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Alphabet-owned Google has recently announced that it will start using its own processors (designed in-house) for the upcoming Pixel phones. This initiative is to shift away from Qualcomm Inc.’s technology that has driven the tech giant’s Android devices for over 15 years. As a result, the Qualcomm shares were slightly down in the trading after the news broke.
The processor, known as Tensor, will power the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro mobile phones. The company will release more details closer to the release. However, the next Pixel phone, 5a, will continue to have Qualcomm processor. According to Qualcomm, “We will continue to work closely with Google on existing and future products based on Snapdragon platforms.”


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French incumbent becomes latest to unveil digital assistant; preps Orange Bank for July launch.
Orange this week became the latest company to launch a voice-activated digital assistant.
Called Djingo, it has similar functionality to Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Assistant, enabling Orange customers to pose questions and control connected devices, including their TV set-top-box (STB). It is not yet known whether it can be activated by saying, "by Djingo"; Total Telecom lives in hope.
"Applying true artificial intelligence, Djingo learns from its users to provide them with ever more relevant answers. With Djingo, Orange becomes the first European operator to equip its customers with a virtual assistant to manage their digital world," Orange said.
Djingo was unveiled on Thursday by Orange CEO Stephane Richard at the telco’s annual Show Hello innovation showcase.
"I am proud to be able to highlight, once again, the innovative force within Orange," he said, in a statement. "An innovative force we wish to be firmly focused on the human, accessible to all, and in consequence, a source of progress."
At Show Hello, Richard also revealed that his company’s mobile bank, Orange Bank, will begin offering services in France to employees from mid-May, and to the general public from 6 July.
From launch, customers can sign up for a bank account, a free debit card, an interest-bearing savings account, and overdraft protection. The services will be available online, via mobile app, or at one of Orange’s 140 stores. Orange also plans to add credit and insurance services at a later date.
As well as traditional banking services, customers can also send money via SMS
What’s more, Orange Bank will also use Djingo to provide virtual, 24/7 assistance to customers.
"With the commercial launch of Orange Bank for the general public on 6 July, we are writing an important new chapter in the Group’s history," Richard said. "From now on, Orange is also a bank. A bank that places customer experience at the heart of its business model."

domain: news


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While spring has sprung and more boats are ready to leave the docks, a good number of them will more than likely have outboard engines. According to the U.S. Recreational Boating Statistical Abstract, the latest report for Outboard Engine Sales Trends from 2009-2022 by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), unit sales for outboard engines reached 305,900, making this the third year in a row this category surpassed 300,000, and breaking record sales of $3.6 billion, resulting in a 7.7% increase since 2021. Additionally, this report also states that compared to 2021, unit sales grew in 2022 among horsepower segments, revealing a 6.1% increase along with a growing demand for 300 hp units and above.
Another positive outlook on the economic state of the U.S. comes from a recent story on Trade Only. According to the article, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor shows that in March of 2023, 236,000 jobs were generated within the economy, bringing employment up in various categories, with leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care, and the government among the mix.
Similarly, with the start of boating season comes updated details about the potential segment of boaters. According to an article posted online through nmma.org, research conducted through the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) and Discover Boating, powered by the NMMA, the next generation of boaters is categorized within three groups with the core segment of boat owners being similar to the one today and participating in boating. This group is also more suburban, older, and family-oriented. The growth segment is younger, lives in denser populated areas, is more adventurous, ethnically diverse, social, tech-savvy, and enjoys other boating-adjacent activities. Lastly, the emerging segment is an affluent and dynamic large group not pursuing outdoor activities that project as future boaters on a daily basis; however, they are experiencing some of these activities while on vacation through rentals.
You've made a change in course! You are leaving the MarineMax Yachts website and headed to MarineMax.com.


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Danger administration platform Sentinels has been chosen by Spanish neobank Rebel Pay to boost its anti-money laundering (AML) and danger profiling capabilities.
Rebel Pay is Sentinels’ first neobank and first Spanish consumer. The financial institution will leverage the agency’s transaction monitoring platform to generate consumer danger profiles and determine suspicious transactions and behaviours.
Sentinels CEO Joost van Housten says: “By boosting the accuracy of the financial institution’s suspicious transaction detection, we’ll assist its groups zero-in on actual felony behaviour, and kiss goodbye to the wasted days spent processing false-positive alerts.”
The Sentinels platform consolidates transaction information from a number of environments – throughout debit card transactions, peer-to-peer funds and fiat-crypto exchanges – right into a unified monitoring resolution.
The Dutch firm claims its AI and machine studying algorithms can assess consumer danger and detect monetary crime sooner and extra effectively than earlier AML and danger administration platforms.
This effectivity drives down the price of AML compliance and will increase operational effectivity, Sentinels says.
Rebel Pay CEO and co-founder Sergio Cerro says that AI and machine studying will “change the sport” in digital banking.
The Madrid-based neobank claims greater than 280,000 clients throughout Spain.


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Shimla : A left wing led farmers body(Himachal seb utpadak sangh) today asked the state government to provide a slew of measures to protect the stateâ€™s apple farmers.
This demand comes a day after the stateâ€™s horticulture minister Narinder Bragta convened a high-level meeting of farmers, experts and officials seeking their suggestions on ways to improve the apple industry in the state .
The secretary of the â€˜seb utpadak sanghâ€™ Sanjay Chauhan said the government should enhance subsidies on the lines of developed countries .
â€œThe government has failed to provide post harvest management and better marketing facilities ,â€ he said .
He said standard global packaging technology material should be introduced with universal standard boxes of 20 kg , 10 kg and 5 kg be used .Government must set up packaging units in the public and cooperative sectors .
â€œThe government must enhance import and custom duty on apple to 100 per cent like other developed countries to protect the interests of farmers ,â€ Chauhan said .
In a 20 year career published widely. He has worked for the BBC, AFP, The Statesman, IANS and the Business Standard . Known for his hard hitting writing and occasional off-beat stories. He lives in Shimla.


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Executives at Electronic Arts have to be kicking themselves right about now.
It appears that Take-Two Interactive, the video game publisher EA has been trying to buy for the last couple of months, has a potentially record-breaking hit on its hands with Grand Theft Auto IV. And EA isn't pocketing the cash.
While it's too early to know exactly how many copies of GTA IV sold Tuesday, the game's launch day, anecdotal evidence suggests it will likely be one of the most successful launches in the entertainment industry's history--if not the most.
"We are saying … Read more


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After 3 years of planning, a new market will be opening this spring in Nanaimo. The Island Roots Market Co-operative has finally secured a location on Townsite Road, and on Tuesday, January 21, the market is hosting an open house for vendors and shoppers alike.
President of the Co-operative, Larry Whaley, says their goal all along has been to provide farmers, artisans and consumers a place to sell and buy locally made products year-round. He says they’re hoping to get input tonight on the layout, the range of products people would like to see available, and the best days of the week to open for business.
Whaley says the Island Roots Market Co-operative open house is from 4:00pm-8:00pm at 625 Townsite Road. The Market will be opening at the end of April. At this point they’re planning to be open five days a week.


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DraftKings Reports Q2 2023 Financial Results and Updates Guidance
DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) has disclosed its financial results for the second quarter of 2023, showing a significant increase in revenue compared to the same period last year. The company reported $875 million in revenue for the three months ending June 30, 2023, an 88% growth compared to the previous year. The surge can be attributed to factors such as customer retention and engagement, efficient customer acquisition, product innovation, and improved promotional strategies.
During the second quarter of 2023, DraftKings experienced healthy growth in its Monthly Unique Payers (MUPs), reaching an average of 2.1 million unique paying customers, marking a 44% increase compared to the same period in 2022. The rise in MUPs is a result of strong payer retention, effective acquisition efforts, and expansion into new jurisdictions with both Sportsbook and iGaming offerings. Additionally, the company saw an increase in Average Revenue per MUP (ARPMUP), which reached $137 during the second quarter of 2023, showing a 33% growth compared to the previous year.
Based on its performance and growth prospects, DraftKings has raised its revenue guidance for the fiscal year 2023. The new guidance now stands at a range of $3.46 billion to $3.54 billion, representing a year-over-year growth of 54% to 58%. Moreover, the company has also improved its fiscal year 2023 Adjusted EBITDA guidance, now expecting it to be between ($190) million and ($220) million, compared to the previous range of ($290) million to ($340) million.
DraftKings’ mobile sports betting and iGaming operations continue to expand, with operations currently live in 21 states for mobile sports betting (accounting for 44% of the U.S. population) and 5 states for iGaming (representing 11% of the U.S. population). The company has also launched its Sportsbook and iGaming products in Ontario, Canada, covering approximately 40% of the country’s population.
Looking ahead, DraftKings plans to enter additional markets, including Kentucky, North Carolina, Vermont, and Puerto Rico, pending licensure and regulatory approvals. In 2023, 12 states have introduced legislation to legalize mobile sports betting, while 5 states have introduced bills related to legalizing iGaming, indicating potential opportunities for further expansion.
“DraftKings produced outstanding results for the second quarter of 2023. We grew revenue at an impressive year-over-year rate, captured additional GGR share in a cost-effective manner, and maintained our focus on operational efficiency,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings’ Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder. “The positive Adjusted EBITDA that we generated in the second quarter exceeded our guidance, and we are well on our way to achieving positive Adjusted EBITDA again in the fourth quarter of 2023 and for fiscal year 2024 and beyond. We are excited by the additional product features and functionality that we are introducing leading into football season and also look forward to another successful online sportsbook launch in Kentucky this fall pending licensure and regulatory approvals.”
“We are acquiring new customers efficiently while simultaneously retaining and monetizing our existing players through rapid product innovation, less promotions, and higher hold from better bet mix,” said Jason Park, DraftKings’ Chief Financial Officer. “Our unit economics are outstanding with older states generating more than enough cash to fund investment in new states. This performance, combined with fixed costs that grew at only a mid-single digit year-over-year percentage rate in the second quarter, resulted in an inflection to positive Adjusted EBITDA that we expect will occur again in the fourth quarter and for full year 2024. As a result, we are increasing the midpoint of our fiscal year 2023 revenue guidance to $3.5 billion from $3.185 billion and improving the midpoint of our fiscal year 2023 Adjusted EBITDA guidance to ($205) million from ($315) million.”
For more detailed financial information and updates, interested parties can visit the Investor Relations section of DraftKings’ website at investors.draftkings.com.


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2017 marks the 100th year of commercial planting of oil palm in Malaysia. Palm has played a major role in Malaysia’s economic growth in the last few decades and the […]
2017 marks the 100th year of commercial planting of oil palm in Malaysia. Palm has played a major role in Malaysia’s economic growth in the last few decades and the country is now the second-largest producer of palm oil in the world. However, as the industry continues to grow, its future success hinges on the diversification of the sector. Malaysia has slowly but surely sought to enact a strategic shift in the palm industry towards moving further downstream and adding greater value to the palm oil it produces. The Southeast Asian nation has yet to realize the full potential of its palm oil industry. Figures have shown that the output of downstream production in Malaysia is up to 50% more lucrative per unit compared to outputs from the upstream sector. Approximately 68.6% of Malaysia’s palm oil exports in 2015 comprised crude palm oil and processed oil. However, the export revenues of the upstream and downstream segments vary significantly. The annual export values of crude palm oil and processed oil were MYR12 billion and MYR28.2 billion, respectively, while the downstream sector brought in earnings of MYR14.9 billion for exports of oleo-chemicals and MYR1.7 billion for exports of finished products, this despite only comprising 30.1% of total palm oil exports. In addition, greater activities in the local downstream sector will only increase demand for crude palm oil, benefiting the industry as a whole. A robust downstream sector and diversified products will also help the sector and the country weather volatilities in palm oil prices. Average prices of crude palm oil dropped 9.6% YoY in 2015 as a result of a fall in demand and higher production.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong announced in October 2016 the government would set aside MYR280 million in grants in its Eleventh Malaysia Plan to boost the downstream palm industry and support the manufacturing of food and health products, chemicals, and other derivatives in Malaysia based on palm oil. Of this figure, MYR100 million was set aside for the manufacturing of high-value palm oleo derivatives or chemical products, MYR100 million for food and health products, MYR30 million for clinical trials, and MYR50 million specifically for SMEs. Dedicated grants for SME are a recent addition and there was no such dedicated category in the Tenth Malaysia Plan. In the earlier Tenth Malaysia Plan, MYR416 million in grants was set aside for similar downstream projects in palm oil.
The government has taken the lead in developing a national strategy to identify opportunities in the sector and maximize the value of every ton of palm oil that it produces. One such project involves the massive amount of waste generated in the production of palm oil. Malaysia produces more than 20 million tons of crude palm oil annually, which results in over 100 million tons of solid biomass. Datuk Mark Rozario, CEO of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM), explaining the government’s strategy to TBY, said, “Typically, palm oil biomass is thrown back into fields as fertilizer or is burnt for fuel—both do not give high returns. We seek to diversify the downstream here and explore creating biofuels, biochemical, and bioplastics.“ One AIM project in Sabah seeks to turn palm kernel cake, one of the biomasses left after crushing palm shells, into bioethanol and high protein animal feed. In another such initiative, a group of companies involving Airbus, the Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, and Biotech Corp have established a Center of Excellence in Malaysia to assess local solutions for sustainable biomass production. Palm oil derivatives are found in various items from household goods and food and nutritional health supplements to oleochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and biodiesel and there are seemingly endless opportunities for companies to enter the more lucrative segments in this area.


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On Monday, Google revealed that the company will be updating its Google App Store rules soon. One major update requires app developers to use Google’s in-inbuilt payment option to distribute their Android software.
The deadline for app developers to switch to Google App store’s in-built payment system is 30th September 2021. So, instead of taking independent payment, Google will take a fee of 30 percent. With this update, Google has aligned itself with Apple’s All Store rules.
Many app developers have voiced criticism against Apple’s AppStore Guidelines. The tech giant’s defense has always been that other stores, such as Google Play, also take similar cuts from in-app purchases.
VP Says He Wants To Be Loud And Clear About Google App Store And It’s Updated Payment Policy
While Google has updated its policy that requires app developers to use Google App Store’s payment system, the policy is still to be enforced. While Google did not name any names, it said that there are a couple of apps that ask users to pay directly to them.
On Monday, the company revealed that around 97 percent of their app developers already comply with Google’s policies in selling their digital app goods. It has been reported from outside sources that Spotify and Netflix do not use Google App Store’s payment system and instead ask users to pay directly to them through a credit card.
As per statements released on Monday, Google wants to be clear about the company’s Google Play policies. They also said that they want to apply these rules fairly and consistently to all contributing app developers. The company further mentioned that they updated their Payments Policy language to more explicitly express that all digital blogs sold on Google App Store will be required to bill via the store’s in-app payment system. Google’s statements were loud and clear. It was signed by the Product Management VP, Sameer Samat.
Like Netflix and Spotify, Epic Games also made a software update recently that allowed gamers to pay Epic directly circumventing the Google Play payment system. Epic Games did the same for its iOS users. As a result, Fortnite has been removed from both Apple AppStore and Google App Store. Currently, Epic Games is involved in a legal battle with both Google and Apple.
Apple AppStore Draws More Heat Over Similar Policy
While Google Play policies and Apple AppStore guidelines are basically the same, Apple has drawn much heat over the issue than Google.
This could be because Android users have more options other than Google App Store, like Galaxy App Store in Samsung phones.
Apple, on the other hand, has witnessed developers from Spotify, Match, and Epic Games come against Apple’s AppStore policies.
Google also mentioned that its next android will let users access a number of apps much easily via Google App Store.


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The EU approved the purchase of Beats by Apple for $ 3 billion
Regulatory authorities report that this absorption does not entail a restriction of free competition, ie. A. Joint market share remains low. H5> Left to right: co-founder of Beats Ayovin Jimmy (Jimmy Iovine), Apple CEO Tim Cook (Tim Cook), co-founder of Beats Dr. Dre, senior vice president of Apple Eddy Cue (Eddy Cue).
Apple and Beats was another step closer to completion of the transaction, after which the headphones and music service will become part Beats tehnogiganta.
On Monday [ the original article was published on 28.07.14 - approx. interpreter i>] The European Commission has announced that approved Apple's plans for the acquisition of Beats Electronics for $ 3 billion. The Commission examines such transactions and oversees the preservation of competition in the market on behalf of the European Union. According to her statement, the absorption would not entail "no restriction of freedom of competition, ie. A. Joint share companies in the audio market will remain low». I>
Its intention to buy Beats Apple reported in May. Purchase occur in several stages: 2, 6 billion dollars will be paid immediately, and 400 million are listed with time. The company was founded Beats famous rapper Dr. Dre and music producer Jimmy Ayovinom (Jimmy Iovine), and his fame gained through headphones , which became cult to pop culture. In addition, the company launched a music service with a subscription, which attracted the attention of Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In an interview for the Wall Street Journal Cook once admitted: "We love the subscription service, created Beats».


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Insignia Showers launch design customisation tool
The digital design tool allows customers to submit personalised shower space designs to stores and have their concepts built
Insignia, the showering space brand, has launched a new online design tool. The Insignia Customisation Tool, which allows customers to submit their personalised designs to Insignia stores in order to have their concepts built, is available to use on the Insignia Range website.
The tool release follows the launch of Insignia’s 2nd generation shower range in January 2019, which to date has seen the company’s turnover increase by 47% on last year. Insignia have suggested that there are now further plans to roll out the Insignia Customisation Tool as an instore POS in mid-November, in order to further engage customers in a showroom environment and allow them to envisage their design choices with demonstration shower installations.


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This week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the luxury brand Cadillac debuted a new crest. According to Cadillac officials, the new, streamlined crest “mirrors the evolution” of the brand.
That’s not the only thing that’s changing for Cadillac. The 111-year-old luxury brand wants to reach out to an untapped demographic: women.
You’ve probably heard that there’s a huge industry devoted to inflating social media accounts. Italian security researchers found that creating fake Twitter followers generated between $40 and $360 million last year.
Bogus Facebook activity brought in about $200 million.
What you may not know is there are also “click farms,” where workers sit and tap away for as little as a half cent per click.
Originally published on Wed January 15, 2014 12:01 pm
When I was growing up and my mom would make pancakes and bacon, I'd layer bacon pieces in between pancakes, then drown the stack with maple syrup to create a towering, sticky mess. The rest of my family would daintily eat their bacon from one plate and their pancakes from another, preventing the joyous union of salty and sweet.
Originally published on Wed January 15, 2014 10:04 am
These days, getting an aerial shot is as simple (although maybe illegal) as strapping a camera to a drone. Back in the day, though, it wasn't so easy.
George R. Lawrence, a commercial photographer at the turn of the last century, was known to tinker. (His Chicago studio advertised "The hitherto impossible in photography is our specialty.") He was often hired to photograph conventions and banquet halls with a specialized panoramic camera he had built himself. In 1901, he had a loftier idea: to lift his panoramic camera off the ground. And not just a few feet — but hundreds.


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Late last month, Realme openly hinted at its completely wireless earbuds at the launch of the Realme X2 Pro. While Realme CEO Madhav Sheth pulled out the Realme AirPods from his pocket on the stage, he didn't reveal any detail about the Realme AirPods. He did mention that it will launch soon. Now, Realme has revealed that the Realme AirPods will be launched in India in December, possibly along with the Realme X2 Pro.
In his latest tweet, the Realme CEO shared a photo of himself wearing the Realme AirPods. Sheth is only wearing the yellow coloured AirPods but he hasn't shown the case. He also mentions that the Realme AirPods will be coming to the market in December. There's no mention about the price or any of the specifications of the Realme AirPods yet.
In another post, Realme CMO Francis Wang shared another photo of himself wearing the black variant of the Realme AirPods. The Realme AirPods earbud has a long stick similar to the Apple AirPods and it could have touch-sensitive controls for playback controls and volume adjustment.
While none of the features have been shared by Realme yet, the Realme AirPods could offer integration with Google Assistant and Siri once paired to a smartphone. One shouldn't expect great audio quality given that the AirPods could focus mostly on mobility instead of audio quality. However, Realme could end up offering better battery life with the Realme AirPods.
What remains to be seen is how Realme prices its AirPods in India. The Apple AirPods cost upwards of Rs 10,000 and Realme could possibly try to bring down the price below that range.
The Realme AirPods aren't the only Realme products set to launch in December. Realme has confirmed that it will bring the Realme XT 730G to the Indian market soon. The Realme XT 730G is essentially the Realme XT fortified with a more powerful Snapdragon 730G chipset instead of the Snapdragon 712 chipset. Rest of the specifications remain identical to the regular Realme XT.
The Realme XT 730G could come out in response to Xiaomi's rumoured Mi Note 10 launch in India. The Mi Note 10 with its 108-megapixel camera is expected to launch this month and it also features the Snapdragon 730G chipset. Both of these phones could sell for less than Rs 30,000 in India.


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Hex is a decentralized cryptocurrency that was created with the aim of becoming the world’s first high-interest bearing asset on the blockchain. The project is led by Richard Heart, a well-known figure in the cryptocurrency space.
The Hex project has been gaining a lot of traction lately, with its price surging by over 400% in the past month. This has led to many people wondering if Hex will be listed on Coinbase, one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges.
Coinbase has been very selective about which cryptocurrencies it lists on its platform. So far, it has only listed a handful of major cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
However, Coinbase has hinted that it is open to listing more digital assets in the future. This has led to speculation that Hex might have a chance of being listed on the exchange.
only time will tell if Coinbase decides to list Hex on its platform. However, given the recent surge in price and popularity of the project, it seems like there is a good chance that Hex will be listed on Coinbase in the near future.


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INVESTING SHOW: Will the election result boost or sink the stock market?
Investors in the UK were deeply pessimistic at the start of 2019, but it has turned out to be a decent year for returns… so far.
The UK stock market, as measured by the FTSE All-Share index, is up almost 9 per cent on the start of the year.
But while traditionally at this time of the year people would be talking about the prospects of a Santa Rally, this December it’s different as there is a general election taking place in the middle of the month.
What could that mean for the UK stock market? Will a big Conservative majority see the Footsie bounce, while a surprise Labour government would see it sink?
And is that perceived wisdom just anti-Labour bias?
Could a Labour victory and all the extra spending the party promises actually turn out to be good for the economy, put money in people’s pockets and boost ultimately boost the stock market?
On this episode of the Investing Show, Simon Lambert, of This is Money, and Richard Hunter, of Interactive Investor, discuss the UK election prospects for investors.
The FTSE All-Share index is up almost 9% since the start of 2019
Most watched Money videos
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- Ford unveils 2,000bhp electric Supervan its fastest transit yet
- McMurtry fan car sets new Goodwood Hill record as fastest car
- One-of-a-kind Ford Capri sells for new record price of £75k


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Oyo to downsize 600 employees, hire 250 executives
What is Canada's latest move to address its labour shortage?
Mira Rajput says she has never understood the concept of 'star wife'
Sonam Kapoor attends Red Sea Film Festival; shares a video of her slaying on the red carpet
Popular social media influencer passes away at 21
Musk warns employees that Twitter could go bankrupt
Sony INZONE H9 Review: Best wireless headphones for gamers?
WhatsApp bans over 23 lakh accounts in India in October
Elon Musk predicts Neuralink's brain chip to begin human trials in 6 months
OnePlus commits to 4 major Android updates and 5 years of security updates
Apple's plan to pay $50 million to settle butterfly keyboard lawsuit approved
Apple, Samsung and Noise lead global smartwatch sales
OnePlus to launch monitors on December 12
Twitter Blue relaunch delayed as Musk wants to avoid Apple's 30 percent fee
What is the new feature introduced by WhatsApp?
Apple likely running short of 6 million iPhone 14 Pro models
Snapchat launches a dedicated app for Windows
WhatsApp data leak: Phone numbers of 500 million users are up for sale
Twitter to launch a new multicoloured verification system soon
Sony WF-LS900N Review: Most comfortable earbuds ever?
Nothing Ear (stick) review: Made for the style-conscious


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Lumber prices had a historic run last summer and prices have been volatile again in recent weeks. The May futures contract rose more than 50-percent in February and has fallen more than 25-percent in the first half of March.
Jason Plummer is vice president of R.P. Lumber, which has more than 80 retail locations in five states. He says prices are historically high throughout the industry.
“I don’t see it getting any more normal for at least [another] 12 to 24 months. That’s what we hear from our suppliers [and] what we hear from the mills. It’s something you’ve got to battle through and the longer it goes on, it’s tougher in some regards. The availability of products have gotten a little bit better and so you know people just adjusting to it,” says Plummer.
Much like last summer, high prices could cause people to delay certain building or remodeling projects. But those delays could be for quite a while, with prices expected to remain high for the foreseeable future.
Plummer says customers will still see a normal amount of supply when they walk into a lumber store, it’s just the price is significantly higher.
“We have the product [and] we have no problem getting our hands on the product, but the price is tough right now,” says Plummer.


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TC Roundup: Apple apologises for iPhone update bug and releases new iOS 8.0.2
Apple Apologizes For iPhone Update Bug And Releases New iOS 8.0.2: Apple has moved quickly to release iOS 8.0.2, the update that fixes iOS 8.0.1's problem of zapping cellular reception on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices. It also includes all the fixes listed in iOS 8.0.1 originally, including a fix for the HealthKit bug that held up release of compatible Health apps in iOS 80 (TechCrunch).
BlackBerry Posts Smaller-Than-Expected Loss: BlackBerry Ltd. on Friday posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss, but revenue fell short of expectations, suggesting the company's attempt to revive its fortunes from the sale of new devices, software and mobile security services aimed at the enterprise market remains far from certain (The Wall Street Journal).
Intel invests $1.5B in a holding company for two Chinese chip makers: Intel has invested $1.5 billion in Tsinghua Unigroup, a state-owned holding company that operates two Chinese chip manufacturers, as part of a plan to accelerate the adoption of Intel's own chips in the Chinese market. (Venture Beat)


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Hyundai i30 is September’s most popular car
The small car surprised powerhouses Mazda and Toyota this month, while SUVs go from strength to strength.
Here are the cars you should buy in 2015
Looking for a family car under $30K or a robust off-roader? Don't invest in new wheels without first considering this list.
The five best family cars for under $30,000
A small car from Korea, Germany or Japan can be the right fit for your family.
Holden set to sell historic Port Melbourne site
The Salmon Street address is advertised for expressions of interest.
Five convertible cars perfect for Spring driving
The sun is lingering longer in the sky, so it's a good time to check out five cool convertibles for warmer weather.
World’s 10 biggest car-makers sued for potentially lethal fault
Keyless ignition systems are being blamed for 13 deaths in the US.
We name the top 10 cars from TV and movies
Flashy vehicles can become stars of the big and small screens in their own right.
Revealed: the world’s most Googled car brands
Search trends reveal that not all global car giants are search engine winners.
Toyota suing dodgy airbag suppliers
The Japanese giant is taking two suppliers to court over allegedly unsafe airbag components.
Self-driving cars to debut in Australia this year
Strap in: the first driverless vehicle will travel in Adelaide in November.


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After years of resistance, Microsoft has finally opened cross-play functionality up to third party developers.
Revealed this morning by Director of ID@Xbox Chris Charla, cross platform gaming is soon coming to Xbox One. To kick-off the new feature, Microsoft and developer Psyonix have officially confirmed that soon PC and Xbox One gamers can play together in the indie smash hit Rocket League.
While Rocket League cross-play with PlayStation 4 and PC has existed since summer 2015, this marks the first time Microsoft has allowed third party games to use their cross-platform capabilities.
As if that news wasn’t enough, Charla also hinted at future plans to make cross platform with other consoles as well as PC.
“Of course, it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players. We’re thrilled to confirm that Psyonix’s Rocket League will be one of the first games to take advantage of this new capability by enabling cross-network play between Xbox One and PC players, with an open invitation for other networks to participate as well.”
Although Charla doesn’t specifically call out PlayStation or Nintendo in that last sentence, he does make it clear that Microsoft is now quite open to the possibility of letting gamers play together regardless of platform.
Rocket League cross-play is a huge first step for Xbox, but it seems the ball is officially in Nintendo and PlayStation’s court to make cross-console gaming a reality.
Are you excited for cross-platform gaming on Xbox One? Which games in addition to Rocket League are you hoping utilize this feature in the future? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter!


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Image copyright AFP Image caption Oxford Economics forecasts Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth at 4.1% in 2022, in line with global averages
Your annual pay will be one percent higher in 2022 than it was in 2016 – a modest increase in these times of protracted wage stagnation.
Pay rises are predicted to accelerate slightly in each of the following years, with a 2.4% increase in 2025, according to a report by financial consultancy Oxford Economics.
However, the UK, US and other advanced economies are unlikely to return to the 3% or higher levels of pay growth seen before the financial crisis of 2008.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US may need to increase wages by 5.3% in the next eight years to achieve its potential growth rate
This is because economies at the centre of trade relationships (in the US, the EU and Japan) are among the most vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions and global currency fluctuations, and because wages tend to adjust more slowly in more competitive economies.
The firm’s chief economist Jon Stratford, the author of the report, said: “These countries are experiencing slow growth, subdued inflation and high unemployment, which has translated into wage gains for those in employment – but faster growth from the other end of the process is unlikely.
“The importance of [global] wages is illustrated by global trade, which accounts for just over one third of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) and about 60% of export growth between 2008 and 2015.”
Other findings from the report included:
Employment in the UK is expected to rise by just 1.6% between 2015 and 2026 , well below the expected pace of growth in real wages.
, well below the expected pace of growth in real wages. The current UK government will “lose control” of its own economy in the medium term, the Oxford Economics research suggests. A pre-2020 austerity squeeze will compound the effects of the economic slowdown.
has “lose control” of its own economy in the medium term, the Oxford Economics research suggests. A pre-2020 austerity squeeze will compound the effects of the economic slowdown. Chinese growth will continue to edge up in the next decade to 6.6% in 2022 from its current 6%.
in the next decade to 6.6% in 2022 from its current 6%. The European Union is expected to grow by 1.6% over the period, “indicating that the region has significant capacity to shift from stagnation to growth”.
According to the report, global wage growth will hit a plateau next year, before regaining pace in each of the following years.
“In order to get a good sense of where the global economy is going and where that will lead wages, we have to give the big emerging economies more scope to pursue more ambitious growth agendas,” said Mr Stratford.


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Breaking into the marketplace space and competing with the likes of Amazon, Shopify and eBay is difficult. Teaming up with a powerhouse carrier can make it easier.
That’s exactly the route Austin, Texas-based Cart.com is going. The e-commerce platform on Wednesday announced a strategic alliance with FedEx (NYSE: FDX) Dataworks, the carrier’s data science and machine learning arm, to enhance the online shopping experience for merchants and consumers alike.
The collaboration will bring together insights from Cart.com’s Unified Analytics platform and FedEx’s trove of fulfillment data to build integrated solutions that improve the e-commerce experience in a few different ways.
One, for example, will focus on optimizing merchants’ omnichannel sales by driving demand across channels and connecting with customers where they search and buy the most. The companies will also work to add more delivery options that are faster, more affordable or lower emission. They will also help merchants build more efficient returns management strategies.
Another core emphasis will be on enhanced fulfillment insights, which can help merchants determine the best places to store and source inventory for quick and easy deliveries. Greater shipping visibility is another goal so that customers know exactly where their order is and when it will arrive.
As e-commerce and online shopping have ascended into the mainstream, brands have more to worry about than ever when it comes to providing good customer experiences.
According to Ipsos, an astounding 85% of online shoppers said they would switch to a competitor if they have what they perceive as a negative delivery experience. And per Khoros, 83% of consumers factor in customer service quality when making a purchase decision.
“Actionable data remains a competitive advantage” said Omair Tariq, CEO and co-founder of Cart.com. “Combining that with the powerful data insights from FedEx on the post-purchase experience will allow us to create unparalleled solutions that deliver consistency and confidence for merchants as they manage their business and engage with their customers while delivering a simple and reliable e-commerce journey for consumers.”
For Cart.com, combining with FedEx is just the cherry on top of a strong year that saw it raise $240 million in funding amid explosive revenue growth.
Watch: The State of FedEx
But for FedEx, the move could be interpreted as a way to jump-start the carrier’s slowing e-commerce business. The firm in September began dumping flights, grounding aircraft and closing stores as its e-commerce shipping demand waned.
By combining Dataworks’ post-sale insights with Cart.com’s pre-sale data, FedEx may be making a bid to better understand the selling environment for e-commerce shippers — and potentially find new ways to capture them.
“With the power of our digital and physical networks, we’re redefining what’s possible,” said Sriram Krishnasamy, CEO of FedEx Dataworks. “We’re developing new tools to help merchants make more informed supply chain decisions in alignment with their fulfillment plans, sustainability goals and consumer promises.”
Like many carriers, FedEx was taken aback by the speed at which consumer spending shifted from goods to services. Company estimates had projected demand for its premium shipping service to return to pandemic highs by the second half of 2024. But that target could be in jeopardy.
“Unquestionably, the commencement and the speed and depth of that shift was beyond what we had certainly anticipated,” said Mike Lenz, chief financial officer of FedEx, at the virtual Baird Global Industrial Conference on Tuesday.
“We were up to 16 flights across the Pacific — that was the plan,” added Lenz, addressing the firm’s scaling back of air carrier operations. “There’s no scenario where we envision coming back to that level of trans-Pacific flying, even if you were to see a shift. Every downturn begets an upturn, but even in that circumstance we wouldn’t go back to that level of flying.”
FedEx is also consolidating its Ground network and enacting driver furloughs next month in its less-than-truckload arm, FedEx Freight.


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TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Two experts who are known for their speed are among the presenters at this year's Restaurants Canada Show: NASCAR driver Alex Tagliani and world champion oyster shucker Patrick McMurray. They're among the more than 20 experts who will be sharing their knowledge at the three-day foodservice industry event, which runs March 1 to 3 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.
The full seminar line-up has been posted at www.restaurantshow.ca. Most are free with admission to The Restaurants Canada Show, and range from Alex Tagliani - talking about his personal experience with life-threatening food allergies, and steps restaurant owners can take to address customer concerns – to Patrick McMurray, who owns the acclaimed Starfish Oyster Bed & Bar, sharing his in-depth oyster knowledge. Catering action stations, "eat and tweet," beer styles and marketing to millennials are among the other hot topics on this year's seminar menu.
Attendees can also choose from a number of paid seminars: TV host Jon Taffer of "Bar Rescue" offers proven advice on running a successful bar; Matt Rolfe of Barmetrix speaks about top-notch service strategies and business profitability; and Chef John Placko leads a hands-on session on molecular cuisine.
Members of the foodservice industry are invited to register online by Feb. 28 for the early bird rate of $40 for all three days of The Restaurants Canada Show (formerly the CRFA Show).
The Restaurants Canada Show is owned and operated by Restaurants Canada (formerly the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association), a national association comprising 30,000 businesses in every segment of the foodservice industry. Proceeds from the show are directed to research and advocacy efforts to help the industry grow and prosper.
Media Registration: Members of the media who regularly cover the foodservice and hospitality industry are invited to apply for media accreditation at http://restaurantshow.ca/Newsroom/Media-Accreditation. Advance registration required.
SOURCE Restaurants Canada
Image with caption: "Canadian NASCAR driver Alex Tagliani is heading to The Restaurants Canada Show, March 1 - 3, 2015 in Toronto, to share his personal insights into managing severe food allergies when dining out. (CNW Group/Restaurants Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150210_C7296_PHOTO_EN_11976.jpg
For further information: Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 416-649-4254 or [email protected]


text: Apparently… staff misusing company email, internet and phones costs UK businesses a whopping £10bn a year. That’s according to the ‘experts’ at Croner, anyway, who commissioned the research that conjured such a meaty figure.The report claims of the 2,000 people interviewed, 22% misused work email, 21% telephoned friends and family, 18% accessed personal email and 11% looked at Facebook or MySpace. Worse still, a whole 6% misused a company mobile.Croner’s math makes that £400 of abuse per person multiplied by the UK’s 29million employers arriving, magically, at £10bn.Hey presto! And there’s the world’s greatest economic minds trying to avert a recession when those chatterboxes busy superpoking vampires via text were to blame all along. According to Croner and a few others, it’s time for a clampdown.That’s complete tosh, of course. For a start, flip the figures and don’t they make UK staff practically saint-like? 78% never emailing pals, 94% never using a mobile to ask 'what’s for dinner?' Come off it.Besides, especially in start-ups and small businesses, how many of you have staff putting in extra, often unsocial, hours without extra pay? Turn Big Brother on the advice of this rubbish and we bet you’ll lose more than you save.


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With team USA prepping for the Olympics, The Jordan Brand line is too. For the first time in 12 years, the popular Air Jordan "Olympic" 6 is slated to release on July 7th 2012. These beauties will be sporting the familiar White/Midnight Navy-Varsity Red color-way.
The retro sees minor changes to the midsole and tongue while otherwise staying true to the original with a patriotic color-way. For a $160.00 price tag these could be yours; don’t sleep.
-Shoe breakdown by Joshua Bolden.


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The Guardian is reporting that Vodafone is planning to offer an unlocked iPhone in Germany, while Orange (in France) is planning to sell an unlocked version, as French law requires. Vodafone's actions are particularly interesting....
After all, it's T-Mobile that got the exclusive deal with Apple, but Vodafone challenged the deal in a Hamburg court, and The Guardian reports that T-Mobile is now considering selling an unlocked version of the iPhone for a higher price (presumably to appease the court).
Fabrizio may be right: it may be a plot on Vodafone's part to scuttle T-Mobile Germany's holiday cheer:
You can read this news as you like. It is clearly a plot by Vodafone to screw iPhone sales for T-Mobile during Christmas. However, the end result is that Vodafone is kicking and screaming to force unlocked phones in the market. Which is huge.
Right again, Fabrizio. Hopefully this fight over unlocked iPhones in Europe will lead to real competition abroad and at home, here in the US.


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By Don Curren
Canada’s economy may be puttering along in low-gear, but that didn’t stop car sales in Canada from accelerating sharply in the first part of the year.
And the cars leading the pack in terms of sales were some of the most luxurious, with Jaguar sales jumping about 75%, and Porsche and Acura neck-and-neck at 25% in the first seven months of the year, according to a report from BMO Capital Markets.
That might seem surprising, given the generally mediocre performance of the Canadian economy this year.
See the latest Canada news and features from The Wall Street Journal.
Canada Real Time provides insight and analysis into what’s making news in Canada, a country punching above its weight on the world stage thanks to its vast resources and strong banking sector. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we take a look at developments in fields ranging from business to politics to culture. You can contact the editors at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Lenovo announced a new US$199 IdeaPad tablet with a 7-inch screen and Google's Android OS in response to the surge in demand for inexpensive tablets, the company said on Thursday.
Toshiba is hoping to improve its fortunes in the tablet market with the Android Honeycomb-based AT200, which is only 7.7 millimeters thick.It is also getting onboard Intel's Ultrabook push with the Portégé Z830.
AT&T and HTC's new Jetstream Android tablet with LTE capabilities is heavily overpriced at US$700 in a market where buyers are looking for discounts, analysts said on Wednesday.
Sony's Android Honeycomb-based single and dual-screen tablets will be called Tablet S and Tablet P, and cost from €479 (US$690) and €599, the company said on Wednesday at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.
More TouchPads are on the way but HP is not resurrecting the TouchPad.
Hewlett-Packard said it will manufacture more TouchPads in response to "stunning" demand following the company's decision to discontinue the tablets.
The challenge to port Google's Android OS to Hewlett-Packard's now-defunct TouchPad has been met, with a developer demonstrating an alpha version of the OS working on the tablet.
Due to its ongoing legal battle with Apple, Samsung Electronics decided to delay the launch of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia following a hearing on Monday in the Federal Court of Australia, the company said in a statement.
Entire books have already been written on the contributions Steve Jobs has made to Apple, the company he helped found 35 years ago. In many ways, the most significant ones took place after 1997, when he returned to Apple from exile and set about to c...
At next week's Internationale Funkaustellung (IFA) in Berlin, smartphone makers are expected to push the boundaries of the device's screen sizes, while also launching tablets and trying to accelerate the momentum for 3D-capable products.
Women have increasingly become the most frequent buyers of e-readers even as their interest in tablets and smartphones has remained relatively steady, according to Nielsen.
Everyone who’s been grabbing the $99 and $149 HP TouchPads in the recent fire sale might not be stuck with HP's webOS.
The bounty for any developer who manages to port Android to the TouchPad is growing, reaching more than US$2,100 on Thursday, just as one effort to execute the port struggles to g...
A German court has upheld a preliminary injunction requested by Apple, preventing Samsung Electronics from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet PC in Germany.
Perhaps you've heard that the HP TouchPad tablet has suffered an untimely demise? There are a lot of lessons that rival tablet vendors can learn from the death of the TouchPad (and the feeding frenzy it created in its wake). More importantly, though,...
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New tea bar opening soon in Nederland
Updated 3:24 pm, Saturday, February 27, 2016
The owner of the Boston Avenue Emporium, a vintage Nederland store that also sells holistic ingredients, announced plans this week to open a "tea bar" inside her store for folks looking for a light lunch and unique tea blends.
"We sell loose leaf teas in our shop," she said. "One day it popped into my head, 'Why not a tea room?'"
Blanton plans to serve light lunches from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu includes sandwiches, pasta salads and homemade pies. Gluten free lunches will also be offered, she said.
She decided to call it a tea bar because tea room conjures thoughts of older ladies in white gloves sitting around doily-covered tables.
"The buzz is getting around and everyone is getting excited about bringing back an old tradition but with a new twist," she said.
Blanton already sells loose leaf teas that she buys wholesale from another Nederland business, Down to Earth.
After the tea bar takes off, Blanton said she'd like to open up the space maybe twice a week in the evenings for local musicians to play.
"It's all coming together," she said.
Have an In the Works tip? Email Manuella at MLibardi@BeaumontEnterprise.com


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Asheville ranks #1 for brewery volume in 2022 Best Cities for Beer Drinkers study
ASHEVILLE - Asheville is holding steady as a premier place for beer enthusiasts, going against cities nationwide.
SmartAsset, a company designed to provide consumer-focused financial information and advice, released the results of its 2022 Best Cities for Beer Drinkers study, which compares 393 U.S. cities in the categories of the total number of breweries, breweries per 100,000 residents, the average number of beers per brewery, bars per 100,000 residents and the average price of a pint.
Asheville is ranked No. 1 for the number of breweries per 100,000 residents and ranked No. 5 overall.
“Beer culture remains strong in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Asheville ranks first overall for the number of breweries per 100,000 residents (27.6) and 27th for the average number of beers per brewery (118.2). But expect to pay a bit more for your beer. Its average pint of beer costs $5.00. If you live in Asheville, you have access to a variety of beer-related events and scenes, including nano-breweries, taprooms, festivals and brewery tours,” the 2022 study said.
This is the eighth annual Best Cities for Beer Drinkers study conducted and Asheville ranked fifth overall in both the 2021 and 2022 editions. In 2020, Asheville ranked No. 2 overall.
This year, Asheville was outranked by Pittsburgh; Bend, Oregon; Milwaukee; and St. Louis.
“The overall final ranking is determined by the average across all five metrics, which is why Asheville's overall ranking is fifth,” a spokesperson for SmartAsset said in an email.
The $1 increase in the average price of a pint is a substantial year-to-year hike, according to the SmartAsset spokesperson. The data was sourced from Numbeo.com and pulled in January 2022.
SmartAsset stated that the 393 cities considered were selected based on “cities included in the 2021 Census with a population of 60,000, at least one brewery and available Numbeo data.”
RateBeer, an online consumer-driven beer rating website, was sourced for compiling the list of breweries used in SmartAsset’s study, which totaled 26 Asheville breweries as of November 2022.
However, Asheville has more than the 26 breweries named on the study’s list, as breweries like 7 Clans Brewing and 12 Bones Brewing were not included, which means the number of breweries per 100,000 residents exceeds what the company counted. And the city ― and surrounding towns in WNC ― continue to see growth as more breweries open.
Asheville's craft beverage industry is abundant with local cideries, wineries and breweries producing various styles of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, making it an oasis for all imbibers.
Breweries analyzed in SmartAsset’s 2022 Best Cities for Beer Drinkers study:
- All Sevens Brewing
- Archetype Brewing
- Asheville Brewing Company
- Bhramari Brewing Co.
- Biltmore Brewing Company
- Brewery Cursus Keme
- Burial Beer Company
- Cellarest Beer Project
- Eurisko Beer Company
- French Broad Brewing
- Ginger's Revenge
- Green Man Brewery
- Hi-Wire Brewing
- Highland Brewing Company
- Hillman Beer
- New Origin Brewing Company
- One World Brewing
- OysterHouse Brewing
- Riverbend Malt House
- Sweeten Creek Brewing
- Twin Leaf Brewery
- Upcountry Brewing
- Wedge Brewing Company
- White Labs Kitchen & Tap
- Wicked Weed Brewing
Read the full report at smartasset.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at email@example.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.


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Supermarket chain Booths is to remove self-checkouts from stores, saying it is better for customers to have staff at checkouts.
All but two branches of the northern supermarket will be moved to fully staffed checkouts.
The decision is based on customer feedback and “what we think is the right thing to do”, a spokesperson told Sky News.
“We believe that helpful colleagues provide a better customer experience.”
Two stores in Keswick and Windermere will maintain self-checkouts as the Lake District sites can be very busy, the company said.
The upmarket chain, sometimes called the ‘Waitrose of the North’, has 28 stores across Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
Booths is believed to be the first supermarket to ditch self-service checkouts.
Booths said its founding philosophy since 1847 was to “sell the best products available, in attractive stores, staffed by first-class assistants.”
The spokesperson said: “Delighting customers with our warm Northern welcome is part of our DNA, and we continue to invest in our people to ensure we stay true to this ethos. »
In July, a survey by The Grocer found that customer service scores had fallen to record lows. This is due to the decline of self-checkouts and long queues at the remaining staffed checkouts.


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Expanding a health-tech company can occur in various ways
August 30, 2021
TORONTO – It’s not easy to grow a successful technology company in the healthcare sector – purchasing cycles are notoriously long at hospitals and other medical centres. And often enough, entrepreneurs have difficulty just getting a foot in the door.
In a session aimed at helping innovators open those portals, a panel of entrepreneurs and a hospital executive commented on different strategies for success during an online discussion at the MaRS Impact Health conference in June.
Jennifer Sheils, chief information officer at Horizon Health, in Saint John, N.B., said that selling to healthcare organizations has traditionally been challenging, but that recently, things have changed. “We’ve had some disruptors, like COVID,” she said. “Our risk tolerance has changed. There’s a new appetite to engage with industry.”
That’s because the pandemic forced healthcare organizations to go virtual as soon as possible. For a while, going online was the only way to deliver services safely. And many healthcare facilities could only do it with the assistance of tech companies as partners.
Now, healthcare facilities across Canada are more open to allying with the private sector, including young and innovative companies, to implement new technologies.
Significantly, Sheils mentioned that a growing number of healthcare organizations are joining the CAN Health Network (https://canhealthnetwork.ca/), which links healthcare facilities with entrepreneurs to help them refine and scale their innovations. Once they’ve proven themselves with a few hospitals, the network then helps them grow even further, connecting them with additional members.
As the companies have already been vetted by hospitals, and the innovations have been shown to be reliable and useful, it’s easier for innovators to make additional sales to other members of the network.
Sheils noted that Horizon Health itself recently joined the CAN Health Network. It will be working with entrepreneurs to validate new technologies and solutions and to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. “We’re enabling direct access to our clinicians,” she said. “We will then support and handhold our customers throughout our network.”
In Atlantic Canada, there are eight other organizations that have joined the CAN Health Network; Sheils and Horizon Health are acting as the leaders in this region and will be actively fostering the rise of local companies. Innovators will be directed, as well, to other hospitals and healthcare organizations across Canada.
“It’s the first national project and approach of its kind,” said Sheils, referring to the effort of nurturing and promoting technology companies in conjunction with the healthcare sector. “In Atlantic Canada, we’ve leveraged learnings from Ontario and the Western edge.”
The CAN Health Network has members in Quebec, Ontario, northern Canada and the West. They include Vancouver Coastal Health, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Trillium Health Partners, the University Health Network, Horizon Health and the Vitalité Health Network, the Francophone health system in New Brunswick.
Meanwhile, another panelist, James Bateman, CEO and founder of Medchart, described another way of growing a Canadian tech business: expanding to the United States.
While doing a PhD at the University of Toronto, Bateman launched Medchart in answer to a nagging problem – how to consolidate the medical records of patients that are scattered in different places. Bateman and a partner created a method and platform for bringing records together and making them easily accessible to patients, as well as their families and caregivers.
Of late, the company has also been working with legal firms and insurance companies that need access to patient records, with permission from the patients and their families.
While the company grew steadily in Canada, after creating an office in Dallas, business skyrocketed. “In the last year, we went from 50 employees to 150,” said Bateman. “Eighty percent of our business is now led by U.S. customers.”
Indeed, many entrepreneurial experts maintain that to quickly grow a business, Canadian start-ups should expand to the U.S. as soon as possible.
“For us, when we started in 2016, we were told that it’s never too early to work in the U.S.,” said Bateman. “It’s a heavy lift, but it’s worth it.”
He said the team decided on Dallas as a U.S. headquarters because of its central location. “FedEx and Amazon are here, because everything funnels through Dallas … If you do anything coast-to-coast, it really makes sense.”
While expanding to the U.S. can lead to growth, it’s not always necessary, stated Michael Wilson, CEO of Edmonton-based DrugBank. That’s especially true if a business is web-based, like DrugBank, which is an online database that provides a wealth of information about drugs, including drug-to-drug interactions. (https://go.drugbank.com/)
“You don’t have to be in the United States,” said Wilson, “thanks to virtual tools,” such as Zoom and Teams. He said that DrugBank has had “incredible scaling” recently, with business done around the world using virtual meetings.
“We have customers in 20 countries, with most of them in the United States and Europe.” While DrugBank makes a large portion of its data available for free online, full versions of the data for more intensive users require paid licences. As well, the DrugBank database can be integrated with an organization’s own solution through the use of an API, under licence. It is these users, including research facilities, who have powered the growth of the company, which was spun-off in 2016 from the University of Alberta lab of Dr. David Wishart.
“With virtual meetings, it’s easy to get connected with people,” said Wilson. “That includes Canada, which is a big place.”


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It’s been a while since the last time we talked about the next-generation Genesis Coupe. Today we received an interesting report, Hyundai has confirmed that will unveil a new concept car in August 11, that may just preview the next-generation Genesis Coupe.
[ads id=”0″ style=”float:left;padding:5px;”]According to Hyundai, the concept will be in the form of a “flagship two-door coupe” and will follow the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design lines that we already saw in its upmarket models like the Genesis and new Equus sedans.
Is not confirmed but it’s possible that the concept will also be shown at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance scheduled for that same week.
“The HCD-16 features a handsome, sharply-tapered profile and dramatically proportioned wheels.” Hyundai official said. The concept will have automatic doors, a feature Hyundai calls the Virtual Valet Door System. Finally, expect to see a fuel-efficient powertrain installed, as Hyundai says it was respectful of the trend of downsizing and minimalism when designing the concept.
Hyundai HND-9 concept unveiled in 2013
Before that, Hyundai unveiled the HND-9 (also called Venace) in 2013, another concept that previewed the next Genesis Coupe. The latest reports and spy shots told us that the next Genesis Coupe will be a bigger, more premium car than the current model, something confirmed by test mules we spotted in the wild.
The next Genesis Coupe is expected to hit US showrooms during next year as a 2017 model, which will ride on the same RWD platform used in the Genesis sedan. Four-seater coupe and V6 Twin-Turbo powered engine, the next-gen Genesis Coupe will be more expensive than the current model. It’s expected to debut next year, meaning it will likely arrive in showrooms as a 2017 model.


text: Local singer/songwriter Terri Nicholson is celebrating the launch of her debut CD at Caddies Coffee Shop in Lismore this Friday, December 18, at 5.30pm. Her album Fall into Feeling showcases Terri’s evocative exploration, through lyric and melody, of her place in the world and her connection with it. Terri will be joined by a group of top local musos for the launch – George Urbaszek on bass, Julie Wattus on harmonies, Jamie Uren on drums, Melissa Herman on flute… and Terri on guitar and vocals. And being a celebration, you can enjoy champagne and nibblies. Hooray!


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Orange targets youth with new bundle
MOBILE| March 16, 2012, 12:38 p.m.
Orange Kenya has unveiled a new, 24 hour, daily bundled offering targeting the youth.
The new offer dubbed Holla, is part of the company’s strategy to aggressively tap into the youth segment in Kenya.
Rechargeable via a daily KSh 10 subscription, the bundled offer will see Orange Mobile pre paid customers enjoy round the clock, free on net calls to other Orange Mobile users, free on net SMSs, 20 free off net SMSs and 10 MB data daily. It will also enable free and complete access to social networking site - Facebook.
To subscribe, one will simply dial *10#
The Communications Commission of Kenya indicated in a May 2011 report that mobile phone subscribers represent the major platform through which people are accessing the internet.
Mickael Ghossein, Telkom Kenya CEO, explains that this coupled with the fact that the majority of youth now have access to internet enabled mobile phones, informed the need for an offer that would target their needs and expectations of a preferred service provider.
“Holla is about giving our customers value for every cent that they spend with us and is targeted towards the youth that account for the majority of mobile users in the country. These are very tech savvy individuals keen on high speeds with which to access the internet,” he said, adding that the new offer was in line with the brand promise of launching innovative products and services that would enable Orange customers experience the usage of the company’s 21 Mbps 3G network, launched in September last year.
The Holla offer will initially run for 45 days, commencing March 15, 2012.
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FEATURED STORYPWC: Optimism abounds but a bumpy journey ahead for some
PwC’s ‘Capital Projects & infrastructure in East Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa,’ report says infrastructure spend in the region is projected to reach $180bn per annum by 2025.
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IN DEPTHAfrica lags on digital migration
Only three African countries have so far completed the digital migration process, and serious issues are hampering the migration in other nations.


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In the years since it entered marketers’ radar screens, social media marketing has often been described as conducting “conversations.”
But the facts just don’t bear that out.
The dominant setting for social media is Facebook, made king by its nearly 1.25 billion members worldwide. But are brands having conversations there with fans?
“Any marketers who believe they’re having a conversation [with brand's fans on Facebook] are delusional,” Forrester Research VP/analyst Nate Elliot recently told VentureBeat.
The language of “conversations” dominates the way many companies talk about social media marketing. To take just one example, in March of last year Arkansas-based marketing communications agency Martin-Wilbourn Partners posted on its blog under the heading “Brands Seek to Humanize Themselves Through Social Conversation”:
“Engaging customers through social media is a primary goal of modern marketers. … Many businesses are attempting to do so by developing a unique personality or voice for their brand. … The personality presented in this type of conversation will be tied to the overall marketing campaign. … Contact us today to start a conversation about how social media can be leveraged to grow your brand.”
But without much notice, evidence is accumulating to dispel the idea that brands’ comments and other content can organically generate conversations by engaging customers or would-be customers.
Elliott said Forrester’s research has shown, “For the top 50 global brands, on average, less than one tenth of one percent [of visiting users] like, share, or comment” with the content.
This “exceptionally small” engagement, Elliott said, cannot be called a conversation in any reasonable sense. “If you have 3 million fans, you will get a few thousand likes and a few hundred comments. If you’re a social media true believer, you can look at [only] hundreds of comments [out of 3 million fans] and say, ‘People are having a conversation.'”
A central reason for the minute engagement is that so little of a brand’s message is getting through Facebook’s relevance algorithm. “Everyone who clicks the like button on a brand’s Facebook page volunteers to receive that brand’s messages,” noted Elliot’s October 2013 report for Forrester on Why Facebook Is Failing Marketers, “but on average, Facebook only shows each brand’s posts to 16 percent of its fans.”
The Forrester report adds:
“By comparison, the average marketing email — another channel a brand’s customers might sign up for when they want to receive that brand’s messages — is delivered to more than 90% of the people who agreed to hear from the brand again. It’s safe to say that if your email service provider was only delivering messages to 16% of your mailing list, you wouldn’t think twice before firing them.”
It gets worse.
The 16 percent figure from Facebook was from 2012. More recent data from digital agency Social@Ogilvy shows that the “organic reach of content published from brand pages” on Facebook had dropped from the previous 16 percent to 6 percent by February of this year.
“For large pages with more than 500,000 Likes, organic reach hit 2 percent in February,” the agency said.
In fact, Ogilvy said, “Facebook sources” are unofficially telling the agency the organic reach percentage may near zero at some point “in the foreseeable future.”
With so little of the brand’s organic messages reaching fans then, the number of fans actually engaging with organic content will be a fraction of a fraction.
A few weeks ago, TechCrunch reported on comScore’s latest findings in Social App usage among Millennials. The big news was the sustained rise of Snapchat, which registered #3 in popularity behind Facebook and Instagram. “That means the app is more popular than Twitter,” writes Sarah Perez, “Pinterest, Vine, Google or Tumblr among the millennial demographic, which comScore defines as those between the ages of 18 and 34.”
More verification for a trend many have noted: Messaging apps are trending much faster among young people than broader social platforms. There are all kinds of theories why, but the hypotheses about Snapchat—first it was sexting, then it was selfies-obsession, then it was privacy from parental gaze—probably says more about the would-be theorists than the users themselves.
We all tend to view trends through the lens of our own uses and gratifications of technologies. We grope for answers to “Why Snapchat?” because the idea of taking a picture of yourself, typing or scrawling a message across it and then sending for a supposedly ephemeral viewing does not strike us as either useful or much fun. It is interesting how often our conclusions as to “why” have a dark or negative angle when there might be a much more innocent, perhaps even hopeful, reason that Snapchat and its competitors fit better. Unless you are Twitter.
It looks like the perfect A/B test of real-time marketing. One tweet, one Facebook post for all the marbles.
Snickers, like many a brand yesterday, joined the bite-jacking fray after Uruguay’s Luis Suarez appeared to sink his teeth into an Italian defender during a FIFA World Cup soccer match. Snickers posted similar messages on both Twitter and Facebook.
And what happened? The tweet — “Hey @luis16suarez. Next time you’re hungry just grab a Snickers. #worldcup #luissuarez #EatASNICKERS” — got 39,000 retweets and 17,000 favorites. The Facebook post — “Next time you’re hungry just grab a Snickers. #WorldCup” — fell flat, with fewer than 5,000 likes, shares and comments.


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'Coco' Fans Can Create Their Own Dia de Los Muertos Skeleton at Epcot
A new “Coco”-themed attraction came to life at Epcot at Walt Disney World over the July 4th holiday, Orlando Weekly reported. An interactive, Mirror de los Muertos video screen exhibit known as “Remember Me! La Celebración Del Dia de Muertos” at the Mexico pavilion now allows guests to design their own Dia de Muertos skeletons.
Disney first announced the “Coco”-themed exhibit last September, but this part of the exhibit was just activated.
Guests can pick their own hairstyles, eyeglasses, eye colors, skull designs, and other features to totally customize their skeleton’s look. Then, via a screen capture technology, guests can make the skeletons move around the screen using their own body movements, essentially “becoming” the skeletons themselves. Kind of like a Wii avatar.
They can even save their skeletons via the Disney PhotoPass, which is linked to a guest’s MagicBand.
Beyond the screens at the pavilion, guests may be able see their skeleton avatars on a Coco-themed ride in the near future, if a ride were also to come to the pavilion. According to Orlando Weekly, there are rumors that the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros boat ride may be replaced with a “Coco” ride.


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Weerg 3D prints the valves for emergency respiratory masks
IndPrint: Positive About Print
‘At this particular moment we feel that it is our duty to make a contribution, by putting our industrial production capacity at the service of initiatives capable of concretely helping health facilities in need,’ said Matteo Rigamonti, founder of Weerg. He is telling how his revolutionary e-commerce company has decided to collaborate with the project that bears the signature of Isinnova and FabLab Brescia, for the creation of emergency respiratory masks by modifying a Decathlon snorkelling mask.
‘Thanks to the technologies we have, which ensure precision, repeatability and speed for print runs that reach thousands of pieces, we are able to produce parts of medical instruments that are needed in this moment of emergency in record time,’ continued Matteo. The 3D printers operating at Weerg can make a single piece as well as a series of up to 5000 pieces out of thermoplastic materials such as Nylon PA11 and Nylon PA12, which are resistant and ideal for creating functional prototypes and final parts. A productivity that Weerg intends to put at the service of hospitals and companies that operate on the front line. ‘We have 50 quintals of PA12 Nylon for 3D printing solutions, that can help our country cope with this dramatic situation. This is why we are sending e-mails to healthcare companies to which we will reserve symbolic prices, sufficient to cover the costs of materials,’ he continued.
Dr Renato Favero, the former head of the Brescia hospital in Gardone Valtrompia, first brought up the idea of emergency masks and thought of re-adapting a famous model of snorkel masks already on the market. The doctor turned to Isinnova, a consulting company in the industrial mechanical engineering sector, which in turn called Decathlon, manufacturer of the Easybreath snorkelling masks, who immediately collaborated by providing the CAD drawing. After careful evaluations for the necessary modifications, the add-on for the connection between mask and respirator was designed.
The valve has already been patented for free use so that all hospitals can use it. With 3D printing, the first prototypes were made in record time and immediately tested on patients in a critical setting in hospitals in Brescia, where the crisis has hit especially hard.
Isinnova and FabLab have chosen to share the file free of charge with all the companies able to print the valves and, together with many other companies that immediately took action, Weerg, an e-commerce specialising in 3D printing with a department for professional 3D printing, unique in Italy and the latest generation of industrial machines, immediately sprung into action. ‘We contacted Isinnova, whom we thank for the initiative, and in one day, thanks to our HP Multi Jet Fusion 5210 printers, we were able to supply a part of the 500 necessary valves made of PA12 Nylon, a material compatible with this health application,’ explained Matteo.


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StockWatch: Tesla Hits Another Record!
Tesla has delivered a record number of cars in Q1.
This comes despite supply chain challenges and the recent lockdowns in China.
On the other hand, EasyJet has canceled around 100 flights today.
The company blames higher than usual levels of staff absence due to Covid.
- TSLA 02:00
- EZJ 03:45
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Welcome to the newest Update from Brooklyn Made.
This month we are bringing a special episode on Brooklyn Startups!
New York has surpassed Silicon Valley as perhaps the top startup ecosystem in the world. Brooklyn is certainly a major part of that, if not NYC’s main startup hub. We’re trendier, edgier, and far more appealing to new entrepreneurs and ventures.
Recent estimates put the number of remote or independent workers in Brooklyn at about 60%. Many of whom either have their own businesses or work in startups.
As of last year, there were 7,000 startups in NYC, 326,000 tech jobs, with over $10B being invested in local startups each year. It’s an estimated $71B sector that keeps growing. Google and other tech giants keep on making billion-dollar expansion plans in the Empire State to ensure they are close to the action.
Now let’s check out 25 of the hottest startups happening in Brooklyn now…
Biolite is a cleantech startup that began with the idea of creating camping style stoves that don’t require burning fossil fuels. Their new sustainable home cooking device can eliminate fuel consumption and emissions by 90% while powering LED lights and charging mobile devices.
Downtown Brooklyn based MiMedia is a cloud storage startup for helping people upload, organize, and manage their digital possessions from their mobile devices. They offer truly private sharing and a free 10 GB of storage to get you started.
DUMBO-based Credsimple is a healthcare startup with a SaaS product for simplifying the credentialing process.
Based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Kisi made the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies last year. They boast that their smart keyless door lock system powered by mobile phones is used by over 300,000 customers, on almost 8,000 doors and facilitates 6.2M unlocks per month. Their partners reportedly include the US Airforce, AngelList, CBRE, and Digital Ocean.
E-commerce startup Mouth Foods is based in DUMBO. They’re helping small-batch food makers grow their businesses by helping consumers discover new and delicious indie foods. Check out their monthly culinary gift box subscriptions and ice coffees. They’ve been featured in Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Travel + Leisure and The New York Times.
Greenpoint food tech startup HowGood helps provide transparency on food and its sources. Specifically, to help businesses understand and rank sources for sustainability. They rank everything from eggs to raw foods to tea. Among their partners, they count General Mills, Nielsen, and Walmart.
The Brooklyn based ticket selling platform that moves more than 12 million concert tickets each month. They’ve even grown to expand and bring the service to LA, London, and Nashville. Use it to see live artists like John Legend, Metallica, YFN, and Post Malone.
TuneCore helps music artists sell their work online and keep their profits. They’ve paid out more than a billion dollars in earnings to artists. Use it to move your work on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Google. Located in Dumbo.
Dumbo located Big Spaceship is a digital agency in adtech helping brands like Samsung, Capital One, West Elm, and BMW.
Edtech startup, Amplify helps K-12 teachers make education more engaging for their students. They are in all 50 states and Washington DC, and over 21,000 schools across more than 9,000 school districts.
Dumbo’s Huge is an Adtech and branding company that was expanded to 14 locations worldwide.
Dumbo born Etsy has been one of the great facilitators of many other new ventures all over the world. They now claim almost 30 million customers and vendors. A marketplace for finding and selling unique and handmade goods online. Now a public company traded on the NASDAQ.
Williamsburg’s goTenna helps bring connectivity when other Wifi, satellite, and mobile carriers aren’t there. They recently closed a $24M round of capital fundraising led by the Founders Fund.
Digital media company Gimlet media is headquartered in Gowanus. They specialize in narrative podcasts, with at least 11 shows, including kids’ channels and those covering startup life.
Greenpoint’s Kickstarter platform has enabled over 16 million people back an enormous amount of other new startups. The original crowdfunding platform which has funded almost $4.5B across almost 500k startups and projects.
East Williamsburg’s Livestream provides live video broadcasting tools for places of worship, education, sports, government, conferences and more. Clients include the Dow Jones, Tough Mudder and Spotify. Over 10M events use Livestream every year. According to TechCrunch, the service was recently bought by and integrated with YouTube competitor, Vimeo.
Mindbodygreen is an online blog, a platform for video training and classes and event host focusing on wellness, spirituality, and the environment. Based in Dumbo.
Downtown Brooklyn’s Makerbot is a pioneer in the 3D printing space. Best known as one of the first to offer affordable 3D printers. Their printers start from a little over $1,000. They also provide printing materials and run the world’s largest 3D printing community.
Based in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Call9 has 100 local Brooklyn employees and has raised at least $34M in funding. Their backers include YCombinator. They specialize in the high tech healthcare space, providing emergency care to nursing home patients and residents.
Motivate is a bike-sharing startup with global reach, and are making cities greener and more accessible. They provide over 17 million rides in New York City each year. They employ over 800 people and have partnered with Citi and Lyft. Operating out of Industry City.
Dumbo’s Adtech startup Red Antler has helped brands like Vevo, Betterment, Birchbox, Google, Zagat, and Foursquare research and create digital experiences.
Digital magazine publishers Vice Media cover everything from entertainment to technology, lifestyle, the environment, politics and of course sex, drugs, and rap music.
Headquartered in Dumbo, Paperspace has been helping individuals and companies make the most of the new series of Chromebooks and Macbooks, by giving them access to all the programs, gaming and data they really love to use via virtual desktops in the cloud. They’re also heavily into machine learning and data science.
SPortsRecruits boasts having 100% of college coaches on its platform. This is where athletes and their families can connect with coaches and find the right college while simplifying the process of getting recruited. Based in Downtown Brooklyn.
This digital agency in Dumbo works on digital products for big brands like Lyft, IKEA, Apple, Epic Games, and Google.
This health tech startup in Dumbo is striving to improve the interaction between patients and health insurance providers. They’ve partnered with Gartner and Salesforce and have brought together a team from WebMD, Disney, Deloitte Apple and more.
Brooklyn has emerged as one of the top places in the world for entrepreneurs and startups. Our entrepreneurial spirit knows no boundaries. We’ve already got many of the most exciting ventures in the world being incubated and grown here. It will be exciting to see what’s next.
Next month we’ll be back to our regular installment of New York Real Estate News. Make sure you tune in to catch up on all the latest developments and trends.
If you are looking for your own space to startup or scale your business in Brooklyn, make sure you check out BK Lofts for over 25 of the best Creative Lofts, Offices and Studio buildings for entrepreneurs at www.BrooklynCreativeLofts.com
Well, that’s it for this month’s round-up. Look out for our other upcoming reports, and check out the latest data on the Manhattan and Brooklyn residential and multi-family market, and which features and neighborhoods are yielding the best returns at NewYorkMarketReports.com.
Thanks again to our sponsors, The Ratner Team, and SpartanRenovations.com for making these reports and delivering this valuable information possible!
Make sure you like and share this report, and leave your comments on this news, or any trends you think we overlooked or you want to hear more about in the comments section.
#Brooklyn #Startups #Amplify #Antler #Big #Biolite #Brooklyn #Call9co #Credsimple #Etsy #Foods #Gimlet #Gotenna #Howgood #Huge #Kickstarter #Kisi #Livestream #Local #Makerbot #Media #Mimedia #Mindbodygreen #Motivate #Mouth #Paperspace #Red #Songkick #Spaceship, #Sportsrecruits #Startups #Tunecore #Vice #Work #Zipari


text: The Force.net tells us James sends us this big news straight from the E3 convention floor! BIG NEWS! LucasArts has announced "Star Wars, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Knight II". It's being developed with Raven Software on a modified Quake III engine. It's expected to be released next Spring. Look for more on this on Friday I hope it is for PC Is it? YEAH Thread title changed to bring it into line with other JO threads, after discussion with Indy3.


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People in Merthyr Tydfil were so generous over the Christmas period that a local charity has no space left for donations.
The Donation Station announced they had run out of space for gratuities after it was all taken up with tinned foods, chocolates, toiletries, hats, gloves and other items.
'Out of this world'
And officials from the charity, a volunteer group collecting food and clothes donations which they share between the various charities in the town, this week said the generosity shown over the festive period was “out of this world”.
Volunteer coordinator Lee Heggie said: “We now have a large collection of food and toiletries which we are slowly working on getting out to whoever needs it with the food banks collecting next week to take some of the stock.
“We’re also working on leads to other charities in the town, one being an ex-army veterans’ charity.
“Merthyr people are so generous, words cannot describe it. It’s out of this world for us.”
According to Mr Heggie, the charity received over £1,000 in cash donations and over £1,000 worth of donations in items over the festive weeks.
As well as that, he said the high quantity of clothing the charity received “snowed us under”.
'We couldn’t practically get into the Donation Station'
He added: “It was to the extent we had to stop accepting clothes as we couldn’t practically get into the Donation Station.
“We received loads of tinned foods, dried foods, chocolates, biscuits, toiletries, hats and gloves, and many local companies’ workers were not sending Christmas cards, instead using the money to donate to the station, or were buying food and donating that to us instead.”
The Donation Station deals directly with homeless people around Merthyr. Mr Heggie said the small charity is doing well since it was launched, and is run by three volunteers – Jan Kendal, Berni Smith and himself.
Mr Heggie, who runs his own computer repairs business, added: “We are only a small charity and sometimes we struggle with staffing issues, so we’re always looking for someone who would like to help.”
News of the community’s goodwill follows last year, when the charity launched a new initiative allowing customers to donate a meal and hot drink to a homeless person when buying their own , an idea which was called the Pending Coffee and Meal Scheme.
Anyone wishing to donate can drop items off at the Donation Station, situated at the Indoor Market in Merthyr.


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An official with the United States Federal Reserve’s board of governors said that roughly half of bitcoin transactions are associated with illegal activity.
In a panel speech made Dec. 18 honoring Benoit Coeure, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, Fed official Lael Brainard said cryptocurrency is still strongly steeped in illicit behavior. She cited an academic study on bitcoin and its user base made earlier in the year and highlighted the role exchanges have played with slack KYC policies.
According to Brainard,
Only a third of the most popular exchanges require ID verification and proof of address to make a deposit or withdrawal. This is troubling, since a number of studies conclude that cryptocurrencies support a significant amount of illicit activity,
Brainard added that roughly half of all bitcoin transactions are related to illicit activity or conducted against the law,
One study estimated that more than a quarter of bitcoin users and roughly half of bitcoin transactions, for example, are associated with illegal activity.
Featured Image Credit: Photo via Pixabay.com


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Friday, August 26, 2011
Economy: In Consumers We Trust IX
Yahoo Finance writes: "The best performance was in the Asia-Pacific region, where sales surged 55 percent to $173.2 million. Sales in Europe rose 32 percent, while sales in the Americas gained 25 percent. Even Japan, which is still regaining its footing following an earthquake and nuclear scare earlier this year, posted a 21 percent sales increase" (finance.yahoo.com ).
The New Yorkers also gave an encouraging outlook and lifted their guidance (the profit they expect) for the whole year.
These numbers fit well to the strong reports other up-market consumer companies, like Starbucks or Victoria`s Secret, gave in recent days. At least the well-off are still in buying mode and keep the motor of the global economy running.