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The Beach of Longboat Key said hello its snowbird residents back in town for the season at a welcome back party on Jan. 29.
The Longboat Key Garden Club held its monthly meeting on Jan. 27. Floral designer Katie Cornell was the keynote speaker and gave guests tips on perfecting flower arranging.
The Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key took a gamble last year, when it introduced a Las Vegas casino theme to its annual Valentineâ€™s Day celebration.
Visit YourObserver.com to submit your local weather photos. Each weekly winner will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $25 gift card. One grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 flooring makeover.*
Residents of Seaplace cooked their best dishes to share at the second annual Taste of Seaplace event on Jan. 25.
Longboat Harbour held its annual Change of Watch event on Jan. 24 at Bird Key Yacht Club.
Longboat Key residents and visitors attended the Centre Shops Festival and Lifestyle Expo on Jan. 24. Several artists and dealers featured and sold their products, and Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Members ran tables to promote their businesses.


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Health diagnostic testing company LabCorp, one of Alamance County’s largest employers, said Monday that its net earnings rose almost 50 percent during third quarter 2015.
The company attributed the earnings rise to its acquisition of Covance, a New Jersey drug development company.
“We are extremely pleased with our results this quarter, in which LabCorp Diagnostics had continued strong organic growth, and Covance Drug Development had strong new orders and accelerated revenue growth,” David P. King, chairman and chief executive officer of LabCorp, said in a statement.
LabCorp said that its net revenue for third quarter 2015 was $2.2 billion, a 46 percent increase over $1.5 billion in third quarter 2014.
For the year to date, net revenue was $6.26 billion, an increase of 39.2 percent over last year’s $4.50 billion. The acquisition of Covance contributed $1.54 billion from the Feb. 19 closing date, driving 34.2 percent year over year net revenue growth. The remainder of the increase of $227 million, or 5 percent, was due to strong organic volume growth and tuck-in acquisitions, partially offset by currency. Organic revenue growth in the first nine months of 2015, excluding currency, was 4.9 percent.
LabCorp’s pre-tax earnings were reduced by restructuring and special items of $248 million ($193.1 million impacted operating income, $52.6 million impacted interest expense, and $2.3 million impacted other, net), or $182.5 million after-tax. As a result, LabCorp recorded net earnings in the first nine months of 2015 of $322.6 million, compared to $391.6 million last year.
LabCorp is an S&P 500 company and among the world’s leading medical testing companies. It employs more than 48,000 people in over 60 countries. It remains headquartered in downtown Burlington.

domain: news


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Fintech has been supplanting traditional sources of finance and lending in the past few years at a rapid rate. One of the fastest-growing subsets is the BNPL, or buy now, pay later service.
Replacing layaway plans and traditional credit measures, the industry is adapting to the rapid growth of this niche, which went from $3 billion in 2019 to nearly $40 billion in 2020 just in the US alone.
Now, Mastercard (MA) is looking to roll out Mastercard Installments, a BNPL service of its own that allows customers to pay back in weekly or monthly installments, including a 0 percent option for payments as short as a few weeks.
- Project Gold Rush
An exclusive, backdoor way you could make 5X – 10X in the gold markets,
alongside some major-league investors… Even if gold does nothing in 2023.
The news come as shares of Mastercard have dropped about 13 percent off of their all-time highs over the past two months, and could prove a catalyst towards a resurgence in shares.
Action to take: All the credit card companies operate in an oligopolistic environment with high profit margins, which makes them attractive following a drop. Investors who buy now are getting shares at 32 times forward earnings, the lowest valuation since the pandemic. Shares also yield about 0.5 percent.
Traders may like the January $375 calls. They last went for about $11.00, and can likely deliver mid-to-high double-digit returns in the coming weeks on a rebound in shares, even if the overall stock market remains volatile.
Disclosure: The author of this article has no position in the company mentioned here, but may trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article.


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Zynga acquires card games studio in Turkey
Zynga (ZNGA) has added a new mobile game asset to its portfolio, the company announced recently through a press release published on its website. The company said that it has acquired Peak Games’ mobile card game business for $100 million, in a deal that’s expected to close in 4Q17.
Peak Games is a digital games publisher based in Turkey, and the games studio being sold to Zynga boasts popular titles such as Spades Plus and Gin Rummy Plus. Zynga said that the acquisition would strengthen its portfolio of card games, which already includes poker and solitaire games.
Zynga gets a profitable business
According to a Bloomberg report, Zynga intends to set up an office in Turkey to settle the team that is joining it from Peak Games, courtesy of the acquisition of the company’s card games studio. The studio that Zynga acquired from Peak Games is said to be a profitable business, so it’s expected to boost Zynga’s earnings.
Revenues grew 23% YoY in 3Q17
In 3Q17, Zynga reported revenues of $224.6 million, representing a 23.1% YoY (year-over-year) rise, topping its internal guidance by $14.6 million, and exceeding the consensus estimate by about $12.6 million. The company posted adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of $0.02 for the quarter, which was in line with the consensus estimate.
By comparison, Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO), and Glu Mobile (GLUU) reported revenue growth of 3.2%, 6.0%, and 58% YoY, respectively, in their quarters corresponding to Zynga’s 3Q17. Electronic Arts’s (EA) revenue fell 12.8% YoY in the same period.


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Misinformation aggravates us all, and unfortunately the food industry is rife with it. One Californian man, however, is holding a soda manufacturer legally culpable for false claims about its supposedly antioxidant sodas, including diet Cherry Antioxidant, Mixed Berry Antioxidant, and Pomegranate Antioxidant 7UP flavors.
The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest is co-counsel in the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday.
“Non-diet varieties of 7UP, like other sugary drinks, promote obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, and other serious health problems, and no amount of antioxidants could begin to reduce those risks,” says Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of CSPI. “Adding an antioxidant to a soda is like adding menthol to a cigarette—neither does anything to make an unhealthy product healthy.”
To be fair, 7UP isn’t exactly lying when it says, “There’s never been a more delicious way to cherry pick your antioxidant!” Indeed, there is only a small amount of one antioxidant in each beverage.
But it’s always nice to see a corporation making bank off of obesity and diabetes get a slap on the wrist.
Downsides to Drinking Soda
Jacobson is right: diet soda is a wolf in sheep’s clothing in today’s food industry. Fat and calories are spurned above all, even carcinogens like mercury and artificial sweeteners known to cause numerous health problems. How else to explain the rising production of “healthy” sodas and so-called health products that do nothing more than perpetuate the problems they claim to alleviate with a single antioxidant?
The answer to “is diet soda bad for you” is quite obvious at this point. Harvard Medical School researchers studied over 3,000 women for 11 years and found that diet soda consumption had a positive correlation to kidney health decline. Other research found that drinking a single can of diet soda daily is associated with a 34 percent increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, also upping the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Other research from Texas involving 474 individuals also shows consuming two or more diet sodas a day prompts an increase in waist size.
We consumers have our own responsibilities to make healthy decisions with the information we have at our disposal—beginning with the ingredients list.


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Hi all – I am writing this in the midst CCP’s annual EVE convention in Iceland, our biggest FanFest yet. By now you have probably heard news of the upcoming launch date for DUST 514, where DUST 514 concludes its Open Beta phase, set for the very appropriate date of 5.14.2013 upon which we fully release the first and only full “Free-to-Play” shooter ever on console.
Greetings from Shanghai and the DUST 514 development team! I’m Brandon Laurino, Executive Producer for DUST 514, here to let you know what’s going on in development, and bring you a sneak preview of the improvements coming to the DUST 514 Closed Beta with our “Precursor” release on August 21st. Whether you’re a hardcore beta tester or just casually interested in the game, next week’s update marks another significant milestone as the game moves towards Open Beta.
Linking the intense front-line combat of DUST 514 with the galactic ship warfare of EVE Online has always been our keystone to building a vibrant community, and now that keystone is coming into place.
Hi beloved PS Blog readers – we hope you have been enjoying our series of articles here. We have some big news about DUST 514 coming out this week and wanted to write a more personal note about it here, to you.
The development of DUST 514 has been an amazing experience, as we at CCP pioneer new frontiers for console games in collaboration with Sony. It has really been a process of exploring and breaking new ground – running an MMO service that needs constant updates on a console, microtransactions on a console, connecting an MMO on console to an MMO on PC in a real time shared universe and the Marketplace between the two – and there’s even more to come. Today, I’m writing about one more of those things – DUST 514 will be free to play on PlayStation 3!
Would you be willing to answer a few brief questions about PlayStation.Blog?


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Ha fallado la conexión.
CONAVISA our company initiated its trajectory more than 50 years ago producing and selling hatching eggs and one day old chicks for broiler, first in the area of Catalonia and then, all over Spain.
Nowadays, we are proud to continue working in the same sector, but with an expanded market which has enabled us to reach a position of leadership as exporters in the poultry sector.
A new year brings new challenges. That is surely the case in Europe, where the EU banned the use of ...
Chinese authorities have confirmed the first human case of the H7N4 strain of avian influenza.


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New equipment subtleties for Nintendo Switch Pro may have surfaced through a supposed hole from an outsider fringe producer.
The break was shared by Spanish gaming site Vandal (through ResetEra), and it relates to the new Switch equipment amendment which ongoing reports have demonstrated will be authoritatively uncovered before the beginning of E3 2021 – and which Nintendo has never called Switch Pro, in any event in any authority limit. The epithet has recently stuck.
As indicated by Vandal’s source, the new Switch will be a comparative size to the current model yet with an altogether bigger screen. This will be accomplished by diminishing the size of the dark plastic bezel, expanding the absolute land taken up by the actual screen. The report additionally demonstrates that the new Switch will utilize an OLED screen, which lines up with information pulled from a presentation maker’s financial backer preparation recently.
On the flip side, the new Switch will apparently supplant the first variant’s famously wobbly kickstand with a bigger help that runs the length of the framework, collapsing out similar as they remain on a Microsoft Surface tablet. It’s something strange to get amped up for, however, I’ve generally cherished my Surface’s stand (it’s entirely adaptable yet in addition very durable) so this correlation satisfies me.
The last huge detail in the report is the new dock, which will purportedly be marginally more extensive to oblige a Nintendo control center’s first historically speaking underlying ethernet port just as two USB 3.0 ports. These subtleties ought to be considered while taking other factors into consideration until we get any authority word about the control center from Nintendo, however, it seems like we might not need to stand by any longer for that.


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Streaming carrier Netflix has introduced it’s elevating its costs in america.
The corporate is expanding the price of its same old plan in america from $10.99 to $12.99 a month.
The upward thrust – between 13% and 18% relying at the plan – marks the company’s 2nd building up in lower than two years and is essentially the most vital because it introduced streaming video in 2007.
UK costs have no longer modified, however subscribers in some nations outdoor america too can be expecting will increase.
The ones nations come with nations in Latin The united states and the Caribbean equivalent to Uruguay, Barbados and Belize, the place the company additionally units costs in bucks.
Alternatively, Netflix stated the transfer was once no longer a sign of world plans.
Netflix stated: “We modify pricing every now and then as we proceed making an investment in nice leisure and bettering the total Netflix enjoy for the good thing about our individuals.”
The rise comes because the company is spending closely on authentic subject material.
It’s also dealing with mounting festival, as corporations equivalent to Disney and NBCUniversal announce their very own plans to release streaming products and services.
Netflix says it’s going to notify present subscribers of the rise earlier than it is going into impact. The upper costs follow to new subscribers instantly.
Stocks within the corporate jumped greater than five% at the information. The company is because of record income to traders this week.


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Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ:KOPN), a leading developer and provider of active matrix liquid crystal and organic light emitting diode (OLED) microdisplays and display subassemblies, today announced that a recent white paper by Insight Media highlighted the Company's significant breakthrough and success with their high-brightness OLED microdisplay technology.
The paper, titled "Is A 30K Nits OLED Microdisplay Possible," highlights the performance of Kopin's newly announced 720p (1280 x 720 resolution) full-color microdisplays made with a duo-stack OLED structure with color filters and ColorMaxTM technology. The 720p displays fabricated from multiple wafers exhibited average Current Efficiency of about 12 candela per ampere (cd/A), with the maximum value about 14 cd/A. These values are much higher than the best publicly available values of the alternative approaches. Kopin's best 720p display exhibited 7,000 nits with color fidelity about 100% sRGB.
Kopin's ColorMaxTM technology allows for a wide color gamut with a duo-stack white OLED architecture. The patent-pending technology is an advanced structure in the anode of the Silicon backplane that suppresses color mixing among sub-pixels. As stated in the paper, "While the color mixing can be expected with tiny pixels, it is more severe for the duo-stack OLED structure, which has a much thicker OLED structure and a charge generation layer that is very conductive. This spreads the current laterally, inadvertently activating adjacent sub-pixels causing the substantial color fidelity degradation including severe color mixing. This result may have led some to conclude that duo-stack structures will not be viable."
By applying additional enhancements such as microlens arrays and a trio-stack OLED structure, the luminance from OLED microdisplays can be substantially increased. The paper concludes, "The thought of being able to obtain 30,000 nits using a white OLED with color filters was not even imagined just a few months ago by the OLED community. Kopin has demonstrated the first step toward achieving this goal with its high efficiency 720p microdisplay. By implementing some well-known development strategies along with new innovative technology, the goal could be reached in about 3 years."
To Request a Copy of the White Paper, please Click Here


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See contest reminders, upcoming NFL Five info, and more below.
1. NFL Five Giveaway
This month’s NFL Five giveaway is open for entry – with multiple Starter Decks up for grabs! See contest details here, then visit the Panini Games Facebook page to submit your entry before the July 2nd deadline.
2. NFL Five Events
In case you missed it, more NFL Five online meetups are taking place on July 24th and August 21st. Watch for news about which free promo cards will be distributed at these events!
Tournaments taking place at stores can also request new Tournament Kits – contact firstname.lastname@example.org for more information.
3. Coming Up
Check back for contest results on Friday, along with more previews from the next set of NFL Five. The official release date for NFL Five 2021 will be announced soon – plus a sneak peek at the new foil pattern, launch giveaways, and more! If you’d like your deck featured on the blog, submit your list to email@example.com with “DECK TECH” in the title.


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Pacific Free Trade a Big Plus
Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu have all signed the PACER Plus free trade agreement (FTA), signifying the commencement of the largest FTA in the South Pacific’s regional history.
The agreement tailors concessions for each country based on their economic strengths and needs. This means tariff changes will occur incrementally at different paces and rates.
PACER Plus is creating a new regional business climate conducive to greater trade in goods and services, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), labour mobility, and domestic regulation.
Modernised procedures and practices present new opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs to enter new markets, global supply chains and compete in a larger international arena.
After months of negotiations ten countries have finally signed the PACER Plus agreement, creating a new era of economic cooperation in the South Pacific. On 14 June 2017 in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Tuvalu all signed, making the agreement international law. Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau have also resolved to be signatories to the agreement, however, were unable to make it to Tonga for the ceremony due to transportation issues. This means the agreement will help businesses and individuals across 13 countries gain far greater access and more opportunities in a US$1.4 trillion market.
New Business Opportunities
PACER Plus will open businesses in the region to new commercial opportunities in exporting and investing across the region. Barriers against trade, such as tariffs and regulations, will gradually be removed or improved. This will coincide with the removal of governmental red tape increased transparency, labour mobility, and development assistance across the region. This multipronged approach will collectively create a better financial climate for business in the Pacific
Given the differing economic makeups and needs of each signatory, PACER Plus has adopted a variable approach in both its reduction in tariffs for each jurisdiction (which will fall between 85% and 99% of all imports) and the timeframes for implementation. For larger and more liberal economies, the reduction on tariffs will take less than three years to implement, while smaller jurisdictions which are much more reliant on developmental assistance will incrementally reduce tariffs over the next 25-35 years. This means businesses will have opportunities to access new markets at different times, and rates. The flexibility of the agreement and its tailoring to each of the unique island economies is unlike other FTAs meaning that local businesses will be able to compete and enter into larger global supply chains with international standards.
One of the major long term goals of PACER Plus is to modernise the current governmental processes that accompany trade, bringing domestic regulation in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Modernisation will include systemised and more efficient trade procedures that will reduce the cost and quicken the process of trading goods between jurisdictions. PACER Plus will also restate the WTO sanitation rules, requiring economies, such as Kiribati, Nauru and Cook Islands, to introduce modern procedures promoting human hygiene and protect biodiversity. This modernisation will also include standardised rules on quality control, which will ensure member states are producing products and services at an international standard. To help facilitate this, governments and businesses will have access to a Development and Economic Cooperation Work Programme.
Alongside other modernisation procedures, PACER Plus is making it easier for businesses to know their rights and have access to government information through the introduction of new transparency requirements. Governments will now be required to promptly publish laws, regulations, procedures and administrative rules of general application to the agreement in an online format, giving businesses and individuals access to resources from anywhere in the world. This will fundamentally change the way FDI occurs across the Pacific, with businesses now having access to government documentation outlining changes ideally ahead of the time they take effect, meaning businesses will be able to plan and take advantage of new opportunities.
In line with creating an effective investment environment, signatories have committed to five major areas of investment opportunities:
agriculture, hunting and forestry;
electricity, gas and water.
In these sectors foreign and new businesses will be treated equal to local established businesses, meaning entrepreneurs will have priority access to the biggest infrastructure, industrial and public-private partnership projects across the region.
Businesses will also be able to access the best skills across the region, with PACER Plus creating better rules for skilled labour visas. Businesses will be able to supplement their seasonal and longer-term labour needs with reliable workers, which will help to alleviate one of the problems of conducting business in a highly isolated region. Additionally, employees will have access to new upskilling training and higher incomes. Although the agreement does not deal with semi-skilled and unskilled labour movement, the signatories have committed to creating a new labour mobility framework that will close the gap between countries and enhance Pacific regionalism.
Australia and New Zealand have committed to assisting island nations with a Readiness Package and an Implementation Package, which will support the smaller Island economies in achieving ratification. They have also committed to assist with the general administrative requirements as PACER Plus rolls out. Funds will also be directed to trade facilitation through Pacific Trade and Invest (PT&I) and private sector development through the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Asian Development Bank (ADB). Private sector development will increase investment funds available for modernising business practices enabling companies to compete and enter into larger global supply chains with international standards.
Palau, Micronesia and Marshall Islands are still yet to sign the document after difficulties in transport organisation left their representatives at home while the signing ceremony occurred in Tonga. Once these countries sign, PACER Plus will open opportunities in an additional three economies.
Once additional countries have completed signing, there will most likely be continued diplomatic emphasis on obtaining support from countries currently refusing to join. The New Zealand Minister for Trade, Todd McClay, has stated that the agreement is “about partnership and [other countries] will see over time the benefits of the agreement, and for any country that’s not ready the door remains open for them to sign when they are.” However, PNG Trade Secretary, John Andrias, has stated that PNG is not ready to make commitments under PACER Plus. Fiji and Vanuatu have also decided to maintain distance from the agreement meaning diplomats will be busy bringing more countries on board with PACER Plus and the benefits to the business community it will bring.
While PACER Plus is the next step in the development of a truly inclusive and singular regional framework for Pacific trade, the exclusion of major economies will have an impact on the ability of the agreement to achieve its outcomes. Until these economies join PACER Plus, a majority of trade occurring in the Pacific will continue to attract tariffs. Moreover, trade with these jurisdictions will continue to function outside the realms of the agreement, meaning it will not be affected by the benefits of new transparency and regulatory requirements.
Download the article here.


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USWeb/CKS E-Services Launches Business-to-Consumer Offering
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USWeb/CKS E-Services, a division of Santa Clara, CA-based interactive agency USWeb/CKS, said its family of e-commerce services will include solutions for business-to-consumer sales and business- to-business sales, including corporate purchasing and supply chain management.
The company said its e-commerce solutions are intended to provide businesses with a fast, cost-effective way to leverage the Internet by making their goods and services available online quickly. The solutions will automate and integrate the steps needed internally and with suppliers to deliver products into customers' hands.
USWeb/CKS E-Services also announced availability of its initial e-commerce direct sales solution based on Microsoft Complete Commerce, a packaged, hosted electronic commerce solution aimed at providing mid-market companies with personalized, transaction-based storefronts without costly infrastructure investments or the need to develop and maintain these systems internally.
The E-Services package of the Microsoft Complete Commerce solution includes Internet strategy consulting, Web development, hosting services, integration with the customer's existing back office systems, and can include end-to-end services through order processing, inventory management and shipping.
Pricing for the services will be set on a per-month subscription basis, the company said.


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Exponent Takes Home National PRWeek Award for USA Swimming
Exponent was honored for work on behalf of USA Swimming at last night’s PRWeek Awards reception in New York.
One of the highest accolades in the communications industry, the PRWeek Awards celebrate the 39 best corporate, agency, nonprofit and education campaigns in the United States. A panel of judges that includes senior-level public relations professionals and in-house marketing leaders evaluate entries on their creativity and effectiveness.
Exponent took home a PRWeek Award in the Best in Arts, Entertainment, Sports & Media category for the Swim United campaign, which leveraged the summer Olympic games to convince more parents (and kids) to take the plunge and join a swim team. The content-driven campaign featured a video that showcased the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming team’s journey from childhood to Rio, demonstrating the positive impact that joining a swim team had on their lives. The agency also sent personalized Olympic team swim caps to influencers and media across the country, driving coverage ranging from CNN Headline News to Conan O’Brien. Swim United helped increase swim team membership and drive engagement for USA Swimming during the post-Olympics timeframe.
“This recognition is a reflection of the innovative thinking and partnership that is valued at Exponent,” said Tom Lindell, managing director of Exponent. “We are thankful to PRWeek for awarding us with this honor.”
Distrust and Anxiety Make This Golden Age of Food Taste So Wrong
By Bernice Neumann, Practice Leader, Food and Nutrition
America is a nation of food adventurers with rapidly evolving taste preferences and growing culinary sophistication. We have unmatched access to the latest data on sustainable sourcing, exotic ingredients, nutrition studies and ethical farming practices. This golden age of food should be exciting and inspiring, right? Instead, it has produced unmatched worry. Today, 55 percent of consumers distrust the food system, according to a Sanford Bernstein survey. And food-related angst, warnings and phobias are only rapidly expanding.
Marketers today need to work harder to make connections and build brand trust, which are essential for reassuring consumers that companies are responsible, and food supplies are safe. Here are marketing approaches that make connections and build or regain trust:
Use empathy to better understand consumers and their communities
With an influx of information and the power of social media, all the predictable food buying patterns we used to rely on are out. Consumers more often value discovery, diversity and curiosity. And they engage with communities that share their passions. To understand your consumers, get to really know them. Use empathy-driven approaches to learn about their hearts and minds. Conduct in-home research and interviews that start by asking “What do you really need?” Study the micro communities that share your values and behaviors to build trust. People remember and share experiences—how we made them feel—not just logos or marketing taglines. The brand that screams the loudest no longer commands the most attention; the one that offers something genuinely useful and helps you feel included, does.
Bring consumers into your journey
The need for transparency is not new, but it’s becoming essential. Today’s consumers want to know and understand the people and values behind a brand. Bringing them closer to the source, whether it’s the farm where food is grown or the person who crafts the product, helps build trust. Technology also allows us to share stories in ways never before imagined. Video and live experiences through social platforms, like Facebook Live, or Instagram stories or products like Spectacles by Snap Inc., create innovative storytelling opportunities. Consider how you can use technology to create unique brand experiences and provide consumers with a peek behind the curtain.
Define and live by a higher purpose
Consumers are savvy, and they look at the whole brand when making decisions. Marketers should ground their strategy in the core strengths, values and beliefs of their business, whether that’s sustainability, use of water, fair trade or other worthy activities. Connect the product story to this purpose, from the origin story to the ingredients to the packaging. All efforts should be authentic and tell a story that is important to the company and its customers.
Use evidence to help people make better choices
We live in a tricky time when the motives of scientists and scientific organizations making recommendations about our food supply and its safety are under scrutiny. At the same time, food and nutrition bloggers, dietitians and even celebrity doctors, have expanded their influence over consumer behaviors and food buying decisions. Brands that lean on respected influencers can help consumers make more-informed choices by ensuring published content includes facts and evidence and puts this data into perspective, based on what people need. Aligning with influencers who utilize research that’s been peer reviewed and evidence from respected organizations goes a long way in building trust.
Think like a startup
Disruption is happening all around us as consumer preferences change or evolve at lightning speed, new technologies bring never-before-seen products to market, or companies launch and market in new ways. We see smaller companies or new players now leading industry innovation by responding to very specific consumer needs. Marketers can adapt a more disruptive mindset and act like a start-up in numerous ways, including actively listening to consumers in the social space to find opportunities to engage. They can also get closer to consumers by selling to them directly, being more involved in local communities, and participating in more event or tasting activities. These actions make a brand more approachable and authentic, which also builds trust.
When people buy into your story, purpose and values, they will be more eager to connect and share. Creating a dialogue where consumers can ask questions and be informed also builds trust. It’s important to have conversations when consumers want them, being empathetic and treating them with intelligence.
BERNICE NEUMANN WINS PR NEWS' TOP WOMEN IN PR AWARD
Today, Bernice Neumann, Exponent's consumer packaged goods practice leader, was named a Top Woman in PR by PR News. Each year, PR News recognizes more than 50 influential women who drive the agenda for the industry and in their companies, and who make bold advances in managing crises, developing brand messages and building brand reputations. Neumann was recognized at an awards ceremony on January 24 in New York City.
Neumann was honored for her many achievements at the agency. In her 14 years at Exponent, she has built client relationships and created innovative ideas for established brands such as Florida’s Natural, Land O’Lakes, Kozy Shack Pudding, The Hershey Company, the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA) and numerous General Mills and Pillsbury products. She has grown the agency’s food practice group, which has helped Exponent experience ten consecutive years of double-digit growth.
Exponent PR Named Public Relations Agency of Record for Blu Dot
Exponent PR was named the new public relations agency of record for Blu Dot, a Minneapolis-based, award-winning designer and maker of modern home furnishings.
The company will soon celebrate 20 years in the industry and is partnering with Exponent to help prepare for this milestone. Exponent will engage media and modern influencers for Blu Dot and will also support the brand's retail expansion in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago.
"Our goal is to bring good design to as many people as possible, and Exponent understands how to reach influencers to help bring our brand to life," said John Christakos, Blu Dot CEO. "Exponent's collaborative work style matches up well with how we like to do things at Blu Dot."
Everything that Blu Dot makes and sells is designed in their studio in Minneapolis, from its iconic and best-selling Real Good chairs and Stash desks to the expanding array of home accessories. Blu Dot's work has been featured in leading publications including Elle Décor, House Beautiful and The New York Times, as well as on the sets of popular television shows and movies.
This new business news comes after the announcement of other new partnerships with Florida's Natural® Brand Orange Juice, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association and Wells Enterprises. The agency is on track to achieve its eleventh consecutive year of growth.
EXPONENT ONCE AGAIN NAMED A TOP PLACE TO WORK BY PR NEWS
Exponent was again named as a Top Place to Work in PR by PR News. This list is a collection of agencies, nonprofits and corporations that offer the all-around best workplace culture, as judged by a panel of blue-chip public relations executives and PR News staff. Exponent has received this recognition for three consecutive years, and will be recognized at the annual PR News Top Places to Work in PR luncheon, held in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 6.
Exponent’s optimal work environment and benefits have led to its continued recognition as a top place to work within the public relations industry. With perks that include unique employee recognition programs and celebrations, shiatsu massages, a rooftop patio that hosts yoga classes and concerts, innovative professional development, and much more, Exponent’s culture nurtures creativity as the agency continues to experience steady growth year-over-year.
“Our agency thrives by fostering a one-of-a-kind culture where diverse talent can thrive,” said Tom Lindell, managing director, Exponent. “We know this attracts the best talent while building belief in our clients’ brands.”
For more information on the Top Places to Work in PR, visit: http://bit.ly/2flhao0


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China’s centralised platform for the processing of online transactions has reported a sharp YoY rise in transaction numbers during the 2020 Chinese New Year vacation, as the spread of the novel coronavirus continues to stem personal movement.
NetsUnion Clearing Corporation (NUCC) (网联清算有限公司) processed 4.919 billion online payments transactions during the vacation period from 24 – 30 January, for an increase of 11.25% compared to the same period last year.
The transactions were worth 2.730711 trillion yuan in total, for a 5.76% rise compared to the same period last year.
During the peak period of the vacation NetsUnion processed 52,000 transactions per second, and reported a systems success rate of 100%.
Since 30 June 2018 NetsUnion has been responsible for the centralised processing of all transactions by China’s third party payments providers involving bank accounts, in a move that has severed direct ties between payments companies and banks.


text: M-R Group Plc, the London-based document management company, finally looks in shape for a healthy period of growth. The company was one of the darlings of the London stock exchange in the early 1990s as it moved out of the microfilm market, but its first acquisition Memex, turned out to be a disastrous loss-maker that crippled M-R’s performance. M-R tried to sell off Memex without success and Memex has now seen a turnaround with revenues of 5.1m pounds though income dipped from 1.3m pounds to 800,000 pounds. In M-R’s core document management business, the 5.7m pound acquisition last year of PCL Ltd, a data capture and information management company, has given M-R an integrated range of products covering the entire document life-cycle. M-R revenues increased 18.7% last year to 46.8m pounds and income was up 21.6% to 4.9m pounds. M-R is unlikely to make a spectacular start to the current year as it faces the costs of bidding for large contracts. But it says it has a healthy order book, is increasing its presence in the systems integration and outsourcing markets, and plans to expand on both sides of the Atlantic.


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Even though Bitcoin is much larger than Ethereum it isn’t the only blockchain to suffer scaling issues: the ethereum network is presently experiencing a transaction backlog. The cause of the commotion? Cats. While the runaway success of Crypto Kitties has prompted widespread amusement, it highlights the vulnerabilities built into ethereum smart contracts. When one ERC20-based […]
A Dutch columnist has come under flak for urging readers to sell their bitcoins because they’re “dangerous”. In a widely shared op-ed, the writer asserts that “bitcrash” is dangerous because it has no financial institution to monitor it and is a menace to the economy. The article has sparked intense debate as to whether it […]
The post Dutch Columnist: Bitcoin Destabilizes the Economy and Undermines Banks appeared first on Bitcoin News.
Two words: Crypto Kitties. Last week’s feel-good story, infused with the perfect blend of cute, kitsch, and crazy, was all about “breedable digital babies” – virtual cats which exist on the ethereum network. Their viral success – and that of similar projects such as rare pepe blockchain cards – are innovative instances of digital art. […]
The post Blockchain-Based Digital Art – Passing Fad or the Next Big Thing? appeared first on Bitcoin News.
Every week we tell ourselves “This one’s got to be quieter” and yet every week we’re proven wrong. Welcome to the latest and craziest edition of This Week in Bitcoin. We’ve no idea where this madness is gonna end; all we know is that there’s no time to assess the situation – there’s too much […]
The post This Week in Bitcoin: Big Bangs, Huge Swings, and a Word From the White House appeared first on Bitcoin News.
A Ukrainian shipping company has become the first to accept payment in bitcoin. Its motivation for taking the digital currency? To evade economic sanctions. Shipping companies are obliged not to trade with sanction-hit countries such as Sudan, Yemen, and Qatar. Bitcoin provides a means of ensuring payment whilst enabling shippers to continue trading with these […]
The post This Ukrainian Shipping Firm is Using Bitcoin to Evade Sanctions appeared first on Bitcoin News.
The White House discussing bitcoin. The Big Bang Theory discussing bitcoin. Katy Perry and Warren Buffet discussing bitcoin. Bitcoin web searches exceeding those for Donald Trump. There’s no such thing as a quiet week in bitcoin, but even by its usual agitated standards, this one’s been noisy. Celebrity hangers-on come and go and generic sitcoms […]
The post Meme Chart Mania: Is This the Tip of the Iceberg or Have We Already Hit Peak Bitcoin? appeared first on Bitcoin News.
To aging heads of state and conservative bankers, bitcoin is a tool for criminality. To those in the know, nothing could be further from the truth; most bitcoin transactions are for legitimate purposes. Proving this has always been difficult, but a new study adds weight to this argument. Its key finding? Bitcoin hit peak criminality […]
The post White House ”Monitoring The Situation” While Study Shows Illicit Use of Bitcoin Has Dropped appeared first on Bitcoin News.
America’s Internal Revenue Service has gone fishing. Its target? Every single Coinbase user who ever placed a $20,000 trade. The huge dragnet exercise, spanning 2013-2015 and incorporating over 14,000 users, was awarded by a court yesterday, November 29. This is despite the best efforts of America’s largest bitcoin broker, which has fought back against what […]
The post Court Ruling Grants the IRS Personal Data of 14,000 Coinbase Users appeared first on Bitcoin News.
There was once a time when a bitcoin was worth about as much as the spare change down the back of your sofa. Now, one bitcoin is worth your sofa, your armchair, and every other item of furniture in your living room. Gone are the days when maintaining military grade opsec was the preserve of […]
The post Bitcoin for Beginners: How to Safeguard Your Cryptocurrency Holdings appeared first on Bitcoin News.
A rising tide floats all boats and a rising bitcoin inflates all domains. Stocks in graphics card manufacturers and crypto mining companies aren’t the only beneficiaries of the bitcoin bounce: BTC-themed web domains are also hot commodities. Sellers are asking hundreds of thousands of dollars for prime bitcoin domains, with some even priced into the […]
The post This Bitcoin Domain Can Be Yours for $2.75 million appeared first on Bitcoin News.


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Sony, as part of their on-going push to save the Vita, recently announced that they’d be bringing PSOne classics to the portable. Yay!
It’ll launch with… nine games!
Granted these nine games include titles like Twisted Metal 2, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII, Arc The Lad, Syphon Filter and Wild Arms. But then you get a look at what’s hitting Europe day one and, well, what the hell, Sony?
Seriously, the Europe list is A) massive, and B) includes just about everything people want day one. Silent Hill, Tekken, Driver… it’s a huge list of titles. Granted a lot of it is shovelware, but they’ve still got a complete run of franchises.
So what the hell is going on? Well, if you look at the list, one problem immediately pops out: licensing.
Europe’s list has a lot of games based on licensed properties. For some reason, it’s easier to clear rights in Europe. So Sony spent the money in Europe and… well… we guess America gets the shaft.
But hey, you can play Final Fantasy VII again!


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Arcata Offers Tips on How to Participate in ‘Plastic Free July’ During COVID-19 Pandemic
This is a press release from the City of Arcata:
The City of Arcata encourages community members to participate in the worldwide initiative known as Plastic Free July. ®
When plastics and their byproducts pollute cities, oceans and waterways, it causes health problems for us all. Most plastic waste in the United States is landfilled, down-cycled, incinerated or exported to other countries, and while recycling plastic helps, it is not a solution for plastic pollution. The best way to decrease plastic pollution is to avoid the use of disposable plastic as often as possible, and Plastic Free July ® encourages households to use less plastic, adopt long-term environmentally friendly habits and make the world a cleaner place.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of plastic, making it even more important to be mindful about how much plastic we consume, and the Environmental Services Department has some tips for community members on how to reduce the use of disposable plastics.
● Wear a reusable face covering whenever possible.
● Limit the use of plastic gloves. If you must wear gloves, try to source compostable options whenever
● Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying single-use plastic water bottles.
● Avoid single-use plastic packaging by buying in bulk.
● If reusable bags are currently not allowed in your grocery store, you can wash plastic bags provided and
● Ditch the plastic straws. When ordering takeout remember to request your drink without a straw, and bring
your own reusable alternative.
● Say no to plastic wrap. There are many excellent substitutes such as cloth or beeswax paper.
● Encourage family and friends to take part in the Plastic Free July ® challenge.
For more information about Plastic Free July, ® visit plasticfreejuly.org , and for more information on the City of Arcata’s zero waste initiatives visit, cityofarcata.org/275/Zero-Waste or contact the Environmental Services Department at 707-822-8184.


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Aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus has recently unveiled a prototype electric aircraft. Dubbed the E-Fan, the aircraft runs on two batteries that produce 60 kilowatts of power, allowing the aircraft to run for half an hour. Though just a prototype, the E-Fan has the ability to bring a number of benefits to air travel in the future. According to CNN:
Besides the benefits of noise and emissions reduction, the reduced cost of training pilots with the E-Fan is incredible, says Botti [Airbus’ Chief Technology Officer]. It costs about two cents per hour to fly the electric plane, a number which is up to 20-50 times cheaper than the normal fuel costs of today’s aircraft, he says.
Ultimately, these savings will get passed on to the customer, explained Botti, as the electric-powered flight training becomes a reality.
Eventually, the company has its eye on building planes for regional flights, with up to 90 people flying for three hours, although this is still 15-20 years away, says Botti.
While electric powered air travel is still in its infancy, its future introduction into the mainstream has many potential benefits for consumers. As mentioned above, introduction of electric powered aircraft into commercial fleets can perhaps lead to lower costs for the consumer, as well as make air travel a more environmentally friendly industry.
Read More- “Airbus Electric Aircraft Takes to the Skies” (Katie Pisa, CNN)


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Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren has said that collaboration in various sectors of the economy between the private sectors of Pakistan and China can push trade to new highs and vowed that the Chinese Consulate will fully cooperate in the exchange of trade delegations between the two countries.
He made the remarks while talking to Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Mian Nauman Kabir and office-bearers of the LCCI.
Zhao identified some issues pertaining to the policy, taxation and tariffs and said that the visa issues would be resolved soon. “Punjab has a lot of potential while Lahore is a hub of trade and economic activities,” he said.
He emphasised that CPEC, an important corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative, was not just a gift but a project of mutual interest for both the countries, which would bring prosperity to the people of Pakistan.
The LCCI president stressed that they were determined to play due role in further strengthening the bilateral relations.
He said that CPEC had taken the ties to new height and it had all the potential to change the fate of Pakistan.
“We are grateful to China for extending its full support and help whenever Pakistan faces any challenging situation,” he said. Kabir pointed out that China had been the leading trading partner of Pakistan since long. “It comes at the first and second place among the top importing and exporting countries respectively for Pakistan across the globe.”
In the year 2020-21, the total volume of trade was nearly $15.34 billion. Pakistan’s imports from China stood at $13.3 billion and exports were to the tune of $2.04 billion.
“It is encouraging that the bilateral trade volume has gone high to $16.7 billion by the end of first 10 months of current financial year. It depicts that there is almost 9% increase in two-way trade,” Kabir said.
In 2020-21, the value of Pakistan’s exports to China was $2.04 billion. “We are pleased to see that from July 2021 to April 2022, the export earnings have already reached $2.34 billion, registering almost 15% growth.”
Although the bilateral trade deficit was significant, but “we need to maintain the present trend so that Pakistan may gradually bridge the trade gap,” he emphasised.
LCCI SVP Mian Rehman Aziz Chan said that Chinese and Pakistani businessmen should forge joint ventures for the aluminium and copper recycling plants.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2022.
Originally published at tribune.com.pk


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A new update on To The Death‘s Kickstarter page suggests that we may be seeing PlayStation hardware as a base goal for the game sometime in the future.
Earlier this week a Kickstarter campaign for the genre-bending game was announced by collaborative developers Scary Mostro and Section Studios. Originally planned for a base-release on home computers, the campaign featured a 750k stretch goal for versions on both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. Since then however the team has posted a trio updates, the latest of which hints at the potential modification to their planned platforms.
“First off we’re working on ways that we may be able to add PS4, Vita, and Xbox One as part of the base goal. We’re also looking into ways to support Wii U and 3DS.”
To The Death places players in the boots of two vengeful warriors who have pursued their animosity beyond this life and into the crawl; a purgatory-like existence. The 2D side-scrolling combat looks to be both frantic and frenetic, attacking hordes of demon-like enemies who rush the screen.
At the time of the update the campaign sat at 5% of its 400k goal, with 26 days left until completion.


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Net income for Multimedia Games Holding Co Inc fell 38 percent year-on-year in the quarter ending September 30, to US$3.8 million, from US$10 million in the year-prior period.
Net income for the fiscal year to September 30 slipped 8.6 percent to US$31.9 million, from US$34.9 million in fiscal year 2013, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday.
Diluted earnings per share in the quarter to September 30 fell 62.5 percent to US$0.12 from US$0.32 in the third quarter 2013.
The company said that reflected non-recurring acquisition costs and expenses of approximately US$6.6 million, pre-tax, relating to the pending acquisition of Multimedia Games by Global Cash Access Holdings Inc (GCA), and to Multimedia Games’ recent acquisition of PokerTek Inc.
New York-listed GCA – which supplies cash processing technology and related services to the gaming industry – on November 4 said it anticipates closing the US$1.2 billion purchase of Texas-based Multimedia Games in late December 2014 or early 2015.
Nasdaq-listed PokerTek, from Nevada, designs, manufactures and markets electronic table games. PokerTek in April said that it would merge with Multimedia Games. The latter agreed to acquire PokerTek for a total consideration of US$13 million. The deal was approved in September by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Multimedia Games makes and supplies systems, content and electronic gaming units for Native American and commercial casinos. The firm also supplies the central determinant system for the video lottery terminals installed at racetracks in the U.S. state of New York.
Oct 22, 2021Starting from the stroke of midnight on October 24 (Sunday), travellers arriving in China’s capital Beijing from Macau are no longer required to undergo a 14-day period of “centralised medical...
”Our own consensus is that any newcomers to this [junket] sector should be corporatised, and should be financially sound and able to commit a higher guarantee deposit”
Kwok Chi Chung
President of junket trade body, the Macau Association of Gaming and Entertainment Promoters


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The only event aimed at helping small businesses discover what the green economy can do for them will be taking place again this month.
Organised by Daisy Green Media & Events and the region’s climate change partnership ClimateNE, the free Big Eco Show will be held on October 17 at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Nicola Jayne Little, managing director at Daisy Green Media & Events, said: “The Big Eco Show offers businesses a new way of doing business through co-operation and collaboration rather than conflict and competition – that’s why the theme is focused on connections, conversation and collaboration.
“Delegates will get the chance to not only showcase their achievements but also take part in facilitated discussions on green business issues and network with like-minded people.”
Leading sustainability consultant, Gareth Kane of Terra Infirma, will open the show and welcome delegates.
He said: “The green sector is one of the few parts of the economy that is booming and this show is a brilliant opportunity for small businesses to find out how they can be part of that boom.”
The event will also feature an exhibition of the growing number of green businesses in the North East, as well as information from the National Housing Federation on retro-fitting and the Green Deal.
Monica Burns, North East external affairs manager for the National Housing Federation, said: “Housing associations in the North East are at the forefront of using green technology to get a better deal for their residents. We are delighted be involved in the Big Eco Show, looking at ways our members can work corroboratively with local green businesses to build new ecologically sound homes for local communities.”
For more information on the event, sponsored by Camira Fabrics, see www.bigecoshow.co.uk


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September 15, 2023 – In a surprising turn of events, Google has recently confirmed to The Verge that it currently does not offer repair services for damaged screens on its Pixel Watch in the wake of California’s Right to Repair Act coming into effect.
A spokesperson from Google stated, “At present, we do not have any repair options available for the Google Pixel Watch. If your watch encounters damage, you can reach out to Google Pixel Watch customer support to explore replacement options.”
Interestingly, Google’s official store does not provide extended warranty options for the Pixel Watch. Consequently, in the event of an accidental screen breakage, official screen repair services will not be provided.
It’s worth noting that iFixit, when dissecting the Pixel Watch, has expressed that while screen replacement may pose a challenge, it is technically feasible to repair it. They have even provided tutorials on how to replace a cracked or damaged screen.
This decision by Google to not offer repair services for Pixel Watch screens has stirred some controversy, as it potentially limits user choices and may conflict with the principles of the Right to Repair Act. However, the impact of this act on company repair policies can vary depending on state laws and corporate policies. Users are advised to thoroughly review product warranty policies and understand repair options before making a purchase. If repairability is a crucial factor, alternative smartwatch brands or potential updates to Google’s repair policy in response to legal requirements may be worth considering.


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Gov. Brown to decide on tax break for companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX
(Page 2 of 2)
"This guy, he’s a technological genius. But he also doesn’t want to pay his fair share."
A spokeswoman for SpaceX disputed the contention that the company is evading taxes. The Muratsuchi bill “simply maintains existing tax regulation that recognizes expendable property, like launch vehicles, that can be used only once should not be taxed in the same fashion as machinery or equipment which is reused multiple times,” wrote Hannah Post, a communications officer for SpaceX, in an email.
Tesla, the luxury electric carmaker, already has received millions of dollars in tax breaks from the state of California.
In news that may be related to the SpaceX bill, Tesla recently leased a large facility in Lathrop and before that, added California to a list of states in the running for a planned megafactory.
In 2013, the Los Angeles County Assessor hit SpaceX with a $2 million tax bill by for two propulsion systems. That issue is currently being debated in the courts.
The manufacturer’s association doesn’t share that view.
“When the space industry scales up here, hardworking families win,” DiCaro said.
Shana Lynch contributed to this report.
Allen Young covers state legislation, regulation and contracts, as well as economic news, international trade and economic development for the Sacramento Business Journal.
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The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade disagreement talks continue to resemble a slow-motion train wreck, with the latest round of negotiations apparently stalled over agricultural subsidies. According to Reuters, the latest round of talks in Singapore ground to a halt because America and Japan are butting heads over the latter's …
a bit of good news for once
Re: thank you
May TPP die a quick death and never be seen again
We can only hope that this con job on the public of most participating countries fails and the treaty never comes into force.
There is nothing more democratic than secret treaties that sell us out to multinational companies.
Quick, buy up Vasoline before parallel imports are banned and drives the price up.
Whatever they decide
The man/woman on the street will get screwed over.
Japans protectionist attitude ..
"According to Reuters, the latest round of talks in Singapore ground to a halt because America and Japan are butting heads over the latter's protectionist attitude towards rice, wheat and meat production"
The one thing we can be assured about this Trans-Pacific Partnership is, it isn't a partnership and isn't about free trade. What it will do is sign away Japan's intellectual property rights in relations to, for example, such sectors as software and non-GMP crops, as in it will be illegal to ban GMP crops or even label such food-stuffs. Dilute local laws against the use of dangerous pesticides and herbicides. The bit about "regulatory coherence" should be the dead give-away. So, basically signatories to the "partnership", will end up paying America for writing their own software, making their own drugs and growing their own crops. If you look at a list of corporations who helped write the agreement, you'll get an idea of who it's meant to really benefit.
Is everyone else amused
that the US is saying there are too many agricultural tariffs? Especially given in earlier leaks they were alleged to be trying to water down the free trade aspect for agriculture...
Re: Is everyone else amused
if by "amused" you mean "depressed but not surprised" then yes, but I would include the venality of other actors as well.
it's kind of nice to know that major corporations are no better at negotiating treaties between themselves than nations are.
[kill this thing! kill it with fire!]
If anyone understood and sympathised with protectionism
You'd think it would be the USA
Perhaps Protectionism is like a fart - only your own smells good.
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Lickd Partners with Decentraland’s Vegas City to Exclusively Provide Commercial Music in the Metaverse
Lickd, the go-to platform for helping content creators legally use the music they love, has signed an exclusive deal with Vegas City’s metaverse district within Decentraland that will allow it to provide commercial music to Vegas City partners and tenants.
The 24-month partnership will see Lickd provide curated playlists and genre-specific “radio channels” in the Vegas City Music Player, which provides background music in venues and public spaces across the District and Decentraland. With this partnership, all venues in Vegas City will now be able to access commercial music in the metaverse for the first time.
Paul Sampson, CEO of Lickd, commented, “This is a big step forward for Lickd, both in terms of expanding our offering in the metaverse and for the metaverse itself in terms of capacity. simplify the music licensing solution. We couldn’t be happier to partner with Vegas City and take another step towards becoming the best micro-licensing offering in the industry. We continue to deliver industry-leading solutions that benefit both the platforms and rightsholders we partner with and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities this will create.
Lickd is the first pre-authorized music licensing solution for social video creators. The platform provides music from independent and major labels for pre-approved licensed use in YouTube and other UGC videos. By making licensed music accessible to virtually everyone, not just the realm of professional production companies, Lickd is invigorating the music creator market with a host of new business opportunities. This partnership with Vegas City represents another step in the metaverse for Lickd following Epic Games’ investment in the company in 2021.
“We are thrilled to partner with Lickd to be able to offer our Vegas City partners and tenants access to a substantial catalog of commercial music that until now has not been available,” said James Ashton, CEO of Vegas City. “Not only will this agreement create enormous value for our existing users, it will open up a whole new horizon of possibilities for musicians, labels and fans.”
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Google paired up Paytm Mall will invest Rs.3500-4000 crores in the Future Retail of Kishore Biyani
Published Date | 2018 September 12
Google wants to join hands with Alibaba backed Paytm mall and form a consortium after which they will be investing around Rs.3500-4000 crore to buy 7-10% stake in the Future Retail chain owned by Kishore Biyani.India: According to reports Google is looking forward to team up with Paytm mall and invest Rs.3500-4000 crore in the Future retail chains. The consortium will then be pitted against the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon who has also submitted a term sheet to get a similar stake at the Future Retail group. A report said that Future group was exploring for alliances with both Amazon and Alibaba. Biyani had been to U.S. to meet Jeff Bezos to have a talk regarding this matter and he also visited Chine to meet the Alibaba officials. The Chief Executive of Future group has been exploring various ways to raise funds for a strategic partnership so that it can streamline its operations and increase the profitability as he faces challenges and has to fight other deep pocketed retail chains like Reliance Retail, Amazon and also Wal-Mart. All the competitors are eyeing the changing demographics of India and a digital economy of $1 trillion by 2025 through their consolidated presence. In a recent interview taken by ET, Kishore Biyani said he is most likely to close a deal with a foreign investor within the next two months with the backup of a database that has informations of more than 500 million customers who visit his stores annually. The fund will be both on the primary as well as secondary sales basis. Biyani while in an interview with ET said: “Ultimately, it’s all about how formidable we all are. As players get bigger, you need alliances”. He further added: “We can’t sell more than 10% and foreign portfolio investor (FPI) is the only route available. It should take two-three months for any deal to fructify.” Last year November, Kishore Biyani unveiled his idea called the Retail 3.0 blue print in association with Google and Facebook with Deloitte which is a consulting firm that is going to see a lot of personalization and analytical technologies. The developments that are taking place in online and offline channels as retailers are entering each others’ markets which are a part of omnichannel strategy and they are seeking to combat the shrinking margins of retail. Amazon brought Whole Foods for a whopping amount of $13.7 billion while in India they have already made an additional investment of Rs.2700 crore. Wal-Mart has entered the Indian market by buying Flipkart for $16 billion. According to BlueWeave Consulting, this merger or teaming up could be a positive one given the changing habits of the customers. More and more people are buying products online which is shifting the shopping structure totally. Thus, during the forecasted period it is highly possible that online shopping growth will increase and for continuing to be in the market, the retails and stores along with other online companies need to form alliance for a steady continuation of the businesses.


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BevQ app for online liquor sale has reached the Play Store. Those in need can download it. More than 10,000 people have downloaded WhatsApp.Those who downloaded the beta version can update the app and use it. Faircode Technologies announced via its Facebook page that it is available in the App Play Store.
Coronavirus Covid 19 lockdown is applicable nationwide. In view of the rush of people after the opening of liquor shops some time ago, the Delhi government had started the e-token system and now the Kerala government is also launching an app to reduce the crowd outside the liquor shops. is. Let us know that Kerala State Beverages Corporation has decided to launch a new virtual cue management app for the sale of liquor.
For the information of the people, let us know that this app has been developed by Kochi-based startup Faircode Technology Private Limited. The BevQ app aims to solve the congestion problem at liquor stores amid the Kovid 19 epidemic.
BevQ app Downloading Here : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details…


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CEBU, Philippines — As retrenchments hit various industries, the labor sector has called on the government to provide assistance to those affected workers.
The call was made in reaction to the statement of the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP) that some 9,450 to 10,800 workers in the industry may be laid off.
“By ayuda (assistance), we do not just mean immediate assistance to the thousands of workers who will become jobless in the coming months but institutionalized social protection for the entire labor force. Sa harap ng epidemya ng tanggalan, ayudang sapat para sa lahat ang sagot,” said Dennis Derige, Partido Manggagawa-Cabu spokesperson.
Derige said that CONWEP even painted a grim scenario that up to 27,000 workers or 10% of the total labor force in the apparel and wearable goods sector may be retrenched.
Two weeks ago, the Sports City group of companies based in Mactan Economic Zone in Lapu-Lapu City retrenched some 4,000 workers or one-fourth of its total workforce allegedly due to reduced orders from its clients.
Sports City supplies to global garment brands Adidas, Under Armour, Saucony, New Balance and Lululemon.
“Aside from the mass layoffs at Sports City, workers also lost their jobs due to the temporary closure of Coca-Cola plants in Iloilo, Bohol, Davao, Cavite, Zamboanga, and Camarines Sur. Employees of Shopee were also fired revealing that retrenchments are along all sectors from manufacturing to services,” Derige said.
Derige said that because of the worsening economic crisis, the government should provide social protection to the labor force.
“Social protection is one response to this challenge,” Derige further said.
PM is an affiliate of the labor coalition Nagkaisa.
The coalition had called for wage subsidies equivalent to 75% of the prevailing minimum wage to save jobs of workers in micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs).
“If huge companies like Sports City and Coca-Cola are reeling from economic shocks, what more MSMEs, which comprise 90% of the total number of enterprises. By providing wage subsidies to workers in MSMEs, the government incentives them against shedding their employees. This also protects the purchasing power of workers which enables the economy to float instead of sink due to the crisis,” Derige said.
In response, the Department of Labor and Employment undertook a study of social protection for workers, but the results have remained unimplemented.
“The DOLE should act now and not wait for another Sports City, another Coca-Cola or another Shopee,” Derige said.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) said that close to 6,000 production workers are currently in demand in the country.
In a recent social media post, the BLE said that production workers are the most in demand during the period of October 7 to October 13 at 5,836 job vacancies.
The BLE also said that next to production workers are administration service aides with 2,166 vacancies.
Meanwhile, call center agents are at third place with 1,595 employment opportunities.
The agency likewise said there are 1,586 vacancies for customer service assistants with the latter occupying the 4th spot.
At Top 5 are executive assistants with 1,286 job vacancies.
The BLE said the numbers are sourced from the different Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs) nationwide.
Interested applicants, the bureau said, may coordinate with the PESO nearest to them.
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Norpac calls for antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian paper imports
16 August 2017
Norpac has objected to what it claims are cheap offers of paper from Canada on the US market. The company demands that antidumping and countervailing duties be imposed on certain grades of uncoated groundwood paper.
US manufacturer of printing and writing paper North Pacific Paper Company (Norpac) filed a petition with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) on 9 August to impose antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian imports of certain grades of uncoated groundwood paper, including newsprint. USITC granted the petition and has launched an investigation into the allegations.
According to official USITC documents, the investigation covers uncoated groundwood paper which has been made with at least 50% of groundwood pulp or deinked pulp, weighing not more than 90 g/m².
Norpac complains of asymmetric competition conditions. The company argued that Canadian companies enjoyed state subsidies and were therefore able to sell paper cheaper on the US market.


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Plaza del Bolivar Bogotá, Catedral Primada
Cartagena de Indias
MIAMI, USA (PXP) -- Seasonal increases in the number of flights between North America and Colombia will allow more visitors than ever to experience that Colombia Is Magical Realism. Proexport, the government agency charged with promoting tourism, foreign investment and trade with Colombia, is eager to share its exciting calendar of events with international travelers and to welcome visitors to the country by air and sea.
Airlines like JetBlue, Avianca and Copa offer high frequency flights to the Caribbean travelers to visit Colombia. Also, airlines like American Airlines and Caribbean Airways allows them visit Colombia via Miami. Tourists from countries like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao and Aruba, will discover a unique destination all year long, not only in the big cities like Bogotá or Medellín, but also a variety of activities, cultures, food and festivals around the country.
"According to Colombia’s Immigration Department, the year-end season is when the majority of Americans travel to Colombia,” said the president of Proexport, Maria Claudia Lacouture. “We hope that demand for the increased frequency will remain high, leading to additional permanent flights to our vibrant country.”
Colombia expects 2014 to be a busy year for tourism. In January, Cartagena will host the International Music Festival, welcoming classical artists and opera singers from all over the world. In February, more than 600 international buyers from the leisure, meetings and tourism industries will convene in Bogota for Colombia Travel Mart, the country’s most important tourism industry event. Later, in March, thousands of international visitors will travel to Barranquilla for the city’s famous Carnaval festival.
These events represent just a fraction of the exciting opportunities available for international travelers. Proexport Colombia launched its “Colombia Is Magical Realism” tourism campaign earlier this year to showcase all of its different, magical, unique and inspiring vacation destinations, from beaches to mountains, deserts, cities and jungles.
With more than 800 direct flights from 20 different countries and 27 cruise lines that stop at three major ports of call, Colombia welcomed more than 864,000 foreign visitors in the first half of 2013, where 17,985 visitors were from the Caribbean, which represents an increase of 9.4 percent compared with the same period in 2012.


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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the safest cars for 2013, including 13 midsize sedans that qualify for a new “top safety pick+” designation.
The new top safety pick+ designation is given to vehicles that earn “good” ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five tests, with no less than “acceptable” in the fifth test. A new test -- the small overlap test -- was added to assess how the vehicles perform during a front-corner collision with another vehicle or object, such as a utility pole.
The 13 cars that earned the rating are the Acura TL, Dodge Avenger and its twin, the Chrysler 200 sedan, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord coupe and sedan, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima sedan, Subaru Legacy and its twin, the Subaru Outback, Suzuki Kizashi, Volkswagen Passat and Volvo S60.
IIHS rates vehicles based on their performance in moderate overlap front crash, small overlap frontal crash, side impact and rollover, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints. The top safety pick designation was first applied in the 2006 model year.
Top safety pick awards were given to 117 vehicles for 2013 that have good ratings for occupant protection in the original four categories, regardless of how they performed in the new small overlap rating. Visit IIHS.org for a full list of 2013's safest cars.
Luxury and non-luxury midsize cars are the first group to be evaluated for the new small overlap test, so more top safety pick+ winners could be announced in the future. Results for the small SUVs are expected this spring.


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This request would remove a major source of uncertainty from global markets and allow the European Central Bank's long-awaited bond-buying programme to commence.
Elsewhere on the docket, housing data from the United States, confidence measures in Europe as well as a series of key data releases in Asia, Latin America and Africa will give markets plenty of information to mull over. Here is your complete guide to the economic week ahead.
The Conference Board's latest consumer confidence index reading is the first major release on America's packed data calendar this week. Analysts surveyed by Dow Jones forecast a jump to 65 in September from 60.6 in August.
This week's housing data deluge will also begin on Tuesday. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect the S&P/Case-Shiller housing price index (HPI) to show a 0.9% monthly rise and the Federal Housing Administration's HPI to post a 0.8% gain. Both releases cover July.
Last month's new home sales figures will follow on Wednesday. Markets suspect the data will confirm that a gradual recovery in America's housing sector remains underway. Consensus is for a 2.2% increase in sales.
On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors will release their housing price index for August. Markets expect a flat reading following July's 2.4% jump.
Also on Thursday, officials will release last month's durable goods orders – an indicator of how busy factories are likely to be over the coming months – and final gross domestic product (GDP) readings for the second quarter. Economists expect last month's durable goods orders – excluding volatile transportation orders – to show a 0.2% rise following a 0.4% decline in July. GDP is seen rising 1.7%, down from 2% growth in the previous three months.
Finally, on Friday, the government's monthly personal income and outlays report is expected to show that personal incomes rose 0.2% in August, down from 0.3% in July. Consumer spending is seen rising 0.5%, up from 0.4% in the previous month.
Spain will remain in focus this week. Speculation is mounting that officials may announce an economic reform plan on Thursday that would pave the way for a new rescue plan for the country and allow unlimited buying of the country's debt by the European Central Bank.
Beyond this potential announcement, markets are likely to focus on a series of business and consumer confidence measures slated for release over the coming days. On Monday, Germany's Ifo Institute will release its business climate index for September. It is expected to fall for a fifth straight month.
On Tuesday, Germany's GfK consumer sentiment index is seen holding steady for the second straight month. In France, INSEE's business confidence indicator is forecast to remain near a two-year low. And in Italy, the ISAE consumer confidence index is predicted to remain stable.
On Wednesday, INSEE's consumer confidence indicator is expected to fall slightly, from 87 in August to 86 in September. And, on Thursday, ISAE's business confidence index is seen slipping from 87.2 to 86.
Also on Thursday, a series of confidence measures for the troubled eurozone as a whole are likely to make for discouraging reading. The European Commission's business climate, consumer sentiment and industrial sentiment indices are all seen holding relatively steady in negative territory.
Finally, on Friday, attention will shift to the results of an independent stress test of Spain's banking sector. The analysis is expected to reveal that the country's troubled banks likely need an additional €60-billion in assistance.
Asia's extremely full economic week kicks off on Monday with unemployment, commercial sales and industrial output figures from Taiwan, budget data from the Philippines and consumer price index (CPI) readings in Singapore.
On Tuesday, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and New Zealand will issue their latest trade statistics and Australia will report on the results of its financial stability review.
On Wednesday, Singapore will report industrial production statistics. Thailand will release manufacturing production figures.
On Thursday, Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development will report their leading economic index and National Bank New Zealand will unveil its latest business confidence readings.
On Friday, Japan – the world's second largest economy – will release last month's consumer inflation, employment, industrial output, retail sales and housing starts data.
Analysts surveyed by Market News International forecast a 0.2% year on year decline in consumer prices, the fourth straight fall for Japan's CPI. The country's unemployment rate is expected to remain steady at 4.3% and household spending is seen rising 1.2%, year on year, its seventh straight monthly rise.
Industrial output is predicted to fall 0.4%, month on month. If the forecast proves accurate, it would mark the second straight monthly fall in output for the island nation. Retail sales are expected to have remained flat in August following a 0.7% year on year fall in July.
Wrapping up the week, officials will release August housing starts. Economists expect that builders commenced construction on 7.1% fewer houses last month than they did in August 2011.
On Monday, Brazil will release consumer confidence and tax collections data and Argentina will release consumer confidence and trade figures. In Brazil, markets expect to see a fifth consecutive drop in the Getulio Vargas Foundation's (FGV) consumer confidence index this month and a BRL9.4-billion drop in tax collections from July to August.
In Argentina, Torcuato di Tella University's consumer confidence index is seen rebounding from last month's 42.74, its lowest level since March 2010. Separately, economists surveyed by the country's central bank expect the country's statistics agency to report an August trade surplus of $1.07-billion.
On Tuesday, Mexico will release its global indicator of economic activity (IGAE) and Brazil will release current account and foreign investment figures. Markets expect Mexico's monthly IGAE – a GDP proxy – to have risen 4.05% in July, an improvement on June's 3.79% rise. Brazil's current account deficit is seen narrowing to $2.25-billion in August from $3.77-billion in July. Foreign investment into the country is seen dropping from a record $8.4-billion in July to $4-billion in August.
On Wednesday, Mexico's latest trade figures are expected to show that the country's trade deficit increased to $556-million in August and Brazil's National Monetary Council (NMC) is expected to announce that it will leave the country's long-term interest rate on hold at 5.5%.
Finally, on Friday, Columbia's central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged. Chile will release copper production, retail sales and employment statistics. Brazil will present its budget picture and Argentina will report construction activity.
On Monday, the Central Bank of Mauritius will announce its latest interest rates decision. Some analysts expect policymakers to lower the bank's 4.9% repo rate in response to slowing inflation and slowing growth, but others are less sure. A recent poll by Reuters showed economists split in their assessments.
On Tuesday, Statistics South Africa will release July's tourism accommodation, transport and food and beverage statistics along with liquidations data for August. Quarterly financial statistics for the second quarter and the producer price index (PPI) for August will follow from the agency on Thursday.
Markets expect PPI data to show that prices at the factory gate rose 0.7% on a monthly basis in August, down from 1.6% growth in August.
On Friday, the South African Reserve Bank's monthly release of data is expected to show that the amount of private sector credit extended in August increased 7.95%, year on year, down from 8.34% growth in the previous month. Money supply is expanding at an 8.10% annual clip, down from 8.26% in July. Separately, preliminary trade data from the South African Revenue Service is expected to show that South Africa's trade deficit narrowed from R6.7-billion in July to R6-billion in August.
Elsewhere on the continent this week, Kenya is expected to release second quarter gross domestic product data and July's overseas remittances figures. Ghana may release short-term reserves data for August and money supply data for July. Namibia will report foreign reserves and Nigeria will issue second quarter foreign trade figures.
Matt Quigley writes a weekly economic preview for the Mail & Guardian Online. You can follow him on Twitter at @mattquigley.


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Sex on first date more likely for Android users
Your smartphone reveals your dating behaviour, survey indicates
The type of smartphone you use can reveal a lot about your love life and dating style, according to a new survey.
"Thanks to social networking and online dating, our love lives and our digital lives have never been more intertwined," said Match.com in a release about its survey of more than 1,000 Canadian singles.
Among the findings:
- People who use Android phones are more likely to have sex on a first date, 62 per cent, compared to 57 per cent of iPhone users and 48 per cent of BlackBerry users.
- Android phone users are also more likely to partake in one-night stands, 55 per cent, compared to 50 per cent of iPhone users and 47.6 per cent of BlackBerry users.
- At 72 per cent, Android users were also the most active on online dating websites, compared to 58 per cent of those with iPhones and 50 per cent of people who have BlackBerrys.
- iPhone users were most likely to date in the workplace with nearly 25 per cent saying they have dated a co-worker in the last five years.
- BlackBerry users were the most likely to consume alcohol on a first date — 72 per cent.
Match.com also had some advice for dating in a digital world:
- Don't check your cellphone or text while on a date. People rated that behaviour as the biggest turnoff on a first date.
- Don't be too quick to friend your new love interest on Facebook.
- Don't use a social network to introduce your new love interest to friends and family.
- Call sometimes rather than always sending texts and emails.


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Microsoft is working with Google to bring a native ARM64 version of Chrome to Windows 10 on ARM and as Mozilla announced today, it, too, is working on bringing a native version of Firefox to Windows 10 on ARM. The organization is doing so in cooperation with Qualcomm. Typically,
India has 22 official languages, which often presents a challenge for businesses that want to scale across the entire country. Video-sharing app Roposo, however, uses that to its advantage by offering content in several different regional languages. Based in Gurgaon,
Tencent Music, China’s largest streaming company, has raised $1.1 billion in a U.S. IPO after it priced its shares at $13 a piece ahead of a listing on the Nasdaq. That makes it one of the largest tech listings of the year, but the pricing is at the bottom end of its $13-$15 range indicating […]
Indonesia-based e-commerce firm Tokopedia is the latest startup to enter the Vision Fund after it raised $1.1 billion led by the SoftBank megafund and Alibaba. SoftBank and Alibaba are existing investors in the business — the Chinese e-commerce giant led a $1.1 billion round last year,
A building in Facebook’s Menlo Park campus was evacuated after a bomb threat early Tuesday evening. Around 5PM, the Menlo Park police department warned people to avoid the area around the 200 block of Jefferson Drive as they investigated a bomb threat. Then they said 200 Jefferson Drive,
Two years ago, a couple of VCs from Shea Ventures, a 50-year-old, L.A. -based investment firm, banded together to create a Pasadena, Ca.-based early stage venture firm called Calibrate Ventures. Investors clearly like what they’re building.
The decision concludes a three-days-long court hearing in which the judge and the public prosecutor debated whether Wanzhou would breach her bail conditions.
Wix is taking a big step beyond website building today with the launch of a suite of products called Ascend. PR Manager Matt Rosenberg explained that just as Wix was founded with the aim of “demystifying and democratizing how you get online,” Ascend has a similar mission:
Qualcomm wants to become a major player in the PC/laptop market. Now that there is Windows 10 on ARM, that’s more than a pipe dream, but in its earliest iterations,
If you spend enough time scrolling through manicured photos of manicured lives on social media, you might come to the realization that maybe the fakeness of the online world has started to look too real.
Netflix is having another good year when it comes to racking up the Golden Globe nominations. Last year, Netflix topped the list of the most-nominated networks alongside HBO with 12 nods, even if that didn’t translate to many wins for the streaming service. This time around,
背景：通过socket升级板卡的镜像，主控板和业务板各有一个网口链接在交换芯片上，vxWorks软件环境 1.业务板主动连接主控板的时候调用connect 返回失败错误发0x3c,
The Islamic State, the extremist group that has taken control of large swaths of Syria and Iraq in the last few weeks, has reportedly opened a matchmaking office to help women marry its fightersThe group,
根据国外媒体报道，最近部分iPhone 6 Plus的用户都表示自己的手机出现了莫名其妙的崩溃或无限重启循环的状况。而拿到苹果售后之后最后不得不换了新机，其中一些用户甚至已经连续更换了四次。
仲有唔夠一星期就情人節，上回講到係屋企煮飯仔，如何令飯廳佈置充滿氣氛。 今日依莉詩就搜羅了幾段 Youtube 片教大家如何令食物睇得又食得啦!包你的女神見到都話你有心思!The post DIY 更溫馨！
来啦来啦这道题请让我来~多多多图非人像~ 早就要列一个台湾的建筑+景观的list啦，被问过好多遍要背出来了>< 完全不推荐安平古堡！！！不过到都到了你想进去一下也ok== 夕游出张所是这次才去，主打盐文化。
It’s been a busy last few months since Steve Huffman returned to Reddit in July to become its CEO. The company had an eventful summer (to put it lightly), but as much of the controversy subsides,


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Struggling entertainment retailer HMV is the most shorted stock in the FTSE All Share index, with nearly 24% of its shares out on loan to hedge funds and other speculators, according to Dataexplorers.
Shorting is where investors bet on a share price being too high by borrowing the stock from a financial institution then selling in the market. The shares are later bought back at a lower price (at least, that is the intention) and returned to the lender, with the shorter pocketing the difference. During the credit crunch, short sellers drove down the stock prices of the banks because they foresaw the crisis would get worse.
HMV, the high-street music retailer that also owns Waterstone's bookshops, is on the ropes following a shock profits warning after Christmas when it emerged that the company could breach its banking covenants. HMV, headed by Simon Fox, blamed competition from internet rivals and supermarkets, as well as lost revenue because of December's cold weather. Fox said 60 shops would close as the company grappled with debts of more than £150m.
Last week, the company suffered a fresh setback when credit insurers removed cover for its suppliers, raising fears in the City that HMV could be the next Woolworths.
Another target for the short-sellers is Provident Financial, where hedge funds have borrowed 20.7% of its shares on fears that the doorstep lender will experience a drop in business from people hit by benefit cuts and public sector cutbacks.
Meanwhile, Yell, the directories business led by former Merrill Lynch banker Bob Wigley, has been hit by competition from online rivals and has had a grim recession. Shares out on loan are at 18%.
Ocado, the online supermarket that has yet to make a profit, is still besieged – though some short-sellers may have got their fingers burnt as the shares jumped by 13% on Friday to 227p, well up on last summer's float price of 180p. Partygaming is another target due to fears of Europe being hit by stricter regulations on internet gambling.
Although Barclays is not on the list, some are still shorting the stock. The amount on loan is only 1.7%, but that is 70% higher than in October, said Dataexplorers. Last week it emerged that DE Shaw, one of the world's largest hedge funds, had taken a £100m short position in the bank as some investors worried about higher funding costs.


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SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla is set to unveil on Thursday its long-delayed Semi, a 18-wheeler heavy duty vehicle that has faced skepticism from industry experts who doubt battery electric trucks can take the strain of hauling hefty loads for hundreds of miles.
The launch marks the electric carmaker’s first foray into the trucking business as U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is set to offer a generous $40,000 tax credit for clean commercial vehicles.
At the unveiling event in Tesla’s battery factory in Nevada, analysts will look for details such as pricing, how much freight the Semi can carry, and its charging speed.
Chief Executive Elon Musk initially said the trucks would be in production by 2019, but that was delayed due to battery constraints. In 2017, Tesla said the 500 mile (805 kilometre) range Semi to be priced at $180,000.
The billionaire, who now runs five companies after buying Twitter, has a record of overpromising on Tesla’s products.
Musk had promised, for instance, that Tesla’s mass-market electric sedan Model 3 would be priced at $35,000, a claim that bombed. The base model now sells at $47,000.
He also previously said it was highly likely that the Semi would be the first Tesla vehicle to have self-driving capability. But in October Musk said Tesla vehicles were not ready to take humans out of the loop.
Robyn Denholm, chair of Tesla, recently said the automaker might make 100 Semis this year. Musk announced the start of production of the truck in early October, and said food and drink giant PepsiCo would get the first deliveries on Dec. 1.
Some analysts believe it will be harder for the automaker to penetrate the commercial truck market than the mass car trade.
“Tesla is very much the new kid on the block here. It has everything to prove, and it will be proving it against very, very strong legacy competitors,” said Oliver Dixon, senior analyst at Guidehouse.
Musk has touted the Semi’s 500 mile range, far higher than that of electric trucks offered by rivals Daimler, Volvo, startup Nikola and Renault Trucks.
“Tesla team just completed a 500 mile drive with a Tesla Semi weighing in at 81,000 lbs!” Musk tweeted last week. For Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has expressed skepticism about all-electric trucks, Musk said: “(Gates) can drive it himself if he wants!”.
Tesla team just completed a 500 mile drive with a Tesla Semi weighing in at 81,000 lbs!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
November 27, 2022
Nikola said last month it was slowing deliveries of its electric Tre BEV trucks to slash battery costs that have soared by $110,000 per truck.
“I’m worried not about other competitors,” Nikola boss Michael Loscheller told Reuters on Wednesday. “I want to take diesel trucks off the road,” he said, adding that federal incentives for trucks that run on hydrogen could be more substantial than those battery electric trucks.
Musk has said Tesla needs to mass-produce its cheaper 4680 batteries in-house to build the Semi, which uses five times the number of cells a car needs. But he recently said the Semi will use the traditional 2170 batteries that Tesla gets from suppliers.
“A lot of us are kind of skeptical, because no one else has been able to prove that they can do it,” said Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency who attended Tesla’s first prototype Semi presentation in 2017.
At the 2017 event, Musk said the truck could get to 400 miles on a 30-minute charge at solar-powered “mega chargers” without providing details. Finding the power to charge electric vehicles remains a major challenge.
“The whole reason for a truck is to haul around 40,000 to 45,000 pounds of freight,” said Roeth, a former executive at U.S. truck maker Navistar. “And if your batteries weigh too much, or they cost too much … that doesn’t work.”


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Tesla announced Tuesday that it has hired more than 50 people at its Fremont, California, factory, the company’s first major move to boost its manufacturing presence in China.
The hires include a team of about 50 workers who will work in the manufacturing line, said Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive officer.
The hires are part of a strategy by the company to improve manufacturing efficiency, Musk said at a conference call.
Tesla says it is also looking for additional employees at its Palo Alto, California factory.
The hiring comes at a time when Tesla is seeking to bolster its presence in the United States, where the company has struggled to grow its business.
The company has been struggling to regain market share amid a glut of luxury electric cars.
Last month, Tesla announced plans to cut jobs and lay off employees at the Fremont plant, but it later said it would not shutter the facility.
Tesla has struggled in recent months to win a bidding war to build a $5 billion factory in Arizona.
The company has made a number of other moves to boost the competitiveness of its product lines, including announcing a deal to sell its batteries and battery storage to Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi, and agreeing to sell the Gigafactory to Chinese battery manufacturer Huawei.