text:
Arrowgrass Capital Partners Lp decreased Nvidia Corp (NVDA) stake by 70.45% reported in 2019Q1 SEC filing. Arrowgrass Capital Partners Lp sold 31,701 shares as Nvidia Corp (NVDA)â€™s stock rose 4.38%. The Arrowgrass Capital Partners Lp holds 13,299 shares with $2.39 million value, down from 45,000 last quarter. Nvidia Corp now has $102.58B valuation. The stock decreased 1.02% or $1.74 during the last trading session, reaching $168.44. About 8.62 million shares traded. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) has declined 37.51% since July 22, 2018 and is downtrending. It has underperformed by 41.94% the S&P500. Some Historical NVDA News: 27/03/2018 â€“ Nvidia Declines After Suspending Self-Driving Car Testing; 02/04/2018 â€“ Worldâ€™s First 2 Petaflop Deep Learning System, NVIDIA DGX-2, Features Mellanox InfiniBand and Ethernet Solutions; 13/03/2018 â€“ NVIDIA Announces Upcoming Event for Financial Community; 10/04/2018 â€“ Brew City Royalties: Nvidia is a buy according to Bank of America, Apple reportedly dives deeper into augmented realit; 29/05/2018 â€“ NVIDIA Introduces HGX-2, Fusing HPC and Al Computing into Unified Architecture; 27/03/2018 â€“ NVIDIA Expands Its Deep Learning lnference Capabilities for Hyperscale Datacenters; 02/04/2018 â€“ Plunging cryptocurrency prices may be threatening Nvidiaâ€™s bottom line:; 05/04/2018 â€“ Citron pressing $NVDA short expect sub $200 soon. Mkt starting to realize that ML/DL is narrowing and hyper-scale core customers experimenting with diff prop hardware solutions, Ether spreads are dead, Auto- unknown. No need to write pages. Price action; 12/03/2018 â€“ â€˜Ready Player Oneâ€™: An Nvidia, AMD Catalyst? â€” Barronâ€™s Blog; 28/03/2018 â€“ Adobe and NVIDIA Announce Partnership to Deliver New AI Services for Creativity and Digital Experiences
Beech Hill Advisors Inc decreased Apple Inc (AAPL) stake by 32.11% reported in 2019Q1 SEC filing. Beech Hill Advisors Inc sold 17,585 shares as Apple Inc (AAPL)â€™s stock rose 12.19%. The Beech Hill Advisors Inc holds 37,183 shares with $7.06 million value, down from 54,768 last quarter. Apple Inc now has $932.13 billion valuation. The stock decreased 1.49% or $3.07 during the last trading session, reaching $202.59. About 20.93M shares traded. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has risen 1.47% since July 22, 2018 and is uptrending. It has underperformed by 2.96% the S&P500. Some Historical AAPL News: 24/04/2018 â€“ â€œHeading into Appleâ€™s much anticipated March (FY2Q18) quarter next week the Street has gone into â€˜full panic modeâ€™ as supply chain checks out of Asia indicate that June iPhone shipments are trending well below expectations,â€ GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives writes in a note to clients Tuesday; 12/03/2018 â€“ Apple Acquisition of Texture Comes Amid Services Push; 09/05/2018 â€“ Major technology companies like; 22/05/2018 â€“ Starbucksâ€™s mobile payments system is so popular in the U.S., it has more users than Appleâ€™s or Googleâ€™s New estimates predict that it will stay that way; 14/03/2018 â€“ Apple Rumors Feed: Former Apple Employees Reflect on Siris Squandered Lead Over Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant (Joe; 17/04/2018 â€“ Financial Post: Apple planning a news subscription service similar to Apple Music; 09/04/2018 â€“ Jamf and Maryville University Offer Students a Unique Approach to Learning with a Modern Tool; 26/04/2018 â€“ China is a vital market both for sales of Apple products and for Appleâ€™s supply chain; 06/04/2018 â€“ Full transcript: Apple CEO Tim Cook with Recodeâ€™s Kara Swisher and MSNBCâ€™s Chris Hayes. #RevolutionChi; 09/04/2018 â€“ Apple says all its facilities now powered by clean energy
Among 24 analysts covering NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), 16 have Buy rating, 1 Sell and 7 Hold. Therefore 67% are positive. NVIDIA had 51 analyst reports since January 29, 2019 according to SRatingsIntel. Barclays Capital maintained NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) on Thursday, June 6 with â€œOverweightâ€ rating. The rating was maintained by Susquehanna on Wednesday, February 13 with â€œBuyâ€. The firm earned â€œBuyâ€ rating on Friday, February 15 by Citigroup. As per Monday, March 11, the company rating was maintained by RBC Capital Markets. The stock of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) earned â€œHoldâ€ rating by Stifel Nicolaus on Tuesday, May 14. The firm has â€œEqual-Weightâ€ rating given on Monday, May 13 by Morgan Stanley. Oppenheimer maintained it with â€œBuyâ€ rating and $190 target in Monday, March 11 report. The rating was maintained by Rosenblatt with â€œBuyâ€ on Monday, March 18. The stock of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) earned â€œMarket Performâ€ rating by Bernstein on Monday, February 11. The stock of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) has â€œHoldâ€ rating given on Tuesday, March 12 by Morgan Stanley.
Arrowgrass Capital Partners Lp increased Visa Inc (Call) (NYSE:V) stake by 20,000 shares to 50,000 valued at $7.81 million in 2019Q1. It also upped Red Hat Inc (NYSE:RHT) stake by 675,193 shares and now owns 700,693 shares. Corning Inc (NYSE:GLW) was raised too.
More notable recent NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) news were published by: Nasdaq.com which released: â€œNvidia (NVDA) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know â€“ Nasdaqâ€ on June 28, 2019, also Nasdaq.com with their article: â€œNvidia (NVDA) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know â€“ Nasdaqâ€ published on July 15, 2019, Nasdaq.com published: â€œNVIDIAâ€™s De Facto Price Cut Sets Up a Battle With AMD â€“ Nasdaqâ€ on July 02, 2019. More interesting news about NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) were released by: Nasdaq.com and their article: â€œNowÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the Time to Cash-In on Nvidia Stock â€“ Nasdaqâ€ published on July 02, 2019 as well as Nasdaq.comâ€˜s news article titled: â€œWhy Nvidia Stock Can Stay in Rally Mode â€“ Nasdaqâ€ with publication date: June 28, 2019.
Investors sentiment increased to 1.51 in Q1 2019. Its up 0.60, from 0.91 in 2018Q4. It improved, as 97 investors sold NVDA shares while 257 reduced holdings. 166 funds opened positions while 367 raised stakes. 394.73 million shares or 1.89% less from 402.31 million shares in 2018Q4 were reported. Partnervest Advisory Ser Limited Com owns 2,688 shares. Tradition Ltd Liability Corp reported 8,710 shares. One Cap Mngmt Llc reported 0.51% in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA). Newman Dignan & Sheerar has 0.15% invested in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) for 2,135 shares. 43,058 were reported by Bb&T Secs Limited Liability. Clear Harbor Asset Management Lc holds 0.05% or 1,427 shares in its portfolio. Invesco Ltd owns 0.43% invested in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) for 7.06 million shares. Allstate has invested 0.19% in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA). 4,784 were accumulated by Arrow Financial. Royal Bankshares Of Canada has invested 0.15% in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA). Rowland And Invest Counsel Adv reported 800 shares. Eagleclaw Managment Ltd Liability Corporation has 6,678 shares for 0.55% of their portfolio. Fisher Asset Mngmt Ltd Llc reported 133,770 shares. Moreover, M&T Commercial Bank Corporation has 0.04% invested in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) for 46,111 shares. 79,744 were accumulated by Hartford Mgmt.
Analysts await NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) to report earnings on August, 15. They expect $0.87 EPS, down 50.85% or $0.90 from last yearâ€™s $1.77 per share. NVDAâ€™s profit will be $529.83 million for 48.40 P/E if the $0.87 EPS becomes a reality. After $0.67 actual EPS reported by NVIDIA Corporation for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts 29.85% EPS growth.
Since February 1, 2019, it had 0 buys, and 1 sale for $255,087 activity. LEVINSON ARTHUR D also sold $255,087 worth of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Friday, February 1.
Analysts await Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to report earnings on July, 30. They expect $2.12 earnings per share, down 9.40% or $0.22 from last yearâ€™s $2.34 per share. AAPLâ€™s profit will be $9.75B for 23.89 P/E if the $2.12 EPS becomes a reality. After $2.46 actual earnings per share reported by Apple Inc. for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts -13.82% negative EPS growth.
Among 28 analysts covering Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), 17 have Buy rating, 1 Sell and 10 Hold. Therefore 61% are positive. Apple had 75 analyst reports since January 30, 2019 according to SRatingsIntel. The firm has â€œBuyâ€ rating given on Thursday, March 14 by Morgan Stanley. The firm earned â€œMarket Performâ€ rating on Wednesday, January 30 by BMO Capital Markets. The firm has â€œBuyâ€ rating given on Wednesday, January 30 by Canaccord Genuity. The stock of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) earned â€œBuyâ€ rating by Evercore on Thursday, June 20. On Thursday, May 23 the stock rating was maintained by UBS with â€œBuyâ€. UBS maintained it with â€œBuyâ€ rating and $23500 target in Thursday, April 25 report. The rating was maintained by Goldman Sachs with â€œHoldâ€ on Tuesday, March 26. As per Tuesday, March 26, the company rating was maintained by Morgan Stanley. Monness maintained Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Friday, March 22 with â€œBuyâ€ rating. The rating was maintained by Cascend Securities with â€œBuyâ€ on Thursday, June 20.
More notable recent Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) news were published by: Finance.Yahoo.com which released: â€œThe Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Share Price Has Gained 117%, So Why Not Pay It Some Attention? â€“ Yahoo Financeâ€ on July 12, 2019, also Nasdaq.com with their article: â€œApple (AAPL) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know â€“ Nasdaqâ€ published on July 01, 2019, Nasdaq.com published: â€œAAPL Stock: Apple Software Becomes Lifestyle â€“ Nasdaqâ€ on July 18, 2019. More interesting news about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) were released by: Nasdaq.com and their article: â€œ3 Reasons to Buy Apple Stock Ahead of End-of-Month Earnings Report â€“ Nasdaqâ€ published on July 15, 2019 as well as Nasdaq.comâ€˜s news article titled: â€œApple (AAPL) Stock Moves -0.09%: What You Should Know â€“ Nasdaqâ€ with publication date: June 24, 2019.
Receive News & Ratings Via Email – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings with our FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
The annual Light Up Dunwoody event sponsored by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association kicks off the holiday season with a Christmas tree and menorah lighting at the Cheek Spruill Farm House, 5455 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, on Sunday, Nov. 19, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A Christmas Village will be set up at the farm house where Santa will welcome children to sit on his lap and a Santa sleigh with reindeer will also be on display. Attendees are asked to bring their own cameras to take photos.
The tree and menorah lighting takes place at 5:45 p.m. Vendors will be on site selling holiday gifts and refreshments.
The event is free and open to the public.

domain: news


text:
A manicure and pedicure business held a grand opening of its downtown Orangeburg store.
Lush Nail Lounge is located on 1145 Russell St.
The store is open from Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesday through Thursday hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by (appointment only).
On Friday, the store will accept walk-ins from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The store employs three people.
Store owner Sharnise McMichael has always desired to be a manicurist since she was a little girl.
"It means a lot," McMichael said about opening up the store. "I am really excited to be able to accomplish it. I am definitely blessed."
McMichael graduated from Claflin University in 2015 with a degree in business. She is a licensed nail technician.
The building, built in 1900, recently housed a clothing store and is located right next door to the Blue Bird Theater. The building has been vacant for about four years.
The new business, which began operations in November, is a project of the non-profit Orangeburg-based New America Corp.
New America specializes in business development, affordable housing, and education, according to its website.
"New America Corporation decided to invest in downtown Orangeburg because we believe that downtown provides a unique social, cultural and economic opportunity for our community," New America President and CEO Adolphus Johnson said. "We believe that downtown is a fun place to hangout, build relationships and experience a sense of community."
"We believe that downtown is a place where people can encounter new cultural experiences in fashion, food, arts, and entertainment," Johnson said. "We believe that downtown is a cool and receptive place to launch a new business venture."
Johnson said the building was in disrepair suffering from a leaking roof, mold and mildew, deteriorating brickwork, crumbling plaster, inadequate mechanicals, and declining aesthetics.
"In an effort to foster economic development in downtown Orangeburg, New America acquired the 1145 Russell St. property, attracted a commercial tenant, and fully renovated the building to suite the needs of the new business," Johnson said. "Renovations included new electrical, plumbing, central heating and air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, framing, drywall, painting and flooring."
Johnson said that "one of the greatest obstacles to fostering economic development in downtown is the derelict condition of its real estate."
"When businesses desire to locate downtown, they find it difficult to find decent and affordable properties to lease," he said. "As a local community development corporation, we felt that we had the responsibility and capacity to help enhance the real estate inventory in downtown Orangeburg."
Johnson said New America is also looking at other possibilities downtown but declined to comment on specifics.


text:
Posted: Oct 19, 2012 10:17 AM
Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft and McDonald's are leading a broad decline in the stock market after both companies posted sub-par results for the third quarter.
The two stocks were the weakest in the Dow Jones industrial average in early trading.
Microsoft's income fell 22 percent as PC sales took a dive and as troubles in Europe took their toll. McDonald's profit fell 4 percent as a strong dollar hurt international results. Both stocks were down about 3 percent.


text:
The Pakistani government is expected to sign the documents in the coming month. Both economies will benefit from this linkage.
In his address to the gathering regarding his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the president stated that Ethiopia is prepared for any possibilities of cooperation with Pakistan regarding investment, trade tourism, tourism, etc. We are here to assist you with trade facilitation and investment, we must cooperate, and Ethiopia is extremely clear about enhancing relationships with investment, trade and commerce with Pakistan.
The ambassador of Ethiopia confirmed that Ethiopian Airlines, flying to more than 127 destinations, is expected to begin flights to Karachi, and the airline’s crew is in place. They are currently working to finalize procedures, he added. His appointment of Ibrahim Khalid Tawab as the Honorary Consul General of Ethiopia in Karachi was the occasion.
The President of the KCCI, Mohammad Tariq Yusuf, said that the trade between Pakistan and Ethiopia is minimal. Therefore, removing trade barriers is vital for promoting trade between the two countries.


text:
Aramex has signed over 1,000 Saudi nationals onto its crowd-based delivery platform with reference to the programme launched in December 2018 aiming to offer Saudi nationals employment opportunities in flexible delivery work.
“Whenever there is a spike in business, instead of recruiting new people and having them on standby, we have a crowdsourcing model,” CEO of Aramex, Kamal explained.
People come and subscribe to the model online, put their license, ID and all the paperwork required, come into classroom training at Aramex and go with a courier on a route. From there, they are on standby to start delivering packages. Whenever there is a peak, they get notified.
Kamal added that the drivers, many of whom specialize in particular routes and geographies, are compensated on a delivery basis.
Additionally, Kamal said the firm is working to expand its network of pick-up points in the kingdom with Aramex currently operating 150 pick-up points in the kingdom.
Aramex plans to partner with third parties to become their pick-up points in strategic areas.
Aramex’s has partnered with Saudi-based Al-Dawaa Medical Services Co, owner of Al-Dawaa Pharmacies, with service centers in 20 branches of Al-Dawaa Pharmacies across Saudi Arabia.
The second phase focuses on further expansion to hundreds of branches within the company’s pharmaceutical network.


text:
More and more gaming brands enter Ontario and its newly regulated online gaming and sports betting sector. Most recently, leading online gaming provider Mansion Limited announced that it will debut titles in the province via Playtech. This latest agreement will further strengthen the long-term partnership between the two, and present the supplier’s content to the passionate Ontario bettors.
Mansion Limited is a major gaming-related supplier which has been in business from its Gibraltar HQ since 2003. The company caught the public eye in 2006 as it became the official sponsor to the EPL team Tottenham Hotspur. Since its debut in the industry, its brand has become prominent for its regulated gaming, conducted at the highest possible values and standards.
Through the latest agreement, Mansion has now gone online on its award-winning Casino.com and Mansioncasino.com brands. And as part of the agreement, Playtech’s innovative IMS platform will deliver a complete online backend solution. The combined effort of the two leading brands will provide an industry-leading offering to a whole new audience in Canada’s most populous province.
In April, Ontario kicked off its online gambling and sports betting market for private operators, which is the first of its kind for Canada. It is overseen and regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which has given the green light to Mansion to join. So far more than 30 operators and 40 websites are up and running in the new iGaming sector.
Shimon Akad, COO at Playtech, commented that the company is always looking to expand into new markets and reach new players. The COO said that the firm is pleased to go online in Ontario with Mansion, and believes that the province is a key market for the industry. In his words, the partnership demonstrates the strength of the company’s relationship with the gaming supplier.
Chris Block Group President and Chairman of Mansion shared that the provider is proud to be approved by AGCO to operate in Ontario. In his opinion, the market bolsters the company’s focus on expanding in new and regulated jurisdictions. He is also optimistic that the company’s two brands will resonate well with fans and promote safe and responsible gambling.
Deadline for Grey Market Operators and Q2 Results
In October, the regulator of the local market, the AGCO, finally took steps towards eliminating the grey-market operations in the province. The commission set October 31, 2022, as a deadline for operators to go online in the regulated market. If they do not cooperate brands risks potential penalties and rejection of their application for the new market.
Last month, the regulator also posted its official financial report for the iGaming market for its second quarter of operations or for the period of July 1 through September 30, 2022. For Q2 the sector’s online operators accumulated over CA$6.04 billion in a total betting handle, which translated into just over CA$267 million in revenue. There were also 628,000 registered active user accounts.
Source: “Playtech and Mansion launch in new markets and strengthen their relationship as long-term strategic partners” Playtech, November 7, 2022


text:
Twitter co-founder Ev Williams jumped into the debate over so-called attention metrics this week when he took to Medium -- the blogging platform he founded -- to highlight what he calls the toxicity of evaluating digital-media companies only by their unique visitors:
We literally say one company or service is "bigger" based on a single number — specifically, number of people who have "used" it in the last 30 days. Even without getting into how "use" is defined, this is dumb.
The idea of attention metrics is gathering steam in the media community as publishers look for new ways to value their advertising inventory -- a trend Ad Age covered in depth last September. For the last 20 years, advertisers have paid for digital ads based on the consumer impressions they pile up, but with web surfers clicking around an essentially infinite supply of content online, scarcity is a memory and ad prices are under pressure.
Mr. Williams explained it thusly:
We pay more attention to time spent reading than number of visitors at Medium because, in a world of infinite content -- where there are a million shiny attention-grabbing objects a touch away and notifications coming in constantly -- it's meaningful when someone is actually spending time. After all, for a currency to be valuable, it has to be scarce. And while the amount of attention people are willing to give to media and the Internet in general has skyrocketed -- largely due to having a screen and connection with them everywhere -- it eventually is finite.
Several publishers have embraced this idea, most notably the Financial Times, which began selling digital ads last year by the number of hours spent viewing the ad and not total impressions. Four companies, including BP and Microsoft, have signed up for the cost-per-hour metric, the Financial Times told Ad Age last month.
Medium, which is experimenting with advertising, is also among the publishers using an attention-based metric, according to Mr. Williams. The platform's top metric is total time reading, or TTR. "We think this is a better estimate of whether people are actually getting value out of Medium," he wrote.
Ultimately, Mr. Williams calls upon the media to look at multiple measurements to determine value.
Numbers are important. Number of users is important. So are lots of other things. Different services create value in different ways. Trust your gut as much (or more) than the numbers. Figure out what matters and build something good.
Read his full post on Medium.


text:
This article was originally published by The New Food Economy
By H. Claire Brown
In Washington Heights, a hilly neighborhood at the northern tip of Manhattan, 128 P&L Deli Grocery is the busiest hub on the block. Outside, neighbors lounge in lawn chairs and pass around a hookah hose. Inside, customers watch baseball on an iPhone mounted behind the counter and sip tamarind juice through straws. Yucca, plantains, and bagged heads of lettuce loiter by the entrance.
Porfirio Mejia, the Dominican-born New Yorker who has owned this grocery for six years, seems to know everyone. He pats a few kids on the head and nods when a woman tells him she’ll pay him tomorrow. He pauses to inspect the peppers and tomatoes, remarking that a fresh produce delivery is due the next day. He works with the anti-hunger advocacy organization City Harvest to promote fruit and vegetable purchases, and he says that more than half of his customers buy their groceries with SNAP, the government assistance program formerly known as food stamps.
Well, they used to. The SNAP transactions at P&L tripped the wires of an algorithm that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses to screen for fraud. Mejia’s decision to issue IOU’s to his regular customers — a policy that allowed him to deliver food to elderly neighbors and settle up after they received their benefits — triggered a suspicious activity flag in the system. By allowing customers to rack up a few weeks’ worth of grocery bills before paying with their benefit cards, Mejia violated the agency’s rules, which prohibit retailers from establishing informal credit systems with their customers.
About a year ago, a USDA letter informed Mejia that he was suspected of defrauding the government, so he rushed to enlist more than 30 of his neighbors to write letters explaining that his credit system did not constitute fraud — trading cash for food stamps. When I visited P&L in May, a stack of handwritten letters still sat on Mejia’s desk, with receipts attached.
His efforts weren’t enough. The agency wanted itemized receipts for the purchases that had been flagged, but Mejia’s cash registers at the time printed only total sales figures; he couldn’t provide an accounting of the individual products that his clients had bought on credit. He was permanently banned from accepting food stamps. When he lost his SNAP customers, 35 to 40 percent of his income went with them. When we spoke in May, he said he’s had to cut down on employees’ hours, and started working 14- and 15-hour days. He’s thought about selling the store.
Mejia is hardly alone. Last year, the USDA disqualified more than 1,600 retailers across the country from receiving SNAP payments. Over 90 percent of those businesses are convenience stores or small groceries. And while some of them almost certainly engaged in the cash-for-food-stamps fraud that the system is designed to detect, many of them, like P&L, were probably unjustly caught in the crosshairs.
It’s impossible to pin down exactly how many retailers were banned from accepting SNAP dollars due to fraud charges that the government can’t actually prove. But court testimony by a USDA official indicates that, just last year, hundreds of retailers were permanently disqualified from the program based primarily on an algorithmic assessment of their transaction patterns — the same circumstantial evidence that ensnared Mejia. “It’s a jerry-rigged system against small retailers unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Stewart Fried, an attorney who has represented store owners flagged by the algorithm.
The USDA does not bother to justify or even explain the precise sales figures or thresholds that cause retailers to be flagged for investigation. In fact, officials appear not to know how they were developed in the first place. Douglas Edward Wilson, a USDA program analyst who has worked with the ALERT system for more than a decade, testified in a 2017 deposition that he had no idea who originally set the parameters for flagging fraudulent transactions.
Mejia seems to have been disqualified from the SNAP program based almost entirely on the atypical transaction patterns identified by the algorithm. He said he was never asked to explain these patterns before he was charged with fraud, nor did the agency present him with any evidence that he had traded cash for food stamps. Once accused, he was expected to prove his own innocence and the odds were stacked against him.
His situation is not uncommon: Retailers are regularly issued letters alleging “unusual, irregular, and inexplicable SNAP activity” based on their transaction history. According to a deposition given by Gilda Torres, a USDA section chief who oversees disqualifications, algorithm-flagged stores referred to her office for investigation are issued charge letters more than 95 percent of the time. And once they’re charged, their chances of reversing the decision are close to zero.
After the charge letter is received, retailers have 10 days to submit evidence to prove their innocence, a process that rarely results in decision reversals. Torres oversees SNAP disqualifications in New England, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. In her district, 100 percent of cases that landed on her desk resulted in permanent disqualification in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Businesses that do not successfully challenge the charge letter then have the option to seek administrative review of agency decisions, but that process is just as unforgiving. Of the 1,283 administrative reviews requested nationwide in 2017, only 20 disqualifications were reversed.
It’s a justice system that puts the burden of proof on the accused — and one in which most cases are decided long before they reach a courtroom. In the blink of an eye, the owners of small, neighborhood grocery stores can lose half their income.
When the Trump administration announced its half-baked proposal to replace some SNAP payments with pre-packaged “Harvest Boxes” in February, it justified the change in policy by claiming that it would help reduce food stamp fraud. But fraud plays a much larger role in the popular imagination than it does in the program itself. The USDA estimated that fraud accounted for 1.5 percent of the roughly $70 billion in benefits the program administered, or about $1 billion, in 2014. By contrast, that same year the government misallocated 2.27 percent of total benefits simply by overpaying beneficiaries, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Regardless, for each of the last three years, the agency appropriated more than $17 million to fight retailer fraud in the more than quarter million retail establishments that accept food stamps. (The USDA administers SNAP at the federal level.)
Before the agency fully transitioned to debit-style Electronic Benefit Transfer cards about 20 years ago, food stamp fraud was policed primarily using undercover agents. These agents watch for less serious program violations — like the sale of non-food items — and fraud, the exchange of cash for food stamps. A 2018 USDA request for information from potential government contractors provides a glimpse into how these investigations operate: Agents try to pass as a typical customer, then attempt to use EBT cards to purchase SNAP-ineligible items like sponges or cigarettes.
While the agency still uses these undercover agents — in 2017, it conducted 5,557 such investigations — they rarely find evidence of fraud. Last year, less than 6 percent of retail investigations found retailers engaging in actual fraud. (Less than half identified any program violations at all, even minor ones.)
The introduction of EBT cards provided a new way for the USDA to detect potentially fraudulent behavior: It could digitally monitor all transactions in real time and screen for patterns suggesting irregularities. The agency commissioned the development of an algorithm, dubbed the ALERT system, that is used in many SNAP fraud cases today.
The ALERT system analyzes millions of SNAP transactions and assigns ratings to businesses based on the number of unusual transactions they process. Unusual transactions can include sales volumes that are much higher than those at neighboring stores, multiple withdrawals from the same card over a short period of time, multiple purchases that end in the same number of cents, or very frequent or large purchases.
It was the last of these that ensnared Mejia. His practice of letting customers purchase food on credit — which resulted in one-time payments of hundreds of dollars when they cleared their accounts — showed up in the system as an atypical pattern and initiated his disqualification from the program.
The USDA argues that the ALERT system is one tool among many in a thorough disqualification process. “When [the USDA] suspects a store may be committing SNAP violations, staff will carefully review the store information including SNAP redemptions, any history of complaints, the owner’s history in the program, and store visit records which include photos and details of the store and inventory,” a USDA spokesperson wrote in an email statement. “If, after review of all the information gathered, [agency] staff believe further investigation is warranted, they (not the ALERT system) will initiate a compliance review — which may include further investigative analysis or an undercover investigation — and if warranted, charge the store with violations.”
Torres’s 2017 deposition tells a different story. The USDA section chief testified that the “investigative analysis” referenced in the agency’s emailed statement is based primarily on ALERT data. And there’s little leeway if a grocer is deemed to have violated the rules: According to decisions posted to the agency’s own website, retailers can be disqualified with no prior violations and decades of successful participation in the program.
Raul Barrios, a senior healthy retail specialist at the anti-hunger advocacy group City Harvest, spends most of his time visiting small New York City groceries to encourage proprietors to stock fruits and vegetables. He said he regularly encounters retailers who have been permanently disqualified from SNAP and appear to have inadvertently tripped the ALERT system’s wires through normal business activities that stop short of fraud. He cited stores like Mejia’s, which allowed customers to buy food on credit, and said that the multiple withdrawals flag could be triggered by neighbors who drop in for a gallon of milk in the morning and a bottle of water later in the day.
“In family-owned businesses that are pillars of the community, people go numerous times,” he said, adding that convenience store owners’ tendency to round prices to the nearest 50 cents likely triggers the same-cents flag. “A lot of them are not aware of the laws, of the do’s and the don’t’s.”
Barrios said he thinks up to half of retailers disqualified based on algorithmic evidence did not actually commit fraud. After all, credit systems like Mejia’s look the same on paper as the kind of cash-for-benefits scenario the government wants to stamp out.
Once a retailer receives a charge letter, they have 10 days to appeal the ruling by submitting proof that their transactions are all legitimate. (According to a USDA spokesperson, retailers can request extensions.) Last year, only 4 percent of retailers nationwide succeeded in reversing the decision during this stage.
Then, retailers have another opportunity to appeal during a process called “administrative review.” Reversal rates at this stage are even lower. For people like Mejia, who had no way of knowing that he needed to be saving itemized receipts, it’s an uphill battle. According to documents posted to the USDA’s website, retailers send a wide variety of paperwork to prove their innocence: medical records that show transactions flagged as fraudulent happened while owners were taking care of a sick family member, proof that employees had been trained in SNAP policy, credit logs, and in some cases hundreds of pages of receipts and letters from customers. Torres, the USDA section chief, testified that her region did not overturn any of its decisions in the last three years based on retailer-provided evidence during the administrative review period.
“[Retailers] lose almost 100 percent of the time because they don’t know what they’re doing, don’t know what [the USDA] is looking for,” said Fried, the lawyer.
According to Mejia, no one from the USDA ever called him to explain the appeals process. He does remember someone from the agency coming to his store before he received his charge letter, but that person only took pictures and didn’t initiate a conversation.
In Torres’s 2017 testimony for a separate SNAP case in Maryland, she said stores are initially inspected by agency contractors — sometimes months before a charge is issued — to measure square footage and look at inventory. These visits generate a sort of in-store snapshot for USDA staff members to cross-reference with ALERT system findings, and contractors aren’t tasked with finding hard evidence of fraudulent behavior. Torres said agency staff don’t typically visit retailers at any point in the disqualification process.
Mejia thought about retaining a lawyer but decided it would be too expensive. Had he sought legal advice, he might have discovered that there is one avenue for redress beyond the initial appeal and administrative review: judicial review of the decision, which means a trip to federal court. “At that point, the playing field gets leveled remarkably,” Fried said, adding that this process gives retailers access to the USDA’s full records and allows their lawyers to take depositions.
But legal representation can be expensive, and Barrios said small retailers are often skeptical that lawyers are worth the cost. The USDA doesn’t provide data on how many cases go to judicial review, but according to Fried, the number is almost certainly very small.
In other words, once retailers are accused, their chances of successfully proving their innocence are vanishingly slim. “That’s a big problem, when 100 percent of the retailers in all of New England, Jersey, Maryland, and D.C. are convicted based on a case that’s largely circumstantial,” Fried said, referring to Torres’s decision record since 2015. “The only hard evidence is a snapshot 30-minute visit [a USDA] contractor does, going out to the property one time to look around it.”
For now, Mejia’s moving on. He says he knows he broke the rules by allowing customers to buy on credit, and he accepts the agency’s decision to permanently disqualify him from SNAP. Still, he doesn’t think accepting credit is the same thing as trading cash for food stamps. And he thinks others have found themselves in the same boat, denied badly needed revenue simply for providing a service they see as neighborly. “It’s a system small business owners don’t understand,” he says in Spanish.
This piece was published in partnership with The Intercept.
Photos by Derek Saffe


text:
GUWAHATI: Stating that ban on sale of meat is a retrogressive step, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said his government will not impose it.
The ban on sale of meat by some states is a retrogressive step as it violates the rights of the people to eat whatever food they like, Gogoi said. "Our Government will not impose any ban on sale of meat in any form," he said in a statement.
The chief minister described the ban as decline from a better to a worse state as "people have the right to choose the food they prefer to eat." However, Gogoi said, his statement should not construed as promotion of non-vegetarianism.
"A vegetarian has the same right as a non-vegetarian to eat whatever food he or she prefers," he said. Some BJP ruled states have imposed a ban on sale of meat in view of a Jain festival for varying days this month.
Stories related to meat ban across the country:


text:
Mars Inc will invest US$60 million to open a second factory in Russia.
The factory, which will make sweets as well as animal
feed, will be based in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River.
cat and dog food brands such as Whiskas and Pedigree.Related
To comment, login here
Or register to be able to comment.


text:
When the Ollie's Noodle Shop closed earlier this year after a quick-moving fire, Lincoln Center concert-goers lost one of the more affordable dining options in the vicinity of the arts complex.
Now, restauranteur Danny Meyer is eyeing the shuttered space at 1991 Broadway for a potential branch of his Shake Shack burger chain, according to several reports. The 7,500-square-foot storefront is one block north of Alice Tully Hall and around the corner from Merkin Concert Hall on W. 67th Street, giving it a prime pre-theater dining location.
"We look for compelling sites in great neighborhoods," a Shake Shack representative told Gothamist. "We have decided not to comment on any of these rumors, unless we have something concrete to share."
The New York Post reports that Microsoft, Nike, Anthropologie and Patagonia are also considering the space.
Still, with few affordable dining options in the Lincoln Center area, a Shake Shack may be welcomed by some concertgoers.
What dining options do you think are most needed near Lincoln Center? Leave your comments below.


text:
Amazon Now Has 40% of the Japanese eBook Market?
It’s been only 3 months
a bare month and a half since Amazon launched a Kindle Store in Japan and they’ve already turned the market on its head. According to the market research firm Impress R&D, Amazon now accounts for the single largest share of the Japanese ebook market.
Impress R&D has just started selling the results of their most recent quarterly survey. The polling took place in December, with the survey respondents drawn from the readers of OnDeck Weekly, a digital trade magazine which (I think) covers the Japanese digital publishing industry.
I don’t have a copy of the report, but I do have the one detail that Amazon now dominates the Japanese ebook market. This does not bode well for Brazil, China or India, other markets which Amazon recently entered. Amazon is likely going to dominate those ebook markets as well, thus reinforcing the situation some publishers fear.
Update: I have a new source with more details from the report:
A full 40 percent of those polled are actively buying books via the Kindle e-book store, according to the data from Impress R&D, the research arm of a Japanese publishing house. That is three times the 13.4 percent who said they buy books from BookWeb, the online bookstore run by national book chain Kinokuniya.
Sony’s Reader Store was next at 10.1 percent, followed by the e-book offering from online shopping mall Rakuten at 7.4 percent. Both Sony and Rakuten offer e-reader devices that compete with the Kindle, as well as apps for reading their titles on mobile phones and tablets.
Many observers in Japan feel that 2013 is the year that the domestic e-book market, which has lagged markets like the U.S., will take off. Impress predicts the market, which was ¥62.9 billion (US$720 million) in the year through March 2012, will over triple in the next five years.
What’s most interesting about those stats is that Kobo only has a 7% share of the Japanese ebook market. That’s not exactly stellar success, is it?


text:
President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted that Apple won’t be given tariff relief for Mac Pro parts that are made in China, and urged the company instead to make its computers in America.
“Apple will not be given Tariff wavers, or relief, for Mac Pro parts that are made in China,” the president tweeted. “Make them in the USA, no Tariffs!”
Apple had requested that the Trump administration exclude parts for its new Mac Pro from import tariffs. The company will reportedly build the $5,999 computer, which was unveiled at this year’s WWDC, in China instead of the US. The computer’s previous model from 2013 was one of the company’s few products made in the US.
The iPhone maker sought relief from 25% duties on parts including the computer’s stainless steel and aluminum frame, internal cables and circuit boards, according to filings from the Office of the US Trade Representative. Though the documents don’t explicitly name the Mac Pro, the features mentioned are similar to those of the computer.
In a June letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple said tariffs would “result in a reduction of Apple’s US economic contribution,” as the fees would impact all of its major products as well as accessories like monitors, batteries and parts used to repair devices. Apple also said the tariffs could hurt its competitiveness and “tilt the playing field in favor of our global competitors.”
Apple and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti and Shara Tibken contributed to this report.
CNET may get a commission from retail offers.


text:
Sandboxes are alternative regulatory frameworks for companies with innovative products or business models. These companies still have to meet consumer protection requirements, but don’t have to work through years of red tape.
Sandboxes have been introduced both across the country and the world. States like Utah, Wyoming, and Florida have all embraced sandboxes. A study of companies who took advantage of sandboxes in the United Kingdom found that these businesses made it to market 40 percent faster, were 50 percent more likely to raise money, and raised 15 percent more than companies not in sandboxes.
In short, sandboxes will encourage job growth and opportunities that strengthens Louisiana families.


text:
Google Product Forums
Re: Are there any plans to offer expanded Google Drive web storage to purchasers of Nexus device?
Jul 2, 2012 3:34 PM
Posted in group:
Google Mobile Help Forum
Android Devices : Android Applications :
Google hasn't announced any plans to expand Google Drive storage for purchasers of the Nexus 7. Extra space for Google Drive can be purchased, which you can learn more about


text:
RAPAPORT… Every diamond has a story to tell. Whether that story ends in romance and love — our ideal image of the diamond — or whether it narrates a darker tale of bloody conflict, depends upon the storyteller.
With the release of the movie, “Blood Diamond,” Hollywood is prevailing as the narrator of the day with strong understudy support from grassroots nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Global Witness (GW) and Amnesty International (AI).
The Warner Bros. movie rehashes the civil war in the West African country of Sierra Leone during the 1990s, in which the exploitation of alluvial diamond mines helped to fuel a devastating war that ravaged an already desperate country. With an accurate, brutally violent account of the war, the movie gives an important voice to an often neglected region of the world and the unimaginable human suffering that transpired there. To their credit, the NGOs GW and Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) were at the forefront of the battle against conflict diamonds. They advocated for reform before most people in the diamond industry, let alone Madison Avenue, knew what a blood diamond was.
Yet in the current public arena, where messages are transmitted through sound bites in blockbuster films, there is a real danger that consumers will walk away not only with the wrong message, but a message that might do more harm than good to the people it purports to help. Even worse is that the advocacy groups, which have long sought to bring the issue of conflict diamonds onto the world stage, are playing up this message now that they have finally captured international attention.
The fear within the diamond industry — and the reason that De Beers and the World Diamond Council (WDC) have launched a $15 million public relations campaign — is the notion that African diamonds are tainted and “that consumers shouldn’t buy diamonds from black fellows; but buy them instead from white guys,” explains Michael Rae, the chief executive officer (CEO) for the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices (CRJP).
The movie certainly doesn’t do Africa any favors in terms of the perception it offers to Western sensibilities. “Hollywood’s portrayal of Africa is either as complete hell on earth or with wild animals and great white hunters, or some combination of both,” says Ian Smillie, a longtime advocate and researcher with PAC, an international organization working to build sustainable development in Africa. “In this case, the wild animals are the rebels and Leonardo DiCaprio is the hunter chasing the diamond.”
With 65 percent of the world’s diamonds coming out of Africa and diamond exports from Sierra Leone yielding nearly $119 million this year alone, any thought of an official boycott of African diamonds could have disastrous effects on the economies of diamond-producing nations, particularly in Sierra Leone, where over 90 percent of the country’s foreign income comes from diamonds.
The counterproductivity of a boycott is economically clear to those in the NGO world and they have stated publicly that they are not calling for an official boycott. Nevertheless, they have offered few solutions, beyond strengthening the current regulatory control, which would do no more than essentially create an unofficial restriction on Sierra Leone diamonds.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for conflict diamonds in the sense that it is within the power of the international community to eradicate the problem,” says GW’s Annie Dunnebacke, a campaigner on the conflict diamonds team. She argues that countries that cannot ensure an absence of conflict diamonds should be suspended from the trade. Consumers, she says, must ask more questions to make retailers aware of the exact origin of their diamonds — an impossible feat under today’s mechanisms, she concedes.
This thinking is in line with the heavy criticism NGOs have levied upon the diamond industry’s self-regulatory system, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). The KPCS was launched in 2003 as a way of tracking the export of rough diamonds and thereby preventing diamonds from conflict regions from entering into the retail sector.
The NGOs argue that the Kimberley Process (KP), which relies upon its 71 member countries to police themselves, isn’t catching all of the conflict diamonds and needs third-party auditors of diamond firms to bring to light its failings — such as the recent discovery of $23 million worth of illicit diamonds being smuggled out of the conflict-ridden Ivory Coast through Ghana.
But in addition to calling for loophole closures, full execution of the KP, more vigilant governmental controls and the implementation of a chain of warranties system — all valid expectations — the NGOs are also utterly ignoring the economic realities on the ground. They draw attention away from the real issues of sustainable development in Africa, demanding dispensations from the diamond industry that they are pointedly avoiding themselves.
“The way Amnesty International is portraying this issue is semihysterical, as if we have accomplished nothing at all. They and Global Witness are taking advantage of the film to nail down every last point,” accuses Smillie, who has often been critical of the KP himself. A case in point is the retail survey conducted by AI to determine jewelry store policies on conflict diamonds. The survey concludes that the low response rate by retailers and the inability of stores to produce clear explanations of their conflict diamond policy mean that consumers are in imminent danger of purchasing a conflict diamond. That assertion is patently untrue given the fact that the KP is designed to stop the flow of rough diamonds at the source by requiring rough export countries to document all rough exports. KP controls on the movement of rough diamond work, whether or not jewelers understand the process.
The “buyer beware” message that the NGOs are so keen to promote to consumers can well be applied to their own solicitations. Concerned citizens are encouraged to donate money to GW and AI campaigns against conflict diamonds on their joint website with Warner Bros.
(www.blooddiamondaction.com). They can also purchase blood-red bracelets from Amnesty’s website in support of the cause. None of this money, however, will ever reach the people of Sierra Leone. In fact, according to both GW and AI, the money is going directly into the organizations’ purses; none of it is even earmarked directly for their blood diamond campaigns.
“That money is going to help educate the world about the issues that we work on,” says Alex Yearsly, a lead campaigner for GW.
Underscoring the NGO crusade is the sentiment that the diamond industry should “fix” the destruction in Sierra Leone, either through so-called reparations or charitable contributions — notions that are reminiscent of colonialism. Most economists dispute these as impractical, ineffective and without historical precedent, especially in countries blessed with the “resource curse.”
“The role the NGOs have is to highlight bad behavior, but they also have to be constructive and realistic in the recommendations that they provide,” says Mark White, a recent program manager in Sierra Leone with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). In the absence of any real NGO development work in Sierra Leone, the leading promoters of development are DFID and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). DFID allocates more money per capita in Sierra Leone than any other global aid program.
“The recognized way that business enterprises contribute to an economy is through paying taxes and supporting public investment,” says William Glade, PhD., University of Texas economics professor.
Development experts will tell you the real problem in Sierra Leone now, and with some of its still-at-war neighbors, is not conflict diamonds, but a lack of economic and political stability. This creates ripe conditions for civil wars that then have the potential to be funded through illicit diamonds.
Sierra Leone’s story is far from over. But the future should tell a tale of “rags-to-riches,” and not of another opportunity lost perpetuated by NGOs interested in promoting their organizations’ advocacy work without any interest in addressing the development problems that are the root cause of severe poverty and conflict.


text:
Facebook is reportedly working on a voice-activated digital assistant. The new product could compete with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and the Google assistant.
There have been ongoing reports that Facebook worked on the new initiative since 2018. The company’s new Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality groups are reportedly working on the voice assistant technology. The AR and VR departments are responsible for developing and promoting futuristic products.
According to some former Facebook employees, spearheading the initiative is the director of AR/VR and Facebook Assistant, Ira Snyder. The social media giants are also reportedly talking to some investors in the smart speaker market.
The new Facebook Portal video chat speaker and soon coming Oculus headsets would be great platforms to explore the digital assistant.
Facebook might be treading on a market that is already taken. Amazon’s Alexa already has nearly 70 per cent of the smart speaker market, while Google Assistant has 30 per cent. Apple’s HomePod is its own voice assistant version that is outside the iPhone, but it’s yet to take off.
Facebook seems to have big plans of competing with Artificial Intelligence technology. It silently acquired the AI assistant start-up, Ozlo, in 2017. It also recently went public with a venture called M, a platform that can translate conversations, connect food and music apps and even hail a cab.
Facebook should hold its annual F8 developer conference at the end of April 2019. There might be an unveiling then.
Stay tuned to Plat4om for more updates on this.


text:
Don't Buy These 2 Halloween Necessities at Walmart, Experts Warn
You're better off finding somewhere else to pick up these items.
The fall holidays can cost you a pretty penny, from elaborate Halloween costumes to big Thanksgiving meals. So if you're on a budget, you'll want to choose where you buy certain holiday necessities carefully. While it might seem more convenient to buy all your Halloween staples, from costumes to decorations to candy, at a one-stop shop like Walmart, the numbers show that buying two particular items for the spooky season at Wally World may not be the smartest choice financially. Read on to find out what you shouldn't buy at Walmart if you're going Halloween shopping.
You shouldn't buy Halloween candy at Walmart.
If you're looking to get the biggest bang for your buck, don't buy your Halloween candy from Walmart this year. Personal finance news outlet GoBankingRates compared the prices of sweet treats at Walmart and Target and found that the latter reigns supreme when it comes to cost. Walmart's lowest priced candy variety pack of 35 pieces is $4.88, while Target has a 35 mini-piece pack for more than a dollar less, at $3.59.
"You can get more candy for your cash, and have access to a wider variety of treats [at Target]," GoBankingRates confirmed.
It's also cheaper to buy your holiday decorations from Target.
Don't pick up your Halloween decorations from Walmart either. Decorative spiderwebs cost $5.95 at Walmart, while they start at $4 at Target, according to GoBankingRates. Target also has a 16-inch posable skeleton for $5, while Walmart's is more than double the cost at $10.99 (though a few inches taller). The only decoration you will find cheaper at Walmart is lights—the retailer has green LED mini lights for $3.97, while Target's most affordable lights are mini incandescent string lights for $5.
"Though [Target] lights are slightly more expensive, everything else is more of a bargain than Walmart," GoBankRates said.
RELATED: And for more retail news, sign up for our daily newsletter.
There are some Halloween necessities that are cheaper to buy at Walmart.
If you're looking for Halloween costumes, Walmart may be your best bet. According to GoBankingRates, both adult and baby costumes are cheaper at this retailer. Baby costumes start at $8.88 at Walmart, while Target's start at $15 because they are made by Hyde & EEK! Boutique, which has higher price points. For adult costumes, Walmart's cheapest costume starts at $9.99, while Target's starts at $12.99.
"Across the board, Walmart offers less expensive costumes for adults," GoBankingRates confirmed. However, the finance news outlet did note that kids' costumes may be better to buy at Target if you have more than one child, since they're running a BOGO half-off deal.
Shoppers are expected to spend big on Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations this year.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), shoppers are expected to spend a total of $10.14 billion on Halloween-related items this year, and an average of $102.74 individually. This is the highest that metric has ever been predicted, and it's up from $8.05 billion in 2020. Shoppers plan to celebrate in numerous ways, with 66 percent saying they'll hand out candy, 52 percent looking to decorate their home or yard, and 46 percent planning to dress up in a costume.
"Americans plan to spend more than ever to make this Halloween a memorable one," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. "Retailers have implemented a number of measures, such as bringing in Halloween products earlier than normal, to ensure their shelves are stocked with seasonal candy, décor and other items ahead of this important holiday."


text:
We don't see many phone announcements at CES shows these days, mostly since Mobile World Congress is just a month away, but there are plenty of Chromebooks to get excited about. Lenovo revealed two new Chrome OS devices today, a Surface-style tablet and a 13-inch convertable laptop.
The more interesting of the two is the IdeaPad Duet (pictured above), a Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard cover. Detailed specifications aren't available yet, but Lenovo promises USI stylus support, a 10.1-inch 1920x1200 IPS screen, a battery life of 10 hours, and a built-in 135-degree hinge.
Interestingly, the IdeaPad Duet is slated to get Chrome OS updates until June 2028. That might make it the first Chromebook to launch with eight years of software support — Google's own Pixel Slate will stop reviving updates in mid-2026.
Lenovo says the IdeaPad Duet will be released in May, and will start at $279.99. For some reason, it will carry the name of "Lenovo Chromebook Duet" only in North America.
IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook
There's no shortage of 13-inch convertible Chromebooks, but the IdeaPad Flex 5 does have one interesting feature: it can be configured with a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, making it one of the first Chrome OS devices with a Comet Lake CPU.
Other specifications include "up to" 128GB of storage and 8GB RAM, front-facing stereo speakers, an IPS display with a maximum 300-nit brightness, an integrated stylus, Wi-Fi 6 support, and a spill-resistant keyboard. It sounds like a great all-around package, but we'll have to see what hardware configurations will be available in North America.
The IdeaPad Flex 5 has one more feature that no Chromebook on the market right now has: a Thunderbolt 3 port. There was evidence last year that Google was adding Thunderbolt support to Chrome OS, allowing multiple high-bandwidth displays and hubs to be connected through a single Type-C port. We'll have to see how useful a Thunderbolt port in a Chromebook will be.
Lenovo says the IdeaPad Flex 5, named the 'Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5' in North America, will start at $359.99 when it arrives in late June.


text:
Okta Inc. Executives are expected to report adjusted fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday and, surprisingly, forecast profitability for all of the next fiscal year, raising profit concerns stemming from recent sales-operations issues.
For the fourth quarter, Okta OKTA;
It guided for adjusted earnings of 9 cents to 10 cents a share on revenue of $488 million to $490 million. Analysts on average were expecting an adjusted loss of 12 cents a share on sales of $488.3 million, according to FactSet.
In a surprise announcement during the conference call, Chief Financial Officer Brett Tighe also revealed a full-year forecast for fiscal 2024, as most software companies shy away from such practices when macroeconomic conditions are uncertain. Okta executives said they are aiming for a full-year adjusted profit of $2.13 billion to $2.15 billion. Analysts on average had expected an adjusted loss of 30 cents on sales of $2.3 billion, which broadly beat profit forecasts but missed sales estimates by more than $100 million.
Shares rose as much as 18% in after-hours trading after the results were released, but those gains were pared to a steady 12% after Teague informed analysts of his outlook on a conference call following the earnings announcement. They have fallen 76% so far this year, compared with a 27% decline in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index COMP;
Okta CEO and founder Todd McKinnon said in an exclusive interview with MarketWatch ahead of the company’s conference call that sales reps are the lowest they’ve been in several quarters, following an increase last quarter. Okta also announced that Susan St. Ledger, president of global field operations, will retire and McKinnon will take over her role on an interim basis.
“What we’ve done in the last six months is slow hiring, reassessing real estate, doubling down on things that we know are high-value, and maybe some things that aren’t. We’re doing less, so that’s where we see the profitability come,” McKinnon told MarketWatch. He said.
Much of the acquisition comes from the company’s struggle to integrate Okta’s sales force with sales reps to focus on direct-to-consumer sales rather than Okta Corporate, which acquired identity platform Auth0 (pronounced “Auth Zero”) in May 2021. Attention.
“The problem wasn’t that we didn’t have good sales people,” McKinnon told MarketWatch. “The problem is that we’re enabling them and not making things clear to them.”
Depth: Okta’s CEO says ‘short-term challenges’ have led to massive layoffs
“We still have work to do,” MacKinnon said. “After a quarter of a positive trend, we don’t think we’ve solved it, but I think it’s progress.”
“The biggest reason we’ve done a much better job of explaining the products and the positioning and saying we have two clouds: We have the Workforce Identity Cloud and the Customer Identity Cloud, and it’s very clear when it’s going to sell,” he said.
Okta reported a third-quarter loss of $208.9 million, or $1.32 a share, compared with a loss of $221.3 million, or $1.44 a share, a year earlier. After adjusting for stock-based compensation expense and other items, the company reported diluted earnings per share, compared with a loss of 7 cents a share last year. Revenue rose to $481.4 million from $350.7 million in the previous quarter.
Analysts had forecast an adjusted loss of 24 cents to 25 cents a share on sales of $463 million to $465 million, with the company forecasting an adjusted loss of 24 cents a share on revenue of $465.4 million.
For the current year, Okta forecast an adjusted loss of 27 cents to 26 cents a share on revenue of $1.84 billion, compared with the Street forecast of 73 cents a share on revenue of $1.82 billion.
So far in November, cloud software stocks are dropping. While the S&P 500 SPX,
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF IGV gained 5.4%, and the Nasdaq rose 4.4%.
Global X Cloud Computing ETF CLOU rose 1.6 percent.
First Trust Cloud Computing ETF SKYY rose 0.8%;
and Wisdomtree Cloud Computing Fund WCLD, which fell 2%;
It decreased by 6.9 percent.


text:
Earlier this year, we reported that TrackR, a startup that manufactures a small Bluetooth device that you attach to items such as keys to locate them once lost, would be renamed Adero and make pivot the company more and more commoditized market for its basic material product.
That's what happens.
Today, Adero officially debuts, with a product that builds and develops the TrackR, providing a system for organizing multiple groups of elements – not only to be able to find them when they have been misplaced, but also so that you can be alerted proactively when you have forgotten something behind a set of objects clustered while on the move.
A starter kit consisting of three smart labels, three small "labels", a label feeder, cords, cases and key chains is on sale today for $ 119. $ 99. A "luxury" case with five labels and nine labels will soon be available for $ 199.99. The Adero is compatible with Android 5.1 and later, and it will soon be equipped with iOS 11.
Let's be clear, while Adero is abandoning TrackR, the company has confirmed that it will continue to support those who are on the market (for the time being).
If you think that Adero sounds like a glorified version of what it replaces, the company says that in addition to offering a way to group together the items you follow ("Smart Containers") , and to amaze you when you leave something behind, it has other features that make it more useful.
This includes creating time-based reminders for collecting your items; a rechargeable battery for smart labels; and resistance to water.
The move is an important and necessary jump that the start-up had to make.
In a highly competitive market, even the largest in the group, Tile, worked on to refocus its mandate under a new general manager, strategically investing in Comcast to develop products with the giant of broadband it is trying to exploit more connected home opportunities and the promises of the Internet of Things (before other tech players like Amazon, Google and Apple still deviate a times what could have been an obvious carrier opportunity, as they did in other areas).
For its part, Adero was struggling to find the right margins and the right business model for TrackR, and was trying to extend the original product – such as a Beacon device called [19459010Atlas – also encountered dead ends (after beginning at CES, the Atlas was never put on the market ).
The decline was clear: TrackR was valued at $ 150 million when it raised $ 50 million in August 2017. Investors were not disclosed in the most recent funding, but Foundry had already been funded by previous funds. Group, NTT and Revolution.
"The foundry and Revolution hoped to be able to invest this money so that I could repair and resize things, as I did with Sonos, etc. But after six weeks, it became clear that we did not need to adapt, but to know what future we have and where we will go, "said Nathan Kelly, promoted to COO's general manager in December. 2017, in an upcoming interview. aujourd & # 39; hui.
Kelly's resume includes years spent at Sonos, Tesla and Facebook Building 8. He therefore has a wide range of experiences on the creation and sale of equipment. To his credit, he spoke to me frankly, even after we received their launch.
"We realized that for 10 years TrackR existed, there was nothing new," he said. It was a call that only a non-founder could possibly pass (neither Christian Smith nor Chris Herbert, the two founders, are no longer with the company). "There is not enough innovation going on. We needed to determine what would be the next step, not just rinse and repeat in a specular war while the initial idea was not very interesting to start with. "
For the future, he announced another larger funding round, which is likely to depend on how this effort will be conducted, and plans to add more information to the product.
"Adero will soon be smart enough to know what you leave behind [when you need it]. He will say that you leave without your wallet in the morning "or maybe your passport before a trip abroad.
Kelly adds that the company was not able to implement this solution in time for this launch – that it hoped to be able to broadcast in time for the holiday shopping – but a first version of the predictive function should to be published "in a few weeks. . He also noted that the company had filed a number of bulky patents in the last year for this purpose.


text:
The beginning of the year is always premiered directly from the Android mobile world.
It is in the first half of each year, the new flagship series Samsung Galaxy S or LG G have their premieres. Apple as its period was usually chosen to be autumn.
Therefore, instead of watching a new iPhone, we can read about it. The first rumors about the new iPhone have actually appeared before the launch of iPhone 7. Currently, the web can find more and more guesses and subsequent renderings. How far are true, I do not know, but maybe sometimes it’s worth dreaming and thinking by myself: What would it be if?
The sad true is that the iPhone 8 may not actually be created.
Well, do not be surprised! The point is that you may find, that new model will not be in the market this year. It is very likely that in 2017 there will be a so-called S version of the predecessor, the iPhone 7S. So it is assumed more and more technical people are heavily involved in the mobile industry. It would be very much typed in Apple’s operating mechanism. After all they have done so far, then why would they change it. Many fans of the brand, however, suppose that on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, the Cupertino company will try a little more than usual.
Especially after what Samsung presented. However, it may be that these are just fan wishes and will not be reflected in reality at all. If you believe the latest reports that Foxconn employee is, then another iPhone (insert the version number that you respond), may wait to change the position of the fingerprint reader. Not that I was somehow happy about it. At this moment it is placed in the Home button. Recently it was rumored that this item would hit the screen. According to the latest gossip, Apple plans to put the Touch ID on the back of the device. It’s a bit weird for me, but it’s not the first time Apple seems to know better than the customers need. It may of course also be that Apple will integrate the Touch ID with the display.
Further changes are made to the screen.
It turns out that the new iPhone may be bigger than its predecessors. It is said about the 5.8-inch OLED display. Use it to be at the same size of the smartphone that characterizes the iPhone 7. In addition, it is proposed to reduce the frames around the screen. It would be a 4mm frame on each side. Apple will also benefit from wireless charging and a camera that lands beneath the display. At the back, there may be a vertically mounted double camera.
Remember that if you do not look at Samsung very high suspended the bar and Apple must do a lot of hard. Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ have gone into pre-sales like fresh buns. Apple market reports show that Apple is getting something solid and I would like to believe that these are not just rumors. Maybe it was because another reheated chop may not be enough to earn the best smartphone of the year. At this moment the rule over the mobile market seems to be shared, but we know that the queen is only one after all.


text:
WICHITA — MoJack Distributors has filed a lawsuit against former president and CEO Nate Gregory due to what the suit says were performance issues.
The company formed in 2007 to produce lifts that make maintenance of riding mowers and equipment easier. The suit says MoJack then expanded its business to hand trucks and moving accessories and created a model that would allow for further expansion.
According to the suit, Gregory was hired shortly after the company formed and initially “acted in the best interest of Plaintiff and its members” as the company grew to have $40 million in business.
MoJack then “lost a major retail customer that significantly affected” business in 2012, the suit says, and around that time Gregory asked permission to invest in CN Cash for Gold.
The suit says Gregory was told that he could if it were a passive investment but that he then began focusing on buying a majority interest in CN Cash for Gold and became an active manager in the company.
The suit further says Gregory inappropriately pledged his membership units in MoJack as collateral for a bank loan to invest in CN Cash for Gold and managed it during his MoJack working hours.
In March, the suit says MoJack’s manager, Dan Drake, discovered how much Gregory had been diverting his time away from MoJack and fired him.
Gregory referred questions to his attorney, Greg Drumright.
“We’re looking forward to presenting our side of things and responding to all of the allegations,” Drumright says. “We need to wait and respond at the appropriate time, and now is not it.”
MoJack attorney Todd Shadid won’t comment either.
“I’m not going to comment beyond what’s in the petition,” he says.
Drumright won’t say what Gregory is doing these days.
“That pertains to some of the allegations,” Drumright says. “It would be inappropriate to comment about that.”


text:
GUINOT FRANCHISEE DAY OUT
RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, ROYAL HOSPITAL CHELSEA, LONDON
The Guinot franchise team hosted a day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on May 24 for its salon franchisees to celebrate their business growth and dedication to the brand. The group enjoyed breakfast, a three-course lunch and afternoon tea in the peaceful Jardin Blanc hospitality area by Raymond Blanc. Guinot’s guests were also given a sneak peek at an upcoming product launch.
CND INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR CONFERENCE
FOUR SEASONS MARRAKESH, MOROCCO
Samantha and Samuel Sweet, co-founders of CND UK distributor Sweet Squared, visited Marrakesh for the CND International Distributor Conference, along with head of marketing Albena Cant and head of sales Fiona Wallace. 86 delegates attended the three-day event – themed “expect the unexpected” – from 60 countries, to hear speakers including CND co-founder Jan Arnold, head of North America for Revlon Pro David Carvalho and Dr David Valla from CND’s R&D department.
EXUVIANCE PROBIOTIC LYSATE ANTI-POLLUTION ESSENCE LAUNCH
THE IVY, LONDON
PB assistant editor Georgia Seago joined cosmeceutical skincare brand Exuviance for breakfast on May 17 to introduce its new product, Probiotic Lysate Anti-Pollution Essence. Marisa Dufort, director of product development and ingredient innovation at parent company Johnson & Johnson, spoke about the use of probiotics in skincare. Other speakers included dermatologist Dr Sandeep Cliff and Victoria Buchanan, strategic researcher from The Future Laboratory.
HYDROPEPTIDE AFTERNOON TEA
DEAN STREET TOWNHOUSE, LONDON
PB’s assistant editor Georgia Seago and deputy editor Amanda Pauley attended skincare brand Hydropeptide’s UK re-launch event. The brand’s chief geneticist Dr Neal Kitchen flew in from the US to talk to selected press about the science and ethos behind the brand over afternoon tea. He also introduced new Nimni Day Cream.
HAZEL DIXON NAIL ARTIST ACADEMY LAUNCH
Esteemed nail tech Hazel Dixon held an event to celebrate the launch of her HD Nail Artist Academy and Akzentz UK head office. Around 60 fellow techs attended the launch, where they enjoyed lunch and drinks and took home goody bags of products from Dixon’s own professional product range, HD Professional. Guests also watched Dixon demo the latest addition to the range, the Liquid and Powder line.


text:
Director at XM Resigns as Possible Crisis Looms
February 17, 2006 11:00 AM
comment(s) - last by
Pierce Roberts Jr - Courtesy AP
Soaring marketing costs are one of the reasons that a director at XM Satellite Radio has decided to resign from the company
Pierce Roberts Jr., the director for XM Satellite Radio has recently stepped down citing constant disagreements with the other board members on issues critical to the company. Roberts also gave a warning that says XM may be facing a crisis in the future if the company cannot properly cut spending, as the company's fourth-quarter loss was greater than initially reported. Analysts have revealed the fourth-quarter loss now stands at a whopping $268.3 million. Higher costs have been due to marketing and the dire need to continually recruit new listeners.
XM is currently the largest U.S. pay-radio service, but has an unclear future in which Sirius Satellite Radio is making XM nervous. The stock now sits at $23.98, and has dropped 29 percent in the past year.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: It doesn't matter
2/17/2006 8:02:58 PM
My next car is going to have sattelite radio! I will glady pay to not have to listen to a morning show on the radio. The last thing I want to hear in the morning, is some bunch of politically correct nitwits who start work at 4:00 am tryint to sound like they are edgy and have a life.
"Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be." -- Steve Ballmer
Google plans ultra-fast wireless Internet for Research Triangle Park, N.C.
August 12, 2016, 6:30 AM
Twitter Senior VP: "Diversity is Important, But We Can’t Lower the Bar"
November 9, 2015, 9:59 AM
CNN Resorts to Internet Censorship to Promote Clinton Over Senator Sanders
October 15, 2015, 2:47 PM
Breaking Bad: How to Crash Google's Chrome Browser With Just 8 Characters
September 23, 2015, 11:08 AM
Quick Note: Amazon UK Offers £10 Back on Any Order £50 or Over
August 3, 2015, 12:05 PM
Editorial: Reddit Allows Itself to be Hijacked as a Hate Platform For Racist Bigots
July 21, 2015, 6:32 PM
Most Popular Articles
5 Cases for iPhone 7 and 7 iPhone Plus
September 18, 2016, 10:08 AM
Laptop or Tablet - Which Do You Prefer?
September 20, 2016, 6:32 AM
Update: Samsung Exchange Program Now in Progress
September 20, 2016, 5:30 AM
Smartphone Screen Protectors – What To Look For
September 21, 2016, 9:33 AM
Walmart may get "Robot Shopping Carts?"
September 17, 2016, 6:01 AM
Latest Blog Posts
Who is in Risk of Getting Oral Cancer?
Sep 23, 2016, 6:02 AM
France Bans Plastic Eating Utensils in Restaurants
Sep 18, 2016, 10:49 AM
Progress Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Sep 17, 2016, 5:30 AM
Apple Watch Series 2 - Number 1 in the Customer Satisfaction.
Sep 7, 2016, 6:19 PM
First Self-Driving Car debut on the streets of Singapore
Aug 28, 2016, 4:10 PM
More Blog Posts
Copyright 2016 DailyTech LLC. -
Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information


text:
Mobile trade organization CTIA has launched Know My App, a website dedicated to informing consumers about the impact that specific apps have on data usage, reports PCWorld. The group notes that while tools have been available to measure an app's post-installation impact on data usage, the new website is the first to measure data usage before a download.
Currently, the site allows users to search for an app by name, operating system or category, and currently includes test results for the top 50 paid and free apps from the App Store and Google Play. CTIA also pledges to add more apps to the database in the coming months, and is also inviting developers to submit their apps for testing.
The website was developed in a joint effort between product testing company Intertek and CTIA's Application Data Usage Working Group, which includes members such as Apple, Cisco, Google and LG. The tool also comes as wireless providers such as AT&T and Verizon have imposed different policies on data usage throughout the past few years with the offering of tiered data plans for customers.


text:
Filipino florist in Virginia reaches toilet paper dress finals
NEW YORK –Filipino florist and designer Ronaldo “Roy” Cruz of Chesapeake, Virginia made it to the finals in a recent popular toilet wedding dressmaking contest.
Cruz was one of the 12 designers selected for the finals of this year’s Cruz the Charm Weddings and Quilted Northern’s Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest, beating out more than 1,500 entries.
Last year, Cruz won the top prize. He decided to join the contest after being laid off from his job. He also won the fan favorite voting prize in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Cruz told WTKR News 3 last year that this contest is a natural for him. “When I was in the Philippines, I used to make gowns of other materials like shells, corn and dry flowers,” he said.
This year, his dress, “La Filipina,” honored his family’s heritage, taking 40 rolls of toilet paper to complete.
Surfside Beach, California resident Mimoza Haska took home the top prize in this year’s competition, receiving a check for $10,000.


text:
The naked truth about clothing rental
This article is drawn from the Circular Weekly newsletter from GreenBiz, running Fridays.
As some of our U.S. readers gear up to shop til you drop this Black Friday, it’s the perfect time to reflect on consumption, consumer behavior and — as always — the possibility of more circular business models.
In your tryptophan- or carbohydrate-induced food coma, picture this: a world where you no longer own clothes. What would it mean to buy access to garments, rather than buying garments outright; to purchase apparel as a service rather than an owned commodity? How would this influence the design and durability of garments, or the logistics and tracking of products? And what benefits would drive consumers to shift from owning to renting what they wear?
This question was one of the provocations offered by Mitra Powell, director at global creative agency Dragon Rouge, to kick off the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular workshop, which I attended in New York last week. This precompetitive collaboration — launched in 2017 at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit as the Circular Fibres Initiative — aims to radically redesign the apparel industry and catalyze cooperation among key stakeholders. And with a lineup of core partners, including H&M, Nike, Burberry, PVH, and others, the potential for collective impact is hard to ignore.
As you likely know, the apparel industry has a polluting reputation. Beyond the more widely cited statistics about the carbon, water and human footprint of apparel production and distribution, clothes are being worn less. The average number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36 percent in the last 15 years, with clothing use in the United States at around a quarter of the global average, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Textiles Economy report.
The two-day Make Fashion Circular participant workshop convened about 100 companies and stakeholders from across the apparel industry to explore collaborative approaches to transforming business models, as well as to ensuring safe and renewable materials and improving recycling that can turn old clothes into new. Business-model innovation was a central topic of conversation for large brands, retailers and innovators exploring pathways towards greater circularity. (The event was convened under the Chatham House rule, meaning that conversations can be shared but participants can’t be identified.)
For example, clothing rental quickly has matured from the short-term, event-focused model of high couture popularized by Rent the Runway to an everyday option for some consumers. While clothing rental accounts for a nominal share of the clothing industry today, more companies are emerging to offer subscription-based or peer-to-peer rental models.
Other companies — such as Le Tote, YCloset, Gwynnie Bee and Vigga — take a subscription approach, in which customers pay a monthly fee to borrow a fixed number of garments. Diverging from its original upscale approach, Rent the Runway also offers a subscription-based model for everyday wear, not just formal wear, and is incorporating goods from 39 brands, including Levi’s, The North Face and Club Monaco. It is partnering with coworking giant WeWork to facilitate clothing drop-offs and pick-ups.
Still another rental player to watch is CaaStle (the name is in part an acronym for "clothing as a service"), which provides a fully managed platform for brands to tap into the rental market. Launched by the founder of Gwynnie Bee, CaaStle enables brands, including Ann Taylor and New York & Company, to offer rental platforms on their own sites, a similar approach to the growing number of third-party companies enabling recommerce.
So what’s in it for the apparel industry? Beyond generating multiple revenue streams from a single item, brands can maintain longer and stronger customer relationships when the interaction extends beyond the point of sale. Moreover, companies have better stock control and can leverage customer usage data to inform design.
For consumers, rental models offer variety, flexibility with changing styles and needs, and eliminate the hassle of shopping and the burden of disposal or donation. There is potential as well for rental services to leverage artificial intelligence to offer personalized suggestions based on preferences and feedback.
Still, there are many unanswered questions about the scalability of clothing rental. Brands are learning how to assess the usable lifespan of a garment; how to make the economics of logistics pencil out, particularly for low-cost items; how to avoid cannibalizing existing revenue streams; and, ultimately, how to measure the profitability of renting versus purchasing models for apparel.
Apparel rental may not be a fit for every consumer — or apparel company — but there seems to be no shortage of brands willing to try it on for size.


text:
Welcome to Lux Life, our place to share exciting news, industry insights and announcements.
Jon Caisley joins Lux
Lux is thrilled to announce that audio industry icon, Jon Caisley, has joined the Lux Events team as our new Head of Audio. While Jon is new to the team, he certainly isn’t new to the biz. Jon was the brains (ears?) behind Phase One Audio, which he founded in 1996, and grew to great
33 Perseos ready to go!
Leading Western Australian event, concert and experiential producer, Lux Events, has recently taken delivery of thirty-three (33) brand new Ayrton Perseo Profiles. The acquisition of these elite lighting assets sees Lux Events equipped with the largest inventory of Ayrton Perseos in the WA region, building on their expansive lighting, video, audio, rigging and staging gear.


text:
China’s Truce with Trump is Good News for Car Companies
In a major change to a very long standing policy, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has announced that it will be cutting the import duty on imported cars to 15%, a move that will further open up the market to imported cars, something that was high up on President Trump’s agenda.
Up to now, the PRC levied 25% duty on all car imports, which in effect protected local car manufacturers and allowed them time to ‘learn’ the business before they were swamped by the more experienced and competitive manufacturers from overseas, which very much included the US of Americaland.
Of course President Trump claimed that amongst other things, such as rampant intellectual property theft, this was an unfair trade practice and threatened a trade war with China. Whilst China threatened to bite back, the balance of trade is so very much in favour of the PRC and thus the USA had so very much more to lose should they be denied access to its biggest market. Therefore, it has barked loudly yet caved in all the same, and you have to chalk this up as a win for the Trump administration.
Presently, it is mostly luxury cars that are imported in to the PRC annually, in a trade worth US$51 billion last year; of these, about US$13 billion came from the US of A, which includes vehicles made there by non-US manufacturers. Shares in TATA, the Indian multinational manufacturer that also owns Jaguar Land Rover, jumped on the news, and as the sixth largest importer into the PRC, it is expecting to enjoy a surge in sales, particularly for its Evoque and new Velar models. However, BMW, who is the largest luxury importer and the tenth as well, if you include the Mini brand that it owns, will surely be the biggest winner.
Perhaps more significantly, though, is the reduction in tariffs on car parts, which will fall to just 6% and the rule change that will allow foreign companies to own more than 50% of local ventures. There sure is going to be some fallout in the market in the People’s Republic and some would say it is about time the playing field was levelled a little.


text:
THE WORLD’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS AWARDS TO BE HOSTED IN VALENCIA, SPAIN IN JUNE 2023
50 Best announces that The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be hosted in the city of Valencia in Spain in June 2023.
The world’s most renowned chefs, restaurateurs and culinary stars gathered in London this past July for the 2022 edition of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, at the historic Old Billingsgate market, marking the 20th year of the awards.
2023 marks the first time the world-renowned celebration will be held in the city of Valencia, hosting the most important annual gatherings of chefs, restaurateurs, media and culinary icons in the gastronomic calendar. An extensive event programme hosted throughout the city will culminate in the much-anticipated awards ceremony when The World’s Best Restaurants 2023 ranking will be revealed. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and experience Valencia, a much sought-after destination renowned for festivals, culture, sport and gastronomy.
Highlights for the programme in Valencia will include a series of key events which have become the cornerstone of 50 Best Restaurants celebrations: thought-leadership forum #50BestTalks; a 50 Best Signature Sessions series of collaborative dining events open to the public; a Chefs’ Feast showcasing the finest produce and cooking from the Spanish region and, of course, the awards ceremony and countdown itself. The world’s most renowned chefs will also impart their knowledge to local culinary students through a 50 Best educational event. The June event programme will be preceded by several special awards announcements, designed to honour the achievements of both individuals and establishments. The exact date of the awards ceremony will be confirmed in the coming months.
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 event held in London, UK, saw Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark, named The World’s Best Restaurant. Geranium will now join the Best of the Best list of former No.1 restaurants, and therefore will not be eligible to appear in the ranking for 2023 and beyond unless it meets the requirements to classify as a new restaurant.
50 Best will continue to use its global platform to highlight even more noteworthy restaurants and bars worldwide – through the 50 Best Discovery platform and its 50 Best lists, special awards and content series. 50 Best will take the opportunity in 2023 and beyond to amplify diverse voices and positive messages, foster progressive discussion and cross-border collaboration, and encourage greater gastronomic discovery and exploration. The 50 Best organisation’s role in promoting restaurants and showcasing culinary talent remains more important than ever, continuing to support the hospitality sector by inspiring diners to seek out exciting gastronomic experiences, whether near or far.
50 Best Social Media


text:
"Apple's quarterly results and outlook will be less important this week as investors are focused on the iPhone 8 this fall", Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton, wrote in a client note. Growth in iPhone revenues accelerated to 3 percent to Dollars 24.85 billion, compared to only 1 percent annual growth in the previous quarter.
The company sold 11.4 million iPads, up 14.8%. And despite iPhone sales accounting for a majority of Apple's revenues, total unit sales have not consistently grown recently.
Market analysts had predicted revenue of around $44.95bn (£34bn).
An Apple iPhone 7 can be seen in this picture taken in Bordeaux, France, Feb. 1, 2017. More expensive models likely sold well because revenue rose even faster, increasing 7%.
Speaking on a conference call to discuss Apple's results, Chief Executive Tim Cook called the company's iPhone sales, "impressive, especially at the high end", and said the iPhone 7, released past year, was the best-selling iPhone during the quarter.
After months of talk about Apple (AAPL) possibly facing production delays in its next model of the iPhone, delays analysts were still contemplating today, in advance of the company's fiscal Q3 report, it now turns out those fears may have been overblown. The Cupertino tech giant revealed that it had sold over 41 million iPhones, and while that is impressive, it is nothing compared to the statistic that the company's CEO, Tim Cook reveals later on.
The news was enough to send shares in the world's most valuable company up close to 6% in after-hours trading - to $159 a share - adding close to $40bn to the value of the company.
But the big surprise was the iPad.
And Apple's Services department - App Store and Apple Music, mostly - had revenues of more than $7.2bn in this last quarter.
Apple said it has now more than $260 billion in cash and short term investments.


text:
Buccellati CEO to Step Down
Gianluca Brozzetti will pass the reins to Van Cleef & Arpels executive Nicolas Luchsinger.
Brozzetti will transition to executive vice president and remain a board director in Buccellati Holding Italia S.p.A, the owner of Buccellati, which was acquired by Richemont in 2019.
He has led the Italian jeweler for 10 years, guiding the company through that acquisition.
He played “a crucial role in developing the maison as a much larger jewelry and silver worldwide player,” said the company.
Buccellati did not share a reason for his transition.
Nicolas Luchsinger, currently the president of Asia Pacific at Van Cleef & Arpels, will step into the CEO role on April 2.
He has worked with Van Cleef & Arpels for 17 years in various roles at its headquarters and at the market level, including retailer director and heritage director.
Prior to that, Luchsinger worked at Christie’s for nearly 10 years.
Brozzetti will help to facilitate the transition and remain responsible for manufacturing expansion and consolidation.
He will also continue to be the company’s representative in industry associations and in its partnership with Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana, a Milan-based jewelry school.
“Buccellati is thankful to Gianluca for the passionate leadership with which he has led the maison so far,” said the company.
The Milan-based jeweler was founded in 1919 by the late Mario Buccellati. Though fully owned by Richemont, the Buccellati family still has a presence in the company’s management.
The upcoming show will have an immersive “47th Street Experience” for attendees.
Distinguishing natural diamonds from laboratory-grown stones – now more available than ever – has been difficult for jewelers. Until now.
Ukrainian jewelry designer Valeriya Guzema’s charitable “Freedom” collection is inspired by hope for the country’s future.
The WaxJet 400, recognized as the world's fastest wax printer, is bringing in a new era of precision and efficiency to industry.
Set to be held in Venice, it’s a look through the maison’s history.
Sebastian Clarke and Katherine van Dell, frequent appraisers on “Antiques Roadshow,” will join the new office.
Sherry Smith dishes on the month’s highs and lows and the two categories consumers were loving ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Gorman was an industry trailblazer, serving as the first female treasurer of Jewelers of America.
The movement of the 18-karat gold and diamond “Tennessee Torque” necklace is subtle.
Industry veteran Gina D’Onofrio has rejoined the auction house.
“Power of Couture” recalls Frédéric Boucheron’s love of fabric using diamonds and rock crystal.


text:
Imagine being the first to own the new Galaxy S22? Under that question, CLX Samsung presented a super special contest for all the followers of its Instagram account @clx_latin, an initiative of its president Nasar Ramadan Dagga Mujamad and after the recent presentation of Unpacked 2022.
“We always look for all the ways to reward the loyalty of our customers, and this time we want to do it with the latest from Samsung, such as the new Galaxy S22 series. We are happy for the trust of our followers in each initiative that we carry out as a company, being official distributors of this prestigious brand and with the commitment to remain the main reference for Venezuelans”, said Nasar Dagga, CEO of CLX Samsung.
Participants must follow the Instagram account, tag three friends (not businesses, or celebrities) and share this image in a story. The contest will be valid until Monday, February 28 and the winner will be announced on March 4 at 3:00 pm.
CLX Samsung is characterized by pampering each of its followers with special activities and contests throughout the year, both on its social networks and at each of its offices in the country.
“Our purpose is to offer all our followers special activities for their well-being, especially to include customers in each of the initiatives we have for them,” said Nasar Dagga, president of CLX Samsung.
The epic is getting closer
The new Galaxy S22 is one of the new devices from Samsung, which have dazzled consumers with a dynamic camera to make every moment epic, accompanied by other stellar specifications that will make your days more unforgettable. Soon CLX will have these stellar members in each of its stores in Venezuela.
Be the first to have it!
Visit CLX Group’s official YouTube channels: