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When Dell Technologies’ 140,000 team members came together last month to celebrate the combination of our Dell and EMC teams, I noted the excitement I saw for the opportunity this new organization presents.
To build on that enthusiasm and deepen our team’s passion for customers, today we are taking part in the fourth CX Day -- a global celebration of companies and people who are delivering highest-quality experiences to customers, created by the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA).
These activities are spearheaded by our Chief Customer Officer Karen Quintos who now leads a global organization solely devoted to customer advocacy. Rebekah Iliff recently spoke with Quintos about the role and noted on Inc.:
“In a sense, a chief customer officer is an anthropologist, a behavioral psychologist, a data analyst, and an expert communicator. To understand customers and truly serve their needs, one must be able to toggle between all of these things, as well as knit together the big picture.”
Quintos is not our only leader focused on serving customers, however.
“We are committed to a customer-focused approach to innovation and excellence,” Howard Elias, president, Dell EMC Services and IT recently said in his blog post on the key to a best-in-class customer service experience. He, along with all the other members of our executive team spend a great deal of time meeting with customers and partners to understand their needs.
But delivering the best-possible customer experience is not a job for one person, or even a handful of executives – it’s part of the role every one of us at Dell plays. You can see some of those faces behind the brand in this video they made to say thank you for your trust and loyalty this #CXDay:
There are more than 30 onsite events happening across our worldwide offices today to honor the team’s hard work and to spark our continued commitment to creating lasting and loyal customers.
And you can even join us as our team in Hopkinton, MA, broadcasts the activities there starting at 2:00 p.m. EST today.
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A really good way to service your customers would be to notify your customers when you lose all their personal data to criminals. Instead, Dell has tried to hide it. I am still getting calls from these people 3 times a week and they have all my Dell data. I don't think you need to be a psychologist or anthropologist to understand that.
@tim1963 - I'm sorry to hear that you've been getting these calls. Phishing scams are increasingly more sophisticated, they are touching not only technology companies, but all industries, and we have devoted considerable resources to addressing them.
We have posted information here (en.community.dell.com/.../watch-out-for-tech-support-phone-scams) warning customers to be on alert for scams in which callers may pose as a Dell team member to ask for their information. We also have provided an intake form (dell.com/reportphonescams) to make it easy for customers to submit information for our teams to investigate.
We have no indication that customer information used in these scams has been obtained through an external attack. However, we are not dismissing the issue. We have assembled a team of experts that are focused on investigating it and you can read more about that here: en.community.dell.com/.../dell-phone-tech-support-scams
Ok, Ms. Pevehouse, all those talking points are fine and dandy. Please explain why Dell did not notify its customers by email and/or phone when you realized there was a problem? Riddle me that, Batman.
In fact, Dell broke a state law by NOT notifying customers of data breech. For me it is W.V. Stat. 46-A-2A-101 et. seq. Similar laws exist in 47 states and most territories.
Dell seems to think we care if it was a hack, a zip drive in a purse or maybe a steel file cabinet loaded on a rickshaw to Nigeria. That doesn't matter. You lost it to criminals and didn't notify us. The guy in the above article is telling us all the talents he has to use in customer service....bah! Customer service doesn't require sociology, anthropology or even physics, you need only one thing Dell doesn't possess, HONESTY.


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Divinity: Original Sin Features Beta Trailer
Divinity: Original Sin pushes out another massive update pushing this revolutionary co-op title one step closer to full launch.
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domain: news


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Back to the Future has excited the imagination of generations with its inspired vision of future tech, and it almost seemed that 2014 would be the year it all happened. This year Nike announced that automatic laces would be hitting shelves in 2015 and then, just two days ago, a hitherto unknown brand, HUVr, released their promotional video for the world’s first hoverboard.
Belief, as the video is titled, is a public demonstration promo for the first working products of the HUVr range and no expense is spared to sell the illusion. Belief includes testimony from Christopher Lloyd and Billy Zane (both Back to the Future stars) as well as musicians, athletes and Pro Skateboarder Tony Hawk, a great line-up certainly but it’s a damn shame it’s all a lie.
While I would love to be corrected, savvy viewers have picked up a number of tell-tale signs of deception. Evidence of rotoscoping, matte-painting and motion tracking are evident for the eagle-eyed, while occasional crane shadows and the more obvious bulges and padded shoulders that indicate harnesses are more obvious.
There’s still a little speculation as to the purpose of the hoax, with fingers pointed towards a possible new movie, promotion for the musical, *sigh* Jimmy Kimmel or even a new Tony Hawk video game. However, the purpose may be less commercial than that – CNET have discovered that on the portfolio site of Lauren Biedenharn, a costume designer and an artist based in Los Angeles where the video was shot, the most recent line of her resume reads, “Commercial: Back to the Future HUVr BOARDS.” Her employer and the producer of said commercial: comedy video Web site Funny Or Die.
Bastards. That said, kudos for a well executed and good-looking viral and thanks for letting us dream for a another minute more.


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Financial institutions are starting to report fraud tied to the massive Home Depot payment card data breach. One card issuer calls the fraud ramp up "much greater than what we saw from Target, Michaels and Neiman Marcus."
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, responding to government auditors, is formalizing a privacy plan that addresses how the federal agency will assess and manage privacy risks and monitor and audit privacy controls, Director Richard Cordray says.
Fraudsters continue to make inroads against financial institutions based in the United Kingdom - and beyond - because banks aren't working together to share information about the attacks they see, according to presenters at the London Fraud Summit.
A researcher says he tricked the Touch ID biometric fingerprint scanner built into the new iPhone 6, using a fake fingerprint created with glue. But it remains to be seen how well would-be fraudsters could employ this technique.
It is no secret that the move to cloud infrastructure offers organizations many compelling business benefits, including cost savings and on-demand scalability. Yet, in their rush to reap those benefits, business leaders often fail to grasp new realities.
Travel-booking website Viator is notifying approximately 1.4 million customers about a data breach that could potentially affect payment card data, along with other personal information, used to make bookings.


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New Delhi: India’s Ministry of Finance on Thursday refuted the reports that the Government was mulling to withdraw the bank cheque book facility as part of its plan to promote digital transaction.
“It is denied that there is any proposal under consideration of the government to withdraw bank cheque book facility,” the ministry said in a press release.
Earlier, reports had emerged that after demonetising the high-value notes last year, Narendra Modi government was planning to ban cheque books.
A senior official of the Confederation of All India Traders, Praveen Khandelwal had told PTI recently that in all probability, the Centre may withdraw the cheque book facility in the near future to encourage digital transactions.
The finance ministry said that though the Government is committed to transform India into a less cash economy and promote digital and electronic transactions, it has no plans to discontinue bank cheque services.


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Every time I get interviewed about Stealth of Nations and the global growth of System D, I get asked a variation of this question: "Aren't workers in the informal economy being exploited?
For all those who think the formal economy is so great for workers, check out this cringe-inducing article from The Guardian. The British paper discovered that the government is sending young unemployed people in the UK to work for major businesses, in what the government calls a work experience program. The catch: they have to work for free. If the unemployed people refuse to work for no pay, they risk losing their $80 per week unemployment stipends.
James Rayburn, a 21-year-old job-seeker, told the Guardian that, with his unpaid job at the supermarket chain Tesco, which earned a $6 billion profit last year, "it [was] as if I walked into the store and said, 'Look I'll help.'" Even if you want to consider his unemployment benefit a salary, if Rayburn worked 30 hours a week, his effective wage was $2.66 an hour.
So you be the judge. Which is more exploitative: System D--which actually pays its employees--or this scheme cooked up by the government and some supremely profitable businesses--which doesn't?


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Nokia has won a patent infringement case against HTC in Germany related to power-saving technology.
The case was one of 22 patent infringement suits filed by Nokia against its rival HTC in Germany.
The District court of Mannheim ruled that HTC infringed on Nokia’s patent EP0673175, which helps in saving battery life on mobile phones.
Reacting to the court’s ruling, Nokia said it is pleased with the decision and it confirms the quality of its patent portfolio.
HTC said it is disappointed with the decision of the court and will appeal it as the company believes that the patent is invalid.
HTC added that the court’s decision will not affect its German business as the ruling covers three handsets, the Wildfire S, Desire S and Rhyme, which it no longer sells in the country.
Earlier this month, HTC won a patent case against Nokia in Germany, when a German court has dismissed two patent infringement lawsuits filed by Finnish mobile maker against it.
Last year, Nokia filed 45 patent infringement lawsuits against HTC, BlackBerry and ViewSonic in the US, UK and Germany.


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By Soulskill from Slashdot's eliminating-those-choices-that-confuse-your-pretty-little-head department
An anonymous reader writes: According to a Wall Street Journal report (paywalled) Apple is in negotiations with media companies to develop an online TV service. The service will include a bundle of roughly 25 channels, so less popular channels will have a very difficult time fighting for a spot. Most major networks should be present, although NBC's participation is dubious because of its ties to Comcast, which would be in direct competition with Apple's service. "If Apple can offer a comprehensive, albeit slimmed-down, bundle for $30 to $40 a month, that could force distributors to cut prices or eat into margins to retain subscribers. At Comcast, for example, average video revenue per user should be about $79.45 in 2015, according to UBS. Meanwhile, its programming costs per average subscriber should be about $39.60. Those costs may need to rise. That roughly 50% gross margin looks vulnerable."Read Replies (0)
By Soulskill from Slashdot's impractically-powerful department
writes: When NVIDIA announced its GeForce GTX TITAN X at GTC, no one was surprised that it'd be faster than the company's previous top-end card, the GTX 980. But what did impress many is that the company said the card would sport a staggering 12GB of VRAM. As Techgage found, pushing that 12GB is an exercise in patience — you really have to go out of your way to come even close.
Additional reviews available at PC Perspective
. The latter notes, "...from a technical perspective, the GTX Titan X and GM200 GPU represent an interesting shift in high-end GPU design goals for NVIDIA, one whose ramifications I’m not sure we fully understand yet. By building what’s essentially a bigger version of GM204, heavy on graphics and light on FP64 compute, NVIDIA has been able to drive up performance without a GM204-like increase in die size. At 601mm2 GM200 is still NVIDIA’s largest GPU to date, but by producing their purist graphics GPU in quite some time, it has allowed NVIDIA to pack more graphics horsepower than ever before into a 28nm GPU. What remains to be seen then is whether this graphics/FP32-centric design is a one-off occurrence for 28nm, or if this is the start of a permanent shift in NVIDIA GPU design."Read Replies (0)


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CHICAGO (June 12, 2021) – As Illinois fully reopened for business with Phase 5 yesterday, the state’s economy had significantly fewer businesses than prior to the pandemic.
As compared to highs in January 2020, Illinois had 39% fewer businesses this May, according to data from the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker, a project of Harvard University.
The biggest losses are in the food and accommodations sectors, where the number of small businesses that remained open fell by nearly 53%, the Illinois Policy Institute finds. The leisure and hospitality sector saw a 52% decline in the number of surviving small businesses. For the retail sector, the number of small businesses fell by nearly 39%.
Unfortunately for those Illinoisans still out of work, the General Assembly passed a fiscal year 2022 budget that includes four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s nine new tax hikes, including ones that would reduce investment and hurt job creation efforts by removing key tax incentives and deductions.


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The Bradford based supermarket chain Morrisons is to cut more than 2,500 jobs. The company says it's part of a plan to modernise the way stores are managed. Chris Kiddey reports.
More top news
An eight-year-old girl and a woman, 33, have died following a house fire in Nottinghamshire.
Officers searching for missing Barnsley man Graham Stringfellow have found a body in the Manvers area.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman in Leeds.


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The Department of Commerce is seeking comment on questions related to the development of regulations to govern process and procedures the Commerce Secretary will use to deter foreign malicious cyber actors’ use of U.S. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) products and investigate foreign malicious cyber actors.
The development of these regulations comes following the implementation of executive order (EO) 13984, Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities, signed by former President Trump on January 19, 2021.
“EO 13984 addresses the threat posed by the use of U.S. cloud infrastructure by foreign malicious cyber actors to conduct malicious cyber-enabled activities, including theft of sensitive data and intellectual property and targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure,” a Federal register notice said. “IaaS products provide the ability to run software and store data on servers offered for rent or lease without responsibility for the maintenance and operating costs of those servers.”
EO 13984 requires “more robust” record-keeping practices and user identification and verification standards to better assist investigative efforts. It also encourages adopting and adhering to security best practices to deter abuse of IaaS products by allowing the Commerce secretary to take compliance into account with best practices in deciding to exempt certain U.S. IaaS providers, accounts, or lessees from any final regulations from Section 1 of the EO.
Commerce says that it is interested in obtaining comments on all aspects of how it should implement Sections 1, 2, and 5 of the EO, but is particularly interested in information on the following four categories: customer due diligence regulations and relevant exemptions; special measures; definitions; and overarching inquiries.
Comments should be submitted 30 days after the publication of the notice, which was published Sept. 16, 2021.


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While playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam on my Xbox 360 this weekend, I was surprised to see a new map pop up in the rotation: 'Operation Hastings.' This final multiplayer map was set to be unlocked once 360 players performed 69 million team actions (healing, resupply, repairing, etc.). As of last Thursday, Xbox players were only halfway there, with 36 million actions performed. So how did the map get unlocked so suddenly? Call it a gift.
As a New Year’s present, DICE and EA decided to release the Operation Hastings map to 360 and PS3 players despite the fact that neither community actually reached the milestone. As we reported last week, PC players did hit the 69-million mark, earning the map before console players.
Part of me is disappointed that my console brethren didn’t reach the target (though we certainly would have, given time), but mostly, I’m just ecstatic about having access to one of the best Battlefield maps ever created. Seriously, it’s awesome.


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While fraud can take place either in a store or online, it’s been proven that the risk is significantly greater in Card Not Present (CNP) transactions.
With more and more customers now buying online, fraud risks surrounding e-commerce will grow. Smaller merchants will be at particular risk, and midsize vendors may have limited, if any, anti-fraud solutions in place on their websites and online stores as they rush to get a slice of lucrative ecommerce profits.
Complexities around the fraud issue have been driven by international shoppers, new devices and legitimate consumers using privacy technology to hide their identity. The time to adopt ever more stringent and innovative fraud solutions is now. Visual ID software like Netverify effectively puts the customer back into card not present situations and significantly reduces the risk of fraud.
As the ecommerce sector continues its exponential growth, Jumio will be on hand to combat the increase in fraud.


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WASHINGTON — In November, total commercial red meat production for the United States was down 2 percent from November 2010, although pork production was at a record high, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
November commercial red meat production totaled 4,260 million lbs., down from 4,271 million lbs. in October and down 2 percent from November 2010, USDA said. January–November red meat production totaled 45,020 million lbs., up 1 percent from the same period of 2010.
November beef production was 2,149 million lbs., down 3 percent from October and down 4 percent from November 2010. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.79 million head, down 3 percent from a year ago. The average live weight of cattle at slaughter was 1,293 lbs., down 6 lbs. from November 2010.
Pork production totaled 2,087 million lbs., up 3 percent from October, up 1 percent from November 2010 and the highest ever in November, the USDA claimed. Commercial hog slaughter totaled 10.04 million head, up 1 percent from November 2010. The average live weight of slaughter hogs was 278 lbs., unchanged from the previous year.
Meanwhile, veal production of 10.8 million lbs. increased 3 percent from October but down 5 percent from the previous year. Calf slaughter totaled 73,000 head, up slightly from the previous year. The average live weight of calves at slaughter was 255 lbs., down 14 lbs. from the previous year.
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Approximately 130 technology professionals gathered yesterday at The Hub CityView to explore how mobile technology is changing the way we do business. The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce event, sponsored by Accenture and Sprint, featured keynote speaker Vivek Kundra, United States Chief Information Officer, and special remarks and a panel discussion led by Andy Zimmerman, Global Managing Director of Mobility Services at Accenture.
The panel featured real companies as they detailed their experiences in becoming mobile. Panelists included Michael Connelly, VP of Product Development & Management, Comcast; Doug Paradis, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Anexinet Corporation; Kevin Werbach, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania; and Marc Winther, Group Vice President and Consulting Partner of Worldwide Telecommunications, IDC.
In his presentation, Kundra contended that the personal computer has died and in its place are mobile platforms, citing that that for the first time, smartphone shipments exceeded those of PCs in 2010. With this recent rise in mobility, the app market has boomed, with over 500,000 apps currently available and more being created everyday. The growing app market has lowered the barrier intro entrepreneurism for many tech-savvy innovators, and is allowing companies to create unique and individualized apps for both their employees and customers.
For instance, apps designed around micropayment technology are shifting how and what consumers are purchasing, allowing them to buy things they may not necessarily have bought before. “I may buy something on my phone while I am sitting in a meeting, and its something that I otherwise would not have bought,” stated Kundra.
However, Pardis notes, a PC still serves many of the functions that a tablet or other platform cannot perform. “I look at it not as the death of the PC, but rather as the rise of the tablet,” he stated.
Either way, Zimmerman noted, the various types of mobile platforms are increasing and are becoming more connected. Many consumers now own smart phones, GPS systems, and eBooks, and have their various devices synced with each other and even with things such as their cars and refrigerators. “We are in the midst of a device renaissance,” stated Zimmerman.
But in addition to changing the consumer market, mobile technology is also changing the structure of informat


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Promoters of next month's Rolling Stones concert at Croke Park have announced that more tickets will go on sale for the upcoming show.
The rock legends are set to play at the Dublin stadium on May 17 in front of a sell-out crowd.
But following a production meeting today, it has emerged that more seated and standing tickets will be made available for fans of the iconic group.
A small number of premium tickets and pit tickets are also being released for sale.
The gig is the band's first performance on their highly anticipated ‘STONES - NO FILTER’ 2018 tour.
Tickets will go back on sale next week on Monday, April 23 at 9am.
Fans looking to snap them up can book their tickets from www.ticketmaster.ie .


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This Way Up
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault07/26/14
Jane Toll of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, works for one of the organisations that oversees The Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It stores 825,000 samples from more than 200 crops in the permafrost on a remote Norwegian island in the Arctic circle.
Hugh Robertson tries finding the eastern rosella.
Daniele Quercia of Yahoo Labs is working on a clever way to navigate your way around in the most picturesque way possible
Insects and LEDs
Dr Steve Pawson, the Research Leader Entomology at Scion and President of the Entomological Society, has been looking at some of the effects new LED lighting technology is having on our insect population.
Brewing yeast genetics
Professor Kevin Verstrepen of the University of Leuven is on a team sequencing the DNA of more than 200 different yeasts from all over the world. He's trying to understand how individual genes contribute to particular smells and tastes in beer, wine...
India alcohol labelling laws
Anu Anand from Delhi, where strict alcohol labelling laws are causing major headaches for some of the world's biggest drinks companies.
Oamaru taxidrivers turn postie
Murray and Liz Bell of Whitestone Taxis have started delivering Oamaru's mail.
Self tracking body sounds
Tanzeem Choudhury of Cornell University is working on wearable tracking technology that records all the noises our bodies make to work out how we're feeling and what we're eating.
Ancient plaque and friendship genetics
Dr Chris Smith of the Naked Scientists with some dental archaeology, and research that suggests that friendship seems to have a strong genetic basis.
Hemp goes mainstream
How hemp is confronting its image problem and entering the mainstream food industry. With Matthew Boyle, who writes about the global food industry for Bloomberg Businessweek.
Netflix to NZ and Kindle Unlimited?
Technology with Peter Griffin. Amazon could be about to launch an all-you-can-eat ebook subscription service. Also what will Netflix's potential entry into the NZ market mean for its estimated 30,000 users here?
3D printing doco
The doco 'Print the Legend' tells the story of the push to take the personal 3D printer into every home. Clay Tweel is one of its directors.
Jeff is a private collector who's assembled one of the country's biggest pottery collections over more than 40 years. It's worth millions; but it's taking over his home, and his life.
Professor Robert Shepherd is the Director of the Bionics Institute in Melbourne and is working on a bionic eye, using revolutionary technology that one day could restore sight to the blind.
The tasty noodle soup that's becoming so popular that it's being tipped as the new cupcake! With Asher Boote and Tsubasa Takahashi of The Ramen Shop, and ramen historian Barak Kushner of the University of Cambridge.
Tech news: Photo storage
Peter Griffin's here with advice and options for storing your photos and videos in the cloud.
We look at the global e-biking boom, with electric bikes becoming a common sight on New Zealand's roads and bike trails. With Ted and Margaret Watson, Neil Pollett and Simon Kennett.
Birds: White-faced heron
With Hugh Robertson on the hunt for the white-faced heron.
Can we makes ourselves smarter?
Dan Hurley's a science journalist who's looked into the world of intelligence training in the quest to make himself smarter. His book 'Smarter: The New Science of Building Brain Power' is published by Penguin Viking.
Naked Science: Living at altitude and friendless fish
The latest science news with Dr Chris Smith. This week, how higher CO2 levels in our oceans could affect fish behaviour. Also why Tibetans are so good at handling high altitude.
- Wellington, New Zealand


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We get it, you’re busy. You weren’t able to get to every Tech Cocktail post this week; you’ve been waiting in line for the PS4. Us too. Fear not, because we’ve curated the week’s top 10(ish) posts as determined by the Tech Cocktail editorial team.
To get the Tech Cocktail weekly wrap-up direct to your inbox, sign up for the Tech Cocktail newsletter today.
Washington DC: Next week Tech Cocktail is heading to the nation’s capitol to host our first Tech Cocktail DC Mixer of 2013. The event is being held at the brand new 1776, we’ve got 15 up-and-coming startups showcasing their goods, and cocktails will be aplenty. Join us!
SXSW: The following week, Tech Cocktail is headed down to Austin to rock SXSWi 2013. On Saturday, March 9th, we’re hosting a full day’s worth of events including interviews with SXSW’s biggest names, a private startup lunch, a DC Tech Meetup, a Power Hour Pitch Jam with a panel of celebrity judges, and we’re closing the night out with a blowout Mixer whilst showcasing 30 of the hottest startups around the world. Register now before the event sells out.
Until next week…
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March 04, 2008
Student Center to host Easter Buffet
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Come in out of the cold and welcome spring at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center's 2008 Easter Buffet.
Set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, in the Student Center Ballrooms, the buffet features Mandarin orange and red onion salad, fruit floret salad and balsamic pasta salad along with entrees of glazed carved ham and baron of beef. The menu also will include candied sweet potatoes with pecan butter, parsley buttered steamed red potatoes, cardinal green beans, buttered corn and vegetable medley as well as carrot, chocolate and lemon cakes and a variety of cheesecakes. Assorted dinner rolls, iced tea and coffee are included.
Tickets are on sale now at the central ticket office located on the second floor of the Student Center between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or by calling 618/453-3478 during those hours. Purchased in advance, tickets are $12 for adults, $11 for SIUC students and senior citizens and $6 for children ages 5-10. At the door, tickets are $1 more per person. Children four years and younger eat free.
For more information contact the Catering Office at 618/453-1130 or look online at www.siucstudentcenter.org.


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In the video, Cold Rock announced its latest new premium tomato sauce ‘Mix In’.
Since being posted to the company’s Facebook page on Saturday 1 April, the video that jokingly implies that Cold Rock’s latest Mix In flavour is tomato sauce has been viewed over 673,000 times and has received over 12,000 comments, 1,744 shares and 3,700 likes.
Cold Rock’s parent company Franchised Food Company Director Stan Gordon said that he is delighted with the results and is looking into how video content can help promote the already popular ice-cream brand via social media.
The April Fool's prank announced that for a limited time this April, customers can try the tomato sauce flavour mixed with their ice cream, with whichever flavour they choose. Cold Rock also said that they will serve up tomato sauce flavoured thick shakes.
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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Derek Jeter is not dead.
The Captain is very much alive, but the New York Yankees still plan to honor the veteran shortstop by wearing commemorative No. 2 patches for the remainder of the 2014 season.
ESPN's Darren Rovell brings us news of the Yankees' new patches, which will be visible on players' hats and uniforms starting September 7.
The patches will bear the No. 2 logo signifying Jeter's final season in the league and—of course—will be available for purchase.
Rovell's report paints a picture of a huge, coordinated merchandise push involving the Yankees and their partners over the course of Jeter's last month in the MLB.
The team will use commemorative baseballs, sell game-worn Jeter jerseys and make new Jeter hats available to anyone with extra cash burning a hole in his or her pocket.
According to Rovell, sports apparel giant New Era is putting itself in the middle of the Jeter farewell zeitgeist with a new line of limited-edition hats. The ESPN business reporter reached out to New Era president Pete Augustine, who said the company can barely keep up with demand as the shortstop closes in on retirement.
"As soon as he announced this was going to be his final season, we could see the market was hungry for it," Augustine told Rovell. "We've never seen this much interest from a player perspective, and I'm not sure we ever will [again]. ... We literally can't keep product in stock. We make it, it sells out."
With over 50 Jeter products already on the market, New Era will introduce a limited-edition three-hat box set commemorating Jeter's final September in a Yankee uniform. The set will run buyers $150 and feature the new Jeter patches and the shortstop's likeness on the brim.
The Yankees' decision to wear commemorative patches for Jeter comes as a departure from sporting tradition.
Typically, patches in baseball (as well as other sports) are worn by franchises recognizing a recently deceased player or team associate. In this case, the Yankees are giving Jeter the patch treatment before he's even left the game.
In any case, we're nearing peak "RE2PECT."
Between the hat-tipping, goodbye presents and patches, Jeter's farewell tour has already dwarfed the goodbye blitz his teammate, Mariano River,a experienced in 2013.
Sending off a Yankees legend is no longer a ceremony. It's an industry, and business is alive and humming.
Follow Dan on Twitter for more sports and pop culture news.


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Paper Culture, the new book by journalist Andrew Korybko, offers a look at the history of the art form and the future of the book.
The book was co-authored by Korybi, a former New Yorker reporter who now teaches English at Georgetown University.
It examines what makes a book good, from its origins to its sales and reviews.
The author says the genre has “an interesting history,” from the Renaissance to the modern era.
He says the book offers a window into the changing tastes of the 21st century and offers a view of the future, as well.
It looks at the impact of the digital era and how we interact with books.
“We’re living in a time where our media landscape is becoming more and more fragmented and our books are becoming more relevant to the times we live in,” Koryba says.
He believes that digital is an area where people are making a difference, and that this is reflected in the growth of the genre.
The Book of the Year Awards (BOTY) will be announced on Monday, March 24.
Here’s how to watch the ceremony live.
The nominees for the 2017 Book of The Year Awards include:


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This Marshall's signage which we just noticed in the windows at 2182 Broadway (pictured above) may have been there for a little while, but they have been obscured by scaffolding which has, until now made the southeast corner of Broadway and 77th Street one for pedestrians to avoid as The Larstrand apartment building was being built. Now the corner is clearing up, and we can see that one more branch of the chain discounter soon be opening on the Upper West Side, joining other Manhattan units in Harlem and Chelsea. it seems safe to say that it will probably open not long after the nearby Loehmann's in the Ansonia Building closes its doors for good next month. Not unlike what happened when Filene's Basement bit the dust, one discounter's departure will be replaced with the arrival of another in the neighborhood. Whether it's a fair replacement will be left up to the customers. The arrival of Marshall's as Loehmann's finally dies made us think of Ginia Bellafante's recent piece in The New York Times in which she suggested that the failure of stores like Loehmann's was somehow connected to the rise of sophisticated, curated stores like the Comme des Garçons Dover Street Market that just debuted in Murray Hill.
She's kidding, right. That's may make a passable essay for the Times, but it's a stretch in logic of any sort. Nobody went to Loehmann's for a curated shopping experience. Loehmann's, as well as Filene's Basement, Daffy's and Syms before it, died because it couldn't stand up to the competition not only from online off-pricers like Gilt Groupe and RueLaLa but also conventional brick and mortar stores like Century 21 who are doing it better. Marshall's is part of the massive TJX Companies which also includes TJ Maxx and Home Goods stores. In recent years, TJX has made a concerted effort to focus on adding more stores to New York City. Loehmann's is closing 39 stores, but TJX has hundreds of locations nationwide. While they may not all hold the bargain treasures that one could once find at Loehmann's, there's no way the smaller chain could compete with the buying power of such a huge corporate entity, and yes, Prada Shoes and Lanvin dresses have been known to appear at Marshall's from time to time. By the same token, the more locally based Century 21 has been furiously upgrading and expanding recently. In the couple of years since it took over the former Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Square, that chain has been the one consistently selling the designer labels the former New York Loehmann's shoppers craved. Even its financial district flagship, once a messy dump by anyone's standards, has been expanded and upgraded to an almost pleasurable shopping experience that is still crowded and inconvenient, ut now much easier to navigate. With the exception of a last ditch updating effort last year, Loehmann's has never been able to catch up with these two chains. Its demise has been something of an inevitability for a while now, but not because of an influx of fancy avant-garde boutiques. They just got beat at their own game.


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Contemporary fashion brand Misa Los Angeles has opened its first-ever pop-up shop at Westfield Century City. According to an announcement from Misa Los Angeles, the pop-up space is designed to mirror the new collection’s dreamlike imagery, with spring florals in vibrant colors with romantic details and silhouettes.
According to Misa’s chief marketing officer, Mehran Farhat, opening a pop-up at the Westfield Century City shopping center felt like the appropriate move. “As an LA-made brand, it only seemed fitting to bring Misa’s first-ever pop-up to life in Los Angele’s most iconic shopping destination,” Farhat shared in a statement. “As we are continuously looking for ways to deepen our relationship with our customers, creating this immersive store experience and interacting with our shoppers in a more meaningful way was natural next step.
The pop-up shop will host a variety of activations and events including bag customizations, illustrations, and tarot card readings.
The Misa Los Angeles pop-up will be open from Feb. 21 to Mar. 29 at the Westfield Century City shopping center.
Images: Misa Los Angeles


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Buy Alabama, help fight childhood cancer cure
Published 5:30 pm Tuesday, September 7, 2010
September is the Month of Alabama Food, with Alabamians encouraged to “Buy Alabama’s Best” in their grocery stores. The campaign also provides an opportunity to help seriously ill children while boosting Alabama’s economy, says Charlene Powell, chair of the Butler County Farmers Federation Women’s Leadership Committee (BCFFWLC).
The BCFFWLC is joining in the Buy Alabama’s Best campaign to support consumer knowledge about food products made, produced, manufactured and/or headquartered in Alabama.
“These are tough economic times, and it is important to support our local economy,” said committee chair Charlene Powell.
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“Alabama food product sales make a $2 billion impact on our state’s economy and tax base and along with the grocery and food service industries, employ one out of every four Alabamians.”
Not only will buying Alabama products benefit the economy, this month it will also support finding a cure for childhood cancer, Powell said.
“A portion of sales of participating Alabama products in September will go to Children’s Hospital of Alabama, which is the 10th busiest pediatric medical center in the United States. Ninety-five percent of the children in Alabama treated for cancer and other blood disorders are treated at Children’s,” Powell said.
To date, more than $170,000 has been raised for the hospital through the Buy Alabama’s Best campaign.
Retailers from across the state will be supporting this campaign in their stores with Alabama product displays, ads, signage, special promotions, and will also sell Children’s Hospital icons to support the fight to find a cure for pediatric cancers.
“We are asking for consumers to support this campaign in their local grocery stores. Please help Alabama producers and Children’s Hospital by purchasing Alabama grown and produced goods,” Powell said.
Participating companies include Golden Flake Snack Foods, Conecuh Sausage, Milo’s Tea, Alaga/Whitfield Foods, Barber’s Dairy/Mayfield, Mrs. Stratton’s Salads, Zeigler, Kelley Foods and more.
For a complete list of “Buy Alabama’s Best” participating companies, visit www.buyalabamasbest.com.


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Modern VR shooter, Contractors, now lets you become a ninja.
Contractors Ninja Warrior Update Goes Live
The game’s Ninja Warrior update is now live and adds a new loadout that lets you embrace your stealthy side. It features a katana to cut through foes with as well as a bow and arrow. Because not enough VR games have a bow and arrow.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen Contractors, which primarily features modern-era combat, branch out to other eras. The game got WW2-era combat a while back, for example.
Ninjas aren’t the only focus of the latest update. There are new pistol and bolt-action only loadouts, an improvement to the game’s online and social features, as well as an overhaul to the Domination game mode that implements a ticket system. You can keep up with the full changelog right here. More map revamps are due in the future, too.
We’re quite fond of Contractors, giving the game a ‘Great’ label last time we tried it. “It’s got the gameplay polish of something like Medal of Honor VR, with the content, game modes, and speed of combat that you’d expect of a non-VR shooter like Call of Duty,” we said in our review, “all while wrapping it up in a neat, cheap package that’s approachable without being too simple.” The game also made our recently updated list of the best Quest shooters.
Are you going to be checking out Contractors’ Ninja Warrior update? Let us know in the comments below!


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Becky Lynch 7.
Brooklyn Nets HP Field House 2 PM • Memphis Grizzlies vs.
Toronto Raptors The Arena, Orlando ESPN 8 PM Aug.
Antonio Brown The Top 10 Most Tweeted About Female Athletes in 2019 per Twitter Sports 1.
8: 10, end zone.
Also, according to the pizza brand: • 2 million feet of Pizza Hut pizza will be sold on the big day, enough to reach the https://www.footballapparelsproshop.com/Kansas-City-83-Jersey of Mount Everest 80 times.
But the NCAA said it would look for ways to generate more excitement and create a less-compressed schedule benefit student-athlete well-being by providing more time for rest and recovery.
1 • Miami Heat vs.
Washington Wizards Visa Athletic Center, Orlando 4 PM • Boston Celtics vs.
Sharing the spotlight with people that I love and one of my favorite brands brings this spot close to home, Paul said in a statement.
Neymar $95 million $79 million $25 million Soccer 5.
What you get from winnings no where covers costs.
Denver Nuggets HP Field House, Orlando ESPN 1 PM • Utah Jazz vs.
Serena Williams 3.
Tiger Woods $62 million $2 million $60 million Golf 9.
1 in the WTA rankings and the return to competition of Maria Sharapova, who has been serving a 15-month suspension due to her use of a banned substance.
The Braves signed the veteran to a one-year prove it deal last offseason that at the time seemed to make a great deal of sense for all involved.
The NFL also said that more NFL content, including game highlights uploaded to YouTube while games are in progress, would be available through Google Search.
We continue to invest in the things that support our brands, and our efforts to manage costs enable us to seize opportunities like this one.
2 • Washington Wizards vs.Brooklyn Nets HP Field House, Orlando 2 PM • Portland Trail Blazers vs.
• : Lululemon is buying Mirror, the buzzy home fitness startup that sells a $1 wall-mounted product for streaming workout classes.
Back to Home Page.
The Austin, Texas-based firm said that the Giants – which also won the https://www.footballapparelsproshop.com/San-Francisco-94-Jersey in 2010- come out on top based on an algorithm that evaluates fan activity in terms of home game attendance , median ticket price, ticket demand and social media following.
down from last’s year’s $6 billion spend, down even farther from the record $7 billion spend in 2017, and the lowest such total since 2014, according to the National Retail Federation, Washington, DC.
Naomi Osaka 4.
Cristiano Ronaldo 4.
Chiefs offensive weapon Tyreek Hill is just…wow.
23, then for the first time put on a Knicks uniform and play alongside fellow all-star Amar’e Stoudemire that evening at Madison Square Garden against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s been great relationship.
And still, given everything, he called the week a bit of a rollercoaster, because on more than one night https://www.baseballapparelsshop.com/San-Francisco-45-Jersey just couldn’t get the result that we wanted.
are projected to spend more than $6 billion on food for the Fourth of July this year.


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Four local small businesses immersed themselves in a business development and growth program over the past three months.
It was all part of the second round of Campbelltown City Council’s business scholarships program.
The program offers each participating business access to a co-working space for six months, e-learning resources and online collaboration, and advanced business coaching and mentoring from an expert business advisor.
This round of scholarship follows on from the inaugural launch of the program at the start of the year, where an additional four local businesses took part in the first iteration of the program.
The scholarships, which will continue in 2020, are offered in partnership between Campbelltown Council and the Business Development Centre Macarthur.
The latter organisation created the unique program which is designed to help grow local businesses within the Campbelltown LGA.
Selected businesses for this round of scholarships came from a diverse range of industries including in landscaping, telecommunications, wholesale trade, and construction.
All of the businesses taking part said the program was highly effective in improving their business operations.
A report to council says interest in the business scholarship program has been high and continues to grow, with the volume of applicants increasing every round.
The third round of the business scholarships will be offered in early 2020, with five scholarship spots up for grabs, says the report.


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According to Crisil Ratings, mall space in India is expected to expand by 30 to 35 million square feet (msf) in the next three to four years, which is a third of the existing inventory.
This growth is driven by a strong recovery in retail sales in the last financial year. The ongoing retail recovery is expected to continue, supported by widespread consumption across regions and sectors, strengthening demand resilience, the report said.
Mall owners are projected to achieve sales of about 125 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the current fiscal year.
“Malls are expected to attract investments of more than ₹20,000 crore in the next three to four years,” says Anand Kulkarni, director, Crisil Ratings.
Resumption of work on new offerings that had stalled during the pandemic and robust retail sales in malls are the reasons for the significant expansion in offerings, says Kulkarni.
The upcoming extensive offering has two key features. First, it has geographical diversity, with Tier 2 cities accounting for 25 percent of future mall space. This highlights a growing trend of consumption beyond traditional metros and tier 1 cities and contributes positively to the risk profile of mall owners.
Secondly, strong investor interest is expected to support the expansion, with Crisil Ratings predicting that 15 to 20 percent of investments will come in new offerings from companies such as private equity, global pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.
Still, it is important to monitor the potential impact of rising interest rates and inflationary pressures on discretionary spending, as these factors could impact mall performance in the future, according to the report.
“Incurable gamer. Infuriatingly humble coffee specialist. Professional music advocate.”


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Q&A With Nicky Hayden Inside Dainese D-store At Indy MotoGPWed, 14 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0700
The Dainese/AGV D-store in the Vendors Marketplace garages at the Indianapolis MotoGP is hosting a Q&A session with 2006 MotoGP World Champion, Nicky Haden, this Friday at 4:15 PM.
Earlier Friday morning at the Pramac Ducati garage Dainese/AGV will unveil the custom Pista GP helmet, selected by Andrea Iannone, from hundreds of fan-submitted designs, to be used for the Indianapolis race weekend.
Other events and signings will take place at the D-store which is open Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A wide range of current products from the Dainese/ AGV 2013 collection, close-outs, and sales on certain items will be available; along with Valentino Rossi replica helmets and the Pista GP helmet for the first time in North America.
Dainese/AGV is also supporting AMA rider James Rispoli, as the Moto 2 wildcard rider. This will be the first Indianapolis MotoGP race for the Dainese and AGV sponsored racer.
By Tom Roderick
See also: Ben Spies to Ride Specially-Modified Ducati Diavel at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ducati Diavel DVC by Moto Corse, Audi Announces Ducati Q2 2013 Sales Results.


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Purdue Pharma LP’s deal to escape thousands of lawsuits over its role in the U.S. opioid crisis may provide less than half the $10 billion that the closely held drugmaker projected in its Chapter 11 filing, said three people familiar with details of the proposal.
The settlement Purdue filed in bankruptcy court Sunday includes just $4.4 billion in guaranteed cash, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential negotiations. The rest is based on money that’s far from guaranteed — optimistic assumptions of insurance payments and future sales of its highly addictive OxyContin painkiller over seven years, they said.
While Purdue won agreements with 24 states, five U.S. territories and more than 1,000 counties, cities and Native American tribes, many states oppose the deal because there aren’t enough cash guarantees. Opponents also want more from the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue who created a $13 billion fortune on expanded sales of OxyContin over the past decade.
“The Sacklers would like the public to believe they’re cutting a check for billions of dollars. They’re not,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “Their proposal, which we believe is worth far less than they say, wouldn’t require them to pay back a dime of the billions they’ve earned from OxyContin sales.”
The Sacklers have pledged $3 billion to the settlement, which would cover the company’s share of liability for a U.S. opioid epidemic that kills about 130 people a day. More than two dozen other drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies face thousands of suits by cities, counties and states.
The deal also includes $500 million of Purdue cash and roughly $900 million in expected proceeds from an eventual liquidation of the drugmaker, according to the people familiar with the details. Another $500 million in cash-on-hand will be used to operate Purdue for an unspecified period before its sale, possibly generating $500 million a year, though the exact amount is far from certain, one of the people said.
A spokesman for one wing of the Sackler family, contacted after this story initially appeared, didn’t have an immediate comment. Purdue declined to comment.
The settlement was hammered out in Cleveland talks between lawyers for the company, plaintiffs and various attorneys general, according to the people.
A bankruptcy judge in White Plains, New York, must approve any settlement, and the states that oppose it are expected to file objections soon and attempt to carry on with their lawsuits against Purdue and the Sacklers in state courts.
Lawyers for the company said in court Tuesday that the U.S. will benefit from the case because control of Purdue is being handed over to the people and governments harmed by the opioid crisis. The company and the Sacklers, who have denied wrongdoing, have repeatedly said that opposition to the deal is unwarranted and unproductive.
The people familiar with provisions of the deal say it includes insurance proceeds that aren’t known and may be challenged by insurers. The settlement also relies on continued sales of OxyContin in the U.S., where the patent expires in 2023, and income from drugs in Purdue’s pipeline that haven’t won regulatory approval and may not have the demand the company expects, according to the people.
Attorneys general from New York and Massachusetts have also publicly condemned provisions of the deal that require states and other plaintiffs to essentially get into the OxyContin-sales business. Revenue from U.S. sales would go into a public trust run by the settling entities.
The states and plaintiffs would also be relying on overseas sales of OxyContin for years.
According to court documents, the Sackler family agreed to sell Purdue’s U.K.-based international unit, Mundipharma, to raise their $3 billion share of the settlement. Mundipharma includes about 100 companies spread across the globe, from China to western Europe.
But the Sacklers have seven years to unload Mundipharma, allowing them to sell each unit country by country and avoid using any of the money they’ve already made from OxyContin sales and allegedly stashed away in overseas accounts, the people said.
Lawyers for the New York attorney general’s office said last week they’d uncovered evidence the Sacklers made about $1 billion in transfers among themselves and their shell companies, some of which ended up in Swiss bank accounts.
The case is Purdue Pharma LP 19-23649, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (White Plains).
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BANTEN, Indonesia – 24 October 2018: Six Egyptian companies signed a number of agreements, worth at $67.5 million, with Indonesian governmental and private companies to import food and beverage products and tires this year.
Egyptian Baraka Contracting and Trading Company signed a deal with Indonesian PT Gajah Tunggal for importing tires at a cost of $20 million.
Egyptian Haggag Company for Import and Export reached a deal with PT Asal Jaya to import coffee beans for $30 million.
El Hamad Co. for Import and Export signed a deal with PT Global Coconut, PT Global Vision for Spices and PT Van Aroma for fragrance oils worth $8 million.
Stella Co inked a deal worth $2 million with Indonesian PT Orson Indonesia to import manufacturing products of soap and noodles.
The Egyptian company also sealed an agreement with the Indonesian state-owned PTPN for importing Ethanol and glycerin for $5 million.
Egypt’s Awlad Abdel Sanad Co. signed a contract with PT Agrorina to import nutmeg, coffee beans, and spices for $2.5 million.
The deals were inked on the sidelines of the 33rd Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2018 at the Indonesian Convention Exhibition in BSD City in Banten on Wednesday, Oct. 24.
“We have had problems for years that we cannot solve,” said Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in his speech during the inauguration of the exhibition.
“Indonesia is currently suffering a $3 billion trade deficit. Back to 2017, the deficit was $17.3 billion,” said President Jokowi. He added that the figures showed that exportation was greater than importation, “however, we still suffer deficit.”
The president continued that Indonesian exports from January to September recorded $122 billion with a 9.2- percent growth, compared to the same period of the last year, voicing his hope that the surplus continues in the last quarter of 2018.
“The exportation goes better and the government continues to support the incentives,” said Indonesian Minister of Trade and Industry Enggartiasto Lukita in his speech at the opening session of 2018 TEI.
During the 2018 TEI, Indonesia signed a total of 65 contracts worth $0.5 billion with 25 countries, mainly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Italy, Lukita said.
Egypt ranked number four among the top five countries that signed trade contracts with Indonesia in 2018, the minister added.
The signed contracts with China are worth $4.5 billion, while transactions with Thailand recorded $242 million, he said, adding that contracts worth more than $140 million have been inked with Saudi Arabia, while contracts worth $65 million and $41 million have been inked with Egypt and Italy respectively.
The minister announced the Indonesian support to Palestine, saying “upon the president’s instructions, we have provided Palestine with our full support and all the facilities to enhance the relation.”
In response to Australia’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Indonesia threatened to hold on an imminent deal with Australia, announcing that the decision could strain the bilateral relations.
The TEI tradeshow was attended by a total of 70 Egyptian businessmen. Six of them will be granted the Primaduta Award, which is an Indonesian program that aims to increase the growth of Indonesian exports worldwide.
Indonesian Ambassador to Cairo Helmy Fawzy receives Primaduta Award on behalf of Egyptian businessmen at 2018 TEI Indonesia- press photo
HERE IS A LIST OF The EGYPTIAN AWARDED COMPANIES:
1- Baracka Contracting and Trading group for Tires
2- AlMalek Faisal Co. for Trading Tires and Batteries
3- Afia International Co. for importing palm oil products
4- Ibrahim M. Mostafa and Partners (AlRehab) for importing Robusta and Arabica Coffee beans
5- AlGaras for Spices and Herbis Industry in Alexandria for importing Robusta and Arabica coffee beans
6- Al Nada Co. in Alexandria for importing Robusta and Arabic coffee beans
Egypt comes in the first place among the countries that were granted Primaduta Awards, while Holland comes in the second rank. Saudi Arabia and China ranked number three as three awards will go for three companies each.
The TEI was inaugurated under the theme “Creating Products for Global Opportunities” by the Directorate General for National Export Development (DGNED), affiliated with the Indonesian Ministry of Trade. It serves to be a platform for business discussions.
The exhibition featured various products such as food, beverages, manufacturing products, property, biofuel, automotive components, premium handicrafts, and furniture. The number of visitors reached 28,000 from 125 countries.
The trade transactions conducted in 2016 were estimated at $1.02 billion, according to the TEI official website.
The TEI was inaugurated a day after the opening of the 2018 Indonesia-Middle East Annual Gathering on Economy (IMAGE) on Monday, Oct. 22 in the city of Yogyakarta, Central Java.
The three-day gathering, held at Yogyakarta Industry and Trade Directorate, was attended by several business delegations from Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
In case you missed it…
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia – 22 October: The 2018 Indonesia-Middle East Annual Gathering on Economy (IMAGE) kicked off on Monday, Oct. 22 in the city of Yogyakarta, Central Java. The three-day gathering, which is held at Yogyakarta Industry and Trade Directorate, was attended by several business delegations from Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Trade volume between Egypt and Indonesia reached $203 million in 2018, compared to $75 million in 2017 with an increase of 169.65 percent, according to Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), said Indonesian Ambassador to Cairo Helmy Fawzy during the National Day of Indonesia on October 1.
From January to June 2018 the trade volume increased by $561 million (12 percent), compared to the same period of 2017, according to CAPMAS.
According to the IMF World Economic Outlook, Indonesian annual GDP growth is projected at 5.1 percent.
World Food Day: Jumia Launches the Africa Food Index 2020
Ahead of World Food Day on 16th October, Jumia has published its 1st Africa Food Index showing the impact of COVID-19 on food trends in Africa. Online food delivery is changing habits in unexpected ways for businesses and consumers due to the pandemic. The growing popularity of fast food, coupled with the growing trends for convenience and value for money, have opened up opportunities for the food market in Africa.
According to the Africa Development Bank, the continent’s US$ 313 billion food and beverage market is projected to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2030. This projection offers the prospect of increased jobs, greater prosperity, reduced hunger and improved opportunities for African farmers and entrepreneurs to participate in the global economy.
Over the last three years, Africa’s growing online audience has seen an increase in international brands setting up shop to tap into the growing middle-income segment. Direct investment from players such as KFC, McDonalds, Burger King have been achieved. Online food delivery players such as Jumia have also played a key role in shaping supply chains and opening up the markets to new entrants. Local producers and restaurants have embraced this evolution and reached new consumers as well as grown their businesses in spite of these challenging times.
“This pandemic crisis has shown the world that online food delivery is not just a commodity, but a necessity. The food business adapted quickly to the new normal, by availing contactless and cashless deliveries » said Shreenal Ruparelia Chief Commercial Officer, Jumia Food. « We also started to provide support to local food vendors to keep their businesses running during this difficult time.” With our food partners, we will continue to deploy capabilities across the food value chain to ensure consumers buy food online safely and at the right price, in line with the theme of this year’s World Food Day celebration of Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together” added Shreenal.
The report highlighted two major drivers of the growth observed in 2020: demography and the Covid19 lockdowns. With a growing population averaging 18 years old, a new generation of African middle class consumers are spending more money online on food and grocery services, while the lockdowns induced by the Covid19 pandemic also contributed to this evolution in habits.
Overall, grocery retailing continues to expand, as consumers seek comfort and convenience when shopping for food. The report shows that while Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) are popular, Lagos and Nairobi lead as the largest cities with the volume of online food orders.
International institutions like the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), International Quick Service Restaurants such as KFC and local brands like Tunisian Al Jazeera Olive Oils have contributed to the Africa Food Index, based on Jumia data and external data from different institutions.
Please find the report here
Source: Jumia Food
Egyptian FinTech Startup NowPay Scores $2.1 million Seed Investment
NowPay Team (Image Source: NowPay)
Employee Empowerment To Fund Top Priority Financial Goals Augments Increased Productivity, Engagement and Loyalty
MENA: Cairo-based FinTech startup NowPay, a financial-wellness platform for employees in emerging markets, has announced today, 11 October 2020 that the company has raised US$ 2.1 million in seed investment. The new fund will be deployed to deepen the capabilities of the platform, expand its team and establish its footprint in the MENA region and beyond.
The round was led by Foundation Ventures and Endure Capital along with investors from the U.S., UAE, China, and Egypt. The cluster of investors include: BECO Capital, 500 Startups, Plug and Play, 4dx Ventures, MSA Capital, EFG-EV Fintech and Ebtikar. Prominent Angel investors such as Quirky Ventures, Gehan Fathi, and Rolaco also participated in the round.
“During the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns, we are proud to have well-known and eminent investors back us, signaling trust in our business concept and our team. Saving, spending, budgeting and borrowing, are our four pillars of financial wellness. Financial stress plays a major role as a top distraction for employees.
NowPay bridges that gap and provides several benefits for employers that choose to proactively address this area of employee wellness. Particularly in the recent months NowPay helped empower both the employees and employers alike. We want to improve every financial aspect for employees and make financial inclusion a reality,” said Mostafa Ashour, Cofounder and CEO of NowPay who previously led the innovation teams at Microsoft Research.
Founded in 2019, NowPay has a very enthusiastic and well-experienced team. Led by Mostafa Ashour, the team includes co-founder Ahmed Sabry, who worked for Amazon Lending, Gehan Fathi, previously worked as managing director at EFG, and Mahmoud ElHosseiny who managed Egypt sales for Fortune 500 Stanley-Black & Decker.
“There is an asymmetry between expenses and income, which puts a lot of stress on employee’s morale, and hampers productivity. We are thrilled to join NowPay’s incredible team on this journey of empowering employees with the happiness and wellness that financial stability provides,” said Ziyad Hamdy, Managing Partner at Foundation Ventures.
“Not every day you have both clear product market fit and founders market fit. This is the case in NowPay. Just attend any business meeting with the team and you will know it immediately!”, said Tarek Fahim, Managing Partner at Endure Capital.
“Within a very short period we are delighted to have managed salaries in excess of US$100 million with a 60% month-over-month growth rate. We have integrated our platorm with leading Egyptian and multinational names such as SODIC, Wadi Degla, Domty and AXA to name a few, a testament of our ability to help the financial wellness of employees for our clients. We have a very strong pipeline with many more big names waiting to onboard our platform and we look forward to forge ahead as pioneers in this space,” added Mr. Ashour.
SAVCA Appoints Natalie Kolbe And Sthembile NKabinde As Board Members
Sthembile Nkabinde and Natalie Kolbe
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) – the industry body for private equity and venture capital in Southern Africa –welcomes two new directors to its board, following the virtual SAVCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 7 October 2020.
SAVCA CEO, Tanya van Lill says that the new appointees – Natalie Kolbe, Partner at Actis and Sthembile Nkabinde, Founder and CEO of Khulasande Capital – are both leading industry professionals who have been elected by their peers to continue driving the association’s strategic objectives.
“Natalie and Sthembile each bring with them a unique skill set that will complement those of our existing board members, while bringing new perspectives and ideas to the table. Notably, the new board composition of seven women and six men are representative of the advances being made by the broader industry within the area of transformation and diversity.”
As noted by the recent SAVCA 2020 Private Equity Industry Survey, South African private equity exhibited a considerable increase in investment activity in 2019, with the private equity industry having R184.4 billion in funds under management (FUM) at 31 December 2019, up from R171 billion in 2018, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% since 1999 when the survey first began.
Similarly, the SAVCA 2020 Venture Capital Industry Survey reported robust industry growth in 2019, with venture capital investment showing the highest activity recorded to date, both by value and by number of deals. A total of 38 exits were also reported for 2019 – more than double the previous record for annual exit activity, and just over triple the nine exits reported in 2018.
“This industry growth bodes well for the future economic growth of the region, especially considering the long-term effect that COVID-19 is having on economic activity,” says van Lill, who notes the important role that the industry plays in Southern Africa’s broader economic environment. “A thriving private equity and venture capital industry is crucial for Southern Africa to accelerate its economic recovery.”
Returning to the outcomes of the recent AGM, van Lill says that the SAVCA board is sadly bidding farewell to three distinguished directors: Lungile Mdluli, who served as Treasurer and Chairperson of the Fiscal Committee from 2017 and was asked to stay on for another year to hand over the role of Treasurer; Vusi Thembekwayo, who joined the SAVCA Board in 2017 and served on the Venture Capital Committee; and Craig Dreyer, who has served SAVCA since its inception in 1998 and notably chaired the association over the past three years.
“Through their varied and distinguished roles, Lungile, Vusi and Craig contributed significantly to the success of our organisation by dedicating an invaluable amount of time and expertise to the board activities. While Craig’s longstanding commitment to the industry and relentless contribution as Chairperson and member of the Regulatory Committee will be missed, we are fortunate for the legacy he leaves behind and want to thank all three members for the roles they’ve played in shaping the future of the industry,” van Lill concludes.


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Weekend Plans With NBC's Jim Bell NFL Appeals Judge's Peterson Decision Pacers RSN Ratings 35% Lower This Season NRG Stadium Needs Upgrades For '17 Super Bowl ESPN's Dave Brown Assists UMass Football Dolphins To Sell Standing-Room Only Tickets SNY's Mets Team Enters Year 10 Together Van Gundy Asked To Tone Down Rhetoric Daytona 500 Lower, But Speedweeks Up Media Notes
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SBD/December 21, 2011/Media
NFL Network Could Add More Live Games Next Season, Though Number Is Unknown
Published December 21, 2011
SUPER STREAMING: The NFL announced yesterday Super Bowl XLVI will be streamed online and to phones for the first time, and NFL Senior VP/Media Business Development Hans Schroeder said, "Whether it's just for a quarter if somebody has to run out to the store to get something they forgot, now they can stay connected to the game." Schroeder: "With such a big television audience, it will be interesting to see the expanded reach." NBC's streams for its "Sunday Night Football" broadcasts "typically average 200,000-300,000 viewers," and the net has "seen no evidence it hurts the traditional broadcasts' healthy TV ratings" (AP, 12/20). In N.Y., Claire Atkinson notes for those who "own Verizon 3G phones, there will be a $10 charge to access the Super Bowl via Verizon Video, the service that includes the NFL app, while 4G phone owners will get it for free" (N.Y. POST, 12/21). Meanwhile, a CTV spokesperson said that the net "has no plans to follow NBC's lead at this time" (TORONTO STAR, 12/21).


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Now as the season is in full swing, the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! stars are eating well.
However this was not always the case as at the start of the show when they were forced to eat beans and rice.
Now, reports say that there was a lack of food which caused the campers to faint and a medic was rushed to the jungle.
Camp medic Bob revealed the affect that the lack of food has on the stars.
He said: "I mean there’s been a couple, I can’t mention it medically, but there’s been a couple that have had a few dizzy spells and we’ve given them some electrolyte drinks and some glucose.
"They’re very hungry at the moment, they haven’t done quite so well at the trials lately."
He added that people would be "shocked" to see the portions of rice and beans they are given.
Nonetheless, Bob says that the stars are not given any extra food.
The shocking revelation comes after Kezia Dugdale, who was booted out recently, admitted that after the stars complete a task, they are given a cup of tea or coffee.
Speaking on spin-off show Extra Camp, she explained: "Everyone has their chores to do, whether it’s cleaning out the dunny or doing the cooking, whatever.
"If you did bang on for three days in a row, you got a treat which was tea, coffee and maybe a biscuit.
"Starbucks it was not. You were drinking it out of the pot you cooking in. It’s pretty rough and it kept you up all night because you were buzzing."


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The number of homes sold in Canada this year is expected to match or exceed 2012 levels in two thirds of markets with nationally sales reaching a five year high, according to the latest outlook report. The price of an average Canadian home is forecast to climb to $380,000, also a new record, says the RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook 2014 which examined trends and developments in 25 major centres across the country.
‘Housing values have been incredibly stable this year, propped up by relatively balanced market conditions. Ontario-Atlantic Canada markets showed steady price appreciation throughout the year, with Hamilton-Burlington, Barrie and District, St. John’s and the Greater Toronto Area all reporting increases of 5% or more in 2013,’ said Gurinder Sandhu, executive vice president and regional director RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. He pointed out that while the national picture has been quite rosy in terms of sales activity, the regional performance has been more varied, particularly in Atlantic Canada and although East Coast sales have softened over last year’s level the region is poised for future growth. ‘Solid economic performance, low interest rates, and rising consumer confidence will all factor into next year’s outlook. The momentum that emerged in most residential housing markets in the final half of 2013 is expected to spill over into 2014,’ explained Sandhu.
Butterfly Residential are market leaders in the luxury real estate sector with exclusive properties for sale and luxury properties for rent in some of the finest locations across the world.


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A 100-year-old Florida chain of outlet and department stores has launched a line of stores targeting young shoppers and people living active, outdoors lifestyles.
Bealls is calling its new stores Bunulu — which it says means "a place of water" — and the first one in South Florida is slated to open around November at Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens.
The first Bunulu debuted this month at Coconut Point in Estero on Florida's west coast. Bealls also plans to open another Bunulu around October at St. John's Town Center in Jacksonville.
"We are looking for the millennials, essentially," said Bill Webster, director of public and government affairs at Bealls, Inc.
Millennials are the segment of the population 18 to 34 years old, generally tech-savvy, well plugged-in to social media, with high emphasis on in-store experiences and shopping convenience.
Webster says Bradenton-based Bealls isn't doing typical advertisement for the new stores, instead using social media to post photos and information about Bunulu.
Bunulu stores won't be like Bealls' other 500 department or outlet stores across the nation, which have steep discounts and an inventory of anything from home décor to bedding to children's clothing. Instead, they'll have racks of casual yet trendy swimwear, active wear and other apparel for men and women.
Prices on clothing will range from about $36 to $150, though the average ticket will be $50-something, Webster said. Among brands featured at Bunulu stores: Hurley, O'Neil, Roxy, Columbia and SeaFolly, an Australian line of bikinis and other beach essentials.
Bunulu shops also will carry GoPro cameras, footwear, bathing suits and other apparel and accessories sought by people who love to be outdoors, Webster said.
Besides the three stores opening this year, Bealls plans to add four more Bunulus in Florida next year. Webster said the company will test the concept in the Florida market and then consider national expansion.
Raymond Lee Jewelers, a veteran jeweler in Boca Raton, announced earlier this year plans to open a second Boca Raton store next year with millennials in mind.
Organic grocer Whole Foods Market also says it plans to open next year a series of 365 by Whole Foods Market stores geared toward millennials. The stores will offer low-priced organic food in a "modern, streamlined design with innovative technology," Whole Foods said.


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A little-known startup called Google first launched to change the world 15 years ago today — give or take a few days.
The exact date of Google's launch is a little unclear, as the company has celebrated its birthday on several different dates over the years. Technically, the company registered the Google.com domain on Sept. 15, 1997 — more than 16 years ago — and filed to be incorporated on Sept. 4, 1998. Whatever the case, Google says it is officially celebrating its 15th birthday on Friday.
See also: In the Garage Where Google Was Born
In honor of Google's special day, we've pulled together 15 stats showing just how much the company and its products have grown in its first 15 years.
Google indexed 26 million web pages when it launched in 1998. Now, it indexes 60 trillion web pages.
Google answered 10,000 search queries a day when it was in beta in 1998. Today, Google handles more than 100 billion searches every month.
The company hired its first employee in September 1998 and had 1,907 employees as of March 31, 2004, a few months before going public. By the end of last quarter, Google had 44,777 employees.
Google's first Doodle was published in 1998 to show that founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were out of the office attending the Burning Man music festival. There have since been more than 1,000 Google Doodles.
Google made its first public acquisition in 2001 when it bought Deja.com's Usenet Discussion Service. It has now made more than 100 acquisitions to date.
When Google went public on Aug. 19, 2004, its stock opened at $85 a share. Google stock opened at $874 on Friday morning, a more than 10-fold increase.
Google had a market cap of $23 billion on the day it went public. Its current market cap is just more than $290 billion.
The company reported revenue of $961.9 million in 2003, the year before it went public. In 2012, Google reported its first $50 billion revenue year.
Page and Brin opened a Google bank account in September 1998 that consisted of a $100,000 check from the co-founder of Sun Microsystems. They are now personally worth about $23 billion each.
Google acquired Android in 2005. There have now been more than one billion Android device activations and 50 billion mobile apps downloaded.
Google kicked off its Street View efforts in 2007 to map the world. Since then, Google has driven more than 6 million miles across 3,000 cities in 52 countries.
Google introduced its social network Google+ a little over two years ago. As of the end of last year, it had passed 500 million members, 135 million of which were reportedly active users.
Chrome, Google's browser, launched in 2008. Four years later, it passed Internet Explorer to become the most popular web browser and currently has more than 750 million users.
Google had 38% of mobile ad revenue worldwide in 2011, according to eMarketer. This year, the company is expected to take home 53% of global mobile ad revenue, or about $8.8 billion.
YouTube had around 20 million unique monthly visitors in 2006 when it was acquired by Google, according to multiple estimates at the time. The video service now reports having more than one billion unique visitors each month who collectively stream 6 billion hours of video.
Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty


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Apple on Friday announced that it’s launching a Keyboard Service Program for its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. The company says it has determined that a small percentage of keyboards within the two lines may be faulty, and it has offered to repair them for free.
iFixit knows everything about competing to be the first team to look inside the world’s most coveted new phone. Jason Koebler of the Motherboard spent some time with iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, traveling to Australia on iPhone X launch day and witnessing teardown progress with his own eyes.
Since Apple has launched their reduced price battery replacement program, they’ve been slammed with customers. They’ve even run out of stock on certain batteries. OfficeMax and Office Depot may be a good option if you are still on the market for a replacement.
Apple has changed its long-standing policy which used to fully void your iPhone warranty in case you replaced a smashed screen with a third-party display. According to an internal memo distributed to Apple’s retail employees on Friday, confirmed by multiple sources and subsequently obtained by MacRumors, such cases no longer void warranty.
Specifically, an iPhone that has undergone a third-party screen repair is now eligible for an authorized repair by Apple Stores or Apple Authorized Service Providers while qualifying for warranty coverage, as long as the issue is unrelated to the display itself.
Apple will charge you $69 to replace a lost or broken AirPod, according to the company’s iPhone Service Pricing support page. The wireless earbuds went on sale online earlier this week, and will be available in Apple Stores starting Monday.
It doesn’t look like Apple will be offering its extended AppleCare warranty on the AirPods, so it has laid out a simple pricing table for what repairs and replacements will cost. Battery service, for example is $49 in the 1-year warranty, $69 out.
iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known in the Western press as Foxconn, has obtained approval from the local government to repair iPhones at its subsidiary in Shanxi, China, according to a report in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News newspaper cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes. This marks a second Foxconn subsidiary that can now repair iPhones.
The business model helps Apple to “save 40 percent of its costs on its smartphone maintenance services,” added the paper.
In a surprise move today, satellite television provider Dish Network unveiled a brand new smartphone repair service for customers in the United States who can ask for a technician to visit them and fix their iPhone’s screen or battery. The service is called ‘Smart Phone Repair On Your Turf’.
Dish has deployed its nationwide fleet of technicians who can reach homes or businesses in any of the 50 U.S. states to repair iPhones for consumers whether or not they are Dish customers.
So, what kind of prices does Dish charge for screen and battery repairs?
Today’s your last chance to get one of our most popular offers from iDownloadBlog Deals: ending at midnight PT tonight, you can get 40% off the iFixit Pro tech toolkit bundle. It’s an awesome comprehensive bundle that will allow you to crack open and fix your devices, saving a ton of money on repairs or replacements. Plus, its from the most trusted name in tech tear-downs, so you know it’s high quality. Get it today before it’s gone.
Apple announced a new replacement program today for folks having issues with the Sleep/Wake button on their iPhone 5. The program allows for the replacement of the button on select iPhone 5 models where it has either stopped working completely, or only works intermittently.
The Cupertino firm says that it will offer the service free of charge to iPhone 5 customers with models that exhibit this issue, and have a qualifying serial number. It has set up a website with all of the details on the program for the ‘small percentage’ of people that have been affected…


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As the holidays approach and 2016 comes to a close, we have been thinking about how this year has changed for online advertising. If you spend any time at all reading up on the industry, you know that it changes quite often! There have been many updates over the last twelve months, big and small, and we’re going to share some of the most important for your online advertising program and its success. We will cover search advertising in this post, but keep an eye out for social and display advertising highlights in the coming weeks!
Product Expansions and Updates
- Expanded Text Ads: Text ads saw some pretty big changes this year with the launch of expanded text ads on Google and Bing. The new ad type is nearly 50% larger than standard text ads, as you can see in the mobile preview below. Advertisers get two headlines with 30 characters each and one description line with 80 total characters, five more than the previous two description lines combined.
Standard Text Ad
Expanded Text Ad
Shortly after Google’s announcement and release of expanded text ads, Bing followed suit. Both online advertising platforms will soon sunset their standard text ads and are encouraging advertisers to make the change to expanded text ads. Google has a deadline of January 31, 2017, which is quickly approaching. Bing Ads will retire standard text ads in the first quarter of 2017. An exact date has not been provided.
As a Premier Google Partner Agency, E-Power was granted early access to the expanded text ads beta and we were able to get our clients up and running before it was open to the public. Our clients have seen a lower cost per lead, higher lead rates, and several other improvements when comparing expanded text ads to standard text ads. Take a look at the improvements our client, a laundry equipment distributor, has seen in their Google AdWords Search program.
As noted in the above charts, expanded text ads have generated the same number of leads at a lower cost per conversion, high conversion rate, and higher clickthrough rate than standard text ads.
- Improvement in Remarketing Lists for Search Ads: At SMX East, Google announced new updates to their RLSAs including:
Reach users on mobile devices – Use your lists to target users on all devices, regardless of the device they’re searching on.
Longer membership duration – Taking into consideration the different types of businesses, seasonality, and high consideration products, the AdWords team extended list membership to 540 days.
Remarketing lists can be added at the campaign level – This update makes it faster and easier to use RLSAs to target past website visitors.
These updates work well with Customer Match too, which helps you reach users on your email list. Combining the two gives you a strong way to target your audience.
- Ad Extension Updates: Throughout the year, AdWords has released three new ad extensions that appear alongside text ads, providing more value and information to searchers. Ad extensions are a component of Ad Rank and help improve Quality Score, which ultimately helps lower how much you pay per click. New ad extensions announced this year include:
Price Extensions – Only available on mobile devices, price extensions highlight products or services on your website and send users directly to the most relevant pages on your website.
Click-to-Message Extensions – These extensions allow users to directly message a brand through the Google search results page. While not for all brands and industries, this type of extension may work well for companies that schedule appointments for their services or for brands looking to connect searchers with their services departments.
Affiliate Location Extensions – For manufacturers that sell their products in retail stores, affiliate location extensions provide an additional way to show users where they can purchase their products. With location-based searches becoming more and more frequent, advertisers who don’t have a brick and mortar store, but sell their products through retailers, can still take advantage of searchers who are researching online before buying in-store.
Reporting and Optimization
- Data Driven Attribution: Searchers go through many different steps before ultimately making a purchase decision when shopping online. Rule-based attribution models such as first-click and last-click have always been options when choosing how to attribute credit to different online sources, but they don’t always tell the full story. Earlier this year, Google announced an open beta to test a new model: data driven attribution. This model gives credit based on searchers’ behavior and from data in your account from previous conversions.
- Distance and Location Reports: These new reports use data from advertisers’ location extensions to showcase performance based on how far away users are when they are searching, clicking, and buying from an advertiser’s website. These changes are a part of Google’s larger strategy to make omni-channel marketing easier to track and optimize. Earlier this year, Google also announced store visit conversions as a way to measure store purchases that occurred as a direct result of a brand’s online advertising efforts.
- Smart Bidding: Bidding is a fundamental aspect of online advertising, and Google has made bidding more efficient and effective with Smart Bidding. Smart Bidding uses machine learning built on these three pillars:
- Precise bid optimization tailored to user’s context
- Flexible performance controls that factor in your unique business goals
- Transparent reporting that provides clear insight into how bids are performing
As a team, we are dedicated to continuing education and staying up-to-date with new product releases and industry changes. We put our knowledge and expertise to work for our clients to improve their bottom line and meet their goals. If you’re looking for a little bit of guidance as you get set up for the New Year, reach out to our team of online advertising experts!
Stay tuned as we round up 2016’s biggest news in social and display advertising over the next couple of weeks!


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Toyota Europe's Head of Light Commercial Vehicle Sales, Emmanuel Beaune, has indicated that an all-electric version of the popular Toyota Hilux pickup is still in the early stages of investigation. While the Hilux remains a top-selling pickup globally, the development of a fully electric variant may take longer than anticipated.
Despite unveiling the Hilux Hybrid 48V earlier this month, featuring a small hybrid system connected to a 2.8 L diesel engine, Toyota has yet to commit to a fully electric Hilux. The hybrid version offers marginal improvements, with up to 5% better fuel efficiency.
Toyota's exploration of alternative powertrains also includes a hydrogen fuel cell electric Hilux prototype revealed in September. However, as competitors like Tesla enter the electric pickup market with models like the Cybertruck, the timeline for Toyota's electric pickup remains uncertain.
Beaune emphasized Toyota's multi-pathway approach, incorporating various powertrains such as gas-powered hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs). Despite the global shift towards all-electric vehicles, Toyota has maintained a hybrid-focused strategy.
Regarding the electric Hilux, Beaune commented, “It's too early to comment,” noting ongoing investigations. He highlighted Toyota's significant presence in the European pickup market, accounting for 30% of market share. Recognizing the potential interest in an electric Hilux, Beaune stated that Toyota is collaborating with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan to propose the right solution, acknowledging the evolving preferences of pickup users.


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Private sector ‘engine of growth’
9 June, 2023, 12:15 pm
A HEALTHY and vibrant private sector is key to growing any economy.
While appearing on The Fiji Times online news platform The Lens@177 this week, University of the South Pacific (USP) senior lecturer in economics Dr Neelesh Gounder said the private sector was really the “engine of growth” in any economy.
It was also where goods and services were not only produced but distributed by the private sector and consumed by households. Thus, most of the economic activity happened within the private sector.
“If we want to grow the economy, increase GDP, or grow the GDP, it’s important to ensure that the private sector is growing,” he said.
“The public sector, the government, provides the rules, regulations, and framework within which interaction and economic activity take place.
“Governments intervene to provide public services and build and invest in infrastructure which the private sector is generally not willing to do.
“The public sector, the Government has a specific role and the private sector contributes to the broader economic activity.
“It’s very important to ensure that we have the right rules, regulations, and policies in place for the private sector to grow.”
In Fiji, Dr Gounder said the majority of the businesses were small and medium-sized enterprises and they were an integral part of the economy.
He also stressed that these SMEs should continue growing.
“When businesses grow, they employ more people. As they employ more people, household incomes increase and the sustained source of income also increases.
“Growing the private sector is really the most important way to grow the economy, ensure that GDP is growing, household incomes are increasing, which will have the impact of reducing poverty. “So private sector growth is really important in terms of growing the economy.”


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Super Bowl ads sell out at record high prices
Ads for this year's Super Bowl are sold out, according to NBC, which will broadcast the game alongside its Olympics coverage on Feb 13. Some 30-second spots sold for a record $7 million.
Why it matters: The Super Bowl is one of the few major TV events that can still draw a huge audience, making advertising around the event very valuable.
- Given how well NFL games rated throughout the regular season, sports executives anticipate that this year's Super Bowl will rate much higher than last year's, which saw viewership fall to a 10-year TV low.
- Viewership for the NFL's 2021 regular season was up 10% from 2020, its highest-rated season average since 2015, per Nielsen ratings.
The big picture: Ads for Super Bowl LVI are sold out of every in-game unit across NBC, Telemundo and all digital platforms, including Peacock, per NBC. The company said there are a handful of pre-game spots still open.
- For the first time, Telemundo will broadcast the game, making it the first-ever Spanish-language broadcast network to air the Super Bowl.
- All in-game advertisers will run across the Telemundo telecast as well as NBC Sports streaming assets, including Peacock.
Be smart: The average Super Bowl ad this year is reportedly around $6 million for a 30-second spot, representing a big jump from last year's Super Bowl, in which 30-second spots averaged around $5.5 million.
- NBC credits the jump with increased interest from new advertisers, who represent around 40% of the total Super Bowl ads this year, per NBC. There are more than 30 new advertisers in this year’s Super Bowl compared to last year's event.
What to watch: NBC says that there's been a growth in ads across the auto, tech, entertainment, travel and health and wellness sectors.
Disclosure: NBC is an investor in Axios and Satpal Brainch, chief commercial officer of NBCU News Group, is a member of the Axios board. In addition, Telemundo and Axios jointly produce the Axios Latino newsletter.