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News and Articles About Google
Online marketing expert John Rampton talks SEO and outlines one mistake to avoid at all costs.
Hint: It isn't Apple or Google.
Opposition to the proposed rule change is growing louder as one commissioner calls for a delay on the May 15 vote and a public comment period.
Google updated its Maps app with a new lane guidance feature and the ability to compare transit rates with those of ride-sharing service Uber.
Astro Teller, the man behind Google Glass, says technology is at its best when it reaches a level of invisibility in our lives.
An update to Google Now will notify users on their smartphones when they are in close proximity to a store carrying an item they've previously searched for.
The dedicated apps are competition for Microsoft whose products are popular among iPad users.
In a world where digital patterns are meticulously and surreptitiously tracked by marketers, Janet Vertesi sought to conceal her pregnancy from the ever-watchful glare of big data.
Google has released new footage of vehicles in its self-driving cars program reacting to pedestrians, cyclists, stop signs and more.
Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe have settled a suit that accused the firms of conspiring not to hire one another's engineers.
Creating a logo can be the most critical branding step. Here, we critique and offer insight on the logos from some of the biggest brands.
Forget heavy night vision goggles. Scientists are developing a better, lighter way for soldiers to see in the dark.
Consumers must opt into the advertising initiative that adds weekly events to their electronic calendars via Apple, Microsoft, Google and Yahoo.
Three questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not you should take an investment from a company.
The controversial streaming TV startup has battled broadcast goliaths before -- and won both times. Will it prevail again? Either way, Aereo's fate could forever change the way we watch TV.
Silicon Valley's biggest tech rivals are seriously upping their game in the mobile gaming battle. Here's how.
The mobile-payments company founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has reportedly been talking to suitors about selling itself.
According to a new Pew study, if you're like a lot of Americans, you'd like to own something that gets you places faster, lets you time-travel or somehow prolongs your life.
The peer-to-peer lending site announced today that, with its acquisition of Springstone Financial, it would be expanding its reach in consumer finance.
With its business-friendly features and implications for Google search, here's how you can supercharge your page on the network now.
Now is the best time to start creating a local strategy and to start building up your presence on search engine results pages.
The tech company has a new patent application to apply Google Glass's camera feature to contact lenses.
As the smart glasses go on sale to the masses, we want to know if it's worth the money -- and the hassle.
The Big G wants in on the global internet-beaming solar drone game and it just scored a high-flying advantage.
The tech giant proves that it's also a savvy marketer, planning a one-day, limited-supply offering.
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The United States Justice Department sued Google on Tuesday for its dominance of the online advertising market, launching a fresh legal battle against the California-based tech giant over its world leading search engine.
A filing in the federal antitrust suit accused Google of “unlawfully maintaining monopolies” in the market for online advertising, search advertising and other activities linked to Google’s search engine.
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HOUSTON – It is a big day for many businesses across Texas as the next round of reopenings begins.
Among the businesses allowed to reopen Friday are hair and nail salons, barbershops, tanning salons, and public swimming pools.
Neri Hair Salon in Pearland began taking customers at midnight.
“They’re ready to get their roots done,” said Luke Neri, the salon owner. “It’s such a joyous time after everything being so down and lull.”
Neri said his business will be following all of the guidelines laid out by the state for reopening, including placing stations six feet apart and wearing masks.
“Gone are the days of friends and spouses and children waiting in the lobby area,” Neri said. “We’ve gotten rid of all the hand towels. It’s now paper towels in the restroom.”
Dry Bar in River Oaks opened at 12:01 a.m. with some customers arriving at about 5 a.m., according to owner Patty Peeples Busmire.
“Clients have been texting and calling nonstop throughout this entire time, but definitely since the announcement was made, blowing up our phones,” Busmire said. “They’re so thrilled to be back.”
Busmire said that before clients arrive, she’s sharing a one-page document that outlines what is being done to protect customers and what is expected of customers coming to the salon.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott allowed restaurants and retail shops to reopen last week at reduced capacity.
Tattoo parlors are among the businesses that are not allowed to reopen Friday, which has caused some controversy.
Gyms are allowed to reopen May 18.


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Ring in the holiday season at The Falls’ annual parade, which takes place on Nov. 21, starting at 4 p.m. A host of local marching bands, holiday characters, bagpipers, floats, giant puppets and more will join Santa and celebrity Grand Marshal Raini Rodriguez, actress and singer of Disney Channel fame, who will take center stage at 6:30 p.m. to perform some joyous holiday songs.
This South Florida holiday event has become a tradition for many families. The Falls open-air shopping center will be illuminated by nearly a million lights and showcase some amazing animal topiary, including a whale in the waterscape. After the parade, Santa will take up residence in center court and be available for pictures. Spectators are encouraged to show up early and line up along both sides of the parade route.
This year’s “Miracle on 136th Street” parade will benefit the South Dade YMCA Family Center. For more information, call 305.255.4571 or visit simon.com/thefalls.


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Lenovo said today that revenues were up 10 per cent during its fiscal first quarter, boosted by strong notebook sales and an expanding market in China.
"Cracker" star Robbie Coltrane has appeared on a New Zealand wanted poster.
LinuxWorldFor all its talk of openness, just a quarter of the code in the LiMo Foundation's mobile platform is open source, making it a minefield to navigate in terms of protected patents - 300,000 patents to be precise.
Black HatThe annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas has become one of the premier venues for exposing lax security practices that put the unwashed masses at risk. In an interesting twist, a researcher is calling out conference organizers for supplying 4,500 attendees with an RFID-enabled badge that has widely known security weaknesses.
Black HatThree rogue journalists were ejected from the Black Hat security conference after being accused of connecting monitoring tools to the press room computer network and sniffing reporters' passwords.
Google told the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday that its investment in AOL is likely to be worth less than it paid for it in 2005.
The British government has released its first monthly report into biofuels used in the UK. It says that not much biofuel is used, and that in general it has very little idea if Blighty's biofuel is sustainably produced, what kind of land was used to make it or indeed where it comes from.
Sony has launched two fashion conscious compact cameras to help bulk out its Cyber-shot snapper range.
A £400m outsourcing deal between local authorities and IBM was unfair because the full details of the transfer of staff to a private company were not revealed, workers' union Unison has said.
The government has found two people to run the struggling NHS IT programme - the National Programme for IT.
ReviewBearing a close resemblance to the 520, the GO 530 is the entry-level unit in the new TomTom 30 range, which has now replaced the well regarded and popular 20 series.
Systemax shrugged off the credit crunch in Q2, with sales jumping 17 per cent to $758m for the three months ended June 30. The direct marketing IT reseller and PC builder, noted stronger demand in North America and Europe in the quarter and it held gross margins steady at 15.3 per cent.
AMD hopes to ignite the market for high-quality graphics accelerators with its new FirePro duo. The ATI FirePro V5700 and V3700 cards are aimed at a range of arenas, from CAD to medical imaging.
Apparently statistics are all down to personal opinion. Except, of course, when you are a government spokesperson, in which case they are the gospel truth. Despite expert evidence – and public exposure - that the “official estimate” of casualty reduction due to speed cameras is seriously overestimated, the Department for Transport continues to feed us the same old unreliable figures.
Evesham Technology Ltd's administration period has been extended.
Microsoft is preparing 12 security fixes - seven critical - as part of the August edition of its regular Patch Tuesday update cycle.
The Competition Commission said today that its anti-trust investigation into Project Kangaroo, the joint internet TV venture by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4, will take longer than expected.
Most product launches end with a USB Flash drive holding the press notes being distributed, and the Register's got drawers full 'em. Thankfully, a biodegradable drive’s now available.
Melbourne Police have withdrawn charges against a suspected double murderer, after they admitted that DNA evidence was wrong.
Episode 27The long-awaited weekend has almost arrived! The migration of the server room to the new site and the transfer of our 'crucial' services to the successful tendering party (ie our ghost facility) is about to commence.
Confused by your compact camera? Menaced by your mobile? You’re not alone, because many of us are baffled by gadgets, a survey has revealed.
The miraculous rebirth of Booger the pit bull has been overshadowed by a row over the identity of the cloned dog’s owner.
The University of Reading is to scale back a planned wind farm just off the M4 because of fears it could interfere with air traffic control radar at Heathrow Airport.
Absolute Software has added GPS tracking to its laptop theft-recovery and asset-tracking service. This will allow asset managers to track laptops to within 10 metres.
Scientists operating from a hollowed-out lair deep beneath the Franco-Swiss border have announced that their enormous, unprecedentedly powerful 27-kilometre proton cannon will shortly be ready to open fire. To be precise, "first beam" is scheduled for 10 September.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has expanded its Amilo PC range with a netbook addition. The Amilo Mini is based on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor running on Windows XP Home edition.
Transport for London and London's mayor Boris Johnson have ended their contract with Transys, the group of companies which provide Oyster cards - the card ticketing system for the capital's buses, trams, some trains and tubes.
Budget hosting provider 1&1 Internet has hit problems while updating its Microsoft email platform. Customers have been unable to access web mailboxes for more than 24 hours.
A US senator has accused the head of the Department of Homeland security of “blatant mischaracterization” over the searching of laptops at US borders.
Japanese boffins have developed a material which they believe could be used to make stretchy, highly flexible electronic circuitry. It goes almost without saying that their elasto-conductor miracle sheet is based on fashionable carbon nanotubes.
The company behind the Wii’s MotionPlus has hinted that the add-on’s technology could soon be adopted by rival gaming firms.
Apple will fill in some long-awaited missing features from its iPod and iPhone mobile players, a patent application published this week suggests. There's just one problem: Much of Apple's "invention" was dreamed up by Reg readers several years ago - and one embodiment is already on the market.
Rackspace appears to have a knack for ill-timed IPOs.
Mega American telco Verizon Communications is just three days from a possible union strike that would see the company lose 65,000 employees - about a third of its workforce.
Yet another American ISP is toying with the idea of a ridiculously low bandwidth cap.
Beware social network denizens, you are being watched and your wallets measured.


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- Just Announced
Wednesday, 27 Jun 2012
Seagate has announced a partnership with DensBits, an Israeli company whose memory controller (Memory Modem) technology will be used in its low-cost, high-performance upcoming SSDs. Seagate also made an undisclosed investment in DensBits as a development of their new strategic relationship.
Apple has just launched its iTunes Store in 12 Asian countries, and Singapore is one of them. Users here now have a selection of local and international music from all the major labels, and thousands of independent ones. Also available for rental or purchase are movies from all major film studios.
At Microsoft's TechEd Europe 2012, Microsoft briefly shared with us of the Company Hub concept, a one-stop location where an enterprise can host, manage and push relevant information, docs, apps and more that are relevant to each individual.
With the Shared Windows Core that is prevalent in Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8, it's a lot easier to share code from one platform to another, thus accelerating app availability across devices. Microsoft's senior product managers further confirm this at TechEd Europe 2012.
Tuesday, 26 Jun 2012
Powered by Intel Ivy Bridge processors, the 14-inch XPS 14 Ultrabook comes in an aluminum chassis with silicone base and a display with hardened Corning Gorilla Glass.
Designed with HD video and photography enthusiasts in mind, the EP Pro SDHC/SDXC provides read and write speeds of 90MBps and 50MBps respectively.
Specifically designed for MMO gamers, the G600 comes with 20 buttons including 12 buttons arranged in two groups of six on a thumb panel, which is fully customizable with more than 16 million possible color combinations that gamers can use to identify the active on-board profile.
Monday, 25 Jun 2012
The RT-AC66U, coupled with exclusive ASUS AiRadar signal amplification and shaping technology, is perfect for demanding online applications as it is able to operate up to three times faster than existing 802.11n routers. The RT-AC66U is also an integral component of ASUS' Open Cloud Computing service.
Android users can now monitor and manage their runs with the Nike+ Running app, which has just been released on Google Play.
Facebook has rolled out a new feature called Friendshake that lets you find nearby people via your phone's GPS and add them as Friends.


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British tennis champion Andy Murray has entered a long-term partnership with Seedrs, the London-based equity crowdfunding platform.
The arrangement will see Murray joining the Seedrs Advisory Board to provide advice to the firm with respect to businesses working in the health, sport and wearable technology spaces.
He will also be investing regularly in startups and other early-stage businesses through Seedrs and helping the company to grow its brand in the UK and internationally.
Says Murray: “I’ve always been interested in investment, and being able to get involved in an innovative way to help support British startups really appealed to me."
The partnership represents the first time a major public figure has teamed up with an equity crowdfunding platform in this way, says Jeff Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Seedrs, hailing it as a significant milestone in the development of the industry, .
“Andy Murray is the perfect partner for Seedrs as we drive our growth to the next level," he says. "We believe he can bring a different perspective into certain aspects of the early-stage business community in the health, sport and wearable technology spaces, and we look forward to his input and support.”


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US Visa fraud hit 30,000 Norwegian cards
A massive security breach at a US credit card data processing center may have affected some 30,000 Norwegian Visa cards, the credit card company's Norwegian branch has said.
"The electronic break-in happened in the United States so most of the affected card numbers have been issued by US banks, but there are nevertheless some 30,000 Norwegian card numbers that may have been affected," Visa Norway said in a statement.
The biggest data security breach in US history, at CardSystems Solutions in Arizona, has seen the theft of private information on more than 40 million credit card holders around the world.
In Norway, the number of potentially affected cards amounts to about 0.7 percent of all Visa cards issued in the country, the company said, adding that banks were currently evaluating whether the cards in question needed to be replaced.
"So far, no fraud connected with this case has been clearly established" in Norway, Visa said, assuring card-holders in the Scandinavian country that their banks will cover their losses if fraud has in fact occurred.
"Norwegian consumers face no financial risk connected with the fact that these card numbers were in this credit card data processing center," the company said.


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Major League Baseball games on FOX will feature virtual fans and pumped-in crowd noise while actual fans have to stay home. Today we got our first look at the virtual fans and they actually look pretty good. This is how it will look:
Yeah, that will do the trick. We will hopefully get our first look at the technology in action for Saturday's Brewers - Cubs game.
According to Sports Business Journal, the crowd is fully adjustable. If it's a blowout, the crowd will thin as virtual fans head to their virtual homes. Home teams will appear to have more fans in virtual attendance. Most importantly, they developed virtual wave technology. However, it sounds like they are still working on a virtual kiss cam. Seriously.


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This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe
Friday, February 17, 2023
Today’s newsletter is by Alexandra Semenova, markets reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexandra on Twitter @alexandraandnyc. Read this and more market news on the go with the Yahoo Finance App.
The U.S. economy continues to outperform expectations. January saw half a million jobs added to the labor market and retail sales grow a whopping 3%.
And suddenly, strong growth and persistent inflation have investors contemplating a new course for the economy in the coming year — a “no landing” scenario.
As the Federal Reserve aggressively raised interest rates in 2022, investors debated whether these moves would result in a “hard” or “soft” landing.
Essentially, whether rapidly rising rates would quickly choke off economic growth and inflation, or gradually slow growth and price increases. In other words, would the Fed cause a recession, or just an economic slowdown?
The newly-coined “no landing” outcome instead considers a scenario in which inflation doesn’t actually cool while economic growth continues, even as interest rates remain elevated amid the Federal Reserve’s attempts to tamp prices down.
In the view of Apollo Global Management’s chief economist, Torsten Sløk, there are growing signs of the market pricing in this outcome.
“In other words, the market is saying that inflation will be significantly higher in a year’s time than the Fed’s 2% inflation target,” Sløk said in a recent note. “Put differently, instead of expecting a recession and lower inflation, short-term inflation expectations are rising and becoming unanchored.”
Sløk highlighted the recent pick-up in one-year inflation breakevens, which are approaching 3% after the aforementioned run of strong economic data in January, suggesting investors are coming around to the idea of inflation remaining higher for longer.
But according to at least one economist, this narrative investors appear to be betting on is “nonsensical.”
“Because we’re in this highly volatile environment, and because there is so much uncertainty, we’ve now seen a number of different ways to interpret or call what we’re seeing in the economy,” EY Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco said in an interview.
A landing — however it may ultimately look — is going to happen eventually, in Daco’s view.
The economy operates in a cyclical pattern, growing until it reaches its peak and then contracting before hitting a trough and rebounding again into an expansion phase.
“No landing does not make any sense, because it essentially means the economy continues to expand, and it’s part of an ongoing business cycle and it’s not an event — it’s just ongoing growth,” he added. “Doesn’t that entail that the Fed will have to raise rates more, and doesn’t that increase the risk of a hard landing?”
Sløk also indicated the no landing scenario would be likely to bring back the volatile market action we saw in 2022 because it reintroduces uncertainty about inflation and the Federal Reserve.
But the Federal Reserve hasn’t exactly given reason for uncertainty: officials have consistently asserted for months that rates are likely to rise above 5%.
Federal Reserve Powell has said as much himself: “There has been an expectation that [inflation] will go away quickly and painlessly; I don’t think it’s guaranteed that’s the base case,” he cautioned last Monday at the Economic Club of D.C. “It will take some time.”
And Sløk’s own expectations for how the Federal Reserve will handle this scenario align more with Daco’s thinking than current market pricing.
“The Fed will have to be more hawkish to ensure that inflation expectations do not drift too far away from the FOMC’s 2% inflation target,” Slok said in a note.
Which suggests officials may in fact need to raise rates higher, increasing the risk of a “hard landing” in the end.
What to Watch Today
8:30 a.m. ET: Import Price Index, month-over-month, January (-0.1% expected, 0.4% during prior month)
8:30 a.m. ET: Import Price Index excluding petroleum, month-over-month, January (-0.3% expected, 0.8% during prior month)
8:30 a.m. ET: Import Price Index, year-over-year, January (1.4% expected, 3.5% during prior month)
8:30 a.m. ET: Export Price Index, month-over-month, January (-0.2% expected, -2.6% during prior month)
8:30 a.m. ET: Export Price Index, year-over-year, January (2.8% expected, 5.0% during prior month)
10:00 a.m. ET: Leading Index, January (-0.3% expected, -0.8% during prior month)
AMC Networks (AMCX), AutoNation (AN), Barnes Group (B), Deere (DE)
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#landing #scenario #economy #Morning


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Over the years, Mastercard has been leading the payments industry forward to a more sustainable future. To help address issues of environmental pollution and climate change, the multinational financial services, collaborating with industry players, is running a sustainable card program – a directory of sustainable materials and vendors for card products that aims to make a sustainable choice the preferred option for all card issuers and financial institutions across the world.
The sustainable card offerings are currently available to consumers in over a dozen countries globally and more than 60 financial institutions – including Crédit Agricole and Mauritius Commercial Bank – have issued cards with approved materials made from recyclable, bio-sourced, chlorine-free, degradable, and ocean plastics. With the program, banks can learn more about these alternatives, connect to card manufacturers, and ultimately augment their own sustainability initiatives with a systemic change to their supply chain.
In an interview with Ventures Africa, Ajay Bhalla, the company’s president for Cyber and Intelligence, talks about issues arising from the new cards, importance of a pollution-free environment for business growth and realization of sustainable development as well as the ultimate benefit for Mastercard’s rollout in Mauritius and Africa as a whole.
Ventures Africa: Mastercard makes environmental sustainability central to its business model. Why has this become an important component of your strategic thinking?
Ajay Bhalla: We believe in doing well by doing good. Environmental sustainability is both good for business and the planet. As a core component of our wider business strategy, we’re advancing inclusive growth, conducting business in a trusted and transparent way, building an inspired workforce, and being good stewards of the environment to create a sustainable future for Mastercard and the world around us. In short, we believe only meaningful and long-lasting change will protect the environment for generations to come.
VA: You are working with global industry players on a sustainable card program. How would you explain what this is about in very simple terms?
Ajay Bhalla: At Mastercard, we don’t want to just educate card producers and users on the net waste contribution of plastic cards; we want to drive industry-wide change to ensure that greener cards become the norm. So at the very heart of our sustainable card program, we have developed the world’s first directory of certified sustainable card materials and information on where to source them.
We’ve applied the full scale and scope of our business, technology, partnerships, and people to pioneer this initiative. Mastercard’s DigiSec Lab, our global product innovation and security hub based in the UK, is assessing the durability and security of sustainable materials for cards, using cutting-edge technology to test the physical and chemical properties of materials with sustainability claims, so that we can confidently attest to their green credentials.
Through this new directory, our aim is to ensure sustainable vendor materials are available for all card issuers globally, and that sustainable choice becomes the preferred option for all financial institutions worldwide.
The Mastercard Sustainable Materials Directory is the first milestone in a multi-year effort laddering up to the launch of Mastercard’s global certification scheme – effectively a “green mark” for sustainable cards.
VA: I understand the goal is to reduce first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing, which is in line with the Greener Payments Partnership formed in 2018. What’s the difference between an eco-friendly card and a PVC debit card, which makes up most of what we have available today?
Ajay Bhalla: An eco-friendly card is made from materials that are ethically sourced, bio-sourced, ocean sourced, or chlorine-free. This includes degradable PVC, which breaks down at a faster rate than traditional PVCs in composting sites, rPVC which uses some recycled content, and rHDPE which is recycled from ocean-bound waste. The Mastercard Sustainable Materials Directory has details and recommendations on more than 30 sustainable products that banks can use to connect to card manufacturers and make eco-friendly cards – each of which is tested by a rigorous scientific process, meaning every single sustainable card will have the same levels of usability and security as ones made of the existing common materials.
VA: Does the shift to environmental best practices come at an extra cost or have an adverse organizational impact? While it’s still very much “business-as-usual” for many organizations, how would you sell the importance of ensuring a pollution-free environment, especially as some consider it a hindrance to profit-making?
Ajay Bhalla: At Mastercard, we invest heavily across our business to ensure the integrity of payments while also contributing to a more sustainable future. Developing new materials typically do come with an additional cost; but by accrediting the vendors and materials that meet our Mastercard standards, we are encouraging healthy competition to win issuers business with the right materials to suit their consumers’ needs. Within a couple of years, we would expect the cost of some sustainable cards to be comparable to current PVC cards, where the volume and the competitive marketplace has dictated better costs.
The key incentive for organizations to make the switch to sustainable card choices, besides being the right thing to do, is that we know that it matters to consumers. More than three-quarters of people around the world say they’re “very concerned” about the environment, and 96 percent of them believe that personal actions like donating, recycling, or buying ethically can make a real difference in the world [Nilson Report, September 2018]. We’re helping them do just that.
VA: Mastercard’s sustainable card offerings are available to consumers in over 12 countries and 60+ financial institutions have issued cards with approved materials. That is a considerable success but have you faced any challenges or issues with the new cards program so far?
Ajay Bhalla: The Mastercard Sustainable Materials Directory has been a considerable success to date – already, our sustainable card offerings are used by consumers in over a dozen countries globally and more than 60 leading financial institutions (including Mauritius Commercial Bank) have issued cards with approved materials. Our ambitions certainly don’t stop here – across the industry, we want to help make sustainable cards the default rather than the exception through the continued expansion of our directory for banks around the world.
VA: What happens when these new cards expire?
Ajay Bhalla: Upon expiry, consumers are typically currently advised to cut up their cards and dispose of them in their bins at home. Today, we are working with banks to support them with programs that assist their customers with the in-branch recycling of old cards. And as we work towards new materials that are bio-degradable or recyclable, these recommendations might change to allow for safe and secure disposal of the cards in a more eco-friendly manner, according to the type of material used.
VA: There’s been a rollout in Mauritius, where there was a recent oil spill that laid bare the issue of environmental pollution. In Africa at large, what benefits are the eco-friendly cards bringing to the region in relation to such incidents?
Ajay Bhalla: Our sustainable card program allows banks – in Africa and beyond – to augment their sustainability initiatives with a systemic change to their supply chain and ultimately offer more eco-friendly cards to consumers. This approach is better for the environment, it’s better for business and it meets evolving consumer needs.
We believe only meaningful and lasting change will protect the environment for generations to come. But no one organization has the solution to tackle this issue alone, so we need to work together. We passionately believe that everyone can – and must – contribute. Eliminating first-use plastics in payment cards is one way Mastercard can make a difference.
VA: Can you give a sneak peek into the planned Mastercard global certification scheme for approved sustainable cards?
Ajay Bhalla: Mastercard’s global certification scheme will be a “green mark” for sustainable cards. The main aim of the scheme is to ensure that when a Mastercard product is associated with a sustainability claim, it is Feasible, Meaningful, and Sincere. These three central pillars will give confidence to Mastercard, our customers, and the wider industry that steps are being taken to address the urgent environmental challenges related to the use of single-use plastics and that Mastercard products can be used without fear of false or exaggerated claims. The scheme will enable a number of processes in addition to those already in use, including a formal remote assessment procedure to validate claims and conformity. It will also assess the vendor’s Environmental Management System (EMS) to ensure reliability.
VA: In the financial services industry, does the key to sustainability lie solely in sustainable cards? Or can you cite other examples of how sustainable choices can be made across all payment rails?
Ajay Bhalla: Sustainable cards are one choice and we continue to invest in new technology and resources to bring new learnings and insight into the global market in support of sustainable choice across all payment rails. Of course, digital cards are a very valuable and environmentally-friendly choice. But they aren’t currently available in all markets for all consumers. And some people will continue to opt for a physical alternative, even where digital cards are available.
VA: At Mastercard, you are trying to tackle issues such as climate change and environmental sustainability – how do these issues relate to or affect business growth?
Ajay Bhalla: We believe business must play a significant role in helping the planet thrive. Because economic growth cannot come at the expense of the planet.
We’re focused on going beyond reducing and offsetting our environmental footprint to actively regenerate the natural resources upon which continued business growth relies. In addition to developing sustainable products and services, we are also leveraging the power and reach of our global network – convening powerful partnerships and coalitions dedicated to solving major environmental challenges through systems-level change. Earlier this year, Mastercard launched the Priceless Planet Coalition as a platform to unite corporate sustainability efforts and make meaningful investments to preserve the environment.
VA: In what other ways is Mastercard looking to help ensure environmental sustainability and how does this aid economic development in Africa?
Ajay Bhalla: Our mission is to create products, services, partnerships, and experiences that enable consumers and businesses to make sustainable choices that are better for their communities, societies, and the planet. Mastercard was the first payments company to set an approved science-based target to reduce carbon emissions from our operations and supply chain and maximize carbon-free energy generation. This is reviewed externally to ensure we are helping the world meet the Paris Agreement goals. We’re committed to 100% renewable electricity for our global operations and 77 percent of waste in our owned facilities is recycled, diverted, or composted. Our “Do Good” Donations Platform empowers consumers to take action and support sustainability causes that align with their values.
VA: Moving forward, how does Mastercard plan to continue driving its corporate sustainability values?
Ajay Bhalla: We’re committed to being a force for good in the world and doing well by doing good. We continue to convene powerful partnerships and coalitions dedicated to solving major environmental challenges through fundamental, systems-level change. This includes our Priceless Planet Coalition and also City Possible, a new model of public-private partnerships that brings together cities with a united private sector to advance sustainable cities.


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Wel-Travel into liquidation
SPECIALIST Australian inbound travel agency Wel-Travel Australia has been placed into liquidation.
The Perth-based business was established in 1988, and is now led by Edwin Kwan, who is also a director of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission notes that liquidators Kimberley Stuart Wallman have been appointed to wind up the business, which also trades as One Book Travel and Incredible Australia.
The Wel-Travel website is still live, and cites a team of about 30 staff and offices in the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth along with an international sales team based in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Wel-Travel is also listed by Austrade as an approved inbound tour operator under China’s Approved Destination Scheme.
Details of the reasons for the collapse are unclear at this stage, but it’s expected key suppliers including accommodation, activity and transport operators are likely to be impacted.
The company offered a full service Australia-wide destination management operation for FIT and group travellers, along with business events and incentives and special interest itineraries.
Ironically, Kwan was on the podium last week as one of the presenters at ATEC’s Meeting Place conference - just one day before placing his company into administration.


text: MakerBot today announced the resignation of CEO Jonathan Jaglom and the appointment of company president Nadav Goshen as his successor. Over the last two years, Jaglom and Goshen have worked closely together leading MakerBot’s reorganization and strategic shift. Jaglom will be returning to Israel to spend more time with his family. “I joined MakerBot two years ago to lead the turnaround of the company and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in such a short time. We have defined a new strategic direction, completely revamped the company’s quality control processes, and successfully launched a new lineup of products,” said Jonathan Jaglom, CEO of MakerBot. “Having put the company on a new track and put in place a new organizational structure, I believe that now is the right time for me to step back and spend more time with my young family. Nadav Goshen has been crucial in defining MakerBot’s new direction and he is the ideal candidate to lead the company on its new path.” “I’m excited to continue working towards our vision of putting a desktop 3D printer in every classroom and on the desk of every designer and engineer,” said Nadav Goshen, president of MakerBot. “MakerBot today is in a much stronger position and I would like to thank Jonathan for his contributions. I look forward to leading the company and continuing to build out our 3D printing solutions for professionals and educators.” Goshen has 15+ years of experience leading turnarounds at tech companies and his expertise lies in defining new products and business models, as well as growing digital ecosystems. Prior to joining MakerBot, he led private equity investments in mobile and tech, served as CEO for a fast growing ad-tech company and in various other C-level executive roles at tech companies. Under Jaglom’s leadership, MakerBot has gone through a cultural shift to prioritize product quality and listening more closely to customers. As a result, MakerBot recently introduced new 3D printing solutions for professionals and engineers that have been very well received. MakerBot’s new 3D printing solutions offer engineers and designers a faster and more effective way to develop ideas and educators a better way to integrate 3D printing in the classroom.


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DJI Osmo Pocket Is Coming Instead of DJI Phantom 5? Find Out More Details
The top drone maker DJI just sent invites last week to their “Because Life is Big” event in New York on November 28, which is this upcoming Wednesday. Many speculated that the event is pointing towards the arrival of the highly anticipated DJI Phantom 5. However, newly leaked video and photos just surfaced online ahead of the event.
According to DroneDJ, these photos and video appear to be an exciting, gimbal-stabilized pocket camera called the DJI Osmo Pocket. It showed the actual packaging of the new handheld camera and gimbal. These will likely tell us that the new Phantom 5 will not be launched this week. Even if there are many leaked images, there is still no official information on the actual device.
In the photography department, the DJI Osmo Pocket has a built-in camera that looks similar to the one of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, but its lens seems different from it. The drone’s size is smaller to the DJI Osmo Mobile 2. Hasselblad logo is not displayed. However, the DJI logo, an LED indicator light, a display, two buttons for possibly recording, and an area to attach accessories are seen at the front of the drone.
Hello little thing, time to open your pocket! pic.twitter.com/3KyUMf5Uez
— OsitaLV (@OsitaLV) November 22, 2018
The second leaked photo showed the backside of the upcoming drone’s packaging. The drone will come with a Lithium-Polymer 875mAh 7.7V battery, the S/N, EAN and UPC barcodes and numbers. This drone is compatible with lightning or USB-C smartphones and all the recent iPhone models. The DJI MIMO app is built-in with this drone and can be downloaded from the Google Play store and Apple App Store.
— Marlo Melo (@marlo_melo) November 25, 2018
Also, SZ DJI Osmo Technology manufactured this drone in Shenzhen, China. The drone company is expected to price the upcoming drone something below the $400 GoPro Hero 7. This indicates that the company will make sure a lot of people will be happy this coming holiday season.
So, what are your thoughts about the DJI Osmo Pocket for this coming holiday season? Share them by writing in the comment section below.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. – After overcoming some major hurdles, Chinese fab tool vendor Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) is moving towards its next growth phase.
AMEC is now looking outside of Asia for growth in the etch and other fab tool sectors. The company is also expanding its manufacturing capacity, bolstering its presence in etch, and devising a new tool line. And over time, AMEC hopes to float an initial public offering (IPO).
Shanghai-based AMEC is changing the landscape in etch and other markets. It has shipped some 20 tools thus far. Customers reportedly include Globalfoundries Inc. and others, observers speculated.
Frank Masciocchi, a chip-equipment veteran and vice president of global business for AMEC, declined to identify its customers, but he indicated that the fab tool vendor is entering into its ''second phase’’ of growth. ''We are no longer seen as a startup,’’ Masciocchi told EE Times.
The company was founded in 2004, but it grabbed the headlines by rolling out its first products-a reactive ion etcher and a high-pressure chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) tool-in 2007. In doing so, the Chinese company hoped to compete against the big and established players, such as Applied, Lam, Novellus, Hitachi and TEL.
AMEC also has some strong backing. In 2006, the company completed its Series B financing, which raised $35 million. Participants in the round included existing investors: Walden International, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Interwest Partners, Bay Partners, Global Catalyst Partners and KT Venture Group. Leading financial institution Goldman Sachs joined the round as a new investor.
A year later, AMEC raised $8 million from Samsung Venture Investment Corp. (SVIC) and other investors. Qualcomm Inc. also invested in AMEC. More recently, it secured $58 million in Series C funding and $46 million in Series D funding.
But AMEC's efforts were somewhat sidetracked in October of 2007, when Applied Materials Inc. filed a suit against the company, The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, claimed that AMEC was allegedly involved in misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract and unfair competition. One of the parties named in the suit was Gerald Yin, CEO of AMEC. Yin held various positions at Applied from 1991 to 2004, including general manager of the etch products group, according to the suit.
In 2009, AMEC obtained a ruling on a summary judgment motion it filed in its trade secret dispute with rival Applied. And last year, Applied and AMEC settled their claims.
Last month, AMEC claimed that it had prevailed for the second time in a patent infringement suit filed against AMEC subsidiaries by Lam Research Corp. in the Intellectual Property Court of Taiwan. In a decision, the court dismissed Lam's appeal of its earlier trial court defeat. In a separate matter, AMEC said it also ''scored a victory'' in Taiwan's Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) against Lam.
AMEC has basically cleared its name in the market. And despite the distractions, the company has made some inroads in the market, mainly in etch. Its 300-mm Primo D-RIE system leverages a twin-station, mini-batch cluster architecture with a single-wafer environment and a VHF de-coupled RIE plasma source. Applications for the tool include hard mask, spacer, dual damascene via and trench etches, among many others.
Geared for 65-nm devices and beyond, the system is said to improve productivity by more than 35 percent over comparative systems, while offering a 35 percent lower cost-of-ownership (CoO) benefit.
''AMEC has one of the premier etch developers running the company in Gerald Yin. It appears that Gerald has assembled a good business team and legal team as they have fended off both AMAT and Lam. They are well funded and seem to have a solid etch product and are slowing gaining traction,''said Dean Freeman, an analyst with Gartner Inc.
To date, most of AMEC’s tool shipments center around China, Singapore and Taiwan. The company has even garnered some repeat business in those regions. Now, the company is targeting its efforts in Europe and the United States, Masciocchi said.
This presents a major challenge for AMEC. Applied, Hitachi, Lam and TEL are formidable competitors. Other players, Mattson, Intevac, and SPTS, have made noise in the fragmented etch market.
Not all will survive in the market. There are too many players chasing after too few customers. AMEC believes it has the formula to survive because ''we have a good value proposition for our customers,’’ he said.
''With the competition in the etch space, it is likely AMEC will see some success. Will they displace the big boys in Lam, TEL and then AMAT? Unlikely, but you now have a Chinese supplier that will likely take market share in China when they are fully qualified,'' Gartner's Freeman said. ''Korea will look at them as leverage against the 'Big 3.' If they have a compelling etch product that can compete, they will likely see other business.''
For the most part, AMEC has played in the dielectric etch market in the IC sector, where its initial tools are being used for non-critical layers in chips. Among the new goals for the company are to extend its etch tools for the more critical layers in chip designs as well as to expand into the emerging through-silicon via (TSV) market, AMEC's Masciocchi said.
The company is also developing a new tool, dubbed the A-RIE. There are no details about the tool, but AMEC did say it is doubling its capacity to prepare for eventual growth. By October, AMEC will be able to manufacturer 170 machines a year.
It has 300 employees, compared to 150 in 2007. Clearly, the company faces many challenges, but the good news is that business is looking up. ''Capital spending is going up,’’ Masciocchi said.
In China, Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. set its 2011 capital expenditures at around $1 billion. As reported, China's Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co. Ltd. (HHNEC) have begun construction of a 300-mm wafer fab at Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai. That fab venture is called Hua Li.
Others are also on a spending spree. ''With Intel now on the offensive, and including recent capex updates from Samsung and Globalfoundries, our 2011 capex model moves to 12 percent year-over-year verses percent coming in,'' according to a recent report from Barclays Capital.
''There are still several major chipmakers that have yet to announce their capex plans for 2011, but with Samsung and TSMC in, it appears that total spending will increase 13.4 percent this year,'' according to a recent report from VLSI Research. ''Intel will be the biggest spender this year, beating Samsung by $100 million—though that could change depending on the exchange rate. The top five capex spenders will account for a whopping 65 percent of total spending, increasing their share by nearly five percentage points form a year ago.''


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Lenovo announced the availability of products featuring Intel Small Business Advantage, a software tool that helps simplify security and PC maintenance.
The Intel software will power a Lenovo Solutions for Small Business (LSSB) package, featured in the recently launched ThinkPad Edge E430 and E530 laptops. LSSB is designed to enhance security and productivity by automating routine security and maintenance tasks.
The software manager feature in the LSSB portfolio helps actively guard against cyber-attacks by monitoring at the hardware level. It also monitors the program for changes in settings and will provide an alert if a change has occurred like the firewall being turned off.
Not all SMBs have the resources to support IT departments, which can leave their PCs unmanaged and vulnerable to security threats and data loss, said John Bischof, director, small and midsize business at Lenovo. LSSB on the new ThinkPad Edge products is simple to manage and intuitive for maintaining performance and providing security coverage.
The solutions after-hours maintenance feature wakes the PC from sleep to perform maintenance outside normal working hours. For example, assuming that work hours are from 8 to 5, the device will wake up at night, and run maintenance and backup while you sleep. The USB Blocker assigns a passcode to each device, which allows businesses to manage which storage devices can access and save information, and the Enhanced Backup and Restore function protects against losing data through PC errors, viral attacks or theft by automatically backing up critical data.
Intel SBA frees small-business owners to focus on their businesses because it ensures PCs run at a higher performance, automatically backs up data and checks for the latest software updates and provides multilayer virus protection, even at the firmware level, said Dan Russell, director of business client solutions marketing at Intel. By incorporating Intel SBA into their ThinkPad Edge portfolio of small to midsize business laptops, Lenovo is ensuring that SMB owners are free to focus on their businesses and not left worrying about their PCs.
Lenovos ThinkPad Edge 14-inch E430 and 15-inch E530 notebooks are available through partners, offering the latest Intel Core processors and integrated or discrete graphics. The notebooks also feature fast boot up, an optional up to 1TB of storage that can be combined with solid-state-drive storage, USB 3.0 ports and a high-resolution Web camera. The ThinkPad Edge E430 and E530 are available through business partners and on Lenovos Website, starting at $549.
The technologies will be on display in Lenovos Accelerate 2012 Product Showcase, the companys second annual North America channel partner conference, designed to provide Lenovos business partners with an opportunity to see the new products firsthand, and learn about programs and solutions from Lenovos top channel business leaders.


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NNPCL Completes Depot Repairs After 15 Months Of Inactivity
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has completed the rehabilitation of the pipeline at the Satellites depots area.
Naija News reports that the latest development was made known by Chairman, of Satellite Depots, Akin Akinrinade, after 15 months of inactivity.
Akin during an interview with PUNCH said the repairs were carried out through the NNPCL subsidiary, NNPCL Pipeline, and Marketing noting they are currently being used to transport products to its members.
Akinrinade confirmed that the depots started receiving products last week Friday and more are also still coming today, (Sunday).
According to him, the price of fuel will decrease in the next few days and the queue will gradually disappear following the completion of the Satellite depots.
He said: “Satellite depots started loading at about 12:30 pm on Tuesday after 15 months of inactivity.
“We now load through the pipeline because the integrity has been restored.
“Although they have instructed depots to sell at N172 per litre, we have not started selling to marketers. We have started receiving products since Friday. We received it on Saturday, and some will also come in today (Sunday).
“Since products are now being received, prices will now come down, and I can assure you that the remaining queue will disappear this week”


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Once Dominant, the United States Finds Itself Isolated at G-20
NewYorkTimes, July 7, 2017
For years the United States was the dominant force and set the agenda at the annual gathering of the leaders of the world’s largest economies.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the host of the meeting, pointed out that most of the countries supported the Paris accord on climate change, while Mr. Trump has abandoned it.
Where previous American leaders saw their power as a benevolent force, and were intent on spreading prosperity through open markets and multilateral cooperation, Mr. Trump has portrayed himself as a nationalist, a unilateralist and a protectionist.
What recent events have underscored, though — and especially at the G-20 — is that no nation is today large or powerful enough to impose rules on everyone else. In advancing his views, Mr. Trump has alienated allies and made the United States seem like its own private island.
Nowhere was Mr. Trump’s isolation more evident than on the issue of trade. He thinks the United States has been unfairly disadvantaged by sweeping free-trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump believes the steel industry in particular has been savaged by globalization.
Within days, he could impose restrictions and new tariffs on steel imports. Doing so would be a provocative move that could affect trade with more than a dozen major countries.
The tariffs could very well provoke a global trade war.
European officials here reacted, threatening to retaliate. “We will respond with countermeasures if need be, hoping that this is not actually necessary,” the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Friday. “We are prepared to take up arms if need be.”
Targets could include American whiskey imports. “I don’t want to tell you in detail what we’re doing,” Mr. Juncker said. “But what I would like to tell you is that within a few days — we won’t need two months for that — we could react with countermeasures.”
The Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, warned that new protectionist trade measures could bring “contagion” that would slow the growth of the world economy.
But as Mr. Trump contemplates protectionism, Europe and Japan reached a landmark free trade agreement this week. Mexico and China, two of the United States’ largest trading partners, have been mulling their own deal. The world is moving ahead regardless.
Among those most on edge are economists, many of whom have been uneasy about Mr. Trump’s unorthodox views on trade because they have seen the damage from such actions before.
The United States imported 30.1 million metric tons of steel last year, making it the world’s largest steel importer, according to the International Trade Administration. Canada, Brazil and South Korea are the three biggest exporters to the United States, followed by Mexico and Turkey. China, the target of much anti-globalization rhetoric, is not such a major factor, at least not in steel.
Michael Strain, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, worries that retaliation from China and Europe to any steel tariffs would be particularly painful for American exporters and could lead to job cuts.
Industries like construction and housing would probably suffer. Many of the workers in these industries and the consumers who buy their goods are likely to be the types of moderate-income voters who backed Mr. Trump.
On Friday, Cecilia Malmstrom, the European trade commissioner, warned the Trump administration that new tariffs would face a challenge in the World Trade Organization. A similar challenge led to a rollback of tariffs imposed by President George W. Bush in 2002.
But Mr. Trump has even contemplated pulling the United States out of the World Trade Organization itself.
On climate, too, the United States — just a year ago a leading voice in favor of global action to reduce carbon emissions — is on its own path.
Здешние политиканы, «эксперты», подконтрольные ЦРУ СМ»И» нахваливают псевдодемократическую, якобы процветающую Америку.
Те, кто любит «наших американских (государственных) партнеров», «забывают» о грязных, злых уродах США. О таких, как коварный и крайне опасный мошенник, расист, лжец, неофашист и убийца Дональд Трамп. И о таких, как порочный Конгресс, кровавые милитаристы США, нацистские ФБР — ЦРУ, лживые американские СМ”И”…
Арнольд Локшин, политэмигрант из США


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Companies are figuring out how to sell goods over the Internet, but getting the goods to the customer is another story. As online orders from consumers and businesses soar past the 2 billion per year mark, Net sellers will be faced with logistics chaos. A new Report from Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) predicts that the demand for order fulfillment solutions will reshape the existing landscape as logistics suppliers evolve to serve the small-package, individual-oriented needs of commerce site operators.
Order fulfillment hasn’t been a serious eCommerce issue to date because most Net sellers have limited the number of products offered on their sites and executed fulfillment in-house. But as online sales move past the experimental phase, three factors — an expanded selection of products sold online, the need to move a large volume of small parcels, and rising customer expectations — will combine to put new pressures on order fulfillment systems.
“No one is prepared for the exponential growth in parcel deliveries that online sales will generate,” said Stacie S. McCullough, Business Applications Research analyst at Forrester. “Firms that fail to attack order fulfillment with the same vigor as online selling will experience customer defection, funding attrition, and distribution nightmares.”
Companies can meet the demands of online selling by developing a fulfillment system that delivers end-to-end logistics, which Forrester defines as: package visibility and service continuity from buy button to final destination. End-to-end logistics follows three clear imperatives — empower customers, focus on parcels, and deliver to the customer’s doorstep. Firms need to keep customers informed with up-to-date information about order arrival and empower them through self-service solutions that address common fulfillment problems. Meanwhile, manufacturers and distributors need to shift their focus from shipping pallets to stores to delivering packages to individual consumers. Finally, rising global demand requires that merchants and shippers alike prepare to handle any type of delivery in any geographic region.
Although a few fulfillment vendors like Fingerhut and Valley Media are geared up to service the largest eCommerce sites, most online sellers ship less than 400 orders a day — too small to get any help. But over the next two years, Forrester predicts that new outsourced services will evolve to deliver end-to-end solutions to smaller online players. These companies will offer improved drop-ship services and provide a range of residential delivery options.
“With residential deliveries expected to exceed 2.1 billion by 2003, a strategic battle over the consumer doorstep is under way,” added McCullough. “Shippers have figured out that whichever vendor establishes an ongoing relationship with the consumer becomes the online retail gateway.”
For the Report “Mastering Commerce Logistics,” Forrester interviewed 40 vice presidents of operations from retail, Internet, and manufacturing companies that have an online presence. The respondents indicated that their companies are easing into online selling, shipping a median of 400 online orders per day. However, less than half make a profit on each shipped package and most fail to accurately measure the total cost of fulfillment. And 85% still can’t fill international orders because of the complexities of shipping across borders. Of the globally incapacitated, 75% cite their systems’ inability to register international addresses accurately or price total delivery cost.


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TOKYO, Nov 15, Reuters -- The dollar was below an almost 16 month high versus major peers on Monday as traders waited for more information on the U.S. economy after bringing forward bets for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike on the back of red-hot inflation.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against six peers, was barely changed at 95.120 on Friday, when it posted its biggest weekly gain since August and reached 95.266 for the first time since July 2020.
Tuesday's retail sales data is the main event on the U.S. economic calendar, particularly after a survey on Friday showed consumer confidence plunged to a decade low in early November as high inflation wreaked havoc on sentiment.
It is important to watch what still cashed-up U.S. consumers do, rather than what they say, considering readings of sentiment were at odds with actual spending during the summer, Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia BankAustralia Bank in Sydney, wrote in a client note.
The Fed's position that price pressure will be transitory is doubted by the fact that the dollar has been on a tear since Wednesday when consumer prices in the US rose at the fastest annual pace since 1990, as shown by the broad-based rise in U.S. consumer prices.
The European Central Bank appears unlikely to change its dovish policy settings in the near term because of a slowing economy, which has helped boost gains in the heavily euro-weighted dollar index.
The euro was less changed at $1.14455, keeping it within sight of Friday's 16 month low of $1.1433.
On Monday, the ECB president Christine Lagarde will speak to the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament.
The dollar had moved up slightly to 113.965 yen, a gain of around 114 since Wednesday.
The pound was up 0.08% to $1.3421, continuing a recovery from the low of $1.3354, marked on Friday.
The Australian dollar was stable at $0.7331. It bounced back from a more than one-month low of $0.7277 on Friday, gaining 0.54%.
On Monday, China releases activity data and investors will be watching for any comments coming out of a virtual summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.


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Niko Partners analyst Daniel Zhuge has turned the spotlight on a new game that appears to be in the works at League of Legends studio Riot Games. The game is called Teemo's Adventure and it was revealed in a list of GPC-approved games, which indicates that it has been given the green-light for sale in China.
Not sure if Western media is reporting on this yet.Looks like a game called "Teemo's Adventure" has been approved for sale in China. Riot Games is listed along with Tencent as the developer / publisher. It's going to be a PC game apparently.Teemo is a LOL champion. pic.twitter.com/5cVLWvkuexDecember 19, 2017
Teemo, "The Swift Scout," is a League of Legends champion who is widely hated by LoL players. Not because he's bad at what he does, but because he's so good at it: Like pests in the NHL, Teemo's true strength lies in his ability to drive opponents into apoplectic fits, which leaves them prone to making mistakes.
"If used properly his kit can create tsunamis of rage that echo throughout Summoner’s Rift," we explained in our recent analysis of why everyone hates Teemo. "This is due to the global taunt that manages to annoy his opponents to the brink of insanity, and even his own teammates when he inadvertently steals a kill via one of his Noxious Traps."
But he really is cute as hell too, which makes him ideal for a standalone game. Zhuge said Teemo's Adventure will apparently be a PC game, but beyond that there's no indication of what's cooking: Maybe it's a full-on spinoff, possibly signaling the start of a new series of single-hero LoL Adventures; or maybe it's the next Blitzcrank's Poro Roundup.
For now, Riot isn't saying: A rep said the studio has no comment on the report.


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The game [GTA] trained him "how to point and shoot a gun in a fashion making him an extraordinarily effective killer without teaching him any of the constraints or responsibilities needed to inhibit such a killing capacity," according to the suit.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4213643.html
According to the suit, plaintiffs' lawyer Jack Thompson was told by a sheriff's deputy that the game and a Sony PlayStation 2 were found at the ranch.
Decent sized article, it's about the kid playing grand theft auto and them blaming the game for the reason he killed his family.
Putting aside the fact that the kid was probably screwed up in the head long before he ever saw GTA, why were his parents letting him play this game when it's clearly rated Mature (17+) and the back of the box lists exactly what's in the game?
His parents obviously didn't deserve to die, but IMO, parents need to take more responsiblity for what their kids are playing so the likes of Jack Thompson can stop getting all this fuel to blame video games on violence.
And just for the record, I've been playing violent video games my entire life and I've only killed two
people because of them!
Seriously.. I still play GTA all the time, and any sane person can tell you that it's not the video games - it's the person.


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Google has been penning tetchy weblog posts ever since Texas Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton, together with a bunch of greater than a dozen different state AGs, filed the primary model of their antitrust lawsuit in December 2020 chock-full of anticompetition grievances associated to Google’s promoting enterprise.
Late final week, although, Google made its first authorized transfer to try to get the state-led case tossed earlier than it hits a courtroom. Final Friday, Google requested a federal choose in New York to dismiss a lot of the counts within the Texas swimsuit on the grounds that the AG’s allegations are incorrect or don’t represent anticompetitive habits.
In its movement to dismiss, Google makes quite a few arguments as to why the courtroom ought to reject the Texas AG’s swimsuit, and they are often summed up thusly: In the event you didn’t prefer it, you need to have mentioned one thing earlier, however we didn’t do something incorrect anyway.
You possibly can learn the total movement at your leisure, however right here’s a style: “US antitrust legal guidelines encourage, reward and shield … success – success earned via relentless innovation, early and in depth funding in analysis and improvement, vigorous competitors and exhausting work – even when the Texas Legal professional Normal and his allies don’t.”
Effectively, guess that’s as much as a choose to determine. However listed below are Google’s arguments in a nutshell.
One in every of Google’s important contentions is that if Paxton and his band of AGs wished to sue, they need to have achieved so sooner.
Due to what Paxton is suing for – injunctive reduction versus damages – Google argues that antitrust legislation units a four-year statute of limitations from December 2020, which is when the case was initially filed.
A lot of the conduct known as out within the swimsuit (allegedly) began earlier than December 2016, together with hashing or encrypting person IDs (2009), incorporating dynamic allocation into DFP (2010), launching dynamic income share (2014), implementing reserve worth optimization (2015) and launching change bidding (April 2016).
Honest and sq.?
However even when timing wasn’t a problem, Google contends that its product design adjustments weren’t anticompetitive and that its public sale wasn’t rigged – no matter whether or not Google had an data benefit, since antitrust legislation doesn’t require corporations to “share [their] aggressive benefits with rivals,” the movement states.
Google claims that Challenge Bernanke was created to assist Google Advertisements advertisers win extra auctions and typically pay much less for impressions.
Dynamic Income Share was meant to assist publishers make more cash in some AdX auctions by reducing Google’s change charges.
And Reserve Value Optimization was about serving to publishers make extra on their stock in AdX auctions.
Google additionally asserts that the allegation of secret backroom coping with Fb to kill header bidding (see Jedi Blue) wasn’t secret and doesn’t represent collusion.
In keeping with Google, Fb by no means agreed to not help header bidding, and Fb’s Viewers Community wasn’t promised pace benefits or ensures from Google that Fb would win a sure variety of auctions. (Google made the total textual content of its settlement with Fb public final week.)
One in every of Google’s tried-and-true arguments in opposition to allegations of monopolistic habits is that the advert tech ecosystem is jam-packed with rivals.
In a weblog publish again in September 2019 titled “The advert tech trade is crowded and aggressive,” Google govt Sissie Hsiao pointed to Telaria and Rubicon Challenge (pre-Magnite), The Commerce Desk, Index Trade, MediaMath and OpenX as proof that Google faces robust competitors within the advert tech sector, additionally citing tech biggies like AT&T, Amazon and Adobe.
Google makes the same argument in its movement to dismiss associated to header bidding, which it says “is prospering.”
In a weblog publish, Adam Cohen, Google’s director of financial coverage, cites Advertiser Perceptions analysis that exhibits most publishers at present use header bidding tech, whereas the swimsuit claims that Open Bidding prevented rivals from doing so.
The argument right here appears to be that even when Google tried to kill header bidding, it didn’t work. Appears spurious to this non-lawyer. You possibly can’t absolve your self of tried homicide simply because the individual didn’t die, however anyway …
(Not) tied up
Google additionally takes challenge with one of many AG’s assertions that publishers are pressured to make use of its advert server as a prerequisite to entry its advert change.
Google says this isn’t true and that the allegation of tying – it may be unlawful beneath antitrust legislation to require individuals or corporations to purchase services or products they don’t need or want along with the specified one – “is simply one other plea for Google to lend its rivals a serving to hand.”
After all, most publishers – the Texas swimsuit claims it’s a whopping 90% – use DFP, and switching advert servers is a gigantic ache within the neck. And whereas publishers can use a third-party advert server to entry Google provide, solely Google advert tech can use knowledge from Advertisements Information Hub – the clear room for Google’s advert server knowledge – for focusing on, that means publishers should tie the merchandise collectively or lose out on helpful demand.
However hey, Cohen says in his weblog publish, “if a writer desires to make use of our advert change with a distinct advert server, they’re free to take action.”
Get caught up


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Samsung Malaysia Electronics is engaging Gen Z in reimagining foldable app experiences for Malaysians through its collaboration with top local universities. To bring this to life, Samsung is organising a Developer Day hackathon where students will pitch ideas to enrich app UI/UX on the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, and ultimately mainstream foldable smartphones in Malaysia.
“At Samsung, we are passionate about bringing relevant mobile innovation to consumers, so it made sense for us to get Gen Z involved in creating new ideas and experiences for the Galaxy Z that are relatable to them. This is also in line with our ESG mission to empower young Malaysian talent to make waves in the tech space. We look forward to inspiring ideas with potential to bring them to market,” said KM Liew, Vice President & Head of Mobile eXperience, Samsung Malaysia Electronics.
The Developer Day hackathon, which will take place on 14-15 June 2023, will enable students to leverage Samsung and Android platform’s capabilities to flex tech creativity, as well as pitch their application in the real world and benefits to users. 3 winning teams will be selected each day across the 2 days, bringing it to a total of 6 winning teams. The winners get to bring home Samsung products worth up to RM39,188 each day.
The hackathon is one of the many activities during Samsung’s Galaxy Space, a Gen Z-inspired experiential event that is open to the public. The hackathon is organised in collaboration with Taylor’s University and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
This comes on the back of Samsung’s recent event, ‘Reimagining Foldables for Malaysians’, where the company collaborated with top local organisations to showcase the optimisation of local apps that Malaysians use on a daily basis, in bringing it closer to their hearts.
Alternatively, you may read all about it on Samsung Newsroom Malaysia: https://news.samsung.com/my/samsung-inspires-malaysian-young-talent-to-reimagine-foldable-experiences-through-innovation


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Netflix plans to cut its spending by $300 million (nearly Rs. 2,465 crore) this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Company leaders urged staffers to be judicious with their spending, including in relation to hiring, but said there would be no hiring freeze or additional layoffs, according to the report.
Netflix declined to comment. Shares of the company were down nearly 2 percent in early trading.
Last month, Netflix beat estimates for first quarter but offered a lighter-than-expected forecast, demonstrating the challenges it faces in pursuit of growth.
The company said it shifted a wider launch of a plan to crack down on unsanctioned password sharing into the second quarter to make improvements.
As the streaming video pioneer faces signs of market saturation, it is exploring new ways to make money, such as password crackdown and a new ad-supported service.
Netflix in June also laid off 300 employees, or about 4 percent of its workforce, in the second round of job cuts aimed at lowering costs.
The company is also facing some trouble in India as the government here is seeking to tax the OTT platform for income earned from streaming services in the country, the Economic Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
In a draft order, income tax authorities attributed an income of about Rs. 550 million rupees to Netflix’s Indian permanent establishment (PE) in the assessment year 2021-22, the report added.
Tax officials reasoned that the US firm had some employees and infrastructure from the parent entity on secondment in India to support its streaming services, leading to a PE and tax liability, the publication reported.


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Uruguay fisheries exports last year totaled 79.768 tons valued at 189 million dollars which is a considerable drop from 2011 with 102.500 tons and 236 million dollars. White croaker and hake were the main export items and Nigeria displaced the European Union as the main market.
In effect Nigeria together with the EU and Brazil absorbed 64% of all Uruguay's fisheries exports according to the latest stats release from the country's National Office of Aquatic Resources, DINARA.
Fisheries exports represent 1.42% of Uruguay's total overseas sales reads the report which adds that Mercosur norm 0303 Frozen fish except filets added to 131 million dollars and NMC 0304 Filets and other fish, to 40 million dollars which with 69% and 21% of FOB value, were the main export items.
As to the species, white croaker took first place (61.8 million dollars and 30.928 tons), followed by hake (55.9 million dollars and 15.663 tons) while a distant third was shark with 10.920 tons valued at 25.3 million dollars.
Hake was the item which experienced the greatest fall in exports in volume and value compared to 2011, 35% and 28% respectively. Main markets were Nigeria, 45.5 million dollars and 23.353 tons; the European Union, 39.7 million dollars and 7.424 tons and Brazil, 37 million dollars and 16.394 tons.


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Volvo has released the first details and official images of its second-generation S80 saloon, due to be launched at the Geneva motor show in March.
The latest model, the largest of the Swedish brand’s saloons, will feature new engines, including a 315bhp V8 and a 3.2-litre six-cylinder, as well as four-wheel drive. Two other engines will be carried over from the current model – the 200bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo and the D5 185bhp turbodiesel.
Its tech line-up will include a ‘keyless drive’ fob and a heartbeat sensor to detect if anyone is in the vehicle. Volvo is trumpeting new safety features too, including a Collision Warning system that will alert the driver if the vehicle in front is too close, via a ‘heads-up’ display on the windscreen.
Volvo boss Frederik Arp is optimistic about the new model’s prospects. ‘We are convinced the new S80 will be a strong contender,’ he said. ‘We expect to sell 50,000 new S80s a year around the world, of which 70 per cent will be new Volvo customers.’
Prices and full specifications will be announced in the spring.


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According to them, companies across segments such as grocery, consumer electronics and sanitaryware are reworking their strategies to attract customers on digital platforms.
Moreover, firms in the B2B space have also built infrastructure to conduct business smoothly on the online space.
"In the second half of 2020, we can expect digital adoption to accelerate for grocery shopping amongst other categories as they will continue to grow at a fast pace," Grofers marketing head Prashant Verma told .
Panasonic India head (marketing communications and brand) Shirish Agarwal said digital platforms will be preferred by many customers amid strict adherence to social distancing norms and other health safety measures in the public places.
"Brands are focusing more on digital to reach out to their consumers. A lot of brands will be experimenting with digital platforms which will not just be limited to promotion but will also be the preferred points of purchase," he said.
He also said, "We will see the contribution of high- end appliances such as 55 inches and above television models, 550-litre refrigerator, fully-automatic washing machine, and grooming products going up this festive season."
Roca Bathroom's marketing head R Sreenivasan also said a lot of sales would be driven by the online platforms.
Demand for touch-free bathroom fittings that can be operated digitally will grow, he said.
Jaina Group, which brings back Sansui brand to the Indian market and makes handsets under Karbonn brand, remained optimistic about healthy demand during the upcoming festive period till Diwali.
"Consumer electronics segment will see a rise in demand for the festive season, and companies have already activated manufacturing units and supply chains to meet the spurt in demand," Jaina Group executive director Abhishek Garg said.
Dimond major De Beers had unveiled a new digital platform and forum for seamless B2B business transactions with its partners.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Brands & Companies
- Adani Enterprises Board OKs Raising up to ₹20kcr Via FPO
Adani Enterprises said Friday that the company’s board approved the raising of up to ₹20,000 crore ($2.5 billion) through a follow-on public offering (FPO) by issuing new shares to retail and institutional investors.All Aboard Black Friday Express — From US to India
Samsung, Amazon, Uniqlo and Domino’s were among several companies looking to turn Black Friday, yesterday, into another big sale day in India.Slew of Reforms brings Ease to Insurers
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) allowed private equity funds to invest directly in insurance companies and banks to tie up with as many as nine insurance companies as part of several measures approved at its meeting on Friday that will free up about ₹3,500 crore capital.
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If there's one thing that helped formalize and reinforce the food truck fad, it's Off the Grid, a network — or perhaps better to say wagon train — of food entrepreneurs whose trucks and tents gather again tonight to kick off the seventh season of Friday nights at Fort Mason Center.
Off the Grid can take some credit for helping to launch Bay Area food entrepreneurs from Senor Sisig to Curry Up Now to the Chairman (née Chairman Bao), catapulting those last two into popular brick-and-mortar destinations. The Fort Mason gathering, inspired by night markets popular from Asia to Northern Africa, remains Off the Grid's largest and most recognizable event, even if its food truck roundups are now more daily occurrence than novelty.
From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Friday until October, Off the Grid has 13 food truck vendors returning — including Sisig, the Chairman, Lobsta Truck, and Johnny Doughnuts — plus 17 new vendors joining them. That cohort includes some you might recognize, like El Porteño's empanadas and Revenge Pie's, yes, pies.
“We choose a mix of established restaurants like A16, along with up-and-coming food entrepreneurs who we believe in and give them a venue to test their concept," Off the Grid founder Matt Cohen explains. That's also the case with Off the Grid's program Instrucktional, a two-year paid incubator program who will staff a rotating booth of their own. The first of those is Postrique, Elizabeth Miranda's sweet and savory churros operation.
Off the Grid's Friday night events have gotten more formalized themselves in past years, now that the events draws as many as 10,000 diners. Attendees can expect the usual, like string lights, a bar offering wines and craft cocktails, and dancing to live entertainment from rotating acts like Sacramento 9-piece ensemble Idea Team and returning regular DJ Sharp, the Warriors official DJ. But this year's set up has also been revisited, creating distinct areas with added seating and communal tables.
“Fort Mason Center has always been a great communal gathering, but this year we really wanted to focus on making the experience more comfortable, delicious and engaging,” says Cohen. “The best night markets in the world are integral to the nightlife of their communities. It was with that goal in mind that we were really inspired to update the format to better incorporate some of these aspects.”


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The Iranian Cyber Police for the Sphere of the Production and Exchange of Information also known as FATA is a unit of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police, founded in January 2011. In December 2012, the head of Tehran’s cyber police unit was dismissed in relation to the death of Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti, who was being held in the cyber police’s custody.
In January 2012, the cyber police issued new guidelines for Internet cafés, requiring users to provide personal information that would be kept by café owners for six months, as well as a record of the websites they visited. The rules also require café owners to install closed-circuit television cameras and maintain the recordings for six months. The cyber police stated the measures are being implemented because “citizens are concerned about theft of information.” According to Golnaz Esfandiari of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, however, the new rules “will also create a logbook that authorities can use to track down activists or whomever is deemed a threat to national security.”
The same month, the cyber police also arrested four administrators of a Facebook group that had launched an online beauty competition. The cyber police chief announced the group had been “destroyed” for spreading corruption and immorality.
In June 2012, Iranian media reported that the cyber police would be launching a crack down on virtual private networks (VPNs), which is used by many Iranians to circumvent the government’s Internet censorship.


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Amazon has positioned a short lived restrict on the acquisition of emergency contraceptive tablets as demand surges following the US Supreme Court’s choice to overturn Roe v Wade, successfully outlawing abortion in roughly half of the nation.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to The Independent on Wednesday that the corporate has positioned “temporary quantity limits of three units per week on emergency contraceptive products,” which went into impact on Monday. However, Amazon has not positioned restrictions on generic variations of Plan B, permitting clients to buy as much as 30 items of one other emergency contraceptive known as My Choice.
Amazon joins a rising listing of drug retailers inserting limits on what number of emergency contraceptive tablets a buyer can buy. Earlier this week, CVS stated it was quickly capping the acquisition of Plan B tablets at three items per buyer, though the corporate introduced Tuesday that the acquisition restriction has been lifted as gross sales have “returned to normal”.
Plan B, the shortened identify for Plan B One-Step, is a sort of emergency contraceptive tablet that’s sometimes taken lower than 72 hours after unprotected intercourse or contraception failure and might forestall being pregnant. The tablet, additionally known as the “morning after pill”, is usually out there over-the-counter and incorporates the principle ingredient levonorgestrel, which works by interfering with an individual’s ovulation cycle.
On Friday, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority voted to strike down an almost 50-year precedent established by Roe v Wade, which legalised abortion all through the United States.
In his concurring opinion to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Clarence Thomas emphasised that the Supreme Court must also rethink the rulings that at the moment shield the suitable to contraception, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage.
As the way forward for Griswold v Connecticut – the case which dominated that states had no proper to ban contraception – stays unsure, many individuals who can get pregnant have begun stockpiling the morning-after tablet, though consultants warn that this may restrict entry for individuals who want it instantly.


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Who says football and golf don’t mix? Today (12th June), the day that both the US Open and the FIFA World Cup begin, Direct Golf UK, Europe’s award winning and leading multi-channel specialist golf retailer, has announced a World Cup loyalty bonus for its customers.
The special scheme rewards customers who purchase during June with a minimum 10 per cent handed back in terms of a voucher which can be off-set against future purchases during the World Cup.
Customers spending £50 will receive a £5 loyalty voucher; spend £100 and they receive a £10 voucher; £200 sees them receive a £25 voucher; and anybody spending £500 will receive a £100 voucher.
The offer closes on June 30, with the vouchers being emailed out the following day. Vouchers need to be redeemed by close of business on Sunday, July 13 – the day of the World Cup final.
Direct Golf’s marketing manager, Simon Corp, said: “Many keen golfers are football fans, while many amateur and professional footballers enjoy a round of golf. With the US Open and the World Cup starting on the same day, it seemed an ideal opportunity for us to celebrate both with our customers.
“The only thing that would make the offer even better would be if it guaranteed a British winner of the US Open and England winning the World Cup. Direct Golf can guarantee you the lowest prices, but even we can’t promise that …”
Yorkshire-based Direct Golf UK has 20 branches nationwide and was named ‘best mail order company’ for eight successive years in the Today’s Golfer reader awards. The company, founded by John Andrew, a Class AA, PGA professional, in 1991, has enjoyed massive growth in 23 successful years of trading.
It started with one small shop in Huddersfield, but its philosophy of cutting manufacturers’ recommended retail prices proved to be very popular with the golfing public and it quickly gained the reputation for the best prices in the UK. Backed up with fast delivery and world-class customer service, Direct Golf UK grew quickly into one of the largest specialist golf retailers in the UK and Europe.
Direct Golf www.direct-golf.co.uk


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- July 14, 2021
EU and Ukraine kick-start strategic partnership on raw materials
Today, the EU and Ukraine have launched a strategic partnership on raw materials, with the aim of achieving a closer integration of raw materials and batteries value chains. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal signed a Memorandum of Understanding underpinning the partnership during the dedicated High Level Conference.
The strategic partnership with Ukraine will include activities along the entire value chain of both primary and secondary critical raw materials and batteries, and in line with the objectives of the EU's Critical Raw Materials Action Plan, it will help diversify, strengthen and secure both sides' supply of critical raw materials, essential for achieving the green and digital transitions. The partnership will also be decisive in preserving global competitiveness and developing resilience of EU and Ukrainian industry.CONTINUE READING ON: ec.europa.eu


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Video streaming firm Roku Inc. raised about $219 million in an initial public offering that was priced at the higher end of its expected price range, the company said. The offering of 15.7 million shares follows disappointing launches of Snap Inc. and Blue Apron earlier this year, and was priced at $14, valuing Roku at...
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
NOVEMBER 22, 2013
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
2013 - HIGH END, INC
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IPL Products Ltd. has taken the metal out of its new 2115 distribution containers, which the company said should improve performance and ease recycling of the entire box at the end of its life.
Unlike a typical box with a metal hinge, the IPL system is all high density polyethylene, with lids and containers designed to snap into place.
Two customers, both retail chains using the boxes to tote and store inventory, drove the development, said Chris MacGrory, northeast regional sales manager for IPL's materials-handling sector.
The companies had problems with the metal hinge sliding out of place, where it could snag on other objects, he said. They also wanted new handles for easier access.
Recyclers, meanwhile, will benefit because they can toss the entire bin into a shredder, rather than having to cut out the hinge first.
The company, which is based in St. Damien, Quebec, already has orders for 100,000 of the injection molded units, he said, and will produce them at its facility in Windsor, Ontario.


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Yes! Apples making big strides in 2020
New York Apple Sales has been exhibiting at the NY Produce Show since its inception and now that the Glenmont, NY-based company has launched its consumer-facing brand, Yes! Apples, the show serves as a great venue to share all of the exciting efforts and results that it put forth since the launch of the brand with customers in the greater metro area.
“We are so excited about the launch of our consumer-facing brand, Yes! Apples,” said Tenley Fitzgerald, vice president of marketing for the company. “While we soft-launched the brand last October, retailers didn’t start receiving branded products until early Spring 2020, and we didn’t start our large marketing push until early this summer.”
In just a few short months, the company has experienced social media growth, worked with several talented influencers, hosted giveaways and collaborated on partnerships, updated its packaging and marketing materials, exhibited the product at Pop-Up Grocer in Brooklyn, NY, hosted its first virtual event, and partnered with retailers across the country.
“After this inaugural season of Yes! Apples, we are encouraged and enthusiastic, and can’t wait to see the brand’s continued growth, awareness, and momentum,” Fitzgerald said.
Normally, the face-to-face interaction with customers at its NY Produce Show booth is invaluable, because it’s a more intimate group of exhibitors and attendees than other shows, allowing for more time for interacting with customers and retailers.
However, given the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, the company was happy to see that the show took a stance for its exhibitors and attendees’ safety and decided to go virtual this year.
“While in-person shows are certainly our preference, all participants’ safety and well-being is the top priority,” said John Cushing, the company’s senior vice president. “As always, we look forward to connecting with buyers and our colleagues in the industry. The show, in-person or virtual, is an opportunity to network with retail partners in the region, and we will do that this year, as well.”
Considering the NY Produce Show takes place in the country’s biggest city, and many of the local retail chains are well-represented at the show, New York Apple Sales always does well with attracting people to its booth.
“As the show continues to grow in popularity and attendance, we’ve welcomed some buyers from outside the metro area and region that are making the trek to attend, pre-COVID-19, of course,” Cushing said. “As with all of the shows that we attend, each is uniquely valuable in part due to its location and the regional buyers that it attracts.”
Beyond that, the show allows the company to share with its retail counterparts the value it can add by working with New York Apple Sales and Yes! Apples.
“We partner with 50-plus multi-generational growers from the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain to the Hudson Valley,” Fitzgerald said. “That means we’re working with the best of the best and supplying apples from all over the state with early and late growing seasons that meet the needs of retailer demand throughout the entire season.”
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on all parts of the business this year, Fitzgerald believes one of the biggest topics that will be discussed is an examination of the impact that COVID-19 has had on how the company does business and what the future of the business looks like post-COVID-19.
“As a woman-owned brand with our own orchard, we find ourselves in a unique position to connect with other female-owned businesses,” Fitzgerald said. “Farming is a male-dominated industry, but there is so much opportunity for women to enter this space and help agricultural economies grow. This is something that we are particularly passionate about at Yes! Apples, and look forward to networking with more woman business leaders, inside and out of agriculture.”


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'All-out war' in Intel-AMD antitrust case
Lawyers with Intel and Advanced Micro Devices will sit down next month to discuss for the first time their latest antitrust tussle, representatives for the two companies said on Friday.
The meeting has been scheduled for the first week of August 2005. Attorneys are expected to swap names and addresses of people and documents they are likely to use at trial to defend their side of the story.
AMD filed a 48-page suit in a Delaware federal court last month, alleging that Intel uses scare tactics and coercion to prompt computer makers and other companies to use more Intel chips than ones sold by its rivals. Two days later, AMD extended its antitrust claims to include Intel's Japanese subsidiary, Intel Kabushiki Kaisha (Intel KK) by filing similar briefs with two Japanese courts.
Intel's chief executive, Paul Otellini, has said that he expects his company to come out on top in the dispute.
Intel has until Sept. 6, 2005 to file a response to AMD's complaints, court documents filed in Delaware show.
Computer retailers Best Buy and Circuit City, along with hardware manufacturers Sony, Sun Microsystems, Acer, Gateway, Lenovo, NEC-CI, Rackable and Tech Data have agreed to AMD's subpoena for information. Intel has not indicated which companies it has been in contact with.
The lawyers arguing the suits are expected to fight aggressively, according to one legal insider.