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SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - South Fulton County neighborhoods expressed displeasure that their beloved bookstore will be replaced by a
"I can't believe that they would even do this," said Veronica Johnson.
"People had business meetings here," Eric Nabors said outside the old Barnes & Noble that recently closed. "And it's being turned into weave
They reacted to news that a Beauty Master supply store is moving
to the location, in the Camp Creek Marketplace.
know, they might as well put a liquor store there," another upset resident said outside the vacant store. "Same difference."
Cole Real Estate Investments signed a lease with Beauty Master for it to move
its new store will also house a salon.
But residents said the last thing the area needs is another weave store.
"The beauty supply market is
really, truly, not what mirrors this overall community," said Dawn Strickland.
People who live in the area said they want businesses that offer health, wellness and lifestyle opportunities.
"We feel it would be a better place to have a more established
Residents are concerned the store would attract criminals who target the expensive merchandise. Most want their bookstore back.
Veronica Johnson found irony in the fact that a weave store is moving into a former bookstore.
"And we're focused on what's on our head, as opposed to what's in our head," she said. "And that's what bothers me."
Not everyone is opposed to the superstore moving into the old Barnes
"I love hair accessories. I love it," Ashley Skinner said after walking out of the soon-to-be closed Beauty Master.
She said she'll shop at the superstore, and beauty supplies are in huge demand.
"I think that would be wonderful because we need a bigger beauty supply store," she said.
Skinner said she'd prefer a beauty supply store over a bookstore any day.
"A lot of folks don't read books no more. They use the Kindle," she said.
Cole Real Estate Investments declined to comment.


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Monthly Economic Update
Presented by Philip Lockwood, August 2021
Last month, the stock market posted a solid gain, overcoming investors’ fears of higher inflation and an increase in COVID-19 cases.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average picked up 1.25 percent, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 2.27 percent. The Nasdaq lagged, climbing 1.16 percent.1
A Wall of Worry
Climbing a wall of worry, investors weathered a choppy month as markets digested a jump in consumer prices and the continued spread of the Delta variant.
Inflation, which has been an increasing concern, hit levels not seen in decades. Consumer prices in June rose 5.4 percent, the biggest monthly gain since 2008. Meanwhile, producer prices, often a harbinger of future consumer prices, surged 7.3 percent from a year earlier. But both reports were primarily met with a collective shrug by investors.2
More troubling, however, was the global spread of the Delta variant. Throughout the month, investor anxiety grew around fears that a resurgence of COVID-19 cases could stall further economic recovery.
As July closed, 221 Standard & Poor’s 500 companies had reported earnings, with 91 percent of those companies beating Wall Street’s estimates. Companies also reported strong sales, topping estimates by nearly 24 percent.3
Stocks took a breather in the final week, despite the Federal Reserve’s renewed assurances that its near-zero interest rate policy would remain in place.4
Energy was the only industry sector that fell last month, declining 5.68 percent. Otherwise, gains were posted in Communication Services (+1.92 percent), Consumer Discretionary (+3.26 percent), Consumer Staples (+2.82 percent), Financials (+0.77 percent), Health Care (+4.76 percent), Industrials (+1.92 percent), Materials (+1.94 percent), Real Estate (+3.47 percent), Technology (+3.84 percent), and Utilities (+5.02 percent).5
What Investors May Be Talking About in August
The rise in global COVID-19 cases last month unsettled investors, who worried about what it could mean for economic growth.
Some expect the recent surge to peak in August, while others see a peak in mid-September to early October.6
Any new surge is unlikely to mirror the experience in 2020. However, some investors may remain watchful as local, state, and federal entities weigh further restrictions.
T I P O F T H E M O N T H
Have you talked to your spouse or partner about your retirement goals? This is vital. See how your individual visions of retirement correspond or differ.
The MSCI-EAFE Index trended higher, picking up 1.60 percent in July. However, different parts of the globe showed mixed results.7
In Europe, France was under pressure, dropping 1.69 percent, while Germany (+0.09 percent) and the U.K. (+0.07) posted modest gains.8
Australia rose 1.09 percent to lead the Pacific Rim markets. But Hong Kong dropped 9.94 percent as Chinese regulators continue their push to rein in large companies for reasons that include data security, corporate behavior, financial stability, and curtailing private-sector power.9
Gross Domestic Product: The economy grew by an annualized rate of 6.5 percent in the second quarter. The growth rate, however, was well below economists’ expectations of 8.4 percent.10
Employment: Employers added 850,000 new jobs in June, marking the most significant increase since August 2020. However, the unemployment rate ticked higher to 5.9 percent due to a larger number of Americans seeking employment.11
Retail Sales: Retail sales rose 0.6 percent, despite a two percent decline in auto sales. Sales were particularly strong at restaurants, bars, and clothing stores.12
Industrial Production: Industrial production increased 0.4 percent, though manufacturing output declined due to reduced automobile production.13
Housing: Housing starts rose 6.3 percent in June, exceeding economists’ expectations.14 Sales of existing homes rose 1.4 percent after four consecutive months of declines. Inventories ticked higher, while demand softened a bit.15
New home sales slumped 6.6 percent, suggesting that high prices are cutting into demand.16
Consumer Price Index: Consumer prices jumped by 5.4 percent in June, registering the highest 12-month rate of change since August 2008. The core CPI, which excludes the more volatile food and energy sectors, increased by 4.5 percent.17
Durable Goods Orders: New orders for durable goods rose 0.8 percent in June. This is the thirteenth month out of the last 14 in which durable goods orders registered a gain.18
Q U O T E O F T H E M O N T H
The Federal Reserve reaffirmed that its monthly bond purchase program would continue until the Fed sees substantial progress in its inflation and employment goals.19
“Our asset purchases have been a critical tool,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated. “They helped preserve financial stability and market functioning early in the pandemic and, since then, have helped foster accommodative financial conditions to support the economy.”20
Some analysts have suggested that the Federal Reserve’s assessment of economic progress was potentially a hint that the tapering of bond purchases may be close.
Y-T-D CHANGE July 2021
Y-T-D July 2021
10 YR TREASURY
Sources: Yahoo Finance, July 31, 2021.
The market indexes discussed are unmanaged and generally considered representative of their respective markets. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results. U.S. Treasury Notes are guaranteed by the federal government as to the timely payment of principal and interest. However, if you sell a Treasury Note prior to maturity, it may be worth more or less than the original price paid.
T H E M O N T H L Y R I D D L E
An auto dealership sold 150 cars in a special 6-day tent sale offer. Each day the dealership sold 6 more cars than the day before. How many cars were sold on the 6th day?
LAST MONTH’S RIDDLE: You stand 8’ away from a door. With each move, you advance half the distance to the door. How many moves will it take to reach the door?
ANSWER: You will never actually reach the door. If all you do is advance half the distance to the door with every move, you will simply get closer and closer to it but still have half of the remaining distance left.
Philip Lockwood may be reached at 515-274-8006 or firstname.lastname@example.org
Know someone who could use information like this?
Please feel free to send us their contact information via phone or email. (Don’t worry – we’ll request their permission before adding them to our mailing list.)
Philip Lockwood|Founder + Managing Partner
Address|3100 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312

domain: news


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Here are some general impressions:
- for a Sunday morning, there was a pretty big crowd of visitors
- judging by the number of bags with brochures carried around by visitors, people seemed to be more interested in their next vacation as compared to last year. This could be a sign that the crisis is coming to an end
- the prices of vacations offered was considerably higher than what you can buy online at the German tour operators (TUI, ITS, FTI, etc.)
- the representatives of some participants were overzealous, while others were simply indifferent
- the stands of the bigger tourist agents in Luxembourg (ULT, Sales Lentz, Luxair Tours) had organised lotteries where visitors could win various vacations / cruises
- compared to last year, the number and variety of promotional items was reduced
To conclude, the tourism fair is a good place where you can get useful ideas / information about your next vacation, but is not the place to buy your next vacation.


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As the summer travel season kicks off and excited families plan trips and getaways, the opportunity for identity theft and data breaches begins to increase.
Unfortunately, scammers and identity thieves often consider tourists, who are often distracted by busy travel plans and new sights and sounds to be easy targets.
Even perks like airline miles and credit card points are targeted by cyberthieves and can be stolen without the rewards-holder even knowing.
Did you know?
27% of consumers have stopped using public Wi-Fi to protect their online privacy.
When you’re busy and on-the-go, it can be easy to let your guard down - and hackers know it, as 85% of data breaches involve a human element.
The free (unsecured) Wi-Fi in your hotel can expose your sensitive data to cyberthieves.
Another thing to be aware of while travelling through airports this summer, en route to exciting travel destinations, many will need a charge on their phone while passing through.
But did you know that hackers can use these ports to put malware and other monitoring software on cell phones and other devices? In fact, the FCC in the US has warned travellers about "juice jacking" at public USB charging stations, and says people should be aware that cyber criminals use public Wi-Fi networks to target travellers. Not to mention, the FBI in Denver, Colorado recently tweeted about this type of cybercrime, warning not to use the free charging stations, and to carry a charger and USB cord that can be plugged into an electrical outlet.
How can you protect your devices securely, and enjoy their vacation without having to worry about whether their private information is exposed to hackers?
Be alert to the points mentioned above, but also make sure you have a security package from a well-known reputable Antivirus and security company.
Norton 360 provides powerful layers of protection for your customers’ devices and online privacy against cyberthreats—all in a single solution. And when traveling, and connecting to Wi-Fi, your customers’ online privacy has protection with bank-grade encryption from the Secure VPN.
Give yourself a real holiday without the worry of any personal security breaches and enjoy!
Check out our great deals at https://simplyantivirus.co.uk/collections/norton-antivirus-security


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Emails with “Mother’s Day” in the subject line generate 2.6% click-through rate in the week following Mother’s Day versus 1.8% during the week leading up to holiday, a 44% increase, according to email marketing firm Experian CheetahMail. Transactions, though, peak two weeks prior to the holiday. The company, which surveyed more than 400 of its clients for the results, found that email-driven transaction rates reach their highest point two weeks prior to the holiday at 0.18%.
Sara Ezrin, senior director of strategic services at Experian CheetahMail, speculated that the higher click-through rates post-holiday may be the result of many consumers not seeing their mothers on the holiday. This behavior presents marketers with an opportunity to send follow-up emails even when the holiday is over, though Ezrin cautioned that marketers should be careful to avoid remarketing to consumers who did convert to customers.
“What I would recommend is sending [post-holiday emails] to people that did not purchase close to the holiday,” said Ezrin. “So if someone just purchased with you, telling them that there’s a little bit more time [for them to purchase], I don’t know if that would produce the ROI that most marketers would be looking for.” As a solution, she said marketers could use coupon codes to segment consumers who haven’t purchased.
Ezrin said that the higher transaction rates closer to the holiday are likely the result of mailing list subscribers waiting for better discounts.


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Infinix has been teasing the Hot 20 5G series in India for the past few days, and today, the company announced the Hot 20 5G series will launch in India on December 1. It will be sold online exclusively through Flipkart.
The Hot 20 lineup consists of five smartphones – Hot 20, Hot 20 5G, Hot 20i, Hot 20 Play, and Hot 20S. Since Infinix is using the word “series” in its promo campaign, it’s safe to say the company will launch multiple 5G smartphones in India on December 1. One is the Hot 20 5G you can see in the video below in three colors, but we don’t know about the other smartphone since the Hot 20 5G is the only 5G smartphone in the Hot 20 lineup right now. Perhaps the company will unveil an entirely new 5G smartphone? We’ll have to wait for more information to be sure.
Smartphones ka Hero No. 1 aa raha hai, dene aapko aise features ki aap bolenge #AbAurKyaChahiye ?
Also, guess which “No. 1” celebrity is coming to tell you more about it? pic.twitter.com/6DCNGoLuh3
— Infinix India (@InfinixIndia) November 19, 2022
Circling back to the Infinix Hot 20 5G, the smartphone was unveiled last month with the Dimensity 810 SoC and a 6.58″ FullHD+ 120Hz LCD. It runs Android 12-based XOS 10.6 out of the box and has two memory options – 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB. It also has a dedicated microSD card slot storage expansion up to 1TB.
The Infinix Hot 20 5G sports a 50MP primary camera on the rear, joined by a QVGA unit, and on the front is an 8MP camera for selfies and video calls. The Hot 20 5G packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 18W charging support. The smartphone also supports 5W reverse wired charging.
Infinix Hot 20 5G
The rest of the Infinix Hot 20 5G’s highlights include USB-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack, NFC, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader.


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iPhone 7 Plus might be in short supply due to problems with the supply, dual cameras
Apple will be forced to limit the supply of next-generation flagship smartphones in the third quarter due to the shortage of dual camera modules used in the new iPhone 7 Plus. This was reported to emit Darani analyst from RBC Capital Markets.
According to sources, the production of dual sensors for a 5.5-inch next-generation iPhone began in late June or early July. However, due to problems with the supply of components, Apple had to shift the start of mass production of iPhone 7 Plus.
There are several manufacturers of dual cameras, indicates Darani. However, the company from Cupertino uses its own technology for manufacturing modules, was developed by company LinX, which Apple acquired in 2015.
According to the analyst, LinX technology will allow the iPhone maker to bring quality photography to smartphone-level SLR cameras. Apple famously pays great attention to the photographic capabilities of its devices, and its latest advertising campaign shows pictures taken using the iPhone 6s.
Camera LinX uses a pair of sensors to capture 2D and 3D images. With the help of specialized mechanisms possible after you finish shooting make refocusing images. In addition, thanks to the 3D data, using the software, you can measure the dimensions of objects to create 3D models and changing backgrounds in real time.
According to analysts, Apple faced supply disruptions dual camera modules, and therefore at the start of sales of 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus might be in short supply.
A limited supply of products is not the first time chasing the company from Cupertino. Previously, Apple could not satisfy in full the demand for “smart” watches Apple Watch, and this year, for several months has been the shortage of new iPhone SE.


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RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- One of Asheville's most popular breweries is coming to Raleigh.
Burial Beer Co.will open at the Transfer Co. Food Hall this fall on Davie Street.
"Our tiny Triangle outpost will allow us to share our finest taproom-only offerings with a larger crowd east," Burial announced on Instagram.
Burial said it is saving Triangle residents their current nine-hour round trip drive to visit its Asheville taproom.
"We aren't making more beer. Expanding our retail reach allows us to be more sustainable, and share a more direct relationship with our customers. It also means more beer for the North Carolinians that held us up high in our infancy, and carried us to be the brewery we now are."
Burial started in 2013 and has experienced rapid growth because of the popularity of its beer.
"We are beyond excited to share our makings, relationships and festivities with the people of the Triangle," says the Burial Beer Co. Instagram post.


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BEER COOP News:
Bathtub Row Brewing Cooperative is now coordinating with the Los Alamos Co+operative Market to provide sandwiches, soups and shared plates at the popular tap room in addition to the wide range of local craft beers.
“By offering our patrons some of the healthy, locally sourced products from the food co+op, we have the chance to both complement our beer production and aid in providing the food co+op with more business and exposure,” said Jason Fitzpatrick, general manager at Bathtub Row.
“The co+op market is excited for the partnership with the Tub!” said Chris Laino, food co+op deli manager. “Amazing beer with amazing food?! Yes please! A perfect example of coops catering to the community that creates and supports them! It’s all for you, Los Alamos!”
Bathtub Row Brewing, located at 163 Central Park Square, has had a successful operation since its April 2015 opening, and the next step, that of providing a few in-house meals, was just a logical one, Fitzpatrick said. Even more logical was the idea of teaming with the Los Alamos Co+operative Market, whose deli counter menu items, including vegetarian and gluten-free options, have been drawing rave reviews.
“The whole concept of cooperative businesses, especially in a small town such as Los Alamos, calls for teamwork, and when high-quality foods and beverages can both be offered, everyone will benefit,” Fitzpatrick said. “We will offer a selection of sandwiches, soups and shared plates from the food co+op, varying daily, and I think our customers will really enjoy this addition to Bathtub Row Brewing.”
Both co-operatives operate on a member-owner basis, with annual and life memberships to each of them available, and each is operated by a local board of directors. The Los Alamos Co+operative Market is located at 95 Entrada, near the airport and the Holiday Inn Express.
For more information about the food co+op, click website. For additional information about Bathtub Row Brewing’s hours, entertainment and membership, see them online here.


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Ahead of September’s United Nations Food Systems Summit and this fall’s U.N. Climate Summit (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the Carbon Pricing Food Coalition is issuing an open letter calling on the heads of the U.N. member states with the highest meat consumption calling for the application of carbon pricing to meat and dairy products.
“Lower levels of animal protein consumption will not only improve national public health… but will also simultaneously reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity.”
The Carbon Pricing Food Coalition, which supports this #futurefoodpricing initiative, is concerned about climate change and the lack of political decisiveness for taxing food with a high climate footprint and making climate-friendly food cheaper. World leaders are asked to look closely at a levy on meat and dairy.
The following letter is a call for change, for a better future. The aim is to make world leaders and politicians acquainted with the benefits of a meat tax, a fair meat price. According to surveys, a majority supports this plan, if tax revenues are used to compensate consumers and farmers.
Companies and organizations that already signed the letter come from the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, USA, Switzerland, and other nations. The coalition is calling on advocacy organizations in 50 countries to sign, too.
Dear Head of State,
We are the Carbon Pricing for Food Coalition, a group of companies, non-profit organizations, and U.N. member nations. We are writing to you about your ambitious support to the Paris Climate Agreement and how you can improve your national determined contributions, by applying carbon pricing on food. We suggest starting with meat and dairy and reducing taxes on healthy food.
Lower levels of animal protein consumption will not only improve national public health, thus reducing health costs, but will also simultaneously reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. If global meat and dairy consumption were to expand to higher levels per capita (business as usual) it will become impossible to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. Meat and dairy production accounts for at least 14.5% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is projected to account for up to 81% of the 1.5°C emissions budget by 2050 if consumption continues unabated.
We call on 50 Member States (35 OECD and 15 other countries) engaged in the U.N. Food Systems Summit, CBD Biodiversity Conference, and Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, to:
- Publicly announce carbon pricing of meat and dairy or starting feasibility studies. In this way, a healthy and sustainable food system can be realized, delivering nutritious food for all within Paris Climate targets, planetary boundaries, and dietary guidelines.
- Use revenues of higher meat/dairy prices (taxes) to compensate low income groups: e.g. by reducing taxes for low carbon food (vegetables, fruits, vegan meals) and by compensating farmers: subsidies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, other emissions or livestock.
In your country, meat consumption levels are above (inter)national dietary health guidelines and exceeding the guidelines for food consumption that takes into account planetary boundaries. The EAT Lancet Commission advised a maximum consumption of 300 gram per week, or 16 kilograms of annual meat consumption per capita.
Countries with a meat consumption level above health guidelines should take the lead in reducing meat consumption. Reducing consumption of meat and dairy per capita in the 50 developed countries that have the highest meat consumption levels per capita has become imperative for human and planetary health.
We have already informed your ministers of climate, agriculture and finance. Please accept our proposal to consider or announce carbon pricing of meat and dairy, and reduce prices for healthy food. We propose that you make your announcement before the U.N. Summit for Food, Biodiversity or Climate. Thank you very much for your reply.
With kind regards,
Prof. Pier Vellinga; Chair, True Animal Protein Price Coalition
Jeroom Remmers; Director, True Animal Protein Price Coalition


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Microsoft’s Surface line of hybrid Windows 10 devices has received its fair share of accolades, particularly since the Surface Pro 3 was released in June 2014. Unfortunately, it’s also generated significant frustration among users due to a host of driver and firmware issues. Today, Microsoft issued its September 2016 update to provide some additional relief to Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and Surface 3 users.
This isn’t the first set of drivers that Microsoft has released to resolve some nagging problems in the company’s latest 2-in-1s. Things were bad enough in December 2015 that Microsoft felt compelled to issue an apology to users for a “less-than-perfect experience.” Numerous firmware and driver versions have apparently rendered the machines more stable, if not yet perfect.
First, the iPad-competitor Surface 3 received the fewest updates, aimed primarily at fixing modem performance issues. Surface 3 LTE versions received different updates for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
Next, the Surface Pro 4 received a fair number of new drivers. Most of the updates are aimed at resolving battery life issues, such as improving battery life and increasing stability when the machine changes from one power state to another. Pen pairing was improved, touch stability was addressed, and screen brightness when resumed from sleep was optimized.
Finally, the Surface Book received a similar set of updates as the Surface Pro 4. In addition to the same battery, touch, pen, and screen fixes, the Surface Book also received new drivers to optimize log file storage space management.


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The mobile operator has admitted that an employee is facing prosecution after selling personal details of thousands of British customers to rival companies in an alleged major breach of data protection laws.
In a statement, T-Mobile UK, part of Deutsche Telekom, said it had contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after discovering an employee was passing on the information and it believed the investigation would result in a prosecution.
“While it is deeply regrettable that customer information has been misappropriated in this way, we have proactively supported the ICO to help stamp out what is a problem for the whole industry,” the company says.
Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said the data was sold for “substantial amounts of money” to brokers working for other mobile phone companies.
The privacy watchdog said it planned to prosecute and would push for jail terms for anyone convicted. Rival companies bought the information and used it to make cold calls to the customers offering them a new contract with a new network.


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Goppingen, May 19, 2021 – TeamViewer, a leading global provider of remote connectivity and workplace digitalization solutions today introduced a new mobile app – lifeAR – for the consumer market. The app for iPhones and Android smartphones is bridging the gap between digital conversations with friends and family, and the physical world, by enabling users to interact with each other through location-aware AR annotations. The app can be beneficial in various mobile and on-the-go use cases – from supporting others in hard-to-describe situations to joint shopping experiences or simple social interactions. For example, when someone needs assistance cranking up a BBQ grill at a house party or when a teen needs some friends’ opinions to pick the perfect pair of shoes – lifeAR is there to get help.
The lifeAR app enables mobile-to-mobile group video calls with up to six participants, who can attach a range of AR markers, emojis, text and drawings to the real-world surrounding them, shared and jointly watched live through the camera feed from one of the participants’ phones. AR annotations are permanently attached to real-life objects, even if the device view is momentarily panned away from those objects. Color-coded annotations allow for easy user differentiation and interaction during the experience. Additionally, the app can also be used to create “how-to” video tutorials for any type of activity. All sessions can be recorded, paused for making screenshots, and instantly shared on social media from within the app.
The new app builds on TeamViewer’s successful trajectory in the field of AR-based remote support. It leverages cutting-edge AR technology such as Apple’s LiDAR scanner and ARKit, as well as Google’s Depth API within ARCore to realize precise annotation placements in 3D environments. This technology is already part of TeamViewer’s enterprise AR solutions and used by numerous companies across all verticals.
TeamViewer’s CPO Hendrik Witt said: “We are excited to introduce lifeAR to all consumers around the globe. Democratizing technology is part of our DNA. This is how TeamViewer started. Over the years, our standard TeamViewer software has been downloaded more than 2.5 bn times and became the embodiment for remote IT support. With lifeAR, we want to go one step further. It was our goal to develop a product enabling people to help each other with everyday challenges, for troubleshooting, knowledge sharing, decision-making, and AR-based social interaction. With lifeAR, we make industry-proven AR technology accessible – for free and for everyone, in every situation. We look forward to hearing about the endless creative scenarios people will come up with while leveraging the power of lifeAR and we are sure this will also fuel our enterprise AR product roadmap.”
The lifeAR app is showcased for the first time in an online interaction between TeamViewer’s CEO Oliver Steil and Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. Following TeamViewer’s recent announcement establishing a partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 racing team, TeamViewer’s official branding on the racing car is revealed within a lifeAR session ahead of the reputable Monaco Grand Prix.
lifeAR is available for iPhones and Android smartphones from May 19th, 2021 on and is free of charge.
Download the app at get.lifear.app


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After the initial surge triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, online grocery usage remains elevated in the United States. Max Pedro, co-founder and CEO of micro-fulfillment specialist Takeoff Technologies, aims to help grocery retailers not only handle that high demand but also improve their profit equation.
Marketing firm Acosta reports that nearly 70% of consumers now shop for groceries online at least some of the time, compared with about 40% at the start of both 2021 and 2020. What’s more, an analysis by Brick Meets Click reveals that supermarkets’ established online grocery users — that is, those who have shopped online with a grocer for over 60 weeks — generate 3.5 times more revenue than new digital shoppers. Those are customers worth keeping happy.
Micro-fulfillment has gained traction among grocery retailers of all sizes as a way to support rising e-grocery transactions. The scalable, automated solution is seen as an effective option to process more orders faster, provide more capacity for core products and reduce the cost-to-serve — as well as deploy quickly and at less expense.
Waltham, Mass.-based Takeoff has engaged in projects for micro-fulfillment centers, or MFCs, with U.S. grocery retailers such as Albertsons Cos., Ahold Delhaize USA, Sedano’s Supermarkets and Big Y Foods, as well as grocery retail/wholesale cooperatives Wakefern Food Corp. and Associated Wholesale Grocers.
“Right now, we have 22 live MFCs. It’s really exciting, the results that our clients are getting out of these investments,” Pedro said in an interview with Supermarket News. “We are proud to say that we believe we’re the only MFC company allowing these retailer to get that return on their investment. We founded this company with one dream: Make supermarkets that want to sell their groceries online profitable.”


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MERCEDES LEADING – The IAA Mobility in Munich, which will take place from 7 to 12 September 2021 (who read more), will mark a fresh start for the international show season. The great protagonist will be the Mercedes, which will bring a total of eight previews, five of which powered by the electric motor, including the first Smart SUV (who to know more).
LET’S TAKE A PEEK – Among the most awaited news is the Mercedes EQE, a luxury electric sedan, similar in size to the E-Class, belonging to the EQ family. The German house has released two teaser images where you can see the trend of the tail, in perfect coupé style, and the rear lights connected by a red LED line. The EQE is based on the same EVA platform as the flagship EQS (first contact here) and will be produced in the German plant in Bremen and in the Chinese plant in Beijing.
OTHER NEWS – Among the other novelties of Mercedes for the IIA Mobility there will be the seven-seater version of the EQB electric SUV, a concept that anticipates the future of the luxury brand Maybach in the era of electric mobility and the Mercedes-AMG C63 with the new system hybrid E Performance, based on a 4-cylinder engine, the first of a new family of high-performance plug-in hybrid engines (who to know more).


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In this article on Forbes.com, our client, Hank Cardello, discusses the need for food companies to improve their food and drink formulations. Governments outside of the U.S. are promoting black “stop signs” and “traffic light” labels for ingredients on packaging. These methods will spread to the U.S., and food companies there will have to make public commitments to lower calories, sugar, salt, and fats in their food.
Cardello’s research has found that for many food companies better-for-you products have sold better than less healthy ones. Instead of fighting this change, the food industry should get ahead of it.


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Nov 19th - Watch Dogs released yesterday, giving us the first look at shots taken exclusively from the Wii U version of the game.
Nov 4th - Nintendo has announced another Nintendo Direct that will take place on Wednesday, November 5.
Oct 13th - Warner Bros. Interactive showcased LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham at NYC Comic Con this past weekend.
Oct 10th - New screenshots from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker showcase several different environments for the upcoming game.
Sep 18th - We're always happy to see people customizing their consoles and accessories to give them more of a personal feel, and another eye catching modification has made its way to...
Sep 4th - Nintendo has released a few photos from its PAX Prime event this past weekend in Seattle.
Aug 25th - Another leak of Super Smash Bros. showcases the Nintendo 3DS interface, as well as several of the trophies.
Aug 19th - SteamWorld Dig has an official release date of August 28 for Wii U eShop.
Aug 13th - With this, the last of the Kirby gang has been confirmed for Smash Bros.
Jul 24th - Tons of new information has been revealed about Hyrule Warriors, including abilities for three new characters.
Jul 24th - Several new characters have been revealed by Sega for the Sonic Boom universe.
Jul 23rd - New scans for this week's Famitsu magazine have leaked, showing off character designs for three new characters.
Jul 10th - Tecmo Koei has updated the official Hyrule Warriors website with tons of new images from the game.
Jun 26th - Majora's Mask makes an appearance in Hyrule Warriors and it's a spectacular sight to behold.
Jun 10th - Nintendo kicked off their E3 2014 Digital Press Event with a look at some cool new features in Super Smash Brothers Wii U. Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Iwata went...
Apr 29th - New information on the characters and world along with a ton of new screenshots have been revealed!
Apr 8th - Today's Nintendo Direct announced two new characters, both hailing from the Pokemon series!


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Milk prices this year have more than erased the gains they scored for all of 2019, as the closure of restaurants and schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 forced changes in the dairy market and in consumer buying behavior.
“The dairy industry remains stuck in a challenging and unfortunate position” because the processing pipeline is becoming backed up due to the abrupt loss in demand, says Rick Kment, market analyst at commodity analysis provider DTN.
Milk is a perishable product and the “ability to store it unprocessed for more than a couple of days is nearly impossible,” he says, adding that with processing plants at full capacity, farmers have had to dump excess milk.
Most-active futures prices for Class III milk DAM20, 0.41%, which is used to make most types of cheese, settled at $12.11 per hundredweight on Thursday—the lowest since September 2009. Class III milk has lost around 37% year to date, erasing last year’s 35% climb.
Meanwhile, the Thursday finish for cash-settled cheese futures CSCK20, 0.92% at $1.184 a pound was a record low based on data going back to 2010.
The impact of the coronavirus hit the dairy industry in waves, says Matt Gould, editor at newsletter The Dairy Market Analyst. The first wave was at the end of January, when the disease was rapidly spreading in China. The impact of the shutdowns there was immediately felt in the nonfat dry-milk market, says Gould.
The next wave came as states in the U.S. began to shut down, which led to a boost in purchases of pizza, he says. Pizza accounts for much of the country’s demand for cheese, which is made from milk.
Then there was a run to grocery stores, which strained the supply chain for fluid milk and saw a period of record sales for milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt. Dairy commodity prices did not initially fall, Gould says.
But when refrigerators were restocked, consumers stopped ordering in and grocery store sales weren’t enough to offset the losses from restaurant sales, he explains.
Gould estimates domestic cheese demand loss from the food-service industry at 214 million pounds each month, which equals 2.1 billion less pounds of milk, or about 11% of all the milk produced during the month.
Gould forecasts a drop in Class III milk prices to a low of $8.95 per hundredweight in June, which he says would be a record based on data going back to 1998.
Still, the dairy industry has made moves that will lessen the blow of lost demand and the drop in prices.
Those include the dumping of excess milk at levels that are likely “substantially” larger than normally seen in the spring, when production seasonally peaks, says David Maloni, executive vice president of food-service supply-chain technology firm ArrowStream.
Cow herd “liquidation” is also anticipated in the coming months and this should “lead to much tighter milk and dairy product supplies and higher prices later this year,” Maloni says.
He also says, “U.S. dairy markets have fallen substantially below other major exporting countries’ prices,” and that should result in “better export demand in the not-so-distant future.”
An early sign of a turnaround may come from China.
“The single most important factor for dairy prices to rebound is improved buying patterns in China,” says Arun Sundaram, equity analyst at CFRA Research.
“Agricultural commodity prices should improve once we start to see greater, more consistent agricultural product purchases from China.” After its bout with the virus, the Chinese economy is beginning to open up again.


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Graduates are interviewed at a job fair in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, in June. [Photo/Xinhua]
Government makes renewed commitment to sector
Grain authorities will intensify supervision over inventories that are not up to food safety standards, such as those that have passed their expiration dates, to ensure they do not reach the market for consumption, he said.
Growth of operations at nearby port, smarter farming lead to success
Google is partnering?with local retailers in select markets to launch same-day delivery. Google Shopping Express is expected to generate revenues from ads — not product sales.
Governmental micro blogs first appeared about five years ago. They have grown in popularity among officials and are used by authorities to explain policies and address emergencies, the report said.
Grassland Dairy Products Inc. in Greenwood, Wisconsin, said it has lost Canadian business valued at as much as 0 million annually in the last week.
Great Wall Motors said it sold 115,015 new cars in October, increasing 4.48 percent year-on-year, and 15 percent compared to September.According to Geely, the carmaker sold 130,180 units last month with a slight increase of 1 percent year-on-year. Their total sales of the first 10 months reached 1.09 million.


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In recent years, major investments have been made in the development of shopping centers (TC) in Rīga. Two years ago, the shopping-and-entertainment center “Akropole” and a new mall Sāga opened. TC “Origo”, also “Alfa”, were expanded, investing around €55 million. Mārtiņš Vanags, Chairman of the Alliance of Real Estate Designers, said that Latvia still trails significantly behind Lithuania and Estonia in office and housing construction but there are no significant differences in terms of trading centers.
The “Alfa” deal is the largest in the past 10 years, most likely in the Baltic. “It is a good sign, because it shows that the business has been able to develop in the Baltic so that objects of the scale of “Alfa” are also at the disposal of players in the Baltic market,” said Vanags.
Inguna Gulbe, head of the agricultural market promotion center, said that changing the owners of the shopping center “Alfa” would not have a significant impact on the retail sector.
“I think nothing very radical and the cardinal will change. The brands and assortment that were there will remain roughly the same. If you look at what is in the Akropolis of Lithuania and Riga – there are no big differences. A noticeable change that might be, as it has also been observed in other places, that the network of “Rimi” shops is being replaced by the “Maxima” network. Both are equivalent chains with roughly the same quality and assortment.
“[To talk] about whether there is too much concentration is difficult in Latvia because any major company in Latvia is very small on the background of large companies in the European Union. Looking at what is happening at the moment, the center malls are empty, for example, the 'Galerija Centrs' is very empty because many work remotely. We see a lot of supermarket tenant sites empty because Covid has had an impact. But “Spice,” “Alfa” are full, you can't even park,” Gulbe said.
Representatives of the Rimi network, which leases premises in Alfa, declined to comment because they have not yet met the new owners of the mall. The merger of Akropolis and Alfa will be further examined by the Competition Council (KP), which evaluates the merger of all large companies.
Economist Dāvis Perševics, the economic analysis department of KP explained: “The Competition Council needs to assess mergers of large companies so that there is not too much concentration in a particular market. [..] We are looking at which markets overlap the activities of the merging parties, through a variety of economic analyses. Of course, if it affects the Maxima and Rimi markets, it will also be assessed.”
However, Vanags acknowledged that shopping malls have still not recovered from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and are looking at the future cautiously.
He said: “The retail sector was directly affected, actually banned from operating by government decisions. Shopping centers have lost around €65 million since last spring. It was a few months when only grocery stores and pharmacies could work in malls, and the revenue fell by as much as 80%.
“Of course, the malls also received aid from the government, but they cover if a quarter of the losses. At the moment, the situation is much better than it was in winter, because it is simply allowed to work and there is no need to look for innovative ways to trade outside, which do not exactly match the profiles of the mall. Overall, the mood is cautiously optimistic. But the big question, of course, is what will happen in the fall. All centers have vaccination points so that the common desire is to overcome this pandemic and to continue life and business in a normal way.”


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Simon Property Group is embracing the mixed-use format as a way to rework some of its existing retail properties and squeeze out more revenue as part of a new program, which the mall owner is calling "Version 5.0." The nation's largest mall owner could spend as much as $1 billion on this new program.
As part of Version 5.0--the fifth type of platform the firm uses in designing centers--Simon will partner with residential, hotel, office and other developers to create alternative uses for space at its malls, or sell the air rights for development atop its properties.
"We call it asset intensification," said Chief Executive David Simon, speaking yesterday at the Smith Barney REIT CEO Conference in Florida.
The program comes to light just one week after the proposed Federated/May department store merger was announced and at a time when more shakeout is anticipated. For Simon, this will be a way for it to recycle abandoned department store space and use pads and outparcels. At some centers, Simon is considering vertical expansion by adding high-rise residential towers and hotels. It's also considering putting self-storage facilities in the back of parking lots, said David Simon.
"If we get back department stores, the highest and best use would be high-rise residential towers," the audience was told. In the past, Simon has been able to get more rent for abandoned anchor space through a variety of uses.
Examples of Version 5.0 include the addition of a hotel and residential units to St. John's Town Center, which opens later this month in Jacksonville, Fla. Also, Simon plans to add a residential component to Domain shopping center in Austin, Tex., and 100,000 square feet of office space at Firewheel Town Center in Dallas, scheduled to open in October.
Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island, New York, and The Galleria in Houston represent opportunities for future expansion by building on outparcels and possibly adding high-rise condos, Simon said.
Anchored retail space will remain the driving force behind Simon developments, Simon said. Adding multiple uses appeals to retailers because the concept expands the shopping day, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
-- Beth Karlin


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CHARMING CHARLIE KICKS OFF PARTNERSHIP WITH K.I.D.S./FASHION DELIVERS WITH
$3.7M ACCESSORIES DONATION AND #GIVINGTUESDAY EVENT TO HELP WOMEN
SMILE, SPARKLE, AND SHINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Retailer Aims to Raise Additional Funds During the Month of December
Houston, TX (November 24, 2015) – Charming Charlie, the rapidly growing women’s contemporary jewelry and accessory retailer, today announced it donated more than $3.7M of product to women in need through its charitable giving partnership with the nonprofit organization K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers. Over 260,000 pieces were recently given away to various community partners aiding women impacted by poverty and tragedy across the country in an effort to bring happiness and hope during the holidays.
On December 1st , #GivingTuesday, Charming Charlie will host a special shopping event from 5 – 8pm at its New York City flagship to help raise additional monetary support for the organization. Lifestyle blogger Kimberly Smith of Penny Pincher Fashion will host the celebration, while customers can shop for a good case with 10% of the evening’s proceeds going back to K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers. The brand is also encouraging its customers to donate online now through December 31st at: www.charmingcharlie.com/gives-back.
“We are committed to giving back to our local communities through associate volunteerism as well as product and monetary donations and always strive to do our best to transform the lives of women in need,” said Charlie Chanaratsopon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Charming Charlie. “We believe the perfect accessory has the power to make you feel great about yourself so it’s our hope to create a few more smiles this holiday season.”
“We are so thankful to Charming Charlie for their generous donation of beautiful women’s accessories,” said Lisa Gurwitch, President & CEO of K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers. “We are directing the donated merchandise to charities located in each store’s community that are helping and empowering women. Giving the charity clients something that is new can help raise their hope, dignity and self-esteem. We are also excited about the opportunity for Charming Charlie’s customers to become involved through the donation of cash online that helps distribute the donated product to those who need it.”
The brand’s current social media campaign, #charmthem, which encourages consumers to post a picture in Charming Charlie and tag a friend they’d like to make smile, sparkle and shine for a chance to receive free gifts, is just another one of the retailer’s efforts to spread happiness this time of year. In addition to its holiday efforts, Charming Charlie Gives Back, the organization’s charitable giving program, also offers customers the opportunity to do good year-round through its Fabulous Fundraisers; an initiative that allows community members the opportunity to host events in the stores, donating a portion of the proceeds to the non-profit organization of their choice.
Charming Charlie is a women’s contemporary jewelry and accessories retailer that offers unrivaled value through high quality style and an accessible price. Launched in 2004 by Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Chanaratsopon, the brand is known for merchandising its broad assortment of product by color, which includes fashion jewelry, handbags, accessories, apparel, footwear and more, ranging in price from $5 to $150 for select limited edition items. Charming Charlie has more than 350 global retail stores across the United States, Canada and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.charmingcharlie.com.


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About 30 or so young Greenpointers lazed around Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave) last Thursday, drinking free craft beer from plastic cups and, time to time, gazing at pictures of cats and meme-inspired captions scrawled on canvases.
Artist Scott Chasse, creator of “OMG Webcats,” casually bearded, wearing a loose, unbuttoned shirt, popped around the room. Is there a hidden message to these trite, pop-culture images that have been art-ified?
Chasse says it’s more about the craft than any hard-to-discern message. “It’s not trying to make anyone think too hard. Yet it took a lot of thought into it to make it that way,” he said. Chasse, who lives and works in Greenpoint (he runs the Calico gallery at 67 West Street), aims to create images that impress without challenging.
“I don’t want anybody to feel as though it’s inaccessible or that you can’t understand it,” he added.
Brouwerij Lane changes the art it displays on its welcoming worn-brick walls every four to six weeks and hosted the reception to kick off Chasse’s residency. The store has hosted art openings like this for the last three years of its four-year existence.
Manager Erik Olsen was leaning against the glass-doored refrigerators of beer. “I love it,” Olsen said of the art. “It cracks me up but I’m not exactly sure why.”
Groups of people clustered around the pictures and laughed. Three guys, here for the free beer, stood near the far corner. One of them, Tim, liked a large piece that said, “OMG I butt-dialed 911.”
“I liked that one,” Tim said. “Yeah, that one had me laughing while I was getting my free beer over there.”
OMG WEBCATS Retrospective: “Then & Meow” at Brouwerij Lane thru mid-Sept.


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(Ap) – In the bestselling novel “the Oracle” — optioned by WarnerMedia for the future of HBO and Max streaming services, also the daughter of the Greek god Helios, tame wild animals, and the threats of the gods.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (L), Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” pose backstage with their award for Drama Series at the 68th prime-time Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, united states, September 18, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake
WarnerMedia managers want to know “Oracle” is to make himself a power: it is to attract younger viewers to the company’s late entry into the streaming video war.
HBO, Max, who will be the HBO-plus-movies, original shows, and classic TELEVISION shows “Friends,” and will be available from this spring, up to 10 million AT&T customers who are also HBO subscribers in the United States of america, without extra charge, according to AT&T, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, John Stankey, stated the figures for the first time in an interview with Reuters.
These are some of the clients that are currently paying for AT&T-proprietary product, such as DirecTV or AT&T’s wireless phone service.
By 2025, AT&T aims to reach about 80 million worldwide users with about 50 million in the United States of america, as a source briefed on the plans told Reuters. They are ambitious objectives that are in line with Netflix Inc’s (NFLX.(O) in its early stages, and it is in the mid range of Disney+ Walt Disney Co. (DIS.(N) rival, Netflix, is set to launch on Nov. 12.
WarnerMedia is hoped that this service will get a boost in 2021, at the start of an advertising-supported option to get it at a lower price, insiders said.
Since the launch of the ad-supported option, the company will be in the live shows on HBO and Max.
As a long-term goal for the COLLEGE there is also have to help in the case of at&T to retain wireless subscribers, according to the managers, and the company has some wireless, and DirecTV satellite in order to get to know more about the consumer, and, in turn, will charge higher rates to advertisers.
As one of the last entries in the streaming wars, HBO, Max is faced with a tough competitive landscape. Even though the Warner Brothers ‘ archive that contains thousands of films and TV series such as “The Shining”, and “Scooby-Doo” it doesn’t have the same brand and Disney properties such as Pixar or Marvel.
For the price, it can also be a problem, HBO-Max, it is likely to cost slightly more than the $14.99 for the company, and the costs of education, which is considerably more than the competing service to Apple Inc’s (AAPL.(O) ($4.99), and Disney ($6.99), and a little higher than the standard $12.99, Netflix plans.
The sale of the COLLEGE Max free, from the set of HBO’s service has its own set of challenges. Stankey to HBO’s 35 million of the nation’s subscriber base, which includes the 10 million customers of AT&T’s controls, HBO and Max. It does this by renegotiating deals with pay-TV providers, which are wary of with the help of AT&T, advance of their video customers.
And while AT&T executives believe that HBO and Max was able to reduce churn in the mobile-phone company, to boost profits, the connection is not clear.
- Factbox: What are the HBO subscribers get HBO / Max at no additional cost!
AT&T has not been seen for more improvement (in churn), with the wireless/video combination then It has seen no to that,” said MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett.
ON THE ROAD TO GROWTH
AT&T, saddled with $162 billion in debt, is facing a series of challenges. The activist investor, Elliott Management, has expressed skepticism about Stankey, considered to be the heir apparent to the CEO, Randall Stephenson.
There is a push by AT&T to justify its $85-billion takeover of Time Warner, now it’s called WarnerMedia — which is due in February, and to consider the handling of the $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV, which is a quick view over the lake and clients.
“The success of the HBO / Max and is based on the ability of the company to rationalize why the companies with which AT&T bought it), all in one place,” said Stankey earlier this month.
WarnerMedia will be announcing HBO / Max, pricing, and details on the Oct. 29. In interviews with Reuters, Stankey, and Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of the WarnerMedia, Entertainment, and Direct-to-Consumer, is spelled with a plan to be aggressive, to expand the COLLEGE’s base.
The key to this growth and to be able to continue to enjoy the content and the style of the school and the company describes it as “quality; industry-watchers say “sexy” or “edgy” — to the current over-40 audience, and while extending it to a younger audience that are used to stream the content and you don’t want to pay for cable.
“We know that there are 75 million people in the range of two up to young adults, that are available to us as potential new members who are not part of the school world,” said Greenblatt.
That will focus the investment in shows like “Circe”, a Gremlins animated series, and a reboot of “Gossip Girl,” which is going to appeal to the under-40 crowd.
WarnerMedia is to invest in children’s content, and the “Sesame Street” on HBO and Max.
Even if it extends beyond the traditional HBO programming executives want to position the new service as well as anything else on Netflix, which is AT&T’s Stephenson is compared to Walmart in 2018 and beyond, a conference of signatories. They use a variety of euphemisms to make this distinction: the “carefully selected” to “Not Walmart”, go to “Premium.” They warn, “the public interest”.
Another possibility is to extend the promotion of the school-Up to DirecTV customers who do not already have a subscription to HBO. “We don’t have to purchase DirecTV, as the satellite,” said Stankey. “We bought DirecTV because we like to keep it’s customer base and the customer base can be migrated to a more on-demand based products and services.”
FILE PHOTO: HBO logo will appear on the display during an Apple event in San Francisco, California, USA, March 9, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo
Stankey also hinted at the possibility of bundling HBO / Max, AT&T wireless service plans. T-Mobile will give away on Netflix, some of the customers, and Verizon is providing a free year of Disney’s ” up ” (+some of our customers.
On Tuesday, Stankey, Greenblatt, and others, will be revealing their plans to the investor, on the same stage where the Warner Brothers ‘ shot of actress Judy Garland’s comeback film “A Star is Born.”
Their performance will be at the AT&T’s future.
Report by Helen Coster and Kenneth Li in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker


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So far this has been confirmed for the South Korean market and there is no news on whether these colors will appear in international markets or not
The two new color choices for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo have recently appeared in the updated version of the Samsung catalog for South Korea and now it appears that the phablet is going to hit the markets in the home country soon enough in two tones of pink and red. However, we still don’t know when exactly this new toned Samsung product is going to make an official appearance in the market. We are also expecting these new tones to become part of the upcoming Galaxy Note 3 Neo La Fleur line-up.
Don't Miss: Today's Electronics Bargains at Woot.com
There is still no confirmation regarding whether these color options will be available to customers outside South Korea or not but if we track what the historical trend has been then we can be sure of an international offering as well. Getting back to the product itself, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo launched in the last day of January this year and is a 5.5" phablet with an impressive 720p Super AMOLED display. The phone runs on the popular hexa-core chipset, which consists of two 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 cores and four 1.3GHz Cortex A7 cores, while the HSPA+ features a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU. The storage space is also pretty sufficient with 2 GB worth of RAM and an internal built in storage of 16 GB.


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A company operating in the shadow of government regulators has some very particular rules about what workers can say about it. The platform is trying to address growing concern that falsehoods could lead to instability. Most of the changes will start on Oct. 20. The luxury tour operator Belmond is offering a Wine Academy on three Burgundy-based barges. People are getting defrauded as they turn to Squares Cash App and PayPals nodict Venmo to do more online banking in the pandemic. Nigeria's leading celebrities and activists have organized mass protests across major cities in the country Friday demanding an end to police brutality in the country.


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Techztalk or TZT is a blog about latest in tech world.
May 22, 2009
Next Generation iPhone Rumor Roundup
For past few days iPhone rumor mill has been in full flow. It all started with report from AppleiPhoneapps.com that said next generation iPhone will ship on 17th July with up to 32GB storage, 3.2-megapixel camera, OLED screen, faster processer, more RAM and compass. John Gruber of Daring Fireball corroborated the rumors and added that with faster CPU and more RAM app launching and web page rendering speed will see significant improvement. Read More


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Apple Notebook Media Event Today at 10am pst, 1am est
This morning on the west coast Steve Jobs and Apple will present more updates and innovative details to their Notebook collection. Rumors have been flying left and right and there is even the talk of an $800 notebook that may be released. According to other sources, however, “it seems the $899 product (K29, MB382LL/A) that has appeared on Apple’s product lists is likely an LED Apple Cinema Display and not a low-end MacBook.”
The same site, however, states that, “If Apple does introduce a $899 low end MacBook, analyst research suggests that it will increase the addressable notebook market by nearly 50% in terms of revenue”.
Whichever might be coming around the corner, its clear that this event will be interesting to follow in light of Wall Street and our current economic state. Will Jobs and Apple try to make their notebooks more accessible and lower prices, or continue to plug along and keep prices the same? What are their new innovations and how will they affect the Apple Notebooks?
Gizmodo.com, Engadget.com, ArsTechnica, Macworld have live keynote coverage and we’ll be updating later today with information about the presentation. Check back this week as we discuss the changes and updates to Apple Notebooks at TweakOSX.


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Supermarkets slash fuel prices
In the latest round of cuts, Sainsbury's is reducing its petrol by up to 6p a litre and its diesel by up to 4p a litre.
%VIRTUAL-SkimlinksPromo%This means customers will pay no more than 129.9p a litre for petrol and 136.9p for diesel, with the reductions taking place from tomorrow.
Also from tomorrow, Asda is cutting prices, too, with its customers paying no mo re than 128.7p a litre for petrol and 135.7p for diesel. This is the latest in a series of reductions by Asda.
Andy Peake, Asda's petrol trading director, said: "Families across Britain are crying out for help when it comes to managing their budgets and we know every fuel reduction makes a real difference."
Richard Crampton, Sainsbury's head of fuel, said: "We want our customers to benefit from the recent drop in the wholesale price of fuel."
Pete Williams, the RAC's head of external affairs said he was pleased major fuel retailers were passing on the wholesale price drop to motorists.
He went on: "It may only seem a small saving per tank but the overall savings really add up over time and it's important that the retailers pass on these savings as quickly as possible to maintain the confidence and trust of motorists."


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A post-Brexit commerce deal “can and have to be made”, the organisation representing British companies has mentioned forward of additional UK-EU commerce talks on Monday.
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, the boss of the Confederation of British Trade, mentioned it was the time for “the spirit of compromise to shine via”.
The Brexit transition interval, wherein the UK has saved to EU buying and selling guidelines, ends on 31 December.
The UK and EU are but to agree a deal that may govern their future commerce.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has mentioned a commerce settlement with the EU have to be performed by 15 October if it will be prepared for the beginning of 2021.
However regardless of this, talks have run into issues. There are nonetheless key factors of disagreement – together with, for instance, on fishing.
The following official spherical of talks – the ninth since March – begins on 28 September.
The CBI carried out a survey of 648 firms which discovered solely 4% mentioned they would favor no deal to be agreed on commerce.
And half of companies mentioned the influence of coping with the coronavirus had negatively affected their preparations for subsequent yr, when the transition interval ends.
“Subsequent week Brexit talks enter the 11th hour,” mentioned Dame Carolyn. “Now have to be the time for political management and the spirit of compromise to shine via on either side. A deal can and have to be made.
“Companies face a hat-trick of unprecedented challenges – rebuilding from the primary wave of Covid-19, coping with the resurgence of the virus and getting ready for vital adjustments to the UK’s buying and selling relationship with the EU.”
She added: “A great deal will present the strongest potential basis as nations construct again from the pandemic.
“It could maintain UK companies aggressive by minimising purple tape and further prices, liberating much-needed time and useful resource to beat the troublesome occasions forward.”
According to BBC Europe editor Katya Adler, one EU diplomat mentioned the 2 sides had been “90% there” on agreeing technical points.
The diplomat mentioned the “remaining 10% is political” and “if that may’t be solved, then the 90% is irrelevant”.
Any commerce settlement will goal to remove tariffs and cut back different commerce boundaries. It’ll additionally goal to cowl each items and providers.
If negotiators fail to succeed in a deal, the UK faces the prospect of buying and selling with the EU below the essential guidelines set by the World Commerce Group (WTO).
If the UK has to commerce below WTO guidelines, tariffs will probably be utilized to most items which UK companies ship to the EU.
This may make UK items dearer and tougher to promote in Europe. The UK may additionally do that to EU items, if it chooses to.


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Neiman Marcus and InCircle, Neiman Marcus’ loyalty member program, celebrated jewelry collections by designers Irene Neuwirth, Anita Ko, Jennifer Meyer, Hoorsenbuhs, Suzanne Kalan at a brunch hosted at the Sheats-Goldstein residence in Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2022. Clients from across the country, including InCircle members, were able to meet and greet the designers as well as explore the new sparkling pieces.
“We know that our customers appreciate one-of-a-kind luxury experiences, and we are focused on creating an engaging, immersive event for them” said Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer for Neiman Marcus. “We created a truly special experience for top customers to have a first look at the remarkable collections of these forward-looking jewelry designers.”
Guests included Suzanne Kalan, Anita Ko, Kether Parker, Mariel Haenn, Bryan Greenberg, Jamie Chung, Eric Dickerson, Charli Lloyd, Braxton Berrios, Sophia Culpo, Sage Steele, Elijah Moore, Sarah Davis, Bridget Gless Keller, Josh Flagg, Natalie Bloomingdale, Alexandra Clancy, Terri Kohl and Alessandra Codinha.


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Copyright © 2015
Tag - Mobile network
British pay-TV provider Sky will be moving into the mobile phone business, it has announced. The satellite broadcaster confirmed earlier reports that it would be working with the Telefonica-owned carrier O2 to have wholesale access to its 2G, 3G, and LTE mobile phone network and provide carrier functions to its subscribers, as part of a multi-year deal.
London will be one of the first major cities in the world to be covered by a 5G mobile Internet service, the city's mayor has pledged, among other connectivity claims. Mayor Boris Johnson revealed the city is working with the University of Surrey to develop part of the capital's long-term infrastructure investment plan, which should lead to the 5G mobile network being deployed by 2020.
China Mobile has confirmed that it is about to commence the wide-scale rollout of a TD-LTE mobile network. The largest telco in the world with 655 million customers has announced that it will deploy 20,000 TD-LTE base stations by the end of 2012, increasing to 200,000 by the end of 2013. The announcement is significant as the iPhone is not currently available on the influential network due to incompatibilities, but an LTE-capable iPhone would support TD-LTE.
nova media has released the GlobeSurfer III, a 3G wireless router for the Mac. The router can link to a mobile network using WLAN (802.11 B and G networks) and gigabit Ethernet to distribute the connection. The router supports up to 7.2Mb/s downloads speeds and 5.7Mb/s upload speeds. It also links to the Internet via WLAN connections at 54Mb/s speeds.
Verizon today made a surprise move today and joined the recently established Open Handset Alliance, Google's organization for promoting open software development for cellphones and other handhelds. The move will see Verizon use Google's Linux-based, open-source Android operating system on some phones. The software is an "enabler" that will let Verizon move towards an open platform, says company chief Lowell McAdam.
An upcoming wireless frequency auction in Canada will mirror the 700MHz auction in the US in its attempt to foster genuine competition, says the country's Industry Minister, Jim Prentice. Under a new set of rules, the government will deliberately set aside 40 percent of the available spectrum for companies new to the field in an attempt to prevent incumbents such as Bell or Rogers from shutting out competitors. The amount of airwave space up for grabs will be enough to start a national wireless carrier and offer a fourth alternative that could drive down the high cellular calling and Internet access prices that are hurting customers, Prentice says.
Now AAPL Stock: 95.01 ( + 0.99 )
Swift benchmarking suite goes open-source
Following the release of new betas for all its platforms, Apple on Monday also made a suite of 75 tools for benchmarking Swift-developed coding projects, including libraries for benchmarking functions, a utility for comparing the resulting metrics, and a driver for running them. The company says it is asking the community for help in developing additional benchmarks, as well as further "helper" libraries and overall code review for better stability and performance. Apple plans to include benchmark pull requests in Swift's new continuous integration system as well. http://bit.ly/1W8u0EU
Instagram now supporting multiple accounts
As reported earlier, Instagram is now rolling out support for multiple accounts (up to five) in version 7.1.5 of its iOS app. The feature has been one of the main attractions of third-party Instagram clients, but it is unclear if users must seek out an "add account" preference in the app; additionally, some users are reporting that the ability to add accounts has not yet been added. The company says notifications "depend on when you last logged in, and the number of devices that are logged into that account," suggesting not all notifications across accounts will appear when logged into a given one. http://bit.ly/1moh95p
Pictures of Galaxy S7, Edge leaked
New images have been leaked of Samsung's new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The images of the Galaxy S7 are very similar to a draft leaked earlier this year, with a curved back reminiscent of the iPhone 3G with the normal Samsung camera hump in the upper center of the phone. The picture of the Galaxy S7 Edge as leaked is running a benchmark application showing modest improvements over the S6 line, if accurate. Both models are expected to be formally announced in a February 21 press event hosted by Samsung. http://bit.ly/20Gf07X
Bambooti wooden skins for MacBooks
Bambooti has introduced premium wooden skins for Apple laptops that allow users to customize any design or logo directly on the case. Each Bambooti skin is handcrafted from sustainably managed forests, and are hand sanded and spray-finished to create an ultra smooth exterior. Bambooti's wooden skins start at $65 on the fully-funded Kickstarter which includes a custom design or logo of the user's choice that will be engraved on the product. http://kck.st/1PhE6Sb
Apple Music in Taiwan, now up to 113 countries
Apple Music has now added its 113th country, Taiwan, to its expanding list of areas where it offers its paid subscription service. The price in the country will start at NT$150 (about $4.50 US) for an individual subscription, and that now includes (as it does in the rest of the world) the formerly free-but-ad-supported iTunes Radio feature, which as in other countries will be customized somewhat to offer channels of locally-popular music styles. Apple Music is now available in 16 countries and regions -- including China, India, Russia, and Japan -- where Spotify has not yet arrived.
Invisible wall mount for iPad Pro, mini
Computing hardware mounting company Wall-Smart has announced the availability the new "invisible" wall mount, with models for the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 -- all with no bezel. The invisible mount includes Power Over Ethernet to USB, which allows charging while in-wall, and is available for both drywall and solid surfaces such as solid wood panels or partition walls. Prices vary widely by iPad model, and required mounting hardware. http://bit.ly/1SE5jCO
Kingston buys IronKey secure USB tech
Kingston Digital today announced it has acquired the USB technology and assets of IronKey from Imation. In addition to Kingston's acquisition, encryption services leader DataLocker has purchased the IronKey Enterprise Management Services platform which provides centralized management to encrypted USB drives. Kingston and DataLocker claim that there will be no interruption in service provided, or available products as a result of the consolidations. http://bit.ly/1QQk9SZ


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Latin American economies frequently seem to be in shambles, but there are positive developments on the inflation front as far as Despegar is concerned.
Dennis' Online Travel Briefing
Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Executive Editor and online travel rockstar Dennis Schaal will bring readers exclusive reporting and insight into the business of online travel and digital booking, and how this sector has an impact across the travel industry.
Online Travel This Week
While U.S. and European-based online travel agencies fret about the impact of inflation and potentially softer travel demand, Argentina-based Despegar sees a more stable economic climate on its Latin America home turf.
That’s particularly true in terms of inflation in its two largest markets, Brazil, which accounted for 37 percent of its transactions in the third quarter, and Mexico, which generated 19 percent.
“As we’ve been pointing out over the last few months, we see the macro situation in Latin America slightly different as the one in the U.S. or Europe, although inflation has picked up in the early stages of the year,” CEO Damian Scokin told financial analysts last week as he reviewed the company’s third quarter financials. “If you see Brazil, there’s been deflation in the last couple of months and Mexico remains more stable. So our view is more optimistic on the macro in the region in general when compared to what we see for the U.S. and Europe.”
He added that “Latin America has been used to dealing with inflationary situations very effectively.”
Despegar in the quarter that ended September 30 saw its fourth consecutive quarter of positive results on an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization basis. By that measure, the company earned $12 million in the third quarter of 2022 compared with a loss of $10.3 million a year earlier.
The company said strong travel demand, including the opening of international markets, as well as an increase in its take rate, or commissions, spearheaded the improvements.
On a standard net income basis, Despegar narrowed its losses to $9.3 million in the third quarter from a $23.9 million net loss a year earlier.
Revenue reached $145.6 million, 10 percent higher than pre-pandemic 2019.
Despegar seems in recent years to be successfully growing, in part, through acquisitions, including of loan originator and buy now pay later company Koin in Brazil in 2020, travel agency Best Day in Mexico in 2020, and travel agency Viajanet in Brazil in 2022. Despegar also secured a 51 percent stake in channel manager Stays in 2022, and in the third quarter Despegar reported it had 21,600 vacation rentals on its Stays brand. It is expanding Stays beyond Brazil, its home market.
Despegar said it has increased its market share in Brazil, where gross bookings in the third quarter jumped 9 percent with the opening of international markets, compared to the previous quarter. Gross bookings in Mexico fell 9 percent sequentially, largely tied to seasonality.
Not many major online travel agencies break out their fintech offerings, but Despegar provides some visibility. Its financial services business, including Koin, saw its total portfolio value increase 136 percent to $17.8 million year over year in the third quarter. Koin, which was acquired to expand Despegar’s total addressable market beyond travel, accounts for a minuscule portion of Despegar’s transactions, around 1 percent in the third quarter.
Chief Financial Officer Alberto Lopez Gaffney said during the earnings call last week that Despegar has been slowing the number of loans that Koin originates — there was a 25 percent drop in purchase volume — and is more effectively calculating and pricing the credit risk. Koin’s loans average five months in duration, the company said.
“For the quarter, Koin produced an EBITDA loss of $5.2 million,” Lopez Gaffney said. “For those of you on this call who are new to Despegar’s growth strategy. Let me remind you that we acquired Koin as it expands our addressable market and increases conversion rates, take rates as well as average tickets among other distinct advantages.”
In other developments, as larger peers such as Expedia Group and Booking Holdings seek to grow their loyalty programs in strategic initiatives, Despegar is expanding its own.
The company reported that its loyalty program membership in the third quarter increased 63 percent to 9.3 million compared with the second quarter. Around 5 percent of Despegar’s transactions involve points redemptions, the company said.
Airbnb Mulls Eliminating Cleaning Fees as a Line Item
Could Airbnb, which has faced intense criticism over hosts’ gotcha cleaning fees, eliminate the problem by lumping them into the nightly rate? That’s one scenario under consideration, among others, CEO Brian Chesky said. Skift
Booking.com Faces Competition Probe in Spain
Spanish regulators are looking into Booking.com’s business practices out of competition concerns relating to how they affect hotels and rival online travel agencies. The proceedings stem from two complaints filed by the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers and the Mardid Hotel Business Association, the watchdog known as CNMC said. Reuters
GetYourGuide Is Pausing Its Own Branded Tours
GetYourGuide caused a stir a few years ago when its launched its own tours in partnership with operators under an Originals brand. The tours and activities company has hit the pause button on these Originals tours, but has been coy about its reasoning. Skift
The Daily Newsletter
Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.
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By CARL MARIO NUDI
Christmas is the season of giving, and many people like to do their gift shopping early to avoid the crowds.
Kirkwood Church, 6101 Cortez Road W., in Bradenton, will host its 24th annual Christmas Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, providing early shoppers a place to find the perfect gift for family and friends and help nonprofit organizations at the same time.
Seventeen local, national and international nonprofits each will host a booth at the Christmas Market where shoppers can learn about the work they do in the community, and make a donation or sign up to volunteer.
“It started as a fair where we would host this event that was open to the public, and people can come and learn about different nonprofits,” said Carolyn Roskamp, coordinator for mission and outreach programs for the church.
“People could consider volunteering for them, it could help raise awareness about who the nonprofits are serving and the needs of their community, and also there was the fundraising aspect where the organizations can raise some money,” Roskamp said. “It’s grown over time and we tried to make it more like a true Christmas market where it’s all festive with decorations and music.”
As the Christmas Market date approaches, lead pastor of Kirkwood The Rev. Hope Lee is excited about what it has done for the community in the past.
“It’s an entirely local community focus that reaches larger organizations out in the world, and I think it’s a very unique event,” said Lee, who has been at Kirkwood with her husband, The Rev. Sung Lee, for 10 years. “One of the coolest things that I’ve seen in the last 10 years is getting to highlight brand new nonprofit ministry startups.”
She said the church’s annual Christmas Market helps the smaller nonprofit organizations receive some exposure.
“Everyone in Bradenton knows Tidewell, and we invite Tidewell to come, but some smaller organizations just don’t get the opportunity to have face time with the public,” said Hope, who has been a minister for 17 years.
Roskamp said the event started as a mission fair with the goal of having people come and learn about different nonprofits.
“It’s grown over time, and we tried to make it more like a true Christmas market where it’s all festive,” she said.
“While the nonprofits don’t have to bring tangible items to sell, those that do tend to raise more money,” said Roskamp, who has been organizing the Christmas Market since 2004.
“But it’s not all about the money,” she said. “It really is about just trying to increase awareness.”
The church provides the nonprofit organizations with a table in the community hall and a banner with its name.
Each nonprofit has a price sheet with the cost of various services the organization provides, such as a counseling session, and the shopper could purchase a whole counseling session or a portion of it.
“Say, they want to sponsor or support five of the organizations, so for each one they get a gift card that they fill out to let ‘Aunt Sally’ or another loved one know that they made either a donation or purchased a gift in their honor and the proceeds all go to that nonprofit,” Roskamp said. “So they’ll have a gift card and the gift or just the gift card that indicates that an honorary gift was made.”
The shopper does not pay at each booth, but takes the filled out shopping form to a central cashier.
“Everybody only has to write one check, or we take credit cards,” Roskamp said. “They pay once, and we make copies of the shopping forms that they fill out, and that way we can reconcile all the purchases, and it always works out.”
Kirkwood does not charge for having a booth at the market, but does ask each organization to bake three dozen cookies to be sold in the cookie and dessert room.
“For years, Hometown Desserts (in Anna Maria) has donated a cake, and when that goes through the room everyone goes ‘oooh,’” Roskamp said. “Things like that generate a little more interest and makes it a little more Christmassy and makes it fun.”
There also is a gift room stocked with items from the international group, Ten Thousand Villages.
“They help artisans from around the world who are in poverty situations,” Roskamp said. “The artisans make crafts and Ten Thousand Villages contract with them to take their crafts and wares and sell them for them, and they get the money back.”
The nonprofit organizations also are asked to bring a door prize.
When the shopper goes through the cashier they get to draw for a chance to win one of 17 door prizes.
“It’s sort of fun,” Roskamp said.
She said the organization that has been at the Christmas Market the longest was Hope Seeds.
“We worked together with them for a long time before starting the fair,” Roskamp said. “Kirkwood parishioners would volunteer to package seeds for the Hope Seeds group, then when the fair started they started to participate.”
The church also has a partnership with one of the newer groups at the market, Hope 4 Communities.
“We were invited because we’re known for our Days 4 Hope events, and Kirkwood is going to be hosting that program next summer,” said Pam Hawn, founder and executive director of Hope 4 Communities. “We’re looking to jumpstart Kirkwood’s sponsorship of Day 4 Hope.”
All of the money collected at the Christmas Market will go toward Kirkwood’s Day 4 Hope event next summer, she said.
The Sarasota-based group has helped homeless and needy children with a back-to-school event on a local church campus in Sarasota and Manatee counties the last two weekends of July and the first weekend of August every year since 2009.
“Each child receives a medical exam, dental exam/cleaning and floss treatment, eye exam, haircut, school and family portrait, new backpack filled with all the needed school supplies, a care bag of personal care items, a $50 gift card for new clothes/school uniform, a $25 Payless gift card for shoes and meals throughout the day,” according to the Hope 4 Communities website.
Kirkwood Church had been working with Seabreeze Elementary School, 3601 71st St. W., helping students with tutoring and other services, so partnering with the Days 4 Hope event was a natural fit, Roskamp said.
Kiwanis also will have their bus parked on the patio outside the Christmas Market and will be giving away free children’s books, while the Kirkwood youth group will run a grill selling hot dogs and chips to raise funds for their mission trip next summer.
There also will be tours of the Kirkwood community garden and children’s library.
The Christmas Market started in 1996 when a church member, Rosemary Werner, went to visit her daughter in the Panhandle.
She started an organizing committee that ran the nonprofit fair at Kirkwood.
Roskamp’s husband, Steve, was on the committee, and after Werner passed away in 2004, he realized when the end of summer came that they had not prepared for the next market.
So Carolyn and Steve Roskamp took over the organizing of the event.
Helping with the event are committee members Charlotte Thielen and Judy and Roger Shultz.
“Once we get to the event day, they are in charge of everything,” Carolyn said.
At least 25 church members volunteer to help, along with a group from Palma Sola Presbyterian Church, who cook breakfast and lunch for the people running the booths and event volunteers.
Last year’s Christmas Market raised over $9,000.
Kirkwood Church was started in 1981 and moved into their church in 1985.
“Kirkwood is a mission-oriented church,” Steve said.
Every month the church distributes a list of needed items for a different nonprofit organization, and the congregation purchases and places the items in a Wishing Well at the church for the group.
Kirkwood also sometimes helps the organization with financial aid.
“Everything we try to do is to help us focus on how to serve,” Steve said.
For more information about the Kirkwood Church Christmas Market, call 941-794-6229, or visit its website at www.kpcbradenton.org.


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Bakkt President Adam White announces direct payment option with Starbucks. Soon, Starbucks mobile app users can pay for drinks with Bakkt Cash. According to Bakkt, at present, the crypto payment option is only in a limited beta version.
17 March, 2020 | AtoZ Markets – Bakkt, one of the most promising crypto-based initiatives, recently raised $ 300 million as part of a funding cycle to continue developing services focused on digital assets. Starbucks mobile app users will able to pay for drinks with Bakkt Cash. Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the derivatives provider Bitcoin, said in August 2018 that the coffee giant is looking for crypto retail payment apps.
Bakkt Announces Integration with Starbucks
Today Bakkt President Adam White announced the new payments integration with Starbucks on Twitter:
We're also reducing payment costs for merchants which improves their bottom line. Open your @Starbucks app to see our first direct integration and select @Bakkt to sign up for our Early Access Program pic.twitter.com/sZ3YlE0Sj9— Adam White (@WhiteAdamL) March 16, 2020
According to the company, it is also a “strategic launch partner” for Bakkt’s digital wallet. By the way, the latter plans to offer loyalty point programs and crypto payments through a single application since February. Bakkt CEO Mike Blandina said:
At Bakkt, we have a broad view of digital assets. Digital assets include things as diverse as loyalty and reward points, in-game assets, trader stored value and cryptocurrencies. It collectively represent nearly $ 1 trillion in consumer purchasing power. Despite the size of this market, consumers still find digital assets challenging to access, confusing to track and difficult to use.
Testing for Crypto Payments
The use of Bakkt Cash could be accessible to all users of the mobile app. To take advantage of the new payment integration, customers will need to register for the platform’s early access program. Starbucks said:
We anticipate that a range of crypto will gain popularity with customers. Our work with Bakkt will be able to continually envision and offer customers new unique ways to pay without problems at Starbucks.
Bakkt says the crypto payment option is currently only in a limited beta version.
We are currently performing a limited test for our customers, using the Bakkt payment method. Customers may view Bakkt as an option, but the test is only available at this time.
Some users may choose Bakkt Cash as their payment method, but Starbucks has closed all of its locations due to the coronavirus outbreak. Bakkt added:
Bakkt gives users control over their digital assets. Whether your favourite airline, loyalty points from the local grocery store or bitcoin you bought, the Bakkt app lets you consolidate all of these assets into a single digital wallet.
According to CEO Mike, Bakkt wallet will launch later this summer.
Think we missed something? Let us know in the comment section below.


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Are you gazing wistfully towards the horizon, dreaming of a world where your iPhone runs iOS 18? If so, then we admire your passion for phone operating systems. To help pass the time, we’ve rounded up everything we know about Apple’s upcoming phone update, so that you can have something to look forward to come release day. Enjoy!
iOS 18 release date
There’s no official release date for iOS 18 at the time of writing. But we can provide a very reasonable estimate, based on past events. Given that we tend to hear about iOS directly from Apple during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, we will almost certainly get our first glimpse of it in early June.
It’s very likely that a developer version of iOS 18 will launch at WWDC 2024, with a public beta releasing to the masses a few weeks later. This beta will be updated with new features and bug fixes all the way through to the final release date, which tends to coincide with the release of the next-gen iPhone (in this case, the iPhone 16), in September.
iOS 18 features
Details on iOS 18 features remain scarce for the time being, but there are a few scraps of information available, courtesy of the never-ending Apple rumour mill. One of these, unsurprisingly, is an increased AI presence. We say unsurprisingly because AI is the trend that keeps on growing, with giants like Google and Samsung incorporating more and more photography, search, and conversational AI smarts into their flagship handsets like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro.
According to a report in The Information, Apple is heavily invested in developing conversational AI, providing, in essence, a turbo-charged Siri experience. Imagine automating complex tasks with multiple steps with simple voice commands, and you’re on the right track. This tracks with rumours that Apple is planning to launch its own AI chatbot later this year, which would, coincidentally, coincide with the expected release window of the iPhone 16 and iOS 18. Combined with leaks pointing to Apple using large language models for its Siri refresh, it could be a rather major change to the way we interact with iPhones in future.
With the new iPhone 16 expected to be the most powerful series to date (courtesy of Apple’s unreleased A18 silicon), this updated AI functionality is expected to run seamlessly on-device, while older iPhones that have upgraded to iOS 18 will likely have to rely on cloud processing, if at all.
Another likely (and welcome) iOS 18 feature is RCS support, which is a feature that Apple has already confirmed will be landing on the iPhone at some point this year. Without diving too deeply into the details, RCS (or Rich Communication Service) is a texting protocol used by Android messaging apps, which should mean better, smoother communication experiences between the two platforms — though, of course, those green and blue bubbles aren’t going anywhere. We’d like to think this is a rare and generous act of collaboration and goodwill on Apple’s part rather than the potential EU regulation that’s on the horizon, but who knows?
There have also been rumours that Apple will enable even greater customisation of the home screen in iOS 18 – not exactly groundbreaking but welcome all the same. Although you can currently choose icons and widgets, the screen is still locked to quite a rigid grid system. The iOS 18 update is said to enable you to have greater choice over arrangements and even create blank spaces, something that’s only been possible using third-party apps so far.
That’s all the info we have on iOS 18 for the time being, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted on more updates as they come in.
Which devices are likely to get iOS 18?
Of course, we don’t currently know which devices will get iOS 18. But based on recent evidence we can predict a list. Of these, we wonder whether Apple will drop support for the iPhone SE (2nd gen) as well as the iPhone XS/XR generation. However, we’ve kept them here for now as current leaks suggest that the iOS 17 supported devices will also receive the update to iOS 18. Obviously the upcoming iPhone 16 series will also be running iOS 18.
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS Max
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPhone SE (3rd generation)


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French startup VideoStitch just raised $2.25 million from Alven Capital for its video editing software solution. This isn’t your average video editing software, as the company is able to output a live 360 feed using multiple action cameras, making it perfect for virtual reality headsets.
I had the chance to try out the company’s latest demo last week, and I was particularly impressed by what the company had to offer. In the first demo, VideoStitch was using three GoPros connected to a computer. This computer was stitching these three video outputs in real time, calibrating the luminosity and removing all sorts of artefacts in order to produce a perfect 360 live video.
And here’s where it makes a lot more sense. I then put an Oculus Rift headset on, and I could move my head around and look at a live video feed. I was totally immersed in this video. The cameras were only a couple of feet away from me, but this technology could be used to virtually teleport yourself to remote locations. Also worth noting, the video was perfectly fluid and I couldn’t see any artefact.
The second demo is a brand new demo that was a lot more resource intensive. The company bought a duck meat can and taped a bunch of GoPros around it. Once again, the GoPros were connected to a computer. This time, the company’s software was able to output a 3D video feed in real time. Again, I could move my head around and look at the office around these GoPros, but this time it was in 3D — It blew my mind.
Finally, VideoStitch isn’t just about live 360 videos. The company also works with many video professionals and enthusiasts already, providing them a simple software to stitch videos together. I looked at a few videos shot around the world — one on a sailboat, another one in San Francisco, another one on top of a car, etc. With a simple tap, I could switch between all these videos, getting the impression that I was traveling around the world in no time.
Kima Ventures and business angels, such as Daniel Marhély, Errol Ginsberg and Laurent Asscher, also participated in today’s round. The company plans to hire more people and iterate as quickly as possible on its impressive technology. Behind the scene, there are some very complicated image processing math algorithms.
There are many potential use cases for 360 videos, and virtual reality headsets are just one of them. For example, you could display a 360 video on a phone and move around a scene using your phone’s gyroscope. And of course, I can’t wait to see what talented movie directors could do with this technology.
It’s just the beginning for VideoStitch, but the company could quickly become an essential piece of the movie production industry. Action cameras and virtual reality headsets seem to have a bright future ahead, and directors will need tools to take advantage of all that.