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SAN FRANCISCO — Russian officers opened an antitrust investigation into Apple for proscribing and eradicating parental management apps from its App Retailer shortly after the corporate launched its personal competing service, the newest signal of the rising scrutiny of Silicon Valley’s energy.
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service stated late Thursday that it will examine whether or not Apple had violated Russian competitors legislation when it eliminated a parental management app made by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity firm, from the iPhone App Retailer. The Russian company stated that after reviewing Kaspersky’s grievance, it concluded that Apple had rejected the app, which it had beforehand accepted, and set unclear necessities for app builders.
The New York Occasions reported in April that shortly after Apple launched instruments to assist folks restrict the time they and their youngsters spent on iPhones, the corporate eliminated or restricted common apps that supplied comparable companies. Apple stated the apps improperly used applied sciences that gave them an excessive amount of entry to customers’ information.
In June, Apple reversed itself and allowed the apps to return with the identical applied sciences, so long as they promised to not “promote, use or disclose to 3rd events any information for any objective.” Lots of the apps have since returned to the App Retailer.
Apple stated in an announcement on Friday that Kaspersky had not submitted a brand new model of its app for evaluate.
“Apple respects the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service and we’re assured their evaluate will verify that every one builders have an equal alternative to succeed on the App Retailer,” Apple stated within the assertion. “We deal with all builders the identical, and make investments lots in making a protected and trusted place for our clients to find and obtain apps.”
Kaspersky stated in a weblog submit that regardless of Apple’s coverage reversal, the Silicon Valley firm has nonetheless put parental management apps at an obstacle. As a part of its grievance, Kaspersky stated that Apple’s guidelines for returning to the App Retailer had been imprecise, that Apple prohibited the apps from sharing information with third-party analytics corporations to enhance their companies and that Apple didn’t permit the apps to make use of the identical expertise it did to assist mother and father management their youngsters’s telephones.
Kaspersky has beforehand confronted scrutiny for the way it handles customers’ information. United States safety officers have stated Kaspersky’s antivirus software program has been a device for Russian intelligence authorities, an accusation that Kaspersky has rigorously denied.
“The corporate has no ties to any authorities, and the corporate has by no means helped, nor will assist, any authorities on this planet with its cyberespionage efforts,” Kaspersky stated in an announcement.
The Russian investigation is one other entrance for Apple in a widening conflict with regulators over how the corporate oversees the App Retailer, which distributes hundreds of thousands of apps to clients’ iPhones.
Two different builders of parental management apps, Kidslox and Qustodio, have complained to the European authorities that Apple unfairly blocked their apps. A minimum of one American firm has lodged comparable complaints in conversations with Justice Division officers, in keeping with an individual near the talks who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they had been non-public.
The Justice Division is contemplating different antitrust complaints in opposition to Amazon, Apple, Fb and Google, whereas the Home Judiciary Committee can be investigating doable anticompetitive habits by the 4 firms. Many of the antitrust scrutiny of Apple has targeted on its management of the App Retailer.
Amid the growing consideration, Apple in Could printed an internet web page defending its method to the App Retailer. It stated it strove to create “a protected and trusted place for patrons” and “an incredible enterprise alternative for all builders.”


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Fearing quarantines and shortages, shoppers are flooding grocery stores around San Antonio this weekend, stockpiling toilet paper and bottled water, leaving empty shelves in their wake.
Coronavirus worries sent locals running to H-E-B, Walmart, Target and Costco, where they grabbed wipes, hand sanitizer, rice, beans, dog food and canned tuna. Others loaded their carts with hand soap, laundry detergent and boxes of macaroni and cheese.
“A madhouse” is how a customer at H-E-B’s Wurzbach Road store described the scene Friday afternoon.
H-E-B said Saturday that it was cutting store hours for the foreseeable future to give employees ample time to restock shelves. Starting Sunday, stores will be open from 8 a.m to 8 p.m.
Walmart also has curtailed its hours; starting Sunday, stores are open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., unless the store hours are operating under further reduced hours, in which case their hours will remain the same. For example, Walmart stores that regularly open at 7 a.m. or close at 10 p.m. will stay at those hours.
H-E-B is also capping the purchase of certain items, adding extra security and offering pharmacy and next-day pickup for free.
Retailers are urging customers not to panic, a sentiment Texas Gov. Greg Abbott echoed Friday after declaring a state of disaster. “There is absolutely no need to go out and stockpile supplies,” Abbott said.
So, what should San Antonians purchase to get through the coronavirus pandemic?
Those at higher risk of becoming ill from the virus — the elderly or those suffering from a serious chronic medical condition such as heart disease — should stock up on over-the-counter medicines, medical supplies, groceries and household goods, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They should also ask their doctor about getting extra medication.
“If you cannot get extra medications, consider using mail-order,” the CDC suggests. “Have enough household items and groceries on hand so that you will be prepared to stay at home for a period of time.”
Medical professionals recommend buying two weeks’ worth of groceries and cleaning supplies and having prescriptions filled.
“Make the assumption that you can’t go back to the grocery store for two weeks,” said Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, a local public health consultant who specializes in epidemiology. “It’s not a hurricane situation” in which shelves might not restocked for longer than that.
Most important, stay calm.
“People are kind of freaking out and buying a whole lot of things,” said Dr. Arti Thangudu, an endocrinologist who runs a San Antonio practice called Complete Medicine. “Think about your neighbors, think about everybody else. Make sure everybody is able to prepare.”
These are the items the experts suggest stocking up on — without hoarding:
Non-perishable and frozen foods: Beans, lentils and rice will last a while in your pantry. So will soup and pasta.
Fruits and vegetables: Keep in mind you can stick both in the freezer.
Toilet paper, wipes and hand sanitizer: Buy enough of each to get you through two weeks. Buy only the amount you will need.
Medication: Get a month’s supply of prescription medications and over-the-counter medicines, Thangudu suggested. If you have diabetes, stock up on testing strips and other supplies.
Bottled water: There’s no need to stockpile it, according to the San Antonio Water System.
“Between the quality of our source water, the chlorine disinfection, and chlorine testing, there is no concern about coronavirus being transmitted through our public water system,” said Gavino Ramos, vice president of communications and external affairs for the city-owned utility.
“Our water supply is absolutely safe to drink. We are a 24/7 operation, and we will continue to provide water to the city under all circumstances,” he said.
Cleaning supplies: Keep enough Lysol, bleach and other supplies on hand to last a month.
“People don’t need to get hysterical and buy gallons and gallons of bleach,” Thangudu said.

domain: news


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MIAMI–( BUSINESS WIRE )– Coro Global Inc. (OTCQB: CGLO) (the “Company”) today announced its subsidiary Coro Corp. has been granted a Money Transmitter license by the State of Alabama’s Securities Commission.
As a result, Alabama residents will have access to CORO – a payment app that allows customers to exchange, send and save gold and U.S. dollars easily and securely.
CORO is now available in the Apple App and Google Play stores to residents of Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Alaska, D.C., Delaware, Idaho, Montana, Massachusetts, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington State and Wisconsin. The company intends to release CORO in additional U.S. states over the coming months.
Alabama’s economy is expected to shrink by 3.4% in 2020, but depending on how well households fare against the pandemic, a rebound may be possible by 2021. The Company believes Alabamian families can better protect their finances by saving their money in gold – the world’s […]
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SAN FRANCISCO — The death of Netflix, with its online system for renting DVDs delivered by mail, was predicted late in 2002, when Wal-Mart Stores said it would enter the business; last year, when Apple Computer and Amazon.com announced movie-downloading services; and again last week, after the introduction of a series of products and services intended to bring Internet video to television sets.
But Wal-Mart left the online rental business in 2005 and now refers customers to Netflix. Meanwhile, none of the movie-downloading services have gained much support among consumers, the notion of moving Internet video content to TV sets remains a work in progress, and Netflix keeps signing up new customers at a fast clip.
The company was expected to end 2006 with 6.3 million subscribers and nearly $1 billion in revenue, or about 12 percent of the $8.4 billion annual DVD rental market.
"We've gotten used to it," the Netflix chief executive, Reed Hastings, said of the doomsday predictions. But Hastings also said he understood why questions about his business kept coming up: "Because DVD is not a 100-year format, people wonder what will Netflix's second act be."
On Tuesday, Hastings will try to start to answer that question. Netflix is introducing a service to deliver movies and television shows directly to users' PCs, not as downloads but as streaming video. The service, which is free to Netflix subscribers, is meant to give the company a toehold in the embryonic world of Internet movie distribution.Continue reading the main story
But having a second act to talk about is not likely to end questions about Netflix's future. Netflix shares fell $1.53, or 6.3 percent, Friday to $22.71 after an analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities downgraded the stock, citing increased competition. The shares are down more than 12 percent since Jan. 1, and the company said last year that the service would cost it about $40 million in 2007, an outlook that has not sat well with some investors.
"There's clearly a strong demand for watching movies, but the company's earnings are going to be more negatively impacted," said Brian Pitz, an analyst with Banc of America Securities who has a "sell" recommendation on Netflix shares.
Netflix is also entering a more crowded market that includes not only the likes of Apple and Amazon but also MovieLink, CinemaNow and video-on- demand services offered by cable companies. And while Netflix's DVD rental business has thrived in part because of the company's superior logistics, that competitive edge will not mean much in the world of digital distribution.
Still, Hastings said Netflix had a product that compared well with those of his competitors. He emphasized Netflix's business model — free to subscribers — and its focus on instant gratification.
Last week, Hastings demonstrated the system at Netflix's headquarters in Los Gatos, California. On a laptop personal computer, he pulled up a Netflix Web page on which some titles displayed a "Play" button in addition to the "Add" button, which adds movies to a subscriber's queue for mailing. Within a few seconds of hitting the "Play" button, the opening credits of "The World's Fastest Indian" began rolling. The service uses streaming technology that Netflix built on top of Microsoft software.
First-time users of the service must download a special piece of software, which, if all goes well, also takes only a few seconds. When a reporter tried the system at home, however, the process stalled because of a mismatch between the version of Microsoft's anti-piracy software expected by the Netflix viewer and the one loaded in the PC, and it took about 15 minutes to fix the problem with the help of a customer-support specialist. A Netflix spokesman said the problem was known but occurred only rarely.
Like most other electronic distribution services, Netflix's system will work initially only with a limited catalog — about 1,000 movies and television shows, a tiny fraction of the more than 70,000 titles that Netflix offers for rent. It includes titles from NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers and others.
The service, which will be introduced over six months, works only on recent versions of Windows and Internet Explorer. Over time, Hastings hopes to expand the catalog of titles and make the service available on other hardware and software combinations, including set-top boxes, television screens and portable devices.
The bulk of Netflix's subscribers, who pay $18 a month and are allowed to keep three movies at home at all times, will get 18 hours of free watching every month. Those with cheaper plans will get fewer free hours, and those with premium services will receive more. By comparison, typical movie rentals cost $3 to $4 on Amazon and $3 to $5 on MovieLink, though special promotions are available.
Hastings said he had chosen the instant delivery afforded by streaming technology over downloads, which can take a while, because it would encourage subscribers to use the system to browse the catalog and discover new movies. If they do not like a movie, they can stop it and will be charged only for the minutes they actually watched.
Yet even as he promotes the benefits of his own service, Hastings expresses doubt that electronic distribution, be it through downloads or streaming services, is ready for prime time.
"The market is microscopic," Hastings said. "DVD is going to be a very big market for a very long time."
In the case of online movies, two forces, one technological and one commercial, are keeping the market from developing more quickly. On the technological front, it is still difficult to deliver various Internet video formats to a television screen. And on the commercial front, movie studios are leery of piracy and, more important, are unwilling to cannibalize their existing distribution businesses.
Frances Manfredi, senior vice president for cable distribution at NBC Universal, said that company wanted to provide video content "where consumers want it, when they want it, how they want it." But, she added, "we really recognize that the traditional distribution businesses of cable and syndication are our primary businesses, certainly with respect to revenue generation."
Manfredi said the agreement with Netflix, which includes the classic U.S. police shows "Kojak" and "Columbo" as well as more recent ones like "The Office" and some 350 movies including "The Motorcycle Diaries," would deliver new revenue without hurting existing businesses.
Some analysts say the hurdles to mass digital distribution will not disappear any time soon. And if Hastings is right about the staying power of DVDs, his biggest challenge in the short term is likely to come from a company that appeared to be in free fall until recently: Blockbuster.
The New York TimesContinue reading the main story


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Take popular selling models like the F-150 and Silverado out of the loyalty equation, and you see just who's…
A former intelligence officer says Congress is being kept in the dark over this potentially Earth-shattering news.
Barra predicts electric and combustion vehicle costs will equalize by the 2030s
A Wild West network of largely unknown owners rent their RVs out to the city's unhoused population for hundreds of…
Tesla sent a Model S Plaid equipped with its new Track Pack to the Nürburgring to retake the EV crown from Porsche.…
Delta Air Lines is facing a class-action lawsuit over carbon-neutrality claims
For $12,000, you can have Ram TRX levels of power in a slightly smaller and better handling package.
Boosting a transphobic documentary is one hell of a way to start June
The automaker is offering discounts on some of its cars, which could help them sell.
The rogue drone targeting its operator was meant as a hypothetical scenario.
Social media showed a whole generation of poorly supervised kids how to commit real grand theft auto.
The EPA rated the new Fisker Ocean at 360 miles of range.
Fingers crossed it's a new Corvette. She deserves a new Corvette.
That brings this year's total hot car deaths to six, and summer hasn't even officially begun.
Newman/Haas Racing put a Chevy LS2 engine into a 1998 Volvo V90 as a surprise gift
The EV automaker that refuses to die just unveiled its most expensive car ever.
If you don't need the extra off-road capability, is it really worth paying more for a Grenadier?
New York Announced A Big Crackdown On Fake License Plates And Said It Even Towed Thirty-Six (36) Vehicles
It seems like that's enough to do the trick, nothing else to see here.
The NHTSA is considering requiring all new cars to be equipped with a technology it's currently investigating for…
It will also launch from zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.


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With an investment of $1.2 billion in artificial intelligence R&D, the Chinese hardware and devices major is also looking at expanding its Chennai facility.
In a candid conversation with ETCIO, Vivek Sharma, MD, DCG, Lenovo India turns the unexplored possibilities with AI, machine learning projects of Lenovo DCG and expanding global reach of hyperconverged solutions.
Facebook said it had already ended partnerships with 38 of them with seven more due to expire in July and one more in October this year, Engadget reported on Saturday.
The company has launched six feature and three smart phones (priced between Rs 600-7,000) and aims to sell 12 million units this year.
Indian handset players like Micromax, Lava and Karbonn have also waded into the debate, without involving ICA, saying that there should be some support or protection for local players.
"The India traditional PC market in H1 CY2017 declined by 5.2 per cent compared to H1 CY2016, owing to sluggish consumer demand due to demonetisation and uncertainty surrounding GST implementation," IDC said in a report.
Shipments tumbled 32% to 717,000 units for the three-month period ended December 2017 from the preceding quarter and were flat when compared with the year-ago period, IDC said.
Indian players have been absent from the top five for nearly a year, while Chinese players have grabbed more than half the market.
Although smartphone giant Apple is yet to shake up the AR/VR market, the company has introduced "ARKit" in iOS 11 a new framework that allows developers to create unparalleled AR experiences for iPhones and iPads.
The trend is likely to continue in 2018 as brands such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Oppo and Vivo penetrate deeper into smaller cities and towns to increase sales.
To further hasten Indian customers move to the Cloud, Microsoft on Wednesday launched Azure Stack for India.
Indian troops on the China border have been asked to format their smartphones and delete Chinese apps that may be compromising national security.
The stores will be tagged ‘Motorola preferred partners’ under the project, mirroring a similar offline retail strategy that helped rival Xiaomi rapidly gain market share in India and close the gap with leader Samsung.
The Japanese electronics major will begin making two models in the Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 range in India from November through Foxconn’s India unit Rising Star Mobility.
The consumer PC market in India has been relatively flat over the past few quarters and the company is betting big on the emerging formats like gaming, convertible, thin and light to drive sales.
ASUS isn’t looking at major volume growth this year, but it will look at increasing its share in the Rs 10,000 and above category with the launch of its new ZenFone 4 Selfie Series.
"Our present market share as per GfK data is 20 per cent. We want to take it to 22 per cent in the current fiscal taking it to the number three spot", Rajesh Thadani, head and ED of consumer and ecommerce said.


text: Yelp, the consumer review website, reported a surprise loss and forecast revenue for the current quarter that fell far below market expectations, sending its shares plummeting in after-hours trading on Tuesday. The company also reported its slowest revenue growth in 18 quarters in the three months that ended June 30, and said its chairman, Max Levchin, would step down “to pursue other interests.” Yelp, whose shares fell as much as 16 percent in extended trading, said it expected to report net revenue of $139 million to $142 million in the third quarter — well below the $152.6 million average analyst estimate. Yelp’s subscriber growth has been slowing in a crowded market. Yelp’s revenue rose 50.8 percent to $133.9 million in the latest quarter, slightly beating the average estimate, as the company added more local advertisers. However, Yelp reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $1.3 million, or 2 cents a share, compared with a profit of $2.7 million, or 4 cents a share, a year earlier.


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It can be harder to disconnect from work, when the home is also your office.
Go big with displays even though COVID is reducing foot traffic? Or dial back the decorations and shore up e-commerce?
Americans are more likely to tip people they interact with face-to-face than those that work more behind the scenes.
More firms are celebrating with employees and serving alcohol than last year, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey.
This year's late Thanksgiving has put shippers on alert. They're reminding customers to send their gifts early.
And companies are getting more than just your money.
And it sold out of them.
"Here in Manchester, we say you're two paychecks away from homelessness."
Fifty years later, the toy cars are still going strong.


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If the first working day of the year is a sign of things to come for the Co-op in 2018, then the retailer should be looking forward to a particularly perky 12 months ahead.
Early on Tuesday it announced that it had committed £160m to opening 100 new food stores this year, creating some 1,600 jobs. The bulk of the new stores will spring up in London, but 18 are planned for Scotland and others will open their doors in places like Blackpool, Manchester, York, Southampton and Bristol.
You’d be forgiven for being slightly astonished by the good news. We’re not exactly used to upbeat headlines about investment and expansion from the Co-op. The group has endured a turbulent few years, to say the least.
So how has it managed to turn itself around?
The Co-op has faced its fair share of headwinds, stemming from a whole range of sources. The most obvious is perhaps the changing face of the retail market, and the increasing dominance of disruptive discounters like Aldi and Lidl.
Germany’s dynamic duo has rapidly increased its market share at the expense of more traditional players – like the Co-op.
In fact, Aldi now boasts a market share of 6.9 per cent in the UK, according to market analytics firm Kantar Worldpanel, comfortably ahead of the Co-op’s 6 per cent. Lidl is nipping at the Co-op’s heels with a share of 5.1 per cent.
To an extent, the Co-op is also competing with e-retailers as consumers increasingly favour the convenience of going online to do their weekly grocery shop, dealing a sharp blow to those players who still have a substantial bricks-and-mortar presence. Ocado only has a market share of around 1.3 per cent at the moment. But it’s certainly one to watch.
Beyond that, a crisis at the Co-operative Bank has marred the group. The bank was saved from collapse in 2013. Last year the Co-op group offloaded its last 1 per cent stake in the lender for about £5m.
And finally, there’s the state of the economy to worry about. Inflation has risen sharply as a result of the fall in the value of the pound, and wages have largely stagnated.
Consumers are feeling strapped for cash, and retailers – especially those who don’t just focus on the pure essentials – are feeling the pain.
So how has it risen to the challenge?
Co-op has been ruthless in its restructuring and refocusing, and it has seemingly paid off. As well as managing to get rid of remaining its stake in the beleaguered bank, it also sold a whole range of assets that weren’t helping its overall performance.
In 2014, it sold off its farms business – which included 100 residential properties and 27 commercial properties, as well as 15,997 hectares of freehold and third party-owned land – to the Wellcome Trust for £279m.
That same year Bestway Group bought its pharmacies business for £620m. Since then it has offloaded its travel business and sold hundreds of stores to McColl’s, allowing the Co-op to pay more attention to its convenience stores – which are still in demand.
More recently, it’s also managed to ink what could turn out to be some pretty savvy deals. Last month it confirmed that it had reached an agreement to become the exclusive wholesale supplier to the 2,200 stores across the Costcutter group from spring this year.
In November, members of wholesale and convenience retail specialist Nisa voted in favour of the Co-op’s offer to buy it.
Consolidation has proved a popular strategy for weathering market pressures and Co-op appears to be responding to opportunities wisely.
Ashley Anzie, consumer specialist at Kantar Worldpanel, told The Independent that opening new stores is a smart move for quite a simple reason: even though price is still thought of as an important factor for consumers when choosing where to shop, convenience is still broadly the most important driver, he explained.
“Quite simply, therefore, having a greater physical presence gives consumer less of a chance to choose the competition,” he said.
From a governance perspective, the Co-op also appears to have made strides. In 2013, Lord Paul Myners was appointed to the board as senior independent director and was commissioned to lead a comprehensive, independent review of governance.
He found that the group had been brought to the brink of collapse in 2013 and further damaged by a subsequent management shakeup and a series of boardroom leaks. He said that this had created “deeply damaging uncertainty for [the Co-op’s] 90,000 employees”, as well as for its millions of members.
The Co-op now seems to be cautiously reaping the benefits of shining such a harsh light on its faults. “We’ve made great strides in rebuilding our Co-op but we know there’s more to do,” chairman Allan Leighton said in September last year.
The future is bright?
Arguably the Co-op isn’t completely out of the woods just yet, and economic pressures as well as pressures from rival retailers aren’t showing signs of going away any time soon.
E-retailers are more dominant than ever and consumers are proving tough to please. But it’s certainly fair to say that things could be a lot worse for the Co-op.
For the six months to the beginning of July last year – the most recent period for which results are available – the Co-op recorded a nearly 50 per cent slump in underlying profits, from £27m down to £14m, compared to the same period last year.
But when one-off items are taken out of the equation, the figure actually rose to £43m from £27m a year earlier, hinting at the group’s fundamental health.
Management has acknowledged that hard work still lies ahead, but as Tuesday’s headlines demonstrate, there are certainly reasons to be optimistic for now.
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text:
Adds details, background
May 31 (Reuters) - Salesforce Inc CRM.N surpassed estimates for first-quarter revenue on Tuesday, driven by strong demand for business software and tools as companies increasingly adopt hybrid work models, sending its shares up about 5% in extended trading.
Despite inflation climbing to a four-decade high and tapering consumer demand across a range of sectors, many companies spent generously on software to improve efficiencies and incorporate modern-day work-flows including hybrid-work.
Revenue at the enterprise software firm grew 24% to $7.41 billion in the quarter, above analysts' average estimate of $7.38 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
The enterprise software firm expects revenue in the range of $31.7 billion to $31.8 billion in the fiscal year ending January 2023, compared with its earlier forecast of $32 billion to $32.1 billion.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Apple has just released macOS Catalina, its latest update to the operating system powering Macs and MacBooks, and while the launch hasn’t been flawless (check out our guide on how to fix macOS Catalina problems), it’s the kind of update that Microsoft must be eyeing enviously.
The situation has gotten so bad, that it’s no longer just embarrassing for Microsoft – it’s in danger of seriously damaging the company’s reputation.
Apple take heed
Now, it might be tempting for Apple to sit back and enjoy its old rival’s current travails. To be fair, we wouldn’t blame it for indulging in a spot of schadenfreude, but what we really want Apple to do is learn from Microsoft’s mistakes.
Apple knows only too well what happens if you release an update that ends up causing additional issues, and how angry that can make its users.
It’s happened to Apple in the past, and while macOS Catalina’s launch hasn’t hit any showstopping issues yet (knock on wood), Apple needs to make sure that when (not if) it needs to release a patch for macOS Catalina, it won’t introduce further problems.
What can Apple do?
So, what can Apple do to avoid Microsoft’s update problems? There seems to be a number of theories about why Microsoft is having so many issues with its updates recently.
Are they being rushed out? Is Microsoft fully testing them? Is it listening to its collection of Windows Insiders – users who have signed up to try out early versions of the updates and report back about any problems?
Amidst all this, Dona Sarkar, one of the leaders involved with Microsoft’s Windows Insider initiative, is leaving her role. With the Windows Insider team being so important when it comes to testing new updates, the fact that it now appears leaderless isn’t great.
What Apple needs to do is make sure that its upcoming updates aren’t just thoroughly tested, but that it is in constant communication with developers and users who are testing out early beta versions of the update. If they find something’s wrong – listen to them. Delay the update if necessary.
By taking its time with the updates, Apple could find it’s actually fixing issues faster – rather than rushing out an update, only to have to then spend time fixing all the other problems that emerge.
Apple should look at Microsoft’s current problems, which can be summed up with the old phrase “more haste, less speed”. By hastily releasing updates, it’s actually slowing the speed in which problems are being fixed. There’s no need for Apple to gloat – just learn.
As for Microsoft, let’s hope that the Windows Insider team gets new leadership that can get these updates back on track – hopefully before it’s too late.
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Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.


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Skip to comments.7 Reasons You Should Be Troubled by the FDA’s Cheese-Aging Regulations
Posted on 06/11/2014 6:12:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It's been a weird few days for people who love good cheese, particularly wheels of American farmstead cheese aged on wooden boards: Last week, it seemed as if the FDA had moved to ban aging cheese on wood, a practice almost as old as coagulated dairy itself and the production aspect that turns Comté into, well, Comté. New York's Department of Agriculture got curious as to why the agency had all of a sudden cited several producers for doing something New York and practically every other state permit, so the FDA replied it was simply enforcing long-standing policy, not doing anything new: Wood, being porous, "cannot be adequately cleaned and sanitized," which sounds bad, and besides, Listeria outbreaks have plagued the cheese industry as recently as March.
If you're more of a Kraft Singles person, carry on; this affects you none whatsoever. But to the rest: The American Cheese Society, which represents artisans and bigger producers alike, is looking to keep affinaging the way it wants to, and the FDA, while it released more detailed information about its position yesterday, is still unsure about the practice. It reiterated that its policy isn't anything new, but again pointed out the subject of food-safe surfaces, the agency has "expressed concern about whether wood meets this requirement and has noted these concerns in inspectional findings." Now, it says, it will "engage with the artisanal cheese-making community to determine whether certain types of cheeses can safely be made by aging them on wooden shelving."
While the agency's position on aging cheese on wooden boards seems to be more clear, it's uncertain whether this will become an eventual focus of industrywide enforcement, or if, as one writer suggested, this particular dairy crisis originated with a letter written with regards to a specific case and everyone's just overreacting.
In any event, cheesemakers have now gotten 9000 percent more vocal on the subject, and many are now turning their attention to American farmstead cheeses and their foreign counterparts, which is kind of cool. If the rules were eventually enforced, here are seven reasons why it would be a huge deal.
1. The rule-tightening could apply to imported cheeses. Bid adieu to "the great majority" of foreign fromage, says Cornell's Rob Ralyea. Rob Kaufelt, owner of Murray's Cheese, tells Grub, "Comté, Beaufort, and others like that would effectively disappear."
2. Small businesses would suffer. Artisans can't compete with factories, and wood aging is their competitive advantage. It "allows them to survive as small players in an agribusiness world," writes cheese pro Gordon Edgar. Moreover, adds Anne Saxelby, owner of Saxelby Cheese, the financial burden of converting someplace like Jasper Hill Farm that "has tons and tons of Cabot cheddar aging on shelves" would be "brutal."
3. Any actual ban would probably be illegal. The citation the FDA uses to defend its attack on wood Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, 110.40(a) has nary a mention of wood at all, and though it argues what's going on isn't "a ban," legal experts caution the inadvisability of a move by the FDA that shows disregard for "notice-and-comment rule-making." At Forbes, Greg McNeal invokes an Oliver Wendell Holmes line: "Those regulated by an administrative agency are entitled to 'know the rules by which the game will be played.'"
4. There's not much science backing the FDA up. This fight revolves around its contention that wood grows bad bacteria like Listeria, but critics who have centuries of tradition on their side counter that good bacteria, like what live in yogurt, are the point of wood aging. They're ready with studies showing the process is neutral at worst, beneficial at best. Says Saxelby: "There's more listeriosis from pasteurized cheese and deli meat than from wood-aged cheese."
5. Cheese aged on anything else tastes weird, comparatively speaking. "The thing about wood," Saxelby explains, "is it breathes. If you put something on a plastic or metal shelf versus a wood shelf, the stuff that sits on the plastic or metal shelf isn't going to be able to breath and isn't going to ripen properly."
6. The move would favor Big Cheese, where wood-aging is impracticable. "I'm not given to speculation about these kinds of theories, mind you, but some are saying it's maybe because the large producers have been losing market share against what we call 'the good stuff' these days," Kaufelt says, before clarifying: "Though I suspect it's more bureaucratic."
7. Finally, cheesemakers aren't dairy's Appalachian moonshiners. "We use strict testing and sanitary procedures," Kaufelt says. "It's been that way since the beginning, since we first worked with [the Department of Agriculture]. They're strict, and have to be." However, safe food, adds Saxelby, doesn't come "at the stake of the tried-and-true techniques we've used forever."
Just ask Eric Holder. He's one of them.
And we really like it and it's good for us.
Fundamentally becoming a third world nation one destroyed industry at a time.
America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!
They came for the cheesemakers, but I was not a cheesemaker, so I kept quiet ...
” Small businesses would suffer. Artisans can’t compete with factories, and wood aging is their competitive advantage.”
This is the reason its being pushed. They seek to control the entire food supply.
This needs to move up to #1 on the list...
I was living the dream! I was stripped to the waist, eating a block of cheese the size of a car battery!
My local small city (<100K) already lost a high quality jerky producer due to regulations. I hope we don’t also lose our local goat cheese (much more than chèvre style) producer.
Why is wood impractical for ‘big cheese?’ Are oak barrels impractical for ‘big whiskey?’
Bigger margin per unit?
The FDA is doing what every out of control bureaucracy in America is currently doing. It’s trying to control every single aspect of our lives to justify their existence. These agencies are basically a shadow government accountable to none.
This is when you have a Congress mainly concerned with being re-elected rather than governing. It’s far easier to hand power over to the unelected bureaucrats of this shadow government under the guise of “regulations” rather than passing laws after open debate that would require them to be accountable to their constituents.
Settle down Costanza.
we will become know as the VELVETTA among Nations!
The reason the FDA is doing this:
1. Somebody wants a payoff
2. Somebody got a payoff
Do these regulator idiots understand that cheese is basically spoiled milk?
Dude, to my understanding they don’t even let people sell cheese made from raw milk unless it’s aged for 60 days. They figure that the harmful bacteria can’t last that long. Or something. Supposedly that’s why our cheeses aren’t as good, because they try to make the stuff like Camembert that ages for 3 weeks or so with pasteurized milk which isn’t considered as making the best cheese. Or at least that’s what I have heard about it.
Nanny government sticking its nose in again.


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- The 2014 BMW i3 and models from other manufacturers are using ultrathin seatbacks to save weight and increase interior space.
- The seats in the 2014 BMW i3 weigh about half as much as conventional seats.
- Other manufacturers experimenting with skinny seats have included Toyota, Cadillac and Ford.
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey — The 2014 BMW i3 electric vehicle is loaded with a number of innovative weight-saving features, including ultrathin seatbacks, and other manufacturers may be putting their seats on a diet, as well.
For the BMW i3, designers kept the weight down by making extensive use of aluminum, magnesium and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) throughout the vehicle. They also cut the weight of the seats in half by thinning down the backrests.
There's another benefit to shrinking the seats: more room. As Dave Buchko of BMW product and technology communications told Edmunds: "This seat profile works particularly well with the interior of the i3, not just from the point of view of weight savings, but also to create as much interior space as possible, especially for the rear-seat passengers."
The question is, will other manufacturers get on the skinny-seat bandwagon?
Although most EVs and hybrids still retain conventional seating, a number of automakers have been exploring the idea, and not just for electric vehicles. Back in 2010, Toyota introduced thin seats in its Sienna minivan. Although not quite as thin as the seats in the BMW i3, their light weight was promoted for its contribution to fuel economy.
Cadillac has incorporated skinny seats into its CTS line for several years, primarily as a means of increasing interior space. The manufacturer says that in the 2014 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, for example, "available heated and ventilated seats incorporate 'thin-seat' technology for maximum occupant comfort and enhanced rear-seat leg-, knee and foot room."
Ford has also gotten into the act, albeit just for the European market so far. In its new S-Max Concept, introduced at auto shows last year, Ford says it took advantage of the light weight of thin third-row seats to enable them "to be raised and lowered in a single action with minimum effort."
And with a number of OEM suppliers, including BASF, Faurecia, Johnson Controls and Magna, reporting that they have thin seats on the drawing board or already in prototype, it's a good bet that other automakers are getting serious about slimming down their seats.
Edmunds says: Skinny seats save weight...and they look pretty cool, too.


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Komptech Americas partners with Plexus Recycling Technologies
Plexus Recycling Technologies launches as full-line distribution and solutions provider
At Waste Expo 2016, Plexus Recycling Technologies will launch as a full line recycling solutions provider. Plexus was formed by a team of industry leaders with one massive goal-to bring advanced recycling technologies from around the world together in systems that solve entrenched problems.
Marcel Vallen, CEO of Komptech Americas and Plexus Recycling Technologies says, “With Komptech sales climbing every year, we decided to partner with complementary brands to provide the latest recycling technologies to our customers.”
Plexus Recycling Technologies will begin distribution of three new product lines; Andritz MeWa, Matthiessen, and ZenRobotics, along with Komptech stationary equipment. At Waste Expo, a ZenRobotics unit will be on display, as well as Komptech machinery and representatives from all product lines.
Dave Matz founder of Plexus Recycling Technologies states, “It’s not enough to just be the best solution today, at Plexus, we look towards the future.”
Komptech Americas and Plexus Recycling Technologies will be at Waste Expo 2016, booth #1243.


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Reporting on the past quarter, Apple revealed that the iPhone X and iPhone 8 didn't exactly set the world on fire, however, thanks to the higher MSRP, it increased revenues to an all-time high.
Windows 11 widget monitors CPU, GPU, RAM, and more, here's how to enable
windows 11 performance
Windows 11 Beta Channel adds WPA3 support to Phone Link hotspot
windows 11 insider preview
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windows 11 insider preview promo
Financial reports RSS
LG managed to ship nearly 25% more handsets during 2014 compared to the previous year and its profits more than doubled in that period. The company is also planning further expansion in new markets.


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Hundreds of employees at Walmart will soon be out a job, as the big box retailer is reportedly set to eliminate a number of positions around the country before the end of its fiscal year on Jan. 340 more words
Tags » Lay Offs
© Chuck Duboff
Should I do some work today…or go to the beach? Nah, the sun is out, beach it is!!
Day 2: 138 more words
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Saying it faces a challenging food retail climate, Giant Eagle has cut hundreds of employees in its corporate offices.
In a statement by Dan Donovan, director of corporate communications, Giant Eagle said, “Approximately 350 total positions have been eliminated as the company streamlines its corporate operations.” 271 more words
EDMONTON – Restaurant owners and operators in Alberta say they will have to cut hours or lay people off to cope with a higher minimum wage. 284 more words
Cisco Systems Inc is laying off about 14,000 employees, representing nearly 20 percent of the network equipment maker’s global workforce, technology news site CRN reported, citing sources close to the company. 279 more words


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Shake Shack SG Opens Today & First Guy In Line Queued 6 Hours From 4.30am
There’re currently about 300 people in line, and counting.
After almost a week of frenzied pre-opening media coverage, Singapore’s first-ever Shake Shack opened its doors to the public this morning at 10.30am at the glittering Jewel Changi Airport. In fact, this is the upmarket “fine-casual” American burger chain’s first outlet in Southeast Asia. The 180-seat, two-storey eatery joins over 100 F&B outlets at the S$1.7 billion lifestyle complex’s official opening day today (April 17).


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Wegmans Food Markets says it’s recalling two fruit juice products because they may contain unacceptable levels of a byproduct of mold.
Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are recalling almost 1.9 million vehicles.
Tuna distributed nationwide between January 17 and February 28 is being recalled.
Smithfield Packing Co. is recalling about 38,000 pounds of pork sausage that may contain small pieces of plastic, likely from gloves.
Wegmans Food Markets has recalled its house brand of flour because it may contain small, blue polyurethane balls.
Taylor Farms Retail Inc. is voluntarily recalling spinach sold under five brand names.
Giant Food Stores and Martin Food Markets have voluntarily recalled Gold Coast Fresh Crab Spread due to possible contamination by listeria.
Toyota added the 2010 Lexus RX to a recall list that was well over two years old. Now it is paying a fine.
Toyota is conducting a recall over concerns about steering and water pump flaws.
Perdue Foods is recalling approximately 1,440 pounds of chicken breast nugget products because of misbranding and an allergen, milk, not declared on the label.
Wegmans is recalling a batch of pumpkin rolls because the baked goods may contain pieces of clear plastic from the packaging.
Kellogg’s has issued a voluntary recall of some of its products due to metal fragments.
- Katie O'Malley Graces... Orioles Shaving-Cream... Deadly Tornado Slams Through... The 138th Preakness Stakes
- Baseball Shots Of The Week –... Celebrities Rumored To Be Rude 100 Scariest Horror Movies Middle Class Jobs &...
- Best Summer Dishes CBS 2013-2014 Prime Time... WJZ Celebrates Weather Field... WJZ Celebrates 2013 Graduates
- 138th Preakness Stakes -... Flash Forward: Concept Cars... Captials Vs. Rangers -... Baseball Shots Of The Week –...


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Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI) can keep a beat going, judging by Wednesday morning's earnings report where it beat Wall Street expectations on both ends of the income statement. It was a record performance on the top and bottom lines, as revenue rose 6.4% to hit $1.467 billion for the third quarter with net income soaring 24.4% to land on $343 million or $0.07 a share.
This is Sirius XM's largest quarterly revenue report, and that's not a surprise since the satellite radio giant has been posting consistent sequential growth in subscribers for years and average revenue per user keeps inching higher. Sirius XM tacked on 298,000 net new self-pay subscribers during the months of July, August, and September, lifting that total to 28.5 million. There are now 33. million total subscribers.
The quarterly profit of $0.07 a share is also a high-water mark for organic earnings. There was a quarter back in 2012 that was a monster report on the strength of a huge accounting benefit, but this is its most profitable organic quarter. Sirius XM is at the the top of its game, but the market doesn't seem to be watching the game.
Rolling with the changes
Wednesday's report is the first time that adjusted EBITDA margin clocks in north of 40%, and the media giant is jacking up its full-year guidance. Strong financial results and a generally resilient market would suggest that Sirius XM shares should be cranking out new highs, but they're not. The stock opened slightly higher on the strong quarterly report, but even then we're still more than 20% off the June's highs.
Sirius XM was weakening even before last month's acquisition announcement. Sirius XM expects to close on its purchase of Pandora (NYSE:P) -- an all-stock deal now worth less than $3 billion with Sirius XM's price to purchase the 85% of Pandora that it doesn't own closer to $2.5 billion in freshly issued stock -- in the first quarter. The deal still needs to clear regulatory hurdles, but the "go shop" period in which a rival suitor for Pandora could've stepped up with a bigger engagement ring ended this week.
It's fair to say that Sirius XM is in a better place than its stock chart, just as it's also valid to argue that the market is underestimating the power of a Sirius XM-Pandora hookup. Sirius XM has been one of the market's biggest winners since bottoming out in early 2009, but a strong case can be made now for Sirius XM being undervalued. It keeps growing, with earnings growing even faster given the scalable model. Sirius XM even pays a modest dividend, giving income investors something to chew on.
Sirius XM is beefing up its full-year guidance. It's lifting its subscriber, revenue, and adjusted EBITDA targets, only leaving its free cash flow goal where it was three months ago. Sirius XM seems to be doing just about everything right, and now it just needs to wait for the market to notice.


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The Buzz at This Year's Embedded World
Embedded World is the largest event of its kind. The conference is a feast of delights for the nearly 25,000 attendees who descend upon Nuremberg each year.
Embedded World captures industry trends and “buzz” like no other event. The theme of this year’s conference was “We Are the Internet of Things.” IoT found its way into every aspect of the event. In his opening keynote, Tyson Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs, explained how the IoT will bring not only more convenience and usability but also greater health and safety. He outlined how current and future IoT hardware and software platforms form hubs, and discussed the challenges tomorrow’s IoT components must overcome.
Our own Mark Warren, European Marketing Director at Perforce was similarly quoted in Electronics Weekly, “We are already witnessing this new wave of technology turning up in our everyday lives, from the increasingly intelligent devices in our homes, to cars that are connected back to the workshop, to the trains and planes in which we travel. And while software’s role in electronics design is nothing new, the IoT has brought it even more to the forefront.”
The very nature of the IoT means a far more cohesive approach across hardware, software, communications and applications. Seamless collaboration across these once fragmented disciplines is integral to the success of our connected future. Yet a recent report from McKinsey indicates the shift to will pay rich dividends. The report estimates that IoT has the potential to unleash $6.2 trillion of new global economic value by 2025.
Cross-team collaboration takes center stage with IoT. Applying the right tools and processes will help to keep these complex projects and their many moving parts on track. Industry pioneer NVIDIA offer a great example of this brand of global collaboration. Have a look at the video use case to learn more.


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Last month, Nokia and its hardware partners revealed some of their progress in developing a 5.9-inch OLED screen that can be folded into two or three sections while still switched on. Their announcement is just one example of tech companies across the world continuing their efforts to refine flexible display technology, although such products are still some way off mass market adoption.
LG is the latest to show off its efforts, revealing an 18-inch OLED panel that can be rolled up to a radius of 3cm, while still turned on and with no consequent damage. The display features a relatively modest resolution of 1200x810px, but the potential for further development is clear, and more than a little exciting.
Creation of larger flexible displays opens up new possibilities, such as lighter and more portable computing devices, or as Pocket-lint suggests, a giant projector-style screen that can be rolled up and pulled down without the need for a separate bulky projector unit.
LG also showed off a transparent OLED which may ultimately allow for windows and plastic panels in the home or workplace to double-up as TV-style displays. In-Byung Kang, head of LG Display's R&D Center, said that the company expects to develop a transparent 60-inch OLED panel within the next three years, and that it may take a similar amount of time before it can increase the resolution of its flexible display up to Ultra HD.
Source: Pocket-lint | images via LG Display


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VINA Community Dental Center is offering discounted tickets for the annual Spring Gala fundraiser to support the clinic.
This year, the event will be a Throwback Prom at Lakelands Golf and Country Club on Saturday, March 11, 2023. This is the first in person spring fundraiser for the nonprofit dental clinic in four years.
Attendees will enjoy music, dancing, dinner, drinks, numerous raffles, memorabilia from the decades, a silent auction, taking prom photos and more! Raffles include a Wine Pull, Jewelry Melt and Lucky Tree and silent auction items include various baskets and experiences.
“This event is a great way to support VINA in their charitable mission while enjoying a nice night out,” stated a press release.
Tickets will be sold online at vina.cbo.io with an option to purchase a corsage and/or boutonniere for the event as well as reserve a table for groups of eight. Discounted ticket pricing is available through Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14th.
Sponsorships are available now, with seven different sponsorship levels providing various marketing benefits. To purchase tickets, buy a sponsorship and preview the auction items, visit the event website.
“We are so excited to welcome back in-person attendees for the VINA Throwback Prom! Virtual fundraisers aren’t as much fun and don’t raise as much money to support our mission. Our fundraising events committee is working very hard to make this event a fun night raising money to support those in need,” said Executive Director Samantha Jorgens.
All proceeds from the fundraiser benefit VINA Community Dental Center and the thousands of low-income, uninsured Livingston County residents who rely on the clinic. VINA provides dental visits for $25 and hygiene visits for $10 to alleviate the financial burden of routine dental care for the underserved members of our community.
VINA also announced dates for two more fundraisers happening later this year. The annual Golf Classic will be at Lakelands Golf & Country Club on July 17, 2023 and The Tailgate at Crystal Gardens on October 19, 2023.


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Round-Up - The End of Fortune Brands?
Fortune Brands has confirmed today (8 December) that it will split its three businesses but hold on to Beam Global Spirits & Wine. just-drinks' coverage of the situation is all here.
Bacardi could emerge as the supporting actor for Diageo's tilt at Beam Global Spirits & Wine, according drinks analysts.
Fortune Brand's decision to split into three independent businesses is the first step to unlocking the full value of the firm's portfolio, however it seems investors may need patience if they are to understand the true value of the separation, analysts wrote this week.
The writing has been on the walls of Fortune Brands' offices in Illinois for about two months. The conglomerate's confirmation yesterday that it will split up its three business units was clear to see back in October, when hedge fund firm Pershing Square Capital Management announced it had upped its stake in Fortune to 11%. Considering Pershing's previous history of pushing companies to sell off corporate divisions, one can understand that the countdown on Fortune began very soon after Pershing's announcement.
Fortune Brands this morning (8 December) confirmed that it will break up its three business units and will look to become "focused solely" on its Beam Global Spirits & Wine division. Here just-drinks takes a closer look at the firm's wine and spirits division.
Fortune Brands has confirmed that it will break up its three business units and will look to become "focused solely" on its Beam Global Spirits & Wine division.
Fortune Brands has declined to comment on whether it has held talks with activist shareholder Bill Ackman on splitting and selling the group's spirits, golf and home businesses.
The owner of Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Fortune Brands, is facing pressure from an activist shareholder to split and sell its drinks, golf and home businesses, according to a report.
- Pernod Ricard 's first-half results - Preview
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- Carlsberg's Q4 & full-year results - Preview
- Carlsberg's full-year performance by region
- Heineken's FY performance by region - Focus
- Asahi Group lines up Grolsch, Meantime, Peroni buy
- Diageo completes wine category exit in US
- Beam Suntory targets Kenya with Edrington/FIX
- SABMiller's Europe chief to join Britvic board
- Asahi Group to buy Grolsch, Peroni from SABMiller


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It was a chipped vase expected to go for a relatively modest £150-£250 when it went on sale at a small West Wales auction house on Wednesday.
But the Chinese porcelain vessel became the subject of a bidding war that saw its price soar to an eye-watering £114,500, more than 700 times its estimate.
The 19cm high Chinese-moulded porcelain vase with elephant head handles was eventually sold to an online bidder from mainland China by Carmarthen auction house Peter Francis.
Applause at auction's conclusion
A UK-based antique dealer who had driven from the Midlands to be present at the auction took the eventual winner as far as £114,000. And a warm round of applause broke out in the auction house when the item was eventually sold.
The vase is part of a collection of thousands of items of Chinese ceramics and works of art from a house in London.
Relatives of the collector, who died three years ago, are scattered around the world, but were sold in West Wales as a family member who acts as a representative lives in the area.
'The internet melted'
Auctioneer Nigel Hodson, who said the item was the most expensive he had ever sold – smashing his previous record high of about £85,000 – revealed her one-word emailed response when she found out the news of the sale price: “Gulp!!”
“I started the bidding off at £500 and the internet just melted so we knew something was happening,” Mr Hodson explained.
An auctioneer for more than 42 years, he said the item was a “sleeper” – one which far outdoes expectations.
He added: “Just by virtue of the huge diversity of the collection and the fact a few things had made quite a few thousands in the last few months, one or two people have said there was bound to be a sleeper in there.”
Valued as a 19th-century replica
He said the vase was taken on the basis it was a 19th-century copy of a much-older original – but specialists who studied the item when its description was published on Peter Francis’ website clearly came to different conclusions about its provenance.
The description on the website said: “Chinese molded celadon porcelain Hu form vase with elephants head loop handles and relief entwined decoration. Yongzheng underglaze blue seal mark to base”.
A hu vessel is a type of wine jug that has a pear-shaped cross section.
Yongzheng was the fifth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynast and ruled from 1722 to 1735.
Auctioneer 'absolutely delighted'
Despite stressing that the item had not yet been paid for, Mr Hodson added: “It’s a great result. We didn’t expect anything like that. It’s very satisfactory.
“It is gratifying and pleasing, although I am not greatly surprised because we thought there would be a sleeper. But I am absolutely delighted. It’s the most expensive thing I have ever sold, apart from property. It has put a smile on everybody’s face.”
And he said items from the collection which had initially been estimated to be the most valuable had not even yet been auctioned – adding: “We just hope there are more sleepers out there.”
Price was 'rocketing up'
“Looking at the vase it had a nice chip in it, so I thought £150-200 was a bit ambitious,” he said.
“When it first started going up my initial thoughts was that somebody’s button had got stuck because it was rocketing straight up.”
Kevin, who won his own bid – a more modest £13 for a porcelain figurine – added: “It’s nice to see something like that happen. It’s not exactly every day that something passes through a small auction house for that sort of money.”


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Biox Corp. reports healthy fourth-quarter profits
Vancouver, British Columbia-based biodiesel producer Biox Corp. posted record fourth-quarter profit thanks in large part to favorable federal policy mechanisms in Canada and in the U.S. that helped boost increased sales and production of biodiesel, as well as drive up higher margins.
According to a financial statement filed by Biox, sales revenue increased $15.6 million from $7.3 million the previous quarter in 2012 to $22.98 million in the period ending Sept. 30. The company attributes this increase to a combined increase in sales volume as a result of its “produce and store” strategy, which the company implemented in 2010, as well as higher revenue per liter of biodiesel sold. The company reported a net income of $8.2 million in the quarter compared to suffering a net loss of $2.9 million, citing the recognition of $6.6 million of future income tax assets during the quarter.
According to Kevin Norton, CEO of Biox, this year “was a watershed year for Biox as well as the biodiesel market in North America,” he said.
The company reported producing 15.9 million liters (4.2 million gallons) of methyl esters in the quarter compared to 15.3 million liters the same quarter a year ago. In its quarterly statement, the company said that volume requirements prescribed under RFS2 in the U.S. have had a positive effect on the pricing and sales of its biodiesel, particularly with the rise in the value of RINs, which traded at $1.30 as of Dec. 6, according to Biox.
“Demand in the U.S. market for biodiesel is driving strong sales at Biox as U.S. refineries and importers respond to the implementation of mandated minimum volumes of biodiesel under the RFS2 policy,” Norton said. “RFS2 has driven a repricing of biodiesel, from a value based on the cost of petroleum diesel prior to the mandates, to a value based on the actual production costs plus a margin. While we anticipate fluctuations in pricing and costs in the commodity market in which we operate, we are confident that as a low-cost producer we can compete effectively in a market that is legislated to grow in 2012 and 2013.”
As such, Biox intends to proceed with its planned expansion for a second production facility, which is expected to be located in the U.S. and will be larger than its existing 60 MMly (15.9 MMgy) plant in Hamilton, Ontario. According to the quarterly statement, the company is finalizing definitive agreements with the owner of the site for the land lease, long-term tank rentals, terminal services and other infrastructure requirements. Biox anticipates completion of the proposed project for commissioning to be December 2013.
While Biox is Canada’s largest biodiesel producer, the majority of its biodiesel is sold in the U.S. market. The implementation of Canada’s B2 mandate, which went into effect in July, “significantly increases the accessible market for Biox’s product in Canada,” the company stated.


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Users can choose any, or all, of the destinations with the knowledge that while some photos might go to Picasa and others to facebook, all of their photos will still be safe and secure in their iTook personal photo gallery.
Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) October 3, 2008
iTookThisOnMyPhone.com, Inc. , a leading mobile photo and video-sharing technology company, announced the latest release of its media management software.
Version 2.0.05.6 features Unified Access™, a convenient way to send photos and videos from BlackBerry® smartphones to many popular social networking websites. Users simply take a photo and the photos are automatically uploaded to the sites they've selected including facebook, Snapfish, YouTube, Flickr, Webshots, and Picasa.
"iTook users want to send their photos to a variety of popular websites and we recognize that they want the option of choosing which photos go to which websites. Users no longer have to clutter their home screens with multiple icons for different social sites. We've made it easy for them by providing one screen that enables them to select where they'd like their photos to go," said Daniel Zito, Vice President/Business Development at iTookThisOnMyPhone.com. "Users can choose any, or all, of the destinations with the knowledge that while some photos might go to Picasa and others to facebook, all of their photos will still be safe and secure in their iTook personal photo gallery."
iTookThisOnMyPhone.com is a free service users can download in seconds to their BlackBerry smartphones and use immediately. In addition to sending to other social networking sites, all photos and videos taken on the BlackBerry smartphone are automatically transferred and stored in the user's personal online photo gallery. Users choose if they want their photos or videos to be shared with others, or remain private, and they can see all of their photos on their website in seconds.
About iTookThisOnMyPhone, Inc.
Founded in 2007 by industry veterans that have built several leading third-party applications, iTookThisOnMyPhone.com's patent-pending media management and workflow system is a complete solution that enables users to easily manage the photos and videos they take with their camera-equipped BlackBerry smartphones.
Since its launch last year, iTookThisOnMyPhone has proven itself to be an extremely popular and easy-to-use application with an ever-expanding user base in more than 80 countries.
For more information and to download the software visit: http://www.getitook.com.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
Email: daniel.zito @ itookthisonmyphone.com
Email: mdektas @ dhacustomerconnect.com
# # #


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By Kyunghee Park, Daniela Wei and Matt Townsend (Bloomberg) — The race is on to get Chinese goods into the U.S. before President Donald Trump’s tariffs bite.
At sea and in the sky, the U.S. president’s trade war with China has ignited a freight frenzy. Hyundai Merchant Marine Co.’s vessels leaving China for the U.S. are full, deliveries to California ports are surging, and cargo rates for journeys across the Pacific are at a four-year high.
The levies that kick in Monday have amplified the busy pre-holiday season as Chinese manufacturers rush everything from toys to bikes to car parts into American stores before tariffs hit. At Air China Ltd., freight to the U.S. is booming.
Read more on Bloomberg.


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The fashion industry is undergoing a major shift towards inclusivity and self-expression as cultural attitudes towards gender continue to change. In 2024, genderfluid fashion – characterised by its adaptability and defiance of conventional gender norms – is expected to have a significant impact. Gender non-conforming people have always found ways to express who they are through their clothing, regardless of historical period or cultural context. This is not just a trend, but a retrospective representation of the most powerful groups in fashion. Genderfluid fashion can go mainstream next year as designers defy binary fashion standards and demand for clothing that transcends gender boundaries grows. (Also read: Year Ender 2023: From off-shoulder blouses to vibrant colour palettes; explore top 6 ethnic fashion trends of the year)
Is genderfluid fashion going to be mainstream in 2024?
To gain deeper insights into the dynamics of genderfluid fashion and its potential mainstream emergence in the upcoming year, HT Lifestyle reached out to fashion industry experts.
Aashumi Mahajan and Niyoshi Shah, founders of The Luxe Maison shared with HT Lifestyle, “Gender fluid fashion will go mainstream in 2024, more so in India. As societal norms evolve, there has been a growing awareness and acceptance of diverse gender identities. Fashion is a powerful form of self-expression and as conversations around gender diversity gain momentum online, fashion trends that challenge conventional gender norms are likely to gain popularity. The industry is also becoming more inclusive. With many brands and designers actively promoting gender-neutral or gender fluid collections.”
They further added, “The genZ and gen Alpha are far more progressive, assertive and discerning than any other generation in the past. They prioritise self-expression and are demanding of their assertions. They are also influenced by celebrities like Harry Styles etc. Brands like Zara, H&M, and ASOS have launched collections that prioritize inclusivity – making it more accessible. Collaborations between fashion brands and LGBTQ+ organizations or influencers can lead to campaigns that have also become the norm. They want to express themselves authentically, free from traditional constraints associated with gendered clothing. So this will be big in the coming years.”
“In contemplating the trajectory of gender fluid fashion in 2024, it is imperative to recognize its profound historical roots. Fashion, as an art form, inherently defies rigid gender norms, a truth that becomes apparent through a journey into the lesser-known annals of history. Historically, men donning skirts and heels was not an anomaly but a prevalent practice across cultures. Ancient Greece, with its draped garments worn by both men and women and the Renaissance era, where European men embraced elaborate, flowing robes, serve as compelling examples. India, with its diverse cultural tapestry, has long contributed to the narrative of sartorial versatility. Traditional Indian attire, such as the dhoti, transcends gender boundaries, embodying a cultural acceptance of fluid silhouettes.” says Pruthvi founder of Trazenie.
He added, “The assertion that gender-fluid fashion is here to stay in 2024 is not a mere prediction; rather, it’s a recognition of fashion’s intrinsic, time-tested nature. The cyclical evolution of styles, evidenced by the recurrence of gender-neutral clothing throughout history, affirms that the future of fashion is one that embraces the fluidity of self-expression. As we navigate through time, the contemporary landscape of style undergoes a profound transformation, marked by a resolute embrace of inclusivity and liberation from traditional constraints.
“My personal conviction further solidifies this belief, with a spotlight on the enduring popularity of gender-fluid attire. Co-ords, oversized clothing, and pantsuits emerge as contemporary manifestations of this shift. These versatile, unisex pieces not only challenge conventional norms but also echo a broader cultural shift towards recognizing and celebrating diverse expressions of identity. Whether on the runway or the bustling streets, fashion has become a stage for a revolutionary movement that transcends binary distinctions. Approaching 2024, the trajectory of this movement suggests that gender-fluid fashion is not merely a fleeting trend but a lasting and integral facet of the fashion landscape—a beacon of a more inclusive and accepting future.” says Pruthvi.
Bringing her expertise to the same, Shivanii Parikh founder of Shivanii shared with HT Lifestyle, “One of the most intriguing and promising trends on the horizon is the rise of genderfluid fashion, a movement that challenges traditional boundaries and blurs the lines between masculine and feminine aesthetics. The notion that clothing should be confined to strict gender binaries is rapidly fading, making way for a more inclusive and expressive approach to style. This shift is not just about clothing; it’s a cultural movement that empowers people to express their identity freely and without constraint. The runway is evolving into a space where diversity is not just acknowledged but celebrated, with designers crafting collections that speak to a broad spectrum of identities.”
“In the year ahead, expect to see a surge in gender-neutral silhouettes, fabrics, and colour palettes that appeal to a wide range of tastes. Designers are championing inclusivity, ensuring that their creations resonate with everyone, regardless of gender identity. The fashion landscape is becoming a canvas for self-expression, where individuals can curate their own narrative without conforming to societal expectations. It is inspiring to witness the industry’s collective journey towards a more inclusive future,” says Shivanii.
“The runway is no longer a battleground for gender norms; instead, it’s a space for creativity, self-expression, and celebration of the diverse identities that make up our world. In 2024, genderfluid fashion isn’t just a trend; it’s a powerful statement about embracing individuality and rewriting the rules of style for a more liberated and inclusive society,” Shivanii concluded.


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The next soft power
In retrospect just about over a decade back our only source of entertainment was the Friday evening ‘Chitrahaar’ and the Sunday evening movie on ‘Doordarshan’ clubbed with the AIR, writes Ronnie Screwvala. See full coverage.india Updated: Nov 16, 2008 02:12 IST
In retrospect just about over a decade back our only source of entertainment was the Friday evening ‘Chitrahaar’ and the Sunday evening movie on ‘Doordarshan’ clubbed with the AIR. In 1950s to the early 80s, movies managed to pack cinemas all through this movie-crazy country. Then somewhere the ‘formula’ plots got outdated. Film revenues stagnated at about $1 billion annually which was less than one third the box office of a single major Hollywood studio.
That is now finally changing: Indians are getting wealthier and spending much more on entertainment. Media options are a plenty with everything from - television, mobiles, films, music, publishing, the Internet to radio. In 2007, the E&M industry recorded a growth of 17 per cent over the previous year, higher than the forecasted growth of 15 per cent projected in the previous year.
The industry reached an estimated size of Rs. 513 billion in 2007, up from Rs. 438 billion in 2006. In the last four years from 2004 to 2007, the industry recorded a cumulative growth of 19 per cent on an overall basis. India has come a long way, today the consumer is paying for content. People are now spending around 12 per cent of their disposable income on leisure and entertainment. This should go up to 20 per cent in the next two to three years.
The Indian E&M industry has been growing at a fast pace over the last few years and the trend is liable to continue. Growth of traditional segments and influx of new segments has opened a plethora of new opportunities. With convergence at the forefront of the E&M industry we are now addressing a global audience. Despite the sector being highly disorganized Indian companies are looking to broaden their horizon in terms of offerings and geographic presence.
In the 21st century the E&M industry in India would witness the migration to digital format. Following global footsteps the trend for distribution of E&M content over digital & mobile platforms would rise. Consumer migration to the digital format in turn would spark of consolidation and integration. With emergence of multiple platforms content producers would look at expanding presence among the proliferating channels to create an integrated setup. Digital distribution would also change the landscape for handling of intellectual property. Content fragmentation would continue due to reduced entry barriers offered by the digital medium. Consumption across all the three screens, dominating the consumer’s life, would continue to grow.
We have begun to sense the global undertones and are witnessing a transformation within this prolific yet anarchic entertainment industry. There is a strong recognition to brand India in the global markets today. While various industries have contributed to this international image the entertainment sector has also made a significant contribution. Today not only does our content have international takers, India is also well represented on most international forums.
Crossing Bridges - For the next big leap to happen and for the Indian industry to gain its rightful share in the global entertainment sweepstakes there is need for funding to bring in the scale and the infrastructure backbone, which would help attain the final impetus. While the industry transformation is a slow process the lead would have to be taken by one of the large media conglomerates which is poised to pave the way.
At this verge where every media is witnessing copious growth, the Entertainment Industry in India stands at the cusp of witnessing its big moment where the world will witness a Blockbuster. If US was the soft power of the last century, India has the potential to be the soft power of the next one.
The show has just begun.
First Published: Nov 15, 2008 21:04 IST


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Queen Rania Views First Handicrafts Collection Produced under JRF and IKEA Partnership
(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited IKEA Jordan on Tuesday to view the multinational furniture group’s first Jordanian collection, developed in partnership with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF). The collection, titled ‘TILLTALANDE,’ was handcrafted by a group of 110 local artisans consisting of Jordanian women and Syrian refugees.
Launched in an effort to provide sustainable livelihoods to underprivileged women in Jordan, the IKEA-JRF collaboration taps into artisans’ unique handicraft skills to provide affordable, locally-inspired items. The number of women employed by the project is set to double in 2018, and is projected to reach 400 by the end of 2020.
Her Majesty was welcomed by Partner Development Leader at IKEA of Sweden, Ann-SofieGunnarsson; CEO of IKEA’s franchise owner in Kuwait, Morocco, and Jordan, IKEA Al-Homaizi, Marino Maganto; and IKEA Jordan Store Manager, CarstenEbel.
Accompanied by local and international IKEA representatives, as well as JRF Director General, Enaam Barishi, Queen Rania viewed the range of locally produced handcrafted textile items on display, which includes cushion covers, floor cushions, and rugs.
Her Majesty met also with several of the female artisans who produced the collection to discuss the impact the partnership has had on their lives and families. The Queen noted that this collaboration has helped overcome barriers faced in introducing JRF products to new international markets. She also commended the craftswomen’s hard work, creativity, and determination to overcome social barriers, which has increased their products’ competitiveness on the global stage.


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The Telenor Innovation Centre was formally opened today by the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Trond Giske. This new facility is equipped with the latest interactive technology designed to facilitate and stimulate creative thinking.
The Telenor Innovation Centre is tailored to serve as an arena where new services and solutions can be conceptualised together with partners and customers, as well as being a showroom where we demonstrate the ways in which we innovate at Telenor.
“Innovation is vital in order to secure growth. It has always been important. And it is an integral part of our strategy going forward,” said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of Telenor Group.
“The opening of the Telenor Innovation Centre will further strengthen our continuous efforts to create value for our customers. We do so more and more through open innovation and I believe that this center will become a central place to work on future solutions together with our customers and partners,” said Morten Karlsen Sørby, Executive Vice President and head of Corporate Development.
To celebrate the inauguration the Minister was invited to join employees and partners for an inspiring Day of Innovation featuring several key innovation areas ranging from Internet and content based services, mobile financial services to services related to M2M (Machine-to-Machine).
Ingunn Anstensrud, Communication Manager, Telenor Group
Tel: +47 95203575, E-mail: email@example.com


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You’ve probably seen counter tops or furniture made from redwood burl. The richly colored, swirling grain is prized for its beauty and can fetch a hefty price.
A coffee table or bar top can sell for thousands. That kind of money – combined with a largely unregulated market for the wood – has proved irresistible to poachers in the northern California forests.
Marshall Neeck is chief ranger at Redwood National and State Parks. “They’ve been sneaking into the park, quite often at night, and with a chainsaw they cut off that burl material.” He explains that burls are bumpy growths around the base or on the sides of redwoods. And they’re a key part of how the giant trees reproduce.
Neeck said, “When a redwood tree is put under stress, quite often what happens is that it regenerates from that burl material.”
Depending on how extensive the cutting is, redwoods can survive having the burls cut off. But it scars the tree and can leave it susceptible to insects or disease. Neeck says these trees can be more than 1,000 years old.
Neeck explained, “And there’s not that many of them anymore. In fact, the park is home to probably 40 percent of the existing world population of those large old growth redwoods.”
A few months ago, the park started closing a scenic highway at night in an effort to discourage poachers … The increase in redwood burl poaching is alarming to Sam Hodder. Hodder explained, “To have the precious few trees that remain be hacked up by thieves in the dark of night is a travesty.”
Hodder heads the San Francisco-based Save The Redwoods League. The group was founded in 1918 as wholesale logging of the redwoods raised concerns about their survival. Hodder’s group is one of three non-profits that recently offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of redwood poachers. Hodder says the visual impact of the damage done to these iconic trees is appalling.
“It looks like someone sawed a tabletop right off the side of the tree, a big, kind of gaping scar,” Hodder said.
Not all redwood burls are illicit. Many are legally taken from dead trees or old stumps. Others come off private timber land. But there’s no legal requirement for paperwork to prove burls were harvested from legitimate sources, which makes it easy for poachers to sell their stolen goods for quick cash. Ranger Marshall Neeck says that puts the onus on the people who sell redwood burl products. Neeck explained, “So, somebody rolls up in a pickup truck and it’s full of burl in the back, it’s up to the burl shop owner to determine where that came from.”
And many do. Jim Parodi owns Artisan Burlwood in Berkeley. He says nearly all his redwood burl come from trees or stumps that have been long dead. If someone showed up in his yard trying to sell freshly-cut burl, he says, he’d be very suspicious.
Parodi said, “You’d have a pretty good idea if it was green wood sliced off a tree that, I mean you’ve got a pretty good idea that, OK, where’d you get this?”
Lorin Sandberg agrees. Sandberg runs a company named Burlwood in Scio, Oregon. He says he’s always insisted on a paper trail.
Sandberg said, “Y’know, if I don’t have proof of where I got this burl, I’m just as guilty as the guy that took it out of the woods.”
In the absence of any regulations, it’s up to concerned consumers to ask questions and do their best to make sure their beautiful table top didn’t come from late-night thieves carving up national treasures.


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The relationship between hotels and online travel agents (OTAs), as well as sustainability, accommodation sharing and personalisation are predicted to be driving forces in the lodging industry next year, a report by GlobalData revealed.
With the rise of OTAs and the commanding commission rates they demand, experts at GlobalData suggested hotels in the next decade will have a stern focus on increasing direct bookings.
On way of pulling in direct bookings is the implementation of loyalty schemes. Programmes such as Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy are ways to draw users away from OTAs. GlobalData also highlighted how hotels and OTAs are now fighting over commission rates.
GlobalData's Nick Wyatt said: “Smaller, independent operators have little bargaining power, but the likes of Marriott have started to negotiate hard in a bid to reduce these rates.”
Wyatt concluded: “Hotel chains will intensify efforts to encourage direct bookings as a way to maximise profits.”
From the growing efforts against single-use plastic, to green energy, to lowering carbon footprints, sustainability continues to grow in importance for travellers.
As GlobalData experts put it: “Sustainability is a watchword in the tourism industry as a whole at the moment.”
Not only is it assumed hotels themselves will work to become more sustainable, GlobalData touched on hotels making their customers more sustainable also. Incentivising less water usage could be managed if hotels offered additional loyalty points to customers said GlobalData.
As accommodation sharing continues to grow in popularity, Wyatt urged that the idea is no longer just a fad and in 2020 it will only increase.
Airbnb in particular according to Wyatt will grow next year with its recent entry into the experiences market. The convenience, value and flexibility of accommodation sharing cannot go ignored explained Wyatt.
He also said: “Hotel chains have cottoned on and after establishing Homes & Villas this year, Marriott will see next year as the year to really push its accommodation sharing offering as it looks to mitigate the impact of Airbnb.”
Finally personalisation demands are thought to become an even greater force in the lodging industry during 2020.
To satisfy these demands, hotels, according to GlobalData, must invest in new technology.
Wyatt pointed out: “Greater personalisation is increasingly demanded by guests and hotels will continue to invest in technologies that help them better understand a guest’s needs.”


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Anad Bond, Sony: This co-production has been made hand in hand with Claro video
Sony: Reputación Dudosa is a product like few we see in the market
Maribel Ramos-Weiner|06 de julio de 2022
The black comedy series, Reputación Dudosa (8x30’), an SPT and Claro video co-production, that premieres on the platform in the 16 Latin American countries -including Brazil, subtitled into Portuguese- where it is present, on Thursday, June 30, “is a product like few we see in the market” expressed Ana Bond, SVP and general director of International Production at SPT Latin America.
Bond participated, together with Roberto Rosales, CEO of Claro video; Álvaro Curiel, director; the writer Luis Fernández; the producer Jorge Sastoque and the series's main cast in a virtual press conference with Latin American media.
“This co-production has been made hand in hand with Claro video, from the idea and the concept to the last minute of the last episode. We have an amazing cast, starting with Marcus Ornellas, Verónica Langer, Grettel Valdez, Luz Ramos and Itahisa Machado. It is a product that is on par with those of other countries. It has nothing to envy others that have huge budgets” added Bond.
Rosales highlighted the strategic relationship they have with Sony. “Sony has been one of our strategic allies for the creation of high-quality content in the last few years. We continue with the commitment to deliver to users productions of high value and entertainment, as well as with the intention to continue growing our original catalog. The alliance with Sony has enabled us to have high-quality standards and we expect Reputación Dudosa will not be the exception” he said.


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Land Rover celebrates 300,000th LR2
Amman , May 16, 2012
Jaguar Land Rover employees at Halewood Operations in Merseyside, UK, recently celebrated the production of the 300,000th Land Rover LR2.
Production of the LR2 at Halewood Operations commenced in October 2006 and earlier this week the plant's 300,000th LR2 was driven off the line.
The vehicle, in Barolo Black, was designed for a customer in Brazil – one of the brand's fastest growing markets. Land Rover is the leading SUV brand in the country with around a 40 per cent market share, said a statement.
"I would like to congratulate the Halewood team for reaching this superb milestone and also sustaining the highest quality standards on LR2 during the Range Rover Evoque launch period. Freelander was Land Rover's biggest selling model last year, retailing around 52,000 units globally," said Halewood Operations director Richard Else.
Amjad Saeed, general manager of Mahmoudia Motors, the official and exclusive dealer of Land Rover in Jordan, said: “This major milestone is a true reflection of the LR2’s popularity amongst customers. The car’s competitive features, exceptional performance and eco-friendly attributes have helped position it as one of Land Rover's best-selling models to date.”
In Jordan, the 2012 LR2 is available with a refined 3.2 liter petrol engine offering a power output of 233hp, with class-leading on and off-road performance, featuring Terrain Response, Hill Descent Control, a premium cabin, improved fuel economy and an affordable cost of ownership, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service


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Taco Bell is giving everyone free Doritos Locos Tacos today in honor of the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Championship.
Summer and ice cream go hand in hand and National Chocolate Ice Cream Day is just one more example of how to enjoy both. The tasty national holiday falls on June 7, so get ready to indulge.
If you’re a pastry purist, grab a classic glazed. If you’re feeling a little fancy snack on fun flavors like chocolate iced with sprinkles or glazed raspberry-filled.
The sinful ‘Donut Fries,' dusted with cinnamon sugar, are the perfect finger food.
LivingSocial was once worth $6 billion — now its main competitor is buying it for a 'non-material' amount
Groupon announced it's purchasing LivingSocial during its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. The deal is expected to close in November.


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- Pure Extracts entered into two large biomass purchase agreements, plans to ramp up production of high-potency THC and CBD extracts in 2021
- Company expects historically low biomass purchase price will produce $590,000 revenue
- Company recently announced DTC eligibility of common shares for increased settlement and clearance speeds, wider access to brokerage firms
Pure Extracts Technologies (CSE: PULL) (OTC: PRXTF) (XFRA: A2QJAJ), a plant-based extraction company that focuses on cannabis, hemp, functional mushrooms and the rapidly emerging psychedelics sector, recently entered into two substantial cannabis biomass purchase agreements (https://cnw.fm/XYzBs) in addition to announcing that its common shares are now eligible for electronic clearing and settlement through The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) in the United States (https://cnw.fm/WO928).
“DTC eligibility is a major step forward in increasing liquidity, broadening our shareholder base and building a strong presence for our company within the US capital markets sphere,” said Pure Extracts’ CEO Ben Nikolaevsky…
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to PULL are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/PULL
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IMPHAL: The much-awaited Manipur textile festival 2022 is all set to begin from November 5.
This was informed by Manipur textiles, commerce and industry minister Nemcha Kipgen on Thursday.
The Manipur International Textile Expo (MANITEX) 2022 will be held from November 5 to November 15 at Imphal.
The Manipur minister inspected the venue and appealed to all to make the festival successful.
The 2022 edition of MANITEX will have 124 stalls, including 10 international stalls and 10 stalls from other states of India.
The prime objective of the Manipur textile festival is to showcase the products of handlooms, handicrafts, dyeing and printing, power loom, garment, embroidery and costume on larger scale with the participation of different states and countries.


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Innovate UK is backing a collaborative project aiming to develop a lightweight, fire-safe battery enclosure for electric freight vehicles.
The nine-month project will see manufacturer Composites Evolution Ltd collaborate with Wolverhampton University’s School of Engineering, MEP Technologies Ltd and Carr Reinforcements Ltd to produce a new high-temperature composite material suitable for large battery enclosures for zero-emission trucks.
The resulting battery pack aims to be lighter and safer than those currently available, addressing road freight sector concerns regarding range/payload and lithium-ion battery safety.
“Lithium-ion batteries present a substantial fire risk in the event of a thermal runway caused, for example, by overcharging, short-circuits, impacts or collisions,” said Stuart Morrison, founder and CEO at MEP Technology. “Therefore, electric trucks with large battery tractions present a potential risk of severe fire and injury, particularly when in urban areas and/or carrying hazardous cargo.”
According to Dr Klaudio Bari, principal lecturer in composite engineering at Wolverhampton University, the novel battery module design’s new lightweight material will work with C-rated power cells, passive thermal and cell management systems. He added that the university will be using its VFE autoclave for the first time to produce and customise the prototype.
The three business partners said the project will create new, highly-skilled jobs and generate value stream revenues throughout the wider UK supply chain with high potential for exports.