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The summer of 2013 is finally how it should be, hot and sunny. And as always every year, the summer was officially welcomed at Camping A3 in Werchter. Just like last year, Samsung was well represented at the Werchter camping in three guises. First there was the Wash & Dry, an enormous stand the front of which was an equally impressive Samsung EcoBubble washing machine. As many as 10 washing machines and 10 dryers were ensconced behind this clean facade, which ran for 4 consecutive days to wash the beer and sweat drenched outfits of the festival-goers free of charge. Drop off your clothes, put on a free t-shirt and two hours later your clothes were clean. The Wash & Dry was organised by Fast Forward at one of the campsites and, yes, we can proudly say: people never smelled so fresh at the festival!
Posted on 04-07-2013


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In a new phishing scam, con artists are using phony caller ID numbers to solicit personal information and money. Thanks to the phony caller IDs, the "spoofers" are able to convince victims that they're receiving a call from a bank or credit card company -- and use this to acquire sensitive personal and financial information, or even money, from their victims.
The "beauty" of this scam is that few people would ever think that the names and phone numbers appearing on their caller ID screens were not genuine.
What this means is that scammers are already using phony caller IDs and are posing as representatives of banks, credit card companies and government agencies. The problem has reached the point where Senator Bill Nelson from Florida is sponsoring legislation to ban the transmission of false caller ID numbers. "A similar bill has already sailed through the house," reports ABCnews.go.com.
Unfortunately, ANYONE with Internet access and a few dollars can find a number of legal online services that supply fake caller ID numbers.
Here are three tips that can help you avoid being scammed:
Don't assume that the information displayed on your phone, regarding who the caller is, is accurate -- now you know it can easily be spoofed.
Never give out personal or financial information over the phone unless you know EXACTLY whom you're dealing with.
If you have doubts about who's on the phone, call back the main number at your bank or credit card company rather than talking to the person who calls you.
Please remember that you can't trust caller ID to tell "the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
After all, scammers are always finding new ways to con people. However, as long as you stay informed, you can remain one step ahead of the scammers.

domain: news


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2019
Valdosta, GA – MFG Chemical, a global leader in specialty and custom chemical manufacturing, has added to its domestic and international customer service and logistics staff.
Having hired international and customer service professional Kim Curtis earlier this year, MFG Chemical has now added logistics expert April Goins to the domestic service team.
April brings experience in negotiating the best freight rates and tracking shipments, saving customers’ time and money. Prior to joining MFG Chemical, April developed her skills as a logistics coordinator and team manager at Universal Marketing Systems and Beaulieu Commercial. April has earned numerous certifications in customer service and leadership.
Commenting on April’s joining the team, MFG Chemical Director of Supply Chain, Melanie West commented, “The addition of a logistics expert like April Goins will help MFG Chemical in reaching its goal of providing the best customer service and logistics in the specialty and custom chemical industry.”
MFG Chemical has also implemented its operational excellence software program OESuite. OESuite improves information and workflow management resulting in better organizational alignment, production operations, risk assessment and mitigation, maintenance and employee safety.
Finally, MFG Chemical celebrated International Customer Service Week (October 7 – 11) under the theme, “The Magic of Service.” Customer Care Manager Kim Curtis stated, “It’s wonderful that MFG takes the time to show appreciation to its front line service members who are providing world class service and to show appreciation to our customers for their support in 2019 and loyalty going into 2020.” The atmosphere was festive at MFG Headquarters in Dalton, GA. Team building exercises were conducted, and letters were written to thank many of MFG Chemical’s valued customers.
Keith Arnold, President and CEO of MFG Chemical and member of the SOCMA Board of Governors, stated “We appreciate our customers and strive every day to add value to our customers’ end-use products by providing the highest quality, performance-enhancing chemistries and deliver them in the safest and most cost-efficient way through a dedicated and highly professional customer service and logistics team.”
About MFG Chemical
MFG Chemical, LLC is a leading specialty and custom chemical manufacturer for a variety of global markets, including agriculture, asphalt, graphic arts, lubricants, mining, oilfield, paints & coatings, personal care, pulp & paper and water treatment. The company is headquartered in Dalton, GA, and operates four manufacturing facilities with world-class product development capabilities in Northwest Georgia and Pasadena, Texas.
Key chemistries include Amides, Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinates (DOSS), Esters, Imidazolines, Rheology Modifiers Surfactants , Specialty Anhydrides and Water Soluble Polymers In addition, the company recently received two SOCMA Awards for plant safety and process efficiency and has achieved ISO 9001: 2015 Certification. For more information, visit www.mfgchemical.com.
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A new study has highlighted major differences in the way bitcoin and initial coin offerings (ICOs) are regulated across the world. 16 Nov 2017
A template non-disclosure agreement (NDA) has been developed by UK agencies in a bid to encourage businesses and universities in the country to collaborate with organisations in China on research projects and over the licensing of technology. 16 Nov 2017
Automotive manufacturers selling vehicles in China are subject to strict rules governing product safety and must follow procedures set by a regulator when undertaking recalls. Manufacturers face financial losses, regulatory fines and significant reputational...
On 22 June 2017, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) updated its existing suite of standard form New Engineering Contracts with the issue of NEC4.
China's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of State Council (SASAC) has released updated details of how it will supervise and administer the outbound investment of centrally managed state owned enterprises (SOEs).
Significant changes have been made to the law on foreign investment in China, expanding the successful 'negative list' approach that has been used in the free trade zones (FTZs) in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangdong and Fujian to apply nationwide.
The two main arbitration centres in Asia are the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). The centres have a lot in common, but also some distinguishing characteristics that can help you...
From 14 December 2015 businesses in Hong Kong will be subject to the new Competition Ordinance. Effective procedures including training and oversight and reporting systems need to be put in place by all businesses to make sure that they are ready.
ANALYSIS: Banning initial coin offerings (ICOs) is not the way forward for regulators, despite the legal and regulatory risks that could arise if they are not subject to proportionate regulation. 17 Oct 2017
Businesses in the infrastructure and technology sectors are worried about the impact heightened restrictions on the free movement of people across borders could have on their ability to put together a sufficiently skilled workforce, according to the results... 12 Oct 2017
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Changes at Demag and Terex
Terex and Demag’s UK operations are to be merged to give a sales operation based around the previous Demag team and a service and PDI operation based on the previous Terex team.
“The current management of both crane companies have done a great job and we now look forward to providing customers the best of both worlds in making them money. Terex Cranes is the Number 1 supplier of Mobile Cranes in the UK and Ireland and we intend to keep it that way by offering the best back up to our customers” said Fil Filipov. He added that: “The Bicester service centre will expand its spare parts business to ensure quick availability and will provide testing, training, repair and PDI facilities. Additionally the main support colleagues that customers have become accustomed to in Germany are still there working hard to provide for customers business needs”.


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(UPDATED COVERAGE, Feb. 23) As freeze damage to Florida and Georgia blueberry crops becomes clearer, retailers should expect tight supplies for up to a month in late spring.
SunnyRidge FarmCentral and northern Florida blueberry growing regions sustained some damage like this bush but grower-shippers say a mid-February freeze caused more significant damage, exceeding 50%, to Georgia’s early blueberry deal.A freeze the night of Feb 11, will lead to a drop in availablity in late April and the first half of May.
Brian Bocock, vice president of product management for Naturipe Farms LLC, Naples, Fla., said industry estimates show north Florida and early Georgia crops sustaining up to 50% losses.
“We don’t have a total crop failure in Georgia,” Bocock said Feb. 22. “Though emotions are running high with people making damage guesses, we have a significant failure which will affect a three- to four-week window of Georgia production.
“South Florida won’t have normal volumes the end of March through the first few weeks of April. But when we get to late April, when north Florida and Georgia take the reins, that’s when we’ll see reduction in available fruit for the marketplace.”
Georgia produces two crops. Southern highbush varieties harvest April 25-May 25 with rabbiteye harvesting May 25 to July 4. Bocock said Georgia’s second crop to date didn’t sustain significant damage.
Georgia produced 36 million pounds of fresh blueberries in 2010 and an estimated 39 million bushels in 2011. Florida produced 15 million pounds in 2010 and an estimated 21 million pounds in 2011, according to the Folsom, Calif.-based U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
Second to New Jersey, Georgia represents 13% of U.S. fresh production but remains the big player during the early summer season.
During Feb. 29-March 2 council meetings, the council plans to finalize 2011 season figures and make projections for the 2012 season, said Todd Griffin, assistant manager.
Bocock said retailers will have blueberries to promote, but said price points should be different in late April and early May. He said growers would likely know more about damage over the next three to four weeks.
Offshore berries should fill retail needs until Florida begin in April, a little later than the regions’ usual late March start, said Janice Honigberg, president of Washington, D.C.-based Sun Belle Inc.
“The market will become quite tight during the second half of March,” she said Feb. 22. “Buyers should expect a robust market. Chile will be going strong but will be regularly dodging rain. Supplies will be more limited compared to January when larger growing areas are producing.”


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OGEN, a cannabis company that recently announced it was shutting down, has initiated the sale of its brand, intellectual property, product line, and genetics.
The sale, announced on January 16, 2024, includes OGEN’s fully trademarked brand, IP assets, marketing plans, campaigns, and social media accounts. The sale is being facilitated by the Canadian Cannabis Exchange (“CCX”).
The sale also includes 77 SKUs sold in eight provinces, including pre-rolls, dried flower, and milled flower, in a range of packaging configurations.
The selection also includes 13 cannabis cultivars for sale that Ogen says were developed through a 5-year pheno-hunting process and are supported by a collection of “historical potency results, rooted clones, and seeds.”
For all inquiries about the sale, contact CCX here.
OGEN announced it was closing its doors in November 2023. Darren Brisebois, President of OGEN Cannabis, told StratCann that high taxes and regulatory fees combined with low margins meant the end of the road for the Alberta producer.
Brisebois says the decision to close was not his; it was at the discretion of their lenders as well as pressures from the CRA.
The company, he said, which had to let nearly ninety employees go after hearing the news of receivership from their lender, had around 25,000 cannabis plants at various stages of production that had been scheduled for destruction.


text: The Binance Coin was introduced to the cryptocurrency community in 2017 by its CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao. With the main office in Malta, this Ethereum-backed digital coin enables traders to get a discount for all fees on the Binance decentralised cryptocurrency exchange. Its native ERC20 token called BNB allows users to access a variety of unique platform features and exchange blockchain assets. The exchange is also supported by large-scale fintech companies and startups which invest substantial funds into its development. The launch of the BNB token has attracted additional attention and a new influx of investments, which may well bring the trading platform to a leading position.


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Published 10:00 pm, Monday, March 5, 2007
Windows Live executive confirms that he's leaving
In an e-mail message Monday to others in his group, Windows Live executive Blake Irving confirmed that he plans to leave Microsoft.
"After nearly 15 years at Microsoft and six years of weekly commuting from California, I am retiring," Irving wrote, adding that he will leave in late summer.
Irving lives with his family in California, and commutes to Redmond every week, and that also played into his decision, he wrote.
Microsoft says a replacement hasn't yet been named.
512-megabyte memory unit for Xbox 360 game console
- Why the Microsoft vs. Apple Fight is Over Cheddar TV
- John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity Technologies, Says Company Could Go Public Now Cheddar TV
- Google gathering more personal data than Facebook Fox29
- Dispensaries doing brisk business as customers celebrate 4/20 KTVU
- Is Amazon's Best Buy Partnership an Olive Branch? Cheddar TV
- Study Shows Earning More Money Causes This Major Problem at Work Buzz 60
- Snapchat Has Disappearing...Users Cheddar TV
- Poll: Less Than Half Of Americans Think Their Taxes Are Too High Buzz 60
- Chicago women helping other by investing in female entrepreneurs Fox32
- 3 Ways Walmart Is Changing the Grocery Game Fortune
- Greenfield green rush: First cannabis facility adds 278 jobs KSBW
- Crazy Tech Worth a Million Dollars Storyful
- This Early Spotify Investor Isn't Concerned Shares Have Pulled Back Cheddar TV
- Delta Airlines, Sears Say They Were Hit By Cyberattack Buzz 60
- Tragedy into Triumph: Local girl's illness inspires business KMBC
- Walmart Is Reportedly in Talks to Buy Humana Buzz 60
- DocuSign Is the Latest Tech Unicorn to File for an IPO Fortune
- Empowering women in business Fox9
- Ikea creating meatballs out of insects Fox29
- Remington Files for Bankruptcy Amid a 'Trump Slump' in Gun Sales Time
Microsoft Corp. will sell a 512-megabyte memory unit for its Xbox 360 video-game console, eight times larger than the current model, as the company strives to fuel sales growth by offering more related hardware.
The device will sell for $49.99 as of April 3, the company said. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, plans to cut the price on the smaller, 64-megabyte device to $29.99 from $39.99.
Intel says it may have lost e-mails needed for lawsuit
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Intel Corp. said Monday that it may have lost some internal e-mails that it was supposed to turn over as possible evidence in the landmark antitrust lawsuit filed by arch rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
AMD's lawsuit, filed in June 2005, claims that Intel forced major customers into exclusive deals and offered secret rebates to undercut AMD in the market for microprocessors that act as the brains of computers.
The companies are currently swapping tens of millions of pages of documents in a legal process known as discovery. The two sides are scheduled to appear again before a judge in federal court in Delaware on Wednesday, and the trial is to begin April 27, 2009.
Economic confidence boosts semiconductor sales by 9.2%
Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose 9.2 percent to $21.5 billion in January from a year earlier as economic confidence buoyed demand for consumer products such as mobile phones and computers, a U.S. industry group said.
Sales in the Asia-Pacific region led the growth with a 15 percent increase to $10.5 billion, accounting for almost half of total revenue, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. Global chip sales fell 1.2 percent from December.


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LG Electronics has launched the new budget smartphone LG Q52 in South Korea on Sunday. The phone has been made available for sale in the South Korean market at 290 dollars (about Rs 21,000). The sale of LG Q52 smartphones will commence from next Wednesday. LG Q52’s latest budget smartphone is the 5th smartphone to be offered under the Q series, which has been launched this year. When the phone will be launched in India. No announcement has been made on the part of the company at present. The LG Q52 smartphone will come with upgraded features, the best chipset with design. The company confirmed that the latest LG Q51 smartphone will not support 5G technology.
The LG Q52 comes with a 6.6-inch punch-hole display. The phone will come in single storage variants 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option. The phone’s space can be increased to 2TB with the help of a micro SD card. The phone will get a battery of 4,000mAh for Power backup. Q52 has an optical pattern design, which has been offered in premium smartphones. If it comes to photography, the LG Q52 smartphone will come with a quad rear camera setup. Its primary camera will come with a 48 MP main camera, 5MP wide lens, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro camera. The phone has been given a 13MP selfie camera on the front panel.
The LG company is trying to bring its mobile business back on track through budget smartphones. The LG Mobile Communications Business Division has announced a loss of 206 billion won in the second quarter of this year. The company’s revenue declined by 18.9% to 1.31 trillion won from April to June this year over the previous year.


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‘I’m a millionaire at 15 – I spend £25k a week and have had driver since age 6’07/13/2022
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A 15-year-old millionaire has been wowing fans with her lavish lifestyle – showing off her helicopter rides and yacht trips over the last few months.
Isabella Barrett, who was just six years old when she started living her luxurious lifestyle, took to her Instagram page to post about her hectic schedule.
In the short clip, Isabella, from the US, can be seen wearing a white suit as she poses in front of a helicopter, before taking in some stunning while on board.
READ MORE: 'I used to earn 10p a day – now I'm worth £145m and live in a London penthouse'
She captioned the post: "The past few months on recap #boss #makeyourmark #youngentrepreneur. Thank you to my team #blessed."
After arriving at her destination, Isabella – who boasts 67,300 Instagram followers, was seen spreading a wad of $100 (£84) bills up her arm and flaunting a dazzling diamond necklace.
The model then walked at a fashion show and attended several red carpet events – including Canadian singer and actor Adil C’s birthday event at Fountain LA Luxury in Los Angeles, California.
She was also seen attending Miss USA Connecticut and completed her busy schedule with a trip to popular music festival Coachella.
The teen became a millionaire after launching her own clothing and jewellery line off the back of her appearance on the American hit TLC show, Toddlers and Tiaras.
Isabella, who is given £25,000-a-week allowance, is often seen enjoying lobster dinners and has had a personal driver from the age of just six.
She has so far modelled at New York Fashion Week and has set up her own brand – House of Barretti.
The teen's current estimated worth is nearly $2million (£1.68million).
Talking about her lifestyle previously to The Mirror, Isabella said: "It feels awesome because I know everybody looks up to me which is a big responsibility.
"My fans love me, they tell me I'm really cool and just really pretty – there's nothing not to like about being famous."
It comes after another 15-year-old millionaire also hit headlines for his equally lavish lifestyle back in June.
Donald Dougher, who dubs himself 'The Richest Kid in America', reportedly earns £17,000 a month.
He built up his eye-watering wealth thanks to his online video content and has splashed out on some luxury vehicles, including McLaren and Bugatti supercars which he shows off on his TikTok account.
- Model Tammy Hembrow slams critics as post-baby flat tum is branded 'dangerous'
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- 'I was furious when hubby suggested I was a lesbian – until I realised he was right'
- Warning to Brits still carrying red passport – as it may not be valid
Source: Read Full Article


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Syracuse, NY -- And so it goes, Thanksgiving Day 2010. Don't make me say I told you so, but I told you so. Read on...
From Consumer Reports:
Sears to open store doors on Thanksgiving Day. Will consumers flock or feast?
If you think year-end holiday shopping is starting earlier and earlier with each passing year, you're not off the mark.
According to CNBC, retail giant Sears has announced that stores will actually be open on Thanksgiving Day rather than wait for the next day, also known as "Black Friday."
The move shouldn't be surprising, given that some stores and websites—including Sears' online marketplace—have already kicked off Black Friday sales. And retailers such as Macy's and Target are reporting modest successes so far. K-Mart, also owned by Sears Holdings, has been open on Thanksgiving for several years.
Retailers will continue to push to keep the momentum going with enticing sales—some of which aren't great bargains. But will consumers forgo feasting and football for price hunting on Thanksgiving Day?
Data collected by the Consumer Reports National Survey Center suggests that consumers might be loosening their wallets a little this year. Still, Forty-two percent of shoppers polled by Consumer Reports said that getting a good price is more important this year than last. And 28 percent of Americans have already started their holiday shopping, looking for those bargains.
My comments: This is what I wrote in 2006: "Give it five to seven years before you see your first mall open on Thanksgiving Day and the full-scale battle begins..."
That was my second year working on Thanksgiving, covering non-supermarket or drugstore retailers who were open Thanksgiving Day. At the time, it was limited to Kmart and Big Lots. It was a novelty in 2005. It was less of a novelty in 2006. By Thanksgiving 2007, it was... meh. Big deal.
People I interviewed in the stores were there for the bargains. Some also were there because they were bored. The turkey is cooking, the rest of the food is pretty much ready to go, so let's shop before we eat.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, some people make it a tradition to go the movies on Thanksgiving Day. While not retail, it's kin.
As one who has had to work a number of holidays because of my profession, it's also downright... well, it's a bummer. So it's great some people get to shop. But others will have to work in order to let people shop.
You can say that it just comes with the job. I get that. But I also don't like to see the erosion of "mandated downtime," the whole, "Let's agree to all stay closed on Thanksgiving" (or any other holiday) and give everyone a break.
As I indicated in 2006, the floodgates are open.
I'm not surprised Sears -- a mall-based chain, if you get my drift -- is opening this year on Thanksgiving Day. Kmart owns Sears. The logic is in place.
The logic is also getting in place for other mall-based retailers to open on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving 2011 starts my five-to-seven-years prediction for malls to open on Thanksgiving Day. Let's see where things go in 2011, 2012 and 2013...
That is all.
Talk to me.
Feedback: Hit "post a comment," or send something here.
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Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.
Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps.
This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.
Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters.
Elon Musk is buying Twitter…again…maybe
Elon Musk delivered another week of Twitter deal drama. After initially trying to worm out of the now-overpriced deal, the Tesla and SpaceX exec this week decided he would go through with the purchase after all. It was speculated that Musk may have seen the writing on the wall, and realized this legal battle was one he couldn’t win. (After all, he can’t simultaneously claim he wants to fix the Twitter bot problem by buying the network and then claim that there are just too darned many bots here — and that Twitter is lying about them, when in fact, its SEC filings indicate otherwise. Right?!)
But it had also come to light that Twitter had been given the go-ahead by the judge to proceed with a probe that would allow it to seek out information as to whether the Twitter whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko had contacted Musk’s lawyers before he tried to exit the deal.
It seems that Twitter’s discovery had uncovered an anonymous email claiming to be a former Twitter exec involved with Twitter’s Trust & Safety team that had been sent to Musk’s attorney on May 6. And Twitter wanted to find out if the legal team or Musk followed up to determine the sender’s identity. A judge agreed Twitter could dig in — and this was just before Musk changed his mind to move forward with the purchase. So perhaps it was this deep dive into more files and communications that Musk wanted to avoid? Maybe he didn’t want to be asked about this under oath?
In any event, Musk said the deal was on and Twitter’s stock jumped over 22% on the news. But the matter wasn’t immediately resolved.
As it turned out, Musk and Twitter hadn’t reached an agreement to end their litigation, and neither party had filed anything to stop the court case from proceeding. So the judge alerted them that the trial was still on and would start on October 17, 2022, as planned. But!… Twitter wasn’t ready to take Musk at his word about this sudden change of heart. The judge, however, agreed to give Musk’s team until October 28, 2022 — the date Musk’s team said they could close by — to see if the transaction goes through. If not, the parties will be given November 2022 trial dates, the judge said.
Now the deal is hinging on the “receipt of the proceeds of the debt financing,” Bloomberg reported. Morgan Stanley and half a dozen banks underwrote the debt financing for the deal, and given the market conditions, they may find it more difficult to find buyers for the bonds and loans — possibly taking a loss on portions of the package, the report said. But they’re not likely to back out or find a legal means of doing so. Which means…Elon is buying Twitter again. We think!
Go ahead, edit Your tweets
And if that wasn’t enough Twitter news for the week, then there’s this other small tidbit: Twitter’s Edit button has arrived.
The long-requested feature has now rolled out to Twitter Blue’s U.S. subscribers, in addition to subscribers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The feature allows users to edit their tweets for up to 30 minutes after posting — something that could help users clarify or correct a mistake in their tweet, fix a small typo or add hashtags, among other things. The edits are logged and visible to the public to prevent abuse. Additionally, Twitter said users can only edit their tweets five times within the 30-minute period, which is also meant to cut down the feature’s abuse.
But many are still concerned that bad actors will find a way to take advantage of the addition to edit tweeting in misleading ways. Plus, it comes at a time when user demand for an edit button may have been quelled, given that Twitter last year introduced an “Undo Tweet” feature for its subscribers. This lets users quickly fix a typo after they post — likely cutting down on one of the major use cases for an Edit button. With “Undo Tweet,” users can delay their tweets for up to a minute, giving them time to re-read posts and fix errors, if needed.
The edit feature was also one of Musk’s big ideas for fixing Twitter, we should point out. Shortly after taking a board seat at Twitter (remember when that was the big Twitter news?!), he polled his 80.5 million followers to ask if they wanted an edit button — either a tease of the planned announcement or a desire to look like he was already taking action at Twitter. A day later, Twitter announced an edit button was actually in the works after years of saying the opposite. But Twitter denied it was Musk’s idea.
While the edit option is now live, its impact may be limited. The majority of Twitter’s users are not paying for a subscription to Twitter Blue at this time, and it’s unclear that this feature’s addition — however much they had clamored for it — will change that.
Google gets serious about wearables
The other big news this week in the mobile realm took place at Google’s annual hardware event. While the event focused on Google’s new line of Pixel devices, including the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Watch, it’s the latter that may be of more interest to app developers as it signaled Google’s intention to get serious about its wearable strategy. While Google had competed in this space with Android Wear and Wear OS, the new Pixel Watch is the company’s first smartwatch.
The device differentiates itself from the Wear OS-powered watches from other brands, like Samsung, with a unique look and feel. It’s smaller, rounded and looks more like a premium device. This is an interesting entry point, given that Apple’s new high-end watch, the Apple Watch Ultra, has gone in the opposite direction — with a hefty, oversized version that can look ridiculous on smaller wrists. The Pixel Watch won’t have that problem.
Google had signaled its interest in wearables long before now, with its $2.1 billion Fitbit deal, $40 million acquisition of Fossil IP and Samsung partnership. Fitbit’s health-tracking features make the new Pixel Watch a more serious competitor to Apple, with additions like heart rate monitoring, ECG/AFib detection, sleep detection and more. But Google is also considering the wider app ecosystem alongside its hardware investment. The company also recently revamped Google Play to make it easier for users to search and filter for non-smartphone apps, including those for smartwatches and tablets — another area Google plans to take more seriously.
At the event, Google teased its upcoming Pixel tablet, to be released next year, which will continue the Pixel line to a bigger screen. It also plans to offer a clever charging speaker dock that will allow consumers to use their tablet as they would any other smart display or smart screen in their home.
Separately, Google also announced a series of updates to Google Assistant alongside the Pixel 7 launch, which will see the smart assistant improving its abilities in areas like voice typing, navigating businesses’ phone menus, voice message transcription and more. One of the better improvements here is the Google Duplex-powered “Direct My Call” service which will now display a business’s phone tree options on the smartphone’s screen when you call, so you can just tap the button you need instead of listening to all the choices.
Instagram’s ad load increase
Meanwhile, Meta this week began exploring a way to stem its advertising revenue losses.
Following another quarter that saw marketers pull back on their ad spending, Meta announced it’s increasing its ad load on Instagram with the launch of two new ad slots. The company said it will now allow advertisers to run ads on the Explore home page and in profile feeds and will debut a new ad format for Facebook Reels.
The Explore home refers to the page people land on when they first tap on Instagram’s Explore tab. Here, users can browse a page of suggested and trending content, or tap on buttons at the top of the screen to dive into various trends. Historically, Instagram had only placed ads on Explore within the Explore feed — that is, when a person taps on a post and scrolls. But now, it’s expanding to the Explore home page itself, as it says it sees users spending meaningful time there, Instagram told TechCrunch. This is already rolling out globally.
It will also insert ads in the profile feed which is the feed that appears when a user visits another person’s profile on the app and then taps on one of their posts and scrolls. And in Facebook Reels, it’s adding “post-loop” ads — four- to 10-second skippable ads and standalone video ads that play after a Reel has ended before the Reel resumes and loops again.
These additional ad units serve to boost the company’s ability to pull in revenue at a time when Meta has been seeing declining ad sales. It also follows Meta’s report of its first-ever quarterly revenue decline in Q2, which came shortly after its first decline in daily active users. While its revenue dropped only 1% in Q2, from $29.07 billion in the second quarter of 2021 to $28.82 billion in Q2 2022, Meta has worried investors with its troubling Q3 forecast. The company said it saw third-quarter revenue potentially declining between 2% and 11% year-over-year to somewhere in the range of $26 billion to $28.5 billion.
- iOS 16.1 beta testers were disappointed to find out that the “Adaptive Transparency” toggle that appeared in their AirPods settings was actually a bug, and not a promise of bringing the feature to older AirPods models. Apple confirmed this by removing the setting in the new beta release.
- Meanwhile, another feature in the latest iOS 16.1 beta shows Apple tweaking the design of the Dynamic Island to include a light gray border around the outside of the feature when it’s activated on a darker background or wallpaper.
- Apple seeded iOS 16.1, tvOS 16.1 beta 4 and iPadOS 16.1 beta 5 for developers, as well as the tenth developer beta of macOS Ventura.
- Apple named new vice presidents for its Maps, Services and Silicon teams, Bloomberg reported. Twenty-year Apple veteran Max Muller will become a VP overseeing Maps. Payam Mirrashidi is a new VP of engineering in Services. And Johny Srouji, Charlie Zhai and Fabian Klas are becoming VPs in the Silicon group. The appointments follow the firing of VP of Procurement Tony Blevins over sexist comments he made in a TikTok video.
- App developers who applied for a share of Apple’s $100 million App Store class action settlement, which saw the creation of the Small App Developer Assistance Fund, have been alerted that the distribution of their payments should occur before the end of October.
- Google’s anticipated iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets have begun to arrive. The launches arrived starting last week with updates to the Chrome and Drive apps, and this week saw new widgets appear for its Gmail and Google News apps, as well. Still on its way are Search and Maps widgets. Google hasn’t explained why Calendar is not included, however.
E-commerce and Food Delivery
- DoorDash announced a new service, Drinks with DoorDash, that allows users to order food from one place and drinks from another — like a nearby liquor, convenience or grocery store. (Yep, dashers are going to love this.)
- In the same week, Grubhub and Gopuff partnered on grocery and alcohol delivery, allowing Grubhub customers to shop thousands of products from moe than 500 Gopuff locations via the membership program, Grubhub+.
- Recelery, a pantry tracker app and online marketplace for select food items, relaunched this past weekend to tweak a number of its features. It expanded the limit of pictures that users can post, introduced new markers to show the specific date when an item was added and now allows users to sell up to 25 items at a time.
- Snapchat is embracing Halloween via AR. Starting October 11, the app will roll out an AR shopping experience that allows users to virtually try on and buy costumes of some of their favorite TV and movie characters, including those from “Hocus Pocus,” “Squid Game,” “Stranger Things,” “Power Rangers,” “Transformers,” “The Office,” “Harry Potter” and others.
- Lucky Charms upgraded its cereal box with an AR game built using Niantic’s 8th Wall platform.
- Sen. Warren’s office released a report that said fraud and scams are taking place on P2P payments app Zelle, but banks are refusing to refund customers for 53% of the defrauded funds.
- Venmo rolled out Charity Profiles in the app that allows charitable organizations to raise funds directly if they’ve already received confirmed charity status from Venmo parent PayPal.
- Investing app Stash, which raised $125 million from investors in a Series G round last year, announced it’s adding crypto to the set of products it offers its 2 million users.
- TikTok added a handful of editing tools that will allow users to adjust clips, sounds, images and text in new ways. The additions include tools to stack, trim, split and speed up and slow down clips, plus others for cutting, trimming and setting the durations for sounds used in videos. Others focus on text placement and images, including a new Photo Mode feature for sharing a carousel of images that automatically display one after another.
- ByteDance reported its revenue grew to $61.7 billion in 2021, but operating losses reached $7.15 billion due to investments in growth, a report to staff said, per The WSJ.
- Pinterest partnered with Headspace to offer creators a free six-month subscription in 20 countries worldwide, making it the first platform to provide such an offering, it said.
- A new lawsuit in California, filed by the Social Media Victims Law Center, targets companies Meta, Snap, Discord and Roblox for making platforms that contain features designed to encourage addiction to “the detriment of their minor users.” It brings up mental health issues, including suicide attempts, which it alleges are linked to use of these platforms.
- Twitter rolled out a new feature that lets users post images, videos and GIFs in a single tweet. It also expanded its experimental Status feature, for tagging tweets with moods and activities, to more of its users.
- Reddit began testing a new live chat feature in a chat tab in its app. Users who have access to the test will see three options to filter chats: live chats, Messages and requests — or they can view “All” chats.
- Facebook introduced new tools that allow users to customize their feeds by telling the app which posts they want to see more or less of, from across their friends, groups and other post recommendations. The feature will also be tested with Reels.
- Meta settled a lawsuit with BrandTotal and Unimania, companies engaging in scraping operations of Facebook and Instagram data. The settlements terms weren’t disclosed, but in addition to agreeing to stop the practice, Meta said the companies agreed to pay a “significant sum.”
- WhatsApp for iOS expanded its feature called “View Once,” which lets users send photos and videos that disappear after they’re opened for the first time, similar to Snapchat. The feature first launched last year and will now work with screenshots and screen recordings, too.
- Even Signal is copying Stories now. The feature is now in beta and the Stories will disappear after 24 hours.
- Tinder rolled out a new feature to help its users get ready to vote in the U.S. midterms. The dating app maker partnered with BallotReady to launch an Election Center within the app’s Explore section where users can register to vote, find their polling stations and access breakdowns of their local ballot measures.
- Bumble is testing a speed-dating feature that allows users to chat before matching, similar to Tinder’s own Fast Chats feature. The feature is live in the U.K. already.
- A Wired investigation found there were an increasing number of fake profiles of men on the Match-owned Hinge dating app. The profiles appear to be using AI-generated images and oddly written profile text that indicates English isn’t their first language. In chatting with the profiles, the reporter discovered they weren’t bots, but rather scammers hiding behind the fake accounts.
Streaming & Entertainment
- Apple Music announced a new milestone of reaching 100 million songs — a 100,000x increase since the debut of the original iPod some 21 years ago. To celebrate, Apple launched a new Apple Music Today series that will pick a new song every day and dive into its history.
- YouTube has been experimenting with asking some users to purchase a Premium subscription in order to watch videos in 4K resolution, currently a free feature.
Reading & News
- Facebook killed its Substack competitor, Bulletin, the newsletter service launched last year. Bulletin writers will earn subscription revenue until the platform’s closure in 2023, but will then need to migrate subscribers to another sevice.
- Substack launched its Reader app on Android, which allows users to access all their Substack subscriptions in one place alongside their RSS feeds.
- Readdle launched a new version of its email app Spark, for desktop and mobile devices, which now offers subscription-based email management. The app, reviewed here by The Verge, organizes emails into bundles like newsletters and notifications, and elevates emails from real people. The app includes a bevy of other features, like focus schedules, thread muting, a gatekeeper function (to permit or deny access to your inbox) and more.
- Alongside its new Nest Doorbell and faster Wi-Fi router, Google launched a redesigned version of its Home app for Android. The redesigned app arrived in parallel with the release of the Matter 1.0 standard, and includes faster Matter pairing and other new customization options to personalize the app to end users.
Government & Policy
- Russia fined TikTok 3 million rubles (around $51,000) for violating its anti-LGBTQ laws. Russia claims TikTok failed to delete content it called propaganda. It also fined Twitch for hosting an interview with a Ukrainian political figure, which it said contained fake information.
Security & Privacy
- Meta’s security team disclosed it had identified more than 400 malicious apps posing as photo editing tools, games, utilities, lifestyle apps, VPNs and more that were actually malware. The apps would prompt users to enter their Facebook login credentials to use the app, but this information was then stolen, allowing scammers to gain access to the user’s Facebook account and any other account that used the same username/password combo. Meta said it’s not able to determine how many people fell for this scam, but identified at least 1 million potentially impacted users. TechCrunch security editor Zack Whittaker, however, noted we were unable to verify Meta’s claims about this and the company didn’t offer a satisfactory response as to how Meta discovered the allegedly violating apps.
Funding and M&A
💰 Montana-based onX, the maker of navigation apps for hunting, hiking, off-roading and other outdoor activities, raised an $87.4 million Series B led by Summit Partners.
🤝 Spotify said it’s acquiring Dublin, Ireland-based content moderation tech company Kinzen, to aid with its global content moderation efforts. Deal terms were undisclosed. Kinzen, a Spotify partner since 2020, uses a combination of ML and human expertise to alert and flag dangerous misinformation and harmful content — something the streamer is facing more issues with as it invests heavily into podcasting and other forms of audio. Joe Rogan, for example, created a headache for Spotify when he spread COVID-19 vaccine-related misinfo on his show.
🤝 Duolingo acquired its first startup, a Detroit-based animation studio, Gunner, that created art for the company and others, including Amazon, Dropbox, Spotify and Google. Deal terms weren’t disclosed.
💰 An anonymous social app for college kids, Fizz, announced its raise of $4.5 million in seed funding, led by entrepreneur and investor Rakesh Mathur, who also joined the Stanford student-founded startup as its CEO. Lightspeed, Octane and other angels also invested in the app that claims to have deep penetration on college campuses.
🤝 South Korean search giant Naver announced plans to acquire the secondhand apparel marketplace Poshmark for $1.2 billion in cash. The deal values publicly traded Poshmark at $17.90, or a 15% premium over the closing price at the time of the announcement.
💰 Mobile banking app Jiko raised $40 million in Series B funding in a round led by Red River West, bringing the company’s total raise to date to $87.7 million. The app has evolved from a consumer-focused model to B2B, and now gives companies low-cost access to short-term treasury bills.
💰 Singapore-online shopping rewards app ShopBack raised $80 million more to extend its Series F round to more than $310 million. The new investor is the state investment giant’s late-stage fund, Temasek Holdings Pte. The company is now valued at nearly $1 billion.
Neeva (European launch)
An ad-free search engine, Neeva, launched to the U.S. last year is now heading to Europe — specifically, the U.K., France and Germany. The service promises a way to both search the web and private, personal accounts like Gmail or Dropbox from any device, without having to view ads or have user data compromised. It does this by offering a premium membership, which provides additional privacy tools and other benefits to paid subscribers.
The service is available on desktop via a Chrome extension and on iOS and Android via native mobile apps.
This week, TechCrunch’s Paul Sawers sat down with Neeva co-founder and CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy in London to get an update on the three-year-old company as it expands to new markets. (You can read that interview here and learn more about Neeva’s business.)


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It would seem a logical next step to fully adopt e-receipts, and it is happening, slowly but surely. You’ve probably noticed that many retailers offer the option and some even offer the option to not receive a paper receipt. Great idea! Less paper, less toxic plastics.
I just read an interesting article at Zawya.com:
Dubai hopes to do away with paper receipts completely to reduce its carbon footprint. Hurray!


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Lola and Rocco’s fundraising bags
For the first time on a Madonna newssite, here’s a first look at the bags that Madonna’s children Lola and Rocco have decorated for the “Poulbot Charity” event organized for the third consecutive year by French fashion store C?line.
The event has been held on May 30th and it was meant to raise funds for less fortunate children.
Lola and Rocco, along with other celebrity children have decorated a bag each. Have a look at them below.
Thanks to our collaborator from France Loviku


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What a difference a day makes. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday this year, hotel operators are loving it.
“We’ve been sold out for two weeks,” said Natasha Hamilton, hotel manager at the Nicollet Island Inn in Minneapolis. “We’re very busy for February.”
Total spending for Cupid’s holiday, which is celebrated by 54 percent of consumers according to the National Retail Federation, is expected to reach $17.3 billion. Fifty-four percent of men will purchase flowers and 53 percent plan to go out to dinner, according to American Express Spending and Saving Tracker research.
When Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday or a Saturday, couples find it easier to arrange for a sitter and don’t have to worry about returning to work the next day, said Bill Morrissey, president of Morrissey Hospitality Companies in St. Paul, which operates the St. Paul Hotel and several restaurants.
But when the 14th occurs somewhere between Sunday and Wednesday, hotels don’t see much of an uptick, except from a few traditionists who insist on celebrating on the 14th. This year, many couples are planning a two-day staycation, extending their rendezvous from Friday to Saturday night as well, said Morrissey. “We’ll see a 40 percent increase in business this weekend,” he said.
Restaurants also fill their reservation books on Valentine’s Day, but conventional wisdom says they prefer Cupid’s arrow to drop early in the week, when they have more empty tables. Weekends are typically the busiest time for restaurants, and the 14th just adds to the clamor.
Kip Clayton, vice president of business development at Parasole Restaurant Holdings in Edina said it’s not always that simple. When Valentine’s is celebrated on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, couples choose one night out and it’s done. “I guarantee you that restaurants will see up to two times the revenue this year than if Valentine’s had fallen early in the week,” he said.
On a Friday, some restaurants see solid bookings from Thursday through Sunday as some couples wait until Saturday or Sunday night to celebrate.
“Couples aren’t so locked in to the 14th anymore,” said Clayton. Part of the reason is that Valentine’s is often viewed as a night for inexperienced diners.
A lot of real diners skip that night and go a day or two earlier or later, he said. Other diners want to avoid the prix fixe menu at $75-plus per person and go on a different night when they can order off the regular menu.
More couples seem to be more willing to delay the celebration to save money or fit it into their busy schedules, especially at restaurants and hotels. But florists and chocolatiers say their customers aren’t as likely to delay their purchases for convenience.
Kristi Svenkeson, owner of Pazzobello flowers in Minneapolis, said the guys (and some gals) who send flowers will do so regardless, but where they buy them depends on what day the 14th lands. “We’re 30 percent busier when Valentine’s falls on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday,” she said.
Early in the week, men are buying flowers from a florist to impress a woman (and her co-workers) at the workplace, Svenkeson said. When it’s on the weekend, men are more likely to be thriftier and pick up flowers at the grocery store.
It’s a similar story for the independent chocolatier. Mary Leonard, owner of Chocolate Celeste in St. Paul, says that a Valentine’s Friday is great for business. It gives guys a couple of weekdays to pick up something over the lunch hour or on their way home from work.
But if Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday to Tuesday, they’ll just buy something at the mall over the weekend. “We see a 20 percent increase in sales Wednesday through Friday compared to Saturday through Tuesday,” she said.
What could still throw spending for a sweetheart off course? The weather. “With snow or cold, we’ll definitely get cancellations,” Morrissey said.
In extended periods of subzero temps, some customers forgo flowers altogether, fearing they will freeze on delivery, but florists say not to worry. “We include a winter wrap to prevent freezing. We take extra precautions,” said Minneapolis flower shop owner Roger Beck.
Bob Johnson of Forepaugh’s restaurant in St. Paul remains sanguine, regardless of when Valentine’s Day is. “You play the hand that you’re dealt,” he said. “Yes, we have a little more fun when it’s in the middle of the week, but Valentine’s Day is almost guaranteed good business.” he said.


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Fisker, the company attempting to retail sustainability-focused EVs, is now on the verge of listing its shares on the stock exchange by merging with Spartan Energy Acquisition (NYSE:SPAQ) – a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC).
As per the third iteration of the Form PRER14A, filed by Spartan Energy Acquisition with the U.S. SEC just moments ago, the SPAC’s shareholders are now expected to approve the proposed business combination with Fisker Inc. during a special meeting on the 28th of October:
“You are cordially invited to attend the special meeting (the “special meeting”) of stockholders of Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp. (“Spartan,” “we,” “our,” “us” or the “Company”), which will be held at 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, on October 28, 2020, via live webcast at the following address: https://www.cstproxy.com/spartanenergy/sm2020.”
As we’ve explained before, a SPAC is formed for the sole purpose of raising capital through an IPO and then to channel these IPO proceeds into acquiring an existing company. The agreement, should it manage to achieve closure, will likely result in a valuation of $2.9 billion for the combined company, including $500 million in PIPE investment. As a refresher, a Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE) allows institutional investors to purchase the shares of a publicly-traded stock at a discount to the current market price. The mechanism aims to reward these investors for providing an infusion of liquidity.
While the imminent listing of the shares of the combined company on the stock exchange is a seminal event, Fisker bulls are keenly following developments on another crucial front. In an investor presentation filed jointly by Fisker and Spartan Energy Acquisition with the SEC in July, the company noted that it was attempting to form a partnership with Volkswagen (VW) in order to secure access to the European auto giant’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform for its Ocean SUV. Additionally, Fisker notified that it is also negotiating a battery supply contract with VW. However, the talks purportedly hit a snag in July. Thereafter, Fisker had disclosed via a separate filing that the negotiations would resume in September, with a definitive outcome expected before the end of 2020.
In the meantime, Fisker has already inked an MOU with the Austrian automaker, Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik, for the production of its Ocean SUV. The agreement illustrates Fisker’s smart cost-cutting strategy, whereby, the company is looking to outsource not only the manufacturing of key EV components but also the eventual assembly of its Ocean SUV – expected to launch in 2022.
Bear in mind that Fisker continues to garner healthy interest for its lone product offering, having clocked over 7,000 advanced reservations to date for the Ocean EV. Moreover, Henrik Fisker – the Chairman and CEO of Fisker Inc. – tweeted on the 1st of October that the company has recorded over 36,000 registrations on its custom-made app, corresponding to an increase of 2,500 in total registrations relative to the last such announcement toward the end of August.


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The Broken Promises Coalition Comments on “Miraculous” Return of Wedding Ring to Rightful Owner
Following the return of an Idahoan´s wedding ring, Broken Promises comments on the sanctity of marriage and sentimental value of rings, imploring the bridal jewelry industry to be honest about tungsten carbide.
(PRWEB) July 31, 2012
On July 31, 2012, the Broken Promises Coalition issued a statement following the story of a true testament to the importance of wedding rings that couples take their vows with, emphasizing the coalition´s belief that the bridal jewelry industry must be held to higher standards and create wedding rings that will last a lifetime.
According to an article from The Washington Post, “When she lost her diamond wedding ring four years ago, Necia Rasmussen held out hope for several months before finally buying a replacement. But she never stopped missing the one that got away.” The article went on to state that the ring was found four years after it had gone missing by a kayaker who returned the ring to Rasmussen who referred to the return of her original wedding ring as a “miracle.”
“This particular story strikes a chord with many members of the Broken Promises Coalition. This woman´s reluctance to replace her ring serves as a testament to how irreplaceable a ring that we take our vows with can be. Wedding rings represent love and the sanctity of marriage, the idea of losing or accidentally damaging a wedding ring can be heart breaking,” says Clay Darrohn, Broken Promises representative. “Out of respect for the sanctity of marriage and the public, we are urging the bridal jewelry industry to be upfront regarding the truth about tungsten carbide. Every couple deserves the promise of a ring that lasts forever when they take their vows.”
Tungsten carbide is a brittle compound that, when fatigued from daily use, can break or shatter — a fact most brides and grooms are unaware of. Broken Promises believes that the public has a right to know this information before they even consider purchasing a tungsten ring so that they can carry with them their entire lives the same ring in which they have blessed and exchange vows with.
The Broken Promises Coalition is currently hosting a petition that will demand retailers to be upfront about the truth regarding tungsten carbide. For all consumers who believe that love, vows, promises, and the rings which represent them should last a lifetime, this petition is available through the Broken Promises Facebook page.
Broken Promises is a grassroots consumer advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness about misleading information regarding tungsten carbide wedding rings. Started in April of 2012, Broken Promises is a group of concerned consumers dedicated to sharing information about the brittle nature of tungsten rings to brides–and grooms–to be.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/7/prweb9753487.htm


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Growing pains: The state’s medical marijuana demand is outpacing supply
Pennsylvania’s still blossoming medical marijuana business has hit a supply choke-point — especially for the “flower,” or dry leaf products — as numbers of approved patients are continuing to grow faster than the buds in the state’s licensed grow rooms.
One patient advocate has described it as a perfect storm, as new grower-processors have been slower to get their product to market than state regulators had expected, and the addition of new conditions for treatment has helped fuel a summer surge in patient certifications.
The result, this summer, has been a rolling shortage of dry-leaf products that, according to anecdotal evidence, has caused some customers to drive for hours in search of the right thing, or, in a very buyer-beware alternative, even hitting the streets for black market weed.
The current squeeze is a function of the two-year-old program’s popularity, state-sanctioned expansions in the forms of medical cannabis that can be used and the conditions approved for treatment, and the lag in expansion of the supply side of the market.
State Health Secretary Rachel Levine approved addition of dry leaf forms of marijuana to the approved menu of cannabis therapies in April 2018, upon recommendation of the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board.
Patients say it saves them money since it requires much less processing than oils, cartridges, creams, pills and other products — and price is an important consideration for a set of therapies that generally are not covered by your typical prescription drug plan.
“What’s happened is there are a lot more patients (in year two of the program), so that demand line has increased dramatically,” said Tim Hawkins, president of the Green Thumb Industries, a Chicago-based firm that operates as a grower-processor and retail dispensary here.
“And the amount of flower being produced has been exactly the same over that time period.”
The numbers bear this out.
The number of physician-certified patients eligible for medicinal marijuana has jumped from 70,128 at the start of 2019 to nearly 161,273 as of Sept. 1.
It was during the summer that Levine added “anxiety disorders” to the list of conditions approved for the medical marijuana program, though the state Department of Health could not provide numbers on the patients seeking treatment for those.
Meanwhile, the number of growers in production has remained at 10.
A second round of growers was licensed last year, and many of them are now classified as “operational” by the Health Department. But none of them has yet started moving product yet.
That may change soon. A representative of one of those new growers, Jon Cohn, of Agri-Kind LLC, told The Philadelphia Inquirer last week that several strains of marijuana are underway at his growhouse in Chester and should be shipping the first week of October.
“We’ll be starting small because when you begin, you start with cuttings or seeds,” Cohn told the newspaper. “So we’re creating mother plants right now and taking clones of them.”
Health spokesman Nate Wardle said the state’s expectation is that several more of the new growers should follow suit between now and the end of the year.
“Once more of those growers start shipping, I think we’ll get things balanced out again,” said Luke Shultz, a patient advocate who sits on the state’s advisory board. But, he and others said, the last two months in particular have been tricky for patients who might be looking for a particular strain of medicinal cannabis that best suits their individual conditions and symptoms.
“We have certainly run out of stock at various times in the last couple of months,” said Tammy Royer, a medical marijuana pharmacist at Organic Remedies, which runs dispensaries in Enola and Chambersburg.
Then, patients are forced into a dilemma of trying to choose between a substitute form which often costs more than the dry leaf, or surfing the internet to see if a close-be store has their first choice.
“We have heard of patients who are travelling for several hours to places that have gotten a delivery that week,” Royer said.
GTI’s Hawkins said the shortages may be most noticeable in the major metro areas, where the largest number of medical cannabis patients are. “We see patients from Philly coming in to our store in Steelton,”he noted, “and we see patients in Pittsburgh going to our store in Erie.”
One problem that Pennsylvania so far seems to have avoided are price spikes.
Sources reached for this story said that unlike, say, crude oil, the supply-demand imbalances haven’t resulted in skyrocketing prices. That may be because state law gives the health secretary here the power to impose price caps if he or she feels prices are out of sync with what’s happening in comparable states and markets.
Levine, to this point, has suggested in the past she wants to let the Pennsylvania market absorb the new grower / processors before she considers such a move.
Regulators have asked patients to be patient with the supply hiccups during the medical marijuana program’s roll-out, noting that since it relies on several levels of commercial enterprise, building demand was a crucial first step.
Some, like Shultz, say a policy change that would really help would be if Pennsylvania would consider permitting the registered patients to grow their own: “It would be a viable option for a number of them, and it would reduce the cost for some of them.”
But that’s a controversial change that would require an amendment to the state’s enabling act, and no one realistically expects that to happen in the near-term future.
The better option for now, he said, is to be patient.
“For the most part, everybody just has to hang in there right now,” said Shultz. “This was just a lot of bad things happening at once.”


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Ubisoft’s Uplay Passport, the passcode that enables online access in its games, is the latest victim of the Assassin’s Creed series, with outcry over the handling of online content in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag prompting the publisher to terminate the program once and for all. This applies not just to the pirate-themed open world adventure, but also to “any future Ubisoft games,” according to a new UbiBlog post.
The issue sprang up when new AC4 purchasers discovered that certain content from the single-player game, including access to a minigame accessible from the Black Flag companion app, was included as part of the Uplay Passport. While the game is still new enough that few, if any, are affected by having no passcode – it’s included with all new copies of the game and exists primarily to bring Ubisoft some income from the secondhand market – the gating of on-disc content is a particular sticking point for the more vocal members of the gaming community, and outrage mounted.
So Ubisoft responded. “We listen to our community and understand that there are concerns over some players’ ability to access [the Black Flag companion app features], so we have decided to eliminate the cost of the Uplay Passport for Black Flag,” the post reads. “This ensures that everyone will be able to use the companion app, Edward’s Fleet, online multiplayer, and available bonus content at no additional cost.”
The post then goes on to say that the Uplay Passport won’t factor into future Ubisoft games, and offers an explanation for the more sweeping policy change. “Games today are blurring the line between offline and online, between what is “single player” and what is “multiplayer.” Based on that and on the feedback we received from you, we recognized that Passport is no longer the best approach for ensuring that all our customers have the best possible experience with all facets of our games.”
You know what this means, right? Ubisoft will now have to come up with something even more nefarious and underhanded to discourage you from buying games on the secondhand market. Expect puppy executions. Or two hours of required trailer viewing before you can play any Ubi game. Nothing exciting either. We’re talking trailers for Grey’s Anatomy and CSI games.
Okay, none of that is going to happen. In truth, this whole online pass business continues to be a stumper for big publishers. Gamers rightly don’t want to spend extra money on top of what they’re already spending to buy a secondhand game, just to access additional content. But, to be fair, publishers feel justifiably entitled to get something from used game sales. Perhaps the answer lies in striking a deal on the retail side. Reseller outlets like GameStop seemingly have zero motivation to even discuss such a possibility, but that may change with a new generation of hardware more fully embracing day one downloads for newly released games.
This is all bigger picture stuff. For now, enjoy your moment of victory. That new copy of Assassin’s Creed IV you purchased? The person who buys it after you sell it off will be very happy to not have to spend an extra $10 to access on-disc content.
- Ubisoft and Netflix partner for an Assassin’s Creed show and mobile game
- Ubisoft says current owners will still be able to access Assassin’s Creed Liberation
- Ubisoft scrambles to take down leaked Assassin’s Creed Valhalla footage
- Ubisoft terminates player-made XP farming quests in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Project Stream testers get to keep a free copy of ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’


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Even before the pandemic, Turkey was trying to beat back monetary meltdown. The disaster has accelerated as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has doubled down on his unorthodox insurance policies. “Total worth of acquisitions in India’s renewable energy sector surged by greater Business Marketing than 300 per cent to USD 6 billion within the first 10 months of … To fulfill the overwhelming reservation and buy response acquired throughout the country, precedence deliveries are based mostly on an automatic sci…
- When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, one in five giant companies will probably fail to comply to their authorized obligations underneath Australia’s Modern Slavery Act , according to new analysis from the University of South Australia.
- Reuters supplies business, monetary, nationwide and international news to professionals by way of desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, trade events and directly to shoppers.
- For many years, U.S. presidents have reacted harshly


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Tag Archives: Advertising Standards Bureau
- Tabcorp ordered to pay up close to $120K in illegal advertising case
February 8, 2017
The magistrate has spoken—Australian betting operator Tabcorp needs to cough up close to AUD120,000 for publishing illegal advertising in New South Wales.
- Tabcorp TV ad banned for displaying ‘excessive wagering’
November 21, 2016
Australian betting operator Tabcorp vows appeal after advertising regulators ban TV ad that it says depicted "excessive wagering."
- Sexist online gambling ads get fifty shades of backlash
September 14, 2015
Gambling companies have come under fire for releasing provocative advertisements that critics say are degrading to women.
Australian online bookie Neds launch Bitcoin betting platform
February 2, 2018
Online bookmaker Pinnacle cuts off Australian customers
March 12, 2018
Cyborgs unite: Bio implants paving the way for bitcoin payments
September 14, 2016


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Why do we celebrate failure?
QUITE why the demise of Rachel Elnaugh, chief executive of Red Letters Days and a panellist on the BBC TV show Dragons’ Den is such a cause for rejoicing is a mystery to me.
There seems to have been a great deal of crowing over the fate of her business, now snapped up by fellow Dragons panellist Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis, the former chairman of Millwall Football Club.
Much of this, of course, is to do with the fact that Dragons’ Den captured the imagination in a way that few business programmes, with the exception of Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice, have done so in recent years.
The programme, for anyone out there who doesn’t watch BBC 2, shows a bunch of aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to a panel of the 'great and the good' who decide whether or not to invest in them.
Ms Elnaugh’s mistake, it seems, is to have put herself up as a member of this self-styled group of experts and then fallen short of its lofty ideals. But is that such a bad thing?
The problem with British business is that while it secretly admires risk-takers it likes to give them a jolly good kicking when their ideas fail. In the US there is a more realistic, and healthier, attitude to risk which says that failure is all part of the learning curve.
If Ms Elnaugh were based in America, her achievement in setting up what was, for a while at least, a successful business would be admired. And the company's lapse into administration would be seen for what it is – a short-term blip in what should prove a long and successful business career.
It's just a shame that Britons love to build their heroes and heroines up – and then pull them down just as soon as they get the chance. We'd all be a lot poorer if people weren’t prepared to take risks.
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Give yourself the gift of extra money in your pocket this season. The Mint Mobile Black Friday deal gives users a lot of data for just a little bit of cash.
Verizon now has an alternative to T-Mobile's Digits app. It's available for business and personal lines and costs $15/per line.
If the rumors are true, Google is prepping to unveil a Pixel 3 Lite version carrying a 5.56-inch LCD display and Snapdragon 670 in early 2019.
The DuraForce Pro 2 can handle water, dirt, dust, shock, extreme temperatures, and more. Learn more about phone which is available online only.
Withings, fresh from buying itself back from Nokia, debuts a successor to its first activity tracker. The Pulse HR arrives in December.
New Indiegogo campaign offers consumers waterproof, wireless earbuds with dirt-cheap prices. Here's what you need to know about the Funcl W1 and AI earbuds.
Google smartens up the connected home experience by adding new Google Assistant features. Learn what's new for late 2018.
T-Mobile's latest pair of phones, the REVVL 2 and REVVL 2 Plus, join the carrier's roster on Novermber 16. Here's what you need to know about them.
The rugged Cat S48c can withstand extreme temps, shock, dust, drops, and anything else you will throw its way. The phone goes on sale November 9.
Fossil Sport is the latest smartwatch from the wearable brand. It's based on the new Snapdragon Wear 3100 and runs Wear OS by Google.
Motorola has discounted a number of its phones for the holiday season, taking no less than $50 off select models. The time to buy is now!
With the push of flexible smartphone, Google has announced Android is adding native support for this new category of mobile devices.
After years and years of being rumored, Samsung's foldable smartphone finally sees the light of day. But it's only a prototype, for now.
California-based startup, Royole unveiled the world's first foldable smartphone called the FlexPai. The device is already available for pre-order.
In today's edition, Google brings new emoji's Gboard, features from the OnePlus 6T come to the OnePlus 6, and Huawei updates the original Huawei Watch.
If it's time to purchase a new phone, and US Cellular is your carrier of choice, there's plenty to choose from. Let us help you find a new device!
Sprint is luring switchers with a new promo this holiday season. Jump onboard with a Unlimited Basic for five lines and you get three of them free.


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With the start of the new school year, one question is weighing on everyone's minds: is Thrive thriving?
Thrive, a popular eatery previously located on Central Campus, offers food options from late night snacks to quick breakfast items to acai bowls. Since the closing of Central Campus, the restaurant has relocated to the apartments at 300 Swift Avenue. Along with the change in location, the menu has been cut down and the store has been reconfigured to fit the new, smaller space.
These changes have received mixed reviews from both employees and students.
“I liked [Thrive] before because it was more like a restaurant,” said Jasmine Harris, a sophomore who lives at 300 Swift. “It is more like a store now.”
The previous incarnation of Thrive on Central Campus boasted a restaurant-style eatery where students could sit down and order a range of items off the menu. Harris described the old location as comfortable and homey—a great place to grab a meal while studying or chatting with friends.
Asnaldo Aldama, an employee who has worked at Thrive for nine months, noted that the menu, configuration and size of the space at Thrive have all been cut down from its previous location.
The layout of the new space is tight and resembles a convenience store, with rows of common food items lining the back walls and a counter where students can order food. Located adjacent to Thrive are a few tables where students can eat and work.
“[The new Thrive] is a lot less glamorous,” sophomore Jessi Brooks said.
In addition, the store has shifted its focus to a more health-based menu. The restaurant no longer offers many of its popular fried options, such as chicken tenders. It still sells beer and wine.
“The relocation [of Thrive] is beneficial to a certain extent,” Aldama said. “The reason I think that it’s not beneficial is because half of the menu is gone, which includes most of the fried food items, which is what the kids like.”
Although some students are not happy with the loss of these menu items, other students appreciate Thrive’s new health-based focus and frequent the store for its popular acai bowls.
“There are a lot of places on campus where you can get fried food,” Brooks said. “So the fact that the menu changed doesn’t really impact me. I like the acai bowls and the things they serve now.”
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The new location is also more convenient for students, despite the decrease in size. Tucked away on the first floor of 300 Swift, the location allows students living in the apartments to have easy access to Thrive’s diverse food offerings.
“I’m very appreciative of [Thrive’s new location],” said sophomore Jacob Spigelman, a resident of 300 Swift. “The food is super good, and [Thrive] has really good healthy options.”
Another benefit of the new location is the opportunity for workers and students to interact on a regular basis.
“I love the new location because everybody is all in one space,” said Melissa Spivey, an employee who has worked at the eatery for about a year.
Thrive is doing well at its new location, Spivey added.
“Oh we thrive,” she said, “and we gonna thrive every year.”


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Town of Devon wants to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility to the province.
Devon residents and businesses are being asked to help propose a new provincial recycling program.
The Town of Devon aims to encourage the province to implement an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program.
EPR shifts the responsibility and cost of recycling from governments and consumers to producers themselves. Devon is looking for its residents to write letters voicing their concerns, which will then be given to the province.
“The goal is to have a program that encourages different types of packaging. More recyclable, less redundant packaging that’s not necessary on products,” said Andy Tchir, Devon’s Environment and Sustainability Coordinator.
He believes consumers’ interests are not being met.
“Currently in Alberta, we actually we pay twice for recycling. Once when we purchase products and second when we dispose of our products,” he said.
Alberta is one of Canada’s only provinces that currently does not have a program like this in place. Tchir suggested the province could model the system after existing programs such as the one in British Columbia.
Tchir says the changes in global recycling in the past year is partly what inspired the town to create this campaign.


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Elon Musk revealed a brand new use for Dogecoin — paying for rides on the Boring Firm, which operates a community of underground tunnels in Las Vegas.
The meme coin is commonly accused of missing utility, some extent refuted by the newly created Dogepedia, which mentioned DOGE “is cash” because of its low charges and “velocity of transactions.”
Not too long ago, the Dogecoin Basis has gone to nice lengths to show DOGE right into a fee token. It mentioned third-party fee integrations with Bitpay and Coinbase, partnering with a number of pay as you go card suppliers, and growing a “JSON-RPC interface” for retailers to combine with the blockchain straight reveal this.
Dogecoin does have utility, mentioned Musk
In a video clip posted by @DogeDesigner, the Tesla CEO reaffirmed his help for DOGE as a result of “it has the memes and canines, and it looks as if it has a humorousness.”
However when challenged on its “potential,” Musk responded by saying its transaction throughput and inflationary tokenomics make it a lot better than Bitcoin as a fee token.
“The precise complete transaction functionality of Dogecoin is far greater than Bitcoin. And the truth that there’s 5 billion DOGE created yearly is sweet for utilizing it as a transactional foreign money.”
The present charge of Dogecoin inflation is about 3.7% a yr. It’s argued that being inflationary, Dogecoin is good to be used as a foreign money, in contrast to fixed-supply Bitcoin, which some traders hoard for concern of dropping features as soon as spent.
Musk has broadly publicized that Tesla and SpaceX merch might be purchased utilizing Dogecoin. However in the course of the video clip, he additionally mentioned folks might use the meme coin to pay for Boring Firm rides in Las Vegas.
The Boring Firm
Musk based the Boring Firm in 2016, which builds tunnels for “fast point-to-point transportation” and solves visitors build-up.
In June, the corporate unveiled its first passenger station, positioned beneath Resorts World Las Vegas. The route is anticipated to characteristic 55 such stations alongside a 29-mile observe of underground tunnels.
The Boring Firm already operates a scaled-down model, which opened in 2021, that consists of two 0.8-mile tracks.
The extra formidable “Vegas Loop” may have customers using in Teslas to get to key landmarks throughout the town, together with the Las Vegas Strip, the town’s new soccer stadium, the Las Vegas Conference Heart, and McCarran Worldwide Airport.
“The system makes use of human-controlled Mannequin X and Y automobiles to move passengers”
Dogecoin has been up 4% within the final 24 hours. It stays caught in a sideways sample established on June 21. Bulls face resistance at $0.07502, having been rejected at this degree on July 30.


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Louisville, Adidas Ink Five-Year Extension James, Heat Top NBA Jersey Sales Raptors Merch Moving Quickly Crosby Reclaims Top-Selling NHL Jersey Bacardi Sponsors New NBA Lifestyle Site Nike, USATF Sign 23-Year Extension Illinois Athletics, Nike Unveil New Look Harper Stars In New Gatorade Ad Marketplace Roundup Foot Locker Ad Puts Lillard In Spotlight
Upcoming Conferences and Events
SBD/August 21, 2012/Marketing and Sponsorship
Nike This Fall Will Raise Shoe, Clothing Prices As Internal Costs Increase
Published August 21, 2012
NEW RULES: In a separate piece, Banjo reports Nike is “trying to scale back the way it releases its highly coveted new sneakers” after recent launches have caused “outbreaks of violence and unruliness outside stores.” Under new rules, sporting-goods stores such as Foot Locker or Dick's Sporting Goods “will have to open their doors at 8 a.m., forgoing the popular midnight releases that encouraged people to camp outside and stampede stores.” Nike in a company memo “told retailers it will no longer allow stores to presell or take reservations for new shoes.” Nike also is “banning store chains from displaying photos or other descriptions of new products ahead of their launch dates.” Banjo notes “violent crowds surrounding Nike's shoe launches date back decades, but analysts say social media has made the buildup to the events more intense” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/21).


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The union that represents nearly 33,000 staff in BC’s Public Service Agency—including the BC LDB and BC Cannabis Stores—issued a 72-hour strike notice to the government on Friday.
In a notice posted on their website, the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) says they will be in a “legal strike position” on Monday, August 15 starting at 2:46 p.m.
The BC LDB has emailed licensed cannabis producers and retailers in the province to inform them of the action and to assure these stakeholders that the provincial distributor will be taking steps to minimize any impact on their business activities.
“The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) recognizes this news may be concerning for your members,” stated a message posted online by the LDB. “Bargaining is a dynamic process, and while we do not know the extent of any possible job action, the LDB will continue to take steps to minimize the immediate impacts to customers and industry partners. This includes continuing to maintain regular operations and customer service levels over the next 72 hours.”
All cannabis sold in British Columbia is overseen by the LDB and routed through the provincial warehouse in Richmond. The BC LDB is also scheduled to launch a new “Direct Delivery” program for cannabis on Monday, August 15 that will allow some producers to ship their product directly to private cannabis stores, bypassing the government warehouse.
The strike is over the most recent collective agreement between the union and the Public Service Agency (PSA), which expired on April 1, 2022. Negotiations for a new collective agreement started on February 8 but stalled on April 6, and union members voted 95% in favour of job action on June 22. The parties met again in July, but talks quickly broke down.
“Our members have been crystal clear since day one that their priority this round of bargaining was cost of living protection for their wages,” said Stephanie Smith, BCGEU president and chair of the union’s public service bargaining committee in a press release. “The bottom line is they’re not asking for anything that MLAs don’t already have. The strike vote in June and issuing strike notice today is a message to government that our members are serious.”
Quebec’s government-run cannabis stores, the SQDC, have faced union actions this year as well, with store closures and picketing seeking to address wage concerns. In June, union members of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) voted to accept an agreement with the SQDC for increased wages, hours, and working conditions.
Another union representing SQDC employees, CUPE, also initiated a strike action earlier this year.


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Taxi hailing service Uber Technologies Inc. will invest an additional $1 billion in India over the next nine months as the company is bullish on the growing Indian market. Announcing the plans on Friday, the San Francisco-based company said that it would use the investment to improve operations in the country, expand its service into newer cities, and develop new products and payment solutions.
“We are extremely bullish on the Indian market and see tremendous potential here,” Amit Jain, president of Uber India, said in an emailed statement, according to Mint, a local business newspaper. “We have grown exponentially in India, a global priority market for us, that has also quickly become the largest market geographically for Uber outside the U.S.”
With the $1 billion investment, Uber is expected to compete more aggressively with local rival Ola, which recently bought its smaller opponent TaxiForSure in a $200 million deal. Ola is reportedly currently in talks to raise at least $500 million.
Uber, which launched its service in India in August 2013, said that the additional investment will help it reach more than 1 million trips a day in the next six to nine months. The company also expects to generate over 200,000 jobs in India by 2016.
Uber said that it is currently growing at a monthly rate of 40 percent in the Asian country, and is expected to grow at an even faster rate with more investments in product, hiring and payment solutions. According to the Financial Times, which first reported the investment, it was the first time the company had such a big strategy for the Indian market.
Uber currently operates in 57 countries and has an estimated value of more than $40 billion.


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Ahead of the Tuesday media event that will unveil the much anticipated flagship iPhone 5S and the budget-oriented iPhone 5C to the world, Apple’s Cupertino, California headquarters was seen decorated in the same circular, bubbly theme that was present on the invitation to the showcase launch. Alongside the two new smartphone hardware, Apple will also be unveiling iOS 7, dubbed the biggest thing to happen to the iPhone since the original iPhone w
as introduced in 2007. The new operating system brings a new design scheme and user interface from famed Apple hardware designer Jony Ive, who killed the old skeuomorphic design elements in favor of a more modern, minimalist icon layout.
At least one entrance to the building of 4 Infinity Loop was seen in the playful, colorful bubbles. Images shown on igen.fr show Apple has been busy decorating for the event.
The colorful hues may be a clue to the playful colorful palette of the iPhone 5C, a more budget-oriented model that Apple is said to be targeting to developing markets. To date, rumors of the iPhone 5C point to a device whose hardware is shared with the current iPhone 5 flagship, but eschews the iPhone 5’s sleek aluminum design for a colorful unibody polycarbonate rear shell.
The iPhone 5S is the headliner of the show and that device will have largely the same design of the iPhone 5, with some improvements. In addition to the traditional black and white colors offered today, the iPhone 5S is said to introduce a new champagne gold hue to the flagship lineup. Additionally, the camera is expected to get an improvement, though aside from the presence of a new dual LED flash mechanism there are still conflicting reports surrounging the camera specs. The iPhone 5S may also get a bump in storage to 128 GB of on-board storage for more demanding users.
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Reportedly, Siemens AG (SIE) is drafting plans for its lighting subsidiary Osram’s first production plant for LED in China.
Osram has given the go-ahead for the project and is negotiating which parts of LEDs and related components it will produce in the country, according to someone who declined to be named as the plans haven’t yet been finalized.
Currently, Osram only has production sites for the semiconductor-based technology in Regensburg, Germany, and Penang, Malaysia. So the facility would fill a gap for Osram in China, the world’s largest lighting market at 8 billion euros ($10.6 billion). The company said that it appointed Samuel Wu, a Chinese native who last ran Honeywell International Inc. (HON)’s process solutions business in China, to oversee operations in Asia.
So far, Osram employs about 8,000 people in China, including at an assembly plant for retrofit bulbs using LEDs in Shaoxing, China. It predicts the Chinese lighting market will more than double by 2020. And the scheduled China LED Plant may help it consolidate industry status.


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Investors should not bail on Alphabet after a rough first quarter for Google's parent company, according to Wall Street analysts. Alphabet missed estimates on the top and bottom lines for the first quarter, sending its stock down in premarket trading. YouTube was a particularly weak area for the tech giant, with ad revenue from the video streaming arm coming in well below expectations. The company's chief financial officer warned of another potentially weak quarter ahead . Despite the misses, Wall Street analysts generally stuck to their optimistic ratings on Alphabet and in some cases recommended taking advantage of the decline in the stock. Shares were off 2.6% in premarket trading Wednesday. "We've been worried about a growth and margin reset hitting GOOGL shares, which remains the best-of-breed name in digital advertising, and we got a glimpse but likely not the full impact of that in 1Q," Barclays analyst Ross Sandler said in a note to clients reiterating his overweight rating. "Despite these concerns, GOOGL remains well positioned to weather the storm and we would look to add to positions selectively on weakness." There is growing concern about TikTok taking share of the advertising market from other social media sites and YouTube, but Wall Street analysts are not ringing alarm bells about Google's advertising business just yet. "Search, YouTube, and Cloud remain platinum franchises and the outlook remains broadly in-line," Piper Sandler's Thomas Champion said in a note. "Post-quarter, Google likely remains the best house in an increasingly complicated digital advertising neighborhood." Champion also reiterated his overweight rating. The tech giant's broad business model also means that search is just one piece of the puzzle, and there is strength elsewhere. "We expect more mixed trends in 2022 as search growth slows and hiring/opex increases," Bank of America's Justin Post said in a note. "However, vs peers, Alphabet has a more stable business, artificial intelligence (AI)/ machine learning (ML) advantages across the product stack (Performance Max a positive), significant expense flexibility, a [management] team doing more for shareholders under new CEO (ie buybacks) and potential valuation support." Post also called the company's margins a "big bright spot" in the quarter and reiterated his buy rating on the stock. Even with the analysts largely keeping their bullish ratings, there were several price target cuts for Alphabet. Here are some of the moves: Piper Sandler: to $2,900 from $3,475 Barclays: to $3,200 from $3,300 Wolfe Research: to $2,900 from $3,500 Bank of America: to $2,940 from $3,173 Wells Fargo: to $3,400 from $3,600 UBS: to $3,600 from $3,850 — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 22, 2020.
FABRICE COFFRINI | AFP | Getty Images
Investors should not bail on Alphabet after a rough first quarter for Google's parent company, according to Wall Street analysts.