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Maw Comms news
DPD backs ‘World’s To Do List’ campaign in support of UN Global Goals
Delivery group joins other leading companies including Unilever, Google, Reckitt, Mars and Diageo to launch major awareness drive
Parcel delivery firm DPD is one of a group of leading companies behind a major awareness campaign called World’s To Do List with Project Everyone in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
From 20-26 September, the group comprised of some of the world’s biggest companies and brands will show their support for and action towards achieving the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development – a plan adopted by all UN member states in 2015 to end poverty, conquer inequality and tackle the climate crisis by 2030. The campaign is part of Global Goals Week – an annual event to mark the anniversary of the Global Goals during the UN General Assembly.
The campaign, developed with Karmarama, part of Accenture Interactive, is spearheaded the Global Goals Business Avengers, comprised of Arm, Avanti, Commvault, Diageo, DPDgroup, Google, Mars, NTT, Reckitt, Salesforce, SAP, Unilever and Wood. The companies represent over 700,000 employees, with a combined social media reach of over 100 million.
Each company is the champion of one of the 17 Global Goals and is actively working to raise awareness of them and take actions within their own organisations to help achieve them.
Companies taking part in the World’s To Do List campaign are sharing the actions they are taking to contribute to the achievement of particular Goals, whilst also stating what is on their ‘To Do List’ for the near future.
For example, DPD is fully committed to making major changes to its operation with low emission delivery to 225 European cities by 2025, aimed at making progress towards Goal 13 – Climate Action.
The campaign brings to life why the Goals are the World’s To Do List for people and planet using sticky notes – a set of playful yet profound messages which re-imagine the Goals as a series of short actionable ‘to do’s’, setting a clear reminder that we have the plan to fix the world’s problems, we just need the action to get it done.
Giant sticky notes will also be appearing in various physical locations this week as reminders of the immediate actions needed to be taken, as well. For example, DPD’s “Tackle the climate crisis” sticky note, will cover the branding on vehicles and DPD buildings as well as the firm’s websites.
DPD has produced a short film to illustrate the campaign: https://vimeo.com/dpdgroup/review/592437849/6178d11376
The campaign will then grow, setting its sights on critical moments for the advancement of the Global Goals, beginning with COP26, the UN climate conference taking place in Glasgow in November.
Tim Jones, Director of Marketing, Communications & Sustainability DPDgroup UK commented, “Covering up our logo isn’t something we would normally do. We are incredibly proud of our brand. But these aren’t normal times. The climate crisis is real and, while we know that we are part of the problem, we are committed to playing our part and demonstrating to others what is possible. Over the last 10 years we have been working hard to reduce our CO2 emissions across our operation and by 2025 we aim to cut them by 30% and deliver to 80 million people in Europe with low-emission delivery means. In the UK, we can see this plan taking shape already in Oxford, the first of 25 UK cities to experience all electric only deliveries from DPD.”
Full details of all of DPD’s sustainability initiatives can be found on its dedicated green website: https://green.dpd.co.uk/
For further information please contact: email@example.com
Notes to editors:
The UK’s favourite parcel delivery group: DPD has been voted top in MoneySavingExpert’s consumer satisfaction poll for parcel delivery companies eight years running.
In April 2015, DPD was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2015 in the Innovation category, for its unique one-hour delivery service, Predict.
In 2018, DPD opened the UK’s first all-electric parcel delivery depot in Westminster. DPD currently has over 1,000 EVs on the road in the UK and in October 2020, announced plans to deliver to 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK with zero and low-emission delivery means by 2025. Details of all of DPD’s sustainability initiatives can be found on its dedicated green website: https://green.dpd.co.uk/
DPD is a member of DPDgroup, the largest parcel delivery network in Europe. DPDgroup is the parcel delivery network of GeoPost, a holding company owned by France’s La Poste.
The company operates more than 10,000 vehicles from 84 locations and delivers over 300 million parcels a year.


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Netflix take steps against hostile takeovers as industry mulls a sale
Michelle Clancy | 06-11-2012
With the collapse in Netflix investor confidence and market value over the course of the last 15 months, Netflix is looking to block a hostile takeover bid even as BTIG Research postulates that it could be time for the streaming leader to to hang out the for-sale sign.
Netflix, lately finding itself battered by Wall Street in the wake of revised subscription guidance for the fourth quarter, saw an uptick in share price after it was revealed that activist investor Carl Icahn had taken a 10% stake in the company. Icahn has a reputation for shaking up management and forcing sales, using his board seat within companies as leverage.
After Icahn told Reuters last week that he felt Netflix was undervalued and would make "a great acquisition for a number of companies," and that there would be a bidding war if it were ever up for sale, Netflix has taken an interestingly timed action with the implementation of a shareholder rights plan.
The company is issuing of one right for every share of common stock outstanding at the close of business on 2 November, which will trade with the company's common stock. A right allows its holder to buy one-one-thousandth of a share of a new class of preferred stock at $350 per right. They become exercisable if any one person or group acquires 10% of Netflix stock. The idea of course is to make it much more difficult for an outside entity to buy up shares in a hostile takeover bid.
"The Rights Plan is intended to protect Netflix and its stockholders from efforts to obtain control of Netflix that the Board of Directors determines are not in the best interests of Netflix and its stockholders," the company said in a statement.
Netflix is looking more and more like an acquisition target. It has spent a few quarters reeling from last fall's ill-thought-out decision to separate its subscription and DVD rental business and increase its rate plan by 60%--a move that saw its stock plummet from the $300+ top share price last summer. Netflix has a current market value of $4.4 billion, but aside from the rate plan issue, which also cost the company in churn before making up ground this year, the online streamer is facing escalating content fees and a so-far profitless international expansion, making for squeezed margins.
"It has been an awfully long last 15 months for Netflix," BTIG analysts said. "While Reed Hastings has successfully restored consumer faith in Netflix by bolstering serialised drama and children's content, investors remain skeptical of Netflix's prospects and of Hastings' leadership."
Investor fears center around five key areas: competition, content costs, the international expansion, Hastings' guidance missteps over the past year (his complete confidence in ending 2012 with more subs than HBO is now falling well-short), and the inherent risks/volatility associated with original programming like Arrested Development. The latter is "despite original programming holding the key in our view to tilting content negotiation leverage back toward Netflix, as well as an important subscriber acquisition vehicle, BTIG said.
The analysts noted that Netflix would mainly appeal to two types of companies: those who would offer Netflix as part of a larger entity or use Netflix to accelerate growth in another aspect of their business, to find revenues beyond a subscription fee to increase the ROI on Netflix's content spend. Or, a premium cable company who would view Netflix simply as a premium cable network, similar to HBO, Showtime or Starz, and who have TV production capabilities that could facilitate the ramp in high quality original programming, as well as the balance sheet and experience to help grow Netflix's business in other ways.
As far as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple, a takeover just wouldn't make sense, BTIG said. "We have a very hard time understanding why any of these companies would spend billions to buy Netflix when you get all the benefits without the cost today, especially given Netflix's low margins," said the firm, referring to Netflix' ubiquitous embedded device strategy, which in theory helps sell those devices.
"Let's call Netflix what it is today: a premium cable network entering the third stage of its evolution (stage 1 is distributing other people's old content, stage 2 is distributing other people's new content and stage 3 is creating your own new content), which just so happens to be distributed via broadband (OTT, over-the-top) and which is trying to expand its network internationally," BTIG said. "In turn, we believe companies that are experts at creating and distributing content should have an interest in acquiring Netflix."

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Promotions group shown yellow card
TROUBLED marketing and promotions group Sportsworld Media is playing well into injury time. City regulator, the Financial Services Authority, suspended trading in the shares at 5 1/4p, awaiting results for the second half of 2001.
Sportsworld cannot release the figures until it finds a buyer for its assets. No deal is imminent. As one of the bright stars of the Alternative Investment Market, its shares hit a high of 700p in 2000.
Sportsworld owns the rights to billboard advertising outside Test match cricket grounds and at a handful of Premier League football venues. It also holds a stake in the rights to the format of the TV series Popstars that created the chart-topping band Hear'Say.
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Banks are about numbers…right? Not according to the super-friendly team at Bellingham’s First Federal branches. “You want to be a name at your bank, never a number,” says Market Area Manager & Vice President Troy Wills.
When we sat down to discuss tips for saving—joined by Customer Sales & Service Manager Tina Ruff—it was not only fun, but we were periodically interrupted by Troy shouting greetings to each customer who walked in the front door…by name. For stressful topics like post-holiday debt or how to build credit, consider the folks at First Federal your personal pep squad.
Brought to you by Google News. Read the rest of the article here.


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The cost of living crisis over recent years, has led to a fall in purchasing power. Those impacted most by the crisis are the people earning the lowest wages, Bank of Estonia (Eesti Pank) economist Rasmus Kattai told ETV show "Terevisioon."
"The increase in the cost of living has had the biggest impact on people's livelihoods," Kattai said. "Life is a third more expensive than it was three years ago. This is the new price level that people have to cope with. The purchasing power of the average wage has not recovered to pre-crisis levels."
The purchasing power of the average wage in Estonia has is now at 94 percent of the April 2021 level. In August 2022, it fell to a low of 87 percent.
"Half of the recovery period still lies ahead. We have reached the [same level as at] the end of 2019 in terms of purchasing power, or, in other words, four years ago," Kattai said.
Kattai added however, that the next stage of the recovery will be anything but smooth. "This period will last around one and a half to two years," he said.
"If we look at wage levels, the biggest drop in purchasing power has affected [those earning] lower wages," Kattai pointed out. "The proportion of goods in their shopping baskets with larger price increases is higher."
At the same time, the current crisis differs from previous ones, as most people still have jobs, Kattai said. The number of people currently employed in Estonia is among the highest on record.
"We will probably see another rise in unemployment at the start of the new year," Kattai said.
While price rises in Estonia were among the highest in Europe, they have now clearly levelled off at four to five percent. However, inflation remains high, Kattai added.
The Estonian economy has now been in decline for seven consecutive quarters, with Kattai admitting that that is quite a long time. "Right now, our growth engine, the Estonian export sector, is not doing well. That is where the biggest difficulties and risks are."
Editor: Michael Cole


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According to new information from The Nielsen Company among the most likely households not to be ready for the February 17th digital transition are Hispanic households. Of the more than 6.5 million homes in America, not ready for the transition, nearly 10% are Hispanic.
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Nielsen reports that 9.7% of Hispanic households are not ready for the transition and 9.9% of African-American households aren’t ready for the transition. The percentage of white homes not ready for the transition sits at 4.6%.
It may not matter for now how many homes aren’t ready for the transition. The Senate recently passed a bill that would delay the digital transition till June. The House will be voting on the bill soon, but is expected to approve the bill in some form.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, not a day passes when you don’t wish for a cure.
The swollen fingers, the stiffness in your knees… some days, the pain is just UNBEARABLE.
And forget Big Pharma’s “solutions” ...
On one hand you’ve got drugs that slow down your immune system and leave you RIPE for infection…
And on the other, you’ve got dangerous, addictive pain meds.
But now you don’t have to choose between mainstream drugs or suffering in silence.
Because an exciting new study reveals a SECRET cause of your rheumatoid arthritis—and it’s something that’s lurking in your fridge RIGHT NOW…
A MAP of pain
In a new study out of the University of Central Florida, researchers found that the true cause of rheumatoid arthritis could be hiding out in everything from your favorite hamburger to the half and half you put in your coffee!
Let me explain...
As it turns out, many people with rheumatoid arthritis have a mutated gene. That alone sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie… but it gets even weirder.
You see, some people live for YEARS with this mutated gene and never even get rheumatoid arthritis. That is, unless you get exposed to a terrifying bacteria called Mycobaterium avium paratuberculosis or MAP.
And when the two meet—BOOM!
Suddenly you’re suffering from painful joints, exhaustion, and—before you know it— rheumatoid arthritis.
But a new study has found a reason… and a cure.
Researchers tested 100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis for both the mutated gene and MAP.
The results? Roughly 78 percent of the patients had the mutated gene… and 40 percent of these folks tested positive for the bacteria.
In other words, 40 percent of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers had both the gene AND the bacteria. To me, those odds are just too strong to be a coincidence.
But don’t worry: there’s an easy fix… once you know how it happened in the first place.
No “moo’s” is good news
So just HOW do you get exposed to this bacteria?
Well, this is the strangest part of all...
It turns out, MAP is found in infected milk and beef.
And here’s where it gets even scarier— MAP has been found in over HALF of the cows in the United States.
So whether you’re suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or you’ve been lucky enough to avoid it, it’s a good idea to stay away from beef and dairy. Period!
Usually I would recommend just going organic when it comes to red meat and dairy, but in this case it’s best to avoid them completely.
Luckily, there’s a way to do this while still eating delicious food—it’s called the Paleo Diet. You can still eat plenty of chicken and seafood, plus fresh veggies and nuts.
Even if you already suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you can still benefit from the Paleo Diet. Eliminating inflammation-causing red meat and dairy will relieve most or even all of your symptoms.
Better yet, try a curcumin supplement. Curcumin is found in turmeric, a spice long used in Indian cooking to give dishes their bright golden color, and it’s been proven to reduce out-of-control inflammation and alleviate pain.
You can find a curcumin supplement at any health food store or online.


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Elon Musk took advantage of the Plaid debut on Thursday to speak out about Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) engineering capacity. The official speaks at a time when the company continues to face intense competition from battery-powered vehicles.
Musk’s take on the Model S Plaid
The company’s CEO billed their most recent product called the Model S Plaid, terming it a product that serves as definitive proof of the superiority of electric vehicles and what they have to offer.
Musk opined, “Why make this really fast car that’s crazy fast? “There is something quite important to the future of sustainable energy, which is that we’ve got to show that an electric car is the best car, hands down.”
A close outlook at the company’s dynamics
Analysts consider the Plaid deliveries to be an outstanding addition when speaking about the company’s product front. In other words, the deliveries spark great excitement. However, it is crucial to recognize that nothing changes in terms of Plaid maintaining its position as secondary to its aspirations in Model 3/Y.
Over the previous year, the company’s stock experienced an eightfold gain, something that made it stand out as the world’s most valuable automaker. The game-changing opportunity helped the company, enabling it to increase investor interest within the more expansive electric-vehicle space significantly.
It is intriguing to note that the market leader has been going through a rough patch since the start of this year. The company has come a long way, with its Model S becoming its breakthrough sedan. It was back in 2012 that it started delivering the products.
The company’s newer and cheaper 3 and Y brought a significant shift. They beat the older Model S and X sales.


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The Ghana Cocoa board (COCOBOD) on Wednesday signed a 1.5 billion dollars pre-export trade finance facility for the purchase of cocoa for the 2012/2013 season.
The facility, which was fully underwritten by the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers, was oversubscribed and banks commitments were scaled back following a successful syndication.
Proceeds of the facility will be used to finance cocoa purchases for the coming season. Standard Chartered bank will act as facility agent and Ghana international bank plc will act as collections agent.
Speaking at the ceremony in Accra, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, expressed the country’s gratitude to both the local and foreign financiers for the confidence shown in the Ghanaian economy.
“I wish to express my profound gratitude to our financiers, both local and foreign, for the confidence shown in the Ghanaian economy in general and the cocoa industry in particular,” he said.
Dr. Duffuor said the cocoa industry remained the major backbone of the Ghanaian economy and would continue to play its lead role despite the coming on stream of oil and gas.
It is in this direction that COCOBOD with the support of the government has provided incentives that had resulted in a major boost of the cocoa industry.
The Minister said the trade finance was not backed by government guarantee but by the produce it seeks to support, attributing the success to cocoa farmers who work to ensure that the produce was available for sale to pay back the loan.
Dr. Duffuor attributed the oversubscription of the facility to government’s good economic policies and COCOBOD’s exceptional performance.
“Your participation in this year’s arrangement is therefore not only opportune but a reflection of the confidence that you have in the government and the economy,” he said, adding that the medium term growth prospects of the Ghanaian economy remained favourable.
“I wish to assure the international community of government’s commitment to ensure a stable and friendly environment for business,” Dr. Duffuor said.
Mr. Anthony Fofie, Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, said to move the Ghanaian cocoa sector forward, the sector would take advantage of available technology to expand sales activities, improve operations and enhance collection of sales proceeds.
He said COCOBOD was exploring cooperation in the area of marketing, extension; pest disease control and cross border movement of cocoa beans.
Mr. Kwamina Asomaning, Director Corporate and Investment Banking Stanbic Bank, said the bank’s commitment to facility was 100million dollars, adding that, the bank was pleased to contribute to the development of the cocoa sector as a demonstration of its loyalty to the country.


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|Written by Mark Lineberger|
|Saturday, 08 June 2013 00:00|
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a burglary and arson that took place in the Verde Villages sometime between May 26 and May 27. The home, on the 1900 block of Desrerama Circle, is shared by three roommates.
Two of the occupants were out of town, but the third roommate returned home at 1 a.m. to find the house filled with smoke. The fire was put out by firefighters, and investigators later determined that arson was the likely cause of the blaze.
Evidence is still being reviewed, according to Dwight D’Evelyn, spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
For the full story, see the Wednesday, June 5, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
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San Francisco recently banned the sale of e-cigarettes within city limits, making it the first city to do so. The ban comes amid increasing concerns from public health officials, especially over the rise of underage consumption.
The ordinance cites data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows use of “tobacco products,” which includes e-cigarettes, by middle and high school students increased from 3.6 million to 4.9 million between 2017 and 2018.
“This increase — which was driven by a surge in e-cigarette use — erased past progress in reducing youth tobacco product use,” the ordinance says.
Supervisor Shamann Walton, who co-authored the ordinance, said e-cigarette companies like Juul are “putting profits before the health of young people and people in general.”
Juul, which reportedly controls 70 percent of the vaping market, has its headquarters in San Francisco. While the ordinance would prevent new vape product manufacturers from renting in city limits, the law will not force Juul to relocate.
Juul Spokesman Ted Kwong criticized the ordinance in a public statement.
“This full prohibition [of e-cigarettes] will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers, and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use,” Kwong said.
In November 2018, Juul released an action plan addressing the use of vaping products by minors. Some measures included raising the minimum age of purchase to 21, requiring clerks to electronically scan I.D. cards, capping the amount consumers can purchase at one time, and removing sales from online marketplaces such as Amazon.
San Francisco’s ordinance will be fully implemented over the next six months. In the meantime, Juul is backing an effort to overrule the ordinance through a ballot initiative. A petition has reportedly already exceeded the number of signatures needed to put the issue before voters.
Image by Pexels.


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Another week has past us by and in the gamer world a lot can and as always has happened; hopefully you squeezed in a game or two as well.
Let’s start our week in review with a look back at the games that released making the week gone that much better. Novastream’s first official review of 2016 was Undertale, a game that by all reports has well and truly over-achieved. An indie steam release with a strong RPG feel, our reviewer Pat gave this little gem of a game 5/5, a Novastream first! Here’s his final verdict, “In all honesty, this game felt flawless to me. Being realistic, its simplistic style and old school representation may deter some audiences but I believe this game is solid proof that games don’t need to have true to life graphics and A-class voice acting to tell a story that goes right to your core and stays with you long after the credits have rolled.”
In other releases during the week, Assassins Creed Chronicles: India snuck its way on to most platforms with early reviews suggesting this assassin’s game doesn’t always get the execution right. Oxenfree also launched on PC and Xbox One during the week with many remarking on its beautiful story and attractive simplicity.
While some games have graced us early in 2016 we’re gradually learning more about when other games will find their way to us. DC Universe Online has been on PC and PlayStation for a few years now but it will be making its way to Xbox One at the halfway point of this year as the game celebrates its fifth anniversary. Meanwhile with the 2016 Olympics at Rio nearly upon us, the inevitable Mario and Sonic entry will be out very soon with Nintendo confirming that it will hit the 3DS on March 18 with the Wii U release date yet to be confirmed. Ahead of its release in March the dates of beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division has been announced with gamers able to get their first taste of the game on the Xbox One January 28-31 and PC/PS4 January 29-31. I mentioned last week the leaked image of a possible Homefront: The Revolution release date and Deep Silver has removed all mystery revealing a May 20 release date for the sequel across all platforms in both Australia and NZ. A beta version of the game will be available to play exclusively on Xbox sometime in February. And finally Quantum Break, the game delayed many times is nearing completion in 2016 with their head of PR saying its ‘so close’ to being finished ahead of its current April 5 release date.
2016 is set to be a huge year for virtual reality and after the Oculus Rift finally became available for pre-order, HTC’s own attempt at VR via the VIVE PRE will be able to be pre-order from February 29. No price as yet so that pre-order date should be an interesting day for the future and pricing of virtual reality gaming.
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has revealed his plans for the gaming company in 2016 with games surprisingly not the top priority. Nintendo’s foray into smartphones app is a big priority for the president saying their first app will launch in March this year, could it be Pokémon Go? Also discussed was a possible branch out into anime with expected details on the NX strangely over-looked. The president also said he hopes the company makes a profit of $100 billion yen in the next few years which equate to around $850 million. In other Nintendo news, Super Mario Maker has become the sixth Wii U game to pass 1 million sales, have you made a Mario level yet?
It’s no secret that a Titanfall sequel is in the works but what wasn’t so wee known is that Titanfall developers Respawn Entertainment are seemingly working on another game. According to a recent job listing, the developers are recruiting for a 3rd person action/adventure IP. In late 2014 the developer did announce their team had split in two to work on a new, smaller game and it appears this is what they’ve been keeping busy with.
The latest Hitman game is set to release on March 11 but not in the usual way with Square Enix announcing an episodic release for the game that will see new locations and story progression released each month. Beta for the game will release February 14 for the PS4 and February 19 for PC. As we get closer to release the collector’s edition of the game has been revealed with a sweet 10-inch Agent 47 “Chessmaster” Statue along with a hardcover 60-page art book curated by art director Jonathan Rowe not to mention Agent 47’s red tie and clip set.
In a quick wrap of eSports, sports media giants ESPN have launched a site dedicated purely to competitive gaming. “Today’s launch – anchored by the influential voices of Darin Kwilinski, Rod Breslau and Tyler Erzberger – is our latest push to reach and connect with this growing and passionate audience,” ESPN.com editor-in-chief Chad Millman commented. Adding that, “Fans will find the same level of quality content and journalism that users of ESPN.com have come to expect, including in-depth looks at the competitive gaming world and on-site reporting from the major tournaments.”
The gaming forecast for this week sees Resident Evil rise up via Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster and Resident Evil: Origins Collection both release January 19. While another Life is Strange episode is due for release also on the 19th with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam for 3DS itself out on the 22nd.
And that my fellow gamers, was the week that was, game on!
News by Josh Thomas
Be the first to leave a review.


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Razer Phone 2 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 expected to arrive in China by end 2018
The successor to the Razer Phone might launch by end-2018 in China if Razer Global Vice President Chen Xiaoping's words are anything to go by. In an interview during the just concluded ChinaJoy 2018 expo, Chen Xiaoping said that the Razer Phone 2 will be using the latest Qualcomm chipset. Although he did not mention any specifics, there is speculation that the phone might feature the upcoming Snapdragon 855.
There have been some reports stating that the Razer Phone 2 would be revealed as early as IFA 2018 next month. While that information comes from Frandroid's internal sources, it would be safer to side with Xiaoping's assertion for the moment. It also makes sense as Qualcomm usually unveils new SoCs during December so Razer would want to be one of the first to lap it up. This ensures that the phone will remain relevant as an up to date flagship for the major part of 2019. There is not much competition to the Razer Phone as of now and it doesn't make sense to rush out a new iterative model just for the sake of it. There are also rumors that Razer's Project Linda might be a key selling feature of the Razer Phone 2.
We are seeing an uptick in the number of OEMs focusing on the gaming demographic. Apart from the Razer Phone, the Xiaomi Black Shark and Asus ROG Phone are some of the other gamer-focused smartphones out there. Huawei has also turned its attention towards gaming with the introduction of software enhancements such as GPU Turbo. There are reports that Samsung is also looking to embrace mobile gamers and the upcoming Galaxy Note 9 is also being targeted at gamers as it comes with support for the Vulkan API and is touted to be launchpad for Fortnite Mobile on Android.


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Claire Shaw has joined greetings specialist Gemma International as licensing manager.
Joining Tim Rudd-Clarke’s licensing team, Shaw will help develop and grow Gemma’s business while managing its portfolio of licences which includes the likes of Peppa Pig, Moshi Monsters and Hello Kitty.
Shaw arrives from Classic Media where she worked for seven years, most recently as VP of consumer products. She also held posts at Granada Ventures and Disney.
Shaw said: “It’s a privilege to be joining Gemma who have such a fantastic reputation amongst the licensing community. I‘m looking forward to using my experience to develop and grow the business.”
Tim Rudd-Clarke Licensing Director, said: “I’m very pleased to announce that, Claire Shaw has joined the Gemma licensing team, she will bring a wealth of experience, to our business team and will strengthen our position as a leader, and innovator in licensed greetings, party, and gift packing products.”


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Mobile users of Google Maps have a new feature to look forward to: integrated tracking of shared scooters, bikes and e-bikes.
Updated this weekend, the new functionality expands a pilot program that Google launched in December to integrate rental scooters and bicycles directly into its mobile app. Fully deployed it's now possible to book a last-mile solution through Google Maps in more than 80 cities including a handful of international destinations. Google shared news of the update on its blog this weekend and it was later picked up by The Verge.
Right now, the shared scooters and bikes on Google Maps are only available through Lime, the San Francisco-based rental company that initially launched operations in Greensboro, North Carolina with 125 bicycles. Now the service offers a variety of last-mile rental tools from bicycles to scooters to e-bikes and operates in well over 100 locations around the world. According to Google's blog post this weekend, the new functionality will be able to tell users "if a Lime vehicle is available, how long it’ll take to walk to the vehicle, an estimate of how much your ride could cost, along with your total journey time and ETA."
As an example, if a user wanted to go from downtown San Francisco into the Mission District, the mobile version of Google Maps would initially yield walking, biking, transit, shared ride and scooter/bicycle options as potential ways to make the journey. Once a user clicks on the shared ride or scooter/bicycle tabs, an estimated price comes up and in the latter case, nearby available rental units also display on the map.
Integrating Lime's shared mobility options into Google Maps was a logical extension of its current roadmap. Already, Android and iOS versions of the technology integrate with Uber and Lyft to offer pricing for shared vehicles and connect to the respective apps where appropriate. By adding rental scooters and bicycles to the app, Google Maps is simply expanding the number of transit options for travelers.
Despite that aggressive growth, it is a bit strange to see Lime integrated into Google Maps without competing operators like Bird, Skip, Spin or Scoot in the mix. In the blog post published over the weekend, Vishal Dutta, the product manager overseeing Lime's integration into Google Maps, made no mention of the other carriers. He did, however, say that "more" would be coming soon.


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A woman recently was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Castle Rock grocery store. Shortly after 7 a.m. Nov. 18, Castle Rock police officers responded to the King Soopers at 5544 Promenade …
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A woman recently was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Castle Rock grocery store.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Nov. 18, Castle Rock police officers responded to the King Soopers at 5544 Promenade Parkway, where a 63-year-old woman reported having been robbed, according to a news release from the town.
After reviewing surveillance video, police determined that a man in a white SUV parked next to the woman's car on the driver's side. He opened his vehicle's door hard enough to dent her car, and when they both got out to inspect the damage, the supsect showed a gun and demanded the woman's purse.
The suspect, described in the news release as "a short Hispanic male wearing a gray hoodie," then fled in his vehicle. The woman was not injured.
Police were able to track a phone in the woman’s purse to an area near Arapahoe Road and Peoria Street, before the phone was turned off.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police department’s tip line at 720-733-3517.
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Have you heard the good news about the plant based superfood called CBD? It's no surprise that CBD may help against Covid 19 Virus but recent studies have proven this! New research has found that compounds found in cannabis and CBD might have protective benefits against COVID-19, according to a recent study.
These new findings will shed light on alternative and plant based treatments to fight against this global pandemic.
To fully understand how CBD may help against Covid 19 Virus you will need to understand the science behind the research. First, the researchers used a powerful microscope called an affinity selection-mass spectrometer. It identifies the shape of molecules and how they target and bind to your body's cells. When they looked at the virus in more detail, they found that it had an unusual spike protein shape which binds to certain receptors on our lungs. However, they also found that cannabinoids in hemp and cannabis such as CBD called cannabinoid acids have this similar protein shape. The cannabinoid acids block the SARS-CoV2 proteins from entering human cells, making it harder to become infected. The scientists also discovered that cannabinoid acids can block the alpha variant and beta variant of Covid19.
Since cannabinoids are known for their binding properties, CBD may help against Covid 19 Virus from entering human cells. This type of protein that cannabis and covid 19 share can only bind to one receptor at a time. If the COVID-19 virus is blocked from binding to cells, it cannot cause infection.
Of course, more research is needed and you will want to follow other precautions that are necessary. Maybe you will consider adding CBD oil to your daily routine for not only immunity, but for inflammation, stress or sleep.


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A FedEx employee is being charged for attempting to steal semi-automatic weapons while working.
According to Memphis police, FedEx employee Alexander Jordan was caught with two guns and admitted to taking the weapons.
Jordan concealed a Glock 21.45 caliber handgun and a Springfield Armory Hellcat with the intent to steal them, police say. Both weapons are worth $1,381.
Jordan is charged with theft of property and his court date is set for Wednesday morning.
An affidavit signed by Memphis Airport police stated Jordan was caught by FedEx security.
FedEx said in a statement that the company is cooperating fully with investigating authorities.
“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority,” a company representative said.


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The new iPad mini is displayed after its unveiling at an Apple special event at the historic California Theater on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California. The iPad mini is Apple's smaller 7.9 inch version of the iPad tablet. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
CUPERTINO, Calif. - Over the next few months, Apple stores, including those in Sacramento, will be overwhelmed with requests for new iPad minis.
But there's a huge shortfall, and unfortunately for Apple, that means consumers may opt for a tablet from Google or Amazon instead.
So why would Apple not produce enough iPad minis? It appears that manufacturing the iPad Mini's new Retina display screen is a bit more difficult than expected.
Manufacturers are still working out the kinks, and according to various reports, up to half of the minis coming off the production line are being scrapped because of display issues.
So what can you do to get one? Check with your local Apple store regularly once the Mini goes on sale, and if they have any in stock, head out there immediately and grab one. And don't forget the other stores that carry them including Walmart and Target. ,
If you're not in a big hurry, you can always wait until the Spring. By that time, Apple should have resolved any supply issues.


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Christie’s Jumps Back Into the London Summer Postwar Evening Auction Calendar With a Steady $57 Million Sale
The auction house is trying to find its way after dropping the sale from its calendar the past two seasons.
After a tough Impressionist and Modern art sale last week, Christie’s had to face up to the consequences of having virtually pulled out of the contemporary art auction program in London over the last two summers.
Several years ago, when the decision was made to drop the June evening sales, the auction house reasoned that, with those sales faltering, it was better to downsize and concentrate on putting on a truly stellar auction during Frieze week in October.
But while October sales strengthened, Christie’s may have given Sotheby’s a gift, allowing it to benefit from the lack of competitive business-getting in the summer.
Now Christie’s is back at the table, but picking up the pace again seems to have proven tricky. Estimates for this evening sale, £36.5 million to £52.8 million ($46.3 million to $67 million) amounted to less than half of the June 2015 estimate, and nearly one third of June 2014’s. In essence, the expected sale total for tonight was comparable to that of the auction house’s weak June 2016 evening sale, which was what led it to drop the summer evenings auctions in the first place.
Given this somewhat uneven background, this evening’s sale performed strongly, realizing £45.2 million ($57.3 million) with only two lots unsold and five records broken. (The final sales totals include the buyer’s premium; estimates do not.)
As is the norm, the front of the sale was stacked with works by artists—noticeably female in this case—whose prices are on the up. Included in the sale were pictures by the 29-year-old Tschabalala Self (it is the second time her work has been at auction), the 44-year-old Dana Schutz (whose work carried a record-high pre-sale estimate of £300,000 to £400,000), and the 85-year-old Rose Wylie.
But one swallow doesn’t make a summer, and this evening’s Wylie—a rather monochromatic, 11-foot painting, Black Stork (2012)—went unsold. Even the powerful David Zwirner gallery, which now represents the British artist, did not step in to save it.
The Americans were in a different league. The Schutz work didn’t make a record, but it hit the middle of its estimate at £467,250 ($593,000), selling to what appeared to be an Asian bidder in the room (33% of registered bidders were Asian, according to Christie’s).
But people went crazy for the picture by Tschabalala Self. The artist is currently showing at MoMA PS1 and is lined up with solo exhibitions at the ICA Boston and the Baltimore Museum of Art next year. Her London dealer, Pilar Corrias, says that after her first auction appearance at Phillips, collectors were lining up to sell and make profits.
Tonight, her six-foot fabric collage, Out of Body (2015), estimated at £40,000 to £60,000, attracted multiple bidders, including Corrias, who bid into six figures before it sold to the speculative collector Jose Mugrabi for £371,250 ($471,000). “Very nice to see you sir,” quipped auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen.
Mugrabi, the biggest buyer of Warhol and Basquiat until recently, had not been seen in a London auction room for a few years. But he made up for it this evening by also buying a subpar 1954 Francis Bacon, which only left his studio after he died, and for which Mugrabi was probably the guarantor, as he bought it under estimate for £5.1 million ($6.5 million). He also bought a six-foot wide KAWS painting within estimate for £1.8 million ($2.3 million), and a 14-inch Warhol Flowers work from 1964, also within estimate for £671,250 ($852,000).
Just outspending Mugrabi was dealer Daniella Luxembourg. Sitting in the front row, she paid a record £1 million ($1.3 million) for a rich, abstract tapestry by Gerhard Richter, and then bought the top lot of the sale: a tumultuous, large 1961 painting titled Ceremony by Jean Dubuffet from his “Paris Circus” series.
The work was perhaps not quite as effective as his other “Paris Circus” pictures (one of them sold for nearly $24 million in New York at Christie’s in 2016), and it was unsold the last time it came up for auction in 2003. But the Dubuffet market has been re-energized lately, and this one sold to Luxembourg for a mid-estimate £8.7 million ($11 million).
Another strong bidder picking up consecutive lots was London dealer Richard Nagy, who paid a mid-estimate £2 million ($2.5 million) for Diagonal Portrait (2013) by George Condo, and an above estimate £1.6 million ($2 million) for Cecily Brown’s Blonde Eating Birds (2011–12).
Two fairly neglected British pop artists were also on the block. Gerald Laing’s work broke into the big leagues in October 2016, when a ben-day dot painting by the artist of a bikini girl sold for £1.6 million ($2 million). Tonight’s offering, a 1964 painting of a skydiver, had been in the collection of the family of American publisher Harry Abrams since it was painted, and sold near the high estimate for £587,250 ($745,000).
The price was unimaginable for Laing five years ago and was underbid by London dealer Hugh Gibson, whose gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of British pop art by Peter Blake, David Hockney, R. B. Kitaj, and the like.
Before tonight, Laing’s contemporary, Derek Boshier (who is still going strong in his 80s), had never seen a work of his go to an evening auction. He will no doubt welcome the news that a 1963 painting of his titled Man Versus Look, Versus Life, Versus Time, Versus Man About sold for £237,500 ($302,000) to Hugues Joffre (a director at Phillips, but bidding for a private collector). The previous auction record for a work by the artist was £12,500 ($16,000).
A record was also set for a work by Jonas Burgert, a 50 year-old German painter of apocalyptic visions. An almost 22 foot wide painting, Suchtpuls/Addicted to Pulse (2011), bought from Blain Southern’s Berlin exhibition in 2012, was his biggest yet to hit the block. Most often, size counts, and in this case it did: the painting sold to an Asian buyer for a new record, £419,250 ($532,000). (The previous record for the artist was £150,000 [$190,000] for a significantly smaller painting.)
Later in the sale, a Mona Lisa by Banksy went for £731,250 ($927,000)—within estimate, but four times the price it made in 2008. A small black-and-white work titled Seated Model IV from 1963 by Frank Auerbach also proved a strong investment. It last sold for £457,250 ($580,000) in 2012, and tonight went for £911,250 ($1.2 million).
So much for the highs. One reason for low-level consignments in London this season is lingering uncertainty about Brexit. A number of works also sold well below estimate, indicating pre-sale uncertainty and the lowering of reserve prices.
A Sean Scully, despite an unprecedented number of exhibitions by the artist globally this year, sold on a £750,000 ($950,000) bid against a £1 million low estimate. Bona Montagu of the Per Skarstedt gallery, which has been working with David Salle’s secondary market, met no competition when buying a 1993 work below estimate for £225,000 ($285,000). A 1966 black painting by Pierre Soulages with a £1 million estimate was snapped up with a £850,000 bid ($1.1 million), and a shaped glitter Concetto Spaziale by Fontana struggled to find a bid at £400,000 ($507,000) when the estimate was £700,000. Pylkkanen kept tempting the Nahmad family in the front row with what seemed like a bargain, but they let an anonymous phone bidder have it.
All said though, Christie’s will be happy with this low level but fairly buoyant sale, which puts them back in the running for the June stakes in London.
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Brazil economy slows unexpectedly
This article was taken from another site (see link below) and posted on this blog by Michael Leitch for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
Brazil’s economy slowed unexpectedly in the third quarter, new data suggests.
Latin America’s biggest country clocked just 0.6% growth in the three months to September versus the previous quarter, half the rate expected by analysts.
Businesses cut their investment by a further 2%, while consumer spending growth was a sluggish 0.9%.
The weak private-sector spending counteracted a big round of stimulus spending unleashed by the government, including tax cuts for businesses.
“It was horrible,” said Jankiel Santos, chief economist at BES Investimento in Sao Paulo. “The government is certainly going to be worried about this. The expectation is that they are going to come out with more stimulus measures.”
In September, the government cut its growth forecast for the year to 2% – a figure that was still seen as too optimistic by markets even before the latest data release.
Growth for 2012 now looks set to be closer to 1%, compared with 2.7% last year and 7.5% in 2010.
President Dilma Rousseff launched the first in a series of measures aimed at injecting up to $50bn (£32bn) into the economy over the next five years, and increasing the private sector’s role in the economy.
The plan included privatising about 14,000km of railways and roads, followed by selling ports and lowering energy costs.
Expensive energy, poor infrastructure and increasing labour costs – known as “Custo Brasil” or the “Brazil Cost” – have weighed on growth, analysts say.
Despite the move, the latest data suggests that Brazilian companies remain unconfident about business prospects.


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And now, in 2013, Pinch has taken the helm of yet another label. Alongside his labels Tectonic and Earwax, Cold Recordings is the 3rd leg of his metaphorical label tripod. The imprint will be a vinyl-only affair and (in the words of Resident Advisor) explore "new movements in the ever evolving UK hardcore-continuum—taking inspirational vibrations from a long standing heritage that ran through acid house, hardcore, jungle, UK garage, dubstep and beyond".
Whatever that means, it sounds decent. The first release comes from the Cardiff-based producer Elmono, who's 2-track 12inch drops in the very near future. Check out the stream below, which aims to give a taste of what sound we can expect from the label.


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Dark Web drug bazaars AlphaBay and Hansa Market, KrebsOnSecurity caught up with the Dutch investigators who took hansa darknet market over Hansa on June 20. Two of. Darknet marketplace Hansa was seized in a multi-agency investigation led by the FBI and the DEA with the support of Europol. There are dozens more marketplaces out there, like Dream Market, Valhalla and Wall Street Market and we as dark web specialists at RepKnight. Law enforcement officials in Europe and America coordinated their investigations to purposefully leave the Dutch dark web market Hansa up. By A Afilipoaie 2022 Cited by 16 German authorities arresting the two Hansa Market administrators, (2022) Dutch police secretly ran a huge dark web drug marketplace for a month. The shadowy world of online drug marketplaces has been left reeling from a one-two punch by authorities: AlphaBay and Hansa Market.
The two largest dark web marketplaces, AlphaBay and Hansa, have been shut down as a result of an international cooperative effort darknet seiten dream market involving the. Following an investigation into a Darknet marketplace vendor using the moniker illicit goods on Darknet market sites such as Silk Road, AlphaBay, Hansa. Three particular dark web markets have emerged as early front-runners: Hansa, Dream and Valhalla. Due to AlphaBay's demise, Hansa had seen. Operated a CEM market and potentially re-victimized the children involved. over the then largest darknet market AlphaBay and briefly operate Hansa. Darknet Market Liberty Market Monero Darknet Markets Monopoly Market Darknet A series of sting operations shuttered large darknet markets like Hansa and. Buy "Hansa Darknet Market" by William Pate as a Sticker. Miss the Hansa Market? Sport some gear in remembrance.
Hansa Market, while smaller in size than Alpha Bay, was an emerging Darknet favorite and we thank our colleagues on the panel to bring that. Police close Hansa Market, Dark Web sites darknet markets that sold criminal goods a screenshot of Dark Web marketplace AlphaBay after it was shut. AlphaBay. Cyberpolice shut down the world's leading "dark net" marketplace, AlphaBay then quietly seized a second bazaar, the Hansa Market. Dark web markets darknet market. NormanEcoff says: April 9, 2022 at 2:16 am. hansa darknet market. After twoof darknet's biggest markets, Hansa and AlphaBay, were taken down by two global law enforcement operations, Dream Market. AlphaBay, the largest online marketplace for illegal goods on the Darknet, was shut down by a coordinated effort of international law.
There are dozens more marketplaces out there, like Dream Market, Valhalla and Wall Street Market and we as dark web specialists at darknet markets reddit RepKnight. Following an investigation into a Darknet marketplace vendor using the moniker illicit goods on Darknet market sites such as Silk Road, AlphaBay, Hansa. Little did Hansa users know the market had been seized by international law enforcement. Deep Web Confusion: Ostensible Alphabay Admin. Andrew McCabe, acting director of the FBI, at a news conference announcing the takedown of the dark web marketplace Alphabay. Two of the largest dark web marketplaces have been shut down following a "landmark" international law enforcement investigation. Hansa Market is a darknet marketplace established in August 2022 with the idea of minimizing the risk of scams by the market admins and vendors.
Dark Markets San Marino
Residents, in turn, own their homes on hansa darknet market the land and are enriched as home values increase, according to the project’s site, and after a period of "hyper-growth," residents can buy the land from the community endowment. Bios: Leigh Calvez's interest in the natural world led her to nature writing. While the live Hansa site was protected by Tor, the development server had somehow been exposed online, where hansa darknet market the security firm discovered it and recorded its IP address. Empire Market is a darknet market with a layout reminiscent of the former AlphaBay design. Rather, investigators were building a larger case against a group illegally selling drugs online with the help of cryptocurrencies. ZDNet reported that Wall Street Market's downfall comes after the underground market's administrators made away with over $14 million in cryptocurrencies. Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Sign up for Digg's morning newsletter, and find out about the most interesting stories of the day before everyone else. Nach Informationen unserer Redaktion soll diese dem Vater des Verdächtigen gehören. Until we all stop burying our heads in the sand and talk seriously about where we want this activity to happen, the worst people will remain in control.
And even though it was just top-line reporting, where not a lot of the details were revealed initially, I thought, ‘Who is this kid? The darknet markets onion address order process is manual; once Bitcoin is deposited to the wallet, a contact form is made available for further communications. Trotz der Tatsache, dass Dark Fox erst vor ein paar Monaten gestartet ist, hat der Markt bereits über 8.


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A potential game-changing proposal surfaces in the ongoing Market Basket supermarket chain leadership dispute.
Sources report ousted company President and CEO Arthur T. Demoulas announced Wednesday he will make an offer to purchase the share of the family business held by relatives who supported his firing last month.
“We care deeply about Market Basket and all of our associates and we want to work together to return the company to its successful model for serving our loyal customers. Those who received the offer need to consider the matter, so we are not in a position to comment further at this time,” a statement from Demoulas said.
The news comes after the company’s board of directors scheduled a meeting to take place at 4 p.m., Friday, at the offices of the law firm of Ropes & Grey, 800 Boylston Street, Boston. The meeting comes as protesting employees seeking Arthur T.’s reinstatement hold another large rally at a Market Basket store on Main Street in Tewksbury on Friday morning. The group of workers known as “Save Market Basket” say, “we will continue this boycott and rallies until the Board of Directors comes to the only rightful decision, ATD as CEO with full authority!”


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Take coronavirus seriously
To the Editor:
I would like to comment on the COVID-19 issue in Huron, Tuscola and Sanilac County. I live in Romeo and have a cabin in Sanilac. I haven’t been to Sanilac for three weeks now and haven’t been in my medical office in Clinton Township for three weeks. I am an otorhinolaryngologist practicing for 38 years.
This virus spreads fast and these Thumb counties best prepare now and get ahead of the game!
Shut down all business except medical, pharmacies, grocery stores and trucking.
Shut down restaurants, bars, hair and nail salons and other retail stores.
Maintain limited hours at Walmart in Bad Axe and have the morning hours between 7 to 8 a.m. just for seniors over 60 and people with medical problems such as diabetes, COPD, heart dx, etc.
The counties, if they hadn’t already, need to be ordering N95 masks, gloves, gowns, face shields, hand sanitizers, Clorox wipes and Lysol.
The infection rate is skyrocketing in the US and Michigan! The next two to three weeks will be brutal. More cases and deaths will be occurring and progressing north. This is much more contagious than the flu and tragically more deadly to all ages. It is not an issue to take lightly as I did initially.
Be safe and warn your readers sternly about social distancing.
Thanks for listening.
Dr. David DeMello


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The global reach of coun-terfeiters and the accelerating speed at which they work means that the federal enforcement agencies must form a stronger partnership with the intellectual property industry, a top U.S. security official said.
Julie Myers, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, touted that message in New York last week. She was in the city to meet with members of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, a multi-industry intellectual property protection group. Joined by the group’s president, Robert Barchiesi, Myers spoke with reporters about the state of the counterfeiting business and her agency’s efforts to combat it.
Sitting near a display of seized fake merchandise, including Coach handbags, True Religion jeans, Marlboro cigarette cartons and other bogus merchandise, Myers said the multibillion-dollar global counterfeiting industry is responsible for the loss of as many as 750,000 jobs in the U.S. each year.
Much of the actual counterfeiting, however, takes place outside the U.S., a point Myers made in discussing the need for more assistance from foreign governments. She said China and the “tri-border” region between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil were particular areas of concern.
“In some places, there aren’t the laws on the books, and in other cases, they’re not enforced,” she said. “The profit is very high and the criminal penalties might not be as strict…. There’s still more work to do. Are we seeing places where more cooperation is needed? Yes.”
Myers said much of the profit from counterfeiting goes to organized crime and it was possible that some of the money could be funding terror networks.
The FBI has estimated that organized crime accounts for as much as $30 billion in retail losses every year.
Both Myers and Barchiesi spoke of the role technology is playing in counterfeiting operations. The time between the debut of a new designer bag and the arrival of fakes on the street is growing shorter, Myers said.
In addition, the distribution channels for phony merchandise have grown larger. Calling it a “virtual warehouse,” Myers said the Internet offers sellers a relatively anonymous way to push their products.
Barchiesi added that counterfeit goods aren’t just for sale on fly-by-night Web sites: “Auction sites need to assist and do more to police their own site.”
The federal government has devoted a veritable alphabet soup of agencies — including the FBI, the Food and Drug Administration, Commerce Department, U.S. Postal Service and Customs — to police both Web and counterfeit street sales. The National Intellectual Property Rights Center, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was created in 2000 to coordinate such cross-agency efforts. It is now a “one-stop shop” for industry tips and advice, Myers said.
The International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition also is working to combat fakes on the buyer end. Barchiesi spoke of a recent ad campaign designed to inform consumers about where a lot of counterfeit goods come from.
“In many cases, these are produced by forced labor or in sweatshops,” he said. “We can get to the consumers and say, ‘Listen, the $5 you just spent, you don’t want to think about where it went.’”


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(Adds details, updates share movement)
By Sruthi Ramakrishnan
Jan 23 (Reuters) - Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc
, the world's second-largest outdoor advertising company,
has no current plans to convert into a real estate investment
trust (REIT), Chief Executive William Eccleshare said.
Shares of the company have risen 10.5 percent since rival
CBS Corp said last Wednesday that it planned to turn its
outdoor business in the Americas into a publicly traded trust.
Another competitor, Lamar Advertising Co, which has
operations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, also announced
plans to convert into a REIT last August. [ID: nL4E8J84P6]
"We've absolutely no plans at the moment to make any changes
to our financial structure," Eccleshare told Reuters.
About 89 percent of the company is controlled by Clear
Channel Communications Inc, which is owned by a private equity
group comprising Bain Capital Partners LLC among others.
Converting to a REIT reduces a company's tax burden, but
also requires it to distribute at least 90 percent of its profit
CBS, best known for its broadcast network, also said it will
sell its outdoor advertising businesses in Europe and Asia.
Eccleshare, who will complete a year as CEO on Thursday,
said he was not considering buying CBS's assets.
"CBS's price expectation has been exceptionally unrealistic
in the past," he said. "At the moment I am not spending a lot of
time considering what we might or might not do."
Eccleshare told Bloomberg in June that Clear Channel would
"look at" buying CBS's outdoor assets, but considered the $6
billion asking price reported by Wall Street Journal as too
"We are always going to be interested in developing our
assets if the price is right," he told Reuters on Wednesday.
Clear Channel, which ranks behind France's JCDecaux SA
in an industry that has only a few big players, does
not see CBS's plans to sell its international assets affecting
"It's not going to change things very significantly for us,"
Shares of Clear Channel, which has a market value of $2.8
billion, closed down about 2 percent on the New York Stock
Exchange on Wednesday.
(Editing by Joyjeet Das)


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Motorola is aiming to cut its quarterly R&D expenses for mobile devices by about 15% by the end of 2007 to try to return to profitability, a Reuters report said.
The Reuters report quoted Stu Reed, the new head of the company's handset business, as saying that Motorola would be careful not to hurt development of new cell phones even as it looks for cost savings.
Reed said there would be a wave of new products, including an announcement in the next 30 days, but did not provide details, the Reuters report said.
Analysts and investors have criticized Motorola for a weak phone line-up as it had failed to deliver a strong follow-up to the Razr, especially at a time when hot products from competitors like iPhone maker Apple Inc have hit the market, the reporta added.
'It's not going to be about lower research and development,' Reed was quoted as saying. 'It can't be. It's got to be more efficient research and development spending.'
He said most of the expense reduction had been achieved and would come from prioritization in Motorola's mobile devices portfolio and spending less on older software platforms as the company focused more on open systems, such as Linux and Java, the Reuters report said.
Motorola, which has dropped to third place in the global handset market behind Samsung and market leader Nokia, has reported two quarterly losses in a row and a year of disappointing quarters, the report further said.


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You could say that TextureMedia Inc., a Web-based company focused on hair, has done well to straighten out a tangled situation while leaving intact the curly hair the company is based on.
It began when New York Magazine writer Kevin Roose included TextureMedia’s flagship website, NaturallyCurly.com, in his discussion of Internet businesses that have received “big, high-profile investments despite having no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”
He asked derisively, “What kind of genius decided to throw $1.2 million at … [a] social network and community for people with wavy, curly and kinky hair?”
But it seems TextureMedia has more than withstood the slight, using the media spotlight to get the word out about its community-based business model and to thank its most passionate members.
“We were able to frame up the real business opportunity as a positive response to that misunderstood press,” CEO Crista Bailey said, adding that the negative press was based on the company’s name and the concept of a social network based around hair.
The community of curls
NaturallyCurly.com, launched in 1998 by company co-founders Michelle Breyer and Gretchen Heber, could be considered a Facebook-style platform for wavy-, curly- and kinky-hair people. The online community consists of articles, comments and directories filled with information about everything from where women with curly locks can get their hair cut to what products to buy.
The idea, Bailey said, is to provide “brand-agnostic” information on products and styles, including reviews, tips and tricks.
“We want to position ourselves as a media platform, a community-driven media company,” Bailey said.
Detractors aside, the curly hair market is substantial. About 60 percent of the world has curly, coily or wavy hair. And this niche demographic, which numbers close to 80 million textured-hair women over 18 in the U.S., spends $500,000 million annually on hair care.
The site’s main revenue comes from advertisers, such as retailers and hair care product giants L’Oreal and Paul Mitchell. The site sells ads and hosts ad-sponsored contests and giveaways. TextureMedia has expanded into seven brands, including CurlMart, an e-commerce site that enables users to shop for products according to the texture of their hair. It also sells market intelligence.
Since its inception, TextureMedia, which employs 20 people, has attracted $2 million from investors, including its most recent $1.2 million round of funding. The company’s investors include John Paul Dejoria, Silicon Valley investor Jimmy
Treybig, venture capital firm Golden Seeds and several Austin angel investors. It has used that money to develop a mobile app, hire directors of technology and e-commerce, and invest in search engine optimization marketing.
TextureMedia, which more than doubled its community size year over year, is profitable and set to have a good fourth quarter, Bailey said.
The New York Magazine article prompted some high-profile commentary, mostly criticizing the writer as failing to understand NaturallyCurly.com’s potential based on the large market it targets. The Huffington Post ran a piece defending NaturallyCurly.com, while Entrepreneur magazine published an article titled “Community and the Value of a ‘Kinky’ Business Idea.”
Other bloggers and commentators said Roose’s views lacked racial and female awareness, prompting Roose to add a clarification to his posting: “My point about NaturallyCurly … was simply that a social network built around a single community of any type is, in general, a dicey proposition.”
Regardless of what started the media interest, the good news for NaturallyCurly.com is that people are talking about it, said Sam Decker, CEO of Mass Relevance Inc., an Austin-based social media integration company.
“Whenever someone makes comments about your business or business model, I think you can use that to fuel its growth and bring attention to your business,” Decker said. “There’s nothing worse than a company that doesn’t get talked about at all. I’d rather get some polarizing feedback from investors or customers that either tells you you’re way off track or you need to head in another direction.”
Bailey said TextureMedia has viewed the negative press as an opportunity “to build awareness of the real business.”
Meanwhile, the curly-haired community’s passion has been demonstrated over the past few weeks in blog posts and comments on Roose’s article, Bailey said.
“They consider it a personal affront, which for us is a real example of their engagement, which is valuable if you are the caretaker of a community,” she said. “Are they passionate? Yes.”
NaturallyCurly.com has become accustomed to stirring the pot, especially when pitching to investors, Bailey said. And there are investors “who get it because they look beyond the name and the concept and see a passionate community with a direct problem and a solution.”
After all, NaturallyCurly.com receives 2 million unique visits monthly, she said.
“The more passionate the community is,” she said, “the more often they are going to engage and the more money they are going to spend.”


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TOKYO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp eked
out an operating profit in the first quarter, an unexpectedly
early turnaround from last year's loss as brisk sales of solar
panels and a weak yen propelled it towards a recovery that it
must achieve to satisfy creditors.
The panel display maker on Thursday posted a 3.01 billion
yen ($30.60 million) profit for the April-June quarter,
outperforming the average expectation for a 2.67 billion yen
loss by three analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Sharp kept its operating profit forecast for the year to
March 2014 unchanged at 80 billion yen, compared with an average
expectation of 58.2 billion yen from 15 analysts. Its $4.6
billion rescue by banks last year is contingent upon Sharp
posting both an operating and net profit for the full year.
Sharp, which supplies screens to Apple Inc, is
widely expected to raise around $1 billion through share sales
by the end of September, including a public share offering as
well as third party placements to business partners.
The funds would shore up Sharp's battered finances, after
last year's 545 billion yen net loss helped to push its equity
ratio down to 6 percent as of March, well below the 20 percent
level widely seen as a threshold for financial stability.
The company has already received investments from Samsung
Electronics Co Ltd and Qualcomm Inc.


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The once more withdrawn Duchess has come into her own during her career in the Royal Family. She has taken on patronages and launched her own initiative for young children’s mental health. This clever body language trick is not unique to Kate.
James Martin hosts a cooking show every Saturday on ITV. Today, the chef shared a delicious recipe with audiences: a raspberry pavlova, made from scratch. James explained that there are “so many different varieties” of making meringue. The method the chef used
Vitamin B12 is a crucial ingredient for the healthy running of the body, as it’s needed to make red blood cells. Signs of a deficiency can develop very slowly, so it may be difficult to diagnose the condition. Experiencing this peculiar sensation
Tesco will launch it’s first checkout-free store following a successful trial. This will allow customers to pay for shopping without needing to use checkouts. Instead of queueing at checkouts, those visiting stores will simply scan items as they go. When they leave,
Brits have now got their first taste of a proper UK summer, with wall-to-wall sunshine and sweltering temperatures collapsing to rain and gloom for many this morning. While these conditions will likely remain, for the time being, they allow plants to realise
Other deals that have already been confirmed include four months free access to Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime members can also get 50% off movies and TV shows purchased or rented through Prime Video. “This Prime Day, we’re offering Prime members millions
Additionally, Sainsbury’s said earlier this year in January that it was testing a more sustainable plastic as an alternative for the oil-based plastic sealing on its teabags. Last year, Aldi pledged to halve the volume of plastic packaging it used by 2025.
With more people now starting to use the tube again after lockdown, social media is full of complaints with one Vodafone user saying: “One of the reasons I moved from three to Vodafone was that I could still have connectivity while travelling.
Running out of shows to watch? Don’t worry – Sky has come to the rescue. The satellite broadcaster’s streaming service NOW – formerly NOW TV has started to email select customers with an incredible offer. For those who have already had a
Visceral fat is a type of body fat which is stored within the abdominal cavity and located near vital organs, thus making it a dangerous type of fat to have. Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels caused by insulin resistance or the inability to produce insulin. To date, one of the most convincing applications of apple cider vinegar is helping with the condition. Can apple cider vinegar help


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The sky’s the limit: Serko & Booking.com bring corporate travel to life
Remember when you could pack a bag, jump on a plane and jet across the country (or the world) to a business meeting, conference, or a holiday? With vaccine rollouts and trans-Tasman bubbles open - at least for now - travel is back on the agenda for many people.
With travel comes flights, rental cars, hotels, and a Kiwi success story by the name of Serko.
Serko is a solutions provider for the managed travel market. The company powers the booking systems for New Zealand travel agencies like Flight Centre and House of Travel. Serko serves 70% of the Australian travel market as well.
In the last couple of years, Serko has created some major inroads to new markets and continued growth - in 2019 the company signed an agreement with Booking.com to power Booking.com for Business. It was a huge market opportunity for the company, which now has the ability to reach new small business customers from Austria to Zambia alongside its existing managed travel channel.
While COVID-19 put a dampener on travel worldwide, the industry quickly bounced back. According to Air New Zealand, the corporate travel market reached 80% of pre-COVID-19 levels after the lockdowns. By March 2021, that number had climbed to 90%. Now with borders opening, it could well be business as usual.
Serko chief marketing officer Nick Whitehead calls the business travel forecast cloudy, but the Booking.com partnership has been a perfect opportunity for the company. In fact, last year Serko employed 50 new staff to help roll out the Booking.com for Business platform alone.
“This partnership has opened up our technology to a global SME market we didn't have access to before. And we're still adding significant new customers in the Australasian market,” says Whitehead.
Serko's secret weapon is a booking system called Zeno, which is always evolving to bring the most value to Serko and its customers.
Serko's chief technology officer, Duanne O'Brien says the company foresaw a massive rise in content generation, which required a step-change in its operations and further refinements to enable Zeno to integrate easily with partners' systems.
“We needed to open up the back end to third-party content and distribution systems, working with expert systems integrators who will allow us to expand faster without needing as much internal resource,” he explains.
Serko had already paved the way for such a transformation by migrating Zeno to Microsoft Azure to take advantage of Azure's limitless scalability, and the ability to integrate with almost any partner or customer platform.
Booking.com's corporate platform requires its own servers and Azure data centers - and not just because of the sheer size of the platform, but also to comply with GDPR.
This is a perfect system for Serko because the company can target update rollouts to specific markets as they are needed.
O'Brien says the company is now '100% Azure' and works with a Microsoft technical account manager every week to help Serko's cloud team strengthen the platform.
Microsoft New Zealand partner lead Kaye Harding says, “I'm always hearing from local developers that they're challenged to find enough workers with the right skills or to upskill their own teams and learn from others in the industry. That's why we put real energy into helping develop our partners and ensure they're reaching their full potential by keeping them across new technologies. With the rapid acceleration that Serko is seeing, that's even more important than ever.
Serko and the Booking.com team worked together across different countries and different time zones to create a timeline for migrating Booking.com's platform to Zeno without customer disruption.
This process not only required scale testing to ensure that the migration could handle large volumes of corporate bookings, but it also required collaboration through solutions such as Microsoft Teams.
“It's a bit more challenging to run workshops without being in the same room, but collaborating via Teams has been embedded in our business for some time. We're used to working together via digital tools,” comments O'Brien.
After Serko's successful trials of the Booking.com for Business platform across Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the company is now eyeing up a wider rollout. It also plans to leverage its Microsoft SaaS partner status to tap into new markets.
Harding adds that Serko is a success story in an otherwise difficult year for the travel industry and the world. She can't wait to support the company through its growth journey.
Whitehead concludes, “With Booking.com we have a shared vision of the connected trip, of managing all the components of someone's trip such as flights, rail and accommodation in a single booking.
“2021 will see us gain global scale and we'll be continuing to make further enhancements to make our system even better and enhance the customer experience.”


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We’ve just launched a mobile web app, Top Tradie Quiz for WorkSafe Victoria. The project was our first collaboration with PR firm KeepLeft. The competition went live on Monday to some great media coverage, and will run for the next six weeks. The quiz promotes workplace safety by a selection of WorkSafe questions, as well as some sports trivia questions.
Although the website can be viewed on any device such as a laptop, a lot of effort was put into making the site work well on a mobile phone. As the layout of the website adjusts to make the most of the smaller screen. jTribe wrote the server-side as well which features a leaderboard and some smart gaming logic, to prevent users from cheating the system.
The winner of the competition will be announced on Monday 2nd July 2012.


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Dailymotion Partners with RTK to Provide Header Bidding Capabilities to Advertisers
NEW YORK, October 15, 2019 – Dailymotion, a Vivendi-owned video platform dedicated to creating a trusted home for premium video content that matters, today announced its partnership with RTK, a programmatic infrastructure and ad operations company, to integrate its header bidding solution onto dailymotion.com.
Through the partnership, Dailymotion’s advertising partners can seamlessly integrate with RTK’s header bidding solution to bid on the platform’s display inventory. The integration will allow partners to leverage Dailymotion’s global audience for higher reach and increase ad performance from a premium, “above-the-fold” placement for higher viewability. Dailymotion will also be able to monetize its global display inventory across desktop and mobile.
“We are excited to be integrating our header bidding solution with Dailymotion – a company that has long shown its attentiveness to advertisers’ needs. As a growing player in the industry, we are glad to be collaborating to advance industry standards and provide a more efficient supply chain,” said Gareth Glaser, CEO and founder at RTK.
Prior to header bidding, publishers followed the “waterfall model,” which has historically been used and runs the risk of improper inventory valuation, along with increased seller risk. With header bidding, advertisers have greater transparency into the supply chain and have a greater likelihood of receiving high-quality inventory at fair values.
“From creating our proprietary ad platform to implementing processes and policies that ensure our partners are protected, Dailymotion has always been a driver for greater transparency and collaboration,” said Julie Reali, partnerships director at Dailymotion. “Our partnership with RTK enables us to provide advertisers with a seamless, efficient experience while allowing greater transparency into the supply chain.”
Beginning with its rebrand in 2017, Dailymotion has continued to commit resources that supply advertisers with a premium environment where they can engage with viewers and ensure brand visibility. With a user-centric focus, the platform recently redesigned its desktop and mobile site to reduce the number of display placements and ultimately prioritize the user experience.
Dailymotion is the video platform for discovering the events and ideas that keep the world surprising and diverse on four main topics: news, sports, music, and entertainment, as well as comedy skits, political debates, fashion shows, gaming live-streams and more. Launched in 2005, Dailymotion commands a global audience of 250 million entertainment-seekers who frequent the site and its dedicated mobile experience to surface the most relevant professional video content based on their unique tastes and interests. Dailymotion is owned by Vivendi, a Paris-based multinational media company. For more information, visit www.dailymotion.com.
RTK.io is a programmatic infrastructure and ad operations company dedicated to making ad tech more efficient by taking media fees out of the equation. Whether it’s yield management and ad stack governance on behalf of publishers or supply path optimization for buyers, RTK.io products enhance performance today and lay the foundation for the future. For more information, visit www.rtk.io.


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Olam International Limited has acquired Dangote Flour Mills for N120 billion.
The acquisition was unanimously agreed to on Monday by Shareholders of Dangote Flour Mills Plc (DFM), and the new owner is Crown Flour Mills Limited, the Nigerian subsidiary of global food and agri-business conglomerate, Olam International.
The shareholders who spoke at the meeting applauded the company’s management for the moral decision, describing it as one in the best interest of the shareholders.
Olam’s offer also was for the acquisition of 100 per cent equity in Dangote Flour Mills Plc is for a consideration of N24.00 per share.
Nona Awoh, a notable financial analyst and one of the shareholders of the company, thanked the management on the offer of N24 per share and reminded other shareholders that the last time the share price of the company increased significantly to N20 per share was in the year 2010.
Another leader of the shareholders group, Mr. Boniface Solomon, described the deal as a very good one for the shareholders. He said the stock has really been struggling in view of the current realities in the nation’s economy, stating that the N24 per share is indeed a good price for his members.
Managing Director of Crown Flour Mills Limited, Anurag Shukia, said his company intends to maintain and expand DFM’s business as well as provide enhanced manufacturing capacity and create synergies to deliver improved products to customers across the country.
With the acquisition, the entire 4,994,886,771 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in DFM held by the scheme shareholders of the company will be transferred to Crown Flour. The N24 per share that will be given to the shareholders for 50 kobo shares held represents a 124 per cent premium on the share price of DFM as at the close of April 18, 2019 being the last business day prior to the date the proposal was received and announced on the floor of the Exchange; and a 145 per cent premium on the three-month weighted average share price of the company as at April 18, 2019.
Benefits to the shareholders include, but not limited to opportunities for shareholders of DFM, other than Crown Flour, to enhance the value of their investment in the company and exit at an attractive pricing. In addition, the Scheme is expected to create valuable synergies between the operations of Crown Flour and DFM, to ensure improved revenue generation capacity, reduced operational costs, and enhance profit.
It will also enable Olam focus on the flour business, to provide the necessary financial and technical support required to maintain and expand the business.
In a recent turn of events in Ondo State, Deputy Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa has returne…


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eBay gets a clicking off
Online auction site eBay stands accused of violating Australian fair trading laws when it used competitors' business names as keywords in search engine advertisements.
Internet users searching Google for GraysOnline, an Australian auctioneer and eBay rival, were shown sponsored links to eBay's website. Google allows its advertising customers to pay for their website links to appear adjacent to regular search results when certain keywords are used in a query. An online fruit shop could use the words "fruit" or "fruit delivered" in a sponsored search, for example.
In this case, the sponsored links to eBay's website, titled "Grays Online Auction", were displayed when users searched for "grays online" and "graysonline", among others. The links have the potential to mislead consumers and could be a contravention of the Trade Practices Act, GraysOnline alleges. "(We're) concerned that the activity may . . . mislead consumers," GraysOnline director Mark Kehoe wrote in a statement.
On September 16, GraysOnline sent a letter to eBay through its solicitors demanding the keywords be dropped from its advertisements. Last week eBay agreed to stop using the disputed keywords in its ads but did so without admitting it breached the act. The US-based auction giant says an unnamed third party selected the keywords.
It's not the first time objections have been raised over keyword campaigns allegedly being used unfairly. Online portal Stickybeek lodged a complaint against The Trading Post with the ACCC this year for using its business name as a keyword. The ACCC chose not to take action against Telstra subsidiary Sensis, which owns The Trading Post, but it did issue a statement questioning the legality of the advertising.
"The ACCC believed The Trading Post's conduct may have contravened . . . the Trade Practices Act," commission chairman Graeme Samuel wrote in a statement released on June 17.
The ACCC found The Trading Post actions may have contravened Section 52 and 53(d) of the Trade Practices Act, rules that prohibit companies from engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct and representing that a sponsorship, approval or affiliation exists where no such arrangement is in place. Stickybeek managing director Michael Garnham is annoyed the ACCC chose not to take Sensis to court when it agreed to pull the ads.
"The Trading Post has got off scot-free," he says. "It should have been taken to the court for . . . a ruling."
Theoretically, Stickybeek and GraysOnline could launch an action of their own against Sensis and eBay respectively. However, proving a commercial loss in cases like these is very difficult, says Erhan Karabardak, an IT lawyer with Dibbs Abbott Stillman in Melbourne.
"Unless a party suffers significant loss, their solicitor is unlikely to advise them to pursue proceedings," he says. "In practice, people resort to a sternly worded letter and it goes no further because of the cost."
Most will be satisfied to keep the matter out of court if the company alleged to be breaching the act complies with a request, such as a demand to pull certain keywords, Mr Karabardak adds.
Google says it will remove keywords from paid searches if a trademark is being violated, but only if its owner objects. "When notified by a trademark owner, Google will disable the trademarked keywords . . . and will not allow use of the trademark in future ads," says Kate Vale, Google's head of sales and operations for Australia and New Zealand.
Trademark owners don't always object. Ford, for example, is unlikely to complain when a website for automotive classifieds uses its brand and trademark as a paid keyword, a Google representative says.
According to eBay: "It's a legal issue that needs further clarification."


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Oakland is home to the fifth-busiest container port in the country, and all around it containers are stacked sky-high like colorful, life-size Lego bricks.
Listener Ajith Kumar asked Bay Curious:
“Why are there millions of containers in West Oakland? How much trade is happening via those containers every month?”
I met port spokesman Mike Zampa at the edge of the seaport, where we could see ships coming in and thousands of 20-foot-long containers piled up.
The port handles about 2.5 million containers every year. Some of those are empty, either to be filled here or filled elsewhere. As for loaded containers, the port hit a record last year when it handled 1.9 million of them.
Almost everything can be, and is, sent by container ship, Zampa says. From palm trees to racehorses.
“You name it, you’ll find it in a container," he says.
Ship Size Matters
As for the ships, they keep getting bigger to handle more volume. The biggest ships are longer than the Empire State Building is tall.
"If you tip the Empire State Building on its side, the biggest ships coming to Oakland are bigger,” Zampa says.
Your average ship can hold about 14,000 containers. Last year, the biggest ship that came to Oakland could hold more than 18,000 containers. According to the BBC, a ship that big could fit 36,000 cars or 863 million tins of baked beans.
This is one of the reasons shipping by sea is more efficient than shipping by air, Zampa says.
“If you put all that cargo on airplanes, how many airplanes would it take? I couldn’t tell you," he says. "But that’s a lot more exhaust being emitted."
Comparing the cargo space of an average freighter ship to the cargo space of a 747 airplane, it would take roughly 630 planes to move as much as a single ship. The difference is time. On average it takes a couple of weeks for a container ship to cross the Pacific from Asia.
A 'Star Wars' Connection?
We've been asked if the cranes at the port inspired George Lucas to create the AT-AT snow walkers in "The Empire Strikes Back." It turns out that they did not.
Zampa says the port is still special, just not in a Hollywood way. One way it stands out is that this American port exports more than it imports. And that's not the case with most other U.S. ports.
"Most other U.S. ports are heavily skewed toward imports," Zampa says. "That reflects the trade imbalance that the U.S. has with the rest of the world."
Imports mostly come from Asia via Southern California.
What's in the Containers?
Imports include apparel, consumer electronics, consumer goods, glass and a variety of household items.
The Oakland port exports lots of dried fruits and nuts, wine and other beverages.
Zampa says demand from Asia is growing for American farm products.
"Their middle-class populations have exploded, and as the middle class develops, it develops middle-class tastes," he says.
Another major export out of Oakland? Paper.
That's because of all the cardboard boxes we use to package our goods.
“If you think about it, everything you buy is going to come in a cardboard box," Zampa says. "The West Coast sends a lot of scrap paper to Asia to make cardboard boxes that then get filled with goods and shipped back here."
The port's busiest season comes in late summer and early fall as American retailers stock up for the holidays. Last year, the port's busiest month was August, when more than 220,000 containers came or went.
Why Not San Francisco?
San Francisco was once the major port in Northern California, but when container shipping emerged, Zampa says San Francisco no longer had the land to handle containers. Oakland did. Today there are hundreds of acres of land devoted to container shipping.
The Oakland port has the advantage of being close to lots of cities and easily connecting to railway lines. About 10 percent to 20 percent of the containers head on to rail, destined for places like Salt Lake City or Denver.
But the majority of the container cargo is loaded onto trucks and taken to destinations in Northern California and western Nevada.
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PayPal was just fined $311,000 by a UK regulator over its $2.2 billion iZettle acquisition
- The UK's competition regulator just fined PayPal £250,000 ($311,000) over its $2.2 billion acquisition of Swedish payments firm iZettle.
- The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said PayPal had breached the terms of an initial enforcement order issued last September.
- The regulator had ordered PayPal to make sure it kept its business separate from iZettle so the two effectively remain competitors while its investigation continued.
- But it found PayPal was cross-selling across its brands, directing UK customers to iZettle products.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The UK's competition regulator has just slapped PayPal with a £250,000 ($311,000) fine over its $2.2 billion acquisition of payments firm iZettle.iZettle is a Swedish company best known for offering plug-in card readers, and point-of-service hardware, which lets small businesses take credit card payments. American payments giant PayPal acquired the business last May, a day before iZettle was due to file for an IPO.
On Tuesday, the CMA said PayPal had breached the order and cross-promoted the iZettle business to customers in Europe, including in the UK.It said in a statement: "Despite its assurances ... PayPal conducted cross-selling pilot campaigns (intended to target customers in France and Germany) that led to it contacting UK potential customers."The impact of the breach was that, at the very least, UK potential customers could have perceived that the two businesses were integrated and were not being maintained separately."
The CMA cleared the acquisition in June, but is still fining the company for breaching its order. The regulator said it considered the £250,000 fine to be a proportionate penalty, given the severity of the breach. It is significantly below the maximum penalty of 5% of PayPal's turnover.
Business Insider has contacted PayPal for comment.
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