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Latest foray into publishing, called Currency, aims to educate young people on finances.
American Express is taking another leap into publishing with a new site called Currency that aims to help young people be smarter about their finances.
Launched this week in collaboration with Federated Media, Currency offers an impressive amount of original content for a branded platform: articles on the hidden costs of living alone and planning for the future; blogs from financial consultants and journalists; and online "courses" on paying taxes and managing student loans.
The centerpiece of the site is Social Currency, an app powered to Foursquare that lets users upload pictures of their purchases, along with captions and other text, at check-in locations. The app also allows users to comment on other users' posts.
Todd Pruzan, the editor of Currency (a position at FM, not American Express), said American Express hopes the site will help the company broaden its appeal among post-college students and other 20-somethings.
"They feel this is a niche that really isn’t being tapped," he said. "There's a whole decade worth of young adults who really don't have a handle on their personal finances. They've never been educated on this and it's not their fault."
Currency is not American Express' only attempt to reach an audience through content. It also maintains Open Forum, a similar site aimed at small-business owners.
Pruzan said the site aims to maintain a rate of four or five new posts a day for the first few weeks, then shift to a schedule of updating every two weeks or so.
American Express and FM are using Twitter, Facebook and blog posts to drive traffic to the site. Pruzan said they are also encouraging the journalists who write for the site to post their articles in social media.
American Express is also the publisher of Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure and Executive Travel magazines.
Follow Douglas Quenqua on Twitter at @DQuenqua.
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Douglas Quenqua is a journalist based in Brooklyn, NY who writes about culture and technology. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, The New York Observer, and Fortune.
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September 17, 2014
September 23, 2014
September 30, 2014
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Take up of Heathrow industrial has hit record levels, according to a Savills report.
1.4m sq ft was taken up in 2012, 12% up on 2011, and the highest level for more than a decade. The year accelerated too – Q4 lettings were almost double the previous year, with 360,000 sq ft let.
This shows the importance of the Heathrow logistics market, and the area’s enduring appeal to occupiers. Units taken are getting larger too, with Rolls Royce and dnata in the vanguard of those taking more than 50,000sq ft.
Savills say that the lack of Grade A space, together with a general lack of availability will push rents up over 2013.

domain: news


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A rise in fuel prices has forced Greece’s coast shipping companies to raise prices. After over a decade of price stability, fares on Ferries according to Mihalis Sakellis, chairman of the Association of Passenger Ship Operators.
Viking Cruises has announced a new 11-day cruise itinerary, Greek Odyssey, which will allow guests to explore the ancient empires of antiquity of the Aegean over the calm winter season. Sailing roundtrip from Athens beginning in January 2021
MG Yachts invites sailing enthusiasts to investigate special sailing yacht charter offers to explore the tailor-made islands and coastlines of Greece in October.
he Greek Tourism Ministry and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) just announced increased cooperation for developing best practices for optimizing Greece’s booming tourism. But is their focus sustainable for the long term?
Seajets has just announced having added the 88 meter long “World Champion Jet” to its fleet. The passenger ship listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for speed can carry up to 1,200 passengers and 215 vehicle
News from Blue Star Ferries about an educational and cultural initiative for primary school children from the Aegean islands speaks volumes for the ferry lines’ contributions to culture and investing in the future.
Azamara Club Cruises®, the cruise line known for its Destination Immersion® programming, today revealed its 2018-19 sailings for the brand’s newest addition, Azamara PursuitSM.
In a first-ever “electronic” auction for the high-speed passenger ferry “Aiolos Kenteris” the vessel received zero bids on a minimum price set at €6.5 million. Another auction is expected soon.
Earlier this month Switzerland-based cruise MSC Cruises christened the MSC Meraviglia at a ceremony in Le Havre, France highlighted by film legend Sophia Loren. MSC Cruises’ biggest ship ever, the 171,598-ton Meraviglia is a $1 billion dollar, 19 deck supership capable of carrying 5,714 passengers.
According to news from the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, the company is creating a new product for Millennials. U BY UNIWORLD, set to launch sales in March 2017 and begin sailings in early 2018.
The small ship cruise line Windstar Cruises has been named USA TODAY’s #1 Best Boutique Cruise Line” on top of being named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 Gold List for 5th Year Running.
In news from Princess Cruises, the line is offering 200 travel agents the chance to win a cruise on its newest ship, Majestic Princess, when the ship launches later in 2017.


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By Joe Hoppe
Shaftesbury PLC Friday said coronavirus measures continue to affect consumer confidence and West End footfall and trading, causing it to cancel its final dividend.
The U.K. real-estate investor said measures to address the pandemic have hit its business but since the relaxation of restrictions in late June, the West End has seen the return of local and domestic leisure visitors and its office-based workforce. Most of its 611 restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops have now reopened.
The company said 41% of the rents due for the six months ended Sept. 30 have been collected, with 10% subject to deferred collection, 23% being waived and 26% outstanding as of Sept. 11.
EPRA vacancy rates rose to 9.7% as of August 31, up from 4.8% as of March 31, with residential accounting for 46% of the increase, as occupiers from overseas returned and demand from long-stay international business and leisure travelers halted.
The company added that it won't pay a final dividend for the year ended Sept. 30, but will resume dividends when it considers prudent.
Write to Joe Hoppe at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Sixty-seven percent of those who had smoking experience said that flavored tobacco exerted influence on their first try.
The options are chicken katsu curry, chicken teriyaki, chili con carne, beef with gravy and mushrooms, beef with mushroom sauce, and veggie katsu.
The Taco Bell-branded spices are used to flavor the certified vegan protein, which is made from ingredients like fava bean protein and essential wheat gluten.
Twitch rejects calls for a 70/30 revenue split and announces it will standardize 50/50 share from subscriptions
The box will contain either a Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, fries, and a soft drink, along with a toy such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, Birdie, or Cactus Buddy.
The long-term nature of Arsenl's extension means there’s a real commitment to collaborate with Adidas.
BMW had the most recalls among imported cars in the last five years, totaling 417 in 2018, 684 in 2019, 527 in 2020, and 703 last year.
IG will receive brand visibility at both venues of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley in hosting games in London.
LEGO reported strong sales growth driven by store openings and sales of Harry Potter and Star Wars sets.
The packaging brings to life the creative development process of the films in a behind-the-scenes exploration of the James Bond archives.
South Korean carmakers plan to increase their global EV production to a combined 3.3 million units by 2030.
The key selling point of this system is the ability to remotely manipulate digital avatars from a computer, camera, and microphone at home
NBA takes minority stake in 15 Seconds of Fame video app in latest tech investment
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has taken a minority stake in the 15 Seconds of Fame (15SOF) application, which lets spectators download clips of themselves from sporting events broadcasts.
The NBA is already a partner of 15SOF, as are the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam.
The financial details of the agreement have not been made public, but the NBA's head of gaming and new business ventures, Scott Kauffman-Ross, called the investment a continuation of the NBA's commitment to embracing innovation and new technology.
The NBA has recently made several investments in other software firms, including the . maker of smart fabrics Nextiles and the kid-friendly social network Zigazoo.
The video feeds from broadcast or in-venue sources are assembled by 15SOF using facial recognition software, and the clips are then packaged and made available for download through partner applications.
Then, fans can post videos of themselves on the kiss cam or in the crowd to social media, increasing engagement and raising awareness while also bringing in advertising income that is split between 15SOF and its partners.
What is a semiconductor? An electrical engineer explains how these critical electronic components work and how they are made


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Goldman Sachs’s Rich Friedman gives up day-to-day oversight of private-investing business as rising executives step in
Rich Friedman, who has run Goldman’s principal investing area since 1991, is stepping back from day to day management of what is now known as the merchant bank. He’ll remain on the management committee and work more closely with CEO David Solomon on firmwide strategy.
Sumit Rajpal and Andrew Wolff will become head of the merchant bank, keeping a continued focus on private equity, while Tom Connolly continues to oversee the private credit business.
Julian Salisbury, head of the special situations group, will add oversight of real estate lending and investing activities firmwide.
Goldman Sachs’s Rich Friedman, who has run the private investing business now known as the merchant bank since 1991, will give up day-to-day management responsibilities to become chairman.
Friedman will remain a member of the management committee and spend more time working with CEO David Solomon on strategy, according to an internal memo signed by Solomon and two lieutenants. Friedman will continue as chairman of the merchant bank’s investment committees.
See also: ‘It’s good to be Rich’: Meet the Goldman Sachs banker who has built a private investing empire that goes head-to-head with Blackstone — and you’ve probably never heard of him
The unit will now be run by Sumit Rajpal and Andrew Wolff, who will principally oversee the private equity business, with Tom Connolly continuing to run the private credit business. Wolff has been running the international operations of the merchant bank, while Rajpal is credited with helping Friedman come up with the idea for Goldman’s digital consumer bank Marcus and other successful financial-services investments.
Julian Salisbury, head of the special situations group and also a member of the management committee, will take on added responsibility for the real estate investing activities across the merchant bank, the special situations group and the consumer and investment management division, the memo …read more
Source:: Business Insider
This is an excerpt from a story delivered exclusively to Business Insider Intelligence E-Commerce Briefing subscribers.
To receive the full story plus other insights each morning, click here.
Italy’s competition authority will start an investigation into whether Amazon improperly leverages its strong position in e-commerce and logistics, specifically if it gives merchants using its logistics services advantages that it doesn’t offer others, according to CNBC.
The investigation will take a year to finish and will look into the operations of five different Amazon companies: Amazon Services Europe, Amazon Europe Core, Amazon EU, Amazon Italia Services, and Amazon Italia Logistica.
Here’s what it means: A number of government officials and bodies have been raising concerns about Amazon’s business practices that take advantage of its dominant standing, which could potentially force it to change its operations.
Government officials in the EU and US are interested in looking into whether Amazon is abusing its market position.In addition to the actions being taken by Italy’s competition authority, Germany’s competition regulator has launched its own investigation into Amazon’s relationships with third-party sellers on its marketplace and the European Union is considering initiating a full probe into Amazon’s data practices surrounding those same relationships.
Meanwhile, in the US, 2020 Presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has proposed breaking up portions of Amazon’s business and preventing marketplace operators from selling on their own platforms, while Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote a letter to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in December that asked it to investigate antitrust concerns about Amazon.
This mounting interest in Amazon’s actions could lead to fines and new regulations on the company in a number of markets that will prove costly to its business.
The bigger picture: Despite this …read more
Source:: Business Insider
Map Pesqueira, a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin said he is losing his Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship over the new transgender military policies.
Under the Department of Defense’s new policy, anyone who has already started hormone treatments or gender-affirmation surgeries are unable to enlist in the military.
Pesqueira, who planned to join the Army as a second lieutenant after graduation, started medically transitioning in 2018.
A student in Texas said he is losing his Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship to University of Texas at Austin because of new transgender military policies.
Map Pesqueira, a freshman at UT-Austin and a transgender man, said he initially received a three-year ROTC scholarship to the school that was supposed to go into effect his sophomore year, NBC News reported.
But he was told earlier this month that due to the transgender military policy that went into effect April 12, he is disqualified from the ROTC.
Pesqueira, who planned to join the Army as a second lieutenant after graduation, started medically transitioning in 2018, and was told he is now unable to serve because of the new transgender guidelines.
Under the Department of Defense’s new policy, anyone who has already started hormone treatments or gender-affirmation surgeries are unable to enlist.
“Because I’ve already had top surgery, hormone replacement therapy, gender marker and my name changed, that automatically disqualifies me,” Pesqueira told NBC News. “Basically, I’m so far into my transition, I’m unable to serve.”
Read more: America’s only all-male historically black college will begin admitting transgender men in 2020
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew S. O’Neill, who works in the ROTC Department at UT-Austin, tried to save Pesqueira’s scholarship by having him “grandfathered” into the program, according to the Daily Texan, but was unsuccessful.
Pesqueira, who is an American studies and radio, TV and film …read more
Source:: Business Insider


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SALISBURY — Maryland Capital Enterprises (MCE) officials announced this week that three entrepreneurs have been selected as the finalists in MCE’s Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award competition.
The three finalists include Jennifer Layton, of Layton’s Chance Vineyard and Winery and Lazy Day Farms; Kerry Palakanis, CEO of the Crisfield Clinic; and Michael W. Wilt, President of Warwick Fulfillment Solutions in Cambridge.
This is the third year of the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award and it is growing in popularity each year. The winner takes home a trophy and a cash prize and the honor of knowing all their hard work and efforts to make a successful business has been recognized.
“We had a terrific pool of great applicants this year to choose from,” said Joe Morse, CEO of MCE. “More than 25 names were submitted by their peers and all were worthy of this award. Narrowing the choices to three was not an easy task.”
Nominees for the award had to own a business in one of four Lower Shore counties in Maryland with 100 or less employees and be in business for at least two years.
Layton’s Chance Vineyard and Winery has been open to the public for the past four years. Under Layton’s careful watch, business has been steadily growing with almost 20 workers now on the payroll, including part-time and seasonal workers. The addition of a new sales person is already bearing fruit with wine now being sold in 10 percent of retail stores in Maryland.
Layton is a busy working mother who also plays an active role in giving back to her community. She has a dedicated team whose motto, “We work like crazy so our guests can be lazy,” goes right to the heart of her work ethic.
She serves as president of the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce and vice president of the Maryland Winery Association. She is also active in the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, the Maryland Farm Bureau and the Perdue School of Business at SU along with its Shore Hatchery Board.
Crisfield Clinic’s Kerry Palakanis is a nurse practitioner who decided the rural town of Crisfield was a critically underserved area when it came to health care options so she opened the Crisfield Clinic.
In her two short years in business, she has seen rapid growth in her business and has big plans to expand it in the next three to five years. She also initiated a tele-medicine operation and hopes to expand it to Smith Island and schools in Somerset County, setting the standard for school-based health care.
She has been involved in numerous health related causes including the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland, Eastern Shore District Manager Healthy Somerset, a member of the Somerset Early Learning Advisory Council, the Migrant Clinicians Network, and a clinical provider for Bienvenidos Delmarva.
The third finalist is Michael W. Wilt, President of Warwick Fulfillment Solutions in Hurlock. In his five years in business of fulfilling mail orders for various national corporations, he has hired 46 employees and hopes to expand that as his business stands ready to take advantage of larger cargo ships reaching East Coast ports in the next several years.
He credits the quality of the work force on the Eastern Shore for his success and his clients appreciate the quality of work his team provides. He says mutual trust and respect between employer and employee is key to achieving his goals.
In his spare time, he has been active in helping his community, serving as president of the board of For All Seasons, President of the Board of Directors for the Family Support Center and President and member of the Board of the Optimist Club.
Tickets are still available for the MCE Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award Banquet on Nov. 6 at Salisbury University. To buy tickets visit www.MarylandCapital.org or call 410-546-1900.


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Vinyl record shop endures
ESCONDIDO —- After enduring the ups and downs of eight-track tapes, cassettes, compact discs and I-pods, one record store in Escondido is holding on and hoping that reports of a vinyl comeback don't fade away.
Want to find an import-only copy of Jimi Hendrix's 1968 "Electric Ladyland" album, on display with Post-Its concealing the bodies of the ladies on the cover?
Or perhaps sample the "unrepresentative" music that Canadian rocker Neil Young's record company sued him for making in the early 1980s?
Gary's Record Paradise Vol. II offers classic rock, preferably on black plastic records made of polyvinyl chloride.
"I don't know if time has caught up with us," said owner and manager Eustaquio Kirby, a day before the store's 30th birthday this weekend. "Some people say vinyl is coming back."
To illustrate his point, he picked up a new LP version of "Endless Wire," released last year by The Who.
Aficionados say that vinyl offers a warm sound that digital CDs remove, but walking into Gary's shows that part of the appeal of the vinyl record comes from provocative or cheesy album covers. Records with well-preserved cover art sell at Gary's for several times what they did in the 1970s.
Early phonograph records were made of shellac and vinyl records came into wide use after World War II, only to fall out of favor after the introduction of CDs in the mid-1980s.
Although the British recording industry reported a jump in vinyl sales in the first half of this year, records make up a tiny fraction of U.S. music sales tracked by Nielsen Soundscan, the company that provides weekly sales figures to Billboard magazine. In 2006, 858,000 LPs were sold, compared with more than 550 million CDs.
Nielsen Soundscan says vinyl sales in 2006 increased slightly compared with 2005, but the trend for the last several years has been down.
Kirby specializes in locating hard-to-find albums. He and a co-worker visit garage sales and swap meets a couple days per week to find hidden jewels for his customers, he said.
"We offer CDs, but what if you're looking for something like Humble Pie or Grand Funk Railroad?" he asked.
He has a separate job as a physical therapist and keeps a treatment table in the back of the store.
Financially, the store "runs just even," he said.
Kirby said he doesn't view chain stores as his main competition. Rather, it comes from other North County shops that specialize in vinyl records, such as Lou's Records in Encinitas and Spin Records in Carlsbad.
"From my point of view, vinyl never really went away," said Lou Russell, owner of Lou's. "What we're seeing now is that major labels are paying more attention. A lot of young people are looking for classic rock on the original vinyl."
Gary's is named for Gary Goldstein, who founded the business in 1977 at 113 S. Broadway, next to what is now a vacuum cleaner store.
Goldstein said he previously worked at a Los Angeles record store called Platterpuss. He felt he had enough savvy to open his own store in the San Diego area, away from the competition of Los Angeles. He benefited from Elvis Presley's death because he had a trove of Elvis records, he said.
Goldstein moved the business in 1997 to 336 E. Grand Avenue, near Taste of Florence restaurant, and then to West Mission Ave in 2001. He sold the store in 2003 to become a math and literature teacher at Escondido Charter Elementary School, but still visits a couple times per month.
Goldstein said Kirby, who has worked at the store since 1986 and bought it in 2004, has shifted the focus of the store from compact discs toward vintage vinyl in an effort to stay viable.
"The challenge is even harder now," he said.
Goldstein said he experienced one of the "greatest honors" in his tenure when Alfred Lion, founder of jazz label Blue Note Records, visited the store. Lion, who died in 1987, lived in Rancho Bernardo near the end of his life.
Gary's has scheduled an acoustic guitar birthday concert in the store's parking lot on the afternoon of Aug. 18.
— Contact staff writer Quinn Eastman at (760) 740-5412 or email@example.com. Comment at nctimes.com.
Gary's Record Paradise Vol. II
440 W. Felicita Ave., Escondido
Classic rock records on vinyl
Open 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday


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Lilo may have to go back to acting for a living – the spotlight-lover has ended her career as a “couturier!”
Lindsay confirmed that she has lost the title as Artistic Advisor for The House of Emanuel Ungaro. When asked why she didn’t show up at the Ungaro show in Paris on Mar. 8, LiLo told WWD, “Because I don’t work for them anymore!” But that’s not all! There’s more to the story of why Lohan’s short-lived French fashion career has come to an end. “There’s legal things going on; I can’t really discuss it,” she told WWD. Read more!
Move over Lindsay Lohan! If the news is true, it looks like you won’t be the only celeb Creative Director in town!
It looks like Sarah Jessica Parker may not just be the new face for Halston— according to E!, the actress, (who’s been spotted sporting a white Halston Heritage dress on the set of Sex and the City sequel), may be taking on a more active role behind the scenes for the Heritage collection! SJP is no stranger to design— she crafted the super-affordable line, Bitten, for Steve & Barry’s. Read more
It looks like Lindsay doesn’t plan on stepping out of the style spotlight anytime soon!
Lindsay, based on your latest design project, we doubt you’ll have time for shopping sprees or reading scripts. On Dec. 29, you tweeted the news that your leggings line, 6126, is planning to expand into a full-blown clothing collection with a whopping 100 pieces! “I need MORE followers i am so sad about this, how can i tell everyone about my 6126 full collection COMING OUT! all clothing.” Read more
It’s looking so lonely in camp Lindsay—The man who named her artistic director has mysteriously resigned but she’s still there!
Lindsay, congrats on surviving at Ungaro—too bad your biggest fan (and there aren’t many!) at French ready to wear design house Ungaro, CEO Mounir Moufarrige, has announced that he’s leaving the design house! Just last month when Emanuel Ungaro trashed Lindsay’s collection Mounir had her back—but who’s going to protect Lilo now? Read more
Lindsay Lohan’s rumor-filled relationship with fashion house Emanuel Ungaro has finally reached a verdict
in the “will-she-or-won’t-she-stay” drama: Lindsay stays!!!
Last week Hollywoodlife.com told you that Lindsay’s career at Ungaro was on the rocks, but Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige told Reuters at the Milan Fashion Global Fashion Summit that Lindsay is staying because “she has a job to do.” Read more
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People who went to Amazon.com to search for Prime Day deals Monday were greeted with various pictures of dogs and a message that read, “UH-OH. Something went wrong on our end. Please try again.”
The retailer’s website crashed as Prime Day started at 3 p.m. ET and problems continued through the afternoon and evening.
About two hours into the shopping event, Amazon posted a statement on its Facebook and Twitter accounts that infuriated Prime members who were unable to shop.
“Some customers are having difficulty shopping, and we’re working to resolve this issue quickly. Many are shopping successfully – in the first hour of Prime Day in the U.S., customers have ordered more items compared to the first hour last year. There are hundreds of thousands of deals to come and more than 34 hours to shop Prime Day.”
Customers who replied to Amazon’s statement said they didn’t care to hear about the number of items purchased compared to last year — they wanted to know when they would be able to complete their purchases.
Amazon didn’t issue an update later Monday, but some customers continued to get error messages for hours and hours.
Many folks who’ve left comments on Clark’s Facebook page said Amazon needs to make it up to customers. One commenter said that Amazon’s free 30-day trial has backfired.
Virginia Greenway Mullis: It sucks. I have been a Prime member for over 10 years with over 300 orders over the past 4 years and I can’t even get on the site to buy a dang toaster. It is not even a Prime Deal, just need a new toaster. Frankly, Amazon shouldn’t have allowed folks to sign up for a free 30 days of Prime, just to get the deals and then be able to cancel their membership before they get charged the Prime member fee. Meanwhile, loyal, longtime customers get elbowed out of deals, or the entire website for that matter. Amazon royally screwed up this year. Prime Day 2017 was a breeze compared to this year’s disaster. The only thing I have managed this year is gifting a KU subscription but I think I saw every freaking Amazon Dog before I finally got through checkout.
At this point, it’s not clear if Amazon will do anything to make things right with customers after the technical meltdown.
In the past, we’ve explained how Prime members can get their benefits extended when a delivery is late with a call to customer service. Another Facebook user said that tactic worked for her during the site crash:
Rhonda Hollfelder: Still not working for me, but just chatted with Miren and had my prime membership extended by two months. I love dogs but seeing them today over and over again made me want to throw my phone.
Money expert Clark Howard was live on Facebook at the start of Prime Day and wasn’t able to view any of the deals himself. However, he said he doesn’t think the crash will hurt Amazon in the grand scheme of things.
“Amazon set up their Prime Day as if it was the worst five o’clock in the afternoon rush hour anywhere in the world. It’s all about creating a frenzy. You trying to get on to buy and clicking again and again — refreshing your phone and computer and not being able to get into it — is part of the psychology of making Amazon feel like a place you must use, must need and must have. Amazon isn’t unhappy that people had so many problems, Amazon is thrilled because it feeds right into the whole psychology that you just gotta, gotta, gotta have it.”
If Amazon.com is working for you and you want to take advantage of the Prime Day deals, go to ClarkDeals.com to learn about the best things to buy before the sale ends!
More Clark.com stories about Amazon:
- How Amazon Prime members can get lots of samples for practically free!
- Amazon Prime vs. Walmart price comparison: Which is cheaper?
- 12 things to consider before you renew Amazon Prime
- Is Amazon Prime worth it for you? Take this quiz to find out!
- Amazon delivery late again? Use this sample email to request compensation


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Dubai, China discuss trade ties
Dubai, March 10, 2009
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) recently hosted a high-profile Chinese delegation and discussed the scope of bilateral trade, particularly in diamond, jewellery, pearls and coloured stones.
The 10-member government and trade delegation from Shenzhen, was led by Ni Zewang, member of the standing committee of the CPC Committee of Luohu District, and executive vice-governor of the People’s Government of Luohu District and Ms Gao Lin, vice-chairman of the Luohu District committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
“Both Dubai and Shenzhen have risen over the decades from once small fishing villages to global economic centres. In that sense, the two cities share a common history,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC.
"We are pleased to engage in this dialogue with the Government of Shenzhen and explore new business and trade opportunities that will further strengthen Dubai’s trade relations with China," he remarked.
"We are confident that this collaboration will facilitate an even more conducive business environment for both sides and prove beneficial for commodities traders in both Dubai and Shenzhen," he added.
Last year, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, visited China to strengthen bilateral ties.
In line with that visit, DMCC signed a MoU with the People's Government of Panyu District, China, for increased co-operation towards mutual growth and the promotion of jewellery trade between both countries, with a special focus on diamonds and coloured stones.
In November 2008, DMCC hosted the first Middle East-China Diamond & Jewellery (MECDJ) Summit, with an aim to bring together two of the fastest growing regions in the world, the Middle East and China.
Focussing on further growing business opportunities between the two regions, the summit saw the participation of over 850 global traders and jewellery retailers.
Alongside the annual gathering of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, held in May 2008 in Shanghai, DMCC and the Gems & Jewellery trade association of China (GAC) also signed a MoU for increased cooperation towards the promotion of diamond and jewellery trade between both countries.-TradeArabia News Service


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Dancing with the virus
At a time of great uncertainty on when the pandemic crisis will blow over and what further threats lie ahead, I’ve seen heartening examples of how firms and households are coping with and adjusting to the severe disruption COVID-19 has brought. These would ultimately define the nature of the changed economy shaping up in the midst of all the adjustments transpiring and yet to transpire around us. There’s a great deal of resilience out there, and I witnessed it recently in conversations with various firms with whom I sought to obtain a feel of the pulse in their respective lines of business.
A company that deploys thousands of seafarers all over the world told me of hundreds of our compatriots coming home since the pandemic began. These are the people whose journey home, difficult as it already was, has been made even more painful as they suddenly found themselves unwelcome and shunned by the authorities in their very own hometowns. I asked how they have been coping. Many, I’m told, have taken to tapping their culinary skills by selling prepared food of various kinds in their surrounding communities, thus managing to earn badly needed money to tide their families over. Hearing this made me better appreciate the motorcycle-riding couple who come to our neighborhood daily, peddling delicious lumpia, turon, and pilipit — which have become regular merienda fare for members of our household.
From a company that provides training to various types of workers being prepared for jobs overseas, including in the languages of their prospective host countries, I learned of quick adjustments they made to be able to shift to online delivery of training. Under eased quarantines, their trainees in certain skills still need to come in for a minimum of hands-on experience, but shifting much of instruction online has helped avoid complete stoppage of activities so vital for hopeful aspirants for overseas jobs awaiting them. Just like regular schools and colleges, the company was led to adopt distance education methods much sooner than it had earlier contemplated. The fact that it did demonstrates the kind of nimbleness our fast-changing environment demands if firms are to be resilient.
Now limited to take-out orders, a small restaurant that had catered to the large market of college students in the university town of Los Baños now finds itself with only about one-fifth of the business it had been accustomed to before COVID-19. The students are gone, now studying from home. The owners decided to extend into creative cakes and pastries, which have helped boost the business, at least enough to keep most of their staff gainfully employed. Another small restaurant has closed its doors, and now operates out of its owners’ home, taking catering orders. Still another has turned its space into a mini-grocery and deli, selling condiments and frozen packs of its most popular signature dishes. But the local franchise of a popular fast-food chain, not having the same flexibility, is folding up—one in many around the country and around the world, for which COVID-19 has dealt a fatal blow.
Beyond businesses, many households (ours included) have turned to growing their own vegetables in their backyards, or even in makeshift pots from cut-out plastic bottles, both to save on their food bill and to minimize the risk of getting contaminated food. A budding industry in urban-based vertical agriculture is getting a boost from the crisis, and is likely to be a more prominent feature of Philippine agriculture in the years ahead.
In our ubiquitous shopping malls, analysts foresee much space being repurposed into offices and storage spaces. In manufacturing, the demise of global cross-border value chains is forcing industries to reconfigure to either have complete value chains within the same borders, or where not viable, close down and move where they can best do it all.
Many now say that it’s time we considered COVID-19 a fact of life that’s here to stay, rather than keep things on hold as if expecting it to go away. Maybe it won’t. Many are already coping, and as our economic managers recommend, it’s time we learned to dance with the virus.
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Apple also suing Motorola in Europe over Xoom tablet
FOSS patents found something interesting within Apple's complaint against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Specifically, the Cupertino company has instigated additional lawsuits against iPad competitors Motorola and Jay-tech.
Translating the German filing, FOSS notes that Apple has used the same court to sue Motorola over the design of the Xoom. The document does not reveal if Apple has requested a preliminary injunction.
Jay-tech, however, was served a preliminary injunction which, according to FOSS, the court upheld "in its entirety." It's unknown which operating system Jay-tech's now banned tablet was going to run, but some flavor of Android is a reasonably safe assumption.
Apple's complaint against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 resulted in a near EU-wide sales ban of the device earlier this week. Both Motorola and Apple have been embroiled in legal sparring for a while now, and an amicable end seems unlikely at this point.
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Advertising Week NYC 2023 in the Penn District, formerly known as the Manhattan Mall (now converted into a multi-level conference center), kicked off this week with jam-packed crowds. They all gathered to celebrate the industry, double down on knowledge, and explore the future of the Advertising industry. This industry finds itself in one of the most tumultuous periods in its history, driven by macroeconomic factors, exponential changes in consumer media consumption behavior, and the potential disruption brought by AI to both the creative and media aspects of the business.
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Creepy crawlers to invade SBC Fairgrounds in Victorville this weekend
Two-day Reptilian Nation Expo returns on Saturday and Sunday, featuring snakes, lizards, scorpions, frogs and more
VICTORVILLE — A two-day exhibit at the SBC Fairgrounds this weekend is set to bring an up-close view into the creepy crawly world of snakes, scorpions, frogs and more.
The Reptilian Nation Expo will feature two buildings of scaly and slimy creatures on display and for sale, along with the equipment to keep them healthy.
Saturday and Sunday will feature more than 50 vendors on hand, selling supplies such as tanks and special heat lamps, as well as reptile-related jewelry and gems.
“There will be people who breed all types of snakes, lizards, frogs and scorpions,” Reptilian Nation Expo founder Ryan Minard said. “There will also be imported reptilians.”
Visitors can enjoy a free exotic venomous snake show twice a day, to be held around noon and 3 p.m. There also will be educational presentations on the reptiles present at the exhibition, according to Minard.
“There will be different exhibits on the vendors’ tables,” Minard said. “Not everything will be sold. Some vendors will just have displays of their favorite animals.”
Benefiting the Southern California Herpetology Association and Rescue, there will be a public auction featuring live animals and supplies.
Minard said the Reptilian Nation Expo is “great for learning about a new species or finding your next pet.”
“It gives people a hobby and when people have hobbies, they are more likely to stay out of trouble,” Minard said.
Catching lizards at a young age, Minard said his love for reptiles began as a child. Minard started the Reptilian Nation Expo in 2015, as he “saw an opportunity to expand the reptile community.”
Minard held his first exhibit in Las Vegas, where he lives. Since the growth of the show, the Reptilian Nation Expo tours between San Francisco, Colorado, San Diego and the High Desert.
To assure each show is different from the last, Minard invites local vendors from each area. Minard said about half of the vendors this weekend are local and the “other half are from out of state.”
Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for military members and children ages 3 to 11, and free for ages under 3. VIP and two-day passes are also available.
The SBC Fairgrounds are located at 14800 Seventh St. in Victorville. More information on the event can be found at www.reptiliannationexpo.com.


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Written by: Roshan Dwivedi
Numbers for the global video infrastructure market are looking splendid in this quarter with a revenue posting of $3.1 Billion as per the Q2 reports prepared by ACG Research.
However, the market share for STBs which includes IPTV STBs, Cable STBs & DTAs, fell by 1.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 17.1 per cent year-on-year. A clear reason being the movement of service providers to cloud-based delivery solutions.
Cloud, software and platform based services have become the current trends determining almost every next industry move and decision. Most specifically, the video market has been the biggest contributor the cloud services market, leveraging the cloud-friendly services to deliver content.
Alcatel-Lucent’s recent launch of a cloud-based IP video storage and content delivery technology with its new Cloud DVR platform, ARRIS integration of TiVo Cloud and DVR software into its STBs to enable SPs to offer TV Everywhere and Video on demand services on multiple screens and Cisco’s selling off its STB business to Technicolor for a puny $600 million were some key industry moves this year, all hovering around one thing – cloud-based video.


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At a time when global warming, pollution and ecology are coming back more and more to the fore, a recurring problem is also experiencing an increasingly busy news: that of waste management. This becomes a major ecological issue, at a time when the oceans are becoming the planet's true dumping grounds.
The waters of the globe face a real scourge: plastic. That, if not brought under control, could lead to the decimation of the fish population by 2050, according to a study cited by National Geographic.
Among these numerous plastic wastes, there is a product whose impact is largely underestimated: straws.
You probably don't always think about it, but traditional plastic straws account for a very large share of marine pollution. According to a source from National Geographic, the Americans alone would consume no less than 500 million straws ... daily! Even for the fast food empire, that leaves you wondering.
In addition to the final pollution of the oceans or the land, plastic straws obviously have all the disadvantages and problems inherent in the use of this material. We can cite for example a strong carbon footprint, a lot of water and energy used for their manufacture, a generation of waste, as well as, of course, a duration of 1000 years to decompose entirely a simple plastic straw.
Aware of the dramatic impact of plastic on the environment, many governments, especially in Europe, have decided to launch war on this "historic" material. After plastic bags in 2016, disposable tableware (cups, glasses, plates), cotton swabs for household use should definitively leave our shelves by 2021… just like plastic straws.
This is where ecological straws come in.
Of course, the end of plastic straw as we know it does not mean that there will be no more straw for industrialists. A first replacement has emerged: paper straw, which has now been overtaken by ecological straws made of mineral paper and resistant fibers.
Although among the cheapest straw models on the market, and despite their lower impact on the environment than plastic straws, paper straw, which is becoming more and more widespread, is still far from perfect. Its composition alters the taste of drinks, it can decompose inside, and thus has a very negative impact on the user experience.
The best compromise: straws made of mineral paper and resistant fibers
These two types of ecological straw combine all the qualities to become the new standard in resistant disposable straws. Unlike pulp, wheat, sugar or other organic straws, they are more affordable and economically viable.
They respect the environment, by being both biodegradable and recyclable straws, and by implying a much lower carbon footprint than the competition. Finally, their resistance far exceeds that of paper straw: these straws do not disintegrate in water, and can resist up to 4 hours in water at 20 ° C (against only 6 minutes for a paper straw classic).
Convinced of the ecological urgency to evolve in our consumption of plastic, OSTONE ™, a French company, today offers 2 choice alternatives to paper or plastic straw. The first is mineral paper straw, composed of 50% FSC cellulose paper, 40% stone powder, and 10% raw polymer. The second, straw made of resistant fibers, is made up of 100% FSC cellulose paper.
Each is recyclable up to 5 times, and fully photo or biodegradable. There is no doubt that this new type of straw should soon make a remarkable entry with catering and distribution professionals.


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Temple; Leading News Service: The time has come for the workers of Vasantdada Patil Cooperative Sugar Factory to go on hunger strike due to lack of salary. Therefore, Kuber Jadhav, working president of sugar factory workers’ union, has demanded that provident fund along with arrears of salary should be deposited immediately. In the year 2012, the workers of the sugar factory, which was running well, got 11 months salary. When the workers demanded salary, the then board of directors hastily resigned and stepped aside showing their inability to manage the factory. Therefore, along with the sugarcane farmers, the workers suffered the most. Even after sweating for 11 months, they ran away without paying the workers for their labor. In the meantime, the factory was closed for three to four years, it is also said in this paper.
Also in 2015/16 MLA Dr. Rahul Aher formed the authorized board along with five people of his choice. And with the help of the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the factory was started at a low cost. Farmers and workers contributed a lot this time. The sugarcane farmers themselves cut the sugarcane and brought the sugarcane, but they were not immediately remunerated for their labour. For this, Dharashiv Udyog Group was strangled through the sugar commissioner. And Dharashiv Udyog Group paid the salaries of the workers for five months at that time.
In 2017/18, the Maharashtra State Shikhar Bank left the sugarcane farmers and workers in the lurch in a mutual agreement between the Dharashiv Udyog Group to recover outstanding loans. But the workers kept the issue by insisting that the factory should be started only after signing the agreement of the trade union. The starving workers will start their daily bread. For this purpose, the trade union and the majority of the workers started the factory subject to the agreement as discussed, but in reality the agreement was evasive and the timely payment of salaries was delayed. So once again the workers went on strike.
Non-payment of outstanding salaries by Dharashiv Udyog Group continued to create tension between the workers and the management, Dharashiv Udyog Group failed to pay the arrears and monthly salaries of the workers as per the contract. Also, they are not very keen on starting a factory as they are not getting the desired financial benefits as they are not getting the expected results. If the factory remains closed, the biggest loss will be the workers. Therefore, the factory should continue in any case. Kuber Jadhav, the former civil engineer of the factory and the working president of the Vasaka Labor Union expressed the opinion that it is necessary for everyone to make efforts so that the livelihood of the workers continues.
For Latest Updates! Read Bombay Today


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Lowe's announces layoffs, plans to outsource jobs to third-party companies
A number of Lowe’s workers across the U.S. are losing their jobs, the home improvement company confirmed, because it is outsourcing their tasks.
Lowe’s is hiring third-party assemblers and facility services to replace Lowe’s workers who put together products like grills and patio furniture for customer orders, Lowe’s spokeswoman Jackie Hartzell. The job cuts are already underway, she said.
Hartzell said the company would not release the number of employees affected by the layoffs either locally or nationwide because the company expects to retain some workers in other roles.
The cuts were made “to allow Lowe’s stores associates to spend more time on the sales floor serving customers,” Hartzell said in a statement.
The Wall Street Journal reported the number of affected employees is in the thousands, including several workers at each of Lowe’s 1,800 stores.
The affected workers will be given transition pay and be able to apply for other open roles at Lowe’s, Hartzell said.
Lowe’s employs about 300,000 people, Hartzell said.
This is the latest wave of layoffs to hit Lowe’s workers.
In April, Lowe’s announced plans to relocated hundreds of Wilkesboro jobs to the retailer’s headquarters in Mooresville, and cut about 200 jobs at a Charlotte facility.
Lowe’s has about 15 stores in the Charlotte area.
Former J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison came on as CEO of the home improvement chain in July 2018.
Under Ellison, the company hired several retail veterans to its executive leadership team, closed dozens of stores, discontinued business units that weren’t working and began a revamp of stores, the Observer reported in April.
In June, Lowe’s announced plans to build a 2,000-employee global tech hub in South End in Charlotte. The hub will be housed in a new 23-story tower adjacent to the Rail Trail.
The company could receive over $72 million in combined state and local incentives in connection with the hub, the Observer reported in July.
Lowe’s plans to create 1,600 jobs and said the average annual pay for the new positions in the hub will be more than $117,000.


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All the news from the annual Google I/O event, including the latest on Android.
So much for a universal Apple SIM. AT&T and T-Mobile both lock down new iPad SIM cards in their stores. The difference is a T-Mobile iPad purchased at an Apple store will remain open.
The Korean electronics giant plans to show off its newest device, and CNET will be on hand to bring you news, photos, and commentary via our live blog..
Last year was the PlayStation 4. What will Sony's 2014 E3 press conference bring? A big dose of Vita and PS4 games, and more: tune in for CNET's live coverage.
On June 9, at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET), Microsoft holds its annual E3 press conference, announcing new Xbox One games and features. Join the CNET live blog for real-time coverage.
Apple said its new tablets would launch later this week, but stores across the country already have the Wi-Fi models of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3.
Join CNET for coverage from Samsung's big unveiling, which starts at 4 p.m. PT today. Our live blog will kick off about an hour beforehand and bring you news updates, photos, and running commentary.
The US Postal Service received approval for a market test in San Francisco for its letter carriers to drop off groceries between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.
The official Microsoft developer account decides to make fun of CEO Satya Nadella's recent faux-pas in suggesting women shouldn't ask for raises.
The e-commerce company misses Wall Street expectations and reports a third-quarter loss of $437 million. More critically, it warns that its fourth-quarter revenue will also disappoint.
Join us for live coverage of CNET's Next Big Thing SuperSession, where we'll bring big names in tech and business to talk about the post-mobile revolution: it's always on, all the time, in every device.


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The difference in sales figures between the Nintendo Switch and the company’s previous console, the Wii U, are nothing short of staggering. The Switch has consistently outpaced its predecessor since it launched last March, and it has passed the lifetime worldwide sales of the Wii U after less than a year.
As of December 31, the Nintendo Switch has sold more than 14.8 million units, racing past the Wii U’s 13.56 million. The Wii U was Nintendo’s worst-selling console aside from the short-lived Virtual Boy, failing to reach the numbers of the SNES, Nintendo 64, or even the GameCube.
What is perhaps more impressive than the Switch’s hardware figures are those for software — more than 52 million Switch games have already been sold, which is more than half the total lifetime software sales of the Wii U. People are buying multiple games for their system, and even niche titles like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Arms have managed to sell more than 1 million copies each.
Given that it only released in October, it’s somewhat surprising that Super Mario Odyssey is actually the best-selling Switch game, with more than 9 million units sold, followed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with more than 7 million units sold. Mario Kart 8 managed to sell 8 million units on Wii U, and given the long tailwind Nintendo games tend to have at retail, that figure will likely be eclipsed in no time.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild managed to sell 6.7 million, though the game was simultaneously released on Wii U, which likely affected the Switch’s sales. Multiplayer shooter Splatoon 2 is still going strong, as well, with nearly 5 million total sales.
Upcoming Nintendo Switch games in early 2018 include remastered versions of both Bayonetta titles, as well as Dark Souls Remastered. This will be the first time a Dark Souls game has made its way to Nintendo hardware.
Nintendo’s total net sales in 2017 were up more than double from those of 2016, but the Switch wasn’t the only reason for this — the 3DS continues to sell, with numbers actually higher in 2016 than in 2017, and with the new games like Kirby Battle Royale and Detective Pikachu, there’s no telling when Nintendo will finally decide to retire the handheld.
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- Don’t expect a Switch Pro or new Nintendo console within the next year
- The best upcoming Nintendo Switch games: 2023, 2024, and beyond
- It’s the last day of Nintendo’s April Indie Sale — don’t miss these 7 great games


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Stella Artois has released a new for its Solstice Lager, highlighting that, “When the sun strikes your Solstice Lager by Stella Artois, another side of you is released”.
The spot features a diverse cast of people enjoying a Stella Artois Solstice Lager with family and friends in different places. When sun strikes their bottle, their shadows are shown doing something else. A group of friends, for instance, are shown cheering, a young couple on a date are shown getting closer to each other, and another group of friends are shown dancing.
At the end of the commercial, the voiceover introduces the brand’s Solstice Lager, which is triple-filtered for a smooth taste, with citrus notes and a crisp finish.
Initially launched in 2020 as a limited-time only offering, the Solstice Lager is the brand’s first-ever beer brewed especially for summer and is available for purchase nationwide since December 21, 2020.
“We knew consumers were looking for a premium, full-flavored, sessionable beer that they can savor together. Stella Artois Solstice Lager delivers on all of these, which is why Stella Artois Solstice Lager is such an important innovation for our drinkers and the brand,” said Peter Van Overstraeten, Vice President Premium & Super Premium, Anheuser-Busch.
The Stella Artois offering also includes Stella Artois Lager, Stella Artois Cidre, and Stella Artois Midnight Lager (which is seasonal only).


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Research in Motion has apparently learned some lessons after the underwhelming response the company received to its BlackBerry Torch smartphone.
Cisco expects RIM's new BlackBerry PlayBook to do well among businesses moving toward tablets, and help to augment customer demand for Cisco's WebEx service and Unified Communications Manager platforms.
The technology employment outlook is slowly starting to improve, but the uptick in hiring has been modest and hasn't come close to making up for the IT jobs lost during the economic downturn of the past couple of years.
TAMPA -- The U.S. military is taking cloud computing into rugged terrain in Afghanistan, where according to Lt. Gen. Richard Zahner, the basic hardware and software technology is being packed into mobile boxes that later this year will start to play ...
Cloud computing, especially public cloud infrastructure-as-a-service is not yet a reality for...
Microsoft's Windows Intune cloud-based PC management service is proving to be quite popular. When Microsoft opened beta trials, it took only 24 hours to hit the self-imposed limit of 1,000 beta testers.
Microsoft made its latest Windows HPC Server software available Monday, saying new features that integrate with Excel workbooks and harness the power of idle Windows 7 desktops will expand the reach of high-performance computing to smaller customers.
Samsung USA's introduction of its Android-based Galaxy Tab tablets at an event in New York City Thursday put both Apple on notice that the iPad has a new competitor and laptop makers in general on notice that a new alternative will soon be in town.
Avaya is introducing a powerful Android-based touchscreen tablet that supports new communications software in a package to rival Cisco's recently announced Cius communications tablet.
STEC Corp. on Tuesday released its highest endurance and performance solid-state drive (SSD) family to date. The drives are aimed at enterprise-class servers that can handle up to 30,000 I/O per second and have more than a five-year lifespan.
JPMorgan Chase is blaming "technical issues" for an outage to its online banking site that may well be one of the longest outages by a major provider in recent memory.
In another sign that DNS operations are migrating into the cloud, industry leader Neustar will announce on Tuesday a new managed service that allows companies to outsource all of their internal DNS and related network address management functions tha...
The Trusted Computing Group Monday announced a working group aimed at publishing an open standards framework for cloud computing security that could serve as a blueprint for service providers, their customers and vendors building security products.
Government needs to better understand the realities of running profitable businesses -- and quickly -- as it imposes security regulations that can affect the profitability of corporations battling in a competitive environment.
HP says its planned $1.5 billion buyout of ArcSight announced Monday is intended to propel HP into the heart of enterprise security -- a move that both surprised and impressed industry watchers.
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Just one day after announcing a revamped Popples series, Netflix reveals that it has teamed up with Italy-based animation studio Rainbow for a new spin-off called Winx Club WOW: World of Winx. Expanding the popular Winx Club franchise with a serialized storyline designed specifically for on-demand viewing, the 13 x 22-minutes series will be available in early 2016. (more…)
Previewing at Siggraph, new version releases this Fall focusing on collaborative workflows ftrack, a project management platform for the creative, visual effects and animation industries announced version 3.0 and will be showing previews at the Siggraph conference in Vancouver, August 11-14. Working closely with existing customers including The Mill, Cinesite, MPC Commercials and ZeroVFX, ftrack has focused on enhancing an already intuitive workflow while expanding the tools for multi-location pipelines and deeper integration with key VFX software packages. The 3.0 release will provide numerous new features and improvements, including a further refined user interface and a focus on collaborative workflows with seamless asset syncing between multiple locations and the introduction of glo...
In a poll conducted by the Radio Times, Shaun beat both Postman Pat and Sooty & Sweep to the post. (more…)
Russian CG-animated TV series Masha and the Bear has already established its popularity in its native land, and now Denmark-based Ink Brands has announced that Egmont will expand its publishing program across Europe. The adventures of Masha and her reluctant bear playmate will be introduced to the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Turkey, CIS territories, as well Central and Eastern Europe. The product line will include story books, coloring books and a Masha and the Bear magazine. The brand already has more than 100 partners in the Russian market for products ranging from confectionery to home decor. (more…)
Animation studio Rainbow and co-production partner Lucky Punch have signed a raft of new broadcasting deals for the award-winning show Mia and me. Following new deals, Mia and me is airing on Gulli in France and will come to Brazil where it air on Gloob on April 14th. (more…)
A delegation of Canadian producers is currently in the UK exploring the possibilities for more international co-productions. The capitals British film commission Film London, with support of the Mayor of London, welcomed the producers this week in a bid to bring more international productions to London on the back of the tax reliefs for high-end television and animation announced in early 2013.The trip was organised in partnership with Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC). (more…)
Sky Deutschland has announced that it will collaborate with fellow broadcasters Sky Italia and BSkyB to bring the famous Italian comic series Diabolik to television in their respective areas. Created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani in 1962, Diabolik is no ordinary superhero. He is a dangerous, ruthless master thief, who uses his expert skills in identity theft to literally take on the look and personality of his targets and adversaries to get what he wants. The Diabolik series has gone on to produce more than 800 issues in 50 years and still sells 400,000 copies today. (more…)


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A design student from Dalbeattie is set to see her creations walked down the catwalk at London Fashion Week.
Morwenna Darwell, 23, is a finalist in a prestigious competition that could win her vital funding and a placement in the fashion industry.
Only 15 budding designers were selected from more than 100 entries to the Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD) contest, which holds its final on a runway during the biggest week of the UK fashion industry’s calendar. Morwenna, who studies at Edinburgh College of Art, said: “I ‘m so proud to have been selected out of so many.
“I ‘m also excited to make my garments andto see them on the FAD catwalk.
“The aim of my collection is to bring colour, life and happiness not only to the wearer but to those surrounding them as well.”
Morwenna’s designs will hit the runway on Tuesday, February 19, and will be judged by a top industry panel.


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Everybody loves farmers' markets. The food is fresh, the atmosphere fun, the sense of community palpable.
But much like a cook washing his vegetables, a team of researchers has thrown cold water on the belief that these marketplaces encourage healthy eating, or save people money.
A study of every farmers' market in the Bronx finds they are basically boutiques, offering produce that is more exotic, and more expensive, than the grocery stores located nearby. What’s more, their merchandise includes “many items not optimal for good health.”
Shopping at such places is a way of supporting local farmers, so long as you use a liberal definition of the term "local."
“There seems to be much enthusiasm for using farmer’s markets to improve food environments in communities challenged by (limited access to healthy foods),” writes a research team led by Sean Lucan of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “It is hard for us to share this enthusiasm.”
In the journal Appetite, Lucan and his colleagues describe a detailed study of precisely what was on sale at 26 farmers' markets and 44 nearby stores, all located within a half-mile walking distance of such a market. All were located in Bronx County, New York, and visited in the summer of 2011.
Among their findings:
- Farmers' market produce items were more frequently local and organic, but often tended toward less-common/more exotic and heirloom varieties.
- Farmers' markets offered 26.4 fewer fresh produce items, on average, than stores.
- Compared to stores, items sold at farmers' markets were more expensive on average, “even for more commonplace and ‘conventional’ produce."
- Fully 32.8 percent of what farmers' markets offered was not fresh produce at all, but refined or processed products such as jams, pies, cakes, and cookies.
Come for the heirloom tomatoes, stay for the pastries.
On the plus side, "produce at farmers' markets tended to be fresher than at nearby stores," the researchers write, "and a modestly higher proportion of farmer's market produce items were organic."
On that last point, however, it's worth keeping in mind that a 2012 meta-study found little evidence that organics are significantly healthier than conventional foods. For nutritionists, the issue isn't so much organic vs. conventional as it is eating fruits and vegetables vs. not eating them.
Another disadvantage, albeit an obvious one: "Farmers' markets were open overwhelmingly fewer months, days, and hours than nearby stores, and they offered less than half as many varieties of fresh-produce items, and fresh-produce categories, on average," the researchers write.
Shopping at such places is a way of supporting local farmers, so long as you use a liberal definition of the term "local." (In this case, they're not talking Brooklyn.) But the researchers note this, too, has its problematic aspects, particularly for urban areas with significant immigrant populations.
"It seems unlikely that Bronx farmers' markets exclusive offering of produce from the Northeastern U.S. could completely meet the desires of individuals, for example, hailing from equatorial countries and desiring the tropical fruits and vegetables of their native homelands," they write.
On an even more basic level, "it is also unclear if farmer's markets largely heirloom offerings can satisfy those looking for more commonly cultivated produce varieties," Lucan and his colleagues add.
Taking all of this into account, the researchers conclude that "it is not clear that farmers' markets contribute positively to an urban food environment." Sure, they're a great place to mingle. But as to whether they are a net nutritional plus for the neighborhood, the answer appears to be: Not so much.


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Following in the footsteps of Dell, IBM and HP next week will release servers fitted with Intel’s Xeon dual-core chip, according to information obtained by internetnews.com.
Code-named Paxville, the chip has two processing engines, or cores, to pack more power onto a single wafer without boosting power consumption. Intel will sell Paxville chips for servers with dual processors and machines with four or more processors.
IBM said in an e-mail it would issue versions of its xSeries 336 and xSeries 346 systems with the speedy, 2.8Ghz Intel chip, whose release was accelerated by several months to help Intel keep up with dual-core Opteron chips from rival AMD. “Dual-core enables significant performance increases, and IBM intends to continue to lead the server industry in performance,” IBM said in a statement.
The x336 and x346 systems feature Big Blue’s calibrated vectored cooling technology to cut down on power consumption, as well as virtualization utilities previously only available in the high-performance computing space. The machines were hatched under the auspices of IBM’s Xtended Design Architecture (XDA), a “mainframe-inspired” package that extends the capabilities of IBM’s current X-Architecture to the 64-bit environment. XDA is geared to help 32-bit and 64-bit systems access larger amounts of memory and provide more processing punch.
The x346 will ship with Paxville in mid-October, and the x336 will follow in November, according to IBM.
HP is being less specific about its new dual-core Paxville machines, though the company did say in a statement the ProLiant machines would “deliver optimal performance to customers.”
IBM and HP’s dual-core upgrades come on the heels of Dell’s recent Paxville revelation.
Last week, the computer maker released versions of its PowerEdge dual-core servers with two sockets, a multi-core approach that offers over 50 percent more performance than its single-socket, dual-core predecessors.
Dual-core has been all the rage since AMD trotted out its Opteron chips last April, offering better performance and energy conservation on the same footprint as a single chip. Intel was originally slated to bring Paxville to the market in 2006 but sped up its plans to counter AMD’s rapid market traction in the dual-core space.
While Dell is sticking with Intel for now, both IBM and HP offer servers with both AMD and Intel dual-core technology.
IBM’S dual-core Opteron offerings include the Opteron-based e326 server, the AMD Opteron LS20 for IBM BladeCenter and the IntelliStation A-Pro workstation. HP sells the ProLiant BL25p, BL35p anf DL385 blade servers and the HP xw9300 workstation based on the Opteron 200 dual-core processor.


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Online daters are exposed to more cyber threats, with 50 per cent of online daters in the UAE having experienced some form of IT security incident, a new survey has found.
The research from Kaspersky Lab suggests that oversharing on online dating sites could open the door to scammers and cyber criminals.
A quarter of UAE users surveyed admitted to sharing their full name publicly on their dating profile, 15 per cent have shared their home address, 9 per cent have shared details about their work and the same number have shared photos of family members.
Risks include having devices or accounts hacked and being targeted by ransomware, with the percentage of online daters who have suffered online attacks 11 per cent higher than in the general population.
“Users need to exercise caution when it comes to giving away too much about themselves on their public profile or to potential dates – and beyond,” said Andrei Mochola, head of consumer business at Kaspersky Lab.
22 per cent of online dating users in the UAE admit that they give out personal data to matches within minutes or hours of starting a dialogue, putting themselves at risk.
“Much like you wouldn’t tell a passerby in the street your home address and phone number on first meeting them, users of online dating sites need to take responsibility for the security of their data and not assume that it is secure and untouchable within the site or app. This advice goes far beyond online dating, and internet users should protect themselves and their personal information online no matter where they are,” said Mr Mochola
Almost 800 cyber crime cases were handled by Abu Dhabi police last year. Dubai Police registered 83 offences of "electronic extortion" between January and October 2017, up from 87 for the whole of 2016 and 80 in 2015.


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The fresh produce market was also looted of all goods in stock.
Ugu District Municipality’s water tankers, offices, vehicles and fresh produce market that service the community at its fleet workshop in Mkholombe have been set alight.
This comes as unrest has spread across South Africa with supporters of former President Jacob Zuma calling for his release from prison, where he has started serving a 15 month sentence for contempt of court.
Police spokesman France Zama said the fresh produce market was also looted of all goods in stock.
“Full extent of damages is yet to be determined. Saps members are on scene.”
Article written by: Shona Aylward
Photo credit: South Coast Herald


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A survey of hardware ownership conducted on the Steam gaming platform suggests that sales of the two leading virtual reality headsets have slowed to a trickle. Among the participants in the most recent survey, just 0.18% reported owning the HTC (NASDAQOTH: HTCXF) Vive, while only 0.1% reported owning Facebook's (META -2.00%) Oculus Rift headset. Actual adoption is likely even lower than these figures indicate, as the last official tally of active Steam users was 125 million accounts in 2015, which this would suggest somewhere around 225,000 Vive units sold, but downloads of free software bundled with HTC's headset through the platform indicated less than 100,000 headsets sold as of early July.
Comparing month-to-month growth, reported Vive ownership increased 0.3% in July, and no growth was reported in August, while the Rift saw a 0.3% increase in reported ownership for July and 0.1% growth in August. The Rift launched in late March at $599, while the Vive launched in early April at $799, with each head-mounted display quickly selling through their initial inventories.
Does it matter?
The takeaway seems to be that high prices and a lack of compelling experiences are limiting appeal beyond die-hard early adopters -- a group that appears to have been mostly exhausted. Poor momentum for the first round of high-end VR headsets should not be taken as an indication that the technology will not continue to grow and thrive long term, but weak demand does point to a slower adoption trajectory and the need to bring prices down and improve functionality and software offerings before the technology can breach the mainstream.
Slower than expected uptake for VR is more worrying for HTC than Facebook, as HTC is counting on the Vive to bolster its struggling smartphone business, and it no longer looks like the first iteration of the hardware can be counted on to provide much of a boost. Virtual reality is more of an experiment in the scheme of Facebook's broader business model, albeit a potentially important one down the road, so a lack of demand for the Rift should not be taken as a worrying sign for the company as a whole.
Virtual reality still has plenty of potential for long-term success, but headset makers and companies building chips around VR functionality (including Qualcomm, NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel) will have to account for a weak debut for the technology.


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The tables -- or in Microsoft's case, chairs -- can turn
quickly in the technology sector. It was just over a
decade ago that Microsoft found itself under close scrutiny for
monopolistic behavior with its Windows operating system and Internet Explorer
web browser. Now, the Redmond, Washington-based company is crying foul over
Google's dominance in the search market (among other areas).
Microsoft has filed
an official complaint with the European Commission against Google, saying
that the Mountain View, California-based internet giant is violating European
Brad Smith, Microsoft Senior VP and General Counsel, starts
off in a blog post praising Google for a decade of innovation in the
marketplace and its efforts to "organize the world's information",
but quickly moves in on what he feels are the company's moves to squash the
competition at every corner.
For starters, Google has roughly a 65 percent share of the
internet search market in the United States (Microsoft holds a 26
percent share in the U.S. when you account for Bing and its stake in
Yahoo's search engine). "At Microsoft we’ve shown that we’re prepared to
work hard and invest literally billions of dollars annually to offer Bing, a
search service that many now regard as the most innovative available,"
said Smith. "But, hard work and innovation need a fair and competitive
marketplace in which to thrive."
In Europe, however, Google's share is a whopping 95 percent
according to Smith. Google is accused of using this enviable position to corner
the European market with regards to search advertising.
understands as well as anyone that search engines depend upon the openness of
the Web in order to function properly, and it’s quick to complain when others
undermine this. Unfortunately, Google has engaged in a broadening pattern
of walling off access to content and data that competitors need to provide
search results to consumers and to attract advertisers
Smith even goes so far as to say that Google doesn't offer
competitors enough access to produce credible YouTube
clients for smartphones. Google of course provides a powerful YouTube
application with its Android
smartphone/tablet operating system, and Google's long-running deal with
Apple allows iOS devices like the iPhone
to contain highly functional versions of the YouTube application.
Microsoft complains about YouTube openness, stating:
Google has refused to allow Microsoft’s new Windows Phones to access this
YouTube metadata in the same way that Android phones and iPhones do. As a
result, Microsoft’s YouTube “app” on Windows Phones is basically just a browser
displaying YouTube’s mobile Web site, without the rich functionality offered on
competing phones. Microsoft is ready to release a high quality YouTube
app for Windows Phone. We just need permission to access YouTube in the
way that other phones already do, permission Google has refused to provide.
Google's dominance in search and its unwillingness to share
the wealth when it comes to YouTube are just the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft
has a long listen of grievances including Google's venture into the books
arena, restrictions on customer/advertiser data, content control, and unfair
advantages when it comes to advertisement positioning. You can read all of
Microsoft's complaints here.
"We readily appreciate that Google should continue to
have the freedom to innovate," Smith concludes. "But it
shouldn’t be permitted to pursue practices that restrict others from innovating
and offering competitive alternatives. That’s what it’s doing now.
And that’s what we hope European officials will assess and ultimately decide to


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Council to end recycling banks; WEEE social media campaign launched; KBT partners with Remarkable; Builder fined for 80m fly-tip
Council to end recycling banks
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is to remove all of its recycling banks, citing declining use and higher costs.
In 2007 the council expanded its kerbside collection scheme to all households and material collected from recycling sites has slumped from 1,430 tonnes to just 400 tonnes in 2014-15.
Officers have written to relevant landowners, put signs on the banks, and are working with contractors and the street cleaning team on removal of the banks and a clear-up of the sites. Residents have been told that bags left at the former sites in future will be treated as fly tipping.
WEEE social media campaign launched
People from across Staffordshire are being invited to recycle their old electrical goods to support a local charity and help boost recycling in the county.
Staffordshire County Council, along with FCC Environment, have launched the ‘Adopt an Appliance’ campaign, which hopes to encourage people to donate their old unused, unwanted and broken electrical goods to their local household waste recycling centre (HWRC).
Items brought to any of the county’s HWRCs that can be reused will be sent to the Katharine House Hospice re-use shop at the Cannock HWRC where the items would be tested and then sold on to the public.
KBT partners with Remarkable
Keep Britain Tidy has announced its partnership with eco recycling brand Remarkable.
This partnership will provide Keep Britain Tidy and Remarkable branded stationery for sale via an e-commerce site. Income from sales placed via Remarkable will be donated to Keep Britain Tidy.
Products include bio-degradable ball point pens, recycled newspaper eco pencils and recycled card notebooks for office and home use.
Builder fined for 80m fly-tip
A builder has been fined more than £650 after an 80 metre-long fly tip was found strewn across a common in south London.
As reported by MRW, debris, rubble and bags of rubbish belonging to builder Leonard Panxhy were found dumped on Tooting Common near Furzedown Road on 3 June.


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Trolltech today announced that it has sold its entire inventory of Qtopia Greenphones, the world’s first open phone built by the company to drive developer and operator interest. Trolltech, having accomplished its mission and committed to its roots as a software company, will not order additional units and will work closely with developers to migrate them to new, compatible reference platforms that have since been introduced to the market. As an open, Linux-based mobile phone, Qtopia Greenphone was a project initiated by Trolltech to stimulate open development of mobile phones and to serve as an industry catalyst for the open phone movement. The pioneering initiative resulted in the creation of the first platform for open phones and, in turn, provided the developer community and mobile phone operators a platform on which to test and advance the creation and demonstration of new mobile technology services to foster mobile phone innovation. “At Vodafone Betavine we launched a web portal to interact with the developer community, said Stephen Wolak, on the Vodafone Betavine Team. “Greenphone was an innovative programme that responded well to open source developers, and mobile application experimentation. At Vodafone Betavine we believe there is a growing community and developer interest in open platform devices, Greenphone has certainly helped in the visibility of this growing trend. “Going forward, Vodafone Betavine hopes to be stimulating the development and growing awareness of the Open Source community by housing their innovative work, and offering open API’s on the portal.” Trolltech will continue to work with a number of device manufacturers to make Qtopia Phone Edition, the popular application platform for Linux-based mobile phones, available to further leverage the innovative work the community has already done on the Greenphone.Since the introduction of Greenphone, Trolltech has given open source developers and commercial organizations the tools to create innovative, inspiring applications and services. “The success of Greenphone is due in large part to the void it filled in the market by providing an open phone platform that could be used for experimentation and to build innovate applications,” said Benoit Schillings, Trolltech CTO. “While we have sold out our inventory of Greenphones, we continue to work with other hardware manufacturers which have open devices on the market. Our community now has a choice of phone platforms to work with and we aim to support additional platforms in the future.”Trolltech will continue to support the Qtopia Greenphone community with new software releases in the coming months. In addition, community developers and organizations looking for phone hardware on which to develop Qtopia applications, Trolltech recommends the Neo1973 from FIC and OpenMoko. Trolltech is also currently working on support for additional devices and hopes to announce support for these devices in the coming weeks.
Finland – Mobile entertainment just got more fun with the Nokia N81 and Nokia N81 8GB multimedia computers now available globally. Designed for the best in music and gaming, these devices come with dedicated music and game keys and are loaded with memory so you can store more and play more.The 3D Multimedia Menu introduced in these devices is the first step to bringing a new user interface to the Nokia Nseries range. The new menu makes it easy to discover and enjoy your digital content and the Internet, and share your experiences with others.
“Accessing your portable music and games collection is not enough anymore,” said Jonas Geust, vice president, Multimedia, Nokia. “Today people want to be more in control of how and where they consume their digital entertainment. They want to discover new favorites and share them without being confined to one location – and it’s devices like the Nokia N81 that facilitate this.”
The Nokia N81 and Nokia N81 8GB also offer the discovery of millions of tracks through the Nokia Music Store*. And, with their integrated Nokia Music Players, creating playlists and managing music collections on the move is a breeze. For enhanced sound quality, compatible high-quality headphones or speakers can be used with the standard 3.5mm headphone connector.
A preview of the N-Gage games service is also available in the devices, including playable demos of EA SPORTS(TM) FIFA 07, Asphalt 3: Street Rules and Space Impact Light. After the launch of N-Gage later this year, the full N-Gage application will be available for download. Players can then try all N-Gage games for free and buy only the ones they want.
The estimated retail price of the Nokia N81 is 360 EUR before subsidies or taxes. The Nokia N81 8GB is expected to retail for 430 EUR before subsidies or taxes.


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Soundblasters: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 edge rumored to boast Harman-branded stereo speakers
The air is rife with Galaxy S8 rumors given that the anticipated smartphone's announcement is due in just a bit over two months or so. We've heard lots of exciting stuff about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8 edge, which will have the daunting task of making it up for the Galaxy Note 7 disaster that took place earlier this year.
Samsung's recent $8 billion acquisition of the audio-centric giant.The latest rumor to hit us regards the audio capabilities of the upcoming devices and claims that the Galaxy S8 and most likely the S8 edge will have stereo speakers on board. These are pegged to have a Harman branding, which is possible thanks to
Samsung could be prepping Harman stereo speakers for the Galaxy S8Remains to be seen how Samsung will implement these purported stereo speakers on its next flagship. It could either put two front-firing speakers à la HTC One M9/Nexus 6P, or emulate iPhone 7's setup, which uses its earpiece as a loudspeaker in concert with the regular one positioned at the bottom of the device.
hinted during a press conference two weeks ago, so the stars align perfectly for the rumored stereo speakers on the Galaxy S8 and S8 edge. After all, it wouldn't make sense not to capitalize on that pricey acquisition.The inclusion of high-end Harman-powered speakers on Sammy's future top-shelf devices was
As far as the rumors for the Galaxy S8 and S8 edge go, we've compiled a lengthy article with all the saucy tidbits of hearsay we've heard. You can check it out by following the link right below.


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With the changing of the seasons, fashion savvy executives are sprucing up their wardrobes so they’ll be in style for spring. A survey of a couple of the area’s leading clothiers for men and women revealed what trends are hot for spring and summer 2008.
Luke Abney at The Rogue and Good Company says that because of our climate, men’s fashions here are always transitional. “We live through a longer spring/summer season than we do fall/winter, therefore, executives here tend to stick with predominantly lighter-weight fabrics for the majority of the year.” Abney says that the fabrics of choice for most men in the South is linen, poplin and a lighter weight wool. “That’s a seven-ounce wool as opposed to a 10-ounce wool preferred by men further north.”
Back to tradition
The trend in men’s fashions is skewing back towards a more traditional look, according to Abney. “We are beginning to move away from the khaki and golf shirt look for work and getting back to a more traditional look. Men can purchase a sports coat with two or three pairs of pants and still have a comfortable, casual feel but with a little more polish. They can pair that same coat with a pair of linen pants for a reception or for hosting employees for dinner.”
Abney says that men are tending to dress up a little more for things such as going out to dinner and the like. “The denim craze is still huge, as it is for women, but now men are wearing jeans like dress pants. But what we’re talking about here is a $210 pair of jeans paired with a nice sports coat and dress shoes. It’s a great casual-elegant look.”
Colors for spring and summer 2008 are in the pastel range. “Lots of mint green and blue hues as well as greens, softer yellows and lighter browns will all be popular,” says Abney. And for ties, “there will always be dots and jacquards, but this season, stripes and paisleys will be hot. And those will carry on into fall, too, so you don’t have to worry about having a nice tie that you can only wear four months.”
Abney says that this spring’s repp-striped ties are a modern take on a classic. “My grandfather wore a repp-stripe tie 70 years ago, and it would still look great today.”
Wright Scott of Great Scott in Jackson says that this spring, many well-dressed men will be sporting a lighter-weight sport coat. “The fabrics will be lighter in weight, and there will be no shoulder pads,” says Scott. “These coats are practical for our sub-tropical climate, and they look great paired with dress slacks. But the great thing is that they also look good paired with a nice pair of jeans or casual slacks.”
Scott says that with the downturn in the economy, there’s a trend towards more formal attire. “When a man dresses in a nice suit for work, his work ethic changes. He works a little harder. While dressing down is still going to be popular, we believe that more men will be stepping up their game, fashion wise, to maintain a more competitive edge.”
Fashion trends for spring, according to Scott, include a return to the flat-front pant and a thinner tie. “A flat-front trouser actually makes a man look slimmer. And with ties, we’re seeing them go a little narrower, down to three to three and a quarter inches. They are even thinner up north, but the men here in the South are more resistant to that. You will only see the thin ties on the British-rocker types.” Scott says that knitted ties are also making a comeback.
For the woman executive on the go, Whitney Curran, a buyer for Maison Weiss, says that the popularity of dresses is on the rise. “We have them in every shape, from the mod look of shifts and baby doll dresses to a more classic shirt-waist dress.” Curren says that dresses are easy to wear and practical, which may account for their rising popularity.
However, in the professional world, nothing will ever replace a suit. But this spring’s suits are “breaking out of the box,” according to Curran. “It’s not just your classic black suit anymore. We’re seeing wonderful splashes of Crayola box colors. Green is a particularly popular color this spring, especially a rich grass green.”
The great thing about this spring’s color pallette, explains Curran, is that they will all roll over nicely into fall. “The fall color previews are very similar to this spring and summer. Usually, we tend to go into browns, rusts and golds, but the color pallette for fall will be more vibrant this year, which is good news because in the South, our summer season stretches deep into fall.” Curran says that another hot trend for spring is muted metallics. “We’re not talking the shiny golds and silvers, but a more muted, toned-down version of metallics that are perfectly acceptable for daytime wear. Right off hand, I’m thinking about a beautiful gunmetal linen dress we have in the store that would look great in the office or the boardroom.”
Another new trend for women is paring a more conservative shape with a flowing one. “A classic, tailored blazer looks great over a pretty, flowing skirt,” says Curran. “It maintains the professional look while making a woman feel more feminine.”
Donna Southern is the assistant manager at Talbot’s Petites in Highland Village. “We are seeing lots of linen this spring, and we can’t keep it in stock. It leaves the store as fast as we get it in.” Perfect for work during the spring and summer months, Southern says the store carries linen skirts in all lengths. “And women are still wearing a lot of pants to work, and we have them in all lengths as well. Even crop pants look polished when paired with a nice pair of heels.”
Color is a big fashion element this spring, according to Southern. “We’re still seeing the traditional navy and black suits, but pairing a bright green with the navy or a bright yellow with black give the suits a fresh, contemporary look. We’re also seeing lots of turquoise and corals this spring.”
Southern says that dresses have made a huge comeback as well, and her customers are responding very favorably. “Dresses just take us back to a more feminine style. And to cater ro women who work in air conditioning, many of our dresses come with a matching shrug or jacket.”
Contact MBJ contributing writer S.J. Anderson at firstname.lastname@example.org .
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