matches.
UAV Tech with Image Data Analytics Helps Achieve Precision Farming
Climate change has introduced significant challenges that are affecting the agriculture sector. Adoption ad utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services such as the use of Internet of Things (IoT), UAVs, and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is predicted to solve the challenges in the agriculture industry. Such trends are giving rise to the concept of precision agriculture, and is translating into incremental opportunities for companies in the aerial imaging market.
Aerial crop monitoring and smart spraying tasks for pesticides and fertilizers are bringing about significant changes in the global agricultural industry. Companies in the aerial imaging market are increasing the availability of the UAV technology with image data analytics to help achieve precision agriculture and meet the global demand for food supply.
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Police have identified a man suspected of stealing thousands of dollars in liquor and are asking for public assistance in locating him.
Between June 12 and Aug. 18, Edmonton police received numerous reports of thefts from liquor stores believed to involve the same man. At the time, it was believed the man had stolen more than $10,000 in merchandise, taking between $200 and $700 of liquor from each theft.
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In August, police asked for the public’s help in identifying the man and investigators have since identified him.
Officers now believe the man has been involved in at least 19 thefts from liquor stores in Edmonton and the surrounding area between June 12 and Oct. 3. In addition to liquor thefts, police believe the man has committed seven other retail thefts, targeting electronics.
To date, the man has allegedly stolen approximately $17,000 in merchandise.
Justin Hotte, 38, is wanted on nine warrants, including robbery and theft under $5,000.
Hotte is described as about five-foot-eight and weighs approximately 220 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Hotte’s location is asked to contact police.


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Preview the Menus for Emerald Lounge, Opening Tonight
Photo courtesy of Emerald Lounge
While the new Revere Hotel opened its doors back in April, its nightlife component, Emerald Lounge, was still closed—until tonight, that is, when the boldly-lit, giant space opens this evening to the public. Of course, many folks don’t go to lounges with secret mosaic-tiled back rooms and sweeping deep green lights to eat. In case you do, though, we’ve got a look at the opening food menu, which is stacked with snacky, cocktail-friendly plates like lobster rangoons, coconut shrimp, and truffle fries.
People do frequent lounges to drink, of course—and with that in mind, there’s a lot of options on the cocktail menu that look quite appealing, like the summer-friendly Boston Shandy, a mix of Buffalo Trace whiskey, Shipyard Export Ale, honey syrup, and ginger beer, and the Rye’s Up, a sweet play on a Manhattan that contains Bulleit Rye, Carpano Antica vermouth, pineapple syrup, and Fee Brothers black walnut bitters.
Take a peek at the glitz in store above, and a full look at the menus below.


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Local economy expands due to exports, spendingKorea’s economy is maintaining its modest rate of expansion on the back of exports and improved private-sector spending, a state-run think tank said Tuesday.
“The Korean economy sustained moderate growth driven by services with favorable trends in consumption, although manufacturing production exhibited adjustments,” the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in its monthly evaluation of the country’s economic conditions.
The institute said retail sales continued their rapid growth, pointing to continued favorable trends in private consumption. It added that consumption-related services showed signs of improvement.
Exports continued to grow steadily but mining and manufacturing production remained subdued, suggesting that the pace of improvement in manufacturing is being adjusted, according to the KDI.
The country’s industrial output sank 1.0 percent on-year in March, following a 1.2-percent on-year dip the previous month.
Retail sales gained 7 percent in March from a year earlier, growing from the previous month’s 6.6 percent on-year rise.
Facility investment contracted 0.2 percent in March, decelerating from the 9.4 percent on-year expansion in February.
On the exports side, April’s outbound shipments fell 1.5 percent, compared with a 6.1 percent on-year gain the previous month, according to the KDI.
But on a daily basis, the pace of growth seems to be continuing, the institute added.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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Beehives on the Javits Center’s roof are yielding their first batches of honey, which will go into dressing on salads sold in a center cafe.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
2014 - MILK AND HONEY ORGANICS INC.
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By JAMES BARRON - Sunday Sep 10, 2017
- Are Honey Nut Cheerios Healthy? We Look Inside the Box.
By DANNY HAKIM - Friday Nov 10, 2017
America’s best-selling breakfast cereal has about nine times as much sugar as normal Cheerios. Sugar, brown sugar and honey are among its top six ingredients.
- A Street Fight Among Grocers to Deliver Your Milk, Eggs, Bananas
By RACHEL ABRAMS - Saturday Jun 24, 2017
Bananas can’t get cold. Milk mustn’t tip. Online food delivery still trips up companies. A day on the truck shows why.
- Black Swimmers: Then and Now
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Black children drown five times as often as white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Harlem Honeys and Bears, a senior synchronized swim team, is trying to help by offering free lessons for young people.
- Retailers Experiment With a New Philosophy: Smaller Is Better
By TIFFANY HSU - Saturday Nov 18, 2017
Department stores and other retailers struggling to beat back e-commerce are taking cues from online start-ups by experimenting with small showrooms.
- Now at Whole Foods: Cheaper milk, 'farm fresh' Amazon Echo
By JOSEPH PISANI, AP Business Writer - Monday Aug 28, 2017
NEW YORK (AP) — A half-gallon of milk was 50 cents cheaper at a Whole Foods in New York. Ground beef was down by $2 a pound. And an organic avocado cost a buck less.Amazon kicked off its first day as the owner of Whole Foods by slashing prices, adding its logo on signs and setting up a stand of "farm fresh" Amazon Echo voice-assistant devices by store entrances. It's just the first taste of the moves the e-commerce giant will make at the organic grocer after it completed the $13.7 billion deal on Monday.More changes are coming: The company aims to make Amazon Prime the rewards program at Whole Foods and some Whole Foods products will show up on Amazon's site. The deal could also spur big changes in how people shop for groceries overall.


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Four months on from Three Mobile admitting to almost 134,000 customers that its handset upgrade database had been breached by fraudsters, the operator has revised up that figure—confirming that another 76,000 subscribers had been hit by the scam.
But those customers were only informed on Monday that they were also affected by the data breach.
Ars sought comment from the Information Commissioner's Office, which had been "making enquiries" into the fraudulent activity last November. "We are investigating an issue involving Hutchison 3G UK Limited [the owner of Three]," it said on Tuesday, confirming to us that an official probe is now underway.
The mobile carrier said that, during the course of a police investigation into the fraudulent activity, which has already led to three arrests, "additional files were recovered." Three said:
We have contacted a further 76,373 customers to advise them of the new information and apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause. No fraudulent activity has been identified against the customers we have contacted today.
We can re-confirm that no financial information, bank details, passwords, or pin numbers were viewed or obtained as they are not stored on the upgrade system.
Last November, Three was criticised for failing to immediately notify customers whose data had been exposed following the breach. Criminals allegedly gained access to the company's handset upgrade database by using authorised log-ins so as they could swipe devices to sell on illegally.
The mobile operator later told 26,725 customers that the following personal information had been exposed: "Name, address, date of birth, gender, handset type, contract start and end date, whether they are a handset or SIM only customer, telephone number, e-mail address, previous address, marital status, employment status, Three account number and phone number, and how long they’ve been with Three."
A further 107,102 Three customers had the following data compromised: "Whether they are a handset or SIM only customer, contract start and end date, handset type, Three account number, how long they’ve been with Three, whether the bill is paid by cash or card, billing date, and name."
The new batch of affected customers, who will get a letter or text message from Three, are being told that "Name, address, date of birth, handset type, contract start and end date, upgrade eligibility date, whether they pay by card, cash or direct debit, tariff, billing date, and mobile number" had been exposed to fraudsters.
Three's strategy to trickle out information to relevant customers as the investigation continues is in direct contrast to TalkTalk, whose boss Dido Harding initially warned—to some ridicule—that all of the ISP's customers may have been affected by a hack on its systems in late 2015. TalkTalk later revised down that figure, confirming that the data of 157,000 subscribers had been exposed following the damaging attack.
Three, which has nine million subscribers on its books, might now regret putting a definitive figure on the breach before the police probe has completed. And thousands of its customers might also be alarmed to discover—months after fraudsters compromised the firm's handset upgrade database—that their sensitive subscriber information was also exposed to scammers.
Did you know that Ars Technica now has a weekly newsletter? It contains all of the week's top stories, plus info about upcoming meetups and other events. Sign up now.
Listing image by Three Mobile


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's the size of a credit card and about as slim as a cell phone. But the coolest feature of Mattel's new Hot Wheels ride is its 3D action: Push a button and the "flat" car pops up into a remote-control vehicle.
Called "Stealth Rides," these toy cars are Mattel's first-ever folding Hot Wheels. It's the latest innovation for a brand that's been selling in toy stores for more than 40 years.
"This is definitely one the coolest new toys in 2010," said Jim Silver, a toy industry analyst and editor in chief of TimetoPlayMag.com.
Mattel (MAT, Fortune 500) has created five different models of Stealth Riders, including two cars, two tanks and a "Batmobile Tumbler" that the toymaker will debut next month during the Toy Fair in New York.
The annual industry event showcases some of the hottest new toys that will hit stores later in the year, in time for the Christmas shopping season.
All five Stealth Rides fold flat and slide out of a plastic case that functions as both a carrying case and a remote control. With the push of a button, the "flat" cars transform into three-dimensional, fully functioning remote-control vehicles.
"Containing a fully functioning vehicle in a pocket-sized case will allow kids to play anywhere, anytime," said Geoff Walker, senior vice president with Mattel Brands. "The vehicles [provide] a unique and cool level of play experience that was not previously possible."
The Hot Wheels Stealth Rides will hit stores in August, priced at about $25 per car.
"The remote control category [of toys] used to include big toys for $70 or more," said Silver. "So this is an affordable price point for a very cool product that's never been done before."
He also praised the cars' engineering. "These [cars] are easy to carry around and the charge time is fantastic," Silver said. "It's 30 minutes of play, and that's a long time for such a small remote-control toy."
Some families are outraged at the sums they've been offered by Lufthansa as compensation for the Germanwings plane crash in March which killed 150 people. More
As the public weighs in, debates about the $10 bill redesign are heating up. More
Uber just raised another $1 billion in funding, which values it at nearly $51 billion. More
Fast-food chains that operate in more than 30 locations nationwide are the sole target of a new rule in New York to hike their minimum wage to $15. But consumers and small business owners, as well as some employees, may be the ones to pay the price. More
You can't blame it on the economy anymore. More Millennials now have jobs, but are still living at home. More


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Turkey: Economy records sharpest contraction since Q1 2009 in the second quarter
The economy contracted 9.9% on an annual basis in the second quarter, contrasting the first quarter’s 4.4% increase and marking the sharpest downturn since Q1 2009. The economy—which had hitherto been on a fragile recovery path since the country’s currency crisis two years ago—was severely derailed by the global health crisis and associated containment measures, although the contraction due to the pandemic was less severe than the double-digit rate expected by market analysts.
The downturn was broad-based, with private consumption, public spending, fixed investment and exports all contracting. Household spending contracted 8.6% year-on-year in Q2, swinging from a 4.5% expansion in Q1. This came on the back of strict measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus, such as full-scale lockdowns on weekends and national holidays in April and May, which severely limited economic activity. Government consumption dropped at the sharpest pace since Q2 2017, contracting 0.8% (Q1: +3.2% yoy). Fixed investment declined at a steeper pace of 6.1% in Q2, down from the 0.3% contraction logged in the previous quarter.
Exports of goods and services nosedived 35.3% in Q2 (Q1: +4.8% yoy) as lockdowns and restrictions abroad hampered external demand. In addition, imports of goods and services deteriorated, contracting 6.3% in Q2 (Q1: +21.9% yoy), marking the first decline since Q2 2019.
On a seasonally-adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, economic activity contracted 11.0% in Q2, down from the previous period’s 0.1% fall.
The Turkish economy is forecast to enter a steep downturn this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic weighing heavily on domestic and foreign demand. Exports and tourism are expected to be hit particularly hard by restrictive measures, which will weaken the country’s external position. However, the government’s fiscal stimulus could soften the blow somewhat.


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‘Motorcycling Matters’ was first shown at ACEM’s conference at the end of last month and sets out both the economic contribution of motorcycling and the leisure and sport possibilities.
The film, which is around 6 minutes long, highlights the fact that 63% of scooter and motorcycle sales in Europe are for urban use and puts forward the case for urban planners to take this into consideration.
The motorcycle industry is worth £7.2 billion to the UK, employing 62,000 people in over 6000. The MCI has recently launched a project which has identified over 100 companies involved in the manufacture of motorcycles and related products in the UK. More details of this can be found following the links:


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Tuesday, March 20, 2018—San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors have voted unanimously to approve a ban on fur sales. The ban which will go into effect on January 2019 of next year leaves furrier retailers to sell their current products up until the beginning of January 2020.
San Francisco’s estimate of fur sales makes about $40 million a year. According to Jim Lazarus, senior vice president of public policy in San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, states that among those who are in the business of trading fur, nearly 50 clothing and accessory line retailers will be affected by the legislation. This means that fashion retail stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus (both of which are huge sellers of fur) will need to stop their product selling in its department. Many have even argued against the change because of the effect it has on their business.
Benjamin Lin, the owner of B.B. Hawk store that sells all kinds of animal furs, states that the effort of going against the stand and legislative won’t do any good since the decision has already taken part. “I cannot fight it, I will not win. I do not have the energy and the money.”
Lin’s showroom portrays a vast amount of different real animal furs which includes chinchilla, sable, fox, and Blackglama mink. His latest fashion clothing line includes featuring a 60-year-old cheetah jacket in which he is restoring in his showroom.
Photo Credit – The Washington Post
Lin’s case of the story is like many others who are experiencing the downfall of selling fur products. It’s built on animal cruelty and the killing of some endangered animals. With the new approval of banning animal fur in San Francisco, this has made a stop to end all animal cruelty and suffering. Animal rights activists are very happy and glad that they have made a point of their campaigns and bring about political change. San Francisco now joins with West Hollywood and Berkeley in the movement of going fur-free.


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IPL makes for a great association with a brand: Muthoot Fincorp Marketing Head
Sreechaitanya Garimella, Head of Marketing, Muthoot Fincorp, says IPL not only offers a high level of audience engagement but also allows their brand to tick off multiple marketing goals
"IPL, which is neither elitist nor meant only for the affluent, makes for a great association with our brand. Cricket, and specifically IPL, cuts across barriers like age, geographies, languages and backgrounds,” says Sreechaitanya Garimella, Head of Marketing, Muthoot Fincorp Ltd.
Muthoot FinCorp has continued as the title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the third consecutive year for this sporting tournament that commands a viewership of over 550 million people.
According to Garimella, having this level of audience engagement over two months with a single event allows the brand to tick off multiple marketing goals from building brand awareness to reach and recall, largely through TVCs for the widest possible reach, as well as messaging with the use of multiple media channels.
“The first leg of the campaign has been about brand differentiation and highlighting that we are the Blue Muthoot, as part of our BlueSoch campaign and Vidya Balan as a brand ambassador, it went on air during the beginning of IPL. After running that for the first two weeks of the tournament and establishing that brand differentiation, we began the second leg of the campaign which revolves around our core proposition of gold loans,” he said.
Also as part of the sponsorship, the Muthoot Fincorp logo has been prominently appearing during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s matches and it is also placed on the team’s training jerseys. As a part of this collaboration, we got connected with millions of fans across the country through social media integrations as well as TV commercials featuring RCB players, including cricketing superstar Virat Kohli.
Kohli appears in three avatars in three TVCs along with other RCB players, which is a part of the ‘Mera Gold Loan, Mera Interest’ campaign. The core message of the campaign appealed to the customers as they can exercise their freedom while choosing their interest rate.
“Virat has a huge following, not only in India, but across the world, and also has fans among supporters of other teams. Everyone wants to watch him play, and he has similar popularity in the ad world as well,” Garimella points out.
According to GroupM ESP, which released its Sporting Nation in The Making annual report last month, “India has doubled its media spending in sports across platforms and total endorsement activity in the market. According to the last year’s data, the sports endorsement industry grew by 11% year-on-year in 2021 with a score of INR 625 cr. Total media spending surpassed a whopping amount of INR 6018 cr, contributing to 65% of the growth revenue in 2020-21.”
Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook & Youtube


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Christmas 2019 saw The Salvation Army USA update their fundraising campaign to include digital donations by adding NFC chips to their iconic Red Kettles. This meant that all shoppers had to do was tap their NFC enabled smartphone to make a donation to the charity.
Fundraisers across the USA were provided with NFC tags and stickers which were printed with a QR code along with the Apple Pay and Google Pay logos. These stickers could then easily be attached to their Red Kettles that everyone knows and loves.
Gone are the days of saying ‘sorry, no change’ when these smart stickers are around. The many people who would happily donate but just don’t have the cash were then able to make a donation using their smartphone – Easy peasy! By tapping the tag or scanning the code, their phone would automatically open a custom Salvation Army donation page. They could then choose how much they wanted to donate and use Apple Pay or Google Pay to complete their payment.
Based on the donor’s billing ZIP code, the digital donations made through ‘Kettle Pay’ were automatically distributed to their local Salvation Army unit and followed up with an email receipt sent directly to their phone.
Click below to watch a video from The Salvation Army showing just how Kettle Pay works:
Even here in the UK we’re familiar with The Red Kettle Campaign. It is now in its 129th year and The Salvation Army is recognised for one of the oldest and largest charitable campaigns in the world.
The money goes to such worthwhile causes – The millions of dollars raised from the campaign goes towards toys for children at Christmas, clothes and shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry and so much more.
It’s fantastic to see such a huge and well-established charitable campaign grab the opportunity of digital donations, and in doing so raising more money for America’s most vulnerable citizens.
NFC technology through the use of smart stickers for digital donations is a huge opportunity for charitable organisations everywhere – The potential for increasing donations is huge. We’re excited to see what 2020 will bring for our smart stickers here at Donater.


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KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- In a move to prevent environmentalpollution due to heavy emissions from vehicles exhaust and industrialchimneys, Elite Jaya Synergy Sdn Bhd has developed "X-Cel Power", abiodegradable fuel additive derived from palm oil.
"X-Cel Power is the first fuel additive to be manufactured using palm oiland has an advantage of better performance and is cleaner compared totoday's fuel additives, which are petro-chemical based," Elite Jaya'sgroup managing director, Ir. Mohd Satimin Ismail said at the launch ofX-Cel Power, here Thursday.
The company also signed a sponsorship agreement worth RM80,000 with MusMotor Racing Team (MMRW) to sponsor MMRW's participation at this season'sPetronas Sprinta AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship. MMRW motorbike willalso be using X-Cel Power.
The fuel additive X-Cel Power is a mixture of 80 percent palm oil extractand 20 percent mixture of dimethyl heptane, trimethyl benzene, decane,nonane, undecane, dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane andlauric, Pentadecanoic acid, palmitic and oleic acids.
Mohd Satimin said that this product can be used in the engines of shipsapart from automobiles and motorcycles and any other engines that use fuel(petrol or diesel) like generator set or even the fuel generated plant forelectrical generators.
"Based on our research, the product has been proven to reduce emissions,improve engine performance, prevent carbon build-up, keep fuel systemsclean and fuel fresh, and eliminate algae and slime," he said.
From laboratory analysis and dyno-test result, he said that X-Cel Powerhas been found to increase top speed and power as much as 30 kilometre perhour and two to three horsepower.
X-Cel Power will be sold at a retail price of RM17.50 per bottle of 250millilitre while the price for 1.0 litre and 4.0 litre will be at RM53.50and RM190.50, respectively.
At the moment, the product is available at the Elite Jaya's office inSubang Jaya or via its distribution agent, Mus Motor Racing Work Team(MMRW).
Mohd Satimin said that Elite Jaya planned to negotiate with Petronas andProJet as well as the operator of car accessories and car services to makeits product available to consumers. Elite Jaya, established in Januarythis year is a 100 percent wholly-owned Malaysian company. Itsmanufacturing plant is located in Kampar, Perak with production capacityof 60 tonnes of fuel per day.
Mohd Satimin said that as a maiden company, Elite Jaya hoped to capturearound 50 percent share in the local fuel additive market by the end ofthis year.
He said that the company also intends to introduce its fuel additiveproduct in overseas markets, probably by 2006 and onwards.
The company has made an arrangement with Malaysian-German Chamber ofCommerce and Industry to introduce X-Cel Power to German market.
Elite Jaya planned to introduce car care products under X-Cel Power brandby the second half of this year, he said.
It also intends to market X-Cel Power brand merchandise such as apparel,shoes, watches and accessories like caps, wrist bands and scarves orbandannas.


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Leading travel search company Skyscanner Ltd, which is headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, has opened its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore this week.
Led by Ewan Gray, the newly appointed Director for Asia Pacific, Skyscanner expects to match the rapid growth trajectory achieved in Europe over the last two years, aiming to build the number of visitors to the site from Asia Pacific countries to 13 million per month within the same timeframe – generating downstream revenues for its airline partners of some US$2 billion per annum.
Gray says that Asia is already contributing to Skyscanner’s fast growth trajectory, which is currently 75% year on year. “To date our growth in Asia Pacific has been largely organic, but we are seeing exceptionally strong growth rates from Asia, with yearly increases in traffic of up to 90%. This growth has mainly been from Singapore, China, Indonesia, Japan, India and Malaysia. We expect that growth to accelerate considerably now we will have a presence in each of those markets.”
Skyscanner plans to enter 10 markets in Asia Pacific, and has already appointed market managers for China, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. Active recruitment for market leaders in Korea, Australia and New Zealand is underway. The other markets include Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Skyscanner.net is currently available in Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages. Over the next few weeks, the website will be rolled out in five new languages, namely Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Vietnamese and Thai.
Skyscanner is presently the only resource in Asia Pacific where a user can compare flights from all low cost carriers in the region, as well as flagship carriers including Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Air China, and fares from online travel agents such as Zuji and Asia Travel.
He added, “The relationships we have with airlines and OTAs are incredibly important to us and are founded on sending them highly qualified referrals from customers who are happy they have found the very best flight deal available on Skyscanner. We’re looking forward to providing this region with dedicated support to capitalise on the massive potential it presents, building our position as one of the world’s leading travel search sites.”


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Guy Fieri is back with another mad dash through the Flavortown Market in Season 2 of "Guy's Grocery Games." The show pits competitors against each other in an extreme shopping and cooking challenge.
With a new season, Fieri promises new games and even more excitement. "Guy's Grocery Games" airs Sunday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Photo/Video credit: Getty Images/Food Network


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Simon has over six years of professional trading experience across FX, commodities and equities. He has a strong passion for financial markets and is particularly focused on price action trading
Shares of Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC) today fell 7.7% after it announced a deal to acquire Livongo Health (NASDAQ: LVGO) in a cash and stock deal valued at $18.5 billion. Teladoc intends to capitalise on the huge demand for virtual health services in the US that was driven by the Coronavirus lockdown measures, which saw most Americans stuck at home.
The lockdown measures made the demand for virtual consultations and home visits by doctors skyrocket, which has been a major boon for Teladoc as it provides virtual health services.
Livongo Health share price was up 6.28% to trade at $153.60 but had initially rallied to $167.87 after the announcement, while Teladoc shares were down 2.57% at the time of writing.
According to a joint press statement, the deal “creates a global leader in consumer-centred virtual care.”
Jason Gorevic, Teladoc’s CEO was quoted saying that: “Livongo is a world-class innovator we deeply admire and has demonstrated success improving the lives of people living with chronic conditions.”
Teladoc share price
The new entity is expected to have pro forma revenue of about $1.3 billion for 2020, equal to pro forma growth of 85%.
The company’s share price fell by 7.7% to $230.17 premarket from yesterday’s closing price of $249.42 but has since recovered some of its losses.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage . 75 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider . You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money .


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The Color of Money
Do you take resale value into account when shopping for a new vehicle? You're not the only one. But make and model aren't the only factors when it comes to figuring a used car's worth — so is color, according to a study by vehicle-sales search site iSeeCars. Surprisingly, the most "valuable" hues aren't always the most popular (gray, silver, and black still dominated in 2021, according to data from paint giant PPG). And paint color affects resale differently depending on the kind of vehicle. "While bolder or less common hues may seem like they would hurt a car's resale value, there are many instances where the opposite is true," says Karl Brauer, the company's executive analyst. We've listed paint colors using iSeeCars' analysis, starting with the best colors for resale value and ending with the very worst.


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Being in Pakistan is less advantageous if you fall in love with stuff on eCommerce websites (Amazon) because most of the time these products do not deliver to Pakistan. Or even if they do, they take 40 working days. You must have gotten the reference, right? the worst part is that even after you wait for 40 working days, it is never confirmed whether you will receive the product or not.
Amazon – approved sellers list
Everywhere else, people are seen ordering from Amazon and they are not able to relate with our struggle. They do not understand why we have to suffer through this or use the alternate of getting our acquaintance to buy stuff from Amazon and ship it here. But all this struggle will be a thing past pretty soon because it is being announced that Amazon will now be shipping to Pakistan as well. So soon, you will be able to see Pakistan in the allowed countries list.
List of people to thank
Some people need to be acknowledged for this badge of honor. These people are Ms Aisha Moriani (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce), Mr. Shoaib Sarwar (deputy Consul General, Consulate General Pakistan, Los Angeles), and Omer Gajial (Ex Amazon Category Development Head for Amazon North America division). The team members of NECC (National Ecommerce Council) and Badar Khushnood from the Pakistan Software Houses Association also need to be praised for this venture.
It is a new era for eCommerce in Pakistan. Daraz had already laid the grounds for it in the country and now Amazon will be able to further enhance it.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates!


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April 02, 2020
President Trump has sent mixed signals on his administration’s proposed tariff easing after optimistic news emerged on an import duties deferral for Chinese goods.
Firearms and ammunition sales are booming again, after three years in the doldrums, buoyed by fear-based demand as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.
Academy Sports stores will continue to remain open except where forced to close by local health departments, according to a letter from CEO Ken Hicks posted on the retailer’s website.
Under Dog saw Moody’s lower its ratings across the board, cutting its corporate family rating to Ba2 from Ba1, probability of default rating to Ba2-PD from Ba1-PD, senior unsecured notes rating to Ba2 from Ba1, and speculative grade liquidity rating to SGL-2 from SGL-1.
The bankrupt Sears and Kmart debtors are suing Icon to recover $7,350,254.05 paid to the exercise equipment company by Sears and $338,736.84 paid by Kmart, when both companies were insolvent.
Giant Bicycle is recalling about 2,700 pairs of VP Harrier and Giant Pinner DH bicycle pedals because the pedal body can separate from the pedal spindle.


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The December security update is already rolling out to Samsung Galaxy Note 10s in France with firmware version N770FXXS8HVL1.
So after recently update the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultranow the Korean giant is also deploying the Android update of December 2022 in the most restrained Galaxy Note of 2019the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is updated with the December security patch
As they confirm to us from SamMobileSamsung has started to release, a few days ago, the December Android update on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite in France and it is expected that this new software will reach the rest of the European countries over the next few days.
This new update is rolling out with firmware version N770FXXS8HVL1 and brings the December 2022 security patch to the Galaxy Note 10 Lite, which fixes a total of 93 security vulnerabilitiesof which 67 are from Google and the remaining 26 are from Samsung, fixes a series of bugs that were previously detected and improves device performance.
Samsung released the Galaxy Note 10 Lite on the market in December 2019 with One UI 2 based on Android 10at the beginning of last year it was updated to Android 11, at the beginning of 2022 it was upgraded to Android 12 and less than a month ago received Android 13 with One UI 5.0.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite and want to check if this update has already arrived, you simply have to access the section Software update which is in the menu settings of your device.
In the event that you already have it available, you just have to click on the button download and install to update your Samsung mobile with the latest security patch from Android.


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The state lockdowns are beginning to ease and the U.S. economic system ought to slowly start to get better. But it surely’s value noting that the states opening most slowly are large states run by Democrats that symbolize one thing like a 3rd of the U.S. economic system. This implies a slower restoration for these states and the U.S.
It’s been almost 10 weeks for the reason that Democratic governors of California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois ordered all companies of their states to close down save these they deemed important. Job losses in these states have been particularly extreme due to their strict lockdowns (see chart close by).
Practically two-thirds of leisure and hospitality jobs in New York and New Jersey and about half in California and Illinois disappeared between February and April in comparison with 43% in Florida, which was among the many final states to lock down and first to reopen. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis additionally offered exemptions for lower-risk companies together with contractors, producers and a few retailers. 4 % of development staff in Florida misplaced their jobs in comparison with 41% in New York, 27% in New Jersey, 17% in California and 11% in Illinois.
Amid political and financial strain, Democrats are starting to let some companies reopen with restrictions. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New Jersey’s Phil Murphy have allowed retail curbside pickup. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is permitting restricted dine-in consuming and private companies in some counties, however Bay Space and Los Angeles counties keep strict lockdowns.


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The Facebook Connect feature will allow participating Connect site owners to share user names and logins. This allows end user to sign into Facebook, for example, and surf over to another participating Connect site and avoid having to create an additional user name and password for access to that site. Another aspect of the Connect feature will update your Facebook Newsfeed with news as to what participating Connect websites you’ve visited. For example, if you “dugg” an article on Digg your Facebook Newsfeed would report this.
This is not the first time Facebook has tried to federate user information across the Web. Last year, Facebook’s ‘Beacon’ advertising program backfired at the company, as the program failed to properly warn users that their activity on partner websites was shared on Facebook.
However, this time, Facebook seems to have learned from its previous experience and ‘Connect’ users will be able to adjust their privacy settings for which actions will be shared on the social network. Besides that, Facebook promises it will be “carefully authorizing” each partner in the ‘Connect’ program. The new feature will compete with similar offerings from rival social network MySpace and with Google’s ‘Friend Connect.’
The basics of Facebook ‘Connect’
Facebook ‘Connect’ works in a remote way like ‘OpenID.’ Basically, using this feature you will be able to access various websites (such as Digg — pictured above) without having to create a new profile and tediously enter all your personal data.
And with this new feature, you can also connect your friends to the website of choice. As an additional example, if you watch a video on a website — such as CBS — you can invite your friends to join in and watch the clip with you.
But the similarities between ‘Connect’ and ‘OpenID’ end here. Facebook is using proprietary standards for login and data sharing – in contrast to MySpace — which is embracing ‘OpenID’ and is also closely collaborating with Google’s ‘Friend Connect.’
So far, Movable Type, Amiando, CBS.com, CitySearch, CNET, CollegeHumor, Disney-ABC Television Group, Evite, Flock, Kongregate, Loopt, Plaxo, Radar, Red Bull, Seesmic, Socialthing!, StumbleUpon, The Insider, Twitter, Uber, Vimeo, and Xobni have announced participation in the Connect program.
What’s in it for me?
Well, in a nutshell, just more flexibility with your personal data when going on new websites and the possibility of bringing your Facebook friends along — making the Web more social.
Actually, from a first look at the upcoming ‘Connect’ feature, there’s more to win from Facebook’s point of view. While the users will ‘Connect’ to other websites using their Facebook credentials, the social network will gather more information about your likes and dislikes for future advertising purposes, even though it won’t be made public — unlike with Beacon. And ultimately, ‘Connect’ will help Facebook extend its reach — together with partner websites — just like Mark Zuckerberg discussed a couple of months ago at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco.
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Here’s the press release:
MerchantCircle, the largest and fastest growing online network of local business owners in the nation, today announced it has received $10MM in Series B funding and other financing. Previous investors Rustic Canyon Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Steamboat Ventures (the venture capital arm of The Walt Disney Company), and new financing partners IAC and Square 1 Bank, among others participated in the deal.
The company says it has “attracted more than 250,000 local merchants in only seventeen months.” That’s clearly the reason for the funding. More recently the company announced a relationship with WebVisible.
Industry insiders seem quite polarized by the company’s early marketing tactics, which I believe have changed.