text:
Retail presence returning to Huddersfield town centre
Shopping at Huddersfield Town will become more convenient than ever for supporters when the Club opens a new retail shop in the town centre during August 2014.
The shop is set to open in the Packhorse Shopping Centre, located in the heart of Huddersfield with an entrance off the pedestrianized King Street, next month.
The new store will sell a full range of Huddersfield Town replica shirts and official merchandise, adding to the existing Stadium Superstore at the John Smith’s Stadium and online offering at www.htafcmegastore.com
It will be the first time that the Club has had a retail presence in the town centre since the old Sporting Pride store – which was shared with the Huddersfield Giants – closed in August 2013 (click HERE
for more info).
Huddersfield Town’s Retail Manager Luke Cowan explained:
“We constantly review our retail operation at the Club and in August 2013 changing circumstances made the old Sporting Pride store untenable.
“However, our intention has always been to try and have a retail presence back in Huddersfield town centre for the convenience of our supporters who cannot make it to the Stadium on non-match days and prefer to browse our wide range of products in person as opposed to online.
“The Packhorse Centre is a great location at the heart of the town centre, with lots of footfall from the main shopping area. The shop will be spacious, ideally located and stock a full range of everything the Club has to offer.
“When we have a confirmed date for its launch, we are planning to hold a special event at the shop so keep an eye out for news of that; I hope to see lots of our supporters there to take advantage of some special offers!”


text:
Chrysler caves, recalls 2.7 million Jeeps
The government cut the number of Jeeps it wants recalled and in turn, Chrysler said it’ll agree to the recall.
The automaker says it’ll recall as many as 1.56 million 1993-1998 Jeep grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty SUVs.
On June 6, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested a recall of 2.7 million, including 1999-2004 Grand Cherokees. Chrysler said, adamantly, “no” to NHTSA then.
But after extensive discussions and an almost 11th-hour agreement, the car company said it will recall the smaller number of Jeeps. The recall excludes 1999-2004 Grand Cherokess, which are a different design than the earlier models. NHTSA originally had wanted those included in the recall.
NHTSA says the Jeeps are involved in deadly fires after rear crashes too often. Chrysler had been insisting that was untrue.
ABOUT-FACE: Jeep had been expected to refuse recall request
As part of the agreement with NHTSA, Chrysler doesn’t have to call the Jeeps defective. That will help Chrysler defend itself in any lawsuits over fire deaths in those Jeeps.
And Chrysler only has to say the modifications it might make to some Jeeps are effective in minor bumps — “low-speed impacts,” as the car company’s statement puts it.
The most gruesome deaths have been in fires following rear-end crashes by vehicles going highway speed into Jeeps that were stopped or going slowing. Chrysler isn’t being required to say those won’t happen again.
Chrysler says it will have dealers conduct “visual inspection of the vehicle” and “will, if necessary, provide an upgrade to the rear structure of the vehicle to better manage crash forces in low-speed impacts.”
It comes down to trailer hitches.
Jeeps with hitches that weren’t put on at the factory or aren’t from Chrysler’s parts unit, Mopar, will get new Mopar hitches if the ones on those Jeeps are damaged or have sharp edges. If the non-Chrysler aftermarket hitches are in good shape, though, they won’t be replaced, Chrysler says.
NHTSA said it is “pleased that Chrysler has agreed to take action to protect its customers and the driving public.”
But NHTSA also said the matter’s not necessarily over: “We will continue our investigation into this issue, pending the agency’s review of the documents provided by Chrysler in its recall action.”
That’s probably routine, though, rather than a veiled threat. The agency normally looks over and gives final approval to an automaker’s recall documents, even after the recall’s begun.
Chrysler’s step should avoid prolonged bad publicity that would have resulted from an ongoing dispute with NHTSA.
The automaker notes that “this matter has raised concerns for its customers” even though, Chrysler continues to assert, the Jeeps are among the safest vehicles of their type at the time they were sold.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.

domain: news


text:
The Grove is gearing up for a big shopping season. The arrival of a 100-foot-tall Christmas tree at the end of October marked the beginning of the shopping center's 10th annual holiday celebrations, which get an official kick off this Sunday, November 11th. It's on that date that The Grove will light its tree with a huge party involving balladeer and Jack Sparrow imitator Michael Bolton.
The holiday show will begin at 7:30pm and will feature a "snowfall" and the sounds of Bolton plus Melanie Fiona, Colbie Caillat, DJ JibbJock, Scotty McCreery, Rickey Minor and His Band and Phillip Phillips. Santa will also make an appearance; Mario Lopez and his dimples will emcee. The ceremony will conclude with fireworks. · It's Starting To Look A Lot Like Christmas at The Grove [Racked]
Wish I could be there; Michael Bolton and Phillip Phillips together at the one time .....ohhhhhhhhhhhh !!! :)
Sylvia. Your wee Scottish friend.


text:
Mar 16, 2021
Anyone born before the year 2000 remembers spending countless Saturdays roaming the halls of their local shopping mall. Kids across the nation reveled in jealousy of those lucky few that grew up near the Mall of America. The legendary Mall of America is complete with theme parks, restaurants, and hundreds of stores. Since the ribbon cutting of the Mall of America many other real estate investors have tried to mimic the colossal project. One such attempt has just recently begun its belabored opening in late 2020. The American Dream Meadowlands had all the potential in the world. The problem: it took 26 years for developers to complete the project.


text:
All eyes have been on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in recent months. We’ve known they’ve taken public comment on payday advance loans and are in the process of writing new laws that would prevent these companies from gouging consumers. What we didn’t expect was FDIC to step in first with its own recommendations for tightening regulations. Does it go far enough and does it turn the CFPB efforts moot?
FDIC Familiar Acronym
Granted, most Americans are more familiar with FDIC than CFPB, but that’s only because it’s been around forever and it’s what we see everything we walk into our banks: those black and gold stickers on the door announcing the funds are FDIC insured. Now, it’s working to keep banks and other financial entities from taking advantage of consumers whose backs are against the wall and have found their only option is to turn to the fast, but expensive, payday advance products.
Here’s where it can get a bit confusing. First, the payday loans offered by third party companies to consumers with a checking account and willingness to take out these products are the ones CFPB is focusing on at this time. Meanwhile, the FDIC says its making sure traditional banks that are now offering these controversial loan products are following all of the various laws as well.
The proposal is intended to ensure that banks are aware of a variety of safety and soundness, compliance, and consumer protection risks posed by deposit advance loans,
the FDIC said in a statement. Like CFPB, it won’t take effect until it goes through a standard public feedback period, and provides clear guidance and details the principles that the FDIC expects financial institutions to follow. It appears these policies are geared towards strengthening current compliance guidance with these products.
During a presser later on Thursday, FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg said:
The proposed supervisory guidance released today reflects the serious risks that certain deposit advance products may pose to financial institutions and their customers.
It appears as though the tag teaming effort is being conducted simultaneously so that both agencies can make the most of their respective resources moving forward.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation laid it all out on Thursday when it proposed new “supervisory guidance” to those banks and companies that are FDIC insured. As we know, more and more traditional banks are seeing these types of products as significant profit opportunities and as a result, they’re in on the game as well. FDIC is concerned, and for good reason, especially considering all of the less than ideal PR that’s plagued the financial sector in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, it looks like the Office of the Comptroller of Currency is drawing its line in the sand as well. It too issued new rules for banks and federal savings entities under its regulation. Interestingly enough, these recommendations are nearly verbatim to FDIC recommendations. Deposit advance loans amount to small dollar, short-term credit that some banks offer to customers maintaining a deposit account, prepaid debit cards, or similar deposit-related product.
The customer applies for the loan, which is to be repaid from the proceeds of their next direct deposit. As we know, the trouble with these products revolves around the high fees, requirements that they are repaid in a lump sum in advance of the customer’s other bills, and often do not include fundamental and common sense banking practices to determine the customer’s ability to repay the loan and meet other necessary financial obligations. Gruenberg also points out that many lenders already profitably offer affordable small loan amounts as an alternative to the more expensive payday loans, Gruenberg said.
The FDIC is tasked with weighing the demand for these types of products with how close they are to falling out of compliance and violating the rights and protections of the consumer. The CFPB has said recently that these financial products have resulted in a “cycle of indebtedness for many consumers with loose lending standards, high costs, and risky loan structures”. It’s expected to make its recommendations in coming weeks as well. Already, it’s conducted a twelve month investigation that includes more than 15 million storefront payday loans and data from several depository institutions that offer deposit-advance products.
Both payday and deposit-advance loans are typically described “as a way to bridge a cash flow shortage between paychecks or other income,” the CFPB found. It also says the quick solution offered is troublesome because often, consumers who seek out these products can’t qualify for other solutions. The borrowers are required to repay the funds quickly, usually their next pay period and the interest rates are bordering on illegal. It’s a slippery slope and has been since these products came onto the market.
This comprehensive study shows that payday and deposit advance loans put many consumers at risk of turning what is supposed to be a short-term, emergency loan into a long-term, expensive debt burden,
said CFPB Director Richard Cordray.
For too many consumers, payday and deposit advance loans are debt traps that cause them to be living their lives off money borrowed at huge interest rates. For the consumer, this means there may not be sufficient funds after paying off the loan for expenses such as for their rent or groceries – leading them to return to the bank or payday lender for more money.
Worse, the lenders don’t take into consideration the ability or inability of consumers to repay the funds. It would appear the two government agencies are working together to cover both ends of the spectrum.
What do you think? Is FDIC doing something CFPB has already mastered? Is this another example of government excess? Share your thoughts with us – join the discussion on Facebook or leave us a comment below. We want to hear from you.


text:
For months, Apple has quietly circled the deal, apparently in hopes of keeping the business out of the hands of San Jose-based hard drive maker Western Digital Corp. Until recently, Apple had backed a rival bid led by its main manufacturing partner, Taiwan's Foxconn.
Toshiba’s flash memory chips are embedded in hundreds of millions of consumer electronic devices, including the iPhone. Apple wants to keep the supply of key iPhone components competitive: It already relies on its rival Samsung for a number of hard-to-get iPhone parts, like the edge-to-edge OLED screen on the forthcoming iPhone X.
This week, Toshiba said it planned to focus on the Bain Capital-led bid, which is rumored to be worth somewhere between $18 billion and $22 billion, with a promise of more than $1 billion in infrastructure improvements. Toshiba hopes to agree on terms of the deal by the end of the month.
In a statement yesterday, Toshiba sharply criticized Western Digital, which had submitted at least six separate bids for the business. Western Digital has a joint venture agreement with Toshiba that it says gives it veto power over any sale of the business unit.
“Toshiba regrets that Western Digital persistently overstates its limited consent rights in public statements,” Toshiba said in a statement to reporters. “...Toshiba expects and is fully committed to completing a sale of [Toshiba Memory Corporation] by March 2018, and looks forward to a favorable resolution of SanDisk and Western Digital’s exaggerated claims in arbitration.”
Western Digital is suing Toshiba over the sale and Toshiba has countersued.
Toshiba is selling the chip unit to cover billions of dollars of unexpected losses related to the collapse of its nuclear power business.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 10.5 could sport a dedicated Bixby Button
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 10.5 is one of three tablets that Samsung will be unveiling down the road. The slate has already made its visit to the FCC, which means that its introduction could be just around the corner. Sammy's premium Galaxy Tab S4 slate will be announced at IFA in Berlin. The trade show will take place between August 31st and September 5th. The third tablet is the Galaxy Tab Advanced 2.
Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and the Samsung Galaxy S9, and refers to the dedicated Bixby Button on those devices. Bixby, for those unaware, is Samsung's AI powered virtual assistant.A recently published report states that a member of the LineageOS team recently discovered firmware files for the Galaxy Tab A2 10.5 (also known as the Galaxy Tab A2 XL, gta2xl and the Samsung SM-T590). The files make reference to the tablet's support of a "wink_key." As it turns out, this phrase was previously mentioned in firmware for the
Besides possibly featuring a Bixby Button, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 10.5 will carry a 10.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Pictures included with the FCC documentation do not show a home button or a fingerprint scanner in back. That sets up plenty of intrigue. The tablet is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 450 Mobile Platform. The latter features an octa-core CPU and the Adreno 506 GPU. A 5MP camera is said to adorn the rear of the device, and it will also have a front-facing camera as well. A 7300mAh battery is expected to keep the lights on, and Android 8.1 could be pre-installed.
Based on leaks, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 10.5 will be offered by Sprint and Verizon in the U.S. LTE variants will also be released in Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. A Wi-Fi only model will also be available.


text:
Japanese stocks rally after Wall Street’s big rebound, but South Korea and Shanghai markets drop
An incredible day on Wall Street, where major indexes finished at least 5% higher, lifted Japanese stocks but received a mixed reaction in the rest of Asia on Thursday as some traders returned from a Christmas break.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rebounded 3.9% to 20,077.62. It tumbled more than 5% on Tuesday before recovering slightly a day later. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.2% to 2,025.05 and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.1% to 2,495.01.
Markets in Hong Kong and Australia reopened after Christmas. The Hang Seng index was 0.5% lower at 25,521.09. Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 jumped 1.9% to 5,597.20. Stocks climbed in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia.
On Wednesday, U.S. markets snapped a four-day losing streak and clocked their best day in more than 10 years. Investors were reassured by an official signal that President Trump, who has heavily criticized the Fed on Twitter, will not try to oust Chairman Jerome Powell.
The broad S&P 500 index soared 5% to 2,467.70. The Dow Jones industrial average added over 1,000 points — its biggest point gain in a day — or 5% to 22,878.45. The Nasdaq composite picked up 5.8% to 6,554.36. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks rose 5% to 1,329.81.
Trading was buoyed by data showing that growth of U.S. holiday sales was at six-year high. Retail sales gained 5.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 compared with a year ago, Mastercard SpendingPulse reported. It tracked spending online and in stores across all payment types, including cash and check. All in all, shoppers spent more than $850 billion this year, it added.
“The question, of course, is whether this is just a snapback bear market rally, or as Trump said, ‘a tremendous opportunity to buy stocks’” Chris Weston of Pepperstone Group Limited said in a market commentary.
“We can assess the fundamental drivers, such as poor global economics, the Fed not altering its forward guidance or providing flexibility to the pace of balance sheet normalization, and ascertain nothing has really changed here,” he added.
Get U-T Business in your inbox on Mondays
Get ready for your week with the week’s top business stories from San Diego and California, in your inbox Monday mornings.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.


text:
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index Improved Slightly in February Ahead of a Plunge in March
Bloomington, IN – (Trailer Technician) FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index (TCI) strengthened marginally in February despite a sizeable increase in fuel costs as freight rates were strong and freight demand improved. The TCI increased to 12.06 from 11.46 in January. The record surge in diesel prices during March almost certainly will send the TCI measure into negative territory for the first time since May 2020 once that data is finalized. The TCI is forecast to recover to positive territory in April and beyond, but signals of potentially weaker demand and rates than currently forecast could temper that outlook, especially if fuel costs remain volatile.
Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, commented, “The truck freight market has entered the inevitable period where conditions for carriers are transitioning from uniformly strong to those that will be more variable from month to month and from segment to segment. Uncertainty is high on both the demand and supply sides. Consumers generally remain strong financially, but prices are soaring, which undercuts buying power. Demand in the industrial sector remains high, but the supply chain still meters output, and the durability of that demand is not a given. Meanwhile, the implications of a spot market that is starting to normalize are unclear owing to the unprecedented shift of volume and capacity into the spot market since the rebound in mid-2020. It is premature to declare doom and gloom for carriers or major relief for shippers, but both should be weighing threats and opportunities.”
Details of the February TCI are found in the April 2022 issue of FTR’s Trucking Update, published March 31. The April edition also includes commentary on how weak van market spot rates as diesel prices surge could spark a swing of capacity back to larger carriers.
Beyond the TCI and additional commentary, the Trucking Update includes data and analysis on load volumes, the capacity environment, rates, and the economy.
The TCI tracks the changes representing five major conditions in the U.S. truck market. These conditions are: freight volumes, freight rates, fleet capacity, fuel price, and financing. The individual metrics are combined into a single index indicating the industry’s overall health. A positive score represents good, optimistic conditions. Conversely, a negative score represents bad, pessimistic conditions. Readings near zero are consistent with a neutral operating environment, and double-digit readings in either direction suggest significant operating changes are likely.
In addition to the monthly updates on trucking conditions, FTR offers a weekly Trucking Market Update on the State of Freight Podcast. The weekly update, hosted by Avery Vise, covers spot market and economic indicators and major industry developments. Listen to recent episodes and download the accompanying graphics.
For more than 30 years, FTR has served as the industry leader in freight transportation forecasting for the shipping, trucking, rail, intermodal, equipment, and financial communities in North America. With over 250 years of combined experience in the transportation industry, FTR experts provide quantitative analysis with historical and modal-specific insights. FTR’s reports, data, commentary, and insights help clients evaluate market risks, identify new opportunities, and make informed decisions.
FTR is the only company with a complete set of freight data for all modes of transportation with detail at the 3 Digit STCC commodity level. FTR tracks and forecasts 200+ unique commodity groups both quarterly and annually using their proprietary Freight•cast U.S. freight transportation model.


text:
A new wearable computer with a control system that uses Kinect-style hand tracking could avoid “OK, Glass” style embarrassment, a team from ITRI in Taiwan suggests, aiming to have the headset on the market within the next two years. The 3D floating interface, handiwork of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, puts a depth-sensor array on top of a pair of digital glasses, and can track fingers and other objects as they navigate through a virtual interface.
The result is an interface that only the wearer sees, in 3D – unlike the monocular Google Glass – which can be navigated through with swipes and virtual taps. Currently, the UI shows either a sketching app or a phone keypad, though the team responsible suggests it could be used for 3D gaming, controlling a TV, or in medical settings.
With a combination of camera and IR tracking the headset works in both regular and low-light conditions, and is capable of differentiating between the wearer’s finger and movement in the background.
The current hardware isn’t exactly discrete, and seemingly consists of a pair of Vuzix eyewear with a chunky depth-array on top. Any commercialized version would hopefully be considerably more streamlined, something the ITRI team suggests will take about two years to take place.
At that point, though, the expected price for a production model is said to be around $500. It’s unclear what sort of functionality your money will get you or, indeed, whether the headset would be a standalone solution or require on a smartphone or even a tethered computer to power it.
Nonetheless, it’s an interesting alternative to the current systems we’ve seen for interacting with wearables. Google has opted for a combination of voice control and basic touch gestures with Glass, requiring offboard processing in order to crunch the verbal commands, while Vuzix’s Smart Glasses M100 use a combination of speech and a remote control app running on a tethered smartphone.


text:
Fujitsu converts heat and light into electricity with a single device
Fujitsu Laboratories today announced a two-in-one energy harvesting device that can convert both light and heat into electricity. With no electrical wiring or batteries to replace, Fujitsu says that this sort of device can be manufactured from organic materials keeping costs to a minimum.
Devices that use photovoltaic cells to convert light to electricity or temperature differentials to harness heat are not new, but by combining the two on a single hybrid device, Fujitsu says it can double the energy-capture potential.
Fujitsu's diagram shows how such a device, which contains both N-type and P-type semiconductor materials, can operate in both photovoltaic mode (left) and thermoelectric mode (right):
The company points out the great potential for such technology in medical fields where it could be used in sensors to monitor certain bio-signals. In addition, because the technology can generate power without electric wires or the need for battery replacement, it could also be of use in remote areas (or even in space, presumably) where it isn't convenient to send humans to maintain the device.
If you're a regular reader of Gizmag you're well aware of Fujitsu Laboratories' efforts in the field of green tech. Whether it's plant-based plastics, power-saving optical switch technology, or even something as simple as a smarter power strip, we're always curious to see what these folks are up to.


text:
A message for gun manufacturers and buyers: It’s time to move past the special guns for women phase because designing for the “average” woman is impossible.
Zore X, the smart gun lock, has achieved resounding success in its crowdfunding campaign, raising more than $170,000 so far.
Lipsey’s, of Baton Rouge, recently announced they’re the developer and exclusive distributor of a new version of the Ruger Shopkeeper Bearcat 22 LR revolver.
Minnesota-based Birchwood Casey announced this week the release of three new versions of their popular Dirty Bird targets.
Walker’s, of Texas, has come up with a radically new design for ear protection with their new Razor-X earbud headset. The Razor-X is worn behind the neck, and has retractable electronic earbuds.
An interview with director Stephanie Soechtig exposes her ignorance about guns in America—when she’s not admitting to criminal acts.
Meprolight announced on June 2 their victory in winning a contract to supply the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with Mepro MOR reflex sights.
Twelve scoped, colorful, high-performance ARs are available for sale, thanks to a multi-faceted partnership. Purchases include a class and USMC charity.
Rowland White’s Into the Black: The Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia offers an insider’s look into the Columbia mission.
Galco Gunleather, of Phoenix, has a wide range of holsters for the newly released M&P Shield in .45 ACP.


text:
Toyota Donates Trucks and Knowledge to Ongoing Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding Efforts Through National Disaster Recovery Non-Profit
Hurricane Katrina may have caused considerable damage more than 10 years ago, yet the New Orleans area is still working through the ramifications of the storm. Just this last year, St. Bernard’s Project, a national disaster recovery and resiliency organization, saw a 25 percent increase in request for help from homeowners in the area. In order to meet this need, Toyota stepped in ideas and a fleet of vehicles including Tundra pickups.
The final month is in and with it the final sales numbers for 2015. It has been a crazy year with plenty of ups and downs. Here is how it finished.
Today at the 2016 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show), Honda revealed its all-new 2017 Ridgeline truck. We know it is a truck, because they told us so.


text:
AP Technology NewsBrief at 5:06 p.m. EDT
(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Microsoft's fiscal 3Q tops Wall Street predictionsREDMOND, Wash. (AP) _ Microsoft's fared better than analysts anticipated in its latest quarter, boosted by a surprising rise in sales of its Windows operating system for personal computers The fiscal third-quarter performance announced Thursday comes as investors look forward to the release of Windows 8 later this year. The next version marks the most radical overhaul of the widely-used operating system in decades.
Rumors swirl of smaller iPad, which Jobs detestedNEW YORK (AP) _ Apple generates more gossip than the Kardashians. There's a constantly spinning mill of rumors about Apple products, most of which turn out to be untrue. What's unusual this week is that talk has revived of a smaller iPad model, an idea company founder Steve Jobs derided publicly a year before he died.
IPhone bills boost Verizon 1Q revenue growthNEW YORK (AP) _ Holiday sales of the iPhone 4S started to boost revenue at Verizon Communications Inc. in the latest quarter, as subscribers settled in to paying their new monthly bills. That meant that wireless service revenues grew at their fastest pace in three years at Verizon Wireless. The country's largest cellphone company started selling the iPhone 4 a bit more than a year ago, but sales got a big boost when the 4S model was released in October.
Review: Baseball scores big with At Bat mobile appATLANTA (AP) _ Baseball is back, which means die-hard fans like me are hungry for updates and highlights when we're not near our televisions or computers. For the past six years, I've satisfied my appetite with Major League Baseball's evolving offerings. What used to be a glitch-filled, clunky desktop-based system is now a robust experience that includes sleek, high-performing apps for iPhones, iPads, Android and other devices.
Nokia posts $1.2 billion loss as sales plummetHELSINKI (AP) _ Struggling cellphone maker Nokia has suffered one of its worst quarterly results ever, blaming tough competition for a huge (EURO)929 million ($1.2 billion) net loss as sales plunged, especially in the smartphone market. The first-quarter loss compared with a net profit of (EURO)344 million in the same period last year and came as revenues slid 30 percent to (EURO)7.4 billion, Nokia Corp. said Thursday.
UK abortion provider under threat from hackersLONDON (AP) _ Britain's largest abortion provider said Thursday that thousands of attempts have been made to hack its website following a high-profile security breach when personal details of 10,000 women were stolen. Last week a judge jailed a computer hacker for breaking into the website of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and stealing the data.
Norway killer sharpened aim on computer gamesOSLO, Norway (AP) _ Anders Behring Breivik knew it would take practice to be able to slaughter dozens of people before being shot by police. In a chilling summary, the far-right fanatic claimed Thursday that he sharpened his aim by playing computer games for more than a year before Norway's worst peacetime massacre.
Info on 'Warcraft' game played by Norwegian killerConfessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik testified in Norway on Thursday that he played "World of Warcraft" for 16 hours a day in 2006. Breivik is in court in connection with last summer's attacks, in which Breivik killed eight people by setting off a bomb in central Oslo and then shot 69 others to death on the island of Utoya. Here are some details about the game:
Should teachers and students be Facebook friends?NEW YORK (AP) _ Should students and teachers ever be friends on Facebook? School districts across the country, including the nation's largest, are weighing that question as they seek to balance the risks of inappropriate contact with the academic benefits of social networking. At least 40 school districts nationwide have approved social media policies. Schools in New York City and Florida have disciplined teachers for Facebook activity, and Missouri legislators recently acquiesced to teachers' objections to a strict statewide policy.
Internet ad revenue hits record $31B in US in 2011NEW YORK (AP) _ Revenue from Internet advertising in the U.S. hit a record $31 billion last year, according to a study released Wednesday. That's up 22 percent from $26 billion in 2010, the previous record.
(c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[ Back To SIP Phones Homepage's Homepage ]


text:
The British Heart Foundation furniture and electrical store in Basildon has announced that it will be closing. The store, which raises money for the charity sells large household items like sofas, beds and wardrobes as well as household appliances such as TVs.
It is currently located on North Gunnels, on the edge of the town centre but will close its doors for good next week. A recent photo of the store shows a large poster announcing the closure.
On the sign, it announces exactly when the store will shut down. It reads: "We're closing on Wednesday 10 August. Contact us on 0300 330 3322 or email@example.com if you have any enquiries.
The sign also reveals where the closest British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical store will be once the Basildon store is gone. Unfortunately for shoppers, the closest store is in Romford High Street, around half an hour's drive from the Basildon store.
The store is currently open seven days a week. You can shop there between 9.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday or from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.


text:
Nike Does It Again : Firm Targets Blacks With a Spin on ‘Family Values’
Marketers are putting a new spin on the “family values” theme to chase after a targeted consumer group: the black family.
Nike, the athletic shoe maker that seems to seek controversy, has found plenty of it with a new print ad campaign that not only looks at the issue of values among black families, but even explores the issue of the absent father in the black household.
One of the ads, which appears in August issues of several black publications, including Ebony and Black Enterprise, features a written dialogue between two young boys on a basketball court--one of whom has a father who “runs around” and who “says women are only good for one thing.”
While Republicans and Democrats continue to jostle for the family values mantle, this campaign--which also features several ads about ambitions and setting goals--may not sell a lot of shoes, but it is guaranteed to raise eyebrows among black consumers who purchase about 14.5% of Nike’s athletic shoes. Unlike advertisers such as Volvo that adopted--with a smirk--patriotic family values themes in their ads, these ethnic ads turn the family values issue on its head.
“We’ve struggled with the issue of family values long before Dan Quayle brought it up,” said Jimmy Smith, senior copy writer at the minority-owned Los Angeles agency Muse Cordero Chen, who wrote the ad.
Critics say Nike is out on a very shaky limb. “I think it’s a bad ad,” said Lawrence A. Johnson, dean of the School of Business and former marketing department chairman at Howard University. “The ad reinforces a stereotype about black fathers that many people accept. I’d much rather see an ad with a father and son playing basketball together.”
One senior advertising executive said that while the ad is imaginative, it is very risky. “Our research tells us that African-Americans get tired of reading about the negative side of inner city life,” said Valerie Graves, creative director at the black-owned New York agency UniWorld. “They would rather see ads that deal with the positive side.”
For its part, Nike executives say the honesty of the ad will appeal to black consumers. “The purpose of the campaign is not to sell more Nike products to African-Americans,” said Scott Bedbury, Nike’s director of advertising. “It’s to make the brand more relevant to them.”
But the ad does feature a toll-free phone number that it advises consumers to call for Nike product information.
For years, major advertisers have tried to target ethnic groups including blacks, Latinos and Asians with upbeat ads that stress family togetherness. In fact, ads aimed at ethnic minorities are often criticized for being unrealistic in their family orientation. McDonald’s has long run targeted spots featuring black and Latino families sharing happy moments under the McDonald’s sign. And Crest toothpaste has run ads featuring a black father and black son happily brushing their teeth together.
But several major advertisers are now trying to reach ethnic audiences with ads that show a different kind of family life. Burger King, for example, lays reality on the line with an ad for its Burger King Academy--an institute that puts students at risk (such as pregnant teen-agers) into improved environments for study. A recent print ad for the academy shows a teen-age mother feeding her baby while reading her algebra book.
Perhaps even more controversial, however, is Nike’s newest campaign that presents a stark, urban picture of a young black man who tells his buddy that his own father is a “gangster.” The print ad is set on a playground basketball court. The photo features only the shadows of two teen-age black youths who are shooting hoops. Their written dialogue runs like free-verse poetry across one side of the page:
“My dad’s a gangster,” says a troubled teen-ager.
“My dad’s a father,” responds his buddy.
“My dad runs around,” says the first.
“My dad runs 4 miles a day,” responds the second.
“My dad says women are only good for one thing.”
“My dad says Black women are living jewels.”
Smith says he wrote the ad nearly a year ago after seeing the movie “Boyz N the Hood,” a film about three teen-agers growing up in South-Central Los Angeles who have contrasting relationships with their families. “We told Nike we wanted to talk more about urban issues,” Smith said.
Although Nike encouraged the ad, it asked Smith to remove two references from a drawing board version that Nike executives believed were too explicit. In that version--which was never published--the troubled teen said, “My dad smoked two brothers”--a reference to killing two other black men. Also removed was the same young boy saying, “My dad smoked crack.”
Nike executives say they initially expected to receive considerable criticism for the ad, but have actually received very little. “Any company that wants to be relevant in the 1990s has to become culturally literate,” said Nike’s Bedbury. “The trick is to do that in a way that is honest and not pandering.”
The ad is a “reality check,” said Joe Muse, chairman of the agency that created the ad. “But perhaps family values is a misnomer. Maybe what we’re really talking about here is people just being a little more human to each other.”
The Venice agency Chiat/Day/Mojo’s New York office was fired from the $15-million Shearson Lehman Bros. account but the agency is expected to win a major assignment from MTV. . . . Admarketing of Los Angeles has picked up the $10-million to $15-million account for Plymouth, Mich.-based Highland Superstores, formerly handled by Lois/USA of Chicago. . . . AST Research of Irvine has handed its $5-million account to El Segundo-based Team One Advertising. . . . Larsen Colby Inc. of Los Angeles has won the $3-million ad account for Stac Electronics of Carlsbad. . . . Latimar Inc. of Santa Clarita, which handles Spanish language ads for La Victoria Foods, will now create ads in English for the Mexican food firm. . . . Sherman Oaks-based Mosaic Inc. has won the ad business for Paging Services of America. . . . Impulse Research Corp. of Los Angeles has published a directory of focus-group research facilities in North America.


text:
THQ won’t have a booth at Gamescom, the world’s largest gaming show this August in Germany, but it may have a minimal presence. As GamesIndustry reports, the situation could be similar to THQ’s presence at E3. The publisher plans to have meetings in the expo’s conference rooms, but no presence on the show floor. A THQ representative tells GamesIndustry International that “the team is still discussing options” for Gamescom.
THQ’s Darksiders 2 was recently delayed until August. Gamescom is easily the largest video game consumer and trade show in the world, welcoming 275,000 visitors in 2011. THQ is currently going through some serious financial difficulties.


text:
The agency has been brought on board following a non-competitive pitch having previously handled PR for the launch of its photo developing service, Jessops Jpics, last month.
The consumer-centred brief includes support for both the Jessops brand and Jessops Jpics across core sectors of the media through features, events and reader offers. The ultimate aim is to drive footfall to its high street stores and website hits.
Karen Lamerick, head of marketing for Jessops said: ‘The launch of Jessops Jpics required the gravitas of an experienced, energetic agency. This is exactly why we chose more2; their enthusiasm and passion for our brand was clear form the outset and we have been delighted with the results achieved.'
The account will be led by Indy Carmichael, senior account director at More2 PR, who will report into Lamerick.
More2 has considerable experience in the sector, having managed PhotoBox's consumer PR account from 2005 before it went to Custard earlier this year.


text:
Edited by Vani Rao
The Dow Jones Industrial average edged higher to 15,783.10, up 21.32 points or 0.14%on Tuesday’s trade,quietly waiting for earning releases from major US retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Macy’sInc. (NYSE:M), Best Buy Co. Inc.(NYSE:BBY), and J.C. Penney Company Inc. (NYSE:JCP). Amidst the earnings uncertainty, stocks like IBM Corp., Wall Mart Stores Inc., and Visa Inc. helped the Dow to remain positive on Tuesday’s trade. Following the trails for the recent economic data release, we are optimistic about a good earnings season for major US retailers. Moreover, these earning releases are likely to set the tone for the market going forward.
At a more technical level, the charts above indicate that the 15,800 level appears to be the next critical aspect to look out for, and once crossed, the 16,000 level will pose strong resistance to the boarder index. As far as individual indicators are concerned, the Dow 30 is trading above its 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day simple moving average and continues to give bullish signals. On the other hand, indicators like the RSI and Stoch RSI continue to indicate an overbought territory for the index. The MACD is well below the Signal line, indicating a possibility of trend reversal for the Index. WSA continues to believe in a higher upside for the Dow Jones Industrial average going forward and is betting on 16,100 as the next short-term target.


text:
Farmers Market relocates during the Summer Festival
Published 5:11 am Monday, June 4, 2007
Moves near caboose next to Arts Council
The Farmers Market, presented by Downtown Washington on the Waterfront, will make a temporary move this weekend when the Summer Festival comes to downtown Washington.
This Saturday, the Farmers Market will relocate to the lawn area at the corner of Main and Gladden streets near the caboose, which is adjacent to the Beaufort County Arts Council’s headquarters. The move is required to accommodate all events and activities planned for the waterfront on Saturday, according to Joey Toler, DWOW’s interim director.
The Farmers Market will return to its permanent location in the parking lot next to the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce on June 16.
The Farmers Market has been open every Saturday since April 7. Continuing every Saturday through Oct. 20, market hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until items are sold out.
As the growing season progresses, more produce is coming into season and the selection expands each week. In addition to produce, customers may also shop for home baked goods, fresh flowers, shrubs, flowering plants and more.
For more information about the Farmers’ Market or DWOW, call 936-3969 weekdays.


text:
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal
(NGT) instructed the capital’s Regional Transport Office (RTO) to deregister all diesel vehicles older than 10 years, in effect ordering them off Delhi’s roads with immediate effect, throwing transporters and private vehicle owners into a panic. A taxi union said it would move the Supreme Court against the ruling. The auto industry doesn’t see any sales boost stemming from the move.
The tribunal appears to have been fed up with the seeming inability of the police to enforce the April 2015 ruling to stop diesel vehicles more than 10 years old from plying on the roads of the national capital in order to help lower alarming levels of pollution.
The police have issued challans and levied fines on offending vehicles “but they have hardly met any success,” the bench noted on Monday. “It is also stated that vehicles are released by the magistrates after imposing fine under the Motor Vehicle Act and the vehicles surface again on the roads.”
After revoking registrations, the RTO will issue a public notice and hand over the list of such vehicles to Delhi’s traffic police, which will take appropriate steps in line with the tribunal’s directions.
“We hereby direct RTO, Delhi, to deregister all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old,” said the bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
Taxi owners are worried. Diesel commercial vehicles older than 10 years are currently allowed to re-register in nearby states after they get a no-objection certificate from Delhi.
“Previously, we could sell 10-year-old diesel vehicles in nearby states and use the money to make a down payment for a new vehicle,” said Sanjay Samrat, president, Delhi Taxi Tourist Transporters Association. “Revoking registrations will turn old vehicles to scrap. The compensation being talked of under the voluntary scrappage scheme is hardly enough. We will move the Supreme Court.”
He was referring to the Centre’s expected policy on scrapping old vehicles and the compensation that will be provided.
The NGT bench also directed the heavy industries ministry to file an affidavit on the status of electric and hybrid vehicles in the country and what benefits it was considering for those who wish to dispose of their old vehicles. It also ordered the ministry to write to the chief secretaries of all states in a week in this regard.
At the last hearing, the tribunal had indicated it favoured deregistration of diesel vehicles older than a decade after it was told by the Delhi government’s counsel that more than 3,000 such vehicles were impounded in the past year.
The order will hit owners, said auto industry representatives.
“Users of 10-year-old vehicles will be inconvenienced,” said RS Kalsi, executive director, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. “They had bought cars which were conforming to laid-down norms and suddenly these have been directed to be deregistered. When the Centre is already readying a vehicle scrappage policy, the timelines set in it should be followed and incentives given to take old vehicles off roads.”
Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), echoed this sentiment.
“Users of such vehicles will be adversely affected,” he said. “The order has also come at a time when the central government itself has taken strong initiatives by setting a clear timeline for moving towards BS VI (environmental) norms and supported the same with a vehicle scrappage policy.”
Taxi aggregator Uber doesn’t expect any fallout from the order. “We don't have vehicles that old. We don't think it impacts us at all," said a spokeswoman. Ola did not reply to email queries from ETAuto.
The move is not likely to act as a spur for purchases, experts said.
“Since the regulation was already in place it is not likely to spur fresh demand,” said an executive. Since buyers pay road tax for a period of 15 years when purchasing a vehicle, it would have been better to set that as the timeframe for scrapping, he said. Auto stocks were little changed on Monday.
The reason for the order is understandable but owners should be given time to comply.
“Any change to existing laws that is immediate or in the short term would cause serious implementation problems,” said Kumar Kandaswami, senior director, Deloitte India. “Going by the announcement, if a person bought a used, 10-year-old diesel car yesterday, it can potentially be useless tomorrow, irrespective of what condition it is in. I would wait to see the details. The best scenario would be for the stakeholders to have time to plan a response to a new legislation. This applies to both manufacturers and users.”
Given that the order is likely to be challenged, uncertainty could reign for a while. Industry executives said a holistic view was needed to address issues related to air pollution.
“The IIT Kanpur report (issued earlier this year) shows that cars are responsible for less than 2% of vehicular pollution. The remaining 98% also needs to be addressed to sort out environmental concerns. One needs to take a holistic view,” Kalsi said.
If the order leads to lower pollution, it should be welcomed, provided action is taken on the ground, said Shekar Viswanathan, vice chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.
“On a practical basis it would have been better for the authorities to remove these old vehicles step-wise and stage-wise instead of doing it at one go,” he said. “The authorities could have looked at phasing pre-BS I vehicles first followed by BS I, BS II and BS III vehicles. This would have allowed enough time and opportunity for the existing customers to replace their old vehicles with a new one.”
The order won’t have much impact on the second-hand car market.
“At Mahindra First Choice Wheels, we certify and retail only vehicles that are less than 10 years old, with the vast majority being of the four-five year vintage,” said Nagendra Palle, CEO, Mahindra First Choice Wheels. “So we don’t expect to see any adverse impact of this decision. With owners of these vehicles looking to dispose and replace, we hope to see an uptick of our retail volumes. In the case where there is inventory closer to 10 years old, we would expect to see a drop in transaction prices in Delhi due to potentially diminished demand.”
In the transport segment, lack of effective implementation may defeat the intent of curbing air pollution, experts said.
The NGT had banned entry and operation of 10-year-old diesel trucks and buses in Delhi in April last year. Delhi then stalled renewal of permits for 10-year-old commercial vehicles. Commercial vehicle owners have moved 12,000-15,000 trucks and buses out of Delhi for sale in other states after procuring an NOC since then.
There are around 15,000-20,000 diesel-powered light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles with local and inter-state national permits operating within Delhi, said SP Singh, senior fellow at the Indian Foundation Of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT).
“As per existent norms, only trucks with BS IV emission standards are allowed within the capital,” he said. “Transporters have been proactively replacing their vehicles with new ones but with BS III standards. Enforcement is an issue. The ban with immediate effect on 10 year old commercial vehicles/ trucks and de- registration order of NGT may yield limited results.”
Special commissioner (traffic), Delhi Police, Sandeep Goel, said he is yet to receive the NGT order and can only comment on details pertaining to implementation after a detailed perusal.With Inputs from PTI


text:
Developer Buys Prince George's County Shopping Center From Giant, Plans Renovation
A Giant grocery store that opened more than four decades ago in Prince George's County is slated for a major renovation.
Velocity Cos. announced Thursday it acquired the Giant-anchored Livingston Square shopping center in Fort Washington from Giant's real estate arm.
A Velocity spokesperson tells Bisnow it acquired the 11-acre property for $5.2M and plans to invest additional money in the renovation. KLNB represented Velocity in the deal.
Giant announced last year it plans to redevelop the 43K SF store, which originally opened in 1976. Greenbelt-based Velocity acquired the property after a competitive bidding process, it said in a statement.
The 73K SF Livingston Square shopping center at 9580 Livingston Road features the Giant plus inline retailers and stand-alone buildings with a KFC, a Taco Bell and a McDonald's. It also has two pad sites available for lease, one with 15K SF of development potential and one with 5K SF.
The Giant grocery store has closed for the renovation and plans to reopen in Q4 2021. It will feature a full-service pharmacy, a larger organic produce department and other expanded offerings.
“We are excited to partner with Velocity Companies to build an incredible new store for this amazing community,” Giant Food President Ira Kress said in a release. “Our brand-new store with state-of-the-art amenities, great food, amazing service, and an incredible customer experience reconfirms our commitment to the communities we are very privileged to serve."
Velocity Cos. in August sold a Prince George's County pad site to German grocer Lidl, and CEO Brandon Bellamy told Bisnow at the time he was looking for more opportunities to improve the food offerings in the county.
“As a Prince George’s County-based business, we are thrilled to expand our impact in our very own backyard,” Bellamy said in a release. “In addition to new retail and services, this project will bring a new and improved Giant to a community with limited grocery store options. ”


text:
TAIPEI Key Taiwanese suppliers to Apple made their fortunes on iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Now, their reliance on the U.S. tech giant has left them struggling as their biggest client faces flagging sales amid a weakening global appetite for premium electronics devices.
Sales of iPhones have fallen for two straight quarters, ending an eight-year growth streak for the popular device. The iPhone has been squeezed by more affordable Android phones offered by main rivals including China's Huawei and South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
The average sales price for iPhones is deteriorating due to the launch of Apple's lower-priced SE phone. Apple is also losing ground in greater China. Combined sales in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan dropped 33% in the quarter ended June.
Taiwan's stumbling tech supply chain has contributed to a 17-month decline in exports. The local economy entered a technical recession in the third quarter of 2015, though it ended in this year's April-June period. Investors are concerned, as no groundbreaking product is in sight that might help the island's tech companies break out of the current doldrums.
"Apple now is facing pricing pressure, with competitors offering cheaper smartphones," said Arthur Liao, an analyst at Taipei-based Fubon Securities. The phones "can be expected to start selling at a lower price, like notebooks did when the notebook market became saturated," he said.
A major issue facing Taiwan's tech supply chain is that there does not seem to be another innovative product that can fuel growth over the next few years similar to what notebooks and smartphones did over the past 15 years, Liao said. Adding to the woes is the uncertainty of whether new technologies such as connected cars and devices, known as the internet of things, may translate into commercial potential anytime soon, he said.
In the first half of 2016, Apple and its suppliers suffered from the failure of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to outsell the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the most popular Apple smartphone models so far. The company is now bracing for a lukewarm second half, with low market expectations for the next premium model, to be unveiled in September.
SURGING SHARE PRICES Apple shares have gained more than 1,000% over the past decade. However, the stock lost close to 10% between the beginning of this year and July 26, when it closed at $96.67.
While many suppliers have benefited from Apple's prosperity, the scale is not comparable. Largan Precision, currently the highest priced stock on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, gained more than 400% over the past 10 years.
Largan Precision has been the sole iPhone camera supplier since 2007, when Apple launched its first phone. Its irreplaceability has helped the company boost its performance and stand out among suppliers.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)'s share price rose more than 200% in the past decade to 175 New Taiwan dollars on July 27, while major chip assembler Advanced Semiconductor Engineering gained about 32%.
IPhone assembler Pegatron advanced 123% since it was listed in July 2010 to close at NT$77.6 New Taiwan dollars on July 27 this year. However, the share price of Pegatron's bigger rival Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn Technology, dropped by more than half in the past decade -- partly due to stock dividends, and partly due to the manufacturing giant's perennial struggle to maintain growth and improve its razor-thin margins.
Even as Apple's health deteriorates, the company's assemblers have become even more reliant on it for revenue. According to Foxconn's 2015 annual report, the Taiwanese company got 53.6% of its sales from Apple last year, up from 50.3% in 2014. In the first three months of this year, Apple contributed 54.8% of Foxconn's sales.
In the report, Foxconn noted the ongoing decline of the average selling price of smartphones and reiterated its strength at cutting costs. The world's largest contract electronics maker also revealed that its number of employees fell by around 70,000 from a year earlier to 830,000 at the end of 2015. The company has been aggressively increasing the use of automation on its production lines.
Pegatron relied on Apple for 60% of its sales last year, up from 51% in 2014.
MUTUALLY DEPENDENT However, Apple's relations with suppliers are not a one-way street.
Foxconn churns out more than 100 million Apple phones in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou every year, at a facility that is located next to an airport to ensure the products can reach consumers as soon as possible. Without Foxconn's second-to-none mass production capabilities, and to a lesser degree, Pegatron's help, Apple would not be able to deliver its popular phones to consumers worldwide.
Yet Foxconn and Pegatron share only a shred of Apple's profits. Foxconn's net profit margin is perennially below 4% and Pegatron's less than 3%, while Apple's is steadily above 20%.
Several component makers are also heavily dependent on Apple for revenue. In 2015, Apple contributed about 60% and 50%, respectively, to sales at Largan Precision and metal casing supplier Catcher Technology, which provides components for both iPhones and MacBooks, according to a July note from Goldman Sachs.
While component makers' margins are close to or even better than Apple's, at the end of the day Apple still enjoys a higher return-on-equity ratio -- a key profitability measure investors use to choose between potential investment targets -- than its suppliers.
Some unlucky companies can even lose money on their Apple ties. Taiwanese touch-module supplier TPK Holding, which generates more than 40% of its revenue from the U.S. company, said 70% of its operating losses of NT$2.7 billion ($84.2 million) in the second quarter came from its business with Apple.
TPK has been struggling due to fierce competition with Chinese rivals and the iPhone's earlier switch to a different technology for its screen touch function. TPK now only supplies iPhone's home button and iPads.
It is not easy for Taiwanese suppliers to find new growth areas, said Jeff Pu, an analyst at Yuanta Investment Consulting. Companies could try to branch out into technologies other than smartphones, but it would take a long time to compete effectively with existing players, he said. Some companies, such as Largan Precision, have tried to win more orders from Chinese smartphone brands -- but that may become increasingly difficult as China seeks to boost its domestic supply chain, he added.
As another option, "suppliers [may] need to depend on Apple even more by securing orders for different components," Pu said.
Nikkei staff writer Chien Chia-hung contributed to this report.


text:
A McDonald’s customer is suing the fast food chain, claiming a slice of cheese nearly caused his death in 2021, yet he can’t stop lovin’ it. New York resident Charles Olsen has a severe milk allergy and claims a Big Mac (which famously has cheese), nearly did him in.
Olsen experienced an anaphylactic reaction after consuming a popular burger, as detailed in a recent lawsuit. The incident led to his urgent hospitalization, where he expressed fears about his survival. The near-death experience wasn’t enough for Olsen to quit the burger behemoth.
Despite suing McDonalds, Olsen is still scarfing down burgers from the Golden Arches. “I have been back to McDonald’s,” Olsen recently admitted to The New York Post. “But I no longer trust McDonald’s to follow any order specifics such as not including cheese.”
“Now I just order their fries and a plain burger, with nothing on it. Just the patty and bun,” he reasoned. “I just can’t take the risk that it’ll happen again.”
Despite Suing McDonald’s, the Customer Can’t Stop Visiting His Beloved Golden Arches
Olsen still avoids eating out at most restaurants nearly three years after an unnerving incident. It started as a “normal night” with friends, ordering from one of his favorite places. He mentioned placing his usual “No Cheese” order through DoorDash, a routine he’s followed numerous times. Upon receiving the food and unwrapping his burger, there was no apparent error with the order.
Of course, the McDonald’s lover ate the burger. However, he soon suffered a Big Mac Attack of an altogether different nature.
“I was just frustrated that McDonalds got the order wrong,” he recalled. “But as my symptoms worsened, I started to worry, and realized how bad it was. When I felt my throat close up and it became difficult to breathe, I actually thought I might not make it.”
Olsen and his girlfriend hurried to the hospital in an Uber as they believed an ambulance would be too slow. Around a dozen medical staff surrounded him, administering a mix of epinephrine, Benadryl, and steroids. However, the medication took effect before intubation was necessary.
Olsen now prefers plain burgers from McDonald’s and Asian restaurants due to their lower cheese and dairy content. “I hope my story raises awareness about how serious food allergies are. Something needs to be done,” he explained.
“Something needs to be done to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Employees need to be better trained. Restaurants can do better. Restaurants owe it to their customers to do better.”
- What Happened to the Cast of ‘Silver Spoons’? Where the ’80s Stars Are Now
- Mark Wahlberg & Burt Reynolds Clashed on ‘Boogie Nights’ Set
- Sally Field Net Worth: How Much Did the ‘Gidget’ Star Make?
- What Happened to the Original ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Cast?
- Barbara Eden Net Worth: How Much Did the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ Star Earn?


text:
■ Central office rental growth to accelerate to 15% in 2016
We forecast Central office rental growth to accelerate to 15% in 2016, from 11% in 2015 on the back of three new trends:
1) mainland financial institutions demand expanding at a faster clip, taking up 40% of new floor space leased 1-3Q15,
2) historically low vacancies in almost all districts, with landlords in Central likely benefiting from a 1.2% boost in bargaining power when lease is up for renewals in 2016,
3) mainland corporates buying up office building for their own occupations, hence further taking out supply from the already limited pool of office stocks.
■ Second best prime retail mall rentals to fall 8% in 2016, 5% in 2017
We see more downside for street shop rents given,
1) some new leases at lower rents are short term leases or to retailers whose margins are thin or unstable,
2) more international brand retailers are planning to consolidate their operations into fewer shops.
That said, negative impact on falling street shops rents on prime retail mall space in vicinity should be more muted given the much lower absolute rental levels. We forecast prime retail mall rentals will drop 8% in 2016 and 5% in 2017, but expect Harbour City, IFC, and suburban malls’ rental to be immune.
■ Top pick: Hongkong Land; Downgrading Wharf, Hysan and Hang Lung to Hold
We prefer office landlords HK Land, Swire, Champion, on the back of our expectation of multi-year rental upcycle and narrowing NAV discount on stock prices. HK Land is our top pick as we expect accelerating rental growth in Central in 2016. We downgrade Wharf, Hysan and Hang Lung to Hold on expectations of declining Hong Kong retail rentals in most districts in 2016 and 2017, as well as the widening of NAV discounts in a rental downcycle. (Read Report)
Source : BNP Paribas Research


text:
What you need to start the week.
Millennials who denounce McDonald’s stand in long lines for a Smashburger, which is one reason why the burger chain announced it will be the first fast-feeder in the country to freshly brew organic iced teas.
Selections include: Classic Green Tea, Just Iced Tea, Lemon Herbal Tea and Naturally Flavored Raspberry Tea, all made with certified organic ingredients. The tea compliments the craft beer, handcrafted sodas and premium beverages like hand-spun Häagen-Dazs shakes on offer.
“Smashburger and Honest Tea share a passion for providing guests with fresh-tasting, high caliber products, so the partnership was a natural fit for us. We are excited for the opportunity to be the first national restaurant to serve their fresh brewed teas to guests in all of our restaurants across the country,” said Tom Ryan, Founder and Chief Concept Officer of Smashburger. “There are many synergies between our two brands, but first and foremost is our commitment to serving food and beverages that our guests can feel good about, comprised of quality ingredients for a better dining experience.”
“The trend toward non-carbonated beverages in particular is continuing to grow, and has been the strongest area of growth in our beverage business recently. The addition of Honest Tea’s freshly brewed iced tea platform fits in well with this growing consumer demand,” said Ryan.
The new line is certified kosher, gluten-free, does not contain any genetically modified organisms, uses Fair Trade Certified™ tea leaves and drinks contain 50 calories or less per 8 fl. oz. serving.
Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman said, “We are thrilled to have Smashburger as our first national partner for our freshly brewed organic iced teas. Both companies view high-quality ingredients as an integral part of the tasting experience, and we look forward to serving our freshly brewed iced teas alongside Smashburger’s great menu offerings.”
Learn more: www.smashburger.com.
ILAM, Nepal – Much of Nepal’s tea is sold at auction in Kolkata, India because the Himalayan country has no tea auction of its own.
The government recently allocated money to create the nation’s first tea auction house which would facilitate sales of both orthodox and CTC used for blending. Nepal currently produces 3.5 million kilos of orthodox tea and 16 million kilos of CTC of which 80 percent is exported to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) allocated 3 million rupees ($30,400) for the venture. Remaining capital will depend on support from tea entrepreneurs who must develop the infrastructure to inspect, warehouse, broker, ship and taste the tea to ensure quality.
The Tea Board has endorsed the auction and offered to coordinate with tea entrepreneurs. It is hoped the auction will open by April 2014.
Nepalese tea exports were up by 16.2 percent in fiscal year 2011/12 according to the Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC). Demand for orthodox tea is increasing with Japan, China, Germany and the U.S. and is now supplied by 29 factories processing orthodox tea. The nation’s exports of 10,708 metric tons of tea were valued at $20.6 million.
“The demand for Nepali tea from international market is increasing with each passing year,” Ishwari Prasad Ghimire, executive director of TEPC, told the Republica newspaper. “Tea plantation area and production is increasing accordingly.”
WINNIPEG, Manitoba – The Guardian Angels hosted the “Biggest Tea Party in Manitoba” last week to benefit CancerCare.
Film and television actress, comedian, producer and activist Fran Drescher (The Nanny), a cancer survivor, presented an inspiring talk in front of a crowd of more than 1,400 donors at the Fort Garry Hotel. The 22nd annual event brings together “earthly angels” to raise funds in support of Women’s cancer.
Drescher said she saw eight doctors in two years before she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Now cancer-free for more than a decade, she is urging people to remove chemicals from their bodies and homes. Early detection is a life saver, she reminded the crowd.
“Catch it on arrival, 95 percent survival,” Drescher said is one of her mantras since being diagnosed with uterine cancer 13 years ago.”As women, the early-warning whispers are when it’s easy to deny, but that’s when it is most curable,” she told the group, according to reports in the Winnipeg Free-Press.
Event chairwoman Ida Albo, co-owner of the hotel, put out a call for china tea cups for the event, expecting to receive a few hundred. Local residents donated more than 4,000 cups.
Accolades to Toronto-based Steeped Tea for sponsoring the event, and to local consultant and team leader Melissa Tannahill for suggesting the donation and coordinating the delivery of tea.
Source: Winnipeg Free-Press
Tea Biz serves a core audience of beverage professionals in the belief that insightful journalism is one of the most effective forms of professional education. We write about what matters along the entire supply chain, emphasizing trustworthy sources and sound market research while discarding fluff and ignoring puffery. If there is nothing we can add to your understanding of the issue, we leave it alone.
Tea Biz posts are available to use in your company newsletter or website. Purchase reprint and distribution rights for single articles or subscribe. Custom content available. Click here for details.


text:
Following revelations of America’s National Security Agency’s global internet surveillance system, combined with a desire to enhance domestic production, China is beating a path towards unveiling its own operating systems in October.
The Chinese-made substitutes would first be introduced on desktop devices, later expanding to include smartphones and other hand-held devices, Ni Guangnan heads an official operating system development alliance established in March, Xinhau reported at the weekend.
“We hope to launch a Chinese-made desktop operating system by October supporting app stores,” Ni told the trade paper.
China, naturally concerned about the state of its national security following the leaks by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, which showed that many US tech products were vulnerable to “back door” peeks on private information, aims to reduce the country’s reliance on well-known imported brands, including Windows, Google and Apple.
“The recent NSA spying scandal has intensified Beijing’s concerns about its national information security in the era of an interconnected world, in which a limited number of U.S. giants in the hardware and software industries have dominated the market for decades,” Jin Kai, assistant professor at Daejin University in South Korea, wrote in The Diplomat, a website covering the Asia-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, it should be mentioned that the US Justice Department in May issued a 31-count indictment against five Chinese military personnel for hacking into the computers of several American corporations in the hunt for industrial secrets.
Beijing’s move toward domestic production of operating systems (OS) anticipated China’s decision in May to ban Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest operating system.
The announcement is a double whammy for the US technology powerhouse company, which is currently under investigation by Chinese authorities for antitrust violations.
Google, meanwhile, has also not escaped the hazards of doing business in the world’s most populated country. In March last year, Beijing said the world’s most famous search engine company enjoyed excessive influence over China’s smartphone industry via its Android mobile operating system. It also ruled that Google discriminated against some local firms.
However, China, which hopes to free itself from the chains of US technology giants in an interconnected world, still has many kinks to work out before it achieves its OS objectives. One problem for China, a country notorious for making products that are part imitation, part innovation, involves developing its own operating system that does not invite claims of copyright invasion.
“China has more than a dozen mobile OS developers with no independent intellectual property rights because their research is based on Android (the mobile operating system from Google),” said Ni, who would like to see the government oversee the ambitious project.
In any case, Ni believes competition will help Chinese developers achieve their goals.
“Our key to success lies in an environment that can help us compete with Google, Apple and Microsoft,”said Ni.
One thought on “China may unveil homegrown OS rivals to Windows, Google and Apple”
Yea, my mother in law in China, who works for a computer company, was talking about this. She was saying that Windows 8 is banned from the shelves, as everyone knows it is a backdoor for Microsoft and the International governments/military industrial complex to spy on the Chinese. She said that everyone still uses Win XP and Win 7 and that the Chinese government was designing a way to combat Microsoft’s backdoor intrusion of its operating system by using their own special operating system.
Can’t say it would be any better, as the operating system will most likely be a Chinese style Microsoft with the Great Firewall of China installed on them and an all backdoor access for their government. We all know that China copies everything from everyone else, including America and its government. I’m sure this is no different. I’m thinking this is the “problem-reaction-solution” for China’s government to further crack down and create stronger censorship of the Internet and control of an individual’s computer system, as I can’t imagine any operating system being made by China to be any freer or more secure than Microsoft’s.
I told my mother she better start getting familiar with Linux.


text:
AEA launch two new ribbon mic preamps09-20-2016 04:53 PM
RPQ2 & RPQ500 launched
Ribbon mic experts Audio Engineering Associates, or AEA, have unveiled a pair or new mic preamps that are the...
Hardware > Preamp
soundpeak @ Facebook :: Twitter :: Google+ :: SoundCloud :: YouTube
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


text:
Face.com Releases KLIK 1.0: Mobile Face Recognition Software
Face.com, the leader in online face recognition technology, yesterday released the production version of their iPhone camera app, KLIK 1.0. KLIK uses real-time mobile face recognition to automatically detect faces, and even identify friends in photos allowing users to easily tag and share photos of their friends.
The app automatically identifies your friends by name before or after you take their photo. In most cases, KLIK can identify the person in the frame before snapping the photo, and the name will then appear directly over their face in the camera’s viewpane.
Face.com: Facial Recognition For The Masses
GroupShot: Swap Your Face To Get The Perfect Picture
The production release of the application incorporates a new Learn mode that allows users to instantly train the system and improve recognition. Learn mode acts as a training mechanism helping KLIK to better recognize that face for future recognition and tagging. It also serves as a means for manually adding someone to the group of recognizable faces.
In addition, KLIK incorporates new custom photo filters, called “Face Filters,” designed specifically around photos with faces. While most photo filters apply their effects to the entire photo, regardless of its content, Face Filters are dynamic based on the location, size and number of faces in a photo.
Sign up for our free weekly newsletterSubscribe
The company also offers a platform for developers and publishers who wish to instantly integrate social networks, photo sharing sites and search engines. By using the platform they can automatically detect and recognize faces in photos and create their own original apps that leverage the facial recognition technology, algorithms and access to tagged faces.
To use the app, users need to configure it with their Facebook account, so that it can have a database that serves to identify their associates and friends. If KLIK can’t figure out who someone is, users can manually tag them and the app is can then recognize them in future images.
Photos taken with KLIK can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter or via email. The app also offers feeds of nearby photos and friends’ photos, tagging photos from the camera roll, and social sharing to Facebook, Twitter, email, and publicly on KLIK itself.
KLIK has a some of privacy levels built-in, as the app will only identify people a user has previously tagged or people in a user’s social network who have already agreed to connect and share with the software’s owner.
Face.com was launched in 2007 and has offices in Tel Aviv and New York.


text:
Customers must have a Starling personal current account to open a Euro Account
This week Starling Bank is launching Euro Accounts to provide its UK customers with a secure and simple way to hold, send and receive euros for free.
With no monthly fees, the new Starling Euro Account is the first of its kind from a UK digital bank, the press release says. The account, which will be rolled out on a phased basis, has been designed for UK residents who:
- are European expats living in the UK and sending money back home;
- work in the UK, but are paid in euros;
- travel frequently to and from Eurozone countries;
- have family and friends living in Europe;
- own property in Europe;
- make regular payments in euros for a pension or mortgage in another country;
- are UK residents working in Europe for a defined period.
For those who conduct a lot of transactions in euros, the new Starling account can help reduce exchange rate risks. Transfers into the account will be made at real market exchange rate with no markup, so it’s free to make payments from and receive payments into the account.
The bank mentioned that thousands of customers have signed up to the waiting list for the accounts since it opened in September.
Euro Account holders will initially be able to hold, send and receive payments in euros. Later this year, Starling personal account debit cards will be enabled to work with the Euro Account.


text:
- New Dodge Racing Game at the Zone
To celebrate their NASCAR Winston Cup reentry at the Daytona 500, the carmakers known as Dodge have decided to spread some computer gaming love. Unveiling their new online-only 3D racer, Dodge Speedway for download at The Zone, the older than time car manufacturer is taking this opportunity to show their skills as game developers as well.
Absolutely free and scheduled for a February 17th appearance, Dodge Speedway will feature both the Intrepid R/T and Viper GTS Coupe as they zoom along two professional competition tracks and one obstacle course. For more on the cars and their innards, check out the official Dodge website at 4adodge.com.
- NASCAR Racing 4
Speaking of racers, Sierra Sports latest entry in the automobile wars has found its way to the stores shelves today, as NASCAR Racing 4 speeds into retailers nationwide. Backed by a monster 1600x1200 resolution and up to 43 simultaneous players through its Internet mode, NASCAR 4 is primed to be this season's heavy hitter on the tracks. Look for our full review in the coming days.


text:
Bob's Discount Furniture, the East Coast retailer best known for its low-budget "dare to compare" television commercials, is being sued for alleged false advertising by Serta Simmons Bedding.
The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Chicago, alleges Bob's took the comparison too far when it said its Black Label Gel mattresses had essentially the same components as Simmons' Beautyrest Black mattresses, except for the "fancy logo" and the price.
One spot shows the mattresses side-by-side, lists similar features such as "gel-infused memory foam" and "luxurious stretch knit fabric," and then sets them apart with Simmons' "whopping" price of $2,799 versus $999 for the Bob's version.
"Sure, they're not exactly the same, but you be the judge," Bob Kaufman, the chain's founder and on-air spokesman announces in the commercial.
In its lawsuit, Atlanta-based Simmons said the ads "falsely and misleadingly imply" that both mattresses use the same materials and components.
"Due to the ongoing process we are unable to comment at this time," Sean Flanagan, a spokesman for Bob's, said Wednesday.
Nicole Murray, a Chicago-based attorney representing Simmons, also declined to comment Wednesday.
Simmons, which has been a leading mattress manufacturer for more than a century, says in the lawsuit that its Beautyrest Black mattresses include proprietary memory foam, patented pocketed coil technology and luxurious fabrics that are not used in the Bob's version.
In 2013, Serta, Simmons' Hoffman Estates sister company, sent Bob's a demand letter over a commercial it claimed falsely compared memory foam in competing mattresses. Bob's responded in that case by agreeing to pull the ad off the air.
Founded in 1991, Connecticut-based Bob's expanded into the Chicago market last year and has 10 stores in the city and suburbs. Its arrival also unleashed the ubiquitous price comparison commercials, which often feature a yellow-shirted Kaufman, a "Little Bob" puppet and Cathy Poulin, the chain's longtime public relations and outreach director, who serves as Bob's on-air foil.
Private equity firm Bain Capital bought a majority stake in Bob's in 2013. The furniture retailer has 81 stores in the East and Midwest.
The lawsuit alleges one count of false advertising and one count of deceptive trade practices, and it seeks an order directing Bob's to "permanently remove the commercials" and an injunction preventing the chain from claiming, "directly or by implication," that its mattresses have the same components or materials as Simmons' mattresses.
Simmons also wants the court to order Bob's to run advertising correcting "the false or misleading" claims it made.
In addition, Simmons is seeking a damages award to be determined at trial.


text:
A nail salon has leased 2,250 square feet at Hamilton Plaza, a 175,400-square-foot shopping center along Route 33 in Hamilton Township.
Two net leased fast food properties in Hudson County have new owners, following separate deals announced Tuesday by Marcus & Millichap.
Weichert Commercial Brokerage Inc. has launched a new platform aimed at assisting clients seeking to invest in commercial real estate, the company announced Tuesday.
A company that sells supplies for contractors and plumbers has acquired a 9,000-square-foot building in Perth Amboy, Rosengarten Realty & Development announced Monday.
An internationally based furniture seller has leased 7,000 square feet along Route 17 in Paramus, the Goldstein Group said Monday.
Real estate investment firm Onyx Equities has promoted Stephen Sullivan to chief investment officer, the Woodbridge-based company said Monday.
The newly formed syndication arm of an area real estate firm has made its first two deals, closing on vacant office buildings in Newark and Hackensack that it now plans to reposition.
Three Macy’s stores in New Jersey are among nearly 70 that will close nationwide this year, as the department store giant looks to streamline its costs and rethink its real estate strategy.


text:
Reflecting the caution that marketers will exercise in spending their marketing dollars in 2004, only a few b-to-b advertisers are lining up for Super Bowl XXXVIII.
With less than two months to go before the Super Bowl broadcast Feb. 1 on CBS, Monster.com and FedEx Corp. are the only confirmed b-to-b advertisers.
CBS declined to disclose advertisers that have signed up so far.
Monster.com rival Yahoo! HotJobs.com was still evaluating its media plans and had not made a decision about the Super Bowl broadcast at press time, a spokeswoman said. HotJobs.com has been a Super Bowl advertiser the past five years.
At a cost of about $2.3 million for a 30-second spot, many b-to-b advertisers are choosing to sit out the game, opting instead for more targeted media.
"For a true b-to-b advertiser with a narrow focus, it is very difficult to justify the expenditure," said Chris Lenge, VP-associate media director at b-to-b agency Doremus, whose clients include ITT Industries, United Technologies and ACE Insurance. None of Doremusâ clients will advertise during Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Lenge, who was previously a media buyer at BBDO, placing Super Bowl ads for clients including FedEx Corp., PepsiCo and Visa, said there are pros and cons to the Super Bowl as a b-to-b vehicle.
"I believe the Super Bowl is probably one of the most powerful forms of media that can be used, as long as the spill can help other divisions," Lenge said.
For example, FedEx and Monster.com both target consumers as well as business users, so the buy can be justified by the spotâs reach into those audiences, he said.
The game is expected to reach approximately 130 million viewers worldwide.
"Many of the advertisers that have used it successfully ran multiple units with an entertaining type of creative, and locked in their position early in the game," Lenge said.
FedEx locks in
FedEx has locked in position 1-B, the second spot during the first commercial break, as well as a spot during the pregame show.
"The Super Bowl reaches a critical demographicâkey decision-makers at Fortune 500 companies, as well as small and medium businesses," said Howard Clabo, a FedEx spokesman. "It really puts a crown jewel cap on our overall NFL marketing strategy."
FedEx is the official shipping company of the NFL, sponsors FedEx Field in Washington and has several events tied to NFL games.
FedExâs Super Bowl spot will be a new one, developed by BBDO New York. The creative is still being evaluated, but "it will be classic FedEx humor, going along with slice-of-office-life type of humor," Clabo said.
Monster.com, which has advertised on the Super Bowl for six consecutive years, will run two spots during the game broadcast and another during the pregame show. The spots are being developed by Deutsche, New York.
"Weâve had great success in the years weâve run advertising, both in reaching new people who are looking for jobs, and in bringing in employers who are posting new positions," said Carole Johnson, senior VP-marketing at Mon-ster.com. "Itâs a proven way to reach the audience."


text:
Study links moderate wine drinking, lower stroke riskDecember 3, 1998
Web posted at: 9:28 p.m. EST (0228 GMT)
From Reporter Louise Schiavone
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Reports about the health benefits -- or risks -- of food and drink may leave people asking whether the glass is half-empty or half-full.
New research about wine leans toward the more optimistic view.
A 16-year study of 13,000 people in Denmark has found that a daily glass of wine may significantly reduce the risk of stroke.
"Apparently, it seems to be a beneficial effect of a weekly intake of wine on the risk of stroke in our population," said Thomas Truelsen of the Institute of Preventive Medicine.
Doctors aren't yet ready to recommend hoisting a glass every day. Regular exercise and weight control still far outweigh the benefits of a daily drink.
But researchers who studied the Danish group noted that those who drank roughly one glass of wine daily -- red or white -- had a 32-percent reduction in their risk of stroke. The same was not true of beer or liquor drinkers.
It's not the first time wine has been linked to good health. Just last month, American researchers found elements in dark red grapes which may reduce stroke risk.
"We found that when you bathe the cells that cause clotting in people in a solution of purple grape juice, they have much less tendency to form clots," said Jane Freedman, a researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Roughly 700,000 people in the United States suffer strokes every year. What help these findings may be to them is uncertain.
Stuart Seides, a cardiologist with the American Heart Association, points out that the study is based on one ethnic population, while Americans are a diverse lot with many different dietary habits.
A glass of wine each day for many Americans may not cancel out other risky behaviors, such as physical inactivity and poor diet.
"A Polish sausage and a glass of chardonnay doesn't cut it," Seides said.
And of course, drinking too much has a proven downside.
"Certainly we know there are a lot of detrimental effects of drinking heavily -- which would only be say, in this case, more than two drinks per day -- with regard to breast cancer for women in the younger age group, (and) with regard to cancer (and) cirrhosis," said the Institute of Preventive Medicine's Morton Gronbaek.
Back to the top
© 2000 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.


text:
Mayahi: Trade Ministry to be as governmental merchant to keep prices stability after canceling Ration Card
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) MP, Aziz al-Mayahi, the member of the Parliamentary Economy and Investment Committee, stated that the parliament will cooperate with the government to make the Trade Ministry as a governmental merchant in order to help in keeping the stability of the prices after canceling the Ration Card.
In a press statement received by IraqiNews.com on Saturday, he said “The mechanism of replacing the Ration Card with a financial support will be supervised by the parliament and the implementation of this decision will consider the change in the prices of the local market.”
Mayahi stressed the necessity of “Excluding the flour foodstuff from this decision where the Trade Ministry will directly supervise the distribution of this foodstuff and with reasonable prices through the cooperative organizations.”
“We are following all the adopted plans to apply this decision and will call to postpone it, if we find any defect or violation to the required conditions of applying it,” he concluded.


text:
Updated from 8:14 a.m. EDT
was up 19.9% in early trading a day after the chip designer announced a mutual licensing agreement with chip manufacturing leader
that boosts Rambus' earnings projections for the current quarter.
In a conference call following the announcement, Rambus said it now expects a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of 6 cents a share, on revenue of $27 million to $29 million.
Analysts were expecting a profit of 1 cent a share, according to Thomson Financial/First Call.
Replacing an earlier agreement, the five-year deal gives Intel complete patent coverage for Rambus designs, while Rambus gets the license coverage it needs for its own high-speed interface business.
Intel will make fixed, quarterly royalty payments of about $10 million over the term of the agreement, Rambus said.
Intel was down 2.7%.


text:
Now comes a report, via the Post’s Anna Fifield in Japan, of a truck driver who, distracted while playing Pokémon Go, crashed into two pedestrians, Sachiko Nakanishi, 72, and Kayoko Ikawa, 60, killing the first and severely injuring the second on Tuesday. As Fifield reported:
Keiji Goo, a 39-year-old farmer, was playing the game while driving a small truck in Tokushima prefecture on the island of Shikoku.He struck two women while they were crossing the road, killing 72-year-old Sachiko Nakanishi and breaking the hip of 60-year-old Kayoko Ikawa. Goo told Tokushima police that he had been playing the game while driving, the Kyodo news agency reported.“I was playing Pokémon Go while driving, so I didn’t really see what was in front of me,” the public broadcaster NHK quoted the driver as telling police when he was arrested.
So perhaps it’s just as well, that, as Bloomberg reports, the game, which had the world in a frenzy, is now experiencing a decline.
“Data from Sensor Tower, SurveyMonkey, and Apptopia, however, show that Pokemon Go’s daily active users, downloads, engagement, and time spent on the app per day are all well off their peaks and on a downward trend,” Bloomberg said.
The BBC reported that data compiled by Axiom Capital Management showed that some 10 million players have given it up since mid-July.
“Pokemon Go’s Daily Active Users (DAUs) — an industry metric that determines how many people switch on an app each day — suggested that the game edged close to 45 million users on 17 July. By 16 August, that figure fell to just above 30 million,” the BBC added.
“It’s rare for games to explode in popularity like Pokemon Go has, but a drop in users was always expected after a big launch,” Craig Chapple, editor of PocketGamer.Biz, told BBC.
Part of the problem appears to be the lack of updates to the game, which players have come to expect. “There’s nothing you can do now that you couldn’t do a month and a half ago,” wrote Jacob Siegal in BGR, in a story bearing the headline, “Is Pokemon Go already dying?”
The game’s creator, Niantic, hopes to remedy that problem, announcing to developers on its Facebook page that “Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.35.0 for Android and 1.5.0 for iOS devices.”
The best explanation comes from players themselves, in comments where some of them hang out.
“Well, of course — it’s a limited game with an even more limited appeal,” wrote Gamer Luna at mynintendonews. “The pokemon brand name can only hold attention to it for so long before the cracks and limitations of the game in its current state reveal themselves for what they are. The game gives no true value for long play, and is essentially candyfloss … no decent content or reason to keep coming back to it for many players once the honeymoon appeal has worn out.”
“Ingress is definitely a better game, I don’t see many users getting bored of it. If you’re bored of PoGo,” wrote melodius, “I’d definitely recommend it, although it takes a bit of time before you can do the really cool stuff. Join Enlightened!”
Said Sleepy: “Well between the loss of features through updates, the actual dangers that have presented themselves and possibly scared people away, the pokestops that have been taken down or have been discouraged from being used as of late, the expensive microtransaction bills, the really low quality tagging, and there simply only being so many pokemon to catch, it makes sense that it would fade after a couple months of constant high gameplay rates.”
Greg Warner: “Not a surprise. Nothing is going maintain a level that high for long. A severe dip was inevitable.”
Warner makes a good point. Few products that rise so fast in popularity can maintain it. And it’s still pulling in 30 million users, if the reported numbers are correct, and remains one of the top game downloads.
And there is clearly pent up demand, as evidenced by some of the responses to Niantic’s post.
“Need to add better Pokémon to rural areas along with more Pokestops,” wrote one user. “Also, you need to add Pokémon centers and sell potions. I can hardly ever battle anymore because I have no potions. You should also make it easier to catch the mediocre pokemon. You also need to add the tracker to everywhere.”
“What about pokestops and gyms in small towns?” wrote another. “How long will take to give small town people motivation to play and not use hacks and cheats to get pokeballs? (not me, but there are tons of people doing this)”
And potential players in countries where it’s yet to be introduced suggested room for growth.
“We are Pokemon fans from China. We would appreciate it if we could meet Pokemons in China,” someone in China wrote. “As you know, China has the largest number of population of the world. No doubt that we will absolutely have the largest number of Pokemon players if you release this amazing game in China. We are sure you will not regret for letting us join the Big Pokemon Family of the world. Thank you guys for working hard everyday and night to make this game better and better. Hope to hear from you soon.”
“Please release Pokémon GO in Sri Lanka,” wrote a fan. “We don’t have a big enough population to crash your servers and we’re a mighty bunch who love Pokémon.”


text:
Report: Hawks sale in jeopardy due to new funding questions
It seemed like a good story — Alex Meruelo was to become the first Hispanic to own an NBA team, and at the same time rescue a good franchise from the clutches of a dysfunctional and unimpressive ownership group. Meruelo was the guy on the white horse, talking big and he already had a press conference as the new owner.
But it turns out, he might not have the money to buy the team.
The sale of the Hawks is in jeopardy because of concerns about Meruelo’s funding, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. Meruelo was to buy 80 percent of the Hawks for a price tag of about $300 million.
Meruelo denied this.
The Atlanta Spirit would retain ownership for now, which is a punch in the gut to Hawks fans.
Like seemingly everything, this circles back to the lockout.
Part of the reason we have hardline owners pushing the lockout beyond rational limits is because many of those same owners overpaid for those franchise and were heavily leveraged in doing so. When those franchises didn’t rise in value (as they had done the previous 15 plus years) those owners couldn’t justify losing money each year. So they came in and demanded major revenue sharing and givebacks from the players so they could turn a profit.
Bringing another leveraged owner into the mix now would be a poor idea.
It is possible that Meruelo will be able to show he does have the finances in place to purchase this team. The door is not closed. But right now it appears far from a sure thing. If he is out, the Atlanta Spirit (a consortium of owners) would be looking for a new buyer. And it can’t happen fast enough for Hawks fans.