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Numlock News: April 30, 2019 • DVDs, Japanese, Jakarta
By Walt Hickey
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As streaming services begin to eat up more and more attention from consumers itching to watch previously-released movies, the market for DVDs has taken a pretty considerable hit. In the final quarter of 2015, $2.2 billion worth of DVDs were sold. That figure dropped to $1.9 billion in the same quarter of 2016, and $1.5 billion in 2017. Seasonality is a big deal here (DVD sales peak in the quarters with holidays in them) but still, only $0.8 billion worth of DVDs were sold in the most recent quarter we have data, down from $1 billion in same quarter of the previous year. This is one reason that Walmart — which moves a lot of DVDs and sells half of all American televisions — is entering the streaming programming race and will pay for original programming to come to Vudu, the streaming video service it acquired in 2010. The hope is to draw eyeballs to the streamer and ensure that the last sale they make isn’t the TV you use to watch their streaming rivals.
Indonesia’ capital, Jakarta, has a number of significant challenges ahead of it. It’s the fastest sinking city in the world and today nearly half of its area is below sea level. Models estimate that by 2050 about 95 percent of North Jakarta will be submerged. The groundwater the city extracts to keep its millions of citizens alive is the very thing submerging it, and many surface resources are polluted. The estimated cost of traffic jams in Jakarta sets their economy back $6.8 billion annually. Still, Indonesia’s planning minister and president have a bold plan to ensure that their nations capital will remain sustainable into the far future, and that plan is to move the capital to a different city and actually on to a different island altogether. Bold move! Though I have to say, the classic “just leave as conditions get unsustainable” strategy is more often utilized by, say, unruly fraternities rather than federal governments.
With some 8 billion active mobile phones on the planet, it’s worth observing that even though 1.1 billion people in the world don’t have access to electricity, we’re still collectively outnumbered by mobile devices. Of those, an estimated 5.28 billion of those phone subscriptions are for mobile broadband, that is to say the kind of device we’d generously call a smartphone. Not only are we outnumbered, but also mobile phones are growing faster than the human race, with the number of mobile subscriptions growing by just shy of 5 percent over the past five years while the human growth rate remains a fraction of that.
As it stands 68 percent of American offices have low or no separation between workers, meaning they’re those bullpen style open office environments. The promise of the open office was once that it fostered collaboration and saved ever-so-precious space. While it’s certainly more efficiently packing people in, the outcomes pertaining to collaboration are actually way murkier. One 2018 study found open offices actually decreased face-to-face interaction between colleagues by as high as 70 percent. One reason? If everywhere is a watercooler, nowhere is, and there’s an incentive now for people hard at work to pop on headphones or ear pods in order to signal they’re busy.
Japan is working to overcome a shortage of prime-age workers by opening its doors to talented immigrants. This requires those workers pick up the language, and as such the hottest job in Japan has been language educator. From 2011 to 2017, the number of students seeking to learn Japanese jumped 90 percent and now stands just shy of 250,000. The count of teachers hasn’t risen anywhere near as quickly, rising only 27 percent and still standing shy of 50,000. More than 300,000 people could come to Japan in the next five years.
I’ve Been Framed
There’s a number of key milestones of adulthood — high school graduation, moving out on your own, maybe meeting someone special — but none better at drawing a bright line between childhood and maturity than the day you drop like $200 on frames so you aren’t living like an animal anymore with posters taped to your wall. I’ll confess, this moment came in my own life later than I’d otherwise prefer. Still, the internet is getting really good at the mass distribution of posters and other artwork, and given how hard it is to find a cheap frame that movement has been quite good to the 9,000 local frame shops in the United States. Custom framing can get pricey quick, and part of that is variety of materials required for these shops to remain in operation, which can reach into the thousands.
According to data from the U.S. Census, there are now 6.4 public relations specialists for every news reporter, a massive jump from the 1.9 P.R. people per journalist in 1998. Moreover, that’s only going to get worse: there will be an estimated 282,600 P.R. people in 2026, a 9 percent increase from 2016, according to labor department projections. Meanwhile, the headcount of reporters and correspondents is projected to drop 9 percent to 45,900. Part of that growth in P.R. is totally related to the decline of newspapers, as former reporters who need to eat head over to the other team.
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Previous 2019 Sunday special editions: Saving the World · Summer Movies · No One Man Should Have All That Power · Film Incentives · Stadiums & Casinos · Late Night · 65 is the new 50 · Scooternomics · Gene Therapy · SESTA/FOSTA · CAPTCHA · New Zealand · Good To Go · California Football · Personality Testing · China’s Corruption Crackdown · Yosemite


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Much of the jewelry and crafts sold at a craft market in Ahmedabad, India, can’t handle the heat — and it’s costing the vendors, according to a Reuters report on the first-ever heat insurance offered to small businesses grappling with rising temperatures that are melting their crafts , turns items into unsaleable “junk”.
As the heat rises, the brass blackens and plastic beads become unglued, artisan Kamlaben Ashokbhai Patni told a reporter from a wooden stall in her village.
“The color of the jewel starts to fade as it gets hotter, making it worthless and like trash,” the 56-year-old mother of four said one day in late April as the temperature simmered around 100 degrees.
Patni is now among 21,000 self-employed people there who subscribe to what Reuters says is the world’s first extreme heat insurance product, launched this month by the nonprofit Arsht-Rock Foundation Resilience Center in partnership with microinsurance startup Blue Marble and a labor union.
If temperatures climb high enough above historical averages and stay there for three days, sellers like Patni get a small payout to help cope and offset lost income, according to the report.

domain: news


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Automotive exports rose by 4.1% at the end of February 2021 to stand at some 15.74 billion dirhams (MMDH), according to the Foreign Exchange Office.
This development is mainly due to the 8.6% increase in sales in the “construction” segment, explains the Office in its recent note on the monthly indicators of foreign trade.
This increase is slowed down by the drop in sales of the “wiring” segment and the “vehicle interior and seats” segment of 3.7% and 2.2% respectively, the Office informed, noting that the share of this sector in the total exports gained 2 points from 29.7% at the end of February 2020 to 31.7% at the end of February 2021.
For their part, exports of phosphates and derivatives reached some 7.14 billion dirhams at the end of February, up 7.9% compared to the same period a year earlier.
The foreign exchange office also indicates that at the end of February 2021, exports recorded a drop of 2.5%, totaling 49.62 billion dirhams against 50.86 billion dirhams a year earlier, noting that this decline mainly affects sales of textiles and leather and those of aeronautics and to a lesser extent those of agriculture and agri-food.
Indeed, exports of the textile and leather sector amounted to 5.09 billion dirhams at the end of February 2021 against 6.17 billion dirhams a year earlier, i.e. a drop of 17.5%. This change is mainly due to the decline in sales of ready-made clothing (-18% or -685MDH) and those of shoes (-29.6% or -186MDH). The share of this sector in total exports lost 1.8 points (10.3% at the end of February 2021 against 12.1% at the end of February 2020).


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(AP) — Hyatt Hotels Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit jumped more than eightfold on a tax benefit and demand for short-stay trips for business travelers.
Lodging demand softened during the recession as both business and leisure travelers postponed or canceled trips to try to save money. As economic conditions have slowly improved, both groups have started to return to travel.
But people are still looking for cost savings, and have been booking trips that are shorter than a week's stay, known by many in the industry as transient travel.
"We are pleased to see sustained transient business travel around the world in the fourth quarter. Demand from this segment was the primary driver of our results in 2011," President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said Thursday in a statement.
Hoplamazian added that group demand in the U.S. was stronger in the quarter than a year ago, but said businesses are still cautious about making longer-term commitments, which is limiting Hyatt's view on bookings.
Chicago-based Hyatt, which is controlled by the Pritzker family, reported net income of $52 million, or 31 cents per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with $6 million, or 3 cents per share, a year earlier.
The current quarter included a $28 million tax benefit.
Analysts expected earnings of 13 cents per share, according to a FactSet poll.
Revenue rose 8 percent to $990 million from $918 million, but missed Wall Street's forecast of $1.01 billion.
Revenue per available room for owned and leased hotels open at least a year rose 6 percent. This figure, also known as RevPAR, is a key gauge of a hotel operator's health.
For North American full-service hotels open at least a year, RevPAR climbed 6.5 percent. RevPAR increased 5.5 percent at select-service North American hotels, which are properties that have limited food and beverage and do not have large business or banquet facilities.
Looking overseas, RevPAR for hotels open at least a year rose 2.9 percent.
For the year, Hyatt reported net income of $113 million, or 67 cents per share, up from earnings of $66 million, or 38 cents per share, in the prior year. Annual revenue increased 5 percent to $3.7 billion from $3.53 billion.
Hyatt, whose brands include Hyatt Regency and Andaz, has 483 properties in 45 countries.
Its stock rose 25 cents to $43.09 in morning trading on Thursday. Its shares have traded in a 52-week range of $29.18 to $49.76 per share.


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updated 04:55 pm EDT, Wed July 29, 2009
Natal out by fall of 2010
Game maker THQ's chief Brian Farrell recently corroborated last week's report that Microsoft's Project Natal body controller for the Xbox 360 will be out late in 2010. Speaking in a conference call regarding THQ's earnings report, Farrell said Natal from Microsoft is a "platform addition, coming late next year," when asked about market changes in the upcoming cycle.
Last week, hardware maker Aptina said it will supply its 1.3-megapixel image sensors for cameras used in the innovative games console interface, which will launch in the second half of 2010.
Project Natal is expected to be a part of a new, next-generation Xbox 360 that is also expected to reach stores sometime in 2010. The technology relies on cameras that track a user's movements and hand motions and before using them as the controls for a video game, thus replacing a conventional handheld controller. [via SlashGear]


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We have launched our new mobile phone game, Mafia Life! The game is currently only on the Android mobile phone platform.
However we have plans to launch the game on iPhone, Windows Mobile and Facebook in the upcoming weeks.
Mafia Life is an online role-playing game where you become an online gangster and can fight other online players and try to become the richest!
For more information visit:


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Google is set to introduce new paid subscriptions for specialist video channels on YouTube, as it looks to move beyond its main advertising revenue stream and deliver a wider range of content. A...
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Curated by Henrik Safegaard - Cloneartist
Please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/safegaard
to see my work :)


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AirAsia selected the AirFi wireless platform to boost inflight retail sales and entertainment options on board. The carrier has long offered a digital on-board experience across parts of its fleet. Plus, a few other airline customers coming online.
Wizz Air expands fflya functionality with live credit card processing
Realtime credit card processing is now available on the fflya platform, extending the capabilities of the Bluetooth-based inflight connectivity solution. The service was demonstrated on a Wizz Air A321 as part of the ongoing deployment trial with that carrier.
Wizz Air expands fflya connectivity commitment
Wizz Air will fit its UK fleet with satellite-based internet access. The carrier plans to expand its trial of the fflya product from AS-IP Tech to 19 aircraft according to a recent regulatory filing.
Wizz Air gets online – without wifi!
The first WizzAir plane with in-flight connectivity entered service last week. But this is not a typical internet connection on a plane. Powered by fflya from ASIP Tech, the service approaches the very concept of on-board internet from a different perspective. And the implementation shows that difference
Airbus snags another massive A321neo/A321XLR deal from Indigo Partners
When Indigo Partners decides to buy planes the company does not mess around. Previously responsible for the one of the largest orders of single-aisle planes in the world, the company continues its growth plans with a firm order for 255 additional A321neo aircraft, announced at this year’s Dubai Air Show. As with the prior deal, these planes will be distributed among the four low cost carriers owned by Indigo Partners around the world.
A stalled recovery: Airline traffic retreating
The commecial aviation industry as we once knew it faces a dire situation. And none of the recent data offers much of the way in optimism for the coming months.
Recaro, WizzAir partner for massive seating order
The biggest commercial aircraft order in history begat the biggest airline seating order in history. Recaro will supply nearly 100,000 of its SL3710 seats to Indigo Partners airlines, with Wizz Air up first starting next year.
Austria to implement minimum fares, short flight surcharges
Prices flying in and out of Austria are set to rise. And at least one airline is happy with the news, though expect lawsuits aplenty before the matter is fully settled.
Optimism on the horizon: The Weekly Wrap 15 May 2020
Is it time to start getting excited about a travel rebound? It appears the market finally hit rock bottom so everything that happens is good news, though maybe not too much of it too quickly.
Wizz Air plans Abu Dhabi expansion
Abu Dhabi is suddenly a hot market for low cost carriers. Wizz Air is the latest player, announcing plans to establish a Middle East-based outpost of its operations in the UAE captial. It expects to launch service in the second half of 2020.


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If current research is an indicator, wearable electronics will go far beyond just very small electronic devices or wearable, flexible computers. Not only will these devices be embedded in textile substrates but an electronics device or system could ultimately become the fabric itself. Electronic textiles (e-textiles) will allow the design and production of a new generation of garments with distributed sensors and electronic functions. Such e-textiles will have the revolutionary ability to sense, act, store, emit, and move – think biomedical monitoring functions or new man-machine interfaces – while ideally leveraging an existing low-cost textile manufacturing infrastructure.
All these wearable and potentially textile-embedded electronic gadgets will require power; and it wouldn’t make sense to have to plug your sleek flexible sleeve display into a bulky lithium-ion battery brick. Researchers are therefore pushing the development of wearable energy storage. Especially supercapacitors with a cable-type architecture could lead to flexible energy storage devices that can remove traditional restriction and achieve a subversive technology that could open up a path for design innovation.
Researchers have now demonstrated that flexible cotton threads can be used as a platform to fabricate a cable-type supercapacitor.
See on www.nanowerk.com


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Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is telling anyone who would listen that Apple’s shares are likely to double in value, and that Apple stock should be trading at $203, Reuters reported. Icahn is urging Apple’s board to buy back as many shares as their $133 billion cash reserves will allow.
“We believe Apple is dramatically undervalued in today’s market, and the more shares repurchased now, the more each remaining shareholder will benefit, ” Icahn said in a letter to Apple’s board released today.
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“At today’s price, Apple is one of the best investments we have ever seen from a risk reward perspective, and the size of our position is a testament to this. This investment represents the largest position in our investment history, ” Icahn wrote.
Apple shares have not doubled, not even close, in 2014. They have gained 27 percent since January, trading today at $101.49.
Icahn himself owns 53 million shares, according to Reuters, and is one of Apple’s top 10 investors.
In his letter Icahn said he believes the Apple Watch—the first new thing to have come out of Apple since 2010 (when the iPad conquered the planet)—will kick the company to the top of the world again.
Reuters cites Analyst Aaron Rakers, who has a buy on Apple, who responded to Icahn’s letter saying “Apple clearly has an excessive cash and investment balance.”
“We think a tender offer is simply a good method of conducting a large repurchase in an expedited time frame, but the exact method and the exact size is not the key issue for us, ” Rakers said.


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BMW has revealed its first electric midsize utility vehicle, the iX xDrive50.
The battery-powered model is set to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2022 at a starting price in the mid-$80,000 range and will compete with vehicles like the Tesla Model X and Audi e-tron.
The BMW X5-sized vehicle features a 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack capable of providing over 300 miles of range and can be refilled to 80 percent capacity at a public fast-charging station in 40 minutes, while a 75-mile fill-up takes 10 minutes.
The five-passenger vehicle will come standard with a 500 horsepower all-wheel-drive system and can accelerate to 60 mph in under five seconds, according to BMW. Less powerful, lower-priced models will likely follow after its launch.
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The vehicle also debuts a new iDrive infotainment system and a curved full-digital instrument panel with over 27 inches of screens.
BMW said the vehicle is designed with a large amount of recycled plastic and that its production process relies on green energy to reduces the overall carbon footprint of its manufacture.
BMW also unveiled an i4 sedan around the size of the current 3-Series that’s set to go on sale later in 2022, but did not release full specifications for the model.


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May 15, 2018 — The rail system’s e-commerce platform was compromised
Ryan Wilk, VP at NuData, comments on a report issued yesterday by SC Magazine disclosing that fraudsters were able to gain unauthorised access to the IT platform of Rail Europe’s e-commerce websites for three long months before the firm was alerted to a possible breach by one of its banks.
With these multi-layered solutions, verification is derived from hundreds of indicators based on the user’s online behaviour – not relying on a password or challenge questions. These behaviours cannot be mimicked by hackers, protecting customers and businesses from post-breach damage. Today’s news is a call to action for every entity handling customer payment data and other personally identifiable information.
For the complete article, go here.


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To mitigate post-LDC era, the government should move to ink free trade agreements with its major partners UN and experts says
In a recently published report, the UN says Bangladesh must move to free trade agreements with its major partners including China to cope with the possible loss of trade preferences in the post-LDC era.
Bangladesh officially met the criteria for LDC (Least Developed Country) Graduation for the first time in 2018.
Bangladesh is expected to meet those LDC Graduation criteria for a second time in 2021. In such a case, the country would formally proceed from the LDC status by 2024.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) along with five other United Nations regional commissions produced the report.
Though anxiety prevails as the loss of LDC status may give rise to potentially important economic prices due to the withdrawal of GSP facilities from the European Union, Canada, Japan, Australia, and other markets.
Presently Bangladesh enjoys a 12% preference margin for its apparel industry under the EU’s ‘Everything but Arms’ (EBA) initiative, which gives Bangladesh a significant price benefit in its prime export market.
In this situation, the UN report said that “an FTA with Europe could be an alternative to EBA and the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+).”
The report wondered “The country is unusual in that it has no bilateral trade agreements.”
The UN report comes at a time when the government has already exploring ways to sign FTAs with a number of countries in the region.
Though, those initiatives are now stalled at different phases due to internal and external factors. Like with Sri Lanka and China.
Top economists of the country called for restraint against signing the FTA with giant economies like China or Europe. As the current world is facing a common phenomenon with interest of local industry may get hampered as the cheaper Chinese goods may flood the local market in the aftermath of any such deal with China.
“It is very true that an FTA with China would hardly be feasible or beneficial for Bangladesh,” said Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh”
“So instead of FTA, we should go for negotiating Preferential Trade Agreements with China,” Mansur said.
“When it comes to FTA, we should, first of all, target small or mid-sized economies in the region like Sri Lanka or Thailand rather than the big economies,” said Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow of the Center for Policy Dialogue.
“In the meantime, we have to develop the capacity of our local industries while addressing our labor standard or copyright regime,” Rahman said.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the European Union, the country’s strategy should be to gain GSP Plus facilities, he added.


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Honors and Awards
Tennessee State University Receives $2.44 Million USDA Grant to Study Foodborne Illness
By TSU News On August 7, 2012
NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $2.44 million to the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences’ Food Safety team at Tennessee State University to help reduce incidences of foodborne illness.
The grant, awarded through USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, will be used to help reduce illnesses from Salmonella and Campylobacter by improving consumer storage, handling, and preparation of raw and ready-to-eat poultry, eggs, and poultry products.
Dr. Sandria Godwin, a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, along with a multi-institutional team of researchers, educators and extension specialists, will use the $2.4 million grant to accomplish three objectives, including:
- Characterizing consumers’ storage, handling and preparation of poultry, eggs, and poultry products, and their awareness and understanding of existing food safety messages,
- Assessing and prioritizing the risk of contamination from improper in-home storage, handling, and preparation of poultry, eggs, and poultry products, and
- Developing science-based and consumer-focused messages on safe storage, handling, and preparation of poultry, eggs, and poultry products, and evaluating their impact.
The expected long-term outcomes of the project include an increased consumer knowledge and use of recommended storage, handling and preparation practices for poultry products and eggs, which will ultimately result in a reduction in foodborne illness due to consumers’ improved handling, storage and preparation of poultry products and eggs.
“This award solidifies Tennessee State University’s leadership in food safety research and education,” said Dr. Chandra Reddy, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences. “The College appreciates the leadership of Dr. Sandy Godwin in advancing this area of research.”
Godwin’s team includes Dr. Fur-Chi Chen and Dr. Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge, also in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, along with Dr. John Ricketts and Dr. Samuel Nahashon from the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. They will be collaborating with Dr. Edgar Chambers IV and Dr. Delores Chambers, faculty members at Kansas State University, and researchers and staff at RTI International who will be directed by Ms. Sheryl Cates.
According to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year as a result of foodborne diseases. Surveillance (FoodNet) data reported by CDC lists Salmonella infection as the most commonly reported foodborne infection, followed by Campylobacter.
Infections from Salmonella and Campylobacter can cause long-term complications, and even death. Although consumers can acquire these bacteria from a variety of sources, most of the illnesses are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or eggs, or from cross-contamination of other foods by these items.
The $2.44 million project grant is through USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and administered through NIFA. AFRI food safety grants promote and enhance the scientific discipline of food safety, with an overall aim of protecting consumers from microbial, chemical, and physical hazards that may occur during all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption.


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The first major free game via Epic Games Store free games is almost upon us, according to a new leak. It's early into 2023, but Epic Games has already provided PC users with some quality free games, but it hasn't made a big splash yet. This week, on January 19, this is apparently changing. According to a prolific leaker, the next free Epic Games Store game is actually three games, and that's because it's going Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which is a collection of remasters for GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas.
While the 2021 collection ultimately proved divisive, largely due to the performance and technical issues at launch, it sold 10 million copies in about a month, proving that video game reviews don't matter a ton, as it was one of the lowest-rated games of its year. That said, many of the issues that contributed to this rating have either been improved or fixed entirely.
"Three iconic cities, three epic stories," reads an official blurb about the game. "Play the genre-defining classics of the original Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas updated for a new generation, now with across-the-board enhancements including brilliant new lighting and environmental upgrades, high-resolution textures, increased draw distances, Grand Theft Auto V-style controls and targeting, and much more, bringing these beloved worlds to life with all new levels of detail.
As for the source of the leak, it comes from Twitter user "Billbil-Kun," a source best known for leaking free PS Plus games in the past. In other words, they not only have a track record of leaks, but a track record of specifically leaking free games.
"Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will be released on Epic Games Store on January 19th at 4PM UTC," writes the leaker on Twitter. "It will be on sale too with 50 percent off discount during the first week."
And that's it. That's the extent of the leak, which, for now, should be taken with a grain of salt like any other leak. So far, none of the implicated parties have commented on the leak. If this changes, we will be sure to update the story accordingly.
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum


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MUMBAI, March 20 (Reuters) - Indian sugar futures extended losses on Tuesday on rising inventory from ongoing cane crushing, although hopes of an improvement in demand in the physical market due to summer season and firm world market limited the fall.
* The key April sugar contract on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange closed down 0.28 percent at 2,803 rupees ($55.6) per 100 kg.
* Prices edged 0.3 percent down to 2,766 rupees per 100 kg in the spot market in Kolhapur in top producing Maharashtra state.
* “Supply pressure is weighing on prices,” said Vedika Narvekar, senior analyst with Angel Commodities Broking.
* “At the current level, the market will consolidate and try to edge higher. Temperature has started to rise and demand for sugar should improve in the coming days.”
* Demand for the sweetener from ice-cream and beverage makers typically goes up during the summer.
* New York raw sugar futures traded at a three-week high early on Tuesday, bolstered by concerns over the outlook for new crop centre-south Brazilian output.
* Indian sugar mills produced 21.2 million tonnes of the sweetener between Oct. 1 and March 15, up 14 percent from a year earlier, a trade body said on March 19.
* India is estimated to produce 26 million tonnes of sugar in 2011/12, higher than the annual demand of about 22 million tonnes.
$1= 50.4 Indian rupees Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Rajesh Pandathil


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Posted Apr 28, 2008 04:13 pm CDT
Despite arguments that the ban unduly impinges on drivers’ First Amendment rights, the Florida Senate has voted to prohibit owners from dangling fake bull testicles from the rear of their vehicles.
“Motorists would be fined $60 for displaying the novelty items, which are known by brand names like ‘Truck Nutz’ and resemble the south end of a bull moving north,” Reuters reports . Opponents included Senate Rules Chairman Jim King (R-Jacksonville), who had a pair on his truck until his wife objected.
It is by no means certain that the state’s house of representatives will approve the ban, which isn’t now on its legislative agenda, according to the news agency.


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THOMAS H. Troops in Yugoslavia From Times Wire ServicesSurvey Finds Anti Semitism on Rise in Ex Soviet Lands : Prejudice: Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are cited. Researcher warns of primitive feelings. True, the system and its institutions have sometimes faltered. Globalization has fostered greater income inequality within the United States, as Harvard economist Dani Rodrik argues in his new book, “Straight Talk on Trade.” Trump is exploiting popular mistrust of these institutions among many Americans who feel cheated by the globalized economy. And they’re not entirely wrong: Some countries like Canada maintain high tariffs on certain protected products (as does America), and over the past half century both political parties oversold the benefits of major international trade agreements, from NAFTA to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), and dramatically underestimated the hazards, especially worsening inequality and social upheaval.
My big Mormon family (not just my parents and siblings, but my aunts and uncles, cousins, the grandparents too) comes and visits and freaks out, this hospital is only about 20 minutes from my hometown. I tell them this exact story. Once they leave I can help but cry out of relief.
Hair! The princess Di flick, those ridiculous tiny pig tails, shaggy dog perms I tried them all in my late childhood. I had some vile bright pink leg warmers which I loved. The news was all about the miners and AIDS. BLOCK: More headlines about Hillary Clinton’s emails are not something that her campaign wants, of course. She was in New York City today for a speech about the economy. She was talking about getting away from the culture of what she calls quarterly capitalism, offering proposals to foster long term growth, not short term profits, but, again, largely drowned out by this complicated story of her emails again.
The Iran nuclear negotiations have reached a stalemate. The White House has asked for an extension, and Congress should give it additional time. But the latest stumble offers an occasion for some searching questions. AHLUWALIA: But why is nobody even talking about what the American public said and wanted and elected president Trump and more importantly when he look at the Cabinet he’s brought in, the kind of caliber of people. And now what my dear friend says here is that he only made money. Now, are we penalizing success? Are we penalizing hard work? Is that what we have reached in our country?.
Pockets of empty stores are appearing in Boston’s suburbs, the result of a string of bankruptcy filings or store closure announcements by regional and national chains, including Tweeter, Linens ‘n Things, Circuit City, even Starbucks. The closings, scattered for now, have retailers, landlords, employees, local officials, and shoppers as they hold tighter to their wallets and scout for going out of business sales worrying as the holiday shopping season begins. This area may fare better than the rest of the nation, but the worst is yet to come everywhere, retail and commercial real estate analysts say..


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There’s really no question at this point that 2020 is shaping up to be an extremely busy year for Apple, and much of the focus from fans is on one product line in particular. Needless to say, we’re talking about Apple’s iPhone lineup. After three years of iPhones with designs so similar that they’re indistinguishable from the front, Apple is believed to have a massive design refresh in store for smartphone shoppers in 2020. Word from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who happens to be the most accurate Apple insider in the world, suggests that the new iPhone 12 series will sport a fresh redesign similar to what Apple was doing back in the early 2010s with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 series. Considering how good Kuo’s track record is, we can definitely expect Apple’s iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and possibly a fourth new iPhone 12 model to feature smaller notches and flat metal edges around the outside of each phone. We can also expect the new iPhone 12 series to be Apple’s first smartphones with support for 5G connectivity, and a few more marquee features to sweeten the pot.
Of course, the iPhone 12 series isn’t the only new product line the company is working on. We’ve seen reports about new iPad Pro models in set to debut as soon as next month alongside another hotly anticipated new Apple product, the long-awaited iPhone SE 2, which has also been referred to lately as the iPhone 9. Other new iPads could be released this year, and there are also rumblings of a more affordable version of Apple’s noise cancelling earbuds in the works, which people are calling AirPods Pro Lite. Refreshed laptop models should hit Apple’s various MacBook laptop lines this year as well, but there’s another new Apple product we’re now starting to hear more about that will be unlike anything the company has released before.
Generally speaking, Apple is all about iteration. The company regularly updates exciting products in its various lineups and it doesn’t introduce entirely new products very often at all. When it does, they’re often aimed at big new markets — think of the Apple Watch that debuted in 2015 or the AirPods that first launched in 2016. They’re both multi-billion-dollar businesses now. Of course, Apple also launches new accessories and supplemental products from time to time, and it looks like we can expect a launch along those lines in the coming months.
Ming-Chi Kuo delivered a new note to clients on Tuesday covering AirTags, a brand new type of product Apple is said to be working on. We’ve seen AirTags mentioned a few different times now, most recently by developers who found references to the unreleased product in Apple’s own iOS 13.2 software. Based on everything we’ve seen so far, AirTags are expected to be device tracker and locator tags similar to what we’ve seen from Tile.
It was unclear at the time when Apple’s new AirTags might launch, but Kuo might’ve just leaked Apple’s plans in his new note. According to the respected analyst, the new Tile-like trackers should be introduced in the third quarter of the year. Kuo says Apple’s supply chain partners are preparing to begin production of tens of millions of AirTag units by the end of the year. Based on Kuo’s mention of a third-quarter launch, it seems possible that Apple will unveil its new Tile rival alongside the iPhone 12 series in September. Alternatively, as 9to5Mac suggests, Apple might announce them earlier at WWDC 2020 so that third-party developers can come up with as many app integrations as possible ahead of a Q3 release.


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A new survey conducted by the US Department of Labor has revealed sweatshop workers in southern California are being paid as little as $1.58 cents an hour far below us minimum wage standards.
The survey which included 50 contractors and manufacturers found that more than 45 thousand garment manufacturing industry workers were working an average of 55 hours a week without receiving overtime pay clear violation of fair labor standards act regulations. Investigators also discovered even worse violations such as employers deliberately paying their employees part or all of their wages off the books, with forged payroll records and no records provided at all.
They also learned that 32 percent of contractors were still paying rates based on the number of items produced, despite that wage system being prohibited by the state of California since last year.
According to Ruben Rosalez, wage and hour regional administrator in San Francisco quote “many people shopping for clothes in stores and online are likely unaware that the ‘made in the USA merchandise they’re buying was made by people earning far less than what US law requires.”


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“This is the first step in our journey to consumers,” a spokesman said. The step is “focused on our commercial partnerships and on supporting developers who will help pave the way to consumer availability with amazing and new holographic experiences.”
The announcement comes a year after Microsoft revealed plans to develop the HoloLens, which does not need a computer or smartphone to deliver a VR experience. The company didn’t say when the consumer version would be available.
The Windows 10 device incorporates see-through holographic lenses and an optical projection system to make full-color holograms appear in the wearer’s real-world environment. It will enable such applications as “mixed-reality gaming,” projecting holograms into a living room so that consumers can wear virtual weapons around their wrist to battle robots that break through the walls of their house. Microsoft also sees applications for productivity and health care.
A built-in camera enables users to make mixed reality captures (MRCs) of holograms in the user’s real-world environment to share with people who don’t have a HoloLens.
The device also supports Bluetooth 4.1 for use with accessories, including a clicker that will ship with your HoloLens.
To show developers what they can create, Microsoft unveiled its own apps, including HoloTour, which lets users view high-resolution 360-degree panoramic displays of places like Rome and Machu Picchu. The app lets users walk around the location and get up close to objects. The sounds of the virtual location also surround users.
Mixed-reality games developed by Microsoft include Fragments, which lets gamers investigate clues and solve crimes taking place in their own living rooms.
RoboRaid lets users defend their own home against an alien invasion.
The developer’s edition costs $3,000.


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Indian Exporters Seek China Market Access in Following Sectors after US Trade Tensions
Trade hostilities between the US and China have been rapidly escalating – with the potential to reshape global geopolitics and trade patterns for years to come.
With China, the US aims to reduce the country’s large trade surplus, which stood at almost US$350 billion (Rs 23.9 trillion) last year.
India faces a similar problem with China as their bilateral trade is heavily in China’s favor. The trade deficit between India and China stood at US$63 billion (Rs 4.3 trillion) last year.
Still, China is India’s largest trading partner – bilateral trade reached a historic US$84.4 billion (Rs 5.8 trillion) in 2017-18 and Indian exports showed a 40 percent increase.
Yet, it is perhaps more important to ask – will the ongoing trade hostilities with the US finally enable Indian producers to successfully compete for access to the Chinese market?
If so, which sectors would gain the most from the new market openings?
For the first time since India signed onto the APTA pact in 1975, preferential tariffs under the agreement have come into force.
More than a few sectors that were previously dominated by US imports – are now open to Indian competitors – in the Chinese market.
Indian pharmaceuticals eye China opening
India is a leading exporter of generic drugs; the sector added US$17.3 billion (Rs 1.2 trillion) to India’s GDP in 2017.
The EU and US are China’s main import partners. However, only one percent of their total exports go to China even though China is the world’s second largest market for pharmaceuticals.
India has been pressuring the Chinese government to open its pharmaceutical and organic chemical sectors to Indian producers.
In lieu of this, the Chinese government exempted 28 Indian drugs from import tariffs in May 2018 – with promises of more reductions in future.
The difficulty for Indian pharmaceutical exports arises from the complicated regulatory approvals process in China.
China is presently considering the option of faster regulatory approvals to EU-approved Indian pharmacy suppliers – to improve this relationship.
Opportunities for Indian software exports
The Trump administration’s second list of goods subject to tariff hikes meant to hit back at the ‘Make in China 2025’ program. The list raised tariffs on advanced technological imports from China.
China will now need to look elsewhere for software-related partnerships and joint ventures – India’s information technology (IT) industry is well positioned to take on that challenge.
The Indian government, on its part, needs to amplify its support to IT companies and ensure that proper intellectual property rights (IPR) protections are secured – a murky area when it comes to dealing with Chinese businesses.
Exporting Indian agro-based products
The US is India’s main competitor for the global agro-products market. They have also continually opposed India’s initiatives to develop and reform rules governing the global farm goods market.
Most recently, the US accused India of breaching its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments by running support programs for rice and wheat cultivation – a case India might lose at the WTO leading to a removal of export subsidies to rice and wheat cultivators.
Raised tariffs from China on US agriculture-based imports put India in a prime position to substitute these in the Chinese market.
Trade opportunities for Indian cotton, yarn exports
On China’s retaliatory list of tariff imposition is a 25 percent duty on US imports of cotton. The US is China’s main cotton supplier, and China’s cotton reserves currently stand at 25 percent.
India is the world’s largest cotton producer, with exports to China accounting for US$1.34 billion (Rs 91.8 billion) in 2017. This is expected to see a significant increase.
The largest cotton export from India to China is recorded at US$4 billion (Rs 275 billion) in 2011, though it has since seen a significant decline.
Similarly, cotton yarn also saw a sharp fall in export to China over the last few years. This is attributed to Chinese duties that stood at 3.5 percent for India, while being zero for Vietnam.
Owing to raised tariffs for the US, and reduced tariffs for India under APTA, Indian cotton suppliers are back in the running to increase exports.
Export opportunities for Indian sugar
Sugar exports are also in contention for increased market access in China.
India produces a surplus stock of almost eight million tons of sugar. Indian producers are keen to gain export access to a large market like China.
Talks between Chinese sugar companies and the top management of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) are ongoing.
China is considering increasing sugar imports from India by almost 1.3 million tons, creating a significant advantage for Indian sugar producers in the Chinese market.
Indian exports of soybean, groundnut, and oil cakes
China has also imposed a 25 percent tariff on US produced soybean, while removing all tariffs on imports through APTA countries.
China’s annual soybean import of around 100 million tons is mostly for domestic consumption and, in part, for the manufacture of soybean oil and meal for export.
Although this product does not have an exportable surplus in India yet, Indian industry players anticipate exports of US$100 million (Rs 6.85 billion) worth of soybean meal and US$50 million (Rs 3.4 billion) worth of groundnut to China. (Suppliers of both the leguminous plants are interconnected.)
India is also expecting a bumper crop of soybean this year. A delegation of the Soybean Processors Association (SOPA) of India is expected to visit China next month. They want to assuage Chinese quarantine concerns and ensure market availability for Indian soybean exporters.
Currently, there are no soybean oil and soybean flour exports and negligible oilcake exports from India to China. Stiff competition from Brazil and Vietnam will likely also diminish Indian soybean’s competitiveness in the Chinese market.
Indian producers appeal for oil meal exports
Perhaps a better success story in India’s agriculture export sector is oil meals, which saw a 48 percent increase in overall exports – standing at US$690 million (Rs 47 billion) in 2017-18.
Yet, India has been unable to export to China.
The Chinese government imposed a ban on oil meal imports from India citing quarantine protocol issues in 2012 – more likely due to India’s ban on Chinese dairy products following the melamine milk contamination scandal in 2008.
Indian producers have not been able to overturn this ban so far.
The body in charge of oil meal produce in India, the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA), is seeking clarification from the Chinese government regarding the conditions required for a phytosanitory certificate – a necessary protocol for plant produce exports to China.
India competing for rice exports
In 2016, 14 Indian registered rice exports received approval from China to export rice; however, their shipments were stopped due to alleged pest quarantine issues.
In July 2018, another five exporters were approved; four more exporters have been asked to improve their storage standards and been allowed to reapply for approval.
This comes as a relief to Indian rice exporters since China only allowed the import of basmati (a type of rice grain) rice earlier; it has now approved non-basmati rice for exports.
Two teams of China’s General Administration of Customs inspected 14 rice-processing plants in India between July 9 and 17, 2018.
China is the largest producer and importer of rice globally, while India is the highest exporter. A partnership between the two countries will be beneficial for both, and help reduce the ballooning trade deficit between them.
However, the US rice delegation visited China in April, 2018 and is putting pressure on China to open its market access to US-based rice exporters as well.
China’s rice imports, worth US$1.8 billion (Rs 123 billion) in 2017, see negligible contributions from India and the US; the two countries cumulatively account for US$20,000 (Rs 1.4 million) worth of rice exports to China.
India may be in competition with US exports if the latter’s decade long effort to open the Chinese market to US rice producers is approved – experts believe that due to the high demand for rice in China, this may happen despite the trade war.
Challenges for Indian exporters looking at China
While escalating US-China trade hostilities boost export opportunities for India, there are considerable challenges if Indian traders are to effectively exploit them.
Indian food products are not highly regarded in the Chinese market, and changing this perception should be at the forefront of India’s strategy to pursue wider market access.
Easing non-tariff barriers, such as extended timelines for manufacturer plant inspections as well as stringent and opaque quarantine protocols are other sore spots for the Indian agricultural exporter that need government intervention and policy change.
China’s policy focus is shifting to make exports from neighboring countries easier.
With the logistical and competitive advantage of exporting goods faster to China from India as well as the lowered tariffs – it is up to Indian producers, barring geopolitical irritants, to procure long-term market access to China.
- Previous Article India Approves WIPO Internet Treaties, IP Protections for Online Content Creators
- Next Article Significant Beneficial Ownership in Indian Companies to be Declared by September 11


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Back in June, NEC unveiled their Terrain smartphone which was a rugged Android handset that would make its way onto AT&T’s network. This would mark the company’s first efforts in the US since 8 years ago, but it looks like it could be its last as well. According to Japan’s Nikkei, it seems that NEC has decided to give up on the smartphone business for good. Reports have suggested that NEC’s smartphone business had not been doing as well as the company had hoped, and that NEC was actually looking to sell off that division to Lenovo last year, which we guess they thought was a sure thing since both companies have an existing PC partnership with one another.
Unfortunately for NEC, the deal fell through and that the sale of the division is no longer on the table. Now it looks like NEC will no longer be attempting anymore smartphones in the near future, and instead the company appears to be more interested in focusing on its feature phone lineup for now, and in the meantime attempt to sell off some of its mobile-related patents as well.


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The stats: Sales of top 10 drop 50%
16 December 2010 @booksandpublishing
Bookseller feedback is backed up by data from Nielsen BookScan, which shows a drop in sales over the lead up to Christmas--the first time Nielsen has reported such a drop in its 10 years tracking the Australian market. Nielsen BookScan reports that in the 10 weeks to 11 December sales...
Category: Local news


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Microsoft announced today that an all-new NFL Draft channel — as part of the NFL app — is coming to Xbox One, which will allow users to follow the three-day event on their home console.
The NFL Draft experience on Xbox One is also snappable, which lets users follow their favorite team's latest picks while watching Netflix or playing a game of Titanfall. And ahead of the draft, Microsoft says that Xbox Live Gold members can watch videos of top prospects and see expert's assessments of every NFL team, whether it's the Carolina Panthers or Buffalo Bills.
"The control we give to fans is what makes our system unique,” said David Jurenka, executive producer of sports at Xbox. “If your team drafts Johnny Manziel and you want to see some clips of him, you can just jump in and do that. We’re taking what has traditionally been a passive TV experience and making it interactive and personalized.”
And after the NFL Draft ends, which starts Thursday and runs through Saturday, the NFL app will update over time to feature preseason content, staying fresh for users. The NFL app — and draft experience — is available now on Xbox One.
Evan Campbell is a freelance news writer who just recently got an Xbox One and Titanfall. He's streaming his experiences over on his Twitch channel. You can also check out what he's saying on Twitter.


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Microsoft has revealed that a small number of older games packed with layers of DRM copy protection won't work on Windows 10.
Talking at Gamescom, Microsoft's Boris Schneider-Johne said that Windows 10 won't run games that have SafeDisc or SecuROM technology due to possible loopholes opening up for damaging viruses, according to Ars Technica.
"This DRM stuff is also deeply embedded in your system, and that's where Windows 10 says, 'Sorry, we cannot allow that, because that would be a possible loophole for computer viruses.' That's why there are a couple of games from 2003-2008 with SecuROM, etc. that simply don't run without a no-CD patch or some such," Johne explained.
DRM has always been very unpopular with gamers and PC owners given the amount of problems it introduces. SecuROM, which was developed by Sony DADC, stipulated numbers on the amount of installs and activations that could be performed as well as requiring regular online check-ins to keep games running. SecuROM even counted hardware changes as an activation and was incredibly unpopular.
At one point, EA was deeply embedded in the SecuROM ecosystem and some of its most popular releases were subject to the controls. When Mass Effect was released for the PC, for example, it was meant to be reactivated every 10 days and was limited to a maximum of three activations.
Xbox One streams at optimum level
There remains plenty of ways to get around this such as downloading DRM-free versions via certain marketplaces. Of course this is only a problem if you've already taken the plunge and downloaded Windows 10, and the latest numbers suggest the OS has begun to slow down as it sits at around 4.95% of the global OS market.
Remaining on the gaming front, Microsoft has also automatically enabled the highest quality streaming level for any Windows 10 users deciding to play Xbox One games on their PC by default, according to Windows Central.


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Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.
Tilman Fertitta wants rent forgiveness for restaurants
Houston billionaire and restaurateur Tilman Fertitta, speaking on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” program Tuesday, said that restaurant owners should not have to pay full rent to their landlords if they have been shuttered or lost business due to Covid-19. Fertitta, who owns more than 600 restaurants, in addition to the Houston Rockets, and who is worth more than $4 billion, told host Melissa Lee that less than half of his Landry’s, Inc. restaurants, and two of his five Golden Nugget Casinos, have been able to reopen.
Fertitta, who previously said that furloughing 40,000 of his employees was a “favor” to them, told Lee that “everyone needs to feel some pain” during to the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic shutdown. Two weeks ago, Fertitta told President Donald Trump that he did not take out a Paycheck Protection Program loan because he didn’t want to be shamed. Instead, the businessman took out a $300 million private loan with a 12 percent interest rate to keep his empire afloat.
The Tasting Room at Uptown Park will soon close
The Tasting Room’s Uptown park location will close on May 30 after 17 years in business. The wine room and restaurant is the latest in a series of closures compounded by the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Houston Chronicle. The restaurant, which was founded in 2003, was the first for owners Jerry and Laura Lasco, who later went on to open Max’s Wine Dive and a number of other Tasting Room locations.
Lasco Enterprises became known for selling wines in a restaurant setting but without a restaurant markup. Two previous locations of the Tasting Room — one in River Oaks and one in Kingwood — closed in 2014. The Tasting Room at CityCentre will remain open.
HEB loosens meat purchasing limits
Less than two weeks after implementing restrictions on the amount of meat Houstonians can buy at local HEBs, the grocery chain has loosened some of those restrictions. Houston-area shoppers can now buy unlimited quantities of frozen hamburger patties and fresh and frozen chicken, according to the Houston Chronicle. Limits remain in place for ground beef and brisket. The purchasing limits were originally employed due to production shortages at meat processing plants, many of them in Texas. The meatpacking industry has been an epicenter for some of the largest clusters of Covid-19 cases.


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American quick service restaurant chain Church’s Chicken has sold 70 of its company-owned restaurants in Texas to a new franchise operator Ampler Chicken.
In addition, six of its outlets in Atlanta were purchased by an existing franchise operator in Orlando, Sal Kabiruddin of KSH Chicken Restaurants.
The sales are part of the restaurant’s strategic plans to create an expanded footprint in Texas and Atlantic regions.
Church’s Chicken CEO Joe Christina said: “Texas is the birthplace of Church’s Chicken, and our headquarters are in Atlanta. These are both critical territories.
“These two areas offer future strategic growth opportunities for the brand in the year ahead. Ampler Chicken is led by industry veterans with a successful track record overseeing the operations of thousands of restaurants.”
Ampler Chicken, a multi-unit franchisee of Church’s Chicken is being led by Steve Wiborg and Mike Collins.
The two sales follow after the company carried out numerous changes to its executive leadership, agency structure, international growth strategy, and franchisee relationships during the year.
Christina further added: “While the ownership of these restaurants is changing, our company values and dedication to exceptional taste, quality, and service continues and is more important than ever.”
Peak Franchise Capital has served as the advisor to Church’s on the sale transaction with Ampler Chicken.
Having more than 1,650 locations in 27 countries, Church’s Chicken was founded by George W. Church in San Antonio, Texas, in 1952.
The restaurant specialises in Original and Spicy Chicken, Tender Strips, sandwiches, honey-butter biscuits, and classic.


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This weekend, a sale in support of Ukraine will be held in the heart of the French capital. The woman behind this initiative? Lilia Litkovskaya, creator of her eponymous brand specializing in artisanal and eco-responsible women's fashion. At a time when her country needs support more than ever, she has decided to get together with other Ukrainian designers who have found refuge in France, for a pop-up.
How can fashion help Ukraine?
Like many others, this is the question that the young Ukrainian designer Lilia Litkovskaya, who comes from a family of four generations of tailors, asked herself. While her country is exposed to a heartbreaking political, economic and social crisis, it is obvious that mutual aid is a great ally, if not a necessity of extreme urgency.
A few weeks before the war, Liliia Litkovskaya had the idea of creating ArtCode.Ua, a cultural project whose aim was to make Ukrainian talent known to the whole world. It was born from a public survey conducted on social media asking people about the artists they thought would best represent their country on the international scene. In the end, more than 500 painters, sculptors, designers, filmmakers and other creative souls were selected to take part. And while the initiative was officially presented during Paris Fashion Week, it resonates even more today given the tragic situation in Ukraine.
That's why Lilia Litkovskaya is unveiling a first charity pop-up, gathering a handful of Ukrainian brands, with the aim of raising awareness among the European public (and especially the French) about the war that is currently going on, to help artists in the promotion of their work and their country's culture, but also to bring financial aid to humanitarian organizations that come directly to the aid of the Ukrainian population (40% of the profits of the sale will be donated to these associations).
Which designers will be present during this sale?
During this sale, we will be able to discover the latest collections of a dozen Ukrainian brands as well as their creators to support their art, but also to meet rich, singular and ultra-inspiring worlds.


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Before Paula Fasciano takes her men out to Citizens Park for the Phillies game, they are given by her a dropper filled with CBD.
Fasciano’s boys — Benjamin, 16, and Matthew, 22 — live with delicate X problem, an uncommon hereditary condition that may cause intellectual disabilities. People with Fragile X may also be extraordinarily responsive to noise, socially anxious, and susceptible to behavior dilemmas.
The CBD tincture — derived from hemp — helps you to allay the boys anxiety that is nine innings, Fasciano said.
“They don’t like it,” the Bucks County insurance broker said. “That’s because it’s an oil and they’ve got to help keep it under their tongues to be|Under their tongues to be because it’s an oil and they have to keep it absorbed. It does not taste good.”
The boys have never taken a drug specifically for their entire lives approved to treat delicate X. Neither have tens and thousands of People in america clinically determined to have the problem. Every drug that is previous when it comes to condition has neglected to make it to market. Which could change quickly.
Zynerba Pharmaceuticals in residential district Philadelphia is within the last phases of a clinical trial of the CBD medication by having a novel delivery technique. The company’s Zygel is just a transdermal (through your skin) gel that might be available by belated 2020.
Zynerba stocks have actually jumped nearly 65 per cent since final Friday.
Zygel is mainly targeted for delicate X, that will be thought to influence one in 4,000 men and another in 6,000 girls. The foodstuff and Drug Administration has provided the gel orphan-drug status, which sets the federal approval processon a fast-track for approval become offered when you look at the U.S.
Many pharmaceuticals that are new in studies, also those who reach the key Period 3. However, if authorized, Zynerba’s patented medication could rocket the small Devon business in to the stratosphere that is pharmaceutical.
GW Pharma a year ago received the go-ahead to advertise Epidiolex, a purified CBD formulation extracted from English-grown marijuana flowers, for uncommon situations of youth epilepsy. Following FDA’s approval, GW Pharma’s market limit has already reached $4.9 billion.
Zynerba’s CBD just isn’t produced from cannabis. It’s a synthetic cannabinoid developed when you look at the lab. The company’s Zygel formula suspends the CBD in a clear-alcohol gel. Packed in a“sachet that is small” the gel looks and smells much like the popular hand sanitizer Purell.
Zygel is turbocharged having a substance that is patented permits it to effortlessly penetrate into your skin in about 30 moments. The technique provides the CBD in to the bloodstream and never have to feel the system that is digestive.
For Fasciano, and 1000s of moms and dads like her, the chance of a fresh CBD treatment plan for delicate X is very expected. “A transdermal gel would allow it to be a great deal better to provide it to them,” she stated. “So many young ones have actually genuine difficulty aided by the pills and natural oils.”
Zygel additionally might be utilized for kiddies with autism range problems whom have problems with similar anxiety and behavioral issues.
Armando Anido joined up with Zynerba 5 years ago as the executive that is chief officer. Formerly Anido led NuPathe through Food And Drug Administration approval associated with transdermal that is first area for migraines. NuPathe ended up being obtained by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014 for $144 million.
The company’s top administration group is composed of pharmaceutical veterans with years of expertise. President Terri Sebree; vice president of medical Donna Gutterman; basic counsel Suzanne Hanlon; and vice president of development Carol O’Neill also invested years at NuPathe. Other senior supervisors worked at industry stalwarts, including Antares Pharma, GSK and Cipher Pharmaceuticals.
Zynerba, Anido stated, decided on A cbd that is synthetic guarantee purity. Unlike almost all cannabis plant-derived CBD items, Zygel won’t contain a good trace quantity of intoxicating THC. CBD created in a laboratory is much less costly to make.
“And we didn’t would you like to be farmers,” Anido stated. “We didn’t would you like to developweed and extract the CBD out and purify it, all the plain things GW Pharmaceuticals does. Developing it as being a strict pharmaceutical ended up being the right path to take.”
Though Anido stated the medication holds vow for many different other uncommon neuropsychiatric problems, Zynerba made a decision to concentrate on Fragile X because “we thought it will be our quickest method to Food And Drug Administration approval.”
Orphan-drug status is provided to pharmaceuticals that are novel treat conditions affecting less than 200,000 U.S. patients. If authorized, the designation would give the business a seven-year monopoly to market CBD for Delicate X, along with taxation credits for medical research expenses.
Other cannabis that are medical offer non-regulated transdermal patches and creams, Anido said, “but they’ve been most likely not getting a lot of it into the bloodstream.”
The business even offers a THC product in the offing that Anido hopes will find applications for Tourette’s problem. “We’ve done some period 1 trials, but we haven’t gotten it towards the right bloodstream levels,” Anido said. “So for the minute it’s been back-burnered. We’ll get back to it as soon as we figure it out.”
Zynerba, with market limit of approximately $163 million, has issued about 17.5 million shares. The stock (ZYNE) had been dealing at $8.8 on NASDAQ Friday afternoon.
Stocks have actually jumped very nearly 65 per cent https://cbdoilrating.net since final Friday, apparently from the statement that the FDA would hold hearings on CBD and news that Zynerba’s CEO, Anido, would deal with the 2019 H.C. Wainwright worldwide Life Sciences Conference in London on April 9.


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Keeping Score: Big Portal Q1 Ad Growth May 3, 2006Posted by David Card in Media.
On the road still, so didn’t listen to the Time Warner earnings call. I’ll try to do that and post industry highlights soon. If you’re keeping score:
Worldwide Internet Advertising Q1 Growth Year to Year (ex-TAC)
Google – 93%
Yahoo – 34%
AOL – 26%
MSN – 7%
The Journal’s spreading rumors of a Microsoft-Yahoo tie-up. But it says there are two camps. The pro deal group is Hank Vigil, who failed to pull off an AOL deal previously. (As I predicted. The failure, that is.)
Yahoo uses tons of Microsoft technology already, and used to sell search ads for it. But Microsoft has been spending a boatload on search and building a new ad platform, and the audience overlap would be huge.


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HANGZHOU, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's e-commerce giant Alibaba has increased its presence in rural areas.
The number of "Taobao villages," referring to those villages where more than 10 percent of their households run online stores and with annual online revenue of 10 million yuan, has reached 1,311 by the end of August, according to a report by the firm's researching arm.
The figure was 68 percent more than that of last year. Sellers from such villages run more than 300,000 online stores on Taobao, China's largest online commerce site.
Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, all along China's eastern coast, are the three top regions in terms of the number of Taobao villages. Zhejiang, which has strong manufacturing infrastructure, boasts 506.
The rural online shops have created more than 840,000 jobs, the report said.


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U.S. stock futures slipped as investors awaited key inflation data, a day after major indexes broke lengthy winning streams. A surprise jump in consumer prices in China was also seen as denting some enthusiasm for equities.
How are stock-index futures trading?
S&P 500 futures
were down 0.1% at 4,673
Dow Jones Industrial Average
futures fell 0.1% to 36,166
fell less than a percent to 16,199
On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
fell 112 points, or 0.31%, to 36320, the S&P 500
declined 16 points, or 0.35%, to 4685, and the Nasdaq Composite
dropped 96 points, or 0.6%, to 15887.
What’s driving the market?
Inflation will swing into focus for Wednesday, with U.S. October consumer prices expected to jump on both headline and core basis — by 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively. Annual CPI is expected to climb 5.8%, the highest level in 30 years, noted Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com.
Those data will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, alongside weekly jobless claims, with the October federal budget due at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
The CPI update comes a day after news of higher U.S. producer prices. Meanwhile, China on Tuesday reported its own factory gate prices surged 13.5% in October, the highest level since 1996. Consumer prices in the country rose 1.5% to a 13-month high, driven mainly by a jump in prices for food and fuel.
Investors will be waiting to see if stocks can recover after Tuesday’s losses halted an eight-day win streak for the S&P 500 and an 11-session winning run for the Nasdaq Composite. The pause came as talk of a melt-up for stocks has increased amid an unusually strong run-up moving into the holidays.
“The decline in Tesla was a factor, but ultimately such a straight charge up will just run out of gas sooner or later. The look-ahead to inflation is maybe a factor so this needs to be assessed with today’s CPI print,” said Wilson.
Shares of Tesla
tumbled 11% on Tuesday after a string of headlines that have rattled investors. Founder and CEO Elon Musk over the weekend asked Twitter followers if he should sell 10% of his stock, with the majority saying yes, and his brother Kimbal sold shares a day before that tweet.
After surging 42% in October, the electric-car maker’s stock has dropped 16% this week, though rose 2% in premarket trading.
Rivian priced its initial public offering at $78 a share Tuesday evening, well above its expected range and valuing the company at $77 billion on a fully diluted basis.
The Walt Disney Co.
is among companies due to report earning on Wednesday.
What companies are in focus?
stock climbed 17%, after the delivery company posted record sales and orders, and announced an all-stock deal worth more than $8 billion for Finnish commerce-delivery platform Wolt.


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First lady Michelle Obama cemented her status as a fashion icon at a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday.
The dinner was held in honor of the prime minister of Singapore, but Obama stole the spotlight in a sculptural white strapless gown.
The gown’s designer is none other than Brandon Maxwell, Lady Gaga’s fashion director. Maxwell, a long time stylist relatively new to designing, is known for dramatic, tailored silhouettes ― and this one got a thumbs up from the president himself.
Maxwell joins a longlist of Americandesigners Obama has worked with over the years, and was thrilled to create this simple, sophisticated look for her.
“It has been an incredible honor for me and my team to create this dress for the first lady,” Maxwell told WWD via email. “Strong and elegant, she is the embodiment of the woman that inspires me to create, and a role model for women all over the world.”
In honor of Obama’s latest fashion home run, let’s take a look back at some of her best state dinner moments.


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Now that the pricing for the Droid Bionic has finally been made available, it now makes the handset very real. We have been waiting 8 months so far since we learned about the device, as Motorola wanted to make certain that they got things right — we just hope that our expectations of the new Android smartphone have not been dampened, as the phone maker has made a huge number of improvements?
We have to wonder if Motorola knows that they have made a mistake by making us wait this long, since they have just released details of the Droid HD. The release date for the Bionic is still in September and the upgrades that Motorola has made will certainly give other handsets a run for their money — but is it too late? The improvements need to be special, as we are getting closer to the launch of the iPhone 5 and if history is anything to go by, Apple will not take any prisoners.
We have to worry that the phone maker is not confidant in their product, as they have gone on record to say that the Droid Bionic will be one of the best 4G LTE handsets on Verizon. How can a handset that has been delayed for numerous improvements not be the best LTE handset? We do have a theory on this though, maybe Motorola felt that by making it the best would have a huge drain on the battery, so felt that they needed a compromise.
This does make sense, as Moto have said that the most important reason for the delay was the consumer, and we all know how they hate poor battery performance — you only need to look at the HTC ThunderBolt to know what we mean.
DroidLife believes that expectations are now running high after Motorola started to make some big noises about the new enhancements, as they now believe that the Bionic will have something special — what this is we do not know.
What do you think the something special will be with the Droid Bionic?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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Cannabis stocks went gangbusters last year. If you were invested in many of the stocks that doubled or tripled in value, congratulations. This year, however, pot stocks haven’t performed as well, with some of them down 20% to 60%.
Despite the volatility, one thing is certain: the cannabis industry will continue to grow over the next decade and beyond. According to one of the top marijuana analysts, the U.S. industry alone will be worth $80 billion by 2030.
The current sales figures are but a fraction of that number. Last year, Canada became the first western country to legalize recreational pot. The resulting domino effect could add billions of market value to the industry every year.
Although pot stocks have been volatile, that shouldn’t stop you from investing for the long term. It’s not necessary to buy at the absolute bottom to make a bunch of money.
In fact, those who wait for the perfect moment often miss the train entirely. If you want to ride the cannabis boom for years to come, here are your best bets.
There’s one major risk every cannabis investor will face long-term: commoditzation. Today, most growers are still scrambling to ramp production. Over the next 12 to 18 months, millions of pounds of weed could flood the market.
Regulation is keeping competition at bay, but over time, prices will fall, reducing the value of grower’s crop. There are two ways to battle complete commoditzation: pricing power and cost advantages.
When it comes to cost, larger players will likely win. That’s the story for nearly any commodity in history—if you have the scale, you’re likely a low-cost producer.
In terms of pricing power, differentiation and branding will be key. If you have the largest marketing budget, odds are you’ll be able to build a moat around your product line-up. Even if smaller players succeed, you’ll have the capital to acquire what they’ve built. If the tobacco industry is any indication, big will be better when it comes to pot. Canopy Growth looks set to capitalize on its early lead.
Hedge your bets
While the cannabis industry may consolidate over time, accruing big advantages to the largest competitors, that doesn’t mean small players don’t have room to run. Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd (TSX:TGOD) is a perfect example.
Over time, don’t be surprised if this stock is eventually acquired by a larger peer, most likely at a large premium to today’s trading price.
What makes Green Organic so special is that 100% of its production is grown in accordance to organic agriculture principles. It’s one of the only growers focused on this niche. As cannabis production becomes commoditized, and prices fall, Green Organic has an opportunity to sell a differentiated product at higher prices.
After last year’s cannabis hype collapsed, investors abandoned Green Organic stock in favor of its larger peers. The company’s market valuation is down to $800 million despite analysts believing the company will hit $225 million in sales next year.
By 2021, this hyper-growth company could be trading at just two times sales. It’ll take a couple years to play out, but this stock has clear multi-bagger potential.
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Ryan Vanzo has no position in any stocks mentioned.


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PayPal is slashing 9% of its workforce — about 2,500 jobs.
The CEO said cuts will "right-size our business." PayPal's stock has slid more than 20% in a year.
Last week, CEO Alex Chriss said the payment company would launch new products using AI.
PayPal joined the ranks of companies saying they'll cut jobs this January.
The payment company's CEO Alex Chriss told staff on Tuesday that another 9% of the workforce — about 2,500 positions — will be slashed. The news comes after PayPal said it would reduce its headcount by about 2,000 in January last year.
"We are doing this to right-size our business, allowing us to move with the speed needed to deliver for our customers and drive profitable growth," Chriss wrote in a memo. "At the same time, we will continue to invest in areas of the business we believe will create and accelerate growth."
The cuts will come from current positions as well as scrapping open and future job listings in 2024, Chriss said. The stock has dropped more than 20% in the last year.
Chriss — a former exec at finance firm Intuit — was named President and CEO in September 2023. Last week, in his first major announcement, he unveiled plans to launch a series of tools using AI intended to "revolutionize commerce."
The AI-powered products include "smart receipts" that will use AI to send personalized recommendations to customers in their email receipts. Chriss described the new products as part of a "new chapter" for PayPal.
"The data that we have and our ability to actually see what people have bought and know what merchants are trying to target, that's where I think AI is the huge opportunity for us," Chriss told Reuters in an interview.
PayPal is just one of a slew of companies that said it'll cut jobs in 2024, from Amazon to Google to UPS.
Read the original article on Business Insider


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Leading telecom company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd shipped more handsets worldwide than archrival Apple Inc, for the first time, in the second quarter of 2018.
Customers check out iPhones at an Apple store in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. [Photo/China Daily]
The achievement breaks the seven-year dominance of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Apple as the top two vendors in terms of smartphone shipments. But, more efforts are still needed for Huawei to beef up its profit margins, which still lag far behind Apple, analysts said.
Huawei shipped 54.2 million smartphones in the three months ended June, moving into second position with a record high market share of 15.8 percent.
In comparison, Apple dropped to third place for the first time, despite growth in the second quarter. The California-based company shipped 41.3 million iPhones, representing modest growth of 0.7 percent from a year ago, according to data from market research company International Data Corp.
"The continued growth of Huawei is impressive, to say the least, as is its ability to move into markets where, until recently, the brand was less unknown," said Ryan Reith, program vice-president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.
According to IDC, in the first half of the second quarter, Huawei's P20 and P20 Pro smartphone series found strong demand in the $600-$800 price segment, helping it to build a high profile in the market.
In the second half, a major e-commerce promotion in June led to strong sales for Huawei's Honor models via online channels, as the Honor brand continues to be a key driver of growth for the Chinese tech giant.
Tarun Pathak, associate director at market research company Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said Huawei achieved such robust growth by launching smartphones in the premium segment and capturing the mid-tier segment with its fast-growing Honor brand.
"Huawei, with its Honor brand, is offering a broad and recently refreshed portfolio at affordable prices that is driving growth in the overseas market. Honor, which is already strong in the e-commerce segment, is now adopting a multichannel strategy through branded stores in the Southeastern Asian market. We expect store counts to increase in the future," Pathak said.
However, it is worth noting that Apple has moved into the top position in each of the last two holiday quarters following its product refresh, so it is likely there will be continued movement among the top ranked companies in 2018 and beyond, IDC analysts highlighted in their report.
Apple also unveiled its latest financial data on Thursday, beating analysts' expectations. Sales rose 17 percent to $53.3 billion, with profit coming in at $2.34 per share. Analysts expected revenue of $52.4 billion and earnings of $2.18 a share.
Currently, Apple derives most of the profits in the world smartphone market because of its brand value and high average selling prices, which stood at $724 in the quarter ended in June, according to analysts from IDC and Counterpoint.


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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Top Crops garden on the WKU farm isn't an ordinary garden. The nonprofit works with special needs adults by teaching gardening skills as a way to foster social interaction and give back to the community.
What You Need To Know
- Top Crops is a nonprofit farm in Bowling Green that helps adults with special needs
- The nonprofit sells all harvested fruits and veggies at the farmers market
- They use gardening as a way to promote independence
- Family involvement has grown wildly since its start in 2013
John Hamilton and his daughter Stacy have been frequent participants at the garden. Now four year veterans, Hamilton said his daughter's confidence has grown tremendously.
“Stacy is somewhat shy and introverted," Hamilton said. "It gave her an opportunity to get one-on-one time with the Greers and she has really gotten encouragement from it and looks forward to it.”
The Hamiltons are one of many families picking fruits and vegetables weekly. All grown produce is sold at the community farmers' market each Saturday, and proceeds go back into the garden.
Carol Greer, along with her husband Bill, started the nonprofit. She said it's a way to help the families learn a new skill as well as gain independence.
“Our goal is to give as much independence as each gardener can have," Greer said. "We try and teach them and match them with whatever task needs to be done so they can do it as independently as possible."
The garden is located right off of Nashville Road. Greer said gardening happens in the winter and summer and they grow almost any item stores would want.
"We do everything from weeding to watering to gathering of plants," Greer said. "We have squash, cucumbers, zucchini [and] we also do tomatoes, peppers and potatoes."
John said he and Stacy will continue to garden as long as possible.
“As long as we are able we will bring her out here," Hamilton said. "We are showing signs of age but barring any unforeseen problem, we will be here every Friday.”


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Orange Health Labs signs Ayushmann Khurrana as brand ambassador
The company said it will leverage Khurrana’s popularity and influence to drive engagement and awareness and the campaign highlights how faster diagnostics are convenient.
New Delhi: Orchard Healthcare-owned Orange Health Labs, a company that runs diagnostics lab services, has announced actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador. The company said the collaboration will promote its vision of at-home diagnostics to enable consumers to get faster treatments. Orange Health Labs was founded by Dhruv Gupta and Tarun Bhambra.


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Woman stabbed in parking lot outside Opelika
LEE COUNTY, AL (WTVM) – The Lee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a stabbing in a store parking lot.
The stabbing happened before 2 p.m. CT at the A and O Delivery near Lee Road 621 and AL Hwy. 169, outside of Opelika.
The sheriff's office says the 32-year-old female victim has been life-flighted to Midtown Medical Center in Columbus. We do not yet know her condition at this time.
The injured woman walked across Hwy. 169 to the M&M Grocery store bleeding and the store manager helped her and people called 911.
Deputies continue to investigate this incident and are interviewing one person related to the case.


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December 2, 2011
Evaluating price hikes: Research shows that recent oil shocks are not causing inflation
While the price of oil has risen in recent years, it has not affected the price of goods as much as in the past, according to research by two Kansas State University economists.
More than that, the prices of many goods -- such as clothing or vacations -- are actually deflating instead of inflating because of improved technology and reduced energy costs.
Lance Bachmeier, associate professor of economics, and Inkyung Cha, adjunct professor of economics, discuss oil shocks and inflation in an article titled "Why Don't Oil Shocks Cause Inflation? Evidence From Disaggregate Inflation Data." The article appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, a leading journal in economic research.
Bachmeier and Cha used inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to look at more than 100 core goods. Core goods do not include groceries, but rather include goods such as cars, household appliances, clothing, cosmetics, toys and vacations. Such goods are not affected as much by oil shocks, Bachmeier said, but have actually experienced some minor deflation from rising oil prices.
"If you used to spend $10 to fill your tank, and now you are spending $20, that gives you $10 less to spend on cosmetics or clothing," Bachmeier said. "So that causes the demand of those goods to fall, and then the price falls."
Bachmeier and Cha focused their efforts on data from 1973 to 2006. They began with the 1970s because of two large oil price increases that occurred in 1973 and 1979 and caused inflation in the prices of core goods. The 1990s brought even larger oil shocks, yet the prices of core goods didn't go up. The researchers wanted to understand the two decades and how they related to inflation and the current oil industry.
"Many economists would say that the difference in inflation for these two decades was caused solely by monetary policy," Bachmeier said. "But when we looked at the data for core goods, we found that is not the case."
Instead, the researchers found another factor that influenced inflation: As time progressed, manufacturers began to use less energy. When production costs are lower, prices often lower, too.
The biggest cost for some manufacturers is energy, so even small advances in technology have helped reduce production costs. For instance, newer technology has helped diesel trucks get 7 miles per gallon, when they used to get 4.8 miles per gallon in 1977. Other technologies have created more energy-efficient methods of producing paper and steel, among other developments.
The researchers attribute reduced energy usage for two-thirds of the change in inflation response to oil shocks and they attribute monetary policy for the remaining one-third.
"There is always a demand for energy-efficient technology," Bachmeier said. "But now, manufacturing plants are adopting new technologies faster, saving more money and lowering prices."
Gas prices and the oil industry
Consumers have noticed it at the pump: Gas prices are temporarily lowering.
Bachmeier attributes the lower prices to uncertainty about the global economy. Without this uncertainly, gas prices might reach $5 a gallon, he said.
Even more, it is hard to predict the direction of gas prices right now because of market uncertainty in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, the weak United States and European economies, and the fact that consumers might change their behavior now that they realize gas prices are not likely to return to $1.50 per gallon.
"United States consumers will realize that gas prices are not likely to go much below where they are right now," Bachmeier said. "Some college students and others with low incomes will walk or ride bicycles when possible. Consumers will put more emphasis on gas mileage when they buy a new vehicle. Even at $3 per gallon, an average middle-age male driver will save about $200 per month on gas by driving a Hyundai Elantra rather than an SUV."


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We've all heard of mini USB, but it looks like there might be another miniature version of a standard plug on the way. It's called Mini HDMI and this prototype might just be included with portable devices in the near future.
Wow! This thing is huge! Shinoda Plasma Corporation has decided to continue to push the plasma format and one up themselves with their latest prototype, that is really rather impressive. Measuring in at 145-inches, this display is actually six separate displays combined to create one big screen.
The same research group responsible for the Android e-ink prototype have returned with a scalable multitouch system, offering the accuracy of the iPhone on a potential scale more akin to Microsoft's Surface. Moto Labs' multitouch display uses capacitive touch, via a grid of tiny wires that recognize points of contact from any number of fingers.
Video demo after the cut
A prototype 2006 Apple MacBook Pro has shown up on eBay, bearing a beta wireless card and green logic board. The laptop is believed to have been constructed to test out the new wireless card, which is labeled as "M35B Dusty Client DVT Wireless Sample".
Kenwood have unveiled a prototype speaker system that doubles as OLED lighting. The system, co-developed by Kenwood and Professor Junti Kido from Yamagata University in Japan, uses 80-percent less power than traditional lighting, as well as being noisier than your typical desk lamp.
Sanyo showed off a pretty impressive piece of technology in Japan today with their latest prototype projector. This projector is capable of full HD images at 16:9 and 1080p. But that's not the cool part. What's cool is this projector has a super short-throw. I mean, really short.
An animated poster made up of LEDs and OLEDs could be the next huge billboard frustration, if Dai Nippon Printing have their say. The Japanese firm have built a prototype panel which mimics animation by selectively illuminating different parts of the printed image, in this case the home stadium of the Rakuten Eagles baseball team.
The story behind the Lenovo Pocket Yoga has emerged, courtesy of Johnson Li, Director of Lenovo’s Beijing Innovation Center where the first blurry images of the netbook were snapped. Despite what the images released earlier today might suggest, the Pocket Yoga is no new design but in fact a two year old concept.
Mitsubishi have been demonstrating a "3D Touch Panel" that can recognize both direct contact and finger proximity. Based on a mainstream 5.7-inch 640 x 480 capacitive touch panel, the new proximity tech can sense a finger up to 20mm from the screen surface as well as the speed at which it is moving. Mitsubishi envisage the system being used for mobile devices, with proximity used to control a mouse pointer or possibly bring up a context menu.


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albundy said:civics are famous for their affordable price with reliability. if honda jacks up the price on civics, best believe consumers will shift towards corollas, tc's or any other reliable sport compact.
i believe civics will remain in their historical price range.
lol but for real honda has already announced that all civic models are moving slightly upscale. someones gotta pay for those extra features. also this is to make way for the honda jazz/fit coming to the u.s.John Mendel said:the civic is moving upscale
the base civics are expected to be released in september. the si is expected to come out in decemberel_ben2 said:one question
does someone have the official date that the civic will go to the dealers?
and coupe and sedan at same time?
no problem. usually i would recommend waiting for the car to come out and test drive it before putting a deposit down, but the gotta-have-it factor is deffinatley high on this car. im psyched to see the finished productstupidfool said:^^ thx dude, calling my dealership tommorow and asking if they're taking preorders


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PARIS — Heuritech, a technology company that uses artificial intelligence to browse images on social media to discern fashion trends and promote products, is entering a new development phase — expanding abroad and branching out into the beauty industry.
Investors of the company’s $4 million series A investment round are venture capital funds Serena and Elaia, Jimmy Choo chief executive officer Pierre Denis and Coralie de Fontenay, a former Cartier executive.
“Our long-term goal is to become the go-to market intelligence platform for consumer and product insights,” Tony Pinville, Heuritech ceo, said in a statement.
Winner of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton prize in 2017, the company was founded in 2013 by Pinville and Charles Ollion, who drew on their doctorates in machine learning to build image recognition technology that analyzes three million images and videos on social media each day.
“We have developed extremely sophisticated technology that allows us, starting from a simple image, to extract hundreds of precise characteristics like styles or patterns to summarize what is happening on social networks and allow e-tailers to promote the products that are trending,” Pinville told WWD in 2017.
The company also developed a trends forecasting platform that analyzes products and trends by region and audience.
Clients include Louis Vuitton, Dior, Paco Rabanne and, since moving into sports and mass fashion more recently, Adidas and Wrangler-owner Kontoor Brands.
Elaia investment manager Armelle de Tinguy said she considers the company’s efforts will be a game-changer in terms of how fashion and retail brands manage their operations.
Analyzing data and images with artificial intelligence has become central to the decision-making process for the tech company’s clients, added Léa Verdillon, an investment associate at Serena.