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It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Dogecoin (CCC:DOGE-USD) enthusiasts, as well as Dogecoin prices. #DogeDay is upon us, and investors are looking to bulk up the price of their favorite dog-faced crypto. Joining DOGE die-hards today are a number of brands looking to partner with the “much wow” digital currency.
The improbable ad-libbed holiday has been getting lots of cosigns recently. With the token’s valuation jumping up in value comes the white-hot social media buzz. Predictably, a number of brands are looking to cash in on it.
One of the earliest to the meme-coin bandwagon was Conagra (NYSE:CAG) brand Slim Jim. The meat stick monolith has been tweeting in support of DOGE since early 2021. The odd couple’s romance blossomed into a quasi-partnership, with Slim Jim even shouting out the crypto in its last earnings call. And today, on #DogeDay, Slim Jim is making good on its promise of a Doge-themed meat stick snack:
— Slim Jim 🚀 (@SlimJim) March 9, 2021
Other Brands Look to Cash In on Rising Dogecoin Prices
With the obvious success of Slim Jim riding on the back of the goodboi, other brands have sought out their piece of the pie. And, as a result, they are contributing to rise of Dogecoin prices.
In the same realm of gas-station treats, DOGE has found an alliance with Snickers and Milky Way. The two candy bar brands have tweeted in favor of #DogeDay, and Snickers had gone so far as to photoshop a Doge-themed Snickers wrapper. Although, much to the disappointment of Doge fans, rumors of a real-life Doge-bar have been squashed.
Crypto exchange Webull has taken the social media hype as a cue to include it on its platform. The platform had conducted Dogecoin beta tests through the weekend, and is rolling out the option to all Webull users today in celebration.
And as Dogecoin prices continue to inflate, the coin is getting love within the retail world. Where trailblazers like Mark Cuban had offered Dogecoin as a payment option on his NBA e-retail site, more brands are joining in. Electronics retailer Newegg announced its own Dogecoin payment option on the holiday. Even airlines are beginning to offer Dogecoin payments, with Latvian airBaltic setting the precedent. The company has been allowing crypto payments since 2014, but is now allowing DOGE-heads to fly with their favorite token.
On the date of publication, Brenden Rearick did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.


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Police ask public to help find, identify man sought in store attack
Loss prevention officers stabbed after Walmart theft
Police have asked the public to help identify a man who they said attacked two loss prevention officers at an Independence store.
Investigators said the man stole items from the Walmart store on South Bolger Road.
When the stores loss prevention officers confronted the man in the parking lot, police said he stabbed them with a knife. Both officers have minor injuries.
The man was last seen driving away in a dark-colored SUV with Missouri license DM2W5E.
Anyone with information about the man's identity or current whereabouts should call the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

domain: news


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A big hospitality acquisition for sbe, a new relief fund for the Tennessee wildfires, Princess Cruises’ pollution fine and an earthquake in Peru are the travel industry headlines to watch today.
Sbe Completes Acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group
In hotel news today, lifestyle hospitality brand sbe has closed on the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, expanding sbe's international footprint and more than doubling the number of hotels in sbe's portfolio.
The deal brings Morgan’s Delano and Mondrian brands, as well as 13 domestic and international hotel management and franchise/licensing agreements, under the sbe umbrella. Sbe’s existing hotel brands include SLS hotels, The Redbury hotels, and Hyde hotels, and its restaurant brands include The Bazaar by José Andrés, Fi’lia by Michael Schwartz, Katsuya, Cleo, Umami Burger and Hyde Lounge. The deal also sees sbe taking direct ownership of the 194-room Delano Hotel in South Beach, the 878-room Hudson Hotel in New York City and the 372-room Clift Hotel in San Francisco.
Looking ahead, sbe said it plans to open four more hotels in 2017: Mondrian Doha, Qatar; SLS Park Avenue New York; SLS Seattle; and Hyde Hotel and Residences, South Florida, with an additional nine hotels slated to open over the next two years.
Gatlinburg Sets Up Relief Fund for TN Wildfires
In the wake of this week’s wildfires in Tennessee, the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Foundation has established the Gatlinburg Relief Fund, which will directly benefit the families impacted by the fires.
The relief fund is being managed by SmartBank, an East Tennessee-based community bank with multiple branches in Sevier County. Anyone who would like to contribute to this fund may either drop off a monetary donation at a SmartBank location or by mailing the donation to PO Box 1910, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, 37868-1910. Checks should be made payable to “Gatlinburg Relief Fund.”
Additionally, the foundation is accepting online gifts here or at www.smartbank.com.
The death toll from the fires, which hit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, has risen to at least 11, according to ABC News.
The Castle, a home overlooking Gatlinburg, as well as several churches and Cupid’s Chapel of Love wedding venue, are almost completely gone. Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa is also likely entirely destroyed, although Dollywood, the theme park by country music star Dolly Parton, escaped significant damage and is scheduled to reopen today.
How else to donate: Dolly Parton has announced she is establishing a fund to help victims of the fire, the My People Fund, which will provide a $1,000 monthly payment to families in Sevier County who lost their homes. Donations to the My People Fund are being accepted at dollywoodfoundation.org.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations at redcross.org/donate. Donations can also be submitted by mail by printing the form here and mailing it to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37839, Boone, Iowa 50037-0839. Kroger supermarkets in eastern and middle Tennessee, northern Alabama and southern Kentucky have also partnered with the Red Cross to collect money and aid.
Carnival Corp., Princess Fined $40 Million for Pollution
In cruise news, Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises have been fined $40 million by the U.S. government for illegal dumping oily water into the ocean off the coast of England in 2013, The Miami Herald reports. Investigators also found that the incident was likely one of several in which the ship dumped polluted water, including off the shores of Texas, south Florida and the Eastern Seaboard.
In a statement provided to Travel Agent yesterday, the cruise line said, “These and other actions, by some of our employees, not only broke our company policies, it violated environmental law.”
“The settlement agreement involves Princess Cruises paying a substantial fine and Carnival Corporation, our parent company, agreeing to have all ships from all brands participate in a mandatory Environmental Compliance Program, the details of which are included in the court filing documents,” Princess said. “We are extremely disappointed about the inexcusable actions of our employees. This settlement clearly shows that we fell short on our commitment to the environment, and for this we are very sorry and we take full responsibility.”
Earthquake Hits Peru
In South America, a strong, shallow earthquake struck Peru in the southern Andes Mountains near Lake Titicaca Thursday, ABC News reports. The earthquake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, reportedly caused no injuries or serious damage.
Have a tip on major travel industry news, or an inspiring story you’d like to share? Reach out at [email protected].
And keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest travel industry news, trends and updates.


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Chinese online retailer Suning.com has acquired 37 outlets of Wanda Department Store, the department store unit of Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group, chairman Zhang Jindong announced at the company’s Lunar New Year meeting held Tuesday. The company didn’t reveal the value of the deal.
The 37 stores are mainly located in central business districts or central areas of China’s first- and second-tier cities and have combined store “memberships” of 4 million, and annual customer traffic of nearly 3.2 billion, according to the company.
Though the acquisition, Suning.com plans to revamp the offline shopping experience and department store supply chain operations by leveraging the power of new technologies like big data and artificial intelligence.
“The prosperity of the physical retail industry can’t rely on the traditional models. It needs improvement in efficiency and experience by using internet technologies so that users can feel the service quality and happiness,” said Zhang.
As a major player in China’s new retail market, Suning.com has been pushing its offline expansions in an effort to promote its smart retail solutions. The company aims to open 15,000 offline stores this year. The Wanda outlet acquisitions allow diversification into department stores.
The deal isn’t surprising given the history between Suning and Wanda Group. Together with Tencent, JD.com and Sunac China Holdings, Suning.com, formerly Suning Commerce, purchased a 14% stake in Wanda Commercial Properties, Wanda’s property arm, for RMB 34 billion ($5.4 billion) in 2018.
Like many of the offline retailers, Wanda Department Store, once a pillar business of the Chinese conglomerate, has been facing an uphill battle due to the competition from online retailers.
In addition, Suning is also speeding up its new retail initiative with the launch of big data-driven unmanned store and autonomous heavy truck to improve logistics efficiency.


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To ensure the safety of our exhibitors, attendees, staff, and event vendors, the show will take place June 27-29, 2021.
June 1, 2020 – Due to the rapidly evolving circumstances domestically and globally concerning COVID-19, event organizers BolognaFiere and the Professional Beauty Association have postponed the 18th edition of Cosmoprof North America from September 2020 to June 27-29, 2021.
“We have been actively monitoring ongoing developments regarding this global health emergency and have decided that rescheduling the show to 2021 is necessary to ensure the health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, and partners. The well-being of the Cosmoprof community remains our top priority as we eagerly await the opportunity to connect the beauty industry face-to-face again.”Enrico Zannini, General Manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof SpA
“Our commitment remains to providing a show environment that is both productive and safe, and postponing will allow us to meet our community’s expectations. We are thankful for the patience and overwhelming support we have received from our exhibitors, attendees, and partners in navigating this unprecedented situation.”Steve Sleeper, Executive Director of the Professional Beauty Association
In the coming months, Cosmoprof North America will be working diligently on launching a virtual trade show in the fall to connect current exhibitors with buyers, distributors, retailers, and press from the Cosmoprof community to encourage networking and business opportunities. Meanwhile, the entire team will remain devoted to ensuring the 18th edition operates at the level of prestige the show has been recognized for the past 17 years.
About Cosmoprof North America: Cosmoprof North America is recognized for its dynamic growth and unique programs. The event offers the entire industry an opportunity to come together, make new relationships, and foster collaborations. Cosmoprof North America serves as the premier launching pad for new beauty brands, introducing revolutionary technologies, product innovations, and new channels for distribution, packaging, and manufacturing.
The show is a powerful platform that has the ongoing support and presence of leading beauty associations and key industry entities. Cosmoprof North America is one of the destinations of the Cosmoprof network, today a 360° worldwide platform for the international beauty community, with shows in Bologna, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Bangkok, which all together involve over 500,000 professionals and 10,000 exhibitors from all over the world.


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You know that number you have to send a message to when you vote for your favorite American Idol? And the number you have to send a message to in order to get that “free ring tone” you saw on TV? Well, those numbers are called “short codes” and any company that wants one has to apply for it through a wireless carrier. However, it seems that wireless carriers are slow to hand these out, and some speculate that it has to do with competition. In an article on RCR Wireless News.com the FCC launched a rule making to determine whether mobile text messages and short codes are covered by non-discrimination provisions of the telecom act. You can view the complete article here. Even companies like Google, Ebay, and Pay Pal have to apply for these codes.
Carriers such as T-Mobile and Verizon claim “anti-competition” has nothing to do with their decision making process when determining which companies are granted codes and which ones aren’t, so it would be interesting to learn just what that criteria was. For instance a company like Rebtel that offers consumers a local phone number to dial virtually any number overseas is having a difficult time acquiring a short code from all 5 major carriers in the US. Is it because carriers would lose revenue on calls placed to overseas locations? Perhaps, but the article also states NARAL Pro-Choice America had a very difficult time with Verizon when it refused to grant them a short code. Verizon eventually caved in, but it’s hard to see how a pro choice organization could infringe on the profits of a wireless carrier, unless of course we’re getting into politics but that’s for another blog.


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The US economy shrank at an annualised rate of 0.3% between July and September, according to figures from the Commerce Department.
The gross domestic product (GDP) figures were better than expected, although they show the sharpest contraction of the economy since 2001. Consumer spending, which makes up two-thirds of the US economy, shrank by 3.1%, the first contraction since 1991. The 0.3% fall followed 2.8% growth in the previous three-month period.
The growth data came on the same day that some of the US's biggest companies reported their results for the July to September period:
* Broadcaster CBS made a loss of $12.46bn (£7.59bn) in the quarter. This included a write-down of $14.12bn-worth of media assets
* Electronics giant Motorola reported a loss of $397m for the quarter, compared with a profit of $60m a year ago, largely due to falling mobile phone sales
* Paper and packaging company International Paper reported a 31% fall in profits to $149m and warned demand for its products had fallen
* American Express, the credit card issuer, announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs as part of a plan to save $1.8bn by the end of 2009
* On the positive side, photographic company Eastman Kodak's profits jumped to $96m for the quarter, compared with a $37m profit in the same three months last year
* Personal care product maker Colgate-Palmolive reported profits of $499.9m for the quarter, up 19% on the same period last year
The GDP figures showed that spending on non-durable goods, which are smaller purchases such as food and paper, dropped at its sharpest rate since 1950.
"Consumer spending is about 70% of GDP and this looks like the lowest it has been in two decades, which goes to show that in the fourth quarter, we are going into recession," said Bill Walsh, president of Hennion and Walsh in New Jersey.
The GDP figures were accompanied by Labor Department figures showing the number of new claims for jobless benefits last week.
There were 479,000 new claims in the week ending 25 October, which was the same number as the previous week, but still a high number, suggesting that the problems in the economy are feeding through to the job market.
Originally posted by baseball101
I was kind of shocked, when i saw this next part of the article with the guys quote and the statistics that were put in ...
The decline in consumer spending was partially offset by a 5.8% increase in government spending. Most of that came from an 18.1% increase in defense spending by the federal government.
The third-quarter GDP figure is considered preliminary and could be revised several times before a final number is calculated. The reported decline was not as big as the -0.5 percent drop forecast by economists, and that gave stocks a lift.
"My best guess is that GDP will be negative 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter," said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia St. University's Robinson College of Business. "Consumption can drop like a rock when an actual credit squeeze is going on."


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Car sharing startup, Green Commuter, is launching a fleet of seven Tesla Model X electric SUVs in August, available for businesses and private consumers in the Los Angeles area.
York-based Streamline Taxis has added two Toyota Priuses to its fleet. Supplied by Vantage Motor Group, the new vehicles join 18 Toyota Auris Hybrid models previously ordered from Vantage.
Scottish Borders Council has acquired six electric vehicles with the help of Transport Scotland funding.
Renault has launched a new scheme that give Swedish drivers the opportunity to recharge their electric car at someone else’s home.
Hyundai and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have entered the second phase of the fuel cell vehicle partnership as they prepare for the rollout of fuel cell vehicles nationwide in the near future.
Significant increases in uptake of electric vehicles are essential to meeting future emissions standards, a new report finds.
The New Motion, a leading European provider of charging solutions, is expanding into the UK.
Commercial electrical vehicle (EV) charging solutions specialist Evolt has supplied and installed Rapid and Fast electric vehicle (EV) charge points for Argyll and Bute Council.
The first of 42 new electric vehicles has been deployed on the Leeds City Council fleet in a move to cut costs and emissions.
Electric vehicle drivers in Milton Keynes can now park for free in 15,000 commuter and charging spaces under the first of a series of nationwide EV initiatives.
New research shows that more work is needed to educate drivers on the range capabilities of electric vehicles and the growing coverage offered by the charging network.
West Lothian Council has taken delivery of three all-electric Nissan e-NV200 vans and seven Nissan LEAFs as part of its ongoing work to reducing carbon emissions.
Nissan GB customers buying a Nissan LEAF purchased with finance are being offered the chance to receive a free home charging point.
Hyundai has announced the pricing and specification details for the IONIQ, which goes on sale on 13 October in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones has announced a £19 million funding pot to help commercial vehicle fleets adopt the latest in low and zero emission vehicle technologies.
The station is being deployed by hydrogen energy operator HDF to serve local captive fleets with fuel cell powered vehicles. The HRS will be commissioned mid-2017. The electrolyser HRS will be partly funded … Read More »
The government and industry-backed campaign said its research suggests that the Government forecast for all new cars and vans to have ultra low emissions by 2040 is on track to be met. Poppy … Read More »
Targeted at all vehicles, not just EVs, the solution provides a scheduling solution that sends the best route for their entire itinerary to each driver, directly into the Sygic Navigation app. The tool can … Read More »
So says Chevin Fleet Solutions, adding that it would be a “major boost to adoption”. Ashley Sowerby, managing director, said: “Having a charging point at your place of work or client sites would … Read More »
Aided by an £800,000 grant from the OLEV Go Ultra Low Cities funding pot, the City Council has already met with residents interested in having an electric charging station installed in their street. The … Read More »


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Tag: YPO member
African economies are reeling from the effects of COVID-19 on businesses and the lack of funding is being felt across all sectors of healthcare, infrastructure and small and medium enterprises. In light of the economic crisis YPO Africa and Invest Africa have partnered together to start an investment drive into Africa, joining CNBC Africa for more is Riël Malan, YPO Africa COVID-19 Response Committee Chair and an Invest Africa Board Member.
African CEOs are on par with global business leaders as they agree that building trust with stakeholders is an essential key to promoting growth and maintaining relations, this is according to the YPO Global Pulse Survey on Trust. Joining CNBC Africa for more and his State of the Nation Address expectations is Gareth Ackerman, Chairman of the Board at Pick ‘n Pay Stores and an YPO International Board member.
Dhruv Jog, Managing Director of Advent Construction and YPO member explains the current challenges being faced in Tanzania’s construction industry.


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Top officers of First Niagara Financial Group Inc. have purchased more than $500,000 worth of company stock since the start of August.
As a group, the six executives purchased 67,500 shares of First Niagara (NASDAQ: FNFG), on the open market, for a total of $517,100.
John Koelmel, CEO of First Niagara, got the ball rolling Aug. 1, with the largest of the six purchases.
Koelmel spent $188,250 on 25,000 shares, paying, on average, $7.53 a share. That put Koelmel’s direct interest—not counting unexercised stock options—at 396,853 shares.
Including options, he controls about 900,000 of the 352 million shares of First Niagara stock outstanding.
Stock in First Niagara closed Aug. 8 at $8.15 a share. The stock’s price has declined about 23 percent in the past year, prompting some analysts to consider it undervalued.
As of May, research firm Sterne Agee and Leach had a price target of $11 a share on First Niagara. The Buffalo-based bank recently concluded its purchase of more than 100 HSBC retail bank branches in a deal valued at $1 billion.
The options held by Koelmel and the other top executives are currently “under water,” priced at $13.79 a share.
Other First Niagara executives to purchase stock this month include Daniel Cantara, vice president of commercial services; Gary Crosby, chief operating officer; and Gregory Norwood, chief financial officer.


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Watch Dogs 2 is reportedly set to launch on November 15th for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. This is according to a leaked promotional material for the game that managed to sneak ahead of the official announcement on June 8th.
The promotional artwork can be seen below and it also reveals the main protagonist, which matches the earlier leak of the main character through one of the voice actor’s Instagram account.
The promotional artwork also shows the Golden Gate bridge of San Francisco in the background which confirms the location of the city for this sequel.
Watch Dogs was a unique take on the open world formula of Grand Theft Auto series that added hacking abilities to the mix allowing users to perform various tasks like hack into security feeds or shut down electricity. This resulted in a different gameplay experience compared to what we have seen in other similar open world games. It remains to be seen what the sequel has in store for us considering it will follow the same formula set by its predecessor.
Watch Dogs 2 is currently confirmed for PS4, Xbox One and PC and will launch on November 15th. An official reveal with trailer will happen tomorrow on June 8th at 6 PM CEST.


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Travelodge’s owner is preparing the chain of budget hotels for a possible sale of more than £1 billion, based on a strong domestic travel recovery.
GoldenTree American hedge fund, which acquired Travelodge back in 2012, is meeting with investment bankers to compete for the mandate of selling the 595-hotel chain. Sources in the city said that GoldenTree was looking for £1.2 billion to buy Travelodge.
GoldenTree is a credit investor that manages assets worth about $50 billion (£39.8billion). The company wants to capitalize on the strong trade at UK’s second-largest hotel chain where rooms begin at £37 per night. Travelodge, Premier Inn and its bigger rival both benefit from the consumers switching to cheaper options as well as the trend of staycations.
Travelodge’s chief executive Jo Boydell reported that the company had underlying sales in 2017 of £909.9million, which is a 25% increase over pre-pandemic figures. The underlying profit was £212.9million.
Travelodge has changed owners several times since Charles Forte opened its first UK outlet at Burton upon Trent, in 1985. The chain was acquired by Permira, a private equity firm in 2003. It had been part of the Granada Group before it demerged.
Permira sold Travelodge to Dubai International Capital in 2008 for £675m. This highly leveraged transaction left Permira exposed during the financial crisis of 2008. Travelodge, a hotel chain owned by GoldenTree and Goldman Sachs, was acquired in 2012 through a debt for equity swap. GoldenTree then took over the company.
UK leisure businesses continue to be in high demand by investors, despite a slowdown in dealmaking in general. This is due to the continuing surge of staycation holidays. Brookfield is looking for buyers for Center Parcs as part of a deal which the private equity firm hopes will generate between £4 billion to £5 billion. Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, is looking to sell 250 pubs and restaurant to allow it to concentrate more on its budget hotel chain.
Travelodge announced last month it would be opening 300 new locations in the UK. The company cited a high demand for business trips by “blue-collar” workers as a reason. The company issued £550m of bonds in April as part of an overall refinancing.
The list of prospective buyers will be shortened as all of its hotels are under lease. Potential buyers may also be concerned about the labour shortages in the hospitality industry.
GoldenTree has been reported to prefer a sale over a public offering of Travelodge. Goldman Sachs, with its vast knowledge of the industry, is considered a strong candidate to receive the mandate for the sale.
Travelodge was forced to undergo a controversial restructuring known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to temporarily reduce its rent bill after hotels were forced to shut down during the pandemic. Nick Leslau and other landlords accused the owners of avoiding bills that they could pay.
GoldenTree specializes in seizing control over highly indebted businesses. The London-based firm, with an office in Mayfair, was one of three hedge funds who seized control over Debenhams through a debt to equity swap, before the company collapsed in 2020. GoldenTree recovered most of its initial investment.


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Jeld-Wen’s IPO Goes LiveJanuary 27th, 2017 by Trey Barrineau
Door and window giant Jeld-Wen launched its initial public offering (IPO) today on the New York Stock Exchange at an announced price of $23 per share. In a release, the company said it’s putting 25 million shares of its common stock into the IPO, which could raise up to $575 million.
The company is selling about 22.3 million shares. Canadian-based private-equity firm Onex is selling roughly 2.7 million shares. Onex will eventually own about 63.4 of Jeld-Wen’s stock after the IPO.
The deal’s underwriters also have a 30-day option to buy an additional 3.75 million shares from Onex. The company will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol JELD. The offering is expected to close on February 1, 2017.
The company said it will use about $375 million of the IPO to pay down its debt. The rest will be used for “general corporate purposes,” according to a prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jeld-Wen initially filed for an IPO on June 1, 2016.
According to Jeld-Wen’s prospectus, the company holds the No. 1 position in residential doors by net revenues in the United States, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland). It’s No. 2 in residential doors by net revenues in Canada, the United Kingdom and Austria. The company holds the No. 3 position by net revenues in residential windows in the United States and Canada and the No. 1 position in Australia.
Jeld-Wen operates 115 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries. It’s headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. In November, the company announced that it would expand its operations in Charlotte by building a new corporate campus and hiring about 200 workers.
This article is from Door and Window Market [DWM] magazine's free e-newsletter that covers the latest door and window industry news. Click HERE to sign up—there is no charge. Interested in a deeper dive? Free subscriptions to [DWM] magazine in print or digital format are available. Subscribe at no charge HERE.


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If you see a black cart the size of a mini-cooler wheeling through your neighborhood, don't be alarmed. It might just be your neighbor's lunch.
Self-driving robots are now roaming the streets of Miami, delivering takeout orders to customers who opt for an automated driver instead of a human one.
The robots are the result of a collaboration between Miami-based Reef Technology
, one of the largest operators of so-called ghost kitchens in North America, and Cartken
, a self-driving delivery robotics startup. The robots officially launched in downtown Miami this month.
Designed to make short-distance deliveries of small orders more efficient, the electric-powered bots offer a zero-emission, contactless way to deliver food that also reduces road congestion and pollution, says Matt Lindenberger, Reef's chief technology officer.
"Miami is just the start," Lindenberger tells New Times.
"We are planning to expand to other neighborhoods in Miami-Dade and Broward counties soon, as well as other large metro areas where Reef operates, such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York. Eventually, we plan to offer the option for customers to choose robot delivery on the major food delivery platforms Reef works with."
Consumers who order from a Reef partner brand using Postmates, UberEats, DoorDash, or GrubHub may be prompted with the option of a robot delivery. Those who choose the robot option will be alerted via text message when the robot arrives, typically within 30 minutes. The robot’s food compartment is locked so that no one but the recipient can access the order.
Reef touts the autonomous vehicles as a safe, reliable, and sustainable way for Miamians to receive orders placed through its network of restaurant and retail partners, which include Della Bowls, Krispy Rice, Genuine Burger, Fuku, Mamma Parmigiana, BurgerFi, Michy B’s, Van Leeuwen, and Sam’s Crispy Chicken..
The robots’ sophisticated mix of sensors and cameras help them navigate busy sidewalks and crosswalks, as well as over steps and curbs.
According to Anjali Jindal Naik, co-founder and COO of Cartken, the devices' sophisticated AI leverages the company's expertise in self-driving cars. The first robots launched in California, followed by the company's partnership with Reef in Miami.
"Our team was able to develop a fully integrated system in less than a year," says Naik. "The robots are designed to be pedestrian-friendly and not overcrowd the sidewalk. They are the size of a small cooler and fit three grocery bags. They can go up to five miles per hour and can travel anywhere there’s a sidewalk. Moving forward, we hope to have them access multiple-level buildings through elevators and potentially escalators."
Miami's two electric-powered bots have been on the road for several weeks, and are currently servicing delivery-only kitchens to recipients located within a three-quarter-mile radius of downtown Miami. Reef says it will be rolling out more Cartken robots in additional locations and neighborhoods within the coming weeks.
Beyond creating an entertaining way to receive your food, Lindenberger says the robots help its local partners meet the increasing demand for delivery. The robots operate during peak hours, increasing efficiency and preventing "bottlenecks" — periods when numerous delivery orders are placed at the same time.
"Each is currently averaging about two orders per hour," Lindenberger reports. "Volume-wise, we expect about 250 deliveries per month per bot, giving us a 47 percent reduction in delivery costs when using the robots."
Lindenberger says the company began piloting its bots in downtown Miami several months ago, and was pleased with the how well they were able to interpret their environment and quickly react to obstacles. Should one of them run into an unknown situation, a member of Reef's supervisory team can operate the robot via remote control — or even accompany it on its journey.
"We want to show how future-forward Miami can be," Lindenberger says. "The combination of us having a big presence in Miami and the fact that there are a lot of challenges around congestion as COVID subsides, shows a really good environment where we can show how this tech can work."


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LPG price slashed again
Published: 02:28 PM, 31 May 2021
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Monday cut the retail price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) of private companies by over 7 percent to Tk 842 for every 12kg cylinder.
The new price will come into effect from June 1 (Tuesday).
Announcing the new price at a virtual press conference, BERC chairman Abdul Jalil said the commission re-fixed the price as per the new rate of the Saudi Contract Price for May.
The contract price rate set by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) each month is the dominant price for LPG in Asia and elsewhere in the world.
BERC members Maqbool E-Elahi Chowdhury, Mohammad Abu Farooq, Bazlur Rahman, Secretary Rubina Ferdous, Deputy Director Kamruzzaman and others were connected at the press conference.
Last month, the BERC also brought down the retail price of the fuel by around 7 percent to Tk 906 for every 12kg cylinder.


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Recently, developer Undead Labs announced that State of Decay 2, the third-person zombie survival game, would get a visual overhaul for some of its maps. The game is also getting field of view tweaks.
Windows 11 widget monitors CPU, GPU, RAM, and more, here's how to enable
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Undead labs RSS
Undead Labs' next update to State of Decay 2 will see the original games' Trumbull Valley return as a brand-new sandbox map for regular play, containing new bases, missions, storylines, and more.
Undead Labs' latest update to State of Decay 2 brings Xbox Series X|S enhancements, a brand new Lethal difficulty mode for an even more brutal experience, new achievements, and more.
Undead Labs is bringing a new State of Decay game to Microsoft platforms, with State of Decay 3 being announced today during the Xbox Games Showcase. The zombie-ness is now spreading to animals.
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition is a free upgrade coming to all owners of the game as well as Xbox Game Pass subscribers, bringing all DLC packs, a new map, graphics improvements and more.
Microsoft and Undead Labs are bringing State of Decay 2 to Steam early next year, almost two years after its original release on the Microsoft Store. There are some "wild surprises" planned too.
The latest and largest expansion for State of Decay 2, Heartland, is now available. Following two different story paths, the add-on retails for $9.99 and is available on Xbox One, PC, or in Game Pass.
State of Decay 2 players will be returning to the original game's Trumbull Valley in 2019. The game is also getting a free update this week, bringing in experimental power-ups, crossbows, and more.
Undead Labs has released the newest DLC pack for its survival zombie title, State of Decay 2. Bringing in a brand new horde mode, a new special zombie and more, the Daybreak Pack, is now available.
Undead Labs' zombie survival title State of Decay 2 will receive a base defense mode as DLC in September, where players will step in the shoes of high skilled and gun-toting Talon soldiers.
Celebrating the 3 million player mark and the Fourth of July, Undead Labs has released a new DLC pack with new vehicles, weapons, fireworks, and more. There's also a free update for the game.
Shoring up on it's first-party offering, Microsoft today announced it was adding Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games and The Initiative to its Microsoft Studios family.
Microsoft today announced that the Undead Labs-developed zombie survival title State of Decay 2 has been played by more than two million players in less than two weeks since its launch.
The Microsoft platform exclusive zombie survival game, State of Decay 2, received a 20GB update today, bringing stability improvements, a large number of bug fixes, and various other changes.
Over a million players have entered the grim world of State of Decay 2 since its release, putting in over six million hours of total playtime. Updates to resolve bugs are also being worked on.
State of Decay 2 is Undead Labs' second attempt at an unforgiving zombie survival title, which is heading to Xbox One and Windows 10. But, is the sequel good enough to warrant a purchase?
Microsoft announced today that in addition to the Standard and Ultimate editions of State of Decay 2, there is also a Collector's Edition, coming with a severed 'thumb-drive', a brain stand and more.
State of Decay 2's new release date has it arriving for Xbox One and Windows 10 on May 22, with Microsoft offering a standard edition for $29.99 and an Ultimate Edition for $49.99.
State of Decay 2 will have three maps at launch, each with unique environments, landmarks and more. The zombie survival game is an Xbox Play Anywhere title and will be released "sometime" this year.
The popular Xbox 360 zombie game "State of Decay" will make its way to Xbox One in spring 2015, featuring remastered 1080p graphics and additional content.
Undead Labs, the Seattle-based developer of the zombie action game "State of Decay", has announced it has signed a "multi-year, multi-title agreement" with Microsoft Studios.


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Connected to be Displayed at Macworld 2010
January 27, 2010,(TORONTO, CANADA)- Accountek Solutions INC, worldwide distributor of the Connected Accounting Software, are pleased to announce that they will be exhibiting at the Macworld Expo from Feb 11-13th.
Macworld brings Mac enthusiasts from all over the world to a gathering that showcases all things Mac. With the recent iPad announcement, the buzz over Apple products is like never before. Connected offers attendees an opportunity to review a first class accounting solution for small to mid size business. As the Mac market grows, more and more businesses will look to Connected for their business needs.
The show is located in San Francisco at the Mascone Center from February 11-13. Accountek welcomes those attending the show to come visit our staff at booth 766-c. For more information on the show or to register for admission, please visit www.macworldexpo.com


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The Netherlands is looking to prevent the use of crypto for illicit purposes.
Bitcoin and Ether are currently trading at a large premium on South Korean exchanges.
tZERO has introduced a new app that combines a digital wallet with exchange services.
Swiss security token firm BlockState plans to “passport” half a dozen ERC-20 tokens from ethereum to R3’s private distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform Corda.
The foundation revealed that the 500,000 DOT tokens sold were sold at the project’s targeted valuation of $1.2 billion.
The nonprofit had recently spent a month testing MakerDAO’s DAI stablecoin as a relief vehicle in a pilot project conducted in the South Pacific Ocean nation of Vanuatu.
EIP 2024 and EIP 1702 were chosen from nearly 30 EIPs reviewed by ethereum developers during their bi-weekly call on June 21.
Cloudflare is offering the new service free of charge.
Ethereum-based decentralized video platform Livepeer has secured $8 million.
European payment app 2gether is adding dash to its roster of supported tokens.
Monerium's co-founder claims their EMI model, which is more conservative when it comes to deposits, provides consumers with more protection compared to banks.
Financial regulations in Poland played a major part in the Warsaw-based Alior’s decision to use a public blockchain for their document authenticator project.
Two blockchain-centered startups have inked partnership to allow Amazon purchases with ethereum.
Enigma is officially releasing its second test network for “secret contract” blockchain.
ConsenSys subsidiary Truffle has announced that it will be integrating its ethereum developer tools with Microsoft Azure in a bid to bring quality developer tools to enterprise blockchains.


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First the inheritor to the Anheuser-Busch empire entered the hashish trade on his personal. Now, Budweiser itself has partnered with main trade participant Tilray to analysis non-alcoholic drinks that embrace THC and/or CBD.
The corporations introduced Wednesday they’d every make investments as much as $50 million in conducting the analysis. Tilray’s analysis shall be carried out by means of its subsidiary, High Park Company, whereas Anheuser-Busch will run its research by means of its Canadian subsidiary, Labatt Breweries. Tilray told MarketWatch the partnership is restricted to Canada, although the businesses will talk about collectively producing merchandise that come from the analysis sooner or later.
“For us, it’s early days on this trade and analysis looks like the best place to start,” Tilray Chief Executive Brendan Kennedy said. “At Tilray, we’ve been performing research and develop for almost five years on lots of different aspects of cannabis and cannabinoid delivery.”
Not solely will the analysis deal with the consequences of such cannabis-infused drinks, figuring out the period of the product’s intoxication and its efficiency, the businesses will even develop greatest practices for packaging hashish merchandise, scaling, and recipes. Kennedy stated the aim shall be creating “iconic and responsible cannabis infused beverages and brands” that disrupt the hashish trade as is.
While Tilray’s rivals have additionally enjoyed headline-generating offers with large companies just like the mum or dad corporations of Marlboro and Corona, these rivals acquired investments, which Tilray wasn’t fascinated with. Nor is Tilray fascinated with being acquired anytime quickly.
“We obviously want to partner with other global pioneers and other leaders in their respective sectors,” Kennedy stated. “We think it’s too early to give up control of our own destiny. Other companies have bought two of our competitors in this industry and it’s far too early for a transaction like that.”
As different industries eye their means into hashish, the partnership between Budweiser and Tilray represents a brand new mannequin to develop higher merchandise for customers. Under this settlement, each Budweiser and Tilray can select to keep up their independence shifting ahead or not.
“As consumers in Canada explore THC and CBD-infused products, our innovative drive is matched only by our commitment to the highest standards of product quality and responsible marketing,” Labatt Breweries President Kyle Norrington said. “We intend to develop a deeper understanding of non-alcohol beverages containing THC and CBD that will guide future decisions about potential commercial opportunities.”
This article was initially printed on The Fresh Toast.
Get Real-Time Updates from The Daily Marijuana Observer


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ITWorldCanada.com is reporting on the ramifications of the recent worldwide point of sale (POS) botnet infection, writing that retailers’ POS systems seem to be one of the soft targets for cybercriminals looking to steal payment and credit card information from unsuspecting users.
The discovery of the botnet comes on the heels of other high-profile cases involving U.S. retailers, including Target Corp.
As the only full-service POS provider — from software development to franchise incubator to ongoing support — part of Sintel’s commitment to our customers and business community is to share relevant news and industry information.
Here are some of the highlights of the “Canada hit by worldwide POS infection” ITWorldCanada report:
– The global botnet, dubbed “Nemanja,” hit approximately 1,500 POS terminals and other retail accounting platforms at companies in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Venezuela and 27 other countries.
– Nemanja was first discovered in March, 2014 by Los Angeles-based cyber threat intelligence firm, IntelCrawler, whose company spokesman said the culprits may be Serbian. The article says IntelCrawler is predicting an increasing number of new data breaches in the retail and small business segments of the economy, and forecasts the emergence of “new types of specific malicious code targeted at retailers’ back-office systems and cash registers.”
– Nemanja was collecting credit card data and also found to be gathering credentials via keylogging, which could then be used to gain access to payment and personal data on other systems. ITWorldCanada.com says IntelCrawler found 25 different programs running on the affected systems, including POS, grocery store management and accounting software.
– Attack vectors identified by IntelCrawler included “drive-by-download” and remote administration channels hacking. The company says, “Card associations should expect a trend of POS infections in developing countries in the near future, because of high significant lag in information security of retailers.”
– IntelCrawler adds, “Countries with high ‘social grades’ and developed payment industries, including Canada, will also remain high on attackers’ lists.”
Just as Sintel shares our vast point of sale (POS) experience and expertise with startup owners in order to help them make the best decisions from the very beginning, we are happy to share articles, advice and commentary about retail point of sale and security.
Whether you’re a first-time franchise hopeful, a small business owner or an established chain, it’s imperative to stay on top of the latest POS best security practices to achieve financial success.
If you are interested in learning more about Sintel’s POS systems and how our knowledge and support can impact your future success, call us for a complimentary phone consultation.
Read the full ITWorldCanada.com post here.
Sintel Systems is the only direct to end user full-service provider of tailored Point of Sale systems across retail, restaurant and service industries, including frozen yogurt shops, pizzerias, sushi restaurants, cafés and retail stores.
As a single source for business solutions, our experienced, knowledgeable team negotiates the complex POS landscape for you to enable you to find the right POS system for your business and budget. Hardware – Software – Support


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The Web’s ‘Biggest Sinkholes’—And Why They Matter Beyond Online
Publishers that play 'me-too' are in for a rough ride.
Internet Evolution has posted a recent feature that identified Web 2.0’s "biggest sinkholes"-areas in which startups are "gorging on investors" with little to show for it in return. The biggest sinkholes included:
While each of those areas represent a terrific opportunity for an original, committed business plan, they are also rife with "me too" imposters that are trying to piggyback off the success of others without understanding the elements of what made those companies successful in the first place.
The Internet Evolution story is a much more macro take on Web 2.0 than just the publishing industry but it offers some lessons for publishers on the dangers of the "me-too" approach beyond online. Within the last two months, the industry has seen Source Business Media, Nielsen Business Media, F+W and now Time reorganize edit and other departments around market, rather than media. It’s a smart approach and one that works well provided the core edit talent is still the best it can be-new titles and new flow charts won’t make up for a lack of talent. But how many of those companies have undergone real change and how many are just reshuffling the deck?
For years magazine publishers have been accused of turning to online only to try and recreate the same thing they’ve always done in print. As the entire industry attempts to navigate not only a shift in media but one of the most severe economic downturns it’s ever seen, it’s clear that "me-too"-whether online or in corporate strategy-won’t be the way out for any of us.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 16, 2014 11:24 AM EST||
CHICAGO, Jan. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sophie's at Saks Fifth Avenue, a new signature restaurant from Fifth Dining, will make its debut in Chicago on the 7th floor of Saks Fifth Avenue's Michigan Avenue store. Sophie's is inspired by American fashion designer Sophie Gimbel, the arbiter of style for Saks for nearly 40 years. Two Chicago restaurant veterans, Executive Chef Ron Aleman, formerly of the Fairmont Chicago, and General Manager Michel Gabbud lead the team at Sophie's. Chef Aleman created the Sophie's Chicago menu, along with Sophie's Corporate Executive Chef, Barcelona-born Alexandro Reyes. It will offer globally influenced yet decidedly American cuisine and libations in an intimate and modern setting overlooking Michigan Avenue, perfect for business or social dining.
"Every restaurant needs an inspiration and in Sophie Gimbel, we have found the perfect muse," said Michael Kaufman, president, Fifth Dining, which operates exclusively to serve as the food and beverage partner of iconic retailer Saks Fifth Avenue. "The first American designer to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, Sophie was a savvy businesswoman who also cooked, gardened, and canned her own fruits and vegetables. Moreover, she did this with an unending sense of wit and style, which we honor in the restaurant's menu and design."
Aleman's menu at Sophie's in Chicago will focus on simple ingredients, sourced locally and seasonally whenever possible, to create contemporary American dishes inspired by world flavors. Sophie's seeks to surprise guests with innovative combinations and flavors and present them in a way that is memorable, for late breakfast, lunch, and afternoon and early evening cocktails. Weekend brunch will be added in the spring. The menu includes small plates such as Salt-Crusted Baby Beets with Gorgonzola, Pecan Caramel, Orange and Yuzu Vinaigrette. Scottish Salmon with Cumin Heirloom Carrots, Red Cress with a Carrot-Mascarpone Sauce and a Pasture-Raised Burger with Fries and Sriracha ketchup are two selections among the seasonal entrees, sandwiches and salads. The specially designed cocktail menu will feature smaller bites and sharable plates.
To complement the food, Sophie's mixologists created a beverage menu focusing on fresh, seasonal cocktails and handcrafted sodas, along with a carefully edited wine list featuring a selection of superb wines by the glass. Standout cocktails include the Sophie's Sonnet (Creme de Poete, fresh lemon juice, Imbue Petal & Thorn and Fee's Rhubarb Bitters) and the Bourbon Cherry Sour (Breaking & Entering Bourbon, Luxardo Morlacco Cherry Liqueur, fresh lemon juice and egg white).
Sophie's sits on the 7th floor alongside the new men's store, The Fifth Avenue Man. Guests of the restaurant will be whisked up to the 7th floor via a dedicated express elevator to experience sweeping views of the Magnificent Mile from the sleek, contemporary restaurant, designed by award-winning architect Andre Kikoski. Most recently lauded for the design of The Wright at The Guggenheim, Andre Kikoski Architect is the only firm to win three of the most prestigious hospitality design awards for a single project in a single year: the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant Design; the Gold Key Award for Hospitality Excellence and the Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award. In describing the design vision for Sophie's Kikoski said, "We sought to engage the fundamental innovation, luxury and cool that is the core of both Sophie Gimbel and Saks Fifth Avenue in a way that is inviting, elegant and chic."
Sophie's is located at 700 N. Michigan Avenue on the 7th floor of Saks Fifth Avenue. Hours of operation are 10am-7pm, Monday-Wednesday; 10am-8pm, Thursday-Saturday, and 11am-7pm on Sunday. For more information or reservations, please visit www.sophies.com or call 312.525.3400.
About Fifth Dining
Fifth Dining LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centerplate, Inc., one of the nation's largest hospitality companies, operates exclusively to serve as the food and beverage partner of iconic retailer Saks Fifth Avenue. This includes New York City's flagship store, which features the Cafe SFA and SnAKS restaurants. Sophie's at Saks Fifth Avenue is a new destination restaurant launching in select Saks stores beginning in 2014. For more information, please call 203-975-5917.
SOURCE Fifth Dining LLC
In his keynote at 19th Cloud Expo, Sheng Liang, co-founder and CEO of Rancher Labs, discussed the technological advances and new business opportunities created by the rapid adoption of containers. With the success of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and various open source technologies used to build private clouds, cloud computing has become an essential component of IT strategy. However, users continue to face challenges in implementing clouds, as older technologies evolve and newer ones like Docker c...
Apr. 29, 2017 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,244
SYS-CON Events announced today that T-Mobile will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc., is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The Company's advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 67.4 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on ...
Apr. 29, 2017 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,562
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing Cloud strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @CloudExpo | @ThingsExpo, June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY and October 31 - November 2, 2017, Santa Clara Convention Center, CA. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is on the right path to Digital Transformation.
Apr. 29, 2017 05:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,623
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Apr. 29, 2017 04:45 PM EDT Reads: 3,360
Data is an unusual currency; it is not restricted by the same transactional limitations as money or people. In fact, the more that you leverage your data across multiple business use cases, the more valuable it becomes to the organization. And the same can be said about the organization’s analytics. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Bill Schmarzo, CTO for the Big Data Practice at Dell EMC, introduced a methodology for capturing, enriching and sharing data (and analytics) across the organization...
Apr. 29, 2017 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 6,820
Building a cross-cloud operational model can be a daunting task. Per-cloud silos are not the answer, but neither is a fully generic abstraction plane that strips out capabilities unique to a particular provider. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Chris Wolf, VP & Chief Technology Officer, Global Field & Industry at VMware, will discuss how successful organizations approach cloud operations and management, with insights into where operations should be centralized and when it’s best to decentraliz...
Apr. 29, 2017 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,037
Five years ago development was seen as a dead-end career, now it’s anything but – with an explosion in mobile and IoT initiatives increasing the demand for skilled engineers. But apart from having a ready supply of great coders, what constitutes true ‘DevOps Royalty’? It’ll be the ability to craft resilient architectures, supportability, security everywhere across the software lifecycle. In his keynote at @DevOpsSummit at 20th Cloud Expo, Jeffrey Scheaffer, GM and SVP, Continuous Delivery Busine...
Apr. 29, 2017 03:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,331
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with 20th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry p...
Apr. 29, 2017 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,639
SYS-CON Events announced today that Progress, a global leader in application development, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Enterprises today are rapidly adopting the cloud, while continuing to retain business-critical/sensitive data inside the firewall. This is creating two separate data silos – one inside the firewall and the other outside the firewall. Cloud ISVs oft...
Apr. 29, 2017 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 696
SYS-CON Events announced today that Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Juniper Networks challenges the status quo with products, solutions and services that transform the economics of networking. The company co-innovates with customers and partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure network...
Apr. 29, 2017 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,796
In recent years, containers have taken the world by storm. Companies of all sizes and industries have realized the massive benefits of containers, such as unprecedented mobility, higher hardware utilization, and increased flexibility and agility; however, many containers today are non-persistent. Containers without persistence miss out on many benefits, and in many cases simply pass the responsibility of persistence onto other infrastructure, adding additional complexity.
Apr. 29, 2017 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,487
SYS-CON Events announced today that CA Technologies has been named "Platinum Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 20th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, and 21st International Cloud Expo, which will take place in November in Silicon Valley, California.
Apr. 29, 2017 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,651
New competitors, disruptive technologies, and growing expectations are pushing every business to both adopt and deliver new digital services. This ‘Digital Transformation’ demands rapid delivery and continuous iteration of new competitive services via multiple channels, which in turn demands new service delivery techniques – including DevOps. In this power panel at @DevOpsSummit 20th Cloud Expo, moderated by DevOps Conference Co-Chair Andi Mann, panelists will examine how DevOps helps to meet th...
Apr. 29, 2017 01:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,831
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the ‘digital exhaust’ from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain.
Apr. 29, 2017 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,932
Did you know that you can develop for mainframes in Java? Or that the testing and deployment can be automated across mobile to mainframe? In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 20th Cloud Expo, Vaughn Marshall, Sr. Principal Product Owner at CA Technologies, will discuss and demo how increasingly teams are developing with agile methodologies using modern development environments and automating testing and deployments, mobile to mainframe.
Apr. 29, 2017 01:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,613


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Microsoft will launch a new line of Surface tablets later this year, including one or more smaller 7-in. devices, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Almost 2.4 billion computers, tablets and cellphones will ship this year, according to estimates from Gartner.
Though IT trailed other sectors as market indices rose to milestone highs this quarter, some bright spots in earnings and market research reports this week indicate continuing confidence that things will go better for tech this year than in 2012.
Worldwide spending on IT products and services will grow 4.1 percent this year to roughly US$3.8 trillion, according to new forecast figures released by analyst firm Gartner.
Gartner analysts said in a report released Monday that BlackBerry's new BB10 software isn't going to achieve world-beating results anytime soon. Even BlackBerry officials have literally begun singing the praises of the new Z10 smartphone in anticipat...
BlackBerry Z10 sales kick off this Friday in the U.S., but it is still unclear how popular the smartphone and its Q10 cousin running BlackBerry 10 will be, amid a number of contradictory predictions and indicators.
Samsung is planning to release a high-end smartphone running on the open-source Tizen operating system in August or September.
CRM (customer relationship management) software will be the top priority for additional spending on enterprise applications around the world this year and next, according to newly released data from analyst firm Gartner.
Is Apple the winner in the smartphone race or has Samsung left it for dust? Various market research companies have revealed data for the final quarter of 2012, but the reports appear to contradict each other.
HTC has announced its new flagship HTC One smartphone, which HTC Americas President Mike Woodward dubbed "the best phone ever made."
The global market for BI (business intelligence) software will hit US$13.8 billion in 2013, but the pace of growth will be slower than in past years, according to new figures from analyst firm Gartner.
Global smartphone sales skyrocketed by 38 per cent in the fourth quarter year over year. Meanwhile, Samsung ended 2012 in the top position for both smartphone sales and overall mobile phone sales, Gartner reported.
Many large companies are embracing internal social networks, but for the most part, they're not getting much good from them, according to analyst firm Gartner.
The Hadoop open source programming framework for large-scale data analysis is already one of the highest-profile technologies in the "big data" market, but users can expect it to become even more prevalent over the next couple of years, according to ...
The Big Data buzzword and industry trend had a pretty good year perception-wise in 2012, but the hype may soon fade into a period of disillusionment among users, according to analyst firms Ovum and Gartner.
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A smarter way to print for busy small business owners, combining speedy printing with scanning and copying, making it easier to produce high quality documents and images at a touch of a button.
I've had a multifunction printer in the office going on 10 years now. It was a neat bit of kit back in the day -- print, copy, scan, fax -- when printing over WiFi felt a bit like magic. It’s seen better days though and an upgrade’s well overdue. This HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 looks like it ticks all the same boxes: print, copy, scan, and fax. (Really? Does anyone fax anything any more? I guess it's good to know the facility’s there, just in case.) Printing over WiFi is more-or- less standard these days.
As a freelance writer who is always on the go, I like my technology to be both efficient and effective so I can do my job well. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 Inkjet Printer ticks all the boxes in terms of form factor, performance and user interface.
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Joel Eisemann, Chief Development Officer, The Americas, IHG said: We are very enthused to be working with Graves Hospitality and Intercontinental
Real Estate Corporation on this new-build InterContinental
hotel, which will be an outstanding addition to the brand.
Sawaya will oversee the operation of InterContinental
Al Jubail, InterContinental
Al Ahsa and Crowne Plaza Al Khobar.
is much more than a room category,' Bruce Ryde, director Brand Marketing, Luxury and Lifestyle brands, IHG Asia, Middle East & Africa, is quick to add.
The brand, which is part of the InterContinental
Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, also claimed one of the most coveted awards, Asia's Leading Luxury Business Hotel Brand, for the second year in a row.
This much anticipated Michelin dinner tour will take place at three InterContinental
Hotels in Vietnam:
In his new role, Martin will open Dubai's newest InterContinental
hotel, due to open its doors in the final quarter of this year.
Hotels Group (IHG) has announced its plans for a third InterContinental
property for London, named InterContinental
London The O2, and set to open in 2015.
The tour, organised in partnership with InterContinental
Doha The City, was aimed at raising public awareness to one of the best preserved 18th-19th century merchant town in the Gulf.
Mouawad joined the IHG family in 2002 at Crowne Plaza Hotel Beirut and his last assignment was director of sales and marketing at InterContinental
Enad Tannous, General Manager of InterContinental
Aqaba Resort said: EoACA[pounds sterling]We at InterContinental
Aqaba Resort are passionate about supporting our local communities in every way possible, and we have initiated many activities that are in accordance with the overall InterContinental
Hotels Group (IHG) Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, and this blood donation campaign is no different.
After saying that "hotel industry consolidation is inevitable at some stage," analysts at Numis Securities speculated that a merger between InterContinental
Hotels Group and Marriott International would "create a dominant player in the global hotel market.
Participating hotels include: InterContinental
Jericho, Crowne Plaza Amman, Crowne Plaza Petra, Holiday Inn Amman and Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea


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New news about the successor to the Galaxy S3 smartphone reappeared. This time, Samsung will release it issued on March 15, 2013.
Quoted from TechRadar, Thursday (2/7), the European market will be the first target and will be available a few weeks after [...]
To promote Windows Phone 8, Microsoft took the actress Jessica Alba and singer Gwen Stefani as their commercials. The two celebrities have been selected for the top stars, their status was also a homemaker.
Ads featuring Windows Phone 8 is a busy celebrity [...]
Grand Theft Auto V is a radical re-creation of the GTA series.
Rockstar Games announced that the latest release of the Grand Theft Auto series of games will be on the market early next year.
Grand Theft Auto V alone in sieve-sieve by leading games publisher [...]
Sony finally officially announced their latest generation console, the PlayStation 4, at an event in New York, USA, some time ago.
Here are some things You gamers need to know about the PS4.
PS4 using the x86 AMD 8-core CPU and GPU with [...]
Kim Jong Il reportedly often inject himself with the blood of virgin teens to slow down the aging process.
The younger human blood has long been believed to be a drug life. One of the people who know to believe it was the late North Korean leader Kim [...]
You are one of those who dreamed of adventure and find treasures from the past? Google may be able to realize the dream.
Quoted from Slashgear, Monday (1/4), Google Maps Street View Team reportedly managed to find a treasure map of William ‘Captain’ [...]
Update Facebook app for iOS brings free phone features such as who has owned his messenger application.
Through this feature, users can make phone calls at no cost via Wi-Fi or 3G. Want to know how? Consider the following steps.
1. Go to the Facebook [...]
Cover story this week will discuss the new smartphone Samsung Galaxy S4.
One thing that most attracted the attention of the successor to the Galaxy S3 is the availability of Octa-core processors (8-core), which is believed to provide exceptional performance.
A Russian astronaut managed to record a new record as the oldest still active astronauts ‘walks’ in outer space.
Quoted by FoxNews, Monday (22/4), Pavel Vinogradov is recorded as the oldest astronaut at the age of 59 years.
Pavel has been [...]
The number of users increased four-fold compared to last year.
Website provider of free and paid storage service, Dropbox, today released an announcement stating that they have recorded a remarkable achievement by achieving 100 million users worldwide.
Linux developers, Canonical, claims a new version of Ubuntu 13.04 or so-called Raring Ringtail more efficient.
According to the Canonical claim, Raring Ringtail has improved performance. Among other uses fewer resources, faster boot times, lower [...]


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Amid privacy concerns, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has launched an investigation into Worldcoin’s data collection practices.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) of South Korea has officially announced started investigation into the cryptocurrency project Worldcoin (WLD) over concerns about its data collection methods, which included the collection of iris information. The commission detailed its course of action on March 4, 2024, following a series of citizen complaints about the privacy implications of Worldcoin’s operations.
Worldcoin has come under scrutiny for collecting biometric data at various locations in South Korea. The PIPC investigation will focus on compliance with the ‘Personal Information Protection Act’, in particular the collection and processing of sensitive data and the potential transfer of personal information overseas.
The PIPC, chaired by Go Hak-soo, confirmed that Worldcoin affiliates are actively accumulating facial and iris recognition data at approximately ten sites across the nation. The commission’s proactive approach underscores its role as a guardian of privacy in South Korea, reflecting growing global concern about the intersection of privacy and technology in the digital age.
This news is particularly important in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors, where the balance between innovation and user privacy is often debated. With the rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies and the increasing prevalence of blockchain technology in various aspects of everyday life, the PIPC’s actions may set a precedent for how similar cases can be handled globally.
As the investigation unfolds, the commission plans to scrutinize the extent of data collection, the security and consent protocols in place, and whether Worldcoin’s activities comply with South Korean laws governing the protection of personal information. Upon detection of violations, PIPK undertakes to take appropriate measures according to the applicable legislation.
Given the complexity of international law and the digital nature of cryptocurrency projects, which often operate across traditional borders, the PIPC investigation into Worldcoin may also spark further discussions about international cooperation and regulation in the digital currency space.
This development serves as a reminder to all entities operating in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries of the importance of complying with local privacy laws and regulations. As digital currencies continue to evolve, the need for clear guidelines and compliance with privacy standards becomes increasingly important to ensure that people’s personal information is protected.
Image source: Shutterstock


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Google has announced that it has started undertaking an effort to notify roughly half a million people whose computers or home routers are infected with a well-publicized form of malware known as DNSChanger. "After successfully alerting a million users last summer to a different type of malware, we've replicated this method and have started showing warnings via a special message that will appear at the top of the Google search results page for users with affected devices."
|Cybersquatting||Policy & Regulation|
|DNS Security||Registry Services|
|IP Addressing||White Space|
Afilias - Mobile & Web Services
Minds + Machines


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Chico's final day at its original Minnesota location is Jan. 27. The entire store went to 40 percent off today. According to the 50th & France Business Association, the property owner opted not to renew Chico's lease. Chico's has occupied that prime retail corner for 25 years. Insiders say the space was in need of a refresh, and the corner could use a new draw. Chico's has eight other Twin Cities stores, including one nearby at the Galleria.
Paper Source in Minneapolis
Paper Source, which has another store in Uptown, plans to open in March. It's a good fit for 50th, which has been short on the card/gift category in recent years. It could, however, be tough competition for locally owned stationery boutique Paperista, just down the street—but then, weddings are the bread and butter for Paperista, while Paper Source serves a broader base with cards, gifts, crafts, specialty papers, and more.


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Electronic platform platform platform Xfinity is set to launch its own virtual-reality gaming platform and mobile app, the company has confirmed.
Xfinity said it will launch its virtual-gaming platform, Xtreme Gaming, in 2020.
Xtreme will allow users to play games on mobile devices and the company said it has also plans to bring its gaming service to Android phones, tablets and other devices.
It said the service will be free, but will require an Xfactory subscription.
“The launch of Xtremefly is the culmination of many years of collaboration between our technology team and our business partners and we are delighted to bring Xtravaganza to mobile devices,” Xfury founder and CEO Paul F. Siegel said in a statement.
“Xtremeche platform will enable Xfinite players to access all the Xfins entertainment, news and information, all in one place.”
Xfinite is an online gaming service with a focus on entertainment, including news, sports, and gaming.
The platform will feature an interactive app that allows users to access games, including some that are exclusive to the Xtrium platform.
A spokesperson for Xfunity said the company had been in discussions with Xtria over the last few months.
Mr Siegel has a background in digital media and had previously worked for Facebook as the company’s vice president of content.
He has previously worked at Zynga and Google, before founding the company with Mr Finkler.
The launch comes a few weeks after a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance said Xfusion, which is owned by Xfone, would make its first-ever mobile game.
Earlier this year, Xfion said it would invest $50 million into the Xterra platform, a virtual-world game.
The Xtream service will allow players to interact with other users on an interactive map, similar to what is used on mobile games such as Candy Crush Saga.
“It’s a platform that will allow you to engage with the game world, interact with the people you’re with, and be a part of it,” Mr Siegel told The Australian Financial Review.
“The fun part of the experience is the fact that you’ll be able to play it wherever you are, on your mobile device, and on your television.”
Mr Sayer said that, in the future, Xxfinity could potentially launch a standalone mobile game, and he was optimistic about the potential for the platform.
“We’re seeing a lot of interest in gaming and it’s definitely a space that’s going to grow,” he said.
“I’m confident that we’re going to see the kind of growth we’ve seen in the past, where people are really finding a way to make it work for them.”
The Australian Financial Press has contacted Xfony for comment.
Topics:business-economics-and-finance,technology,games,industry,technology-and/or-futures,internet-technology,franceFirst posted October 02, 2019 19:25:11Contact Patrick Glynn


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Tesco has announced a sweeping change to benefit the environment.
The supermarket company has unveiled plans to wipe plastic rings on beer and cider cans sold in its stores.
It has become the first retailer to make the change, now selling only cardboard shirts, boxes or several packages made of a recyclable plastic.
The supermarket will stop ordering items that use plastic rings. The move is expected to lead to the production of less than 50 million new plastics each year.
Many large beer companies, including Heineken and Molson Coors, have already switched to card packaging.
Animal charities often warn about the dangers of plastic hoops. Plastic rings have been polluting the oceans for years and endangering wildlife.
Sarah Bradbury, Tesco’s Director of Quality, said: “We work with some of the world’s largest brands to address the problem of unwanted plastics. Our purpose is to use as little material as possible for disposal, reduction, reuse and recycling, and to ensure that all packaging in our stores is easily recycled. ”
Earlier this year, Tesco announced plans to collect and recycle 1,000 tons of soft plastic each year.
Collection points are rolled out at 171 stores so customers can retrieve all previously unrecycled soft plastic, regardless of where they were purchased, with sticky film, pet food bags and soft pockets.
Once collected, the old soft plastic is sent for recycling, which is washed, sorted and processed before being converted into new packaging. It can be used as packaging items such as food, household and beauty products.


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On Monday we previewed five earnings reports that short sellers would salivate over. Two of those companies — First Solar and Zillow — reported quarterly results Tuesday after the closing bell that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Both companies are now watching their stock prices take it on the chin on Wednesday, which is putting a dent into their massive year-to-date gains.
Solar-panel manufacturer First Solar reported a 70% drop in profit and cut its forecast for the year as two of its large sales were delayed. The stock fell 14% to $40.37 on more than twice its average daily trading volume, according to FactSet. Shares were up more than 50% this year through Tuesday’s close.
Short interest, or bearish bets, against First Solar accounted for about 15% of the stock’s outstanding float, indicating a sizable number of investors were betting against First Solar ahead of its earnings report.
Real-estate information provider Zillow Inc. found itself in a similar situation ahead of its results. The stock more than quadrupled from its $20 IPO in July 2011, with the bulk of the gains coming this year. But late Tuesday, Zillow swung to a second-quarter loss amid soaring expenses.
(A Zillow spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday night that the company’s adjusted profit for the latest quarter, when excluding stock-based compensation, totaled a penny a share. The adjusted results weren’t immediately available when Zillow reported second-quarter results.)
Total costs and expenses more than doubled from a year ago as spending for sales and marketing as well as technology and development increased. Shares fell 9% to $82.56 on more than twice the average daily trading volume.
Some 30% of the company’s float is sold short, suggesting many investors were predicting the rally had gone too far too fast and was poised to reverse.
Now that short sellers have been somewhat vindicated on these two names, there are three more companies upon which they’ll be keeping close tabs this week. Electric-car company Tesla Motors, U.S. solar-panel installer SolarCity Corp. and coffee company Green Mountain Roasters are all scheduled to report quarterly results Wednesday after the bell.
Each stock has had a massive rally this year, which only makes the shorts hungrier to pounce if these companies fall short of sky-high expectations.
–John Kell contributed to this post.


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Exporters are worried, the matter has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister, Zubair Motiwala. Photo file
Karachi: Local exporters have been alarmed by the sudden fourfold increase in tariffs on stress fruits imported from Afghanistan by Pakistan.
The Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce, while rationalizing the duty tariff, has demanded cooperation and emergency measures from Prime Minister Imran Khan for direct access of Pakistani trucks to Central Asian states through Afghanistan.
Sources said that the sudden increase in tariffs of stress fruits imported from Pakistan by the Afghan government has shaken the confidence of the business community in increasing business costs and maintaining the country’s exports.
In a meeting with Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce Chairman Zubair Motiwala, Sargodha traders expressed their concerns, saying that Afghan customs officials were levying a tax of Rs. 1.3 million per container of canoe with a total weight of 35 tons. Which was Rs 3 lakh last season.
“Given the current situation, if exporters have to bear such a financial loss that when exports have already declined by 32 per cent over the previous year, it will have a direct negative impact on farmers,” he said. Will fall.
In addition, the production of lemons to Central Asian countries via Afghanistan is not allowed in Pakistani trucks, which has been a part of mutual arrangements. This is not only increasing the cost but also affecting the quality of production during cross stuffing of cargo.
Zubair Motiwala said that this important issue has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister as it has affected the national interest and delay in its redressal could have devastating effects on the overall economy.


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Google on Thursday announced that the company would soon to roll out an optimized webpages for Google search users on Android Smartphones using the Chrome or Android browser. The techonology giant would soon launch the the feature in Brazil and India in the next two weeks.
Last month, the new feature was field tested in Indonesia which is designed only for smartphones and to make mobile webpages faster and lighter when used form Google’s search result.
The product Manager of Google Hiroto Tokusei told reporters via a video conference, “We believe everyone should have fast and easy access to information online. However, many people still have slow and costly mobile connections. In two weeks, we’ll start to roll out a new feature that will help pages load a whole lot faster, while using far less data, via Chrome or Android browser from Google’s search results.”
Tokusei said in a blog post, “If you’re in India, with an Android phone and on a slow connection, like 2G, you should start to see pages loading a whole lot faster, while using far less data, via your Chrome or Android browser from Google’s search results.”
Tokusei conceded that the optimisation technology is in its early stage and the company has found during the field test in Indonesia that the webpages were light to load four times faster and used 80per cent less data than before, while they also saw that a more than 50 per cent increase in traffic. Users are allowed to choose the option at the top of the page to view the original unoptimised page.
The optimisation is achieved while transuding or converting the webpages on the fly, and website are enabled to opt out of the services. Although some webpages will not be converted including the video sites, pages that entails cookies and websites that are technically challenged to trancoding.
Google has also announced the setting up of an independent company called Sidewalk Labs which will be focusing on development of new techonologies to improve the urban life. Improvement of city lives for residents, businesses, and governments will be the company’s agenda. Google said in statement that it is trying to develop technology combining both physical and digital worlds.
Sidewalk Labs would be headed by the former CEO of Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor of Economic Development and Rebuilding for New York, Dan Doctoroff.
Larry Page, the CEO of Google said in his blog post, Sidewalk will focus on improving city life for everyone by developing and incubating urban technologies to address issues like cost of living, efficient transportation and energy usage,” and added that this is a “relatively modest investment and very different from Google’s core business.”


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In an exclusive interview with BakeryAndSnacks.com, Markku Krutsin, vice president of Raisio’s northern European food operations, explained that the gluten-free cereal brand was first conceived some years ago with the Finnish market in mind.
In giving the range a facelift, Krutsin said that one objective is to make it more ‘international’, reflecting Provena’s geographical reach today, and Raisio’s future growth aspirations for the brand.
“Provena is now on sale in Finland, Sweden, the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Poland, and Germany,” he said. “To launch this brand into new markets and develop existing markets, we felt it was important to give it a new, more international image. Now everything is in English.”
He said new look Provena will launch in Finland on 1 September, after which it will be rolled out across other European territories.
Poland is Provena’s newest market - the gluten-free cereals have only been on sale there since last year.
“There is a market for gluten-free foods in Poland and it is increasing all the time but food intolerances are not as understood in eastern Europe as they are in western and northern Europe,” Krutsin told BakeryAndSnacks.com.
In contrast, he said awareness of food allergies and intolerances in the US, the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia is quite high, to the extent where in the UK, the category is attracting consumers who don’t actually suffer from any food intolerances.
“These new consumers are so called lifestyle users – they are not suffering from intolerances but are willing to invest in their health and wellbeing by buying free-from products,” he said.
This is reflected in Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), which tracked 2628 new gluten-free product launches in the UK between 2006 and 2010. Spain was the next most prolific market, with 1444 gluten-free launches listed over the period, followed by 1348 in Germany.
At present, Provena isn’t actually present in the UK. However, Raisio is definitely not ruling out entry into this market. “We are not there yet but I hope we will be some day,” said Krutsin.
In terms of the importance of gluten-free in relation to Raisio’s business as a whole, Krutsin says it is a key focus area.
“It is a niche area and therefore volumes are quite low compared to our mainstream business in these categories, but compared to other niches it’s quite big. For this reason we take a step-by-step approach, developing one or two products each year.
Besides designing new gluten-free products, Krutsin said Raisio’s R&D focus is on developing better tasting gluten-free products. “People who eat gluten-free products want them to taste the same as normal products. So that is one driver for our R&D in future.”


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Naples, FL-based Oakes Farms Inc. recently added ANTHONY HIGH to its team.
High joined the company last year and is the director of operations, handling a full line of products. Prior to joining Oakes Farms, High owned Old Naples Produce Co., also based in Naples.
First getting his start in the retail sector, High has now been working in the produce industry for over 25 years.
High currently resides in Naples. He has been married for 20 years and has two sons. In his free time, he enjoys competing on a tournament level in outdoor racquetball.
To announce personnel changes at your company, please contact Assistant Editor Maggie Giuffrida at 201/986-7990, ext. 110, or firstname.lastname@example.org. Photos are encouraged.


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Barnsley Hospice charity shops robbed for fourth time
Raiders have targeted the same charity in Barnsley for a fourth time in less than a year.
Up to £9,000 worth of damage is estimated to have been caused during the break-ins at Barnsley Hospice's shops, since February.
In the latest, last Friday at the furniture store in Stairfoot, the raiders caused up to £8,000 of damage and stole various items and cash.
The hospice's three other stores have been targeted in the last nine months.
The charity's Penistone shop was the first to be targeted last February, then in September about £500 was stolen from the store in Wombwell.
Last month, thieves smashed their way into the hospice's shop at Blucher Street, Barnsley, causing £800 of damage, just two days before it had was awarded first prize in the Barnsley Civic Trust's Shop Awards.
Referring to the latest raid, Dawn Charlesworth, retail services manager, said: "It's devastating when something like this happens. They tipped the shop upside down."
She said the hospice had recently conducted a thorough security check at all their stores.
The burglars had removed tiles and a very large and heavy section of timber from the roof to break in.
Ms Charlesworth said: "The [thieves] taking this money [are not just taking it] from the hospice, they're taking this money from the people of Barnsley.
"It costs us £8,500 a day to run the hospice so they're depriving their own community of that service.
"The impact of this is that we have to work extra hard to regain that money."
Barnsley Hospice receives £1.6m of funding from the NHS each year, but has to raise an additional £1.9m to stay open.


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6 Misleading Beverage Labels
Savvy shoppers know not to take product labels at face value. Still, it's been a rough couple of weeks for consumers trying to keep the facts straight about what's in what they drink.
First it was the news about how not-so-one-hundred-percent 100% orange juice is. For those who may be unaware of the controversy, here's what you need to know: During processing, things like orange aroma, oil, and pulp can get separated from the actual juice. Specifically, the process of removing the oxygen from the juice (which is done to keep it from spoiling without the use of preservatives) strips the juice of a lot of its natural flavors. And so to make up for the loss, those natural components — in the form of "flavor packs" — get added back in after processing. Not surprisingly, the backlash among the OJ-drinking set was fast and furious.
Now, hot on the heels of this revealing information, comes word that some of the popular brands of coconut water fail to deliver the "promised" amount of sodium — an electrolyte key to the drink's appeal as a sports and energy drink. A report from ConsumerLab.com revealed that only one out of the three tested beverages offered an amount of electrolytes comparable to other sports drinks like Gatorade. Even though some may not outright call themselves sports drinks on the label (O.N.E. Coconut Water has), that's certainly how they're marketed (not to mention some even boast athlete endorsements). As ConsumerLab president Dr. Tom Cooperman told the Huffington Post, "People should be aware that the labels are not accurate on some of the products, and they shouldn't count on coconut water for serious rehydration."
Thing is, when it comes to finding out news like this, are you really even surprised? Beverage labels, and labels in general, are a product's face to the world — that they're used as a canvas to improve the image of their product and make it more appealing to consumers is easy to understand. Of course, some cases are more egregious than others. For instance, how Snapple's teas were labeled as "all natural" despite listing citric acid as an additive. Or worse, the example of Nestle's Juicy Juice Brain Development Fruit Juice claiming that it "Helps Support Brain Development." Apparently, such claims, called structure/function claims, require no FDA pre-certification.
Feel like you've had the wool pulled over your eyes? Read on to learn more.


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Killswitch Engage have announced that they will be reissuing “Alive Or Just Breathing” on vinyl to celebrate its 15th anniversary. It will be available at the band’s merch booth starting May 5, and it will hit stores on May 12. You can preorder that HERE. The band also announced that they will be releasing “Alive Or Just Brewing” beer as well. The beer will have a “limited release” in New York City and Tampa, FL, and it will also be on tap at the Cigar City Tasting Room in Tampa, and at The Paramount in Huntington, NY during their May 5 show.
#Repost @jesse_d_leach with @repostapp ・・・ 2017 marks the 15 year anniversary of the release of 'Alive Or Just Breathing'. To commemorate this occasion, we're releasing a 180-Gram black vinyl edition of the album, to be released in stores on May 12, 2017! You can preorder it now along with exclusive merch at our official store: http://www.shopbenchmark.com/killswitchengage (or click the link in my bio) The vinyl will also be available on tour starting 5/5 in Long Island. So you can celebrate the anniversary properly, we've teamed up with our good friends at Cigar City Brewing for our very own New England Style IPA – 'Alive Or Just Brewing'! The beer can be found in limited release in the New York City and Tampa, FL markets, as well as on tap at the Cigar City Tasting Room in Tampa. The beer will also be tapped at The Paramount for our May 5 show on the #Killthrax Tour with Anthrax, The Devil Wears Prada and Code Orange. #aliveorjustbreathing15yearanniversary #AliveOrJustBreathing #aliveorjustbrewing #CigarCity #killswitchengage #killthrax #killthraxtour #RageMode #Beer #Vinyl