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The Travel Corporation (TTC) has committed to a new set of sustainability goals based on the United Nation’s Global Goals.
The new initiative How We Tread Right (HWTR) takes the shape of a five-year sustainability strategy with 11 goals aimed at addressing climate change, overtourism and animal welfare.
Alongside the goals, TTC is strengthening its Make Travel Matter (MTM) experiences, which will now be vetted by an assessment tool measuring the impact of each experience and how it addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The component of the tour has to meet criteria associated with the goals to be considered an MTM experience.
TTC plans to put at least one MTM experience on 50 per cent of its trips across more than 40 brands by 2025.
As part of the launch, TTC has enlisted a few of its brand ambassadors, including activist and filmmaker Céline Cousteau, Indigenous storyteller and activist, Sarain Fox and National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale, to share how travel has impacted their lives.
“Our comprehensive How We Tread Right strategy is the progressive commitment to sustainability and the planet that TTC and our travel brands must make right now to achieve our 11 goals and be accountable for our impact,” Brett Tollman, chief executive of TTC, said.
“Never before has our industry been faced with so many challenges, many of which are directly tied to the heavy environmental footprint on the planet. At TTC, we believe that sustainability is critical to the return of our business post-COVID-19.”
Among the 11 HWTR goals is a commitment from the company to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 or sooner. TTC intends to drawdown its direct emissions through conservation and technology, investing in clean energy, low-emissions transportation and innovation.
TTC’s guided travel and FIT brands, such as Contiki and Trafalgar, have measured the carbon footprint of their trips and will announce rollout plans later in the year.
HWTR has committed to achieving the following by the close of 2025:
- Goal 1: Achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 or sooner.
- Goal 2: Source 50 per cent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
- Goal 3: Reduce food waste by 50 per cent across all hotels and ships by 2025.
- Goal 4: Increase use of local and organic products in our supply chain by 2025.
- Goal 5: Reduce printed brochures by 50 per cent by 2025.
- Goal 6: Eliminate as many unnecessary single-use plastics from our operations and itineraries by 2022.
- Goal 7: Include at least one Make Travel Matter Experience on 50 per cent of all itineraries by 2025.
- Goal 8: Achieve a 20 per cent increase of itineraries visiting developing regions by specialist brands by 2025.
- Goal 9: Increase employee and market sentiment regarding diversity and inclusion across our brands.
- Goal 10: Complete 30,000 volunteer hours by 2025.
- Goal 11: Ensure all wildlife experiences across TTC brands adhere to our Animal Welfare Policy by 2021.


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Mastercard collaborated with blockchain firm R3 to create an international payment solution.
As indicated by a Mastercard official statement distributed on September 1, the two firms intend to pilot another blockchain-empowered cross-border payment solution. The framework will purportedly focus on linking worldwide quicker payment foundations, schemes, and banks.
According to the release, the revelation is part of Mastercard’s arrangements to reinforce its cross border payments network, building on its procurement of worldwide payments firm Transfast earlier this year.
The collaboration with R3 is part of the payment mogul’s multi-rail strategy, which sees clients selecting how their assets ought to be moved.
Peter Klein, executive vice president of Mastercard’s new payments platform, remarked on the improvement:
“Developing a new and better cross-border B2B payments solution by improving worldwide connectivity in the account-to-account space is central to Mastercard’s ambition. Our goal is to deliver global payment infrastructure choice and connectivity as demonstrated through our recent strategic acquisitions and partnerships, including our relationship with R3.”
The collaboration expands on the past relations between the two organizations, which publicly showed also earlier this month when Mastercard joined R3’s Corda-powered Marco Polo Network for trade finance.
Mastercard additionally indicated enthusiasm for the cryptocurrency industry in August, when the organization had all the angling to enter the cryptocurrency wallet space with new job postings for blockchain and digital currency product advancement.

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Cosmetics Stakeholders Race To Hitch Reform Provisions To FDA User-Fee Bills
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
The Personal Care Products Council says consensus has nearly been reached between industry and consumer advocates on cosmetics reform provisions they hope to attach to FDA user-fee legislation. The groups must produce broadly supported, noncontroversial language by mid-March in order to have a shot at inclusion in the critical reauthorization bills, which typically pass well in advance of October deadlines.
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With the release of an atypically lean, clean FDA user-fee reauthorization draft bill, it’s doubtful that cosmetics regulatory reform language will get tacked onto the must-pass legislation. Stakeholders likely will refocus their efforts on standalone cosmetics legislation to modernize FDA’s oversight of the industry.
President Trump appears to want greater user-fee contributions from FDA-regulated industries to offset cuts to federal spending in fiscal 2018. His recently released budget blueprint could complicate negotiations that cosmetics stakeholders were hoping to join, but it also could signal opportunity for an industry seeking increased regulation – and willing to pay for it.
The Personal Care Products Council has a vision for marrying the Cosmetic Ingredient Review’s expertise with FDA’s authority, which it hopes to package into reform legislation expected this year. While FDA has balked at formalizing CIR’s role under previous proposals, this one was inspired by a third-party review program for medical devices, making it potentially more palatable to the agency and lawmakers.


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The new product will support small businesses in managing their cash flow efficiently and give them the freedom to take advantage of new opportunities as and when they arise.
Javed Afzal, CEO of Aseel Islamic Finance, said: “Good cash-flow management and fluid working capital is the heartbeat of any business. This new Shari’ah-compliant Business Finance service from Aseel Islamic Finance will take care of customers’ cash-flow requirements, enabling them to operate efficiently and prosper using a service which reflects their values and principles.”
According to statistics from Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), SMEs represent almost 92 per cent of the total number of companies in the UAE and provide over 86 per cent of private-sector jobs. Given the integral role that SMEs play in the sustainable development of the economy, the UAE is making considerable efforts to support these businesses and tackle the difficulties they face in securing financing.
Allowing SMEs to take advantage of increased solvency and liquidity, Aseel Islamic Finance’s Business Finance solution enables companies to ensure they have funds available to pay bills on time and maintain good relationships with their suppliers, whilst waiting for invoices to be paid. Customers can also access cash for daily expenses such as utilities, maintenance and repairs, covering their business when costly, unforeseen circumstances arise.
The new Business Finance solution gives companies the opportunity to make quick cash payments to get the best prices on business purchases and relieve additional stress on their business cycles. Free Takaful for the company owner is also offered as part of the Business Finance service, allowing SMEs to protect their business in the case of any unexpected incidents.
Hana Al Rostamani, Chairperson of Aseel Islamic Finance, said: “Accounting for 60 per cent of the UAE’s non-oil GDP, SMEs are vital to the country’s growth and we are keen to support the government and the local business community in driving SME development and entrepreneurship with innovative products which will make a demonstrable difference to businesses across the UAE. SMEs are paving the way for economic growth and job creation in the UAE and we are committed to providing them with the support they need to succeed and meet their objectives.”
Originally published on http://www.cpifinancial.net


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In every crisis there is also opportunity. We have seen many businesses revise their offering in the last few weeks to adapt to the ever changing market place amidst the restrictions placed on everyone due to the Corona virus outbreak.
With this in mind I will be focusing my attention for the coming few months on every way I can support you during this time. You will have seen the recent email regarding the initiative, asking for all small producers to submit their details on a new database that will link them to consumers in their area.
For more details on other initiatives being taken to support local supply chains, please see the next section of this update.
As biodynamic and organic movements, now is the time to support consumer awareness of buying local and supporting our farmers and encouraging the change of consumer habits as much as possible.


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The U.S. Commerce Department on May 2 launched anti-dumping duty (AD) and countervail duty (CVD) investigations against imports of tool chests and cabinets from China and Vietnam.
The investigations are in response to a request from Waterloo Industries, a U.S. manufacturer of tool boxes, according to the Commerce Department's fact sheet.
The company alleged that tool chests and cabinets from China and Vietnam were sold to the U.S. market at prices below the fair value with dumping margins of 159.99 percent and 21.85 percent, respectively.
The company also claimed that Chinese exporters and producers of such products received improper government subsidies.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), another U.S. trade authority, is scheduled to make its preliminary inquiry determinations around May 26.
The probe will continue if the ITC determines that there is a reasonable indication that imports of such products from China or Vietnam materially injure or threaten the domestic industry of the United States.
Last year, imports of these products from China and Vietnam were estimated at about 989.9 million U.S. dollars and 77 million dollars, respectively, according to the Commerce Department.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has kept urging Washington to abide by its commitment against protectionism and help maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.


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A 29-year-old man was found guilty last week of running an identity theft ring in suburban Denver, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
A Jefferson County jury found Michael Mancuso guilty of 43 counts, including racketeering, forgery and ID theft, the release said.
Mancuso was one of eight people indicted last August for running a criminal enterprise between December 2017 and April 2018 in which they illegally obtained people’s financial and personal information in order to purchase goods and services, prosecutors said.
Mancuso and his cohort conducted fraudulent transactions targeting 35 people, the DA’s office said. Members of the enterprise would buy things like bicycles, jewelry, clothing, cars and musical equipment using information from the credit cards. They would then sell the items to pawn shops, prosecutors said. The scheme involved more than $38,000 in fraudulent transactions and $20,000 in thwarted attempts to use the financial information.
Astute bicycle shop owners in Golden helped police catch Mancuso last year. Recognizing that they had heard the scheme from other shop owners, employees at the Golden Bike Shop told Mancuso that they were tuning the bike he ordered, before calling police and arranging for them to be at the store when Mancuso returned.
He was already wanted on felony warrants in Jefferson, Boulder and Clear Creek counties at the time of his arrest.
Mancuso remains in the Jefferson County jail. He will appear in court Sept. 30 for sentencing.


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The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that it has commissioned global strategists Roland Berger, in partnership with DHL, to carry out a report that hopes to solve problems surrounding e-commerce returns in fashion.
The initiative comes as part of the BFC’s Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) and will see initial findings and recommendations released before the end of the year.
In a statement, BFC’s chief executive Caroline Rush said: “We are delighted to work with Roland Berger to help find a solution to the direct and hidden costs and impact associated with returns in the UK.
“This project recognises the importance of investigating in innovation to secure robust and profitable businesses, while safeguarding the planet and society.”
According to Siobhan Gehin, head of Roland Berger’s UK retail and consumer goods division, the continued rise in online fashion sales could present a serious challenge for the industry.
Berger noted: “Every third item purchased online in the UK is returned, so this will cost the British fashion industry at least seven billion pounds this year. Finding ways to keep value in the business and divert returns from landfill is essential.”


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Kia celebrates a pivotal milestone as the Carnival marks two decades of production and design. The fourth generation of the brand’s flagship minivan was announced to arrive in markets across Middle East and Africa (MEA) starting February 2021.
Since its launch in 1998, Kia’s flagship minivan has served families for over two generations. With over 2 million cars sold since its initial release, the Carnival has become the preferred choice for individuals who value space, safety, design and comfort. In its latest iteration, the fourth-generation Carnival represents a new shift in the brand’s design philosophy.
Mr. Yaser Shabsogh, Chief Operating Officer, Regional HQs, Middle East & Africa, said, “Our latest model builds on Kia’s existing design identity to create a stronger, more futuristic vehicle. The new Carnival truly represents the best of both worlds, holding on to the strong design values and of its predecessors while exuding a modern, forward-thinking identity of its own.”
As the ‘Grand Utility Vehicle’, the fourth-generation Carnival represents a modern evolution to the model’s lineage. With a stronger design presence to prioritise passenger safety and a refined, spacious interior, the latest transformation of Kia’s flagship minivan distinguishes the model as the premiere choice for families.
Over the two decades, while its design may adapt and differ across models, the Carnival maintains the iconic ‘tiger-nose’ grille at the front, which Kia’s design team identifies as ‘symphonic architecture’. The front design is prevalent in its latest edition and brings together a number of technical and design features to produce a feeling of harmony and structural energy.
The Carnival has a long-standing history with the birthplace of Korea’s automotive industry in the Soharii plantin Gwangmyeong, with each of its four generations being manufactured in the plant. The newest incarnation of the Kia Carnival has been designed to appeal to progressive young families, with a leading combination of innovation, flexibility, and style.
The Carnival has been available in MEA markets since 1998 and more than 60,000 units have been sold to date across countries in the region.


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According to Akihabaranews in Japan, Epson are going to release a new Windows Home Server called the SV120h.
This machine started life as the Epson ST120 Endeavor and the size is only 75x185x195mm.
There will be a choice between two CPUs, with a Celeron 575 (2GHz) or a Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz) from 160GB to 2x500GB (1TB) of HDD. By default the SV120h will be powered by an Intel GM45 Express video chipset, have 1GB of RAM (up to 4GB).
The entry price of the SV120h will be around 65,000 Yen for the Celeron version (€520).
No news yet as to release anywhere else outside of Japan – more news when we get it.


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Tecno is gearing up to launch the Tecno Pova Neo in India soon. To recall, the Tecno phone was announced last month in Nigeria.
On its official Twitter handle, Tecno India has teased the upcoming launch of Tecno Pova Neo. However the tweet does not reveal the exact launch date of the upcoming smartphone. We expect the official announcement soon.
As per a recent leak, Tecno will be launching Pova Neo in India in January 2022. In addition, it the leak also confirmed that the device will come in 6GB + 128GB configuration. The company might provide a free pair of earbuds worth Rs 1,499 as a freebie to the Pova Neo buyers.
The Tecno Pova Neo was launched in African markets last month. Since the phone has already gone official in Nigeria, we already know the price and specifications. The Tecno Pova Neo is priced at N72,500 (approx. Rs 13,300) for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant. The device comes in three colour options including Geek Blue, Obsidian Black, and Powehi.
Tecno Pova Neo Specs
The Pova Neo sports a 6.8-inch display with an HD+ resolution of 720 × 1640 pixels. It has a punch-hole notch to house the front-facing camera. The phone packs an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 chipset.
The phone houses dual rear-mounted cameras, along with an LED flash. This includes a 13MP rear camera and an AI lens. Furthermore, the phone comes with an 8MP snapper for capturing selfies and video calling.
In addition, the Pova Neo is backed up by a 6,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. Furthermore, the phone comes with a USB Type-C charging port.
The handset features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Moreover, it has a 3.5mm audio jack as well. Lastly, the phone runs Android 11 OS with HiOS v7.6 on top.


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28th October 2021 - 2 min read
Touch ‘n Go (TNG) eWallet has joined hands with digital payments service provider Visa to enhance the payment experience and provide new payment solutions for its customers, including a TNG Visa Prepaid Card tied to the TNG eWallet.
The partnership will see TNG eWallet joining Visa’s Fintech Fast Track Programme, which allows it to access Visa’s global network of partners and affiliates. It will also include the development of the TNG Visa Prepaid Card, which is slated to be rolled out to TNG eWallet users in 2022. Among other functions, the TNG Visa Prepaid Card will allow users to make withdrawals at Visa-enabled automated teller machines (ATMs), both domestically and globally.
TNG Group also drew data from the Visa Consumer Payment Attitude Study (August-September 2020) to highlight the significance of the TNG Visa Prepaid Card, noting that 77% of Malaysians use both contactless cards and digital wallets when performing transactions. The TNG Visa Prepaid Card will give them the best of both worlds, on top of an improved payment experience by complementing TNG eWallet’s existing network of QR merchants in Malaysia with Visa’s network of more than 70 million merchant locations globally.
“This strategic collaboration between Touch ‘n Go and Visa will take the work between our companies to the next stage. Both brands are customer focussed, and with Visa, we expect to continue to strongly deliver a variety of value-added services to our eWallet users,” said the group chief executive officer of TNG Group, Effendy Shahul Hamid.
Meanwhile, the country manager of Visa Malaysia, Ng Kong Boon said that the partnership will help more consumers to adopt digital payments through the issuance of a Visa card. “Through this partnership, we also look forward to jointly launching a varied set of financial service offerings with Touch ‘n Go for the unbanked and underserved segments in Malaysia, leveraging the global accessibility of Visa’s network partners,” he said.
Subscribe to our exclusive weekly newsletter and we’ll bring you the week’s highlights of financial news, expert tips, guides, and the latest credit card and e-wallet deals.
Stay tuned for what’s to come next in the personal finance world


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Last Updated on February 17, 2022
As hundreds of millions of dollars of damage is bound to be racked up following the George Floyd riots, giving rise to widespread carnage and even murders, images of store owners suffering severe beatings at the hands of rioters and disappointed looters have gone viral–going as far as U.S. President Donald Trump tweeting about one particular incident.
The first video, from Columbia, South Carolina, has a white general manager of a restaurant get knocked out and stomped for calling the police on rioters trashing his workplace.
Trump came out and tweeted “can’t let this happen!” when a commenter told people to “vote blue” if they liked the images.
In another clip, reportedly from Texas, a white store owner was “lynched” by a group of multiple rioters who pile on to deliver blows after he asked what was happening. The cowardly mob dealt several strikes following a sucker punch from somebody running into the original square-off that caught the man off guard.
One commenter wrote: “The only mistake this man made was presuming he could appeal to the goodness and humanity in others. That, and not going armed. I now understand and respect the 2nd Amendment.”
“Those who speak in support of or try to morally justify looting and arson – watch out, they wouldn’t have a problem doing it to you,” wrote another.
And finally, in Rochester, New York, an elderly couple were beaten with two-by-fours from attempting to dissuade rioters from looting their store.
As reported by National File:
The footage begins in a confrontation between two white store owners and a group of rioters armed with two-by-fours.
As the rioters and would-be looters appear to move along, one of the turns around and deals a blow to one of the store owners.
The rioters then begin to brutally dish out blows with the two-by-fours to the outnumbered couple trying to protect their business.
At the end of the clip, the beaten man screams at the cowardly rioters commanding them to “get away” from his wife.
This couple, also reportedly from Rochester, tried to defend their business.
Sadly, they were badly beaten up by rioters in the process.https://t.co/UjdAfCrfP2
— Orwell & Goode (@OrwellNGoode) May 31, 2020
The full extent of the violence is still yet to be revealed.


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York bar with ‘legendary’ cocktail list untouched for 18 years has just made a big change
One of York’s favourite bars has a legendary cocktail menu untouched for 18 years. But it has just made a big change to its food menu – which is going down a storm.
Dusk now serves up pizza by the pie or the slice – bringing a slice of New York to Old York.
The popular York bar on New Street has launched ‘Crooked Slice’, and the new pizza menu replaces their previous food offer.
“We wanted to refresh the menu with an offer that can be a full meal or a quick bite with a pint,” said a spokesperson from Dusk.
“Some of our favourite food places in London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh are New York slice joints – we took a lot of inspiration from them.”
“York has some great local food vendors and chefs and we wanted to tap into their knowledge.
“We worked with Jack and Ethan from El Rayo Cantina to develop the menu and flavours of Crooked Slice – originally the idea was for a pop-up, but we quickly realised it’d be the perfect fit for Dusk for the long term.”
The menu currently has five different delectable pizza options to choose from, starting at £4.20 per slice and £14.95 for a whole pie, including vegetarian and vegan options. There will also be specials on offer, introducing new flavours and using seasonal foods.
Options include the Hot Salami with fennel salami, hot honey and pickled chillies or the Sloppy V with vegan ground beef, pickled chillies and vegan mozzarella.
“In New York the slices stick to a very traditional formula, whereas in the UK we can be more adventurous with slice flavours and presentation.”
The pizzas are made on-site, and have a sourdough base made with Wildfarmed flour. The brand Wildfarmed is co-founded by Andy Cato from electronic music duo Groove Armada, and uses regenerative farming – a traditional method that uses minimal chemicals and promotes soil and eco-system health.
The flour is also predominantly UK grown, which minimises food miles.
The new menu is already getting a great response.
“Everyone who has tried our NY Slice has loved it – we had one visitor from New York who told us it’s better than any pizza he’d had in NY!”
Though the food is all change, it’s not the same for the cocktail menu – which has stayed the same for 18 years.
“The menu is part and parcel of the mythology of the place – and we love it when a customer returns after 15 years and can still get a Milkybar Kid.
“That said, we do have specials on the menu to keep everyone’s taste buds fresh & interested – something we can have fun with.”
For more information and to see the full food and cocktail menu, visit Dusk’s website here.


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DingIt TV’s parent company has today announced that it’s launched Level Up Media to build its media and technology business.
DingIt TV will remain Level Up Media’s flagship destination for consumers, but the new division will also be launching two brand new gaming sites later this year. These will cater to different parts of the gaming community by licensing an extensive library of gaming on-demand video.
The first of these will be www.TheGamer.tv, which will focus on content catering to console and AAA gaming titles, while DingIt TV remains focused on eSports and competitive titles. The second site will be www.GoGamer.tv, which will have moderated content specifically selected for viewers under 13 years of age. All elements and adverts will be vetted to suit that audience as well.
Level Up Media will add content to its network from third party creators by paying them a licence fee, separating the creative process and content marketing into two separate partnerships. The company hopes this will give creators a longer term and more reliable revenue stream, allowing them to invest in their videos more heavily.
Level Up Media also says that each licence fee will be reflective of the quality of a creator’s content, and will be regularly reviewed by the company. In most cases, content licensing will be non-exclusive, allowing creators to grow their audiences across multiple platforms.
With these partnerships, Level Up Media says it hopes to expand its video library to over 25,000 premium gaming clips across a range of titles and genres by the end of the year.
2017 is going to be a very exciting year for our company," Level Up Media CEO Chris Gale stated. "The new brand and mission will allow us to expand our offering in a way that facilitates long term success for all our contributors, partners and the gaming community as a whole.”
As interest in gaming video expands, so do the communities that are formed around the content. Rather than forcing all these separate communities and interests into a single site, we appreciate that different gamers have different tastes and see a need to provide hubs of like-minded fans to enjoy and engage with the content they love.”
He added: "With a typical revenue share model, the two very different skills of creating and promoting content are forced together in order to find success. Through our license fee agreements we are able to help our creators focus on what they do best – generate amazing videos while giving the opportunity to grow their audience by rewarding partners who can promote our content library. By allowing different partners to focus on their own skillset, both are able to thrive.”
DingIt TV originally launched in 2015, and has since attracted 25m monthly users and thousands of content creators. In the second half of last year, DingIt TV saw a growth of 63 per cent in monthly sessions compared to the first six months of 2016, as well as an increase of 220 per cent in time watched, and a 177 per cent increase in total revenue.


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NEW YORK (MainStreet) Paying your health care bills on time is now even more important for consumers who are adding health insurance to their list of bills.
But several online services now help consumers streamline the effort by requiring only one login, saving people the hassle of having to remember multiple passwords.
Customers will now be able to manage their health insurance accounts - including the option to view statements of benefits and deductible balances alongside their financial and household accounts - through one secure log-in at Manilla, the New York-based free digital mailbox service that allows consumers to manage their bills and other personal accounts.
"Our consumer research shows that the majority of people either haven't established login information for managing healthcare accounts online or they can't remember what that login information is," said Jim Schinella, CEO of Manilla. "That's a crucial first step to building an on-going digital relationship with their insurance providers. Consequently, consumers have a relatively unaided understanding of their explanation of benefits (EOB) documents, which are critical to understanding and managing their own healthcare."Health insurance companies are among the lowest paperless adoption business segments in the United States.
Many consumers have recently signed up to pay for health insurance and will be making their monthly premium payments.
Only 38% of Americans would rather pay a fine than buy health insurance, according to a new insuranceQuotes.com report. The survey also revealed that 65% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 would buy health insurance versus 57% of Americans 30 and older.
Not only do consumers have to pay their monthly premiums, but they may face out of pocket fees not covered by their insurance or want to examine the balance of their deductible.
"By enabling consumers to now manage their healthcare accounts, we're helping insurers and their customers better communicate with each other in a way that strengthens the relationship between the two," Schinella said. "With statements being added to Manilla accounts we feel that we can better give consumers an understanding of their healthcare insurance as they keep track of their balances through our service."


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While America waits for the players and owners to sort out the remaining hurdles and agree on a new agreement that will put pro football back on the field, Topps is pushing full steam ahead with its football card plans. The company has unveiled its latest product, 2011 Topps Gridiron Legends, set for release this coming October.
The mid-level issue is “celebrating the past, present and future stars of the NFL”, according to a news release. Topps is mixing in on-card autographs of some former NFL stars with signed sticker autographs of this year’s rookie class and some veteran players it considers future Hall of Famers.
Plans seem to mirror the formula of other non-flagship products, with a 165-card base set made up of 80 veterans, 55 rookies and 30 “legends”. Each card will have a parallel version, ranging from 1/1 black to 1/299 bronze. There will be one blue parallel per pack.
There will be 55 different rookie autographs spread among the cards inserted into packs. Each card also has a colored variation, ranging from 1-1 black parallels to 1/99 bronze.
The autograph checklists include Legends Auto Relics of Terry Bradshaw, Earl Campbell, Steve Young, Gale Sayers and Franco Harris, among others. Autograph Legends cards will be throwbacks like Len Dawson, Ken Stabler, Ronnie Lott, Howie Long and Eric Dickerson while the Canton Hopefuls autographs feature players such as Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning and Maurice Jones-Drew.
In addition there will be 1956 reprint autograph cards featuring players like Tittle who appeared on Topps’ first major NFL set 55 years ago and have signed on card.
Relic cards include Legendary Combos such as the Montana-Rice jersey swatch pairing seen at left (click all photos to enlarge). 2011 Topps Gridiron Legends is set to release October 10.


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NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE RAPID FIRE CHALLENGE: MEATLESS MONDAY EDITION AT THE WESTERN FOODSERVICE & HOSPITALITY EXPO
Calling Chefs to Enter a Meatless Dish by June 14th To Win $1,000
LOS ANGELES, CA June 3, 2019 – Meatless Monday has taken the restaurant industry by storm and at this August’s Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo The Rapid Fire Challenge: Meatless Monday Edition is inviting all chefs to submit a meatless entry by Friday, June 14, 2019. The culinary competition will take place on Monday, August 26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The competitors will have the chance to win $1,000, bragging rights and gain exposure to over 100 media outlets as well as thousands of industry peers. Entries can be sent to email@example.com
“Meatless dishes have become very popular for consumers and we look forward to featuring the top three creative recipes, that will be selected through our Facebook voting, and presented on our Center Stage in front of a live audience in August,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President for the Clarion UX Food & Beverage Group. “We thank Meatless Monday, supporters of this event, and our emcee MasterChef Season 7 Winner Shaun O’Neale for their participation in making this event entertaining and exciting.”
The Rapid Fire Challenge: Meatless Monday Edition will take place on Monday, August 26, 2019 from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. Chefs and restaurants are invited to submit their finest and most creative meatless dish. Submissions must include the recipe for a dish and a 1-2 minute video, plus a bio and headshot of the chef. All entries will be published on the trade show’s Facebook Page for peer voting, and the final three competitors will be announced on Monday, June 24, 2019. The competitors will be asked to present a 20-minute demo of their meatless dish to a panel of three esteemed industry judges and live audience who will vote on the winner and crown the Rapid Fire Champion. Please note chefs must be available to compete on Monday, August 26, 2019 at Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo. For more information, visit https://www.westernfoodexpo.com/rapid-fire-challenge-2.
The Rapid Fire Challenge judges include Dana Smith, Campaign Director of Meatless Monday, Leslie Durso, Vegan Chef and Wellness Expert, and Dreux Ellis, Executive Chef of Café Gratitude. The event is supported by Meatless Monday and will be emceed by Shaun O’Neale, a world-recognized chef currently residing in Las Vegas, NV. A former DJ, Shaun was crowned Season 7 Champion of MasterChef on FOX in 2016 and completed his first cookbook in 2017 titled “My Modern American Table”. He is a self-taught chef who developed his upscale, modern American style of cooking by reading cookbooks and traveling the world.
Meatless Monday is a global movement with a simple message: one day a week, cut the meat. Launched in 2003, Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, working in collaboration with the Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of the organization is to reduce meat consumption by 15% for personal health and the health of the planet.
The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, sponsored by the California Restaurant Association (www.calrest.org), will be held August 25-27, 2019 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and will provide industry professionals access to the hottest menu trends, state of the art design and decor, a renowned education program, several culinary demonstrations, and 450+ of the leading vendors and purveyors dedicated to serving the restaurant & foodservice community. For more information, visit www.westernfoodexpo.com.
The trade show and conference will be co-located with Healthy Food Expo West and Coffee Fest, and one badge will grant attendees access to all three events offering the largest food & beverage experience on the West Coast. Healthy Food Expo West will bring attendees access to the latest and greatest healthy products from organic, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-safe to hormone-free, non-GMO, plant-based, low-sodium, low-fat, and more. Coffee Fest is the business-to-business specialty coffee & tea destination for access to new products, education and trends.
The three trade shows are owned and managed by Clarion UX (www.clarionux.com), which produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. Clarion UX, which is the U.S. division of Clarion Events, UK, and backed by The Blackstone Group has become one of the fastest growing event companies in the U.S. with aggressive growth through both acquisition and launch. Clarion acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing 4 Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and super-charging the already rapid growth. Clarion UX has offices in Trumbull, CT; Kennesaw, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Tacoma, WA, and Fairlawn, NJ.
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The conventional wisdom that web users should always use strong passwords that are never repeated has been challenged in a new report.
Researchers at Microsoft claim that many web users struggle to remember a long list of complex passwords. They therefore recommend that users only use strong passwords for websites that hold sensitive information, such as banking sites. -- The Telegraph.
Just over a year after first enabling two-step verification for its pervasive Apple ID account system, Apple on Thursday revealed the feature's expansion to nearly 50 additional countries around the world in an updated technical support document. -- AppleInsider.
Apple on Thursday began offering customers in the U.S. and elsewhere the ability to replenish their iTunes Store credit through its Passbook digital wallet application for iPhone when visiting an Apple Store. AppleInsider offers a first look at how it works. -- AppleInsider.
Following a Thursday announcement that Bill Campbell would retire as a member of Apple's board of directors, Fortune published an interview in which the Intuit chairman describes his time in Cupertino, relationship with cofounder Steve Jobs and "coach" to silicon valley elite. -- AppleInsider.
The iPhone comes preloaded with many stock applications, but not all are as powerful as you wish they'd be. Luckily there are tons of developers pushing new apps into the App Store, and many of their creations upstage the stock iOS applications.
In today's video we take a look at five iOS apps that can easily replace baked-in Apple apps and enhance your iPhone experience. Look at weather in more detail, refresh your music player and more with these powerful apps. -- Cult of Mac.
During his 25-year career as a photographer, Dan Marcolina has captured moments of everyday despair and delight, from beaches and backyards to bus stations and wedding celebrations. Longtime photographer Dan Marcolina tells why an Apple smartphone can be the ultimate tool of his trade. -- Cult of Mac.
For today's Quick Tip, Melissa Holt is going to teach us how to move a job that we've sent to the wrong printer to a different one. No more walking through the steps to reprint a document just because the printer you tried to use is at home, folks! -- The Mac Observer.
Managing documents and opening applications in OS X is relatively straightforward; however, there might be times when you would like to schedule specific files to open. These might be an application or two, or perhaps a document such as a PDF that you might access at a given time every day, or perhaps only use on Mondays or Fridays. Additionally, if you have scripted routines, including those made with Automator, then you might want your scripts to run at specific dates and times. -- MacIssues.
On July 17, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple titled "Infrared Sensors for Electronic Devices." This is a new application and not one that is a continuation patent. I say this because the iPhone having infrared sensors really isn't new. The feature that shuts off the iPhone's touchscreen when a user's ear touches the display isn't new. So what is new? What's new in this filing is that Apple wants to combine sensors and add new ones like a bolometer and a new dimension to their existing infrared sensor so that it could measure blackbody light. This will better measure the temperature of external objects such as a user's head or hand. This will provide consumers with the ability to use new "motion commands" that don't require touching the display. And considering that the invention could be used in conjunction with "portable devices such as wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, or other wearable or miniature devices," motion commands to control various features on an iWatch would be rather cool. -- Patently Apple.
The European Commission has complained that Apple is taking too long to implement protections for freemium games in the App Store, reports BBC News. The Commission has decreed that both Apple and Google, the two biggest app store vendors, must make the "true cost of apps" clear before purchase. However, officials are upset that Apple has not yet committed to any such measures.
Apple's promised Continuity feature will bind OS X Yosemite with iOS 8, enabling integration between Macs and mobile devices for compatible apps. So what is Continuity and what can you expect? -- Computerworld.
When it comes to apps for your Mac the old adage 'Different strokes for different folks' definitely applies. And it explains why we have so many different Mac word processors, notes apps, photo enhancement apps. Almost every Mac user needs an app in those categories. Less popular are presentation apps on the order of Keynote, which is free for Mac users.
If necessity is the mother of invention, someone decided Keynote could be improved and developed Flowboard, arguably the most unique Mac (and iOS) presentation app you've never used, and probably won't. -- McSolo.
Apple loves color. Not just color, but accurate color. Color on a Mac is only as good as the Mac's display.
How do you know your Mac display is, well, displaying the proper colors and working as it should? If color is important to you, and you want to test and tuneup your Mac's display, what can you do? I came across a Mac utility that might just answer the question. -- Mac 360.
NeoOffice 2014 shipped a week or so ago and, rather than write it up then, I thought better of it -- wait for the first point release. Well, Neoffice 2014.1 has indeed arrived, an unambiguous signal that it's time to belly up to the bar. -- FairerPlatform.
Digital photography expert Derrick Story shares his thoughts on the discontinuance of Aperture and what we should all do next. Is Adobe Lightroom in your future? Or the successor photo app from Apple, Photos? Is building a new photography app from the ground up a good idea? Derrick discusses the options, the costs associated with each, and his rationale for his personal choice. -- MacVoices.
We're in a square-photographed world: Square images fill our Twitter streams, Facebook dashboards, and just about everywhere else. If you're a photographer shooting on your iPhone, it's hip to shoot square--especially if you know the right tricks to make your images look fabulous. -- Macworld.
We PowerPC Mac users can take glee at a lot of things in this day and age of mobile, on-the-go, modern computing. We all have need for desktop computers. I don't know anyone who can type a story or blog post of substance on their tablet or phone. Sure, you can hook up a keyboard to your iPad or your iPhone but if you're going to go to that length you might as well save your notes to the cloud and pull down that kind of work for completion on your trusty desktop Mac. -- hittingthesweetspot.
A group of MIT researchers say they've invented a new technology that should all but eliminate queue length in data center networking. The technology will be fully described in a paper presented at the annual conference of the ACM Special Interest Group on Data Communication. According to MIT, the paper will detail a system -- dubbed Fastpass -- that uses a centralized arbiter to analyze network traffic holistically and make routing decisions based on that analysis, in contrast to the more decentralized protocols common today. Experimentation done in Facebook data centers shows that a Fastpass arbiter with just eight cores can be used to manage a network transmitting 2.2 terabits of data per second, according to the researchers.
Apple's newly announced mobile partnership with IBM has been greeted by a number of analysts and pundits as being both "not that big a deal," or conversely, the dramatic reversal of a long standing rivalry. Both are wrong, here's why. -- AppleInsider.
An Apple invention published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office on Thursday describes a method by which an iPhone can set off an alert or automatically lock the device based on detected changes in user behavior. -- AppleInsider.
By now, most readers know the advice cold. Use long, randomly generated passwords to lock down your digital assets. Never use the same password across two or more accounts. In abstract terms, the dictates are some of the best ways to protect against breaches suffered by one site--say, the one that hit Gawker in 2010 that exposed poorly cryptographically scrambled passwords for 1.3 million users--that spread like wildfire. Once hackers cracked weak passwords found in the Gawker database, they were able to compromise accounts across a variety of other websites when victims used the same passcode. -- Ars Technica.
Facebook isn't the only organization conducting research into how attitudes are affected by social media. The Department of Defense has invested millions of dollars over the past few years investigating social media, social networks, and how information spreads across them. While Facebook and Cornell University researchers manipulated what individuals saw in their social media streams, military-funded research--including projects funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Social Media in Strategic Communications (SMISC) program--has looked primarily into how messages from influential members of social networks propagate. -- Ars Technica.
One year after being found guilty of e-book price fixing, Apple has reached a conditional settlement with the U.S. State to pay $450 million for its role in the price fixing conspiracy that involved five major publishers. -- Cult of Mac.
After launching first in Japan on July 15th, Apple has brought its iTunes Pass functionality to the United States. The feature allows you to store iTunes Store credit on a digital gift card in Passbook that can reloaded by an Apple retail employee in-store. -- Cult of Mac.
One of the hidden gems in OS X is a scripting service called Folder Actions, where you can bind an AppleScript to run whenever the contents of a specified folder are changed. This feature can be exceptionally useful, not only for helping you organize files and folders, but also for helping you monitor aspects of your system.
Unfortunately Apple does not promote Folder Actions, and perhaps they might someday go the wayside and be gone from OS X, but for now while they are still around you might be able to make good use of them. -- MacIssues.
On July 17, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple titled "Bump or Close Proximity Triggered Wireless Technology." Although Apple's Sr. VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi made light of Samsung's bumping technology during his 2013 WWDC keynote segment introducing "AirDrop" by saying that there was no need to wander around the room bumping your phone with others in order to share photos and so forth, the fact is that bumping technology was long established in previous Apple inventions going back to 2009. Today, Apple takes bumping technology to newly advanced levels. Although Apple notes that it does use peer-to-peer Wi-Fi Direct like with AirDrop in some cases, they also note that they use many other communication standards that could be applied to a wide range of future applications such as e-Commerce, in-vehicle applications and into wild new areas involving vehicle collisions, theft and beyond. -- Patently Apple.
On July 17, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a possible future "Find My iPhone" security feature. The invention is intended to allow the finder of a lost iDevice to initiate a communication with a particular contact stored in the device by bypassing the device's security scheme. -- Patently Apple.
Whether you're a student preparing a class assignment or a rising executive trying to impress your CEO, you'll have to go beyond the basics if you want your computer-based slideshows to stand out. While teaching people how to use presentation software over the years, I've identified nine techniques that I think everyone should have in their arsenal--but which even some experienced presenters often seem to miss. Here's how those techniques work in Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac 2011, Apple's Keynote 6.2, and Google Docs. -- Macworld.
The latest version of Numbers restores our ability to use AppleScript to automate some actions in your spreadsheets. You can use AppleScript to create new commands in Numbers and do things that could be difficult or impossible to do otherwise. Take a look at some simple examples that populate cells with random numbers and modify the values of checkboxes. -- MacMost.
If you ever need to enter console commands without logging all the way into the desktop, Macworld has an old tip that shows you how to get access to the Terminal without going through the whole login process. -- Lifehacker.
The Pages app is the Mac word processor similar to Microsoft Word on the Windows side of things, and by default any Pages document is saved as a Pages format file with with a ".pages" file extension. Typically that's invisible to Mac users, but if you send a Pages file to someone on a Windows computer, the .pages extension is visible and the file format is unreadable by default by most Windows apps and by Microsoft Office. At first glance that may seem like Windows can't use the file, but that's not the case. -- OS X Daily.
Last year Apple delivered iOS 7, which was a massive upgrade. Not only did it bring an all-new look as well as add several new dimensions to the user interface, it also brought full compatibility with Apple's industry-leading 64-bit chip technology. This year, Apple used its WWDC 2014 to unveil iOS 8, its next-gen mobile OS. A lot of foundational work was laid in iOS 7 and iOS 8 looks to build on this adding several new and powerful features to the front end and back end. Apple is calling iOS 8 its biggest release to date, which is some statement when set against the backdrop of what it achieved with iOS 7. But when you factor in over 4,000 additional APIs and an all-new in-house developed programming language in Swift, plus some potentially revolutionary new frameworks in HealthKit and HomeKit, iOS 8 could well be the most significant iteration of iOS yet. -- Electronista.
I came across a curious announcement from Warner Classics this morning. They say that they will be releasing some music in high definition on iTunes. Talking about some remastered albums by Herbert van Karajan, they say:
This treasure trove has been painstakingly remastered at London's Abbey Road Studios in 24-bit/96kHz from the original tapes, available for the first time as digital, high-definition releases via iTunes. -- Kirkville.
You may have read the selective fantasy peddled as fact by Christina Farr, which claimed blind and deaf users want Apple to do more to make its systems accessible. Her inherent bias was clearly confirmed when those advocates also said Google has done far less to make Android devices accessible.
Contrast Apple's success with Chris Hofstader's review of Nexus 7's claimed accessibility features: "Google insults the community of people with print impairments by claiming that this device is accessible," he wrote.
Apple engineers "go to extraordinary lengths to make our products accessible to people with various disabilities from blindness and deafness to various muscular disorders," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. -- Computerworld.
Search giant Google added another board to Flash's coffin on Tuesday with the announcement that it would warn users searching from mobile devices -- like Apple's iPhone or Android handsets -- when the contents of a search result were "mostly Flash." -- AppleInsider.
A Comcast customer service representative tried to retain a customer over the weekend in a stunning display of hysteria and desperation, and his failure was recorded for all to enjoy. Gdgt founder and AOL Vice President of Product Ryan Block posted a recording of his attempt to cancel his Comcast cable service over the phone Monday night, showing remarkable patience and reserve in the face of adversity. -- Ars Technica.
Though streaming video is a bigger user of bandwidth overall, it's images, not video, that are the big bandwidth user during regular browsing. A big proportion of this bandwidth is taken by lossy image formats, specifically JPEG, used to shrink photographic pictures to a more download-friendly size. The desire to make these images smaller--and hence faster to download--has inspired a lot of investigation to determine if some other format might do the job better. -- Ars Technica.
Apple and IBM are working together again. No, it's not a revival of PowerPC Macs--the two companies have entered into an agreement to strengthen Apple's position in large businesses using IBM's software, services, and partnerships. -- Ars Technica.
IBM did not invent personal computing but their "PC" became synonymous with the category. Having entered the market in 1981, the IBM PC quickly became the top selling brand. From 1984 to 1993 IBM sold more PCs than any other vendor, conceding the spot to Compaq which remained on top only until 2000. No PC vendor remained at the top of the sales leagues longer than IBM. HP had the second longest run but that run was broken last year as Lenovo (who acquired IBM's PC business) surged. -- Asymco.
IBM and Apple used to be sworn enemies, but a lot has changed since the early days of the Macintosh and the PC race. Both companies have committed to making Apple software and hardware a one-stop shop for businesses in what some consider one of the "most important and powerful tech partnerships" ever. -- Cult of Mac.
With so many people in the world having iPhones with the same ringtones, hearing a ringer go off can be irritating and confusing. The iTunes Store sells ringtones, but they can become quite expensive if you like switching things up a lot.
In today's video, we show you how to solve this annoying problem by creating your own free ringtones in iTunes. Just follow these simple steps to separate yourself from the crowd instantly. -- Cult of Mac.
Photography is all about light, and photographers are all about light painting. There are many tricks to try, from isolating objects with incandescence outside the frame to shining light directly at the camera as in Janelle Pietrzak's Bambi series, created using light stencils. -- Cult of Mac.
Given that I used to work for Apple and have lately been quite critical of IBM, readers are wondering what I think of Tuesday's announcement of an iOS partnership of sorts between Apple and IBM. I think it makes good sense for both companies but isn't a slam dunk for either. -- I, Cringely.
In today's Quick Tip, Melissa Holt's going to cover a feature that not many people use, despite it having been around since approximately the dawn of time. OS X's Color Picker can grab any color on your screen, so you can apply the exact shade of a logo, a t-shirt you took a picture of, or pretty much anything else to your objects and text. Handy! -- The Mac Observer.
Arguably Safari, Firefox, Chrome and other Web browsers are perhaps the most commonly used applications on your Mac, so when browsing various sites, you might be frustrated if pages suddenly stop updating with content you know is new, or stop loading at all.
At times these can be server-based issues that you simply have to deal with, but at other times it can be a hiccup in your Mac's configuration that causes the problems. -- MacIssues.
Last month Apple confirmed that it would soon beef up encryption for iCloud email following a report detailing security flaws in major email services. While Apple previously encrypted emails sent between its own iCloud customers, now the company has enabled encryption for emails in transit between iCloud and third-party services for me.com and mac.com email addresses. -- 9to5Mac.
Apple's iLife consumer-level suite of apps has changed dramatically over the years. It has contained as few as three apps and as many as six. It's cost as much as $79 and as little as zero. It's been packaged both as an integrated software collection and as a loose confederacy of disparate apps. And now, in its latest evolutionary shift, it's been placed on the endangered software list, with a reasonable probability that it will, in the not too distant future, go extinct altogether. -- Macworld.
We all know that Macs offer fantastic performance and that the Mac OS is the most secure and efficient operating system out there, however there may come a time when you notice your Mac is running a little slowly, or not performing as well as it once did.
Let us take you through a few simple steps that can help improve performance and keep your Mac in tip top healthy condition. -- Amsys.
So did you ever think you could organise your footage for FCPX without using folders, before importing ? You can and here's how... (Plus an extra tip!) -- fcp.co.
Use a Mac long enough and you'll eventually stumble upon forums like the "Post Your Desktop" threads at sites like MacRumors. Mac users love to customize the look and feel of OS X, and one of the easiest ways to do it is by using custom icons for your apps and utilities.
Apps like CandyBar have long offered a quick solution to managing your Mac's application icons, but it's just as simple to change most icons yourself. Here's an overview on how to use custom icons in OS X. -- TekRevue.
Admit it: You don't use half the tools in your word processing app--whether it's Microsoft Word, Apple's own Pages, or Google Docs--maybe even less than half. But without all those bells and whistles you've been ignoring, that app is little more than a glorified text editor. (Not that there's anything wrong with that: I use my favorite text editor, BBEdit, as a glorified word processor.)
But a big part of owning a tool is knowing how to use it effectively. So if you ever use Word, Pages, or Google Docs, you owe it to yourself to know how to do a few essential things with it. Here are the ten of the most essential. -- Macworld.
Applescript has had to take a bit of a back seat in recent years but there have been a couple of posts recently that will be of significant interest to all scripters. -- Macs in Chemistry.
If you take a photo with your iPhone or iPad and feel like the composition is great but that the colors and tones could be a little better, the Photos app comes with a few handy tools to help. iOS 8 promises a lot more control, but even with iOS 7, If you either aren't familiar with photo editing or just aren't sure where to start, the auto-enhance feature is a great place to start! -- iMore.
It wasn't all that long ago that the IT world divided the world into two groups of people -- those who used their computers for work and those that owned Macs. A lot has changed over the last five years or so, with Macs making the move out of art departments and schools into the mainstream.
While the Mac has long enjoyed a reputation for great usability it has had to build a new reputation in the office. Part of the challenge for IT managers has been ensuring that Mac users can work seamlessly with their PC-using colleagues and that they can collaborate with the entire business.
So what does that take? It means looking for applications that allow Mac users to work effectively in the business and with clients. It means ensuring that all the devices on the network are correctly configured and kept up to date. And it means ensuring that staff is well educated in how to get the most from the applications and hardware. -- Macworld AU.
In a recent thread on Reddit, one Apple customer describes an experience in which he effected change in Apple's daily operations, specifically as it pertains to "on hold" music, after contacting CEO Tim Cook via email. -- AppleInsider.
Earlier this month, I spent a day working in the throwback world of DOS. More specifically, it was FreeDOS version 1.1, the open source version of the long-defunct Microsoft MS-DOS operating system. It's a platform that in the minds of many should've died a long time ago. But after 20 years, a few dozen core developers and a broader, much larger contributor community continue furthering the FreeDOS project by gradually adding utilities, accessories, compilers, and open-source applications.
All this labor of love begs one question: why? What is it about a single-tasking command-line driven operating system--one that is barely up to the most basic of network-driven tasks--that has kept people's talents engaged for two decades? Haven't most developers abandoned it for Windows (or, tragically, for IBM OS/2)? Who still uses DOS, and for what?
To find out, Ars reached out to two members of the FreeDOS core development team to learn more about who was behind this seemingly quixotic quest. These devs choose to keep an open-source DOS alive rather than working on something similar but more modern--like Linux. So, needless to say, the answers we got weren't necessarily expected. -- Ars Technica.
Apple may be looking to boost usage of the iBeacon feature it introduced in iOS 7. Late last week, router manufacturer Securifi spotted FCC documents certifying a new "Apple iBeacon" device, suggesting that Apple wants to offer beacon hardware alongside a list of smaller third-party manufacturers. -- Ars Technica.
While iCloud has been a trusty storage companion for photos and documents, Apple's recently announced iCloud Drive upgrades what we already know and love about the service. In today's video, we take a look at five ways iCloud Drive will upgrade your life when Apple rolls out the enhanced service alongside iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. -- Cult of Mac.
This is my take/an update on las_vegas' hint I found here awhile back for running OS updates without creating a user on a Mac. It is applicable to any system 10.5 and up.
This can be helpful if you have a Time Machine backup that's on a newer OS than your install media, or if you're selling/donating your Mac as it saves the new user having to update things. -- Mac OS X Hints.
Apple is seeking employees from its own retail stores who have shown in enthusiasm for photography to test the upcoming OS X Photos application and iCloud Photos feature. Apple, last week, reached out to retail employees offering such a "career experience," and here is the message to retail staff as provided by multiple retail employees. -- 9to5Mac.
You may have heard that in order to keep your Mac running in tip top shape, you need to perform regular maintenance routines on it to clear out caches and other temporary items. These can be useful at times, especially if your system is showing problems with specific applications or services; however, clearing caches, log files, and other so-called "maintenance" routines regularly will often have no effect on the system and may sometimes be entirely unnecessary steps to take. -- MacIssues.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 46 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover Apple's wild 3D imaging and display apparatus. Just last month Apple was granted a patent for different aspects of the same invention. The differences between the patents could easily be found in the finer details of Apple's patent claims. Whether the recent activity regarding this invention means Apple is any closer to delivering such a device is unknown at this time. -- Patently Apple.
While iPhone users have enjoyed new location-based experiences thanks to early implementations of Apple's iBeacon technology, companies deploying the bluetooth beacons are also collecting some valuable data on users. We reported previously how some are experiencing huge jumps in app usage and ad engagement since deploying beacons in grocery and retail stores, and today we get some insight into how event planners are using beacons to collect valuable data on attendees. Aloompa, the company behind the iBeacons deployed at the recent Bonnaroo music festival, shared some numbers it gathered on concertgoers that it wouldn't have had without its iBeacon deployment. While users of the Bonnaroo app benefited from proximity based notifications for happenings around the event, Aloompa and event organizers gained new insight into how to improve the festival next year. -- 9to5Mac.
If you've ever been frustrated by visiting a website on your iPhone or iPad and finding it won't work because it uses Flash, you'll welcome the latest Google initiative: it is now flagging Flash content in its search results, warning that the site may not work on your device. -- 9to5Mac.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 46 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover two key patents. The first covers an advanced haptics system for iDevices. The second is for a new 3D camera system that could apply to future iDevices and/or a standalone camera. In April we posted a report titled "Future High-End Android Smartphones with 3D Cameras will be using Apple's PrimeSense Technology." It now appears that Apple has their own surprise in the works. -- Patently Apple.
Both the Tiobe and PyPL indexes see the new programming platform drawing plenty of attention. Swift, Apple's new programming language for iOS and OS X applications, has rocketed up the charts in two monthly tabulations of programming language popularity. -- InfoWorld.
"I recently went on a cleaning binge and as part of it I wiped out what I thought were unnecessary Safari bookmarks. A couple of days later I realized that I need some of them. I have a Time Machine backup but don't know where to find the old bookmarks. Help!!" -- Macworld.
Apple showed off OS X Yosemite in its WWDC 2014 keynote in June. Over the past few weeks Macworld's Jason Snell has been testing a beta version of Yosemite, so we've put together a preview of OS X 10.10 based on his findings, so that you'll know what to expect when OS X Yosemite is launched this year. -- Macworld UK.
Could future smartphone batteries be made even better using plain old beach sand? A new study published at Nature.com that shows using beach sand as the primary ingredient for a smartphone battery's anode could yield considerable improvements in terms of power efficiency. -- BGR.
No camera is perfect and that includes the one in your iPhone and iPad. One of the most common issues most people experience is redeye, which can be caused from flash or a bad glare. Luckily, instead of letting it ruin what would have been a great photo, just use the editing tools the Photos app provides to remove the redeye in just a few taps! -- iMore.
A few weeks back, we had a meeting of the BC FileMaker Developer Association. Joshua Paul of Neo Code Software, was talking about the benefits of the Voice Over Internet phone system his company had installed. His phone costs were way down, the voice quality was reliable and crystal clear (because the system uses better more modern 'high definition' codecs than the standard phone lines). Best of all, he could create a virtual office scenario with developers in widely diverse locations, yet it felt like everyone was in the next room. -- HomeBase Software.
When watching movies on the Apple TV, you may come across a time where you want to jump back or forward several minutes and scenes. While you can always scrub by rewinding and fast forwarding, it's much easier to use the chapter menu to jump right to where you need to be. The best part is you can even see preview frames so you know exactly where to skip to. -- iMore.
I've been travelling around Australia giving workshops to teachers about presentation skills as well as technologies and mental health. Few teachers have ever heard of Apple's Keynote presentation software, as I discovered when many came put to me after my presentations to ask how I did what I did -- the why was pretty obvious! -- Les Posen's Presentation Magic.
Apple's march toward transparency continued on Friday with the launch of the Swift Blog, a new developer-focused blog covering the Swift programming language introduced by the company at WWDC. -- AppleInsider.
Apple has remained silent on its plans for PrimeSense, the 3D scanning firm it acquired last November. But a new iPad app based on some of the same underlying technology--which allows users to quickly capture three dimensional models for use in CAD and 3D printing via a third party peripheral--indicates that Apple may be planning to integrate the tech into future iPads as a differentiating feature. -- AppleInsider.
As Apple continues to refine its in-house mapping and navigation services, business owners are reportedly receiving phone calls from Maps team representatives looking to resolve user-submitted data discrepancies. -- AppleInsider.
On Friday, the president of the National Federation of the Blind clarified the group's recent resolution calling on Apple to collaborate with the group's efforts to expand accessibility among third party apps, noting a "good relationship" despite a "provocative and poorly reported article" on the subject released by Reuters. -- AppleInsider.
AT&T and Verizon Wireless are extracting "monopoly rents" from competitors who pay them for data roaming, forcing smaller carriers to charge higher prices to their own subscribers, four public interest groups wrote in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission yesterday. -- Ars Technica.
"Flat" has become very popular.
This particular design trend found its footing in Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 design. It was all big, buttons and bright colors with no extraneous texture or ornamentation--ideas that later spread to Windows 8, iOS 7, OS X Yosemite, the Android L release, and many apps running on those platforms. Software is no longer focused on making onscreen content look like real-world objects. Our screens aren't made of felt or paper, so why should they look that way? -- Ars Technica.
Parallels Desktop has been updated to version 9.0.24237 with some fixes for issues related to the upcoming OS X Yosemite. The release fixes a crash that occurred when starting up Parallels Desktop 9 when running Yosemite, and it squashes a bug related to dragging and dropping files between Macs with Yosemite and virtual machines. It also removes a black screen that appeared on startup when running Mavericks 10.9.3 and 10.9.4 virtual machines, resolves an issue with Parallels Desktop 9 failing to update, and ensures that network connectivity remains after resuming a virtual machine. ($79.99 new, $49.99 upgrade, $39.99 educational, 361 MB, release notes.)
iTunes has many quirks and inconstancies. In this week's column, I look at a few of them. Why do Next and Previous buttons display only sometimes when you view track tags? Why does iTunes funnel videos into the Home Videos category? And why isn't gapless playback working on iOS devices running iTunes Match? -- Macworld.
In this week's installment of Ask, we'll explain how you can get high-quality album art for your iTunes music. -- Mac|Life.
A major update to OS X generally means that many of the apps included with the operating system also get major updates--or at least the biggest updates they're likely to get until the next major operating-system release. In OS X Yosemite, due this fall, several major Apple apps have received upgrades both big and small. I've been using a pre-release version of Yosemite (on an Apple-supplied MacBook Pro) for the past month and have had a chance to spend a little time with Mail, Messages, and Calendar. Here's a look at what's new. -- Macworld.
We can be pretty sure that hell has frozen over. Apple has launched a blog and the Wall Street Journal is falling all over itself talking about the kinder, gentler Apple.
I continue to use my MacMini daily but it is far from my only computer. If asked about Tim Cook and Apple products, I would be more likely to subscribe to this view, Tim Cook's Apple: Middling Products Designed to Pad the Bottom Line While Gouging Loyal Customers. -- Applepeels.
Who needs a fancy camera? Today's smartphone pictures can rival professional shots. Last month, the iPhone Photography Awards announced its 2014 contest winners in 17 categories, including travel, animals and architecture. Founded seven years ago by photographer Kenan Aktulun, the contest allows entrants to use iPhones, iPods and iPads and any apps, but no desktop editing programs. Out of thousands of submissions, judges chose 54 winning images from photographers in 76 countries. An M.F.A. isn't required. "The awards are celebrating the creativity of iPhone users," Mr. Aktulun says. "It's not about being a great photographer." -- Wall Street Journal.
Countless hours spent online could be making us dumber, a new study has found. Victoria University researchers examined online reading habits, and have suggested changes may be needed in how the tech savvy generation is taught.
In general, online reading was found to have a negative impact on understanding. Skim reading and scanning was the most common online reading behavior. -- Fairfax NZ News.
Apple's iPhone 6 will monitor exactly how far its owner walks each day - and even how much caffeine they drink.
The latest test version of Apple's new Health app adds to the blood pressure, temperature and pulse monitoring features shown off by Apple earlier this year.
The app called HealthKit even offers the ability to send data to your family doctor. -- Daily Mail (UK).
Apple has been granted a patent (number 8,772,654) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an audio jack that enables electrical and optical connectivity, lending some credence to talk that it plans to use Lightning ports in future earbuds and headphones. -- Apple Daily Report.
There's thirteen handy functions available from the earphones you get as standard in iOS devices -- you can even speak to Siri. Not only this but many third party headsets offer the same functionality. It makes sense to know what you can do. -- Computerworld.
A British company is developing a new material that's so black it absorbs all but 0.035 percent of the visual light, making it the darkest material ever created. Of course, apart from making album covers, it conducts heat 7 times better than copper and is 10 times stronger than steel. "The nanotube material, named Vantablack, has been grown on sheets of aluminium foil by the Newhaven-based company. While the sheets may be crumpled into miniature hills and valleys, this landscape disappears on areas covered by it. 'You expect to see the hills and all you can see it's like black, like a hole, like there's nothing there. It just looks so strange,' said Ben Jensen, the firm's chief technical officer. -- The Independent (UK).
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Demand for Shariah-compliant banking reached an all-time high last year in the UK according to Al Rayan Bank, which recorded a 449 per cent rise in Islamic savings since 2012.
The wholly Shariah-compliant Manchester-based bank this week reported a soaring number of applications for their home purchase and buy-to-let purchase plans in 2016. Al Yayan bank said the uptick reflects general growth in consumer demand for Islamic banking in Britain.
The surge in applications for the two plans received a record number of eligible enquiries last year, marking a 99 per cent increase over the past five years.
Along with growing demand for home finance, Al Rayan also reported a 47 per cent rise in 2016 of the value of Islamic savings compared with the previous year. Since 2012, these savings at the bank have grown by 449 per cent since 2012.
In a statement on the bank’s website, Al Rayan said the growing demand for Shariah-compliant financial service products shows Islamic finance is becoming an established part of British banking.
The company’s commercial officer, Ken Leach, said: “In recent years we’ve worked hard to ensure that ethical, Sharia compliant banking products are as accessible as possible to customers of all faiths
“We’re therefore very pleased that our products, and Islamic banking in general, is clearly becoming an established part of British retail banking.
“There is still substantial room for growth in this market and we expect demand to continue to rise in the coming years.”
Al Rayan has a Sharia Department and an independent Sharia Supervisory Committee to ensure all of the products and facilities it offers are compliant with Islamic teachings.
The Qatari-owned bank was established to meet growing demand for Islamic finance, not long after then Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair opened Britain’s borders to an unprecedented influx of migrants.
Former chaplain to the Queen, Gavin Ashenden, this week told Breitbart London that demographic trends point to Britain becoming an Islamic nation in just a few generations.
Speaking with James Delingpole, the reverend recalled how at an inter-faith conference in 2003 an imam he described as an “eminently serious scholar” stood up and said: “The UK is going to be an Islamic republic in the time of my grandchildren, and I don’t need to do anything about it, it’s just going to happen.”


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By Julie Power
It's not only the Prime Minister's family who regard jigsaws as "absolutely essential" to surviving home life over the next few months.
Retailers say sales of jigsaws are at record highs. And families working and studying in close quarters are never more likely to lose it. A piece that is.
The hottest toys and games item in the "movers and shakers category" on Amazon.com.au is a jigsaw puzzle roll up mat. Sales are up 14,493 per cent.
Made out of felt, a reviewer said it did just what it promised: Made it easy to move and store puzzles - without losing a piece - of up to 1500 pieces.
After the Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that his wife Jenny had ducked out on Saturday to buy jigsaws to entertain their two daughters over an extended period at home, sales rose further.
"Our kids are at home now, as are most kids, and Jenny went out yesterday and bought them a whole bunch of jigsaw puzzles. I can assure you over the next few months, we're going to consider those jigsaw puzzles absolutely essential," he said.
Owner Chris Marlow of the Jigsaw Store, an online store based in Sydney, said sales had increased substantially over the last fortnight. On Monday the company had its biggest day of sales. "So the PM's comments may have contributed to that," Mr Marlow said.
The Puzzle Palace is warning shoppers that due to extremely high demand, and low stock, dispatch time was six days.
Sales of puzzles are up everywhere. The Wall Street Journal in New York reported this week that nine of the top 10 items shoppers searched for on Amazon's American site last Tuesday were antivirus cleaning supplies or personal-hygiene products (toilet paper).
But "No. 7 was "puzzles for adults," reported the WSJ. "More people were hunting desperately for jigsaw puzzles that day than Clorox wipes."
Ruth Wormald, co-owner of the Discount Toy Co in Asquith, said sales of jigsaws were as busy as Christmas but without the usual stock and staff.
"We are mostly sold out," she said. The biggest increase in jigsaw puzzle sales was those for adults. The company has employed new staff, and has two shifts running.
Ms Wormald said she would like to add more staff but she is limited by requirements on social distancing. "You can't keep up and do social distancing too," she said.
In Canberra, the Webb/Rickard family rediscovered jigsaws when the pollution from the bushfires in February kept them inside. They are continuing the tradition.
Public servant Delia Rickard said she often stopped late at night or early in the morning to add a piece to the puzzle, The Cats of Positano.
"They're such fun. It is great for mindfulness, and you just sit there as a family and work together," Ms Rickard said.
After a weekend of effort by the family, the thousand piece puzzle was finished and will be passed on to another family nearby.


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Kanye West took some time to discuss Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as soon as yet again. This time, he did so on the Joe Rogan Knowledge, which launched an episode with the world-popular artist and designer on Oct 24th.
Associated Examining: Here’s Why Ethereum’s DeFi Industry May perhaps Be Close to A Base
Kanye West Talks Bitcoin
In the three hours Kayne West was on Joe Rogan’s globe-well-known podcast, a variety of subjects ended up reviewed. Interestingly, Bitcoin and crypto property also entered the combine.
West has talked about Bitcoin in the earlier. In 2018, he reported in an job interview with Charlamagne that he sees the asset as a place where one particular could put their revenue. He named the cryptocurrency alongside credit rating playing cards and dollars.
In this modern interview with Rogan, the artist and presidential prospect reported that he’s recently been conversing with his pals about Bitcoin and crypto. He stated he did so in preparation for the Rogan job interview. For context, Joe Rogan has prolonged been rather of a supporter of cryptocurrencies, internet hosting Bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos numerous instances and prompting company like Jack Dorsey on the subject matter.
We really like to see it! pic.twitter.com/8x6t8Wvicn
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) Oct 24, 2020
West elaborated that he finds it so intriguing that Bitcoin proponents have an idea about the “true liberation of The usa and humanity.”
“A ton of the tech fellas can use these new highways, these new facts highways, to produce the future frontier of humanity.”
West’s good friend Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is also fascinated in Bitcoin. He once known as the framework of the cryptocurrency “brilliant,” before elaborating in later comments that the coin could have worth currently thanks to the inflation of the U.S. dollar and other fiat monies.
Connected Studying: Tyler Winklevoss: A “Tsunami” of Funds Is Coming For Bitcoin
Featured Graphic from Shutterstock Selling price tags: xbtusd, btcusd, btcusdt Charts from TradingView.com Kanye West Just Dropped the Bitcoin Bomb on Joe Rogan's Podcast


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Rise of the Midrange Diner
Forget the starched tablecloths and snobby service – as food trends go, traditional fine dining is officially on the wane, and closures of several big name restaurants only confirm it. But while consumers continue to move away from high-end eating, it’s not all doom and gloom for the industry. Simultaneously we’re seeing that ‘fast-casual’ and midrange eateries are thriving; and claiming a considerable portion of the market share in the process.
In recent years, the rise of restaurants serving trendy ‘street food’ and upmarket spins on fast food classics has heralded a noticeable casualisation of good food. Gone are the days when eating out meant booking ahead and committing a whole night to a multi-course dining experience; today’s diners are still looking for quality but they want it relaxed and affordable – with little commitment and plenty of buzz. And although they might be spending less per head, diners in our capital cities are heading out much more frequently.
The same can be seen in Europe and the US, where many restaurateurs are doing away with tradition and capturing a bigger slice of the market by offering a more casual, accessible style of dining.
In line with this global trend, several big name Australian chefs best known for their more formal offerings are also heeding the call and focusing on low-cost, high-turnover dining too.
In Melbourne, MasterChef judge and multi-venue restaurateur, George Calombaris downsized his flagship restaurant The Press Club last year to make way for Gazi; a casual, all-day diner serving “dirty Greek street food” like soft-shell crab souvlakis and hot chips with feta and garlic oil.
In what has proven to be an economically savvy move, Calombaris launched his souvlaki chain Jimmy Grant’s around the same time, and business is booming there too; with three busy outlets already thriving and plans for several more in the pipeline, including interstate locations.
The old adage, “Feed the poor and get rich, feed the rich and get poor” has never been truer for Australian restaurateurs, and economically speaking, Calombaris’s latest business move makes a lot of sense. Once known for his molecular gastronomy and multi-course degustations, Calombaris’s new business model centres on high-volume, quick turnover and minimal labour. Staffing is lean and customer service is kept simple; customers order and pay at the counter, and wait for their name to be called out – just like an old-fashioned fish and chip shop.
Meanwhile, Neil Perry of Sydney’s Rockpool recently announced plans to launch a new hamburger joint, Burger Project in Sydney later this year. Naturally enough, Perry’s won’t be your average burger; his version will feature top-quality, grass-fed Cape Grim beef, Barossa Valley bacon and other carefully sourced ingredients, crafting a distinctly more memorable ‘fast food’ experience. And given that he’s looking to roll out additional outlets in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Dubai over the next 12 months, it’s safe to assume that Perry has considerable confidence in the viability of the new venture.
Much has been said in the industry about the “death of fine dining”, though most restaurateurs and industry pundits agree that – despite current trends – there will always be a market for the type of high end, occasional dining experiences that restaurants like Sydney’s Quay and Melbourne’s Vue de Monde provide.
It’s unlikely that Australians will completely do away with restaurants that offer high levels of service and sophistication, but Australia-wide statistics show that, rather than saving up for a special occasion dinner as we did in days gone by, Aussie diners are now likely to eat out for less but do it more frequently.
The rise of social media and food blogs has also meant that new eateries are often surrounded by lots of hype and online chatter. In some sense, this has meant that expectations (of food and service sophistication) are lower, but for a midrange restaurant to work, there has to be a sense of buzz or ‘X-factor’.
For today’s new generation of diners – think tech-savvy Gen Y’s with no kids and healthy disposable incomes – it’s the thrill of discovering somewhere new and cool (and bragging about it via social media) that has replaced the aspects of eating out that we used to value; things like linen tablecloths, attentive service and a switched-on sommelier.
In the case of Calombaris’ Jimmy Grant’s, customers are perfectly happy to eat their souvlaki straight from the paper wrapper while perched on up-turned milk crates in the neighbouring laneway. Add to that the edgy Fitzroy location and priceless cache of eating in an establishment owned by one of Australia’s most recognised TV chefs and you suddenly have that ‘X-factor’.
When you’re paying less than $10 for a meal, you don’t exactly expect linen napkins and bone-handled cutlery. But if there’s something to talk about (i.e. the Calombaris connection, the graffiti-lined laneway) then there’s a huge value-add and things like service and napkins cease to be so relevant.
So while many in the industry are struggling to find an audience with the old model of entrée-main-dessert and starched linen, that’s not to say that diners are staying home and saving their money. In fact it’s quite the opposite. The good news for the restaurant industry is that there’s an increasing market for fun, affordable, come-anytime establishments that offer something new and fresh. The potential for replicating and franchising businesses at this level is proving to be healthy, too, which is good food for thought.
Written by Leanne Clancy
Have you read our Fine Food newspaper yet? Check out all the articles here.


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VANCOUVER, BC, July 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Thinkific Labs Inc. ("Thinkific" or the "Company") (TSX: THNC), a leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling online courses, will report its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 after market close on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.
Management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the Company's second quarter results at 2:00 pm PT (5:00 pm ET) on the same day.
Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results Conference Call and Webcast When: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 Time: 2:00 pm PT (5:00 pm ET) Dial In: 1.888.664.6383 (US/Canada Toll-Free) or 1.416.764.8650 (International/Toronto)
A replay will be available commencing at 4:00 pm PT (7:00 pm ET) on August 10, 2021 by dialing 1.888.390.0541 (US/Canada Toll-Free) or 416.764.8677 (International/Toronto). The passcode is 265523#. The replay will expire at 8:59 pm PT (11:59 pm ET) on August 17, 2021.
Thinkific (TSX:THNC) makes it simple for entrepreneurs and established businesses of any size to scale and generate revenue by teaching what they know. Our platform gives businesses everything they need to build, market, and sell online courses and other learning products, and to run their business seamlessly under their own brand, on their own site. In 2020 alone, Thinkific's 50,000 active course creators earned hundreds of millions of dollars in direct course sales while teaching tens of millions of students. Thinkific is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with a distributed and growing team.


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Prioritizing Amid a Sea of Data: Victories & Roadblocks Behind Today’s Analytic Investments
Data is the new oil and analytics is the refinery — this timeworn phrase continues to hold water, but it’s next-gen analytics that are taking the driver’s seat in today’s retail and consumer goods industries.
In the face of an uncertain future, rife with unprecedented demand spikes and fluctuating consumer sentiment, the ability to turn raw data into actionable insight is more than just a lifeline for brands and sellers — it’s the competitive advantage for triumphing during the next phase of recovery.
In “Investing in the Analytic Future,” a webinar hosted by RIS News and CGT and presented with Amperity, we dive into the Retail and Consumer Goods Analytics Study 2020 to put even more context behind the numbers.
This supplementary discussion unlocks even more insight from our report and is a must-read for anyone in retail or consumer goods.
The full transcript and presentation slides from the conversation are below.


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Judge finds Dell Inc. in contemptJune 25, 2009 in Technology / Business
(AP) -- A state court judge has found Dell Inc. in contempt of court for what the plaintiffs have alleged to be piecemeal production of documents in a civil lawsuit over the New Orleans crime camera system.
Orleans Parish Civil Court Judge Rosemary Ledet on Thursday also order the Texas-based computer company to pay the plaintiffs $25,000 in monetary sanctions.
The order comes in an increasingly contentious suit brought by two companies that allege the surveillance system they developed was misappropriated by people within and with ties to the city's technology department. They also allege a conspiracy with Dell to sell the system.
Dell has disputed the allegations.
©2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"Judge finds Dell Inc. in contempt" June 25, 2009 https://phys.org/news/2009-06-dell-contempt.html


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- Beyoncé became the woman with the most wins in Grammy history on Sunday.
- She accepted her awards in an off-the-shoulder Schiaparelli leather dress and matching gloves.
- She paired the outfit with original earrings from the same designer.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
Beyoncé didn’t walk the 2021 Grammys red carpet, but she made a statement nonetheless.
The singer became the most awarded woman in Grammy history on Sunday. For the runway, she wore an off-the-shoulder leather dress from Italian designer Schiaparelli, along with matching gloves designed with gold nails, sheer black tights and platform pumps.
While accepting the Grammy for Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade,” Beyoncé spoke about the importance of her music reflecting what is going on around her.
“As an artist, I believe my work and all of our jobs reflect time, and it’s been such a difficult time. So I wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all the beautiful queens and black kings who continue to inspire me. and inspire the whole world, ”she said in her acceptance speech. “It’s so overwhelming. I’ve worked my whole life, since I was 9, and I can’t believe this has happened. It’s such a magical night.”
Besides the intricate gloves, the standout accessory to Beyoncé’s look has to be her earrings, which were also designed by Schiaparelli.
She was first spotted sitting in the audience wearing cat-eye sunglasses and a matching black mask. Jay-Z also wore an all-black look at the awards show.


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A 'concerned' husband has taken to Facebook to ask for help dealing with his wife's Aldi obsession.
Adam Smith shared an image of his wife stood outside their home alongside a plea asking his followers if there was a "crisis support line" he could call.
His post said: "My wife is outside in the rain taking pictures in her Aldi rain boots.
"I'm starting to believe there might be some sort of Aldi Derangement Syndrome associated with shopping there.
"She just brought home a mountain of kids pajamas and pickles she won’t stop talking about. Is there a crisis support line I can call relating to her Aldi’s obsession?"
The post was shared earlier this week and already has more than 1,000 comments and 12,000 reactions.
Users have been quick to leave comments in the post. One said: "Just showed this to my husband because I was laughing so hard. After reading he said 'I might get in contact with this guy' #husbandsofaldiaddicts."
Another said: "This just made my day."
And, a third added: "I hear there is no cure."
Others shared photos of the Special Buys they've managed to get hold of in the comments too.
This isn't the first time someone has taken to Facebook to rant about Aldi - last year one Mum took to mumsadvice to issue a furious warning to shoppers advising them to "never" shop at Aldi.
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You’d be forgiven for thinking that kicking out a sizzle reel for a game that’s hitting early access next year is a bit like jumping the gun, but that’s just what Fractured Veil has done. The video in question lauds what the upcoming large-scale multiplayer survival game is all about, including PvE, PvP, base building, and multiverse travel, all within a play area that can hold up to 500 people at once.
For those who perhaps forgot about this one, Fractured Veil is a self-described “open-world online survival game” set in a post-apocalyptic version of Hawaii. We first caught notice of it in February 2021 when developer Paddle Creek was looking for testers. The game has reportedly been in development for five years prior to its Kickstarter campaign, which made just over its $100K funding ask last month. And now we can all take a peek at the game in trailer form below.


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Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs recently began offering Bento Box dishes for weekday lunch, and this week, we were invited to try these new lunch options.
Summer House on the Lake is now open at Disney Springs West Side, next to Jaleo, and here’s what Orlando foodies can expect.
The restaurant brand, which also has locations in , says the Orlando location has coastal-chic vibes, a California-inspired menu, and the brand’s first-ever “Cookie Bar.”
The winter holiday season is usually full of holiday events in Central Florida celebrating Christmas and more, and the 2023 holiday season has so many options.
To save you the trouble of finding them all, I’ve picked out the best holiday events and attractions, and listed them with details on how to enjoy them.
From ongoing events to limited time events, here are my picks for holiday events to enjoy in Orlando and Central Florida this season:
“Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana” is the newest attraction at EPCOT, and after a few weeks of soft opening, it is now officially open to everyone to experience.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays returns to the Disney park November 24 to December 30, 2023, and Walt Disney World has released the list of Candlelight Processional narrators and more details for this year’s event.
This weekend Disney held a huge convention at Walt Disney World just for Disney fans, called Destination D23, and during a panel on its theme parks, revealed a lot of news about upcoming projects that guests can expect.
The Edison at Disney Springs is partnering with the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando for special cocktails and a one-night event to benefit the charity.
The September edition of The Edison’s monthly Mixology Series, will take place on September 14, at 6:30pm, and will have a charitable tie to it, as the restaurant is partnering with Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando to support the care of Central Florida’s animals.
One of the best Central Florida foodie events of the year returns August 18 as Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining event kicks off its 2023 edition citywide.