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Local Lion: A Donut Shop for Boone
Josiah and Meredith Davis have filled a hole in
Monday, April 30, was the first day that Local Lion Coffee and Donuts was open for business and, by noon, they had sold out of donuts. “We were very, very busy,” co-owner and operator Josiah Davis said.
He and wife Meredith are new to selling donuts, but not to business itself or cooking. They have opened the first donut shop in Boone since Daylight Donuts closed a couple years back on King Street, preceded by the closing of longtime area institution Granny’s Donuts 10 years ago.
“We were looking for what was missing,” said Davis of his decision to open his new venture on Blowing Rock Road. “It’s been years since we had good donuts in Boone.”
Although youthful, Davis said that this is the second business he has owned. He does not have a background specifically in baking, but was head chef at The Peddler Steakhouse before working with his wife at Crossnore School in Avery County for six years.
The Davises were looking for a business venture when they found a Craigslist ad offering free training along with the purchase of used baking equipment. The sellers were Tim and Krystal Decker of Smoky Mountain Bakery in Roan Mountain, Tenn.
The Deckers spent many years baking professionally in northern California before moving to Roan Mountain. After setting up their new Tennessee bakery, they sought to pass on some of their equipment, along with their expertise.
“We bought it on the spot, (with) no space and no loan,” Davis said, describing the equipment that would be crucial to his new business.
The Deckers shared their expertise with the younger couple, coming to help the Davises on Local Lion’s opening day. “They’ve got a passion about what we’re doing … carrying on the tradition,” Davis said.
Josiah and Meredith Davis make their products from scratch, not only baking donuts fresh and very early each morning, but even grinding beans for specialty coffee drinks as orders come in.
Customers may try the drive-through or park and come in the newly renovated space, which formerly housed a TCBY yogurt shop.
Their selection will vary daily, with lemon curd filled, berry glazed, Bavarian and espresso cream filled donuts among those offered so far. And while they closed early after their first day of business, they plan to eventually extend shop hours far beyond the current 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. span.
“We want to stay open until 2 a.m. by next fall,” Davis said, explaining that he wants to offer another late-night option for students on weekends. “I think people will want to have a place to hang out other than a bar.”
Local Lion is already a hangout both for students and working locals. Employee Anna Davis, younger sister of Josiah, said that among their customers on the first day was a police officer, who told her he had parked his police car at the lot next door and walked over so as not to stereotype himself.
“I may have to bring him a dozen,” she said.
Local Lion is at 791 Blowing Rock Road in Boone. Current hours are Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until they sell out of donuts).
Got restaurant news? Email editor Frank Ruggiero at (email@example.com) or call (828) 264-6397.


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A few weeks ago we told you about the new ‘Two Sides Brewing Company’ that launched recently in the city. They’ve launched a few beers so far, brewing in collaboration with other breweries. Their latest one has made the international press in the last few days.
Their ‘Big Mistake Brexit IPA’ is on tap in 57 The Headline. In the wake of the big vote, word got around that the beer existed, and a few photographers came to the pub to capture an image of it. The photos have since made their way to PBS Newshour in the USA, The Irish Sun, and Reuters.
The beer is a collaboration brew with the 5 Lamps brewery, which is located only around an 8 minute walk away from 57 The Headline.
‘2 Sides Brew Co’ obviously think Brexit was a mistake. Take that in contrast with the JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, who had thousands of pro Brexit beer mats printed and distributed to Wetherspoon’s pubs around Britain.
So far as we can tell, the beer is only for sale in 57 The Headline at the moment, but all their other beers have also been sold in T.O. Brennans on Dominick street. What we can say for sure is that the beer probably won’t be getting exported to the UK any day soon.

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By Press Trust of India | Updated: 24 June 2022
A startup in West Bengal has come out with a device that produces oxygen from water just by pressing of a switch, the founders of the technology claimed. ‘OM Redox’, the device developed by Solaire Initiatives Pvt Ltd, which is incubated in the Webel-BCC&I Tech Incubation Centre here, provides pure oxygen from water, they said.
The machine is nothing but a “deep science innovation that generates oxygen which is 3.5 times purer than that one normally gets from a concentrator”, the startup venture’s cofounders Dr Soumyajit Roy and his wife Dr Pei Liang claimed on Thursday.
The device was selected by the Department of Biotechnology for showcasing and launch on its 10th foundation day and at the 1st Bio-Tech Expo 2022.
“Pressure swing adsorption method for production of oxygen works with the liquefaction of air, while concentrator operates through concentration of air by a compressor and then passing it through a catalyst. In these two processes, oxygen is generated from the air. Ours is an alternative technology,” Roy, the professor of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata.
He said their innovation is called pneumatically coupled water oxidation by electrocatalytic reaction (Power) in which the life-saving gas is produced from water. The machine was among the products that were featured in a book released by Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh commemorating 75 years of Independence.
“This technology is patented, and approved by World Health Organization and European Conformity,” he claimed, adding that the scientist couple is in discussion with various organisations for licensing the device and manufacturing and marketing of it.
“The product is a sleek white pinewood box, weighing 8kg, which provides oxygen just on pressing a switch and runs with electricity and also with a battery back-up of 3.5 hours,” said Pei Liang, a bachelor of medicine from a Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.
The device can be made handy and scaled up, she said at a programme organised jointly by West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Limited (Webel) and the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“We are actively considering the proposal for manufacturing and marketing of the device that produces oxygen. We are positive about the technology and impressed with its simplicity of it. A girl or boy can operate the device. Given the progress that the startup has made, commercialisation of the device is expected in the next three months,” West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Limited (Webel) Managing Director Sunrita Hazra said.
The incubation centre, a joint initiative of Webel and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, incubated around 54 companies in the last few years, including around 18 entities which are going through the process at present. Kalyan Kar the mentor of the unit said.
Of the companies which completed the incubation process, 10 to 12 reached the commercial state, he said, adding that several companies have approached the centre from tier II and III cities of the state and the participation of women entrepreneurs is also significant.


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Stryker acquired OrthoSpace in an all-cash transaction for an upfront payment of US $110MM and future milestone payments of up to an additional $110MM.
OrthoSpace was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Caesarea, Israel. The InSpace product is a biodegradable sub-acromial balloon spacer designed to treat massive irreparable rotator cuff tears. It is approved under the CE Mark and is marketed in Europe and other countries in Latin America and Asia, where it has been used to treat >20,000 patients in 30 countries.
In the U.S., InSpace is currently under clinical study and not approved for use. The 184-patient randomized, single blinded control study is comparing InSpace to conventional/partial repair to treat full thickness massive rotator cuff tears.
Past investors in OrthoSpace include Johnson & Johnson, Smith & Nephew and HealthPoint Capital.
“The acquisition of OrthoSpace is highly complementary to our existing portfolio and aligns with Stryker’s focus on investing in sports medicine,” said Andy Pierce, Stryker’s Group President, MedSurg. “We are excited about the momentum OrthoSpace has in key global markets and the additional surgical option this technology provides our customers to address a complex pathology.”
By ORTHOWORLD® estimates, Stryker's sports medicine segment accounts for ~7% of its overall orthopedic revenue. For 2018, sales of $521.8MM grew 5.6% over 2017, an increase of nearly $28MM. The company expects the transaction to have an immaterial impact to net earnings in 2019.
InSpace image courtesy of OrthoSpace/LinkedIn.


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Eros Group, a Dubai-based consumer electronics retailer, is entering the real estate market in bid to diversify its portfolio and boost profits.
“We are looking at a different model in real estate development. We will fund the project, and if we don’t get buyers, we will complete the project and sell the units,” Deepak Babani, CEO of Eros Group, told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
“We are looking at the land bank, labour camps, villas segment and apartments,” he said.
The company in 2013 ventured into food business by taking the franchise of Scottish chain Baguette Express as a new avenue for growth and opened four outlets in Dubai.
“We are still getting our foot on the ground in the food business and are far away from profitability, but we will be there. We are looking at one or two more outlets but we are not getting the right spot,” he said.
Babani said that real estate is a profitable business and the average return on investment in a project is around 70 per cent and the time frame is around two-and-a-half years.
When asked whether Eros will launch an initial public offering (IPO) to raise cash, he said that the group has internal resources to raise cash and sees no need for a share sale.
“We have good relations with banks in the UAE,” he said.
The group, which controls around five to six per cent of the total consumer electronics market in the UAE, sees some challenges in the current scenario of the market.
He said the UAE consumer electronics market is expected to grow between 10 and 12 per cent this year, same as last year, due to the impact on flat TV panel sales.
“The fall in TV sales started from India customs duty hike on TV exports and the panel market is going down. But smartphone sales are going to grow by 35 per cent and tablet market by around 12 per cent this year,” he said.
Babani said that the changes people are making on new technology are not as rapid as the industry expected.
Last year, the panel sales did not grow as Eros expected. The growth for the company came from mobiles and small home appliances. Number of TV panel sales was less but in terms of value, it was the same as in 2013.
He said that air purifiers, a new category, had growth of about 100 per cent as people are getting more conscious on air quality. The market size is still small.
The group expects revenues to jump by nine per cent this year to Dh4.8 billion compared to Dh4.4 billion last year, due to the drop in oil prices and the rouble effect.
Tourism has an “impact” on consumer electronics sales in the UAE.
In 2013, he said that re-exports to Egypt and Libya markets was hit badly. Re-exports to Iraq have been going down for the past three years. Re-exports contribute about 20 per cent to the group’s total revenues.
“We could look at setting up stores if sanctions on Iran are lifted. It will be a big bonus. It may or may not happen but directions are positive,” Babani said.
“We are planning to open three more outlets in Dubai and looking for the right space in malls,” he said.
Source: Naushad K Cherrayil, Staff Reporter, gulfnews.com


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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski “picked his first official fight Monday,” said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial, “and it’s a doozy.” Genachowski laid out two key principles of “net neutrality”—the idea that ISPs must treat all Internet sites equally—and said the FCC should turn them, plus four others from 2004, into formal, legally binding rules. If done right, that’s a great way to keep the Web a hotbed of innovation.
The six principles will almost certainly be adopted as formal FCC rules, said Stephen Wildstrom in BusinessWeek. And it’s equally certain that “telcom companies will sue to overturn them.” Unless Congress acts, the telecoms will probably win. The net neutrality rules “strike me as eminently reasonable,” but courts are beholden to laws, not “sensibility.”
Who can blame the telecoms? said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. AT&T, Verizon, and other broadband providers have spent “tens of billions on broadband pipe” since 2007, and now President Obama’s FCC wants to reward “Google and other Web content providers whose business model depends on freeloading”? Obama can have net neutrality or expanded broadband coverage, but not both.
The new rules really aren’t “as threatening a proposition as the major ISPs would have you believe,” said Stacey Higginbotham in GigaOm. But they also don’t address “high-profile consumer issues” such as metered broadband or making the iPhone available on Verizon. Net neutrality is good for consumers, but the big winners are Internet startups and companies that use lots of bandwidth, such as video and VoIP sites.


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Malaysian startup accelerator looks for potential in 14 cities
THE Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) has just launched the second batch of its Global Accelerator Program (GAP).
Started with a mission to build a strong startup community in Asean, MaGIC’s program aims to accelerate global startups to be investment-ready in four months.
GAP’s ecosystem also includes route-to-market partners such as Accenture and Maybank, program marketing partners such as DBS and 99Designs, and government agency partners such as the National Innovation Agency Malaysia and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.
To find the right startups to join its program, the GAP team will be traveling to 14 cities to share more insights into the programme and how it will help startups scale their business in Asean.
Aside from Kuching, Johor, Penang, and Cyberjaya, the team will visit Manila, New Delhi, Jakarta, Bangalore, Singapore, Bangkok, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh, and Hong Kong.
Last year, GAP was ranked as one of the top ten most active accelerators in the world. It was also recognized as the Best Accelerator Programme by Asean Rice Bowl Startup Awards and Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup Awards.
MaGIC is looking for startups that have validated their ideas or launched a product/prototype with some traction, and have the potential to scale in the Asean region.
Ideal startups, according to the GAP team, would be less than three years old and focused on the Asean market.
If you’d like your startup to be considered, head over to their website now. Applications to the program will be accepted until March 26, 2018.
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Cannabis in bloom
Published on January 13, 2019 by David Wylie
Indigenous communities are fighting for their place in the cannabis industry
Chief Robert Gladstone has a personal connection with cannabis.
The Shxwhá:y Village chief is one of those behind the new Indigenous Bloom cannabis store on Okanagan Indian Band Land near Kelowna.
Gladstone told the oz. that cannabis is in line with his community’s values and that Indigenous Bloom has an emphasis on harm reduction.
Gladstone’s mom recently passed away from cancer. Cannabis eased her suffering when she wasn’t able to eat, he said. It also helped reduce the use of narcotics.
Gladstone credits cannabis with keeping his mom alive for a little extra time.
He said his grandmother was aware of the value of CBD.
“That showed me there was a history of medical use of cannabis in our community,” he said during an exclusive interview at Indigenous Bloom’s Central Okanagan location.
Cannabis has benefits in helping people heal from addiction. It also has an economic benefit for the community. First Nation communities with Indigenous Bloom locations, including locations near Chilliwack and Vernon, are already seeing good quality jobs.
Related: The store’s first customer
More stores are planned by Indigenous Bloom Corporation, including one in Williams Lake.
Cannabis sold at Indigenous Bloom is sourced from First Nations suppliers. Gladstone said it meets or exceeds standards under the Cannabis Act.
Gladstone said Indigenous Bloom is operating under their inherent right to self-determination and through land codes that allow them to create their own laws. The Kwaw-Kwaw-Apilt First Nation has written its own cannabis law to replace the Cannabis Act.
The stores don’t have provincial licenses.
He said they’ve been working with Bill Blair, federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, and with Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“We want to work together in a way that’s respectful of all levels of government,” he said.
The company’s board of directors includes former West Bank First Nation chief Robert Louie.
Big national plans
There’s a lot of optimism in indigenous communities when it comes to cannabis.
First Nations politician turned marijuana executive Phil Fontaine travelled across Canada prior to legalization talking to First Nations about the emerging industry.
“Everywhere we’ve been, it’s been the same reaction, interest, excitement. First Nations are speaking about possibilities and potential. So it’s been very encouraging,” the former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations told The Globe and Mail.
“This is a unique opportunity. This sector is different than any other the Indigenous community has experienced. Everyone is starting off at the same point.”
Fontaine has partnered with The Cronos Group in a venture called Indigenous Roots, bringing medical marijuana to First Nations communities.
BNN recently spoke with Michael Gorenstein, president and CEO of The Cronos Group, about the business.
Cronos has an Okanagan tie, with licensed cannabis producer Original BC. It’s located on 31 acres of land in the Okanagan. They’re behind the brands Cove and Spinach.


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Nigerian payments company, Paystack, has agreed to be acquired by global payments leader Stripe to make online and offline payments easier for African businesses, and enable more global companies to enter the fast-growing region.
Paystack powers payments for thousands of companies of all sizes – including FedEx, UPS and MTN – and processes over 50 per cent of all online payments in Nigeria, Africa’s largest market.
Stripe is a technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Millions of businesses in 42 countries are using Stripe to process hundreds of billions of dollars across the globe
The African internet economy is growing quickly, with online commerce in the region growing 21 per cent year-over-year, 75 per cent faster than the global average.
In order to help grow Africa’s online GDP, Stripe has entered into an agreement to acquire Paystack, a technology company based in Lagos that makes it easy for organizations of all sizes to collect payments from around the world.
Today, more than 60,000 businesses in Nigeria and Ghana use Paystack to securely collect online and offline payments, launch new business models, and deepen customer relationships. Incredibly, Paystack already processes more than half of all online transactions in Nigeria. Paystack has ambitious plans to expand across the continent and recently started a pilot with businesses in South Africa.
Stripe and Paystack have been working closely together for some time. In 2018, Stripe led Paystack’s Series A financing round and has provided ongoing guidance as the company rapidly scaled.
“In just five years, Paystack has done what many companies could not achieve in decades. Their tech-first approach, values, and ambition greatly align with our own. This acquisition will give Paystack resources to develop new products, support more businesses and consolidate the hyper-fragmented African payments market,” said Matt Henderson, Stripe’s business lead in EMEA.
“Paystack is a growth engine for modern businesses in Africa, and we couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Stripe, whose mission and values are so aligned with ours, to nurture transformative businesses on the continent,” said Shola Akinlade, CEO and co-founder of Paystack.


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Users of Motorola Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are experiencing new confusion of sorts about the newest Google Android 7.0 Nougat OS update being made available to their smartphones. An official tweet made by Motorola India about 32 hours ago made it clear that Android Nougat was still some time away from being officially rolled-out to Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus. Now, after a significant period of time, we checked out if Android Nougat was available officially to Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus.
During our testing, the OS update status said, "Your firmware is up to date" and did not indicate the availability of Android Nougat as an OS update. Even the Moto G4 Plus displayed an identical status. This meant that we should currently bear with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for an indefinite period of time.
However, an interesting aspect was that owners of Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus (residing in unknown geographical regions) stated that their devices got Android Nougat. But this was even before Motorola tweeted that the update deployment is yet to take off.
Even Motorola-Lenovo official forums have been flooded with queries regarding the roll-out status of Android Nougat for the Moto G4 Plus and the Moto G4. But no new status has come to light. If you are a Moto G4 (or the Moto G4 Plus) owner, do check your smartphones on a regular basis for the Android Nougat firmware and let us know if your handsets have received it officially so that we consider your inputs. You can even send screenshots of the new OS update.
Do remember that side-loading of Android Nougat on Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus is unauthorised and is not recognised by Motorola. Though you will be able to enjoy certain Android Nougat features, the full functionality will not be available. Your smartphone also runs a risk of being derecognised when it runs an OS that is not officially seeded.


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Pending the submission of 5 August, the new smartphone foldable Samsung continues to be the subject of leaks and rumors. A priori, it will be the successor to the Galaxy Fold, with an external screen larger and some improvements to the screen collapsible.
Rendering the alleged Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G published by MySmartPrice.com. Source : MySmartPrice.com
On the 5th of August, Samsung will introduce its new Galaxy Note, as well as a new smartphone foldable which will replace the Galaxy Fold submitted in 2019. And in the meantime this presentation, the leaks continue to come from everywhere on the web. The last one shows the design of this device which, according to media reports, could be called ” Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G “. In an article published this week, the site MySmartPrice.com has released renderings alleged new smartphone foldable Samsung. And these renderings corroborate rumors that have previously circulated.
Apparently, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will have a set of three cameras on the back. And compared to the Galaxy Fold, his successor will have an external screen wider. The screen foldable internal Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G should also be wider than that of the Galaxy Fold. And according to the rendering shared by MySmartPrice.com this screen foldable will have no notch, but a bubble breakthrough for the front camera.
Otherwise, this model should have a glass screen ultra fine instead of the plastic used on the Galaxy Fold. This new technology has already been used by Samsung for the screen of the Galaxy Z Flip launched in the beginning of the year and it would be logical that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G would also like to take this evolution. And the price should always be around 2 000 euros.
Samsung continues to focus on smartphones with screens folding
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be the third smartphone foldable launched by Samsung this year. Indeed, after having launched the Galaxy Z Flip in the first half, the Korean giant has recently launched a version 5G, and most powerful of this model.
And the rumors suggest a fourth smartphone foldable, which would be a smartphone-tablet hybrid like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, but the price would be more affordable (thanks to concessions on the technical data sheet). Besides, some sources indicate that Samsung would have initially planned to present this affordable version during the event of 5 August, before postponing this presentation at a later date. The name of this model could be Galaxy Fold Lite, or Galaxy Fold e.
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The race for developer mindshare is just starting and many players are juggling to get the minds of the developers. Who will win? Apple or Google or even Microsoft. There is this consensus that the best days of Blackberry are behind it.
So, in a new report (actually June 2011), Developer Economics notes these facts after extensive study, interviews and market research:
- Use of mobile web accelerates. The last year has seen many twists and turns in the race of mobile platforms to capture developer mindshare. Mobile web as a platform has seen an impressive upturn in usage, and is now in third position in our Developer Mindshare Index. Android and iOS continue to lead with 67% of developers currently using Android and 59% using iOS.
- Windows is not yet the third horse in the three-horse mobile race. Use of Windows Mobile has dropped among developers in the last year, while Windows Phoneis not yet seen by developers as a commercially viable platform. Yet Windows Phone 7has managed to establish itself in the number two spot after Android in our DeveloperIntentshare Index, among platforms where developers plan to invest. Microsoft’sadvantage comes from the influx of PC and Xbox developers, Microsoft’s best-in-classtools and the promise of a substantial user base with the Nokia deal.
- Symbian, Java abandoned: Symbian and Java ME are the two platforms with thehighest developer abandonment rates; nearly 40% of developers currently usingSymbian and 35% of developers currently using Java ME are planning to drop theplatforms. Java ME is suffering from negative hype despite having been embedded onmore than three billion handsets. Symbian is now officially a platform with an expiry date, with the Nokia Symbian handset line-up set to be discontinued.
- Experimentation on the rise: Developers are increasingly experimenting with more and more platforms and transitioning to new ones. Developers use on average 3.2platforms concurrently based on our sample of 850+ online respondents, representing a 15% increase from last year’s figure.
For complete study, please click here to read June Developer Economics.


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ZIMBABWE’S industrial capacity utilisation is expected to rise above last year’s figure of 47,4 percent despite some challenges that have seen some companies facing production bottlenecks mainly due to shortage of foreign currency.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries Matabeleland president Mr Joseph Gunda told a pre-budget seminar organised by Zimpapers last week that this year’s survey results of the country’s industrial capacity will be announced on 25 October.
“We expect the capacity utilisation to be above last year’s figure of 47 percent although there have been some challenges of recent, mainly on foreign currency,” he said.
Contrary to the broad assertion that Bulawayo was dead, Mr Gunda said there were a number of companies operating in the city that were doing well.
“On the state of Bulawayo companies, we have some positives. Monarch Steel has increased its exports by more than 167 percent while United Refineries is also diversifying and introducing new products on the market,” said Mr Gunda.
He added that Datlabs has increased capacity to around 70 percent while Baker’s Inn recently acquired and installed new production lines at the Bulawayo factory.
“Proton Bread has also moved in and Shepco has acquired BMA fasteners which is extending into the region. Motavac has also increased its distribution networks in Bulawayo.”
He added that Bulawayo companies, like most in other cities were also facing challenges mainly the shortage of foreign currency.
“Another problem is the high cost of production and failure to access lines of credit. Our companies are also facing completion from imported goods and the issue of legacy debts, especially Zimra, NSSA and Zimdef is a big challenge.”
Last year CZI reported that capacity utilisation rose to 47,4 percent up from 34,3 percent in 2015, mainly driven by an import ban imposed by the Government earlier in the year. The figure was the second highest level of industrial capacity utilisation — a measure of industry’s use of installed productive potential — since dollarisation in 2009, after the peak of 57,2 percent reported in 2011. Capacity utilisation in the post-dollarisation period peaked at 57,2 percent in 2011, before sliding to 44,2 percent in 2012, 39,6 percent in 2013 and 36,3 percent in 2014.
Most local companies have been ramping up production after Government came up with Statutory Instrument 64 last year.
SI 64 offered local firms immense opportunities to retool and modernise in order to produce products that the country used to import, thereby saving the much needed foreign currency and in turn resuscitate industry, especially the manufacturing sector whose performance had been negatively affected by an influx of cheap imports.
The goods under SI 64 of 2016 include furniture, beds, wardrobes, dining room suites, office furniture, bottled water, mayonnaise, salad cream, peanut butter, jam, mahewu, canned fruits, vegetables, pizza, yoghurts, flavoured milks, dairy juice blends, ice creams, cultured milk, cheese, coffee creamers, camphor creams, white petroleum jellies, body creams and plastic pipes.
The SI also controls the importation of wheelbarrows, parts of structures of iron or steel, roofing frameworks, doors, windows and their frames and threshold for doors, plates, rods, angles, shapes section, plastic pipes and fittings, flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel (of a width of 600mm or more), clad-plated or coated and corrugated steel roofing sheets, importation of second-hand tyres (all retreaded or used pneumatic tyres of rubber), baler and binder twine, fertilisers (urea and ammonium nitrate), compounds and blends, tile adhesive and tylon, shoe polish, synthetic hair products are also in the list of products whose importation has been banned.


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Long Distance Calling Provider 1010103 Has Low Call Rates to African Countries for Independence Days
1010 103, a Montreal, Canada, US and international long distance calling service provider, is offering lower rates for calling Libya, Kenya, South Africa and other African countries in celebration of their Independence Days.
Pointe-Claire (I-Newswire) December 28, 2013 - 10-10-10-3, a Montreal, Canada, US and international long distance phone calling service provider, has announced lower phone calling rates for African countries including Libya, Kenya, South Africa, and more, as various countries there celebrate their Independence Days.
10-10-10-3 is offering reduced rates of 22.9 cents per minute for landline calls to Libya, celebrating their Independence Day on December 24th, and with a cell phone rate of 37.9 cents a minute. 10-10-10-3 offers a low telephone calling rate of 17.9 cents a minute for landlines and 47.9 cents a minute for cell phone calls to Kenya, celebrating the anniversary of their independence from the United Kingdom on December 12th. For South Africa, celebrating its Independence Day on December 11th, the rates are just 1.5 cents a minute for landlines and 20.9 cents per minute for cell numbers.
Alejandro Bitar, President of 10-10-10-3, said "Our lower long distance and international phone calling rates in observation of various African Independence Days are a great time for callers to try the high quality service of 10-10-10-3 and enjoy great savings, while talking with their friends and family members at lower rates. 1010 103 offers the cheapest long distance calling rates worldwide, and we provide the highest voice quality and best customer service every day of the year."
Bitar added, "Callers do not need to sign a contract and they do not have to use a telephone calling card. All they need to do is just dial 1010 103 before the number they want to call, and then the call will be added to their local phone bill at 1010103's low international phone rates."
You can visit 1010103.ca to get more information about their low rates to the Caribbean and worldwide, as well as their entire portfolio of local and international long distance services.
About Montreal 10-10-10-3
10-10-10-3 is a Canada, US, and international long distance calling service company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 10-10-10-3 provides a 10 10 service which is a long distance service used by consumers on a casual calling basis. This type of long distance service allows the consumer to get amazing long distance rates without having to change their primary local telephone service provider and eliminates the use of a telephone calling card.
For further information, please contact:
About Customer Care
10-10-10-3 is a Canada, US, and international long distance calling service company headquartered i More..n Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 10-10-10-3 provides a 10 10 service which is a long distance service used by consumers on a casual calling basis. This type of long distance service allows the consumer to get amazing long distance rates without having to change their primary local telephone service provider and eliminates the use of a telephone calling card.Less..
237 Hymus Blvd.
Phone : 866-650-0103
Tags:long distance service provider international phone calls telephone calling card cheap international phone call long distance rates
Published On:December 28, 2013
Print Release:Print Release
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Magento Development-Affordable and Cost Effective Service for Web Development
Kids Shopping Fun Game Recently Released by GameiMax


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TCL and BlackBerry Mobile entered into an agreement in December 2016 that saw the former manufacture new BlackBerry mobile phones such as the BlackBerry KEYone , BlackBerry KEY2 , and BlackBerry KEY2 LE . Even though TCL will stop selling BlackBerry-branded devices on August 31st, it won't stop offering support and warranty service on existing devices until August 31st, 2022 "or for as long as required by local laws where the mobile device was purchased".
Speaking to German reporters, Fei expressed that Huawei wants to rid of their dependence on USA politics and Google's ecosystem. Huawei Austria head Wang Fei stated that the company has no plans to use GMS even if the ban is lifted. However, the world's second-largest smartphone seller may continue to use the open source Android platform. US$3 billion dollars and working with more than 4000 app developers to convert essential Android apps to the Huawei App Gallery Store.
The incident, which occurred on Streatham High Road at about 2pm, is believed to have left at least two people injured. United Kingdom correspondent Adam Gilchrist tells Alan Jones the incident is different from other, recent terror attacks in London .
It urges the European Commission to adopt new rules by July that would make it so buyers don't necessarily get a new charger with each new smartphone. In Europe, total e-waste generated in 2016 was 12.3 million metric tons, equivalent to 16.6kg on average per inhabitant. What are your thoughts on Apple adopting the USB Type-C connector for the iPhone? According to EC estimates, obsolete cables produce over 51000 tonnes of waste every year.
Game director Jeff Kaplan outlined in today's developer update that the company has plans to increase the protection against cheaters in the Overwatch community in the next few patches. And since hero pools are dictated by two weeks of data, a hero banned in Week 1 would have to be significantly played by nearly everyone in Week 2 to see it banned again for Week 3.
As per the Budget document, an individual taxpayer opting for the new tax regime will not be entitled for deduction under 80C of the Income Tax . Rs 12.5 lakh - Rs 15 lakh - tax will be 25%. The Finance Minister said that this move would make it easier for people to comply with the tax laws, and make it easier for them to file their returns by themselves, without the help of accountants.


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Paris, April 8th,2021 – NGOs Sherpa and ActionAid France’s claim against Samsung France on the ground of deceptive marketing practices was declared inadmissible, and the indictment of the company annulled. This decision comes in an increasingly restrictive context for the actions of associations fighting against corporate impunity. Sherpa and ActionAid France are blowing the whistle, and have lodged an appeal before the French Supreme Court.
In this case, Samsung argued that the NGOs did not have the approval by the Ministry of Justice that is required to file a complaint on the ground of deceptive marketing practices. The multinational company concluded that the complaint was to be declared inadmissible, and that the whole proceeding was to be retroactively annulled. ActionAid France and Sherpa, on the contrary, consider that the absence of such ministerial approval does not affect the admissibility of their complaint. They were not followed.
Samsung is suspected of having breached its public ethical commitments on workers’ rights in its factories in China, Korea and Vietnam, according to several investigation reports published by China Labor Watch, SHARPS and CGFED. The NGOs have denounced and investigated serious violations of fundamental rights in these countries, which particularly affect women: abusive working hours, working and housing conditions that are incompatible with human dignity, employment of children under the age of 16, and endangerment of workers.
For ActionAid France and Sherpa, taking credit for ethical commitments and not respecting them amounts to deceptive marketing practices in the sense of criminal consumer law. After a long legal battle initiated by the two NGOs in 2013, Samsung Electronics France was charged on this basis in 2019. More than twenty years after Nike was convicted in the United States for failing to comply with its code of conduct, this was the first time in France that it was recognized that a company’s ethical promises could constitute commercial practices, making these commitments legally binding. The NGOs’ claim has been declared inadmissible, and the indictment has been annulled. But the two organisations have lodged an appeal before the French Supreme Court.
Samsung France had a turnover of 2.8 billion euros in 2019. Factory workers in Asia are, as for them, usually paid less than 200 euros per month to assemble around 1600 phones per day.
“Behind Samsung’s commitments in France lies a company whose activity is claimed to cause cancers, deaths and to be encouraged by illegal labor union suppression in its Korean factories,” said Lee Sang Soo, Supporters for the Health and Rights of Workers in the Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS) in Seoul. He indicates : “We have observed that the company still refuses to disclose health and safety information essential for the protection of its own workforce.”
Sandra Cossart, Executive Director at Sherpa, explains: “Difficulties in renewing approvals by the Ministry of Justice, strict caselaw on the admissibility of civil action, a bill limiting freedom of association: this decision comes in a particularly alarming legal context, in which associations’ actions are increasingly curtailed while they are essential in a democratic State and must be protected. ».
For Chloé Stevenson, campaign manager at ActionAid France – Peuples Solidaires : “Consumers should not be made complicit in possible human rights violations without their knowledge. There is an urgent need to regulate the activity of multinationals; notably by extending at the European level the pioneering law on the duty of vigilance, adopted in France in 2017“.
The NGOs are however pleased that UFC-Que Choisir, a mainstream consumer association which has the official approval, took a legal initiative against Samsung France on the same grounds last september. The association also reports suspicions of Uyghur forced labor in Chinese production chains.
Samsung’s legal saga of alleged deceptive marketing practices is therefore not over.
 Supporters for the Health and Rights of Workers in the Semiconductor Industry, Corea
 Research Centre for Gender, Family and Environment in Development, Vietnam
For more information: firstname.lastname@example.org modified: 24 July 2023


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A 91,225-square-foot shopping center on 28th Street has changed hands.
An anonymous Michigan-based investor recently purchased Grand Central Plaza in Grand Rapids, at 2035 28th St. SE, from SDLT Investments VII LLC out of California, according to NAI Wisinski West Michigan.
Some of the shopping center’s tenants include All-Start Sports, Bluff Banquet, Buffalo Wild Wings, Capital Cities Hobbies and Rent-A-Center.
Investment specialists Cameron Timmer and Russ Bono and retail specialist Todd Leinberger of NAI Wisinski West Michigan represented both the seller and unnamed the buyer in the deal.
The sales price was not disclosed.
“Grand Central Plaza presented an opportunity to acquire a shopping center with strong fundamentals at a return higher than what is seen in other sectors of the commercial real estate market,” Timmer said.
“We continue to see strong interest from both local and out-of-market investors looking to invest in West Michigan.”


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Tim Sykes is Brand Director at Packaging Europe and founder of the Sustainability Awards.
Tim Sykes visited K, the world's biggest plastic event, to pick out some key packaging trends and takeaways.
Tim Sykes explores the barriers that may be holding back the digital tide.
Taking a look at the opportunities brought by smart materials
Tim Sykes talks to Smurfit Kappa's Gérard van den Boogaard about the challenge of optimising e-commerce packaging.
How can packaging add value to pet food?


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Before being tarnished by the the movie, Alone in the Dark was a fantastic PC title released by Infrogrames in 1992. The game’s creator, Frédérick Raynal, followed up with another great game, Little Big Adventure, which spawned a sequel. His last released title was Soul Bubbles, which was released in 2008. Now, Raynal has begun to tease his new title.
On Raynal’s own personal website, the gaming genius updated the list of games he has worked on. At the bottom of the page lists a currently unknown title, which is to be out in 2010. The teaser image is of a chalkboard, which says the following: “The name of the next game is on the back of the slate.” Clicking it, however, will not give you an answer, but only an erased mess. Although below the chalkboard, it is revealed what the title will not be, and that’s a follow-up to Little Big Adventure 2: ”Sorry, it’s not LBA3 [Little Big Adventure 3]!”
The new game will be out this year, and will be released by Ubisoft.


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Lenovo Z5 is a mid-range smartphone brought to the market by the Chinese manufacturer last summer and now the internal tests related to the update of the device to Android 9 Pie have unveiled the upcoming new features.
Pronounced with a thousand proclamations as a kind of revolutionary smartphone, Lenovo Z5 has not brought noteworthy changes: it is simply one of the many mid-range devices released in 2018.
The Z5 had arrived on the market with Android 8.1 Oreo on board with ZUI 3.9 interface, with the promise of a quick update to ZUI 4.0 based on Android 9 Pie. This promise has been disregarded so far, since the update has not yet been released and at almost a year now from the official launch of the device, internal tests are finally ongoing. The aforementioned tests have revealed the numerous new features that Lenovo prepared for its Z5.
Gizchina News of the week
First, the Chinese manufacturer is testing a kernel update to improve the performance and energy efficiency of the device. Secondly, the most obvious change is the user interface, the goal is to improve the overall user experience and the accessibility of the Z5. For this reason the new ZUI 10 includes a number of new features, such as the 4D U-touch gesture, magic input box, the PiP (Picture-in-Picture) mode and much more.
Users will also get a renewed unlock function through face recognition (which can be activated from the Settings) and an “extreme” energy saving mode, which will come to the rescue if necessary by deactivating all unecessary functions at night. Lenovo has also added a function to keep track of the calories consumed during the day, support for quick and secure payments with the smartphone, a “desktop editing” mode with new layouts.
The update to Android 9 Pie for the Lenovo Z5 is currently being tested, it is not yet clear when it will be released in the stable version.


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Novartis partners with Canadian medical marijuana company Tilray
Tilray, a Canadian medical marijuana company has signed a new deal with leading Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis to become the firm’s exclusive supplier of non-smokeable medical cannabis products for its Canadian subsidiary, Sandoz.
Tilray was the first medical cannabis firm to obtain a Good Manufacturing Practice certification (cGMP) in accordance with the standards of the European Medicine Agency. As a leader in the market, Tilray currently supplies tens of thousands of patients with its product across ten countries.
“This agreement is a major milestone on the long road to legitimizing medical cannabis as conventional medicine,” said Brendan Kennedy, Tilray’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Tilray is pleased to be, what we believe is, the first federally licensed producer of medical cannabis to form a strategic alliance with a local affiliate of a global pharmaceutical company to improve the availability and quality of medical cannabis products for Canadian patients in need.”
In addition to becoming the exclusive supplier of Sandoz, Tilray will also partner with the firm to develop new cannabis-based products that offer an alternative to smokable products that will then be distributed to Canadian hospitals and pharmacies.
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- Compass Diversified Holdings announces $317mn sale of Manitoba Harvest to TilrayLeadership & Strategy
- First two licensed marijuana retailers open in Vancouver after long roadLeadership & Strategy


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A Microsoft enthusiast group is calling for the boycott of Opera Software's products due to the browser maker's part in the antitrust campaign against Microsoft in Europe.
Microsoft will offer European customers an "Internet Pack" that includes IE8 when they buy a retail copy of Windows 7, which will be sold sans browser, the company said late last week.
The European Union's antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. over Internet Explorer could be a nightmare for small- and medium-sized computer makers and set a dangerous precedent, a longtime trade group ally of Microsoft argued today.
Microsoft on Thursday said it had canceled an oral hearing set for early next month over EU antitrust allegations that it "shields" Internet Explorer (IE) from competition, saying that senior regulators won't be attending.
Intel Corp. said today it intends to appeal the European Commission's $1.44 billion fine for anticompetitive behavior in the chip market, with CEO Paul Otellini arguing that the EC "ignored or disregarded" evidence "refuting" its judgment.
The European Commission is expected to make one of the most significant antitrust decisions in its history on Wednesday when it punishes computer chip-maker Intel for stifling competition from smaller rivals.
The European Commission launched a new assault on what it considers to be rip-off costs in mobile telephony Thursday, this time setting its sights on mobile termination rates.
Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for Internet-related issues, called Monday for a new multilateral approach to Internet governance once the current system expires at the end of September.
Microsoft Corp. Wednesday confirmed it met the deadline for replying to European Union (EU) antitrust allegations that the company "shields" Internet Explorer (IE) from competition by bundling the browser with Windows.
Microsoft has asked the European Commission for an oral hearing with the regulator in order to defend itself against antitrust charges that it is illegally tying its Internet browser to the Windows operating system, a Commission spokesman said Wednes...
The cost of sending text messages on your mobile phone while abroad in the European Union is about to fall sharply in July, when a new law approved Wednesday comes into effect.
The cost of calling, texting and accessing the Internet via mobile phones while abroad is about to get cheaper for European residents, following an agreement Tuesday among lawmakers over the shape of a new mobile roaming law.
EBay locked horns on Monday with the luxury goods industry over a planned review of rules affecting the online distribution of products in Europe.
A European court on Tuesday rejected a request from Intel to postpone a deadline in the European Commission's antitrust proceedings against the company.
Microsoft was formally charged with monopoly abuse by Europe's top antitrust authority, the European Commission, over the way it bundles the Internet Explorer browser with Windows.
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Is Amazon Living Up To Its Name?
Himanshu is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Online retailers have played a crucial role in making shopping easy for us. Nobody could have thought of buying anything at just the click of a mouse. Moreover, the convenience came in at a lower price too, since these retailers were not like the traditional ones who have to splurge on maintaining their stores.
Emergence of online giants such as Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has given a hard blow to retailers such as Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), who fail to keep their prices as competitive as the former. Moreover, Wal-Mart and other similar retailers have been suffering from the problem of “showrooming,” wherein customers try the product in its stores and then buy it online. Huge costs made it difficult for Wal-Mart to make its prices competitive to Amazon so much so that Wal-Mart has started keeping smaller stores. These stores are more accessible to the customers as well as low on cost.
In fact, the online giant has not only given stiff competition to other super market operators but also companies such as Best Buy and Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) who are facing problems in selling electronics and books, respectively. Barnes & Noble has been witnessing sharp decline in footfall since people find it easier to read books online. With the emergence of e-books, people don’t even have to carry the books with them. However, Barnes & Noble has been able to find a way out and has taken initiatives such as the launch of Nook, an e-book reader, which can prove to be detrimental to Amazon’s Kindle sales.
Some Obstacles Seen…
Because of Amazon’s unique business model, the company was enjoying a number of benefits, the most important being the absence of sales tax. This enabled the retailer to offer lower prices and attract customers in hordes. However, with the imposition of sales tax on Amazon recently by the Government, there seems to be some respite for these retailers. This will act as a major obstacle for the online giant since this will make Amazon’s products expensive.
It seems that the new rule has already affecting Amazon. Its recent results failed to meet analysts’ expectations as the earnings took a sharp dip of 45% over last year. But the most interesting part is that though the company registered a lackluster quarter and gave a dull outlook, its stock prices shot up. This is mainly because of the company’s stunning operating margins as well as investors’ belief in Amazon’s future.
Amazon has a number of moves in place which will benefit the retailer overcome the drawbacks of the new sales tax ruling. It recently launched the new Kindle Fire which has been able to lure customers because of its lower prices. The affordable tablet is hugely ad-supported and is not restricted to the American region only.
The company has been eyeing to expand its geographical footprint through its new tablets. This will create more avenues of growth for the retailer.
The expansion is not limited to adding new regions and tablets but also distribution centers. In order to provide better service and make its products delivered faster to customers, the company is adding new distribution centers.
Amazon is also trying its best to make its products better in all ways. Its efforts in enhancing the tablet include new introductions such as AutoRip, which provides MP3 versions of songs bought on Amazon, kid’s service and text to speech features. It is also offering digital library on its tablets. These inclusions might lure more people to the sizzling market of Kindle Fire.
The Bottom Line
Slight increases in product prices and poor guidance might be some negatives which are making this company look dull but its unique business model and continuous increase in operating margins is something which shouldn’t be ignored. Additionally, the company provides the convenience of having a wide variety of products at consumers’ finger tips. It is also strengthening its distribution network in order to reduce the lag time of delivering the products.
These initiatives along with Amazon’s expansion initiatives make me believe strongly in the company. Investors should consider this stock as a long term investment.
justhimanshu has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


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Internationally acclaimed architect Shigeru Ban has rebuilt the Kodomo Art Maison Community Center, which was destroyed by Japan's 2011 earthquake. The project was overseen by Ban, completed with the help of the Voluntary Architects' Network and funded by luxury goods company LVMH as part of an initiative to support children displaced by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster provoked by the earthquake and tsunami.
The new Kodomo Art Maison center has a central atrium and photovoltaic panels positioned across its angled roof. The building has a donut-like shape, and is adorned by lattice walls containing a range of children's books in an expansive library.
Plants are grown in glazed walls around the structure, giving the design a healthy feel. The center includes vegetable gardens that foster a sense of community.
Photo Credits: designboom, shigerubanarchitects


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Customers who need flight information or want to make changes to travel plans Frontier Airlines can no longer call and speak to an agent, the company confirmed to CNN on Saturday.
The ultra-low-cost airline switched to fully digital communications last week. Customers seeking help or information from the carrier need to deal with it B. with an online chatbot, social media channels or WhatsApp. Those who need to speak to a live agent can use the carrier’s 24/7 chat tool.
“We have found that most customers prefer communicating through digital channels,” spokeswoman Jennifer F. de la Cruz said in a statement, saying they can now receive information as “quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Frontier is known for its cost-cutting initiatives, such as B. Charging for seat reservations and for carry-on baggage that exceeds the airline’s size restrictions. (It checks your dimensions when you get in).
Customers now calling the customer service phone number are greeted with an automated message stating, “At Frontier, we offer the lowest fares in the industry by running our airline as efficiently as possible. We want our customers to be efficient too, which is why we make it easy to find what you need on Flyfrontier.com or our mobile app. We also have a chat service that is available 24/7.”
Its low-cost competitors, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Airlines, still use call centers staffed by real agents.
No wonder Frontier wants to get rid of telephone customer service. The Department of Transportation announced in November that it was fined six airlines $7.25 million for “extreme delays” in providing refunds to passengers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The only US airline was Frontier, which was fined $2.2 million by the agency.
Frontier recently launched an unlimited annual pass for currently $799 – although it comes with restrictions such as: B. Blackout periods focused on the public holidays. Customers can also book a domestic flight no more than one day in advance.
It’s not the only provider without a call center for its customers. Breeze Airways, an airline founded in 2018 by JetBlue’s David Neeleman, doesn’t even do that have a call center number. Customers are advised to contact the airline via Facebook Messenger, SMS or email or make changes to their flights on its app and website.
– CNN’s Geneva Sands and Pete Muntean contributed to this report.


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While the Apple Car may not hit the market soon, the rumor mill is heating up again. Recent reports claim that a South Korean company makes test modules for Apple Cars.
Reportedly, the South Korean company will be working on the module for a chip that operates the autopilot function. Apple Korea has delivered a similar module and package for the M1 chip in the past too.
The Apple Car is coming
The Apple Car has been in the rumors for years now. It was expected to debut in 2019 when Apple hired an ex-Tesla engineer. Then the rumor mill got hot around 2019 again, and we received speculations like the car sporting its own LiDAR system.
A more recent report hints at Apple working on an iPhone car crash detection system. Lastly, we got a good look at what the Apple Car might really look like. Now, The Elec reports that the Apple Car’s module is in the making in South Korea.
This is a South Korean outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) company. Elec said that the OSAT will work on a module that’ll operate the autopilot system. This is similar to what Tesla did back in the day.
It is also reported that the project has been going on for almost a year now and is expected to be finished by 2023. There are also rumors that Apple and Foxconn will set up an assembly line for Apple Cars in Thailand by 2025.
While all of this sounds pretty much in line with other Apple products, we’ll ask you to take this with a grain of salt. That said, there are a bunch of rumors surrounding 2025 and 2026. These years are supposed to deliver us a foldable iPhone, a foldable iMac, and the first confirmation of an Apple Car.
How much of it do you think will be reality? Let us know in the comments.


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Photo by Matt Godfrey.
When Cathy Fiebach opened Main Point Books in 2013, she was the talk of the town, as in: Most folks thought she was crazy. Independent bookstores were closing all over the country, beaten at the retail game by Amazon. Even the much-loved Borders locations in Wynnewood and Rosemont were gone.
Fiebach opened her shop nearby, on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. And while many admired her entrepreneurial chutzpah, they doubted she’d ever succeed. She proved them wrong. Main Point Books was a smashing success. Local celebs like M. Night Shyamalan popped in for sought-after titles, and Fiebach hosted book-launch parties and readings by nationally known authors.
When the Readers’ Forum bookstore recently closed in Wayne, the owners of the space courted Fiebach. “They want to keep it a bookstore, so we made a deal,” she says.
The new Main Point Books on North Wayne Avenue will be 2,000 square feet—25 percent bigger than its former location. “The landlord gutted it and is putting in new walls, floors and bathrooms, so it feels like a new space,” says Fiebach.
The biggest—and perhaps most welcome—change is an expanded children’s and young adult section, which Fiebach hopes will become an after-school hangout for nearby Radnor Middle School students.
She plans to launch the new store on July 25 during Wayne’s Harry Potter Festival. Muggles and wizards are equally welcome.
116 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, (610) 525-1480.


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Racing Master, developed by NetEase in partnership with Codemasters, is having another beta period before its expected global launch.
From the Asphalt series to F1 Mobile Racing, mobile gaming has done well to bring motorsports to the small screen but few have gone to quite the lengths as the upcoming Racing Master has to bring a true racing simulator experience to mobile devices.
And, in what has proved an agonizing wait for racing game fans, seems soon to be over, as the game has just announced its third open beta test with many would-be players hoping this means a global release will soon be with us.
The racing simulator, which is being developed by China's NetEase in partnership with Codemasters, the latter of which is behind a plethora of beloved racing games including the Colin McRae Rally and F1 franchises, promises the "ultimate immersive driving experience" with over 100 licensed, and fully customizable, cars, real-world race tracks, all under-pinned by a "pioneering psyhics engine."
First announced back in March 2021, the game has, so far, had two beta tests in the United States and Canada, the last of which was in October of last year. Now, the developers have announced that a third beta test - only for Canadian players - is set to begin and they are adding a host of new features.
Racing Master Launches Third Beta Test In Canada
Starting from July 13th at 10 pm EDT and only available from the Canada Google Play store (so, Android only) the third Racing Master beta test will begin.
There is no set time for how long the beta test will be but the developers have revealed a raft of new features for the game that will make it much more complete experience than what players were given access to in October.
Here are the new features included in this third beta test, as well as comments by the developers:
Experience the ups and downs of an aspiring young driver in Racing Master's new single player mode.
Run your very own racing in team in this AFK mode by building facilities and recruting drivers, then scale it up by training and sending them to races.
Race real-time against other drivers, win points and work your way up to the higher level races.
Join a club and clear challenges with other members to win the ultimate prize - a legendary car!
Take drifting to the next level by sliding on ice! Earn points by drifting, hitting score points and avoiding obstacles!
Customize your character's looks and physique as you like it!
Choose a fancy out for your character!
Novice Guide And Missions
Revamped the new player tutorial, and added plenty of new player exclusive missions and perks!
More content is added and being fleshed out.
A new interface that makes car information more accessible.
There is no word yet on when Racing Master will get its global release but with all these new features the game is looking more complete by the day, hopefully racing fans throughout the world won't have to wait to long before they can put rubber to the road.
For more mobile gaming news and guides, check out:


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Valentine’s Day is a time to show people in your life how much you care about them. Many are ready to spend big money this Valentine’s Day to prove that, but is the day really worth the hype?
Valentine’s Day has become a popular time for gift-giving among people and the amount people are willing to spend has increased over the years. According to the National Retail Federation, Valentine’s Day spending reached a record high of $19.2 billion in 2016.
Some argue that the holiday has become overrated, too commercialized and no longer focused on the true meaning of the day: love.
“I feel like Valentine’s Day is more than a box of candy and a card,” said Hunter Carnley, a student at UNF. “I feel like we are capitalizing off of emotions and using the strong phrase of ‘I love you’ even though we don’t mean it.”
Carnley was not alone in his feelings toward companies commercializing the popular holiday.
“It is too commercial, too overrated,” said student Barbara Howard. “People are using it as an excuse to buy presents.”
“People should treat their significant other good year ‘round; not just on Valentine’s Day,” she continued.
While some Ospreys might feel this way, others do not share those feelings.
“Valentine’s Day is special and it’s about love,” said freshman Brittany Depass. “So what if people buy gifts and spend money as way to show their appreciation, you know? No one is saying birthdays or Christmas are overrated and people spend money during those times. In the end it’s the thought that counts.”
Some people walk the line on Valentine’s Day between overrated and all-for-it.
Freshman communication major Gavin Torres sees both sides of the story.
“It’s understandable people make money off Valentine’s Day,” he said. “Gifts can help people who are less creative with ideas on what to do. I’m indifferent about it.”
So do you feel Valentine’s Day is overrated? Let us know below.
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact email@example.com.


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BROMSGROVE’S Clifford House Fostering managed to donate more than 40 items of food to those in need over the festive season.
Staff at the Worcester Road agency filled box after box for The Basement Project.
The emergency parcels were then distributed to young people aged 25 who could not afford to feed themselves or their families.
Naomi Ebanks-Simpson, manager at Clifford House, said: “We were looking for a local charity which shared our visions and values. The Basement Project is exactly that.
“It’s important to give something back and make a difference to the families, and particularly children, who are struggling to get by.”
Donations included a variety of long-life food items, drinks, Christmas treats, toiletries, household products and baby supplies.
For more on fostering with Clifford House, visit the website at www.cliffordhousefostering.com or call 0800 3698513.


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Brazil's Sao Paulo state said on Friday it would offer fresh tax incentives to automakers, weeks after Ford Motor Co said it would shut down a plant there with 3,000 employees and General Motors Co hinted it might do the same before backtracking.
Customers will be offered complimentary service vouchers, discounts on service labour charges, parts and accessories for their Maruti Suzuki vehicles.
The government will provide budgetary support to rubber sector to enhance research, promote exports and reduce dependence on import, according to the draft national rubber policy.
The approved proposals include recent decisions by ministries to provide incentives to manufacturers, buyers as well as electric mobility infrastructure creators.
Auto sector being an integral part of country’s economy, contributing almost 7 per cent to GDP and providing about 3 million employment thus sector should be given support, felt the industry leaders at the ETAuto Roundtable.
Between 50-80% of cabs in the two cities remained off roads on Monday.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) is doubtful about the environmental benefits of introducing incentives for drivers of older diesel vehicles to trade them in for newer models, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.
Andreas Scheuer was quoted as saying that German carmakers should offer owners of older diesel-fuelled cars attractive incentives to replace them, but added that no state money would be offered.
The American diesel engine specialist, which is celebrating 100 years, has been operating in the country for the 50-plus years. As a group, it collectively operates 21 manufacturing facilities in the country employing over 10,000.
Initially, taxi-hailing apps introduced higher incentives to woo drivers to their platforms that almost equalled the GBV sans the commission deducted by cab aggregators. As more drivers and customers signed up for the service, companies tweaked the incentive structure after assessing driver's weekly earnings.
“Global companies should be offered business support/incentives to set up R&D centres in India to manufacture equipments under ‘Make in India’ campaign,” Niti Aayog proposed.
Auto part makers being the back office of the industry has huge pressure to meet the changing landscape, strongly demand increase of weighted deduction on R&D to 200 percent in the upcoming union budget.
The government in April 2015 had formally launched the FAME India scheme offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.
“There is little chance of people surrendering their old vehicles unless they get any incentive. Now government has to find out how this can be worked out,” said an official.
Although the pick up in exports may be slow but the bottoming out has happened, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
As the government works on an incentive scheme to take older polluting cars and commercial vehicles off the roads, the auto industry is considering to offer discounts to those who opt for cleaner vehicles under the proposed green plan.
They were forced out of office and gates locked.Their efforts to gain reentry turned futile and they took to violence damaging the glass panes.
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MILWAUKEE – Bon-Ton Stores Inc., which includes Bergner’s in Sterling, will host Community Days Feb. 28 and March 1.
The event raises moneys for local 501C-3 nonprofit organizations, schools, and the American Heart Association.
Nonprofit groups may sign up at www.communitydayevent.com to sell savings booklets for $5, and keep 100 percent of the money raised.
The booklet includes a $10-off coupon, a 30 percent-off shopping pass, and more than $500 in coupon savings. Coupons may be used at www.bonton.com or any Bon-Ton store.
Go to www.communitydayevent.com for more information on the program and how to donate to the American Heart Association.


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HARARE – The Commuter Omnibus Operators Association has encouraged its members to accept new Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) issued bond coins as a mode of payment by commuters.
This comes as many kombi drivers were reportedly refusing to accept the recently issued coins as a form of payment.
Cosmas Mbonjani, the Chairman of Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators (GHACO) said his organisation supported the use of the special coins.
“There is no reason why our members should not accept the coins because we had a meeting with the RBZ boss who assured us that it was genuine money and that we should accept them,” said Mbonjani.
He, however, said the challenge was that some of the service providers like service stations were not accepting the coins.
He said his organisation had 400 members who had registered their vehicles and was made to understand that a majority of their members accepted the coins.
RBZ unveiled a new set of bonded coins worth $10 million, which started circulating on December 18.
The special coins in denominations of 1c, 5c, 10c and 20c are part of a five-year $50 million bond that government has secured to give them value. Mangudya said the introduction of the bond coins on the local market was part of efforts to ease the shortage of change, but allayed fears that they were clandestinely bringing back the Zimbabwe dollar. “The economics of the bond coins is that they are being introduced to buttress the multiple currency system through the provision of change especially for the US dollar notes which have a smallest denomination in circulation in Zimbabwe of $1,” he said.
Mangudya added that the RBZ was, therefore, addressing the divisibility and store of value qualities of money through the initiative, which has already received significant support from the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, business organisations and financial institutions.
“The bond coins will be at par with the US cents, that is trading one for one with US cents,” he said.
He also stated that the new bond coins’ circulation will be limited to Zimbabwe.
The country ditched its local currency in favour of foreign currencies in 2009 after hyper-inflation reached 500 billion percent.
Zimbabwe mainly uses the United States dollar and South African rand for transactions but businesses usually round-off prices and give consumers vouchers or sweets as change because the country lacks coins.
The 50c bond coin will be introduced in March next year.
Mangudya ruled out the return of the local currency saying that it would be “careless” and economic “suicide” as there were inadequate reserves to anchor it and that the country had foreign currency reserves that could only last up to three months.Dailynews


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AUSTRALIAN retailers may be doing it hard, but they are fighting back with a new industry group designed to lobby governments on a range of issues affecting the struggling sector.
The Australian Traders Group (ATG) will be launched in Melbourne on Friday with the purpose of lobbying governments on issues such as the reduction of the low value imports threshold for GST, the importation of counterfeit products, penalty rates and rent agreements.
Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said the ATG was being formed after the success of the Fair Imports Alliance which ran the campaign on lowering the low value imports threshold.
Mr Zimmerman said the campaign led to the federal government asking the Productivity Commission to further investigate the matter and the ATG hopes that it will have the same influence on other matters.
"We want to raise these issues before both state and federal governments and seek to get good outcomes that will lower the costs for retailers," he said.
While an improvement in consumer confidence was essential to the revival of the sector, retailers were doing what they could to ensure the long term survival of the industry, he said.
"Retail currently employs about 10 per cent of the working population," he said.
"We are a very important part of the economy and we want to ensure the sustainability of the sector moving forward.
"What we're doing is trying to look at ways that we can reduce costs, plus to get an all-round better deal for retailers into the future."
The group, which will include members of the Australian Retail Association, the Australian Music Association, the Australian Sporting Goods Association, the Australian Booksellers Association and the Franchise Council of Australia, plans to meet every three months.
Originally published asRetailers form new lobby group


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Ed Lipsett, store director of the massive Nebraska Furniture Mart under construction off the Sam Rayburn Tollway and Plano Parkway, takes great pride in the breadth of the new store. At 560,000 square feet, it’s big enough to fit three Wal-Mart Supercenters inside.
But, he said, the customer service will also set the store apart when it opens this spring.
Touting the Nebraska Furniture Mart as a one-of-a-kind shopping experience, Lipsett said customers can browse on their own or ask for personalized design services. He pointed out digital price tags that will allow the retailer to change prices via infrared technology twice a day to ensure that customers get the lowest price compared with competitors.
“You can spend the entire day here,” Lipsett said.
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Lipsett and other marketing executives with the Omaha, Neb.-based store — owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — allowed the media to take a peek inside on Wednesday. The two-story, $400 million store, with its attached warehouse, is about 40 percent completed and has taken two years to build. Store officials declined to reveal a precise opening date.
“We’re very proud and we’re very excited to share the progress,” Lipsett said. “The project is right on schedule, and we now begin to load the 560,000-square-foot retail showroom.”
The store, he said, will offer an “unrivaled selection in top name brands and styles and prices for anyone’s budget.”
The store is so large, Lipsett joked, that officials once thought about offering customers Segways to get around.
The store will anchor the $1.5 billion, 433-acre Grandscape project being built by Berkshire Hathaway. Several restaurants and hotels are also planned.
A four-story attached garage has 2,200 parking spaces and allows customers to enter on both floors. An additional 2,000 spots are available on surface lots.
A 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center is attached, where customers can pick up their purchases.
The store will have 100,000 pieces of furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics, all set up by category. A shopper looking to outfit a “man cave” can find pool tables and other gaming items together. If you’re shopping for a recliner, you’ll have 165 to choose from, as well as 110 bedroom sets.
Throughout the tour, Lipsett provided other numbers. The store will offer 500 hanging area rugs, 109 dishwashers, 206 refrigerators, 76 pairs of washers and dryers, and 220 cooktops. A long wall is designated for headphones, and shoppers can buy cellphones and service from all major carriers, as well as Apple products.
The store features interactive and pop-up displays, exclusive showrooms for high-end furniture brands and “inspirational” room settings. Customers can grab a bite to eat at a Subway shop at the back of the store or pick up some See’s Candies at the store entrance. (See’s is also owned by Berkshire Hathaway.)
At pickup time, up to 100 cars can be loaded with merchandise at once. “We will have a fast and easy customer pickup service,” Lipsett said.
Nebraska Furniture Mart has offered jobs to more than 2,000 people at the Colony store but expects to hire an additional 300. Training started in December, with about 60 sales associates a week going through what Lipsett called a miniature university.
Employees will man 65 cash registers, but associates can also complete a credit card sale using tablets, Lipsett said.
The Texas store is much larger than its counterparts in Kansas City, Kan., and Omaha — which are 450,000 square feet. Nebraska Furniture Mart also has a store in Des Moines, Iowa.
At The Colony, store executives expect much larger crowds than at its busy Kansas City location, which can draw 12,000 shoppers on a weekend day, Lipsett said.
The retailer has said it expects to draw about 8 million shoppers a year, some from hundreds of miles away.
“We’re perfectionists when it comes to the store experience,” Lipsett said.
Nebraska Furniture Mart traces its roots to 1937, when the store was founded by Russian immigrants Rose Gorelick and Isadore Blumkin. Berkshire Hathaway bought the business in 1983.
Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727
Just how big is the store?
Here’s how the 560,000-square-foot Nebraska Furniture Mart showroom in The Colony compares with other North Texas stores.
▪ Ikea, Frisco: 310,000 square feet
▪ Cabela’s, Fort Worth: 230,000 square feet
▪ Costco, Fort Worth: 152,000 square feet
▪ Dick’s Sporting Goods, Alliance Town Center: 50,000 square feet
▪ Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods, Fort Worth, 18,000 square feet
▪ RadioShack, Sundance Square: 2,357 square feet


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Google has signed an agreement with the developer community to fund Android app development.
Developers will receive $30,000 for every 10 apps they make.
The funds will help cover costs of hardware and software development, and will be available for developers to use for free.
Google has also added a special $10,000 credit for Android apps that are free to download.
Google also announced a new developer community called Android Developer Community.
Developers can start by contributing $50 to their apps and $100 to the project they’re creating.
It’s the first time developers will receive a monthly allowance of $50,000.
Android App Store: The first 100 apps available for download on the Google Play store are free for everyone.
Developers also get to use Google’s new Android SDK and the Google Developer Tools for free to develop apps.
Developers who sign up with the Google App Store can then create and distribute apps for Android devices.
Developers are allowed to include a number of features, such as sharing files and sharing links between apps, as well as a user interface that makes it easier for users to interact with apps.
Android Apps for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows Phone 7.5: Developers can now create apps for Windows Phones 8.0 and 7.4, but the platforms only support one version of Android.
Developers get a choice of Windows Phone, Windows Phone 9, or Windows Phone 10, depending on the device they want to build for.
Developers have to add Windows Phone compatibility to their app.
Developers may also choose to include the Windows Phone Developer Tools, which allow developers to customize their apps to run on Windows phones.
Google announced the availability of the Google Android SDK on April 5, but only a limited number of developers have gotten the free access.
Google’s app store also includes a number to other developers.
Developers of third-party apps can get a 10% discount for using Google’s Developer Tools and Android SDK for Windows apps.
Google is also providing $10 for each app that runs on Google’s Web app platform.
Developers building for iOS will get $100, $300, or $1,000 in additional support for their apps.
iOS apps are free and can be shared on any app store or app store platform.
Android apps for iPhones and iPads will be free to use.
The Google App store also has a developer community that is free to participate in.
Developers with an existing app can join the developer group for free, and developers can invite friends to join the group.
The developer group is open to developers of all skill levels.


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Scion wants buyers to be able to purchase a brand new vehicle online.
With the ability to purchase nearly anything online with a few strokes of a keyboard and a few clicks of a mouse, or simply by tapping on a tablet or mobile device, Scion is looking take advantage of the Internet to sell new cars. The Japanese automaker has been testing its Pure Process Plus Internet buying system for the last few months, starting with 10 dealerships and and now up to 60. Essentially an upgraded version of Scion’s Pure Process, which eliminates haggling over the price of Scion vehicles, the automaker wants consumers to use a website to customize their vehicle, get a final price, arrange financing and when possible, have the vehicle delivered to them.
SEE ALSO: 2016 Scion tC gets Slight Price Bump
The majority of Scion models don’t offer a ton of options, leaving the choices to be made involving exterior color choice, transmission type and whether or not a buyer wants navigation. According to Scion, the average time during the pilot program was about four hours from beginning to end, but in over half of the cases, it took about two hours to purchase a new car online.
The program is currently being used in Phoenix and San Diego but is expected to branch out to the 1,000 or so dealerships nationwide by the middle of next year.
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
Discuss this story at our Scion iM Forum


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According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), households with a reference person between 55-64 saw goods and services spending grow by 21 per cent in 2015-16 over the 2009-10 figure.
Meanwhile, households headed by someone over 65 years of age had goods and services spending increase by 22 per cent.
While the average household spent $1,425 on goods and services in the 12 months to June 2016, those headed by a person over 65 years of age spent “significantly less”, the ABS said, at $888. Those with a reference person of more than 75 years spent even less, at $671.
Lone person households headed by someone older than 65 years old spent just $539, the least out of all categories.
So, where’s the money going?
Households in the 75-and-over bracket spent the most out of all age groups on food and non-alcoholic beverages, at 18.9 per cent of spending. Those aged 65-74 years old followed at 17.8 per cent. For both groups, this type of spending took up the largest portion of all expenditure.
However, those in the 65-74 year old bracket were spending the most out of all groups on tobacco products. This was still a relatively small percentage; 1.1 per cent of household spending.
The ABS figures also report that 65-74-year-olds are having the most fun, spending the highest proportion of any group on recreation (15.5 per cent), followed by the 55-64 year old tier (14.1 per cent).
For young Australians, housing costs take the biggest chunk of expenditure at 25.4 per cent for those between 25 and 34. That’s more than 10 per cent more over what 65-74-year-olds spend (14.4 per cent).
In terms of income, Australian households headed by those between 65 and 74, and those that are headed by someone 75 or older reported their main source of income was from government pensions and allowances, at 51.5 and 73.3 per cent of households in those respective age brackets.


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Netflix released an announcement video today revealing that they have renewed ‘Fuller House’ for a fifth season, which will also be its last. You can watch the official announcement video […]
Netflix has announced via an ‘Announcement Video’ that they have officially renewed the Chuck Lorre comedy series ‘The Kominsky Method’ for a second season. Continue on after the jump to […]
Netflix officially announced today that they have renewed their popular comedy series ‘Grace and Frankie’ for a sixth season just ahead of its season five debut.
It looks like the Netflix original sitcom ‘The Ranch’ won’t be going anywhere too soon as multiple sources have now confirmed that Netflix has renewed ‘The Ranch’ for a fourth […]
We have some wonderful news for fans of a couple of Netflix’s original animated shows as the streaming service has officially renewed ‘Castlevania’ for a third season today on the […]
Some magnificent news today for fans of the canceled Fox series ‘Lucifer’ which was canned by the network last month leaving viewers with a cliffhanger conclusion. Fans can now rejoice […]
Netflix has now officially renewed their original dark comedy series ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ for a third season.
Paramount Home Media Distribution has officially announced and detailed their DVD releases of ’13 Reasons Why: Season 1′. The first season of the Netflix series will be available to own […]
Netflix has officially renewed their original comedy series ‘Grace and Frankie’ for a fifth season following the release of season four last month, in addition to cancelling comedy series ‘Disjointed’ […]
Welcome back to our first ‘TV News Nibblets’ installment in quite some time. Just as a refresher, TV News Nibblets covers various TV news recently announced all collected in one […]
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has now officially announced and detailed their DVD release of the Netflix series’ latest season. ‘Fuller House: The Complete Second Season’ will be available to own […]
Netflix has now officially granted their Jason Bateman starring series ‘Ozark’ a second season.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced its DVD and Digital releases of ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’ which will also receive a Blu-ray release courtesy of Warner […]
Fuller House: The Complete First Season [DVD] Cast: Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber Release Date: February 28, 2017 A Review By: Kevin Lovell Disc Rating: 6.5/10 Synopsis: On […]
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced and detailed their DVD release of the spinoff/sequel series’ debut season. ‘Fuller House: The Complete First Season’ will be available to own on […]
Marvel and Disney have officially announced and detailed the long-awaited Blu-ray release of the hit Netflix series’ debut season; ‘Daredevil: The Complete First Season’ will arrive home on Blu-ray November […]
Netflix has now released the Official Trailer for their upcoming Original Movie ‘Pee-wee’s Big Holiday’ which will be available to stream beginning March 18, 2016. You can watch the official […]
Netflix has just announced a number of premiere dates including ‘Longmire’, Aziz Ansari’s new series ‘Master of None’ and more, in addition to officially renewing ‘BoJack Horseman’ for a third […]


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Virtualisation services provider AppSense will now be known as Ivanti after its parent company was bought up by a private equity firm.
The Warrington-based firm develops software that enables staff to work remotely.
Landesk, which bought AppSense in March last year, has been acquired by California-based Clearlake Capital Group and merged with portfolio company HEAT Software to form the Ivanti brand.
The combined brand has more than 22,000 customers and employs more than 1,600 employees in 23 countries.
Steve Daly, chief executive of Ivanti, said: “Today marks a pivotal moment for the company.
“We are excited to have the deal finalised and to introduce ourselves to the world with the new Ivanti name.
“Our passion for customer success and our expertise in helping organizations create a more secure digital workplace sets us apart in the industry and creates a foundation for future growth.”
AppSense was founded in 2000 by Charlie Sharland, a former electronics salesman, who sold one business and used his savings to buy out Appsense.
Sharland appeared on our Top 100 Tech Rich List last summer with an estimated personal fortune of £110 million.


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Make Your Own Kind Of Music
In 1990, as music megastores were taking over city blocks and CDs were spinning LPs into relics, Marc Weinstein launched what seemed like the wrong company at the wrong time. Weinstein, who managed San Francisco's legendary Streetlight Records Ltd. for seven years, went ahead and started Amoeba Music Inc., a Berkeley (Calif.) record shop devoting half its inventory to used and rare vinyl. Weinstein wanted to make Amoeba into his ideal of the music shopping experience. "I always imagined a community-based record store where everyone celebrated the artists and the music," he says.
To do that, he and two co-founders pooled $325,000 from loans and savings, then took over a dilapidated 3,500-square-foot storefront used mostly by homeless people. Its first day, Amoeba took in $10,000. "We've been busy since the day we opened," says Weinstein, now 48. "We've never looked back." Amoeba's Berkeley store is now in a 12,000-square-foot space (formerly a bowling alley); the newer Los Angeles and San Francisco stores are more than twice that size. Next, Weinstein is launching a record label and planning a Web site for paid music downloads, just as the industry is being cannibalized by file sharing.
Amoeba's success defies the industry's malaise. Its sales grew 6.5% in 2005, to $60 million, even as industrywide album sales fell 7.2%, according to Niel- sen SoundScan.
Weinstein's secret is simple: "We are not influenced by industry standards or norms," he says. Instead of focusing on hit makers, Amoeba has built critical mass across genres that include soul and jazz but also Hungarian folk music and Pakistani qawwali. Amoeba carries 2.5 million titles, including DVDs, vs. 60,000 in a typical big-box music store.
That selection inspires cult-like devotion. Marlon West, a Los Angeles special-effects animator, took empty suitcases on twice-yearly Amoeba pilgrimages until the Hollywood store opened. "I'm just glad that I haven't sustained complete financial ruin because of it," he says, still in awe of the time he found a complete box set of trip-hop artists Massive Attack at the San Francisco store.
More than selection distinguishes Amoeba. The company doesn't take retail display allowances from record labels, so the CDs that get displayed are the ones staffers enjoy. Those 520 staffers know their stuff: Before being hired, each one must listen to a random box of CDs, then brief Weinstein on the artists. Employees make between $9 and $20 an hour, with Amoeba paying half their health insurance premiums after six months. After two years Amoeba foots the entire bill.
To launch the record label and Web site, Weinstein and his partners will be trading on their credibility as music zealots. "We can easily make money selling 50,000 units," says co-founder Dave Prinz, because Amoeba will spend much less than the majors on manufacturing, distribution, and marketing. Aram Sinnreich, a partner at Los Angeles media consultants Radar Research, agrees. "The majors have developed an inverse economy of scale," he says. "They are duty-bound to spend and sell an ever-escalating volume." Amoeba's first efforts will be an album of unreleased material by the late country rock pioneer Gram Parsons and works by emerging Gypsy jazz artists.
Amoeba is more tight-lipped about its Internet strategy. The co-founders say they'll spend $10 million to $20 million in the next 18 months developing their online presence. They think they can design something combining their breadth of knowledge with a superior buying model. After all, Amoeba has already done quite well dancing to its own beat.
For more on entrepreneurs, visit BusinessWeek.com/smallbiz
By Stacy Perman


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Apple's universal reader app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has just been updated to version 1.5. The new iBooks adds several new features including a nighttime reading theme to ease eye strain when reading in a dark room. Some studies have shown that viewing LCD screens before bedtime can keep some people from falling asleep quickly. Maybe the new iBooks will help.
Apple has also added several new fonts including Athelas, Charter, Iowa, and Seravek for your reading pleasure. For those who may have been irritated by the book-like graphics that take screen real estate away from the text, Apple has added a full-screen mode to remove distractions.