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A new report claims that Apple -- a member of the Unicode consortium that approves new emoji characters -- lead an effort to remove two previously-approved symbols for Unicode 9: one representing a rifle, and the other a part of a Modern Pentathlon set, a sport that includes rifle marksmanship. Microsoft was among some other members who helped nix the additions. There has been no effort to remove the existing handgun emoji, or other items like knives or the (cartoon-style) bomb.
While you can easily play games on a Mac, it's worth exploring other areas for gaming purposes as well, and that effectively means consoles. If you've been interested in getting hold of one of the current-generation consoles, but was put off by the cost, you may want to take part in the latest MacNN Deals giveaway, with one lucky winner getting hold of a special edition PlayStation 4 with Uncharted 4.
As the UK prepares to vote on whether to remain or leave the European Union -- a question that has already brought out US-political-style racial divides and even gun violence -- American political site Politico is testing an unusual way of delivering breaking news on the hotly-debated referendum through a nearly-unique use of Apple's Wallet technology. The premise of the experiment is to use a "pass" in Wallet (normally used for boarding passes, event tickets, coupons, loyalty cards, or credit/debit cards for a single-issue news feed -- giving users access to the latest polls or breaking news directly on the lock screen, if desired.
The probe by the European Commission into Apple's tax arrangements may come to an end soon, possibly next month, according to one official. Irish finance minister Michael Noonan believes the Commission could offer its ruling in July, one that will decide the legality of Apple's movements of funds through specific countries to avoid paying high amounts of tax, as well as other arrangements beneficial to the company provided by EU member states.
Every day, we are showcasing some of the offers available from our MacNN Deals store. Today's collection consists of headphones of varying shapes and sizes, depending on your particular audio needs, including those using bone conduction technology, one meant for use while relaxing in bed, and two personal audio selections that are constructed from wood.
TestFlight, Apple's platform for developers to try out their apps in a group beta test, has been updated to support the operating system changes announced by the company earlier this week at WWDC. Following after the release of the developer beta of the company's operating systems, Apple has upgraded TestFlight to work with apps created for the iOS 10, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3 betas, including new features announced during the developer conference.
We've had special requests for different Pointers tutorials before. We've also had things come up in the news as Apple changes or improves or removes something. This time what what happened is that someone asked us for an image, we emailed it over and they sent back a plaintive message saying "could you please send it as an attachment?" We say plaintive, the truth is that there was an undercurrent of frustration. Not to mention sarcasm.
Really, rumor mongers? Really? WWDC's corpse is not even cold yet, and you're already walking back your weakest rumor by claiming it was going to be in there, but mean old Apple axed it? This is Standard Rumor Fizzle Excuse number two, right behind "delayed because of production problems." So let us be sure we have this right -- that dual camera lens you've been assuring us for months would be the lead visible difference in the otherwise-samey "iPhone 7," the one you showed us numerous mockups of, has been "cancelled" days before Foxconn cranks up the assembly to make 70 million of them for this fall because Apple just realized the technology is "immature?" Right. Sure.
On Thursday, Korean manufacturer Samsung announced that would buy US cloud services company Joyent, based in San Francisco, for an undisclosed sum. The 11-year-old company will retain its name and top managment, but it will be integrated into Samsung's mobile division, and reportedly help the rival smartphone maker offer its own cloud services. In a statement, Joyent CEO Scott Hammond said that "Samsung brings us the scale we need to grow our cloud and software business."
Apple has become the subject of another bout of litigation, this time one relating to the iPhone 6 in China. A small Chinese smartphone producer called Baili has complained to the Beijing Intellectual Property Office, claiming consumers cannot tell the "minute differences" between the 100C Android smartphone and the design Apple employed for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the regulator ordering a ban of the offending iPhones from sale in the market.
One feature shown off at the WWDC keynote that is dependent on the 3D Touch technology found on the iPhone 6s will be replicated to work on older iPhone models that don't have the feature in iOS 10, Apple told developers on Thursday. "Future betas will provide access to this functionality for users of iPhone models without support for 3D Touch," according to release notes in the first iOS 10 developer preview. Currently, Rich Notifications -- which include images or video -- are only supported on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Networking infrastructure and connected device manufacturer D-Link has advised it is working on a new Wi-Fi camera that will include support for HomeKit. Due to ship later this year, the announced camera will also work with the Home app Apple is including in iOS 10 for users to manage their smart home devices and appliances, and will be among the first of its kind to take advantage of Apple's addition of camera support to HomeKit itself.
We're weeks away from the public beta of iOS 10, and months from the proper one that will roll out to iPhones and iPads in the fall. Yet the instant the new version was mentioned, suddenly iOS 9 seemed old; even old-fashioned. Before it passes into history for approximately 90 percent of us within a week of iOS 10's release, let me give a tip of the hat to 2015/16's iPhone and iPad operating system.
Alongside our regular Daily Deals post, we are showcasing some of the offers available from our own MacNN Deals store. Today's selections are all camera-equipped quadcopters, so you can get a bird's eye view of your surroundings from the safety of the ground, with one even including the option of live-streaming video from the drone back to base.
One of Apple's hardware suppliers has been congratulated by a company executive for improving its environmental credentials. Linking to a press release on Twitter, Apple vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives Lisa Jackson commented on TSMC's progress, calling the chip producer's increased purchase of "green power" for 2016 to 200 million kilowatt hours (kWh) a "big step in green manufacturing."
At the 2012 launch of the iMac, Phil Schiller said on stage that "you'll be able to go home and tell people today you heard about plasma deposition." You didn't. Nobody did. Yet at this year's WWDC when Apple mentioned their next new term, suddenly everyone's talking about it. Differential Privacy sounds just about as much a jargon term but it's concerned with something that affects every single iPhone user. It's a term for what's both technically intricate and politically on fire.
We might not want to believe this, but whether you have to wear smart clothes to work or slob out at your freelance desk in the den, we all do our jobs in remarkably similar ways. The office worker might be assigned impossible tasks, and the self-employed might have to find the impossible commission, but there's getting the task, and there is following it through to some point where you deliver it. Aeon Timeline 2.0.7 is a way to help everyone do exactly that.
Every so often, MacNN finds a deal that is too big or important to go into our usual deals lists, and is major enough to be highlighted in its own Big Deals post. This time, if you have a lot of documents to import into your computing setup for editing and storage purposes, avoid typing in long stretches of text with the Prizmo 3: Pro Scanning for Mac Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tool.
Yeah, I know we were going to talk about video card upgrades this time, but we need to move that to next week. For Apple's WWDC this week has shoved the Mac Pro 3,1 and 4,1 to the side -- but not the 5,1. So, we're going to talk this week a bit about work-arounds that exist, and some that may yet appear for our slab-side faithful machines. Also, some big-time issues have cropped up with PCI-e cards under the new OS revision, and we'll chat a bit about that as well.
A recently-discovered jailbreak technique that is claimed to work in iOS 9.3.2 will not work when iOS 10 is released to the public this fall. The browser-based exploit for the current version of the mobile operating system, discovered by Luca "qwertyoruiop" Todesco last month, has apparently already been closed by Apple, rending the jailbreak that leveraged the security flaw useless to people who upgrade.
Now AAPL Stock: The symbol you provided ("AAPL") doesn't appear to be registered
Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE


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The operator of Seaeagle Seafoods at Eaglehawk Neck Bill Smedley has called for urgent action so the commercial fishing industry on Tasmania's east coast can survive.
Bill Smedley has been a commercial fisherman and seafood processor for 27 years and says it's getting tougher to keep the business operating.
Blaming red tape for much of the problems in commercial fishing, Bill Smedley will put his views to two federal MPs who are on a fact finding trip to Tasmania's east coast to discuss issues affecting the industry.
Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Senator Richard Colbeck and Member for Lyons Eric Hutchinson spoke to commercial fish operators in Triabunna last night and will meet processors and fishermen in Eaglehawk Neck today.
Bill Smedley says the cost of compliance is placing his business on a knife edge and will ask for action to overcome a situation where he says money is being sidetracked from small business operators into a number of government departments.
He says that money should be used for research , employment and expanding business.

domain: news


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GE Entertainment, that company who has gone a spree of creating awesome plushes over the past few years have revealed the latest additions to their Sonic the Hedgehog plush range. One you could argue was inevitable, and the other comes totally out of left field.
Introducing GE’s plushes of Chaos 0 and classic Dr. Eggman. According to GE, both Dr. Eggman and Chaos will be a bit of a bigger plush than what we’re used to from GE measuring about 14 inches tall (opposed to the 8-9 inches that most of their plushes are).
Eggman is sporting a particularly egg-shaped frame, complete with felt moustache and shiny glasses. Chaos is… well just look at him! Water detailing, big bulbous eyes and brain… What’s not to like? This would also probably the first pieces of dedicated Chaos merchandise… Probably ever (unless memory fails me).
No details on cost or anything just yet, but we can expect the plushes to launch later this year.
Thanks to Ogilvie on SSMB for letting us know!


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The Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) has taken a decision to facilitate local investors to import and distribute digital TV sets. The move is in line with the government’s commitment to meet the 2012 deadline for all the East African Community (EAC) member states, to migrate from analogue to digital system.
That the regional deadline is three years ahead of the global deadline under the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), demonstrates this region’s determination to take full advantages of the ICT revolution.
The switch over to digital broadcasting will bring immense benefits, to both consumers and operators. It will make it possible to process and compress digital data in a more efficient manner.
It will improve sound quality; high definition picture; broader choice of programmes from the wider choice of channels; and enhanced flexibility due to better portable and mobile reception. Other benefits include improved subtitling and other technologies that cater to the special needs of disadvantaged groups such as the disabled and the elderly; and the potential for lower prices of digital and integrated television receivers.
Operators will also benefit from the switchover through anticipated lower transmission costs, use of multiple transmitters on the same frequency, instant feedback from consumers, among others.
Going by the anticipated benefits, it is clear that everyone stands to benefit from the migration. Therefore, business operators and the general public should respond positively to the set deadline.


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Total Active Colorado Pot Licenses at All-Time High
Marijuana market report prepared by DU professor Paul Seaborn
The latest Colorado Marijuana Market Report finds the total number of active Colorado marijuana business licenses is at a record high of 3,038. The quarterly Market Report is produced by the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business Assistant Professor Paul Seaborn.
The report finds that retail dispensary, cultivation and manufacturing licenses have continued to increase in number since April 2017 while medical centers and medical cultivation have both decreased.
“The total number of active marijuana business licenses issued by the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) continues to grow and is now at an all-time record high of 3,038, up from 2,971 in April 2017,” Seaborn says. “50.7 percent of active licenses are for medical marijuana businesses (down from 52.5 percent in April 2017) and 49.3 percent are for recreational/retail businesses (up from 47.5 percent).”
Four new license categories were introduced in July 2017: Retail Transporter, Retail Operator, Medical Transporter and Medical Operator. However, less than five of each license type have been issued to date.
“Native Roots and LivWell continue to have the largest number of licenses operating under a single name with Native Roots operating 66 licenses and LivWell operating 45. Eight organizations have at least 20 active licenses,” Seaborn says.
The Colorado Marijuana Market Report is a quarterly publication by Seaborn analyzing the data from the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) and other sources.


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A monster treasure hunt is part of the Halloween fun being lined up for youngsters at Northfield Shopping Centre this week.
The free event will conclude with a trick or treat treasure hunt around the busy shopping centre, where children who discover the hidden monsters can win prizes including games and toys.
Northfield Shopping Centre Manager Pete Barber said: “We wanted to offer somewhere safe so children can enjoy their half-term and Halloween fun – we know that the centre is always very popular with families at this time of year. Lots of the shops will be getting into the spirit of it, with staff dressed up in all sort of Halloween outfits .
“It should be a lot of fun for everybody.”
* For more information visit www.northfieldshopping.co.uk


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Content tagged with: Magna
Aurora, Ont.-based Magna International Inc. is investing over $470 million to expand its operations across the province, which will include a new battery enclosures facility in Brampton to support the electric Ford F-150 Lightning.
RCC's Retail Sustainability Conference
Oct 03 2023
to Oct 03 2023


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As losses mount for Orioles, young fans buy other teams’ gear
(Page 3 of 4)
The team recognizes, though, that local kids younger than 14 have never seen a winning season, he said. “We obviously recognize that the team winning will impact the number of new fans, especially younger fans, we get,” Bader said.
Mike Durham, owner of Stadium Sports at Harborplace, said the player T-shirts of shortstop J.J. Hardy and outfielders Nick Markakis and Adam Jones sold the best among kids last year. But the Orioles still lack that mega-star player kids recognize, Durham said. As a result, parents are just as likely to buy their kids a T-shirt of Cal Ripken Jr., who retired 10 years ago, as they are a current O’s player.
“We’ve sold as many Ripken T-shirts right now as we have Markakis and Jones,” Durham said.
All 30 teams in MLB pool the league’s merchandise and licensing dollars. Major League Baseball reported $3.2 billion in retail sales in 2011, said Ira Mayer, publisher of The Licensing Letter, an industry newsletter.
That number is close to a record for the league, said Matt Bourne, a spokesman for MLB.
The Orioles retain all the profits from items sold in the team stores at Camden Yards and in York, Pa. But the team will get the same cut of the profit if a South Baltimore kid buys a jersey of Nick Markakis or Alex Rodriguez, third baseman for the New York Yankees.
Some sports marketers say the Orioles should not worry as much about targeting the younger set in promotional materials. Marc Bluestein, president of the Fulton sports marketing firm Aquarius Sports and Entertainment, said children do not have the disposable income to buy tickets or merchandise. Their schedules, and often their brand loyalty, are determined by parents, Bluestein said.
Jack Lambert is responsible for driving breaking news coverage on the BBJ's website, baltimorebusinessjournal.com. His specialty coverage areas are sports business and transportation. However, Jack goes where the news is on a daily basis.
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Pitti Immagine Uomo, the premier international trade fair dedicated to menswear and contemporary lifestyles, saw the Nobis team back in action with our newly redesigned 1,200 sq ft booth showcasing our latest 2019 Transitional Collection. Held in beautiful city of Florence on June 12th – 15th, 2018, Pitti Immagine Uomo 94 was undoubtably the go-to destination for menswear aficionados from around the world confirmed by the fact that the event saw over 19,100 buyers and over 30,000 visitors.
Nobis in Florence
“The participation of all the most important Italian and international buyers – with an increasingly growing number of online retailers - and the huge amount of attention from the best international press” says Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, “confirm Pitti Immagine Uomo’s role as a global reference point for lifestyle, quality scouting and for the worldwide launch of new trends and fashion projects. This is also demonstrated by the attendance figures and the feedback collected from exhibitors and buyers which was filled with high appreciation for the new ideas proposed at the fair, the new exhibition projects we launched at the Fortezza, the special events and for the atmosphere of creativity that invaded Florence over the past few days”.


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Apple Announces ‘Fitness+’ Workout Subscription Service for $12.99 in Canada [u]
Apple has just announced a brand new fitness service called Fitness+.
During today’s “Time Flies” event, Apple announced the new subscription service for virtual fitness classes — the first fitness service built for Apple Watch, the company says.
The new service uses popular workouts combined with Apple Music to help you stay in shape, and users can use video on their TV or iPhone to follow along with a workout, all whilst tracking metrics on an Apple Watch. Metrics such as heart rate can be shown on screen, as can your activity rings.
The most popular workouts will all be available in the new service, including Yoga, Cycling, Dance, treadmill running, strength, core, HIIT, rowing, and even mindful cool downs. You don’t need any equipment and new workouts are made available every week.
“We’re so excited to energize our customers with new ways to get active and stay active with Apple Watch,” said Jay Blahnik, Apple’s senior director of fitness for Health Technologies. “With diverse studio workouts that are suitable for all ability levels, led by a phenomenal group of unique trainers, and an approachable program designed for beginners all the way through to the fitness enthusiast — as well as the flexibility to work out anywhere — there’s something for everyone. We know Fitness+ will take working out with Apple Watch to the next level with unparalleled engagement, convenience, and inspiration.”
The service puts the company in competition with other companies such as Peloton, many of which have rapidly grown in popularity as people have looked for ways to work out from home.
The new service costs $9.99 USD a month, or $79.99 a year, including family sharing. It will launch in five countries including Canada, the US, and the UK. You also get three months free when you buy a new Apple Watch.
Update: Fitness+ will be available to Apple Watch customers as a subscription service before the end of 2020 for $12.99 (CAD) per month or $99.99 (CAD).


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By Abrar Khan
The rower will join Peloton’s two bikes and treadmill as part of its suite of connected fitness products.
The announcement comes amid increasing concern over the brand as it celebrates its 10th birthday.
How To Watch 'The Lost City' Online Free
How to apply for U.S Passport or Renew


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ND Sen. Dorgan questions auto dealership closings
Car dealership closings disproportionately affect rural states such as North Dakota, said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
The senator requested a Senate Commerce Committee hearing for early next month to examine the issue.
Chrysler recently announced that seven of its 22 North Dakota dealerships will close June 9. GM has announced it will close 1,100 dealerships nationwide in October 2010.
"I understand the financial reality that some auto dealerships probably need to be closed, but I don't understand the criteria that Chrysler used," said Dorgan. "In rural states like North Dakota, these dealerships are some of the largest employers in the community, and they have a customer base that extends throughout the region."
Matthew Larsgaard, executive vice president of the Automobile Dealers Association of North Dakota, said it seems there have been some arbitrary decisions made and he applauds Dorgan's efforts to seek more transparency.
"Many dealerships in North Dakota are a cornerstone to their community," Larsgaard said, adding that dealership closings could have a detrimental economic impact to the communities in which they're located.
Closings also could impact North Dakotans' ability to get their car serviced by a dealer, Dorgan said.
"Chrysler is going as far as prohibiting the dealerships that will be closed from even doing any warranty work in the future," he said. "That will mean some long drives for rural North Dakotans to get their vehicles serviced under warranty."
Dorgan said Chrysler and GM have a responsibility to close their dealerships in a way that's fair to the people who have been running the shops for years.
He also wrote to the CEOs of Chrysler and GM to question the wisdom of shutting down dealerships in rural America, a news release stated.


text: Unilever sees 70% growth delivered by its sustainable living brands by The Good Shopping Guide | May 11, 2018 | Ethical Shopping Blog | 0 comments Unilever has reported some eye-catching figures this week. It begins with the fact that the most sustainable brands on its roster grew 46% faster than the others in 2017. This list comprises of the likes of Dove, Lipton, Hellmann’s and Knorr. But it gets better: in total, the company’s entire selection of sustainable living brands delivered 70% growth last year. The figures are being celebrated as proof that a model of sustainable and ethical business practice is not just possible, but a site for real opportunity. Unilever CEO tweeted in response to the news: Great figures today, 70% of @Unilever growth delivered by #sustliving brands in 2017 – proving this is a model that works https://t.co/dO5voYkXts — Paul Polman (@PaulPolman) May 10, 2018 Unilever has committed to some incredibly ambitious sustainability targets, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the company describes its sustainable living brands as the “furthest ahead” in working to meet these targets. As summarised by Ethical Corp., “The sustainable living brands now number 26, up from 18 in 2016, with the addition of household names including Vaseline, Sunlight, Sunsilk and Wall’s. As a group they grew 46% faster than the rest of the business and delivered 70% of its growth in turnover. The company, which sells more than 400 brands in 190 countries, generated sales of €53.7bn last year, up a modest 3.1% on 2016”. Other details of interest were also published in Unilever’s recent progress report, including how 109 manufacturing sites for the company are now using 100% renewable energy. Despite these notable ambitions, many Unilever brands continue to rank among the bottom of the ethical company index, due to environmental and animal welfare concerns (among others) across the complete profile of the company. More here. *For an example of Unilever brand rankings, visit the skincare or soap section of The Good Shopping Guide.


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Volkswagen is revisiting an idea from January 2000, when it presented the New Beetle Dune concept in Los Angeles, with a similarly themed concept car at next week’s 2014 Detroit motor Show, but you won’t have to wait until tomorrow to see it as more than a dozen photos surfaced online today.
The new Beetle Dune Concept for a taller-riding and tougher looking version of the retro-inspired compact is very close to production, something that the company itself admits.
In the press release VW stated that while the 2000 concept “was far from a production possibility, the Beetle Dune is very much based on the current production model, using the same 210PS [207hp] turbocharged petrol engine and six-speed DSG gearbox, providing power to the front wheels.”
We’ll have more on the Beetle Dune on Monday.
Story References: VW via Autowp


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AB InBev bets on renewables for future energy
By Ann Crotty - Mar 29th, 09:19
The move will make the beer group the largest corporate direct purchaser of renewable energy in the global consumer goods sector
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the largest beer group in the world, has committed itself to secure 100% of its purchased electricity from renewable sources within eight years. On Tuesday the group, which controls about one-third of the global beer market, said the commitment will shift 6 terawatt-hours of electricity annually to renewable sources in the markets where AB InBev is operating.
The move will make the beer group the largest corporate direct purchaser of renewable energy in the global consumer goods sector. It will have the same effect as removing 500,000 cars from the roads.
"Climate change has profound implications for our company and for the communities where we work," said AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito.
"Cutting back on fossil fuels is good for the environment and good for business and we are committed to helping drive positive change."
AB InBev’s plan is to secure 75%-85% of electricity through direct power purchasing agreements. The remaining 15%-25% will come mainly from onsite technologies such as solar panels. At this stage, there appears to be no major renewable plans for SA.
Through Belgian beer brand Stella Artois the group is also driving a water-related conservation programme with Water. org, founded by US actor Matt Damon. The partnership aims to help bring clean water to more than 3.5-million people in the developing world.© BusinessLIVE MMXVII
SAB introduces alcohol-free beer
07/11/2017 - 16:49
The South African Breweries (SAB) and AB InBev Africa are giving consumers more choice and a smarter drinking option with the introduction of the first alcohol-free beer to be brewed in South Africa. Castle Free, an extension of Castle Lager, offers consumers a real beer taste without the alcohol.
AB InBev sells less beer but at higher prices
26/10/2017 - 09:15
Raising beer prices helped Anheuser-Busch InBev grow its South African revenue 3.9% in the September quarter, despite the volume it sold falling 2.5%.
Coca-Cola SA stays in touch with changing tastes and preferences
20/10/2017 - 14:36
Coca-Cola in South Africa, in line with its global long-term business strategy, is evolving to become a total beverage company that can be even more responsive to people’s changing tastes and needs.
SAB and AB InBev mark one-year anniversary of business combination
12/10/2017 - 10:53
The South African Breweries (SAB) and AB Inbev today mark one year since the two global brewers combined their businesses.
AB InBev completes $3.15 billion Coca-Cola Africa transition
06/10/2017 - 11:17
The world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) on Thursday announced that it has completed the transition of its 54.5% equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) for U.S.$3.15 billion after customary adjustments.


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Written by Dagmar Fors Karppi, firstname.lastname@example.org Saturday, 01 February 2014 00:00
Dodds & Eder has a new owner, but you can relax, it will stay the same. Employees Dorothy Simons and Cary Leopold have purchased the retail part of the business and will continue it as Dodds & Eder Home. The ladies purchased the store from owner Joe McLaughlin. He has been semi-retired for 10 years and enjoys living part time in Florida, said Leopold.
Simons is the longtime manager of Dodds & Eder and is the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce President. “Dottie and I have basically been running the business for years,” said Leopold.
A Huntington resident, she worked at D&E when she was a senior in high school and while attending college. “And so I’ve always worked here,” she said.
The women have purchased the retail part of the business. The store has always had a three-pronged ownership style. English Country Flowers run by Cindi and George Mudford and the landscaping business run by David McLaughlin will remain as they are currently.
“I have been here since 1996 and Dorothy has been here longer,” said Leopold. “We are starting a new company that will be known as Dodds & Eder Home. It will be on our letterhead.”
The business has always been run seasonally with the fourth quarter dedicated to Christmas. “Now it is all ready for the spring,” said Leopold.
The women will be selling outdoor furniture which has become a large part of the business. Their store in Sag Harbor is primarily for outdoor furniture. Here in Oyster Bay they add home décor items and gift items. There will always be something fun to buy for gifts, for yourself or friends, at D&E. They don’t plan to continue to sell plants.
Warehouse Treasure Sale
On Thursday, Jan. 30 they are holding a Warehouse Sale. “We are selling off furniture sets that we are not going forward with, and getting ready to bring in new items. We are constantly changing and now we are getting ready for the spring,” said Leopold.
It was Patricia McSkane of the Knitted Purl who alerted the Enterprise-Pilot about the news at D&E. She said, “Dodds and Eder is under new ownership and to celebrate they are having a 'Warehouse Treasure Sale’ and hosting our next ‘Crochet Boot Camp,’ yippee!
“We will be casting on crochet stitches, enjoying light refreshments, and getting a sneak peek at the sale going on, all while making panels for our Hand-Stitched Hamlet installation. So strap on your snow boots, put on your smushiest most yum delish scarf, refresh your lip gloss, grab a few friends and get out for a little girl time,” said McSkane.
Dodds & Eder was originally a feed and grain store on West Main Street that Joe McLaughlin bought, expanded and then moved to the current location. The store opened with a reception and Joe and Patty’s three red-headed daughters were beautiful to see, dressed in velvet with their hair done in elegant braids.
Dodds & Eder is located at 221 South Street. For information call 516-922-4412. The Knitted Purl is located at 89 South Street. For information please call 558-7800.
Thursday, 30 October 2014 00:00
In a little-known chapter of New York City’s history, the name of police officer Phillip Cardillo is spoken in hushed, revered whispers. Though he was tragically killed in the line of duty back in 1972, the burning embers of his memory are still fanned by a passionate few who wish to finally obtain for the fallen hero the elusive recognition that he truly deserves.
At their Oct. 8 meeting in Mineola, the Nassau County-based Association of Retired Police Officers (ARPO) held a heartfelt ceremony, as both Cardillo as well as the driven NYPD detective who has fought for justice in his name for the past four decades, were honored as the true heroes that they are.
Friday, 31 October 2014 00:00
In what was their last free meeting at the Community United Methodist Church of East Norwich, the East Norwich Civic Association presented a money saving/energy saving program. It was presented by Marriele Robinson of the Homeowner Support PowerUp Communities group, an outreach of the L.I. Progressive Party. She came to offer free energy evaluations of homes to make them more energy efficient, which will save money.
She said Poor Richard’s Almanac promises it to be very cold this winter, and this is a way to plug up your energy leaks, with both current savings on needed work and through rebates resulting in future savings. After an energy assessment of your home, PowerUp will present you with a report based on their contractor’s assessment, which will outline all the ways you can improve your energy efficiency. The report will include all the potential rebates to reduce the cost of the upgrade which includes the option of financing through PS&G, which will include the monthly payments in your monthly bill.
Thursday, 30 October 2014 10:01
A number of awards were given to runners in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich area at the Oct. 18 Oyster Bay Town Supervisor’s 5 Kilometer Run, including 23-year-old Justin Nakrin of Oyster Bay, who finished in 12th place overall and second in the 20-24 age group, and 43-year-old Daniel Valderrama of Oyster Bay, who scored in 17th place overall and second in the 40-44 age group. Maggie Reid of Locust Valley earned first place honors in the 15-19 age group.
The indomitable 81-year-old Nina Jennings of Mill Neck was the oldest woman to finish the run, taking first place honors in the women’s 80-84 age group in 35 minutes, 11 seconds, a pace of 11:19 per mile. She was the fastest of all of the five finishers—male or female—who were 80 years old or more.
Thursday, 23 October 2014 09:08
The autumn varsity sports season is well on its way in Oyster Bay. Many young athletes have distinguished themselves. Several fine young athletes excelled right out of the gate and were chosen by the Oyster Bay Hight School coaches as Athletes of the Month for October 2014.
Cross Country Coach Kevin Cotter has athletes who consistently qualify for the states. Picking one to honor is a difficult task. Within this impressive group of talented athletes, one stands out: junior Alex Tosi, who recently broke the 17 minute barrier for a 5K course at Bethpage State park with a time of 16:52. This feat has not been accomplished since 2008.


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Martin Stig Andersen to Score ‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’
“Proving that you can’t keep a good gun-totin’, hatchet-wieldin’, Nazi-killin’ badass down, BJ Blazkowicz is back in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus”.
This year, Bethesda at E3 announced upcoming game Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus which is due for release on October 27 2017. Produced by MachineGames, the new game is a sequel to Wolfenstein: New Order, which is set in America 1961. Similarly to New Order, the game has us playing BJ Blazkowicz, who begins his new adventure while still recovering from the assassination of Nazi General Deathshead. There are familiar faces from New Order who come back for more as well as a few new faces.
We are delighted to announce that Air Edel’s most recently signed composer Martin Stig Andersen will be writing the score for this new release. Martin is best known for his award-winning work within video games, with his audio for Playdead’s video game ‘Limbo’ winning Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design at the Interactive Achievement Awards. He was also nominated at the BAFTA Video Games Awards in 2011. After the release of ‘Limbo’, Playdead’s ‘Inside’ featured sound design and original composition by Martin and won Best Audio at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2017. He was also nominated at the BAFTA Video Games Awards in 2011.


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Following its recent announcement in the digital dentistry field, Stratasys is currently involving into a new project: a metal additive manufacturing platform. The platform is intended to become a viable manufacturing technology to disrupt standard manufacturing techniques.
It is no more a secret, 3D printing enables its users to take advantage of a freedom of design, to simplify supply chain or even earn in terms of production costs. However, given the fact that metal 3D printing is one of the sectors with great potential in the industry (global market would reach $12 billion by 2028), a few challenges remain regarding the applications of this type of technology.
Stratasys aims to address these challenges via its new platform. It has been developed internally over the past several years, incorporating the Company’s proprietary jetting technology. The platform was designed from inception to provide the values of additive manufacturing for short-run production, while overcoming material limitations of currently available metal-based additive manufacturing systems.
“We are extremely excited to announce our development of this new additive manufacturing platform, targeting short-run production applications for a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense, machining, and metal foundries,” said Ilan Levin, Chief Executive Officer of Stratasys. “We believe that this platform will meaningfully expand our addressable markets for the long term and provide our customers with an effective means to realize the values of additive manufacturing for powder metallurgy applications.”
For further information about 3D Printing, follow us on our social networks and subscribe to our newsletter!


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Traffic came to a halt at Aromire, Ikeja, Lagos, as Forever Living Products Nigeria Limited, celebrated its Lagos Success Showcase where company management conferred “Managers” to numerous independent distributors across the country.
The event which saw FLP Eagle Hall filled to capacity was marked with cheers and applause from distributors who gathered for hours listening to talks and programmes earmarked to enhance their capacity to utilise the various incentives put together to enable them reach their peak in the multi-level marketing business.
Guest Speaker, Consultant Physician, Neurologist & Homeopath and medical director, Healthville, Ikeja, Dr. A.B. Aiyesimoju, said studies had shown that Aloe Vera, especially the Aloe Vera Gel, a major ingredient in the company’s range of products, was effective in the treatment and rehabilitation of skin cancer, management of dental issues and in the management of menopause.
He explained that Gel had proven to be useful in the improvement and management of blood supply in the human body.
Unveiling the numerous distributors who had achieved “managers” status, a middle level recognition position in the ladder of the international organisation, company managing director, Mr. Cornelius Olanrewaju Tay, said there was no limit to what a determined independent distributor in the company could achieve. “All you require is faith, dedication, commitment and above all the understanding of our brand of products”
The Lagos Success Showcase witnessed talk shows, music presentations including a live band at the Eagle Hall.


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News and Rumors
Why bother waiting until your two year service agreement is up just to get that discounted handset when Sprint will let you do it now? According to SprintFeed, the Now
Mobile World Congress is around the corner and we told you that LG is on roll to introduce their new line-up at the mega event. We heard that LG is
There are number of Android powered devices available on the market right now, but not all of them are beautiful enough to catch your eye. If someone asks me about
The carbon fiber protective kits from BodyGuardz are functional and look super cool. I’m personally not a fan of large, bulky cases especially on today’s high end devices that boast
Valentines Day is approaching rapidly and Cricket Wireless is helping direct Android users with a 5 step app guide to make this “hallmark holiday” go smooth. Cricket Wireless put together
A leader in fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, MediaTek Inc. has announced their latest 3rd generation platform for low to mid range Android devices. The MT6575
The Google TV experience is expected to improve in short order as a new update rolls out to the service over the next few days. According to the Google TV
A leaked RUU file for the upcoming HTC Endeavor has confirmed all the pretty little details that we’ve come to expect out of HTC’s upcoming handset. Landing online this past
Samsung follows up their first-ever Android tablet with an Ice Cream Sandwich experience.
Every year (practically every month) our grown-up toys get more and more advanced. Screens get bigger, with higher resolutions, processors get faster, and cameras get better. With this progression, it’s
Mobile World Congress is right around the corner, and it seems that HTC is planning to launch bundle of devices at the event. PocketNow managed to get “first test photos” of
It seems that Samsung is working on Ice Cream Sandwich for the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note, as Eldar Murtazin is saying that Sammy will launch the update for
The 3rd wave of the popular vinyl figures will include a Nexus-inspired design as well two other Google creations.
Looking for something unique and fun for that Android lover in your life? Treat them (or yourself) to one of Sega’s popular Android titles. On second thought, why don’t you
From just about the first moment we learned that Amazon was getting into the Android-based tablet game, we expected at least two devices. Initially we were looking to get a


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June 3, 2009
Submitted by Jill Byers Newport Beach-based Daddy Cakes will treat Daddies to a free pre-Father’s Day pancake brunch 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 20, at Whole Foods Market at The District at Tustin Legacy. Dan Byers, co-founder and creative chef of Daddy Cakes, will be flipping his now-famous pancakes as he serves Daddies and their families during the event. In addition to Daddy Cakes pancakes, the brunch will include items such as eggs, sausage and bacon, as well as a “pancake topping bar,” and coffee, milk and juices.
December 5, 2001
Lolita Harper COSTA MESA -- Whole Foods Market is moving out of its Triangle Square location because the underground store is not doing well enough, officials said. "It's not something we want to do. We really enjoyed the community and feel like they embraced us but they just don't want to drive underground," said the natural and organic food retailer's Regional Marketing Director Elizabeth Carovillano. Whole Foods plans to close in April but will provide full service for as long as they possibly can, Carovillano said.
April 22, 2001
Jennifer K Mahal Most people think of food shopping as a chore. But on Monday, celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger intend to turn walking down the grocery aisles at Costa Mesa's Whole Foods Market into an adventure. Milliken and Feniger, also known as the Border Girls, will give free tours of the market at Triangle Square, answering questions, dishing out food and giving away recipes. The event is part of a series of appearances the longtime business partners are giving around the Southland as spokesmen for Whole Foods.
January 12, 2010
Restaurateur Jenny Ross, chef/owner of 118 Degrees Restaurant in Costa Mesa has taken her original recipes and pioneering spirit to Whole Foods Market at The District in Tustin where the Raw Bar, a new counter featuring raw foods, is now open. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 2010, Chef Jenny will host a Grand Opening event at the new Raw Bar counter within the store that will allow guests to sample delicious raw cuisine inspired by her experience in the field of living foods.
May 11, 2009
Newport Beach-based Daddy Cakes pampered 50 Mommies and their children this Mother’s Day at a special brunch held at The District at Tustin Legacy. Each child received an official event Chef’s toque and other gifts, that even mom can enjoy! The brunch featured giveaways, prizes and live entertainment, including a balloon-maker and music. “The District is the ultimate family destination and in line with the many events we have hosted for families throughout Orange County, this event with Whole Foods Market and Daddy Cakes Bakery is another way for us to contribute to the community,” commented Kimberly Daskas, Director of Marketing for The District at Tustin Legacy.
December 27, 2001
Popcorn lovers rejoice! ACT II, a microwave popcorn maker, now makes a slightly sweet, slightly salty blend of popcorn to tempt that tongue in its all-new Kettle Corn, the first of its kind in the microwave popcorn category. The new popcorn comes in packs of three for $2.19, five for $2.27 and six for $2.99, and can be found in grocery, drug and club stores and mass merchandisers everywhere. One cup of popped corn has three grams of fat, one gram saturated, zero grams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, four grams of carbohydrates and less than one gram of protein.
June 13, 2000
-- Compiled by Amy Spurgeon; photos by Sean Hiller With summer vacation just weeks away, we asked Costa Mesa High School students what their ideal summer job would be. "My job would be something that brings in a lot of money, but doesn't require a lot of work. But since we are moving this summer, I don't have to get a job." STEVEN ERRICO, 15 Freshman, Costa Mesa "I already work for Whole Foods Market. I've been employed for the past 11 months.
March 5, 2009
In an economic climate when many small companies are experiencing little-to-no growth, Newport Beach-based, Daddy Cakes, which produces a line of nine flavors of pancake mixes, has grown exponentially over the past year, recently expanding its distribution in Orange County to Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Markets. A fairly young company, Daddy Cakes launched its first mix in mid-2007 and, within a few months, went on to develop the complete line of nine flavors, all of which are vegetarian, with three 100% organic flavors & six vegan flavors, all available online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.
August 18, 2001
Network 17 will hold a grand reopening sale today with all kinds of back-to-school specials. At the event, Network 17 will give out freebies to customers, and all soft goods will be discounted 20% through Aug. 26. The newly expanded store carries all kinds of surf and skate merchandise, including such popular labels as Roxy, Circa, Quiksilver, Hurley, Volcom, Etnies and more. The store now carries boys' and children's sizes, and women's and girls' clothing.


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GAME stores in Winchester, Southampton, Fleet, Salisbury, Reading, Crawley, Brighton, Basildon, Ashford, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Bluewater, Hastings, Lakeside, Newport and Portsmouth are among those set to close, reports say.
More top news
Monday's weather for the east
Monday's weather for the west
Philippa has the latest weather update for the east


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Microsoft has announced new games coming to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service during its E3 press conference - some of which are playable now.
Microsoft also highlighted Forza Horizon 2 and the recently delayed Crackdown 2 will be available on the service when they launch. Third party games Ashen, Warhammer Vermintide, Phoenix Point and Afterparty will also be available day-in-date.
Finally, Microsoft also confirmed Halo Master Chief Collection is coming to the service later this year.
Elsewhere, the service will make use of FastStart technology, which uses machine learning techniques to help you play games from the service faster, starting with Xbox One's June update. It'll get better as algorithms are refined over time, too.


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One London Road / Staines
TW18 4EX Middlesex
+1 (212) 616-6006
NDS Provides On Digital Media with Key Technologies to Launch South African Pay-TV Platform
- On Digital Media chooses NDS MediaHighway® set-top box software, VideoGuard®
conditional access and an NDS electronic programme guide for its DTH platform
- NDS appointed as prime integrator on the project
- New, flexible service addresses the needs of pay-TV subscribers in middle-income
households in South Africa
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that On Digital Media has selected NDS as technology provider and prime integrator to support the launch of its direct-to-home (DTH) platform in South Africa. The new service, TopTV, will go live in Q2 2010.
On Digital Media will secure their MPEG4 DVB-S2-based service using NDS’ market-
leading VideoGuard® conditional access technology. To enable the platform and provide
the basis for future functionality, NDS MediaHighway® set-top box software and an NDS
developed electronic programme guide (EPG) will also be implemented.
The launch of the TopTV platform will provide South Africans with a choice of satellite
service providers. TopTV will offer a competitively-priced basic package of approximately 30 channels. On Digital Media will offer subscribers the flexibility to tailor their services to their own requirements and budget.
“We chose to partner with NDS as it offers the most secure encryption for pay-TV and a
middleware roadmap that will allow us to introduce more advanced features including a
DVR service in the future. The design and ease-of-use of NDS user interfaces was also a key factor in our decision,” said Vino Govender, CEO of On Digital Media. “Moreover, we are benefiting from NDS’ professional services as they bring unique experience from their involvement on similar engagements around the world.”
“On Digital Media is bringing pay-TV to middle-income households in South Africa for the
first time. This represents a key win for NDS as we expand our presence in the emerging pay-TV market across the continent,” said Giles Wain, NDS Vice President of Regional Sales, EMEA. “The pay-TV market in Africa is at a tipping point. We are investing in local expertise at our new office in South Africa to ensure we are well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities.”
About On Digital Media
On Digital Media (ODM) is a proudly South African incorporated company, which will be launching the country’s second Pay TV platform in May 2010. ODM will offer a new commercial satellite subscription service to South African audiences based
on maximum choice and affordability. Content on the platform will be comprised of both local and international channels, giving subscribers a wide array of viewing options. Content will cover most television genres including Knowledge, Music, Children, Sport, Gospel and General Entertainment.
On the technology front audiences can be assured of the latest, state of the art digital broadcasting technology including MPEG-4 and DVB-S2. ODM possesses a powerful combination of technical capability and industry expertise, both at shareholding and management levels which will assure a significant and exciting impact on the market.
The use of information published here for personal information and editorial processing is generally free of charge. Please clarify any copyright issues with the stated publisher before further use. In the event of publication, please send a specimen copy to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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This year’s Met Gala was filled with so many memorable, envelope-pushing dresses, but it looks like there’s one that’s getting a lot of flack from fans.
Scarlett Johansson attended the annual event wearing an off-the-shoulder burgundy dress with a tulle skirt and floral appliqués from Marchesa, which got a lot of attention for its controversial designer, Georgina Chapman, who is the estranged wife of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Marchesa's designs have been noticeably absent from all the major red carpets this year following the wake of the Weinstein sexual assault scandal, so Johansson's gown definitely made quite the statement.
In fact, E! News reports that she's the first celebrity that has worn a gown from the label since!
Following the backlash for her bold fashion choice, Johansson released a statement explaining her choice to wear the brand.
"I wore Marchesa because their clothes make women feel confident and beautiful and it is my pleasure to support a brand created by two incredibly talented and important female designers," she said.
Marchesa also released a similar statement, saying, "We are truly honored that Scarlett chose to wear Marchesa for the Met Gala. She is an amazingly talented actor who has incredible style and presence. It was wonderful to work so closely with her in creating this custom look."
What do you think of ScarJo's Met Gala Dress? Let us know in the comments below!


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Even as WeWork Inc plans to file Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy in New Jersey, the Indian business of the co-working space company will not be affected, according to Karan Virwani, CEO at WeWork India.
“WeWork India is a separate entity from WeWork Global. The recent news around the potential bankruptcy and Chapter 11 filing in the US will have no impact on the members and stakeholders in India. Any development globally has no bearing on the operations of the business. In India, we will continue to operate and serve our members, landlords, and partners as usual,” Virwani clarified.
He further explained that the Indian operations are backed by the Embassy Group, which holds the majority stake and control to run and operate the business in India.


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1/ Microsoft links with Facebook to counter Google
Facebook and Microsoft announced a partnership Wednesday that will give the results on Microsoft's Bing search engine a social twist — and could help both companies compete against a common adversary, Google.
The new feature allows people who use Facebook to see Bing search results that incorporate information from their friends, like restaurant recommendations.
When a user searches for something like a movie, place or product on Bing, information about how many of their friends "liked" that item on Facebook and related links they have shared will appear alongside the results. The Facebook data will help determine how prominently these will appear, said Yusuf Mehdi, a senior vice president for online business at Microsoft.
"It isn't just about the common connections between data and the offline world. It's about the connections between people," Mehdi said.
2/ Google Fends Off Yahoo, Bing to Grab 66% of Search
Google's September U.S. search market share crept up to 66.1 percent from 65.4 percent in August, according to new data released from comScore Oct. 13.
Perennial No. 2 search player Yahoo, whose results are now powered by Microsoft Bing, slipped from 17.4 percent in August to 16.7 percent through September. This may be a continued trend if more users jump ship to Bing or Google.
Bing nudged up from 11.1 percent to 11.2 percent in comScore's count of explicit core search, which the researcher calculates by excluding user interface features such as slide shows and contextual links.
3/ Google widens US search lead while Yahoo slips
Google Inc. increased its lead in the online search market after accelerating the delivery of its search results while its closest rival, Yahoo Inc., lost ground during the first full month of its partnership with Microsoft Corp.
With its September strides, Google recovered most of the ground that it had lost since May, according to data released late Monday by the Internet research firm comScore Inc.
Google ended September with a U.S. share of 66.1 percent, up from 65.4 percent in August, comScore said. Google held a 66.4 percent share in May before dipping in each of the next three months.
The recent gains suggest a change that Google made in early September is achieving its goal of encouraging more frequent searches by delivering results more quickly. The new Google feature, called "Instant Search," displays results as soon as people start typing a request. The results change as more information is entered into the search box.
4/ Facebook partners with Microsoft to slow down Google juggernaut
Qi Lu, president of Microsoft's online services division, headlined the Wednesday press conference at which Microsoft announced a partnership with Facebook to integrate Microsoft's Bing search engine into the world's most popular social network.
Lu's presentation might lead you to believe this was mostly about Bing continuing to nibble away at Google's seemingly unshakeable 60%-plus share of the U.S. search market.
Lu, whom Microsoft lured from a senior post at Yahoo, vowed that Bing integrated into Facebook would " harness and unlock the tremendous potentials of social."
However, this partnership isn't really about Bing vs. Google. It's much more about Facebook hunkering down to repel the ambitious search giant.


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With Ohio set to launch legal sports gambling on January 1, there are many physical and online betting sites eager to be some of the first in the state. The state has been preparing for the change, with licensed proprietors around the state installing new counters and signage to prepare for the influx of customers who will be looking to place bets.
While numerous platforms want to capitalize on being some of the first online sports gambling sites as soon as possible, others have taken a more strategic approach, planning for a later start date.
Ohio Sportsbooks, Just Waiting
Amy Ankerson, senior vice president and general manager at Scioto Downs, has recently provided an update on the status of the casino’s upcoming retail sportsbook.
According to Ankerson, the sportsbook is almost ready to open its doors, with only a few minor details left to take care of before completion. This week, the Ohio Casino Control Commission will conduct its final assessment of the location in order for it to meet all necessary requirements prior to opening.
“I am really proud of just the collaboration of everybody, from the OCCC to the builders that we had come in here, to our team members. Ankerson said.
“They have just put so much blood, sweat, and tears into the buildout of this,”
Aside from the tellers and sports betting kiosks, Scioto Downs partnered with Caesars sportsbook for online operations.
DraftKings, an online sports betting company, is also just awaiting January 1, when it will finally be allowed to launch its sportsbook in Ohio. Matt Kalish, the co-founder and North American President of the organization mentioned that while they had already launched in 21 states prior to this point, getting prepared for Ohio didn’t prove quite as laborious.
In fact, most of their efforts are currently focused on advertising and spreading awareness for the sportsbook within the state. By securing licensing and preparing to advertise its services in Ohio, DraftKings appears confident about being able to create even more success for itself leading into 2023.
Other Platforms Need More Time
As the official launch of Ohio’s bookmarkers swiftly approaches, Jessica Franks, the communications director for the Casino Control Commission, has indicated that some proprietors and vendors may not commence their businesses until after the universal start date.
“I know that there are some folks out there that have publicly said that they are not going to be ready to start on Jan. 1.”
That includes Kroger, a Cincinnati-based grocery chain. While Kroger received approval earlier this year for their in-store sports gambling kiosks, a spokesperson recently announced that the company is still taking the necessary precautions and conducting due diligence before launching a full program.
Despite having permission to open, they have decided to wait until later in 2023 before fully implementing the kiosks. This decision provides extra time to make sure all safety protocols are met and allows customers more time to become familiar with the kiosks’ user interface.


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The goat gap
Who was the person who said ‘If you like the view, eat it’?” says Dan Barber, chef-owner of New York City’s Blue Hill and its Westchester restaurant and education center Blue Hill at Stone Barns. “They must have been referring to goats. Goats eat any kind of grass—especially brush and thorny bushes that encroach on grass fields, preserving open space like no other animal. And then there’s the meat. Which means with every delicious bite you get great flavor. What is tastier than that?”
What, indeed? Goat is the healthiest of red meats. Since goats live on pasture, their meat has low saturated fat content; at the same time, the omega 3’s and other fatty acids that they ingest actually lower cholesterol. In addition to health benefits, goats thrive on land unsuitable for other species and are particularly suited to maintaining vacant and unused farmland where they feast on bush honeysuckle, groundcover weeds and tough vines.
So where is the booming U.S. goat industry that Dan Barber’s description might lead you to expect? For the most part, it’s not what it could be. At least not yet. There’s a proven unmet demand (we import about half of our goat meat), but the infrastructure doesn’t quite exist to get American goats to market. And the reasons why offer a fascinating view into how food markets work—and sometimes don’t.
When it comes to goat meat, Americans are unusual: unlike much of the rest of the world, many of us eat no goat meat at all. But we do eat goat cheese, which over the past decade has been one of the country’s fastest-growing dairy categories. There are roughly a million dairy goats in the United States, producing about 24,000 tons of goat milk and 600 tons of cheese. (We also import a similar amount of goat cheese from abroad.)
So what happens to their brothers—the 40,000 to 50,000 male dairy goats born each year who don’t produce milk?
They’re a hard sell for farmers, says Lynn Fleming, founder of upstate New York’s Lynnhaven Farm. She has no problem selling her goat cheeses at farmers’ markets and high-end restaurants in New York City like Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen. But unlike in the cattle industry where male dairy calves can be used for veal or ground meat, there is no obvious channel for goat meat. Producers must decide whether or not to raise them for meat, an expensive proposition for a business with, at best, a small profit margin. If they can’t be used for meat, they’re sometimes wethered and used as show animals.
That tiny margin, by the way, is not because goat fetches a low retail price–quite the opposite. It’s because goat meat is so expensive and difficult to produce. In other words, demand isn’t the problem.
“Goat will never be a cheap product,” says Anita Dahnke, executive director of the American Goat Federation. “You cannot feedlot goats like you can cattle.” That’s because they’re extremely susceptible to parasites, which are ingested from the soil and passed out through their manure. Overcrowding makes the problem exponentially worse.
Even managing the wormload of healthy animals takes a lot of skill and patience, says Suzanne Gasparotto, owner and educator at Onion Creek Ranch in Lohn, Texas. Because of the industry’s low profile, there are few if any commercial medicines available when goats get sick. In order to keep illness-prone herds healthy, you need a lot of land—the most experienced farmer might have trouble supporting more than a few animals per acre. And fewer animals per acre means fewer dollars.
At the same time, Dahnke says, few slaughter facilities are willing to process and package goats. All in all, it adds up to a stark financial picture—the USDA estimates that 91% of goat producers make less than a fourth of their income from farming.
The United States is 750,000 head deficient in meeting current demand for goat meat. Considering average herd size, that’s about 25,000 herds too few.
Supply-side challenges have been daunting enough to keep the market small. And that means, paradoxically, we don’t even produce enough goat meat to feed the Americans—primarily those of non-European ancestry—who do routinely eat it. “In order to meet the demand for goat meat in the United States today,” says Dahnke, “52 percent of the goat meat consumed is imported, primarily from Australia and New Zealand.”
These are interesting times in the goat world, as researchers and advocates look for ways to raise the animal’s profile in the marketplace. To call attention to the plight of male dairy goats, the online butcher Heritage Foods launched a “No Goat Left Behind” campaign with an annual Goatober, linking restaurants and butchers with dairy goat producers. Participating restaurants featured special goat meat dishes such as braised goat ragu, goat filled ravioli, goat buns, and goat curry.
In Georgia, researchers from Fort Valley State University worked with entrepreneurs David and Frances Martin to launch Gotcha Goat, a company that aims to help Georgia’s meat goat producers and processors fill rising demand for the meat. Anand Mohan, meat scientist with the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, says: “Our goal is to make Americans aware of goat meat as a delicious option for dinner.”
Expanding on this, David Martin says: “Most Americans’ first experience with goat meat has likely been a curried goat dish served at an Indian or Jamaican restaurant. We want to expand peoples’ ideas about goats and get them to try it in other formats like a burger or ground in spaghetti, lasagna, tacos or goat jerk or sausage.”
Until recently, most goats consumed domestically were dairy goats. But as the demand for goat meat grows, farmers are raising goats specifically for their meat, breeding for a heavier muscle mass than typical dairy breeds. The most popular are Spanish meat goats, which are not purebred but a cross between native Texas or Spanish goats and Nubians, dairy goats that are also good meat goats. These so-called native goats were originally brought into the southern United States by Spanish invaders, hence their name. In 1993, the Boer goat, a South African breed was introduced into the United States. It matures faster than dairy goats and therefore is more economical to produce and has haunches that contain almost twice as much meat as those of the Spanish goat.
Will new breeds help close the goat gap? Maybe. But one thing’s certain: if producers can solve the supply-side challenges, the demand is there. Though it’s still a fractured market. Besides, unlike other livestock producers, goat farmers don’t have to worry about competition from industrial agriculture. “With the average herd size only thirty head, goats lend themselves very well to small-scale farm operations,” Dahnke says. Big Goat? Not likely.


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The world is drowning in an ever-increasing heap of garbage. It is posing lots of health and environmental hazards to both humans and animals. The rate at which waste is accumulating is turning our towns and cities into dump sites. Nations all over the world are faced with the herculean task of finding convenient and an appropriate means of disposal of waste.
Over 2 billion tires are produced annually with less than 30% being recycled. In a recent study carried out in the united states alone, data showed that by the end of 2015, only 11% of scrap tires produced in the US were going to landfills. 11% might sound small, but that’s still 460 thousand tons of tires going to waste and a large number isn’t accounted for (Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association, USA). The cost of not recycling tires is huge – both to individuals and society at large.
Governments and corporate bodies are continually seeking for lasting solutions through waste recycling.
Technological developments are opening the gates to the proper management of waste/recycling. By the way, nothing could be termed a waste if properly recycled. Today, Blockchain technology has already disrupted the traditional way we do things. Could waste management also be decentralized?
Interestingly, decentralized Hyperledger technology is slowly making way into waste recycling. In the automobile industry, it is becoming increasingly difficult to track and efficiently manage the disposal of used or damaged tyres. More than ¾ are not properly disposed thereby causing harm to humans and the environment.
Phil Rudoni, Chief Tech Officer at Rubicon once said that “A big issue the waste industry faces is the lack of accountability for the end destination of recycled material.” Just as blockchain network could currently track the supply chain of any system, the same approach could also be employed in tracking an efficient waste recycling system into usable harmless products. Thereby creating an economic product and apparently saving the environment – it’s a win-win situation for everybody.
Introduction to EMJAC
EMJAC is a blockchain solution company with a focus on employing state-of-the-art blockchain technology to provide transparency and traceability across the logistics flow of recycled tyres supply chain.
As a global company, EMJAC will be building its technology on top of the Ethereum blockchain, with the aim of recycling waste tyres into green and clean renewable energy using the TRU technology.
The TRU technology, according to the EMJAC whitepaper, will recover 100% of waste tyres into 4 valuable commodities: 45% refined diesel, 35% refined carbon black, 10%, steel wires and 10% synthetic gas. Most importantly, this green technology will not leave behind any carbon footprint.
The EMJAC project is headed by Meng Kwan, who is an industry specialist together with few other peers who have considerable experience in the area of Blockchain, Recycling and Business operations. The EMJAC project has undergone proof of concept, testing of the prototype technology since 2016 and now all is set for the launch.
The EMJAC Marketplace & Traceability Solution
EMJAC marketplace powered by blockchain technology, will allow token holders to trade on the buying and selling of the recycled products like synthetic diesel, refined black and steel wires on a global marketplace. Such a trading opportunity exists due to the high demands of these products especially diesel which is an integral energy requirement in every country.
EMJAC is embarking upon state-of-the-art blockchain technology to provide transparency and traceability across the logistics flow of recycled tyre supply chain. The system is built upon IoT automation to track waste tyre consignments all the way from the yards to TRU as depicted earlier. The entire traceability mechanism is built atop Hyperledger Fabric. A blockchain network comprising of multiple nodes representing the yards. transporters, shippers and EMJAC is formed to seamlessly trace the logistics operation of the tyre consignments till the TRU facility.
The whole traceability system is possible through the EMJAC application. The app is an essential component of EMJAC’s traceability system. The app is used for managing the logistics of tire consignments from the yard to the EMJAC TRU facility.
The EMJAC Token
EMJAC will be launching its marketplace which will facilitate business and track the supply between peer to peer and business to business engaged in the movement and transactions of waste tyres. The EMJ token is the economy that powers this proposed marketplace. EMJ is an ERC-20 standard token which will fascinate trading, settlement of contracts, and leverage in the EMJAC platform with many more features.
EMJAC Token Sales Details (IEO)
As part of the continued effort to ensure a successful project development and subsequently create more adoption and distribute the EMJ token to the community, EMJAC will be conducting an IEO (Initial Exchange Exchange). Currently, the IEO is planned to be launched on the crypto exchange, exmarket with following key details:
Start Time: 30th September 2019, 13:00 GMT
End Time: 9th October 2019, 09:59 GMT
Soft cap: US$8 million
Hard cap: US$35 million
KYC mandatory: Yes
The sale will be issued in 3 bonus rounds:
ROUND 1: $0.08 (September 30th — October 10th)
ROUND 2: $0.11 (October 10th — October 20th)
ROUND 3: $0.18 (October 21st — October 31st)
Total token supply 500,000,000
Tokens for sale 350,000,000 (70%)
Tokens retains 150,000,000 (30%)
The role blockchain technology will play in the efficient waste management space is tremendous. Being an early player, EMJAC is committed to bringing this prototype of efficient tyre recycling into a full working product. You too can be part of the revolution by participating in the upcoming token sales and joining thousands of EMJAC online supporters globally.
New Exchange Partnership
We are glad to announce that we have P2PB2B exchange on board with us in this beautiful journey towards turning waste into green energy.
EMJAC important links
Other important links
Official Whitepaper: https://www.emjac.io/assets/emjac_wp.pdf
Official Medium Page: https://firstname.lastname@example.org
Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphTRuVw6PP8UluwjhSHU_A/featured
Official Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/emjac_emj
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EMJToken/
Official Reddit Page: https://www.reddit.com/r/Emjac/
Disclosure: This is a sponsored press release
The post EMJAC – Adopting DLT: Your Next Generation Waste Management Solution Provider appeared first on The Merkle Hash.


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(Crewe/Stockholm, 30 August 2013) Bentley today announced the opening of a new dealership in Stockholm, expanding the luxury British marque’s presence in the Swedish market.
The new showroom is located on Grev Turegatan, a major thoroughfare located in one of Stockholm’s main designer shopping districts, bringing the brand closer to its main customer base in the city and representing a significant long-term investment in the region. Bentley’s current premises in Sweden, located in the southern city of Malmö, will continue to serve customers in the south of the country, operating as an official Bentley aftersales and pre-owned sales centre.
Filip Larsson, Managing Director, Bentley Stockholm, commented: “The opening of our new showroom in Stockholm is a great moment for Bentley in Sweden. With their all-year round, effortless driveability, Bentley cars have always been extremely popular with customers here. Bringing our sales centre closer to our main customer base will strengthen Bentley’s position in Sweden even further.”
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During the dealership’s official opening, Bentley Stockholm also presented the new Flying Spur to local customers for the first time. The new model blends effortless driveability, exquisite luxury and craftsmanship, sculpted design and state-of-the-art technology. It is powered by Bentley’s 6.0-litre, twin turbo W12 engine, and permanent all-wheel drive ensures the Flying Spur puts all 625 PS to the road, sprinting from 0-100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds.
Bentley sales in Europe during the first half of 2013 grew by 22 per cent compared to the same period last year, and the company has ambitious plans to achieve further sales growth, through new model introductions like the Flying Spur and significant expansion of its dealer network.
- New Stockholm premises represent long-term investment in the region and bring the brand closer to main customer base
- Malmö location continues as service and pre-owned sales centre
- New showroom opening coincides with regional premiere of Flying Spur luxury sedan


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By Firegirl on October 29, 2010
Barnes and Noble recently announced that they will be introducing a color version of the Nook within a month. The NOOKcolor, with its 7-inch full color screen, color children’s books, magazine, and apps will be a good contender for the Amazon Kindle. Barnes and Noble hasn’t released full information on the NOOKcolor yet, like processor speed,More...
By Firegirl on April 29, 2010
Barnes and Noble recently released a new that addresses some important issues while adding a few unexpected bonuses to their popular ereader, the Nook.More...
By Firegirl on April 8, 2010
Now that the iPad is officially out, it looks like the eReader wars are heating up. And some of your favorite retail stores will be getting into the game.More...
By Firegirl on March 17, 2010
In recent months, there has been a massive explosion in e-reader technologies on the market. There’s the very popular Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, several Sony Reader versions, and the upcoming Apple iPad. After doing some research, we decided to get our hands on the Nook to see how the Android technology lends itself to the e-reader market.More...
By Firegirl on February 5, 2010
Looks like the prayers of the frustrated Nook owners have finally been answered. Barnes and Noble has started releasing an update to their popluar eReader today to address some heavy issues users have been complaining about.More...


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Shares of Pitney Bowes (PBI -1.50%), a small-cap provider of postal delivery solutions, isn't the kind of stock you'd ordinarily expect to blow up 50% in a day, but that's precisely what we're seeing this afternoon: Pitney Bowes stock, up 52% as of 2:45 p.m. EST.
The question is why?
Is it earnings? Pitney Bowes is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter numbers in just one week, after all, on Feb. 2. But analysts are forecasting profits of just $0.10 per share, or 29% below what the company earned a year ago, despite sales growing 13%.
That hardly seems like anything to get excited about.
Or is it a takeover rumor that's lifting this stock? On the SEC's website, BlackRock (BLK 0.55%) just made an SC-13G/A filing showing that it has taken a 14.6% stake in Pitney Bowes stock.
Problem is...that's precisely the same amount BlackRock already owned a year ago. No change at all.
Or could it be...WallStreetBets (WSB), the Reddit phenomenon that's already blown up shares of everyone from Bed Bath & Beyond to GameStop to Virgin Galactic, as it directs its legions of short-term momentum traders to buy shares of heavily shorted stocks and send them to the moon, flying on a wing and a prayer?
I honestly don't know which of these factors is actually sending Pitney Bowes stock so dramatically higher today. Maybe it's a combination of all three: a misinterpretation of the BlackRock filing combining with a rumor that earnings will outperform; and the hope that these two factors will work in combination to "squeeze the shorts" who are betting on Pitney Bowes' downfall and have sold 13% of the company's shares short.
What I do know is that Pitney Bowes' profit has been falling for three straight years. It's unprofitable so far this year, too, and likely to end the year with a loss -- and it's carrying $2 billion in net debt. That's not the kind of stock I personally would bet on to outperform the stock market over the long term, although it's certainly doing mighty fine today.


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India economic adviser slashes GDP growth estimate for 2013/14 to 5.3 percent
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's economy is expected to grow 5.3 percent this fiscal year, the prime minister's economic advisory panel said on Friday, sharply lower than an earlier estimate of 6.4 percent but higher than last year.
The revised forecast is roughly in line with projections of the central bank and many private economists, who expect Asia's third-largest economy to grow at around 5 percent, the same level as in 2012/2013.
A pick-up in automobile production and exports in August indicated that the manufacturing sector would do better in the second half than the first, said C. Rangarajan, the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.
"Taking these factors into account, the forecast growth rate appears reasonable," Rangarajan said.
India's industrial production unexpectedly rebounded in July while consumer inflation cooled last month, offering some relief for policymakers who have been battling the country's worst economic crisis in more than 20 years.
The rupee has fallen nearly 14 percent against the dollar so far this year, hitting a record low last month, as the economy struggles with decade-low growth, a record current account deficit and a steep fiscal shortfall.
The advisory council also said that containing the fiscal deficit within the budgeted target of 4.8 percent of gross domestic product could be a challenge. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said the target will not be breached.
"My fiscal deficit estimate is now 5.5 percent, but it all depends on how Chidambaram manages it," said Anjali Verma, chief economist at PhillipCapital. "He can go back to slashing planned spending like last year."
Rangarajan also said the current account deficit could be lower than the $70 billion that the government is targeting if current trends in exports and imports continued, citing data showing the trade deficit had narrowed in August. Continued...


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Celebrations in Daura as President’s daughter becomes Gimba’s fourth wife
The soft drink and bottled water sellers are receiving high patronage due to the scorching heat in the city.
Supermarkets, shops, soft drink sellers and commercial motorcyclists recorded a boom in their businesses as visitors and well wishers from across the country were sighted purchasing various traditional wares.
The traders at Daura city market also conducted their businesses without hindrance.
It was observed that there was high vehicular traffic as various brands of assorted cars and jeeps belonging to invitees flooded the town.
Several of the invitees drove straight to the Emir of Daura’s palace, Alhaji Umar Farouq, to pay homage before proceeding to the venue of the wedding.
The residents of Daura were also seen in high spirit, receiving and entertaining visitors as well as directing them to various places in appreciation of their presence for the high profile wedding.
The President’s daughter, Fatima, is getting married to her heartthrob, Malam Gimba Yau Kumo.
She will become the fourth wife of Gimba, who is a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
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The CFPB director encouraged credit card companies to disclose credit scores to consumers for free.
Barclaycard said its co-branded credit cards with L.L. Bean and U.S. Airways can be added to Google Wallet.
An online auction site is auctioning off an American Express Green Card that once belonged to Michael Jordan.
Sallie Mae rolled out a new Upromise World MasterCard backed by Barclaycard US.
Explore the ways the new crowd-sourced credit card from Barclaycard allows cardholders to influence the company.
Check out what the online community for the new crowd-sourced credit card from Barclaycard has to offer cardholders.
Barclarycard’s crowdsourced credit card is now available to those who want to apply.
Consumers who love, love, love social media might be intrigued by a new credit card that aims to involve an online community in how the card is designed, priced and promoted. The card is the Barclaycard Ring MasterCard, unveiled Monday from Barclaycard U.S., the Wilmington, Del.-based domestic payments business of Barclays. “In essence, it’s the
For aspiring Gordon Ramsays, Bobby Flays and Rachael Rays (or those who just want to mimic their kitchens), here’s a rewards credit card for you. Williams-Sonoma served up its first credit card with Barclaycard Thursday, featuring the Visa logo. Cardholders earn three rewards points for every dollar spent at the culinary retailer along with one-for-one
Beginning June 1, the Travelocity Rewards American Express card, issued by Barclaycard US, will be open for business. We’ve already completed our credit card rewards survey — which will be published on June 7 — so this card won’t make it. But its features are worth pointing out. First, it has a $39 annual fee. If


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Corporate Bankruptcy: What Investors Need to Know
By Rachel Beck, The Associated Press
That means they can't pay their bills or creditors in a timely fashion. In many cases, they turn to the bankruptcy court for cover—either to liquidate or reorganize their businesses.
The plethora of corporate bankruptcies lately could put this year in the record books. There have been 100 public company bankruptcy filings during the first five months of this year, just shy of the 2002 high for the same January-through-May period, according to BankruptcyData.com.
So it's probably a good time to understand what a corporate bankruptcy is and how the process works. Here are some questions and answers.
What is bankruptcy?
Bankruptcy is a legal procedure set forth by the U.S. Bankruptcy Code for use when a debtor isn't able to make payments. That could happen when a company (or individual) can't pay debts as they come due, or has overwhelming debt obligations.
In the case of GM, the nation's largest automaker had $172.81 billion in debt and $82.29 billion in assets, according to its bankruptcy filing on Monday.
Bankruptcy is a safe haven because it gives companies protection from their creditors, which can no longer demand to be paid once bankruptcy is declared.
What are the different kinds of bankruptcy?
The vast majority of corporate bankruptcies are filed under Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.
When a company files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, it typically leads to a liquidation of its business. This means the company does not intend to continue operating and plans to sell off its parts. Proceeds from the sale are then distributed to creditors in the order of their priority.
A company can thwart liquidation during a Chapter 7 proceeding if it settles with its creditors.
A Chapter 11 filing usually involves the company reorganizing its business through the bankruptcy process in the hope that it will survive. This action shields a company from creditors' demands for payments and from lawsuits while it restructures its finances. Contract terms can also be rewritten under the Bankruptcy Code—something that can't easily be accomplished without a bankruptcy filing.
That is why it is often said that a company filing for Chapter 11 gets bankruptcy court protection.
"Bankruptcy supplies some breathing room to companies because it stops all collection efforts," said Theodore Eisenberg, a professor of law at Cornell University.
What power do creditors have during bankruptcy cases?
During Chapter 11 proceedings, the debtor's reorganization plan must be accepted by a majority of its creditors.
But there are exceptions. Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code requires only court approval for asset sales. This means creditors don't get any say if a company wants to sell off certain parts.
Chrysler won such approval in late May. A bankruptcy judge gave the No. 3 U.S. automaker consent to sell most of its assets to Italy's Fiat. That set the stage for Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy protection after a two-month reorganization.
GM also plans to use Section 363. The company intends to sell its healthy assets to a new entity, Vehicle Acquisition Holdings, which is 60% backed by the U.S. government.
It is up to the bankruptcy court to decide when Section 363 can be used, Eisenberg said. In Chrysler's case, the judge likely feared that Fiat could withdraw its offer, so there was an incentive to permit the quick asset sale, he said.
Are companies filing for bankruptcy considered insolvent—meaning that they can't pay their debts when they come due?
That may be so for many companies facing bankruptcy, but it's not always true.
Bankruptcy experts point to the 1987 bankruptcy filing by Texaco. The oil company lost a lawsuit in which Pennzoil claimed Texaco had interfered with a planned merger between Pennzoil and Getty Oil. The judgment against Texaco was for nearly $11 billion in damages, which Texaco argued it lacked the assets to pay.
This led Texaco to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company later settled with Pennzoil for $3 billion.
But Texaco's bankruptcy case didn't have anything to do with a lack of demand for its oil.
"Texaco couldn't come up with enough cash, but it wasn't insolvent in any balance sheet sense," Eisenberg said. "It was an isolated problem that was solved through bankruptcy."
Are there any risks for companies entering the bankruptcy process?
A company that files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy might not be able to easily liquidate its parts, especially if the products or services it provides have become obsolete. Those that file for Chapter 11 could get stuck in bankruptcy if creditors can't agree on a reorganization plan.
"There is always the chance that the case will get bogged down in court, and during that time the business will deteriorate even more," said David Skeel, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
That seems to be one thing the Obama Administration wants to avoid in the cases involving GM and Chrysler. Legal experts say a quick reorganization for both automakers would mean demand for their cars wouldn't be further hampered by the bankruptcy process.
Moreover, a company that seeks bankruptcy court protection might not rid itself of all of its financial troubles, which could lead to a subsequent filing in future years.
"Bankruptcy protection might not work. The company could emerge from bankruptcy but still might struggle because of operational and financial difficulties," said Edward Altman, a professor of finance at New York University's Stern School of Business.
In the case of GM and Chrysler, Altman points out that even their restructured operations might not be enough to revive their businesses if sales remain weak. "They still need to get consumers buying cars," he said.
There's been a lot of talk about pursuing a "controlled bankruptcy" for both Chrysler and GM. What is this—and what's the value of this approach?
Instead of starting to negotiate with creditors once a company files for bankruptcy protection, concessions are made ahead of time. This means that when a company files for Chapter 11, the reorganization of its business could presumably go faster and be more orderly.
With GM and Chrysler, for example, months were spent trying to get creditors on board so that once the companies filed for bankruptcy, they could emerge more quickly.
With the approval of the sale of Chrysler's assets to Fiat, the automaker could emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as soon as this week. The Obama Administration expects that the new GM could emerge from bankruptcy in as little as 60 to 90 days.