text:
VICE Less than a fortnight since DarkMarket was taken offline. Jan 19, 2017 This DarkNet was hiding from the eyes of the search engines and the regular. Darkmarket.authorities announced the seizure of more than 400 "dark market" website addresses and servers. Darkmarket (known in carding, identity theft, and other black-hat rings) went 'Dark' earlier this month. A market like Dark Market though, although user friendly as hell also seems just asking At the end of May 2018 (only a few months ago), there was a major. DarkMarket: How Hackers Became the New Mafia (Paperback) We live our lives online - banking, shopping, working, dating - but have we become complacent? Who's. Event Recap Witness to History: DarkMarket & the FBI Agent who Became Master Splyntr. Last night, the National Law Enforcement Museum held the ninth event.
THE HAGUE An online marketplace called DarkMarket that sold illegal drugs has been taken down in an operation led by German law. Since the recent bust of DarkMarket the darknet community is in fear that more darknet markets admin were caught and market seized. CME ETH futures launch. Darkmarket: DarkMarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You (Audible Audio Edition): Misha Glenny, Jonathan Cowley, Random House Audio: Audible Books. Europol says it has shut down DarkMarket, the largest online marketplace for illicit goods with 2,400 vendors, and apprehended a suspect, an Australian man. A market like Dark Market though, although user friendly as hell also seems just asking At the end of May 2018 (only a few months ago), there was a major. Gear Westend61 via Getty Images A string of data breaches is causing darknet drugs market headaches for DarkMarket, the world's largest illegal marketplace on the dark web.
THE HAGUE An online marketplace called DarkMarket that sold illegal drugs has been taken down in an operation led by German law. Darkmarket. their website. The darknet URL is necessary because unlike the normal websites, the dark market is invisible when it is viewed. DarkMarket: How Hackers Became the New Mafia (Paperback) We live our lives online - banking, shopping, working, dating - but have we become complacent? Who's. Call ID Spoofing App. DarkMarket boasted almost 500,000 registered users and more Guns Dark Market Guns market to buy guns, full auto assault rifles. By H Zhang 2020 Cited by 1 Illegal trading ecological chain in dark market by BTC. However, there are certain ethical and legal issues that need to be considered for the investigation of. At TRT World, audiences can expect balanced, in-depth reporting with a focus on global responsibility. We bring you darknet drug store Darkmarket news coverage.
The German prosecutors said DarkMarket darknet drug market came to light in the course of major investigation against the web-hosting service Cyberbunker, located. Europol says it has shut down DarkMarket, the largest online marketplace for illicit goods with 2,400 vendors, and apprehended a suspect, an Australian man. We've seen similar activities by marketplace admins in the past when markets like Dark Market and Empire have shut down. Watch all you want. by Le Noir Bazaar-The Dark Market. The programme originally aired in its homeland last year, but from the revised time of midnight on. Dark Market is a a growing marketplace on the darknet, where people trade both common and uncommon things, some might be illegal to trade with and some not. MDAI has been promoted nearby research synthetic entactogens like 5-MAPB, 5-APB, and 6-APB as a lawful, dark market option in contrast to MDMA.
A discerning group of cyber criminals established a forum on the darknet drug links Internet called Dark Market, where they bought and sold stolen financial. DarkMarket - The leading online destination for men's contemporary fashion and streetwear. Shop at our store and also enjoy the best in daily editorial. Goldman Sachs Global Head of Commodities Research Jeff Currie told CNBC the bitcoin market is maturing. I think in any nascent market you get that. It is unclear to what extent the shutdown of this dark market will impact cyber criminal operations, beyond the near-term disruption to its. The darknet is a part of the web accessible only darknet drug links with specialised identity-cloaking tools. Prosecutors said the move against DarkMarket. The site, known as DarkMarket, was shut down on Monday, prosecutors in the south-western city of Koblenz said. All sorts of drugs.
Kysyin sekä Tullilta ja Keskusrikospoliisilta, miksi viranomaiset eivät ole viimeisen kolmen vuoden aikana sulkeneet Torilautaa. Phishing attempts started with darkmarket hackers stealing user passwords and creating random credit card numbers. There are lots of perfectly legitimate reasons you might want to access all that shady content. Carding - A type of fraud based around the use of credit cards. The malicious traffic came from over 250,000 compromised hosts, mostly Mikrotik network devices, with evidence pointing to a variety of RouterOS versions weaponized by exploiting yet unknown vulnerabilities. Web or mobile applications are gateways that are highly exposed to attacks. Currently, there are 4 means of acquiring Bitcoins - mining, making, exchanging, and buying.
“Agora replaced it as the largest darknet Market s real-time engagement platform, you consent darknet dream market the! For instance, to access some forbidden websites like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, you may use the dark web browser.”
Dark Web: The dark web is the World Wide Web material that overlay networks that use the Internet but need some applications, settings, or access authorization. Much of the internet's information is buried in deep, hard to access sites, where standard search engines will not find it. DarkMarket offers a slightly different interface than what’s traditional in the DNM industry. We went the extra mile to research and find some Non-VBV and Non-AVS bins you can use to cash out big time. Mark Graham’s research into the countries that use Twitter most shows that citizens in the US use Twitter more than any other country, followed by Brazil, Indonesia and the UK. Filmed over five years in twenty-five countries, SAMSARA is a non-verbal documentary from filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, the creators of BARAKA. And yet, despite its epic proportions, it has received little sustained media attention. Australians who receive the scam message are urged not to open the link and just delete the message, due to a security threat. Meyers called specialized dark web services "part of a broader security plan. Post image on Pinterest: A notice of seizure posted on the dark net site AlphaBay in July 2017. This new darknet market prides its service and operational security. The first step is to pay closer attention to what’s happening at darknet dream market reddit a local level.


text:
By Kimberley Donoghue PBN Web Editor Twitter: @kdonog
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island exports increased 16.3 percent in June when compared to a year earlier, according to seasonally adjusted data from e-forecasting.com.
Exports rose to $164.2 million in June from $141.2 million in June 2010. Nevertheless, when comparing June to a month earlier, exports declined 8.2 percent.
Manufactured goods, accounting for 67 percent of all foreign sales, surged 21.3 percent to $110.1 million year over year. When comparing June to May, however, manufactured goods dropped 6.2 percent.
Nonmanufactured goods exports – agricultural goods, mining products and re-exports - followed the trend, increasing 7.3 percent in June from a year earlier to$54.1 million but decreasing 11 percent from May.
Rhode Island ranked No. 11 in the nation for its export growth during the first six months of the year, although Maine outperformed its New England counterparts, ranking No. 6 in the nation. By contrast, New Hampshire ranked No. 42, Massachusetts, No. 45, Connecticut, No. 46, and Vermont came in dead last, at No. 50.
Nationally, exports increased 12.9 percent to $170.86 billion year over year.
Evangelos Simos, chief economist of e-forecasting.com, said signals from economic and business indicators from around the world point to a slowdown in the pace of recovery in the emerging economies of Asia and Latin America and a stalling of growth in Europe.
“The weakening of economic growth abroad curbs the appetite of foreign consumers for American goods and begins to drag on income from foreign orders of Rhode Island’s exporting companies,” Simos said while noting that one in five local factory jobs is tied to exports.
Join PBN for the best networking event and party of the winter - January 15, 2015 - the Book of Lists Party at the Providence Public Library. Reserve your spot by December 31st and get a holiday gift from PBN!
PBN's annual Book of Lists has been an essential resource for the local business community for almost 30 years. The Book of Lists features a wealth of company rankings from a variety of fields and industries, including banking, health care, real estate, law, hospitality, education, not-for-profits, technology and many more.

domain: news


text:
Brown Boy Brown Girl Becomes First Black-Owned Business in Children’s Stationery To Hit Meijer Shelves
Family-owned business “Brown Boy, Brown Girl’s” (BBBG) Reach for the Stars Notebook, which is part of the brand's Brown Boy Brainy and Brown Girl Genius lines, hit Meijer stores on November 20. The notebooks are shelved in 69 stores around the country, for starters. The brand is currently featured in 260 Meijer stores for black history month. This is a massive win for BBBG as they become a major player in upholding the black culture and reaching for full inclusion in
Founded in 2015 by CEO Teresa Baker, BBBG is a multimedia publishing company whose core principles are Love, Social Benefit, Integrity, and Awareness. In the wake of social unrest, the black stationery brand decided to create notebooks to serve as harbingers of pride and creativity while normalizing characters of color found in books and school supplies. BBBG published their debut book titled "Josie's Bedazzled Shoes" in 2017 and extended its platform to include children's books written by independent authors of color. They launched their notebook line in August 2020.
According to Teresa, “The business was started for my three children who are now 7, 8, and 9 so that I could leave a legacy for them and impact children who look like them. They are the company's Junior CEOs, and they are excited to see their products going in Meijer stores. “When the Junior CEOs are not in school, they set up their business table at various events selling products to customers.
“Our products’ going into Meijer stores is full circle for me. I shopped in Meijer all the time with my mother. Now, years later, our product will be on their shelves. It's simply amazing to me,” Teresa said. “What’s awesome is that children of all ethnicities will have the option of selecting our notebooks as their choice of notebook. Something, I as a child, never had. I never had that option," she added.
“WOW! I wish I had this much representation in books while growing up. Thank you, BBBG, for empowering my little black princess with your products,” says Charlotte from North Carolina.
In line with their mission to celebrate the diversity of brown children by amplifying young voices of color, BBBG uses its products to assert positive representation in educational materials. Following BBBG’s shelving in Meijer, the brand plans to roll out matching two-pocket folders to match the Reach for the Stars Notebook.
According to William from New York, “I love the products, the mission, and the quality. I am glad I have found this website. My kids can see themselves in literature and other fun products."
BBBG believes in scholarliness, self-love, community, partnership, and ideas. They, therefore, go the extra mile to impact their message in children of color. BBBG plans to continue launching new notebooks and work on expanding the line.
Alongside Meijer, the notebooks and matching 2-pocket folders are also available on Walmart’s online marketplace.


text:
Mythic and GOA Europe launched a new patch for their MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Although rumor had it that v1.04 will bring many changes in terms of balancing out characters and making some characters more powerful, it didn’t happen after all.
The new patch brings a lot of changes and fixes, as well as special new open missions related to Halloween. These missions will last a couple of days, whereas the rewards will be various masks and robes.
Among the changes made is the distribution of realm points for healing classes, meaning these characters will get more points to heal their co-gamers.
Talking about patches, it’s important to note that Mythic’s General Manager recently announced the return of two classes that were there in beta testing, but got the shoe in the final version. The reason for this is cited as the classes not being finalized.
These two new classes will emerge on 17th of November in one of the patches. Adding new classes in a patch is not something you see in MMO games, as such things are kept for the new expansions, but Mythic claims they want to give their players more for the money the pay, and thus enhance their gaming pleasure.
The classes that will find their way back into the game are the Black Guard and the Knight of the Blazing Sun.
More about v1.04 here.


text:
The Repsol Honda MotoGP team will make a move to SC-Project exhausts for the 2017 season.
After years of working with exhaust giants Termignoni, Repsol Honda will make the switch to SC-Project exhausts after inking a deal with the Italian company.
Honda bikes with SC-Projects exhausts are nothing new. HRC has been using the exhaust with the Marc VDS satellite team and also for Moto2 2016 World Champion’s bike, Johann Zarco from Ajo Motorsport.
New HRC director, Tetsuhiro Kuwata, believes in the background and experience of the exhaust company to strike a deal for 2017. According to Tetsuhiro himself, he stated “We are happy to welcome SC-Project as official sponsor of exhaust systems for our Repsol Honda Team. SC-Project has strong experience at the top level of worldwide motorcycle racing championships, and we are sure this alliance will prove very successful in terms of mutual cooperation and racing achievements.”
The heads over at SC-Project, Marco De Rossi and Stefano Lavazza are also very excited about the new partnership with Repsol Honda. According to the SC-Project, “For us it’s an honour and a joy to be technical sponsor of exhaust system of the most important team in MotoGP, the Repsol Honda Team. Currently SC-Project is one of the leaders in exhaust system for motorbike, with a very high technology developed directly in the worldwide competition like MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and SBK and we are sure that the collaboration with HRC will improve more and more our brand and our exhaust technology.”
The Italian exhaust giants have been producing magnificent and outstanding results for the past few years especially with Johann Zarco being crowned the 2016 Moto2 World Champion on a bike equipped with their exhaust system. It seems like HRC has much faith for them to start working their wonders as the technical partner that will assist Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in the 2017 season.
Stay tuned to Bikes Republic for more MotoGP updates.


text:
Audi and Airbus has unveiled its autonomous flying taxi at Drone Week in Amsterdam, and it actually works--at least the scale model does.
The two companies announced earlier this year that they partnered to build and commercialize a flying robo-taxi service, and Pop.Up Next is their answer to the flying car problem that no one is talking about. It's a mash up of a drone and a modular electric car that picks up a passenger in a detachable pod, autonomously flies him to a location, and places the pod on top of an electric vehicle frame that then delivers him to a destination, creating a driverless and seamless experience that never requires the occupant to navigate or even touch ground.
Audi has been testing its concept using a 1:4 scale model of the vehicle in South America, and this week gave its first public test flight. It was able to demonstrate that the Pop.Up Next drone could accurately place a passenger capsule on the vehicle base, and successfully drive off the testing grounds autonomously.
The autonomous flying taxi business model is unproven at best, but aviation and automotive leaders are proclaiming it an inevitable solution that will meet the transportation demands of densely populated urban cities.
“Flying taxis are on the way. We at Audi are convinced of that,” says Dr. Bernd Martens, Audi board member for sourcing and IT, and president of the Audi subsidiary Italdesign in a news statement. “More and more people are moving to cities. And more and more people will be mobile thanks to automation. In future senior citizens, children, and people without a driver’s license will want to use convenient robot taxis. If we succeed in making a smart allocation of traffic between roads and airspace, people and cities can benefit in equal measure.”
Martens is not alone with this belief, and there is a burgeoning "flying car" start-up industry with deep pocketed backers such as Google co-founder Larry Page. Uber is also has the robotaxi market on its product roadmap, and Chinese drone maker EHang has demoed self-flying drones that can carry a human as cargo.
Airbus has been independently testing its Vahana autonomous flying-taxi prototype in Oregon, and Audi says its next step for their joint venture is to build and test a full-scale model.


text:
[newsimage]http://static.rankone.nl/images_posts/2011/08/qHMcBY.jpg[/newsimage]Car manufacturers are going green and aiming for the cloud. The coming years will see an uptick in connected vehicles says a new IHS iSuppli report. Expect a new suite of apps, and traditional radio stations to make way for Internet-based music services. Read the full article here: [http://www.myce.com/news/internet-ready-cars-to-increase-in-popularity-offer-apps-50485/](http://www.myce.com/news/internet-ready-cars-to-increase-in-popularity-offer-apps-50485/) Please note that the reactions from the complete site will be synched below.
Just what the world needs a, a freaking ICar.
They and their Net Junkie owners should be banned (or shot) outright!
Bad enough watching Morons Texting, Surfing, Drinking Coffe and often fixing their makeup (both female and male drivers).
Thankfully in 9 days we are enacting a law Banning the use of celphones in a Vehicle.
@olddancer - Mostly this concerns consumer electronics built directly into the car itself to play music, which means it’s similar to a traditional radio and (hopefully) won’t impede a driver’s ability any more than turning a dial would.
Will the phone companies expand their networks so you have high speed internet really everywhere?
Will they offer inexpensive data plans?
Somehow I doubt this.
And, finally, I do not want my car being connected to “the cloud”.
Large fast moving masses, computer controlled and connected to the internet …what could possibly go wrong? cough iranian nuclear program cough
Even *if * essential car systems are separated, these systems will be going wireless soon anyway, suggesting that compromised entertainment device with internet could potentially be used to interrupt communications, if not compromise these critical systems. At current time, these control systems have no inbuilt security or encryption.
And .tf is up with drivers surfing the internet anyway? It’s bad enough seeing them cruise down freeways shaving, drinking coffee, while reading the morning paper and chatting on their mobile phone, all at the same time.


text:
Intel, which has been expanding beyond its core of computer chip-making, is keen for its technology to be an engine powering self-driving cars across the spectrum of vehicle makers. In a recent update on this, the company has claimed that it is set to roll out fully autonomous vehicles later this year.
Silicon Valley giant Intel on Wednesday announced plans for a fleet of self-driving cars following its completion of the purchase of Israeli autonomous technology firm Mobileye. A day after closing the $15 billion deal to buy Mobileye, which specializes in driver-assistance systems, Intel said it will begin rolling out fully autonomous vehicles later this year for testing in Europe, Israel, and the US. The fleet will eventually have more than 100 vehicles, according to Intel. The testing in real-world conditions “provides immediate feedback and will accelerate delivery of technologies and solutions for highly and fully autonomous vehicles,” said Mobileye co-founder Amnon Shashua, who is to run the unit for Intel. “Our goal is to develop autonomous vehicle technology that can be deployed anywhere.”
The Intel test fleet with include various types and makes of vehicles, and capitalize on Mobileye’s expertise in computer vision, mapping and sensing. Intel, which has been expanding beyond its core of computer chipmaking, is keen for its technology to be an engine powering self-driving systems across the spectrum of vehicle makers. “We want to enable automakers to deliver driverless cars faster while reducing costs,” Shashua said. Intel said the vehicles would offer “level 4” autonomy, which under industry standards represents a “high” level of autonomy just below the fully automated level 5.


text:
Samsung Won't Be Manufacturing Any More Chips For Apple
It seems that Apple will stop buying processors from Samsung for its upcoming smartphones.
The iPhone 8 (hypothetical name), which is expected to make its appearance in 2017, will have the Apple A11 processor, which will be exclusively manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC.
According to BGR, the reasons why Apple will stop relying on Samsung to manufacture its processors are mainly due to the fact that because Samsung is its main competitor in the field of smartphones, plus Apple is extremely satisfied with the 10nm production process applied by TSMC. Finally, TSMC uses the integrated fan out technology that allows the production of lighter and more efficient chips.
There are rumors that Samsung will manufacture Snapdragon 830 chips for Qualcomm, which will be based on the 10nm architecture.


text:
When Resnick spoke to Cointelegraph on May 8, he argued that the “death spiral” scenario is not priced in and that the.
The average transaction fee for BTC peaked at $3.19 last Friday. This rise represented a 10-month high for the network the week before the.
such an attack on Bitcoin mempool and explore its effects on transactions fee paid by legitimate users. We also propose countermeasures to contain such an.
Activity on the Bitcoin blockchain is slowing down as miners process almost all pending transactions in the mempool.
Due to the rising cryptocurrency trading volumes and Bitcoin price increase, the mempool of the first digital coin got.
Accepts Bitcoin At Stadium Looking Beyond with Michael Sikand’, a podcast for young leaders that explores the key questions driving the future of. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the San Jose Earthquakes smartly started accepting bitcoin at their home stadium. You can also use bitcoin to pay for concessions at various spots around the stadium. Best Gambling
Bitcoin network statistics – monitor the blockchain in real time – transactions per second, peer versions, mempool size, fees and the latest blocks.
There are reasons for Bitcoin SV’s meteoric rise, and digital asset enthusiasts are waking up to the fact that BSV might have.
Every other fiat currency, commodity money or cryptocurrency is competing for the exact same use case as bitcoin whether it is understood or not, and monetary .
For reference, the mempool size is currently 28.45 MB. For reference, the mempool currently contains 13680 unconfirmed transactions. Set Alert.
14 Mar 2020.
Mempool Fills on Bitcoin's Most Volatile Day in a Year. As bitcoin lost 50% of its value on Black Thursday, traders rushed to move coins out of cold.
Bitcoin For Beginners Reddit Zoek naar bitcoin, cryptocurrency, cryptonieuws op Reddit. Bij ons op de. Bitcoin for Beginners is a subreddit for new users to ask Bitcoin related questions. Satoshi Nakamoto is the name used by the presumed pseudonymous person or persons who. Nakamoto was active in the development of bitcoin up until December 2010. In a Reddit "ask-me-anything"


text:
To optimise your experience, cookie settings on our website are set to allow all cookies. By continuing to use the website, you consent to this. You can change your cookie settings by selecting “Let Me Choose”.
Audi will feature in a new animated movie alongside super-spy Lance Sterling to showcase the brand’s technology and electric power.
For the first time ever, Audi brings its futuristic design and mobility to the big screen with the Audi RSQ e-tron performance concept car, starring in Twentieth Century Fox’s animated film ‘Spies in Disguise’.
The virtual full-battery electric model, created by Audi Design in cooperation with Blue Sky Studios, combines automated driving with artificial intelligence and transformational technology. The RSQ e-tron will be driven by super-spy Lance Sterling, voiced by Will Smith.
The family film is due to arrive to cinemas in September 2019, but you can catch a glimpse of Audi’s concept car on the new trailer:
With a hologram speedometer, electric mobility and fully automated driving technology, the two-seater concept car embodies the visionary design language of Audi. The Audi RSQ e-tron also has special features such as a fully automated driving mode and other Audi assistance systems.
Audi’s RSQ e-tron is building awareness for e-tron full-electric mobility as part of the Audi brand story: “An international espionage story with future technologies that can save the world is the perfect match for the Audi brand,” says Giovanni Perosino, Vice President of Marketing Communication at AUDI AG. “Similar to our cars, fun, innovation and performance are key elements of the storyline.”
Audi is already thinking about the next animated collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios which is scheduled to start being pieced together in 2019.


text:
In news that will either excite or terrify coffee drinkers everywhere, Ember, makers of the precision temperature control mugs, today announced a new update to its app that integrates with Apple Health to help users track their caffeine intake. Ember also announced today that it will sell its mugs in Apple stores and the Apple store online.
The new Ember app allows users to track their caffeine consumption and set maximum caffeine intake measurements for the day. The app will notify you when you hit your limit, so you can make a different beverage choice. With Apple Health app data, users will be able to understand how their caffeine consumption impacts their heart rate and sleep patterns as well.
I got my wife an Ember mug for Christmas. With the coffee staying hot all the time, she unwittingly guzzled 8 cups worth before lunch and was practically vibrating. That’s obviously not a daily problem, but understanding your caffeine consumption (especially if you can tie it in with any sleep patterns) will probably be useful for a lot of people.
Ember’s move into Apple stores actually makes a lot of sense given the startup’s previous sales relationship with another premium brand, Starbucks. Apple is a high-tech, high-end brand where Ember’s stylish and expensive products won’t be out of place. As part of the deal, Ember is making a white version of its travel mug exclusively for Apple.
Adding another massive sales channel like Apple’s will also give Ember loads of more data to better understand its customers. For instance, the company has said before that 10:51 a.m. is peak coffee drinking time across the U.S. With the new caffeine tracker, Ember users will now know when it’s time to quit drinking coffee.


text:
San Francisco (CNN Business)The week ended on a high note for Canopy Growth (CGC).
The world’s largest cannabis company by market cap saw its shares finish up more than 13% Friday after its third-quarter financial results surpassed expectations. Canopy’s net revenue of $123.8 million and net loss of $124.2 million, or 35 cents per share, fared far better than consensus estimates of $108.7 million revenue and a 50-cents-per-share loss, according to Refinitiv.
“It’s kind of a big exhale on still the most important company in the sector,” said investor Tim Seymour, founder of Seymour Asset Management and manager of the Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF.
Despite encouraging results from Canopy, the cannabis industry remains in the throes of a correction. Companies once richly rewarded for spreading their operations far and wide have retrenched and restructured in attempts to more closely align their businesses with the performance of legal cannabis markets.
The Constellation Brands (STZ)-backed Canopy was one of the first large cannabis firms to enact a change in its corporate ranks — booting founder and co-CEO Bruce Linton last July in favor of former Constellation CFO David Klein. The broader cannabis industry has seen several CEO departures in recent weeks, at companies such as California-based MedMen Enterprises and Canada-based Aurora Cannabis.
At Canopy, “we started to hear the voice of a CEO who clearly comes form a CFO’s chair at a large, sophisticated consumer products company,” Seymour said of Klein’s conference call with analysts on Friday.
Canopy’s positive news helped to buoy the stocks of fellow cannabis firms. Shares of the other leading Canadian cannabis companies, including Aurora (AACTF), Tilray (TLRY) and Hexo (HEXO), also rose on Friday.
While the company is often looked at as an industry bellwether, Canopy’s latest results shouldn’t be looked at as foreshadowing a market turnaround, Seymour said.
“I don’t think this is a green light to buy the entire asset class,” Seymour said. “I do think there are going to be plenty of companies going out of business.”
Cannabis companies’ recent earnings reports have been mixed, and larger operators are still encountering challenges, he said, noting Aurora’s deep losses posted Thursday. The company took some hefty write-downs from overvalued assets overseas and has outlined significant cost-cutting efforts.
Canopy growth has a $2.3 billion cash war chest. However, the company needs to reel in its expenses and operate more efficiently first, Seymour said. “They haven’t necessarily stopped the bleeding.”
On Friday’s call, Canopy’s Klein said the company plans to take “initial steps to right-size” the business in the next 90 days.
“We will pull back on the M&A activity that the business has been doing, and we need to do a better job with our P&L,” he said. “So literally, we need to work across every line item.”
Source: Read Full Article


text:
SMCP Group, parent of French brands Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot, has revealed it is considering a public listing in Paris.
British luxury house Burberry has revealed its chairman Sir John Peace is planning to stand down; the news comes just weeks before new CEO Marco Gobbetti is due to take up his post.
Two things have always struck me as odd about the way fashion stores add new product. One is that they load up on sarongs and bikinis while the March rain is still soaking us, or load up on knits while Indian summer temperates make us wilt at the very sight of that newly installed autumnal scene in a store window.
N Brown, parent of Simply Be and Jacamo, said it will close five loss-making stores, including its flagship on Oxford Street, due to falling footfall and increasing business rates.


text:
Following the success of the Beijing Tourism Image Campaign activities in Wellington and Auckland in 2016, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development visited New Zealand again on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The 2017 Beijing Tourism Promotion Meeting, themed “Charming Beijing” was held in Christchurch, the largest city in the southern island of New Zealand on May 20.
Yu Debin, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, and Jin Zhijian, Consul General of Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Christchurch attended the event and delivered remarks. Vic Allen, CEO of Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) for the Canterbury region, Huangyan, General Manager of Christchurch office of China Southern Airlines, Scott Callaway, General Manager of Trade Development and Sales Department of Christchurch International Airport, representatives of the local tourism industry, mainstream media and local residents attended the event.
Although Christchurch is far away from Beijing, with the opening of the visa policy between the two countries, more and more local people have shown interest in Beijing and China. In order to expand the influence, a series of warm-up activities have been carried out, such as the caravan advertising cruises in major streets of Christchurch and extensive publicity in local newspapers and social platforms. The Activity, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, has received enthusiastic responses and attracted over 1,000 participators. Chinese-featured cultural performances and improvisation with Chinese elements by local orchestras, reflect the integration of different cultures, and show closer contact between the local people and Chinese culture. Local people who have participated in the event said it has deepened their understanding about Beijing and China. Many children also showed their excitement in the shadow puppetry and panda toys on site.
A business class air ticket offered by China Southern Airlines and Beijing boutique courtyard hotel accommodation offered by Beijing Golden Tide Group were presented as prizes for lucky draw, in order to boost the influence and product sales of Chinese tourism enterprises. At the same time, the flexible action by Alpha, the smart dancing robot debuted in 2017 CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, has attracted great attention. This new scientific and technological element also embodies the idea of Beijing as a science and technology innovation center.
Mr. Yu visited Andrew Hunter, Vice Mayor of Christchurch, and Jin Zhijian, Consul General of Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Christchurch respectively on the morning of May 19. They had in-depth discussions on tourism exchanges and cultural cooperation between the two sides with the help of the 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism and 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Mr. Yu also introduced the latest situation of the World Tourism Cities Federation initiated by Beijing and discussed the matter to make Christchurch as a city member with them.
The Beijing tourism promotion meeting coincided with the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing. As one of the pivotal countries in building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, New Zealand leaders also participated the forum. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development will positively respond and promote tourism cooperation and exchanges of countries along the route of Belt and Road Initiative under the platform of tourism.
Scan the QR Code to Follow


text:
The findings of a research study done by the team of Dr. Lourdes S. Adriano, a former professor at the University of the Philippines, for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were discussed during the Public Forum entitled, “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program: Stimulus to Local Economic Growth?” held jointly by the DSWD, Ateneo School of Governance (ASoG), and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) at the Ateneo University on June 23.
The study was carried out with support from the Australian Embassy.
In her message during the forum, DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said, “We hope this study can help the incoming administration to further improve the program.”
“If there is one good thing that we can turn over to the new administration, it is evidence-based policy making, planning and evaluation,” Sec. Soliman added.
The research study used quantitative and qualitative methodology to determine the nature, form, and degree of the economic impact of the Pantawid Pamilya cash grant expenditures on the local economy. The study covered the provinces of Masbate, Camarines Norte, and Albay.
The study was divided into five parts namely; Household Economy, Economic Sector: Bicol Rice Value Chain; Economic Sector: Flea Market Case Study; Regional and Macro Perspective; and Integration of Recommendations.
The key findings of the study are:
Household Level Analysis
- For food items, the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are consuming more cereals, in general, and more rice, in particular, than non-beneficiaries. For non-food items such as clothing, health, education, utilities, communications and recreational goods, the patterns of spending are shown to be generally higher among Pantawid beneficiaries compared to non-beneficiaries.
- The overall pattern in terms of savings and other forms of investments shows that Pantawid beneficiaries are saving and investing more than the non-Pantawid Pamilya counterparts.
- In terms of key economic decisions made by the household, the results showed that women in Pantawid Pamilya households are more active in the decision making on household marketing and budgeting. This demonstrates that the program does not only affect the behavior of the households in terms of consumption but has also enhanced the women’s role in the decision making on marketing and budgeting.
- The benefits of Pantawid Pamilya is not limited to its direct material benefits. It was found out that the program influences aspirations, which in turn determines the future behavior of the beneficiaries. The study showed that beneficiaries are more optimistic in terms of their children achieving more in life than their parents. Further, beneficiaries have higher social aspirations compared to non-beneficiaries.
Economic Sector Analysis (Rice Value Chain)
- The Pantawid Pamilya cash grants along with the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the local government units (LGUs) create a multiplier effect in the local economy of Bicol estimated to be 7.87 and 3.49 for the first and second income deciles, respectively. Also, it was found out the Pantawid Pamilya cash grants for Bicolanos can potentially generate an additional P18 to 40 billion revenue for the local economy.
- There is a significant increase in the number of registered agricultural-related businesses in the three locales of the study. Total capitalization of all registered agriculture businesses increased from about P1.65 million in 2005 to about P13.27 million. Total sales are rose from a measly amount of P3.645 million in 2005 to P119.23 million in 2015.
- Rice consumption behavior of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries who are not rice farmers, has changed in terms of quality as manifested by the shift from NFA rice to commercial rice. According to the respondents, the cash grants, along with the relatively lower prices of commercial rice, enabled them to afford better quality commercial rice.
- There are changes in behavior and action of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries toward other rice stakeholders. They increased their access to credit from rice retail stores because of the predictable streams of income coming from the Pantawid Pamilya cash grants. Beneficiaries have forged a stronger relationship with retail stores through a “suki relationship” over time. Rice Value Chain (RVC) players confirmed slight increase in their incomes when Pantawid beneficiaries became group buyers. In turn, rice retailers and wholesalers have extended credit and other special arrangements to Pantawid rice consumers to encourage them to buy.
Flea Market Case Study
- It is now a common sight to see the operations of a flea market near the site where the Pantawid Pamilya cash payouts are being made. The case study shows that the operations of the flea market is a manifestation that the extra income received from the Program can perk up local economic activities since most products being sold in the flea market come from the locality or neighboring areas. Even merchants not participating in the flea market, such as pharmacy store, mini-grocery, and school supplies shops, gained from the expenditures of Pantawid beneficiaries.
- The municipality derived extra revenues from flea market traders by imposing market rental fees collected by a designated market collector. The positive contribution of these extra revenues generated is highly visible in Libon where the successful operation of the Libon Town Center (LTC) is partly supported by the fees generated from the market rentals where various merchants sell their wares particularly during payout days.
These findings reinforce that Pantawid Pamilya can transform not only the lives of its beneficiaries, but also the communities where they live,” Sec. Soliman emphasized.
On the other hand, Dr. Fermin Adriano, member of the research team said that Pantawid Pamilya should be combined with other economic enhancing efforts to achieve optimal impact. ###


text:
Nintendo Wants Wii U Console to Become TV Hub
Competitors' devices, particularly Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, have become entertainment centers in people's living rooms.
Nintendo's new Wii U video game console, set to launch later this year, is taking a page from competitors' playbooks as it will include features designed to make the device a hub for TV viewing, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The device includes a controller called the GamePad and a new feature, called Nintendo TVii, that will integrate Internet video content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon.com and Hulu Plus. Live TV will be available through set-top boxes from pay TV providers, but the device can also interact with TiVo DVRs.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 consoles have long moved towards becoming entertainment centers in people's living rooms.
Nintendo unveiled Thursday that the new console would launch in the U.S. on Nov. 18, starting at $300, and in Japan on Dec. 8.
The device will be the first home console from Kyoto-based Nintendo since the 2006 launch of the Wii. It follows the portable 3DS, whose sales have failed to match expectations since its launch last year.
The success of the Wii U is key for the once high-flying Japanese company, which recently reported its first annual loss in more than three decades.
"What Nintendo TVii does is consolidate individual consumer TV choices and deliver it back in a compelling, integrated way," Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo's North American operations, told the Journal. The service will launch in the U.S. and Canada, with further expansions also being considered.
"Through the Wii U, we hope to advance the expansion of the gaming population - something we achieved with the original Wii - and advance it even further," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in an online video.
- Prince Takes Over the 'Arsenio Hall Show,' Debuts New Funky Song
- A Train, a Trestle and 60 Seconds to Escape: How 'Midnight Rider' Victim Sarah Jones Lost Her Life
- 'Divergent' Star Shailene Woodley: The Next Jennifer Lawrence?
- 'Noah' Banned in Several Middle Eastern Countries
- Lindsay Lohan's OWN Series Gets First Official Trailer (Video)
- MOST SHARED
- MOST POPULAR
- Conan O'Brien Gives Body-Slam Filled Review Of The WWE 2K14 Video Game
- George Lopez Returns With 'Saint George' And Talks Diversity On Television (VIDEO)
- Brittany Murphy & Dakota Fanning Were The Perfect Couple In 'Uptown Girls'
- Let's Help Rush Limbaugh With This Whole Movies With The Word 'Slave' In The Title Thing


text:
Another record month of small and light car sales has all but ensured that the Australian motor vehicle market is heading for its fourth straight annual sales record.
According to VFACTS figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), a total of 83,538 new cars, trucks and buses were sold in November, fractionally (0.9 per cent) down on the record for the month set last year.
Year to date the 2005 market has now reached 908,992 - 37,743 or 3.7 percent ahead of the same period last year.
"It now seems almost certain the industry will post another substantial annual record as car buyers are lured in big numbers by the end of year sales," said FCAI Chief Executive Peter Sturrock.
In 2004, the industry set a new sales record of 955,229.
"The underlying strength of the Australian economy is evident in these sales figures," said Mr Sturrock.
"Despite the downturn in property prices many people continue to find new cars increasingly attractive and affordable."
Smaller vehicles remained the main drivers of passenger vehicle sales growth in November, with the Small car segment up 2134 or 12.8 per compared to November 2004 and Light cars up 741 or 10.2 per cent.
"So far this year the Small and Light car segments have added almost 39,000 sales, more than accounting for the overall growth of the motor vehicle market," said Peter Sturrock.
Petrol prices continued to affect buying patterns in November, affecting sales of Large cars and Sport Utility Vehicles - although the SUV market remains up by 4.1 percent in year-to-date terms.
The best-selling brand in November was Toyota with 17,849 sales or 21.4 per cent of the market, followed by Holden with 14,546 (17.4 per cent) and Ford with 11,479 (13.7 per cent).
Mazda was fourth with 5509 (6.6 per cent) followed by an improving Mitsubishi with 5123 (6.1 per cent). Mitsubishi's sales are now up 11.0 per cent for the year-to-date.
So far this year, Toyota is top seller with 184,397 sales, followed by Holden with 162,110.
For more information contact:
Note to Editors: A publication-quality digital image and the full text of this release can be retrieved at www.pressroom.com.au


text:
Online businesses worldwide are currently reeling from the recent news that Google’s Shopping search engine will no longer allow retailers to list their products free of charge.
Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management for Google Shopping, announced the news via the official Google blog at the end of May this year, striking fear into the hearts of paid search advertisers everywhere as the prospect of losing yet another source of free search engine exposure hits home.
Businesses will soon need to create official Product Listing Ads, most likely within their Google Adwords accounts, to ensure their products appear in shopping search results. There’s no knowing exactly when the changes will come into place outside of the US and further details are sketchy at best, news which concerns marketers eager to stay one step ahead of the game.
Announced in 2002 and first known to users as Froogle, Google’s shopping platform was then renamed ‘Google Product Search’ in 2007 in a bid to rebrand the concept and avoid translational issues. Used by millions of merchants worldwide, the service was an undeniable hit with online businesses looking to advertise to mass audiences for free (aside from labour costs incurred from creating and uploading products and their descriptions).
Around 96% of Google’s revenue is generated from advertising, so unsurprisingly many industry insiders are questioning the motives behind the announcement. The monetisation of another of Google’s well-worn advertising platforms has led to much discussion and debate amongst UK PPC marketing professionals, most of which are considering whether this will have a largely negative impact on the relevancy of the returned results and the actual choice of products presented to users.
In response, Google representatives insist that ranking results will be based on a ‘combination of relevance and bid price’, which could potentially mean it could also push down lower priced products in favour of ads that have been paid for. The question is, does this in turn compromise the representation of each company’s offerings?
Developments such as these are seen by many to dramatically influence the historical purpose of a search engine; ie, to return the most relevant and the most useful results without the inevitable bias generated by a largely undisclosed paid advertising concept. Many SEO and PPC experts have criticised the move for potentially allowing larger Ecommerce corporations to push smaller online stores out of the equation, as these companies can typically allocate less of their budget towards online marketing. Do these businesses have the time and resources to trawl through their existing listings and update them so they fall in line with the criteria of Product Listings ads? They will need to delegate staff to this task on an on-going basis if they are to continue to see worthwhile conversions from the platform. They will also need to reassess several crucial budgeting factors to make sure they’re generating a strong ROI – something many SMEs simply aren’t in a position to do in the current economic climate.
Ben Austin, Managing Director at Essex-based digital marketing agency SEO Positive, believes that businesses and consumers alike should not underestimate the impact of the changes on the buying process online.
“Fundamentally, the original concept is being transformed into a comparison shopping engine, which is going to hit many advertisers hard, especially smaller companies. We’d highly suggest that businesses start preparing for the changes well in advance, as the transition is expected to disrupt retail budgets considerably.”
According to Samat, new ad formats will be clearly displayed as ‘sponsored’ to avoid any confusion, but many believe this simply won’t be the case. One established SEO journalist has even written a letter of complaint to the Federal Trade Commission referring to the shady way in which Google discloses its paid listings. In his text, Danny Sullivan, the editor of renowned blogging hub Search Engine Land, points out Google’s attempts to re-write the standard definition of paid inclusion, a practice that allows companies to pay for their listing to appear alongside the organic search results.
It must be noted, however, that some Pay Per Click marketers are placing a more positive spin on the news and remain of the opinion that the model will allow them to better monitor the effectiveness of their ads within certain categories and create accurate reports detailing their conversion rates. These can then be used to fuel future optimisation strategies to improve the performance of their campaigns overall. Our verdict? As with any development from Google, only time will really tell whether Shopping will pave the way for a better retail experience. All we can hope is that the platform is managed ethically and responsibly and results in higher quality data for all involved.Reuse content


text:
Another meat packer issued a recall today on 50,100 pounds of Beef due to contamination issues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture News Release states a “possibility of E-Coli contamination”; more news can be found here. It is a relief to know that government quality controls are being enforced, even though in recent years there have been reductions in budgets and threshold guidelines for food inspections.
There are also recent headlines of bagged salads contaminated with a new type of virus, these new viruses can and should be detected before products are released to consumers. E-Coli is a well known and very dangerous bacteria, and food inspectors have this as one of their top priorities during inspections.
Our concern is with the contaminations that are not detected in time, those that cause serious discomforts and even death to those consumers who were unaware. Producers and distributors have a responsibility for assuring quality, and are liable if consumers are injured, due to their negligence.
If someone you know has become ill and required medical attention from ingesting a food product that may have been contaminated. They should consult a personal injury attorney who is experienced in Florida product Liability laws. Victims may have recourse for claims including monetary compensation.
The Martinez Manglardi Law Firm has been defending victim’s rights in Florida for many years. Our team of Florida Attorneys works with experts from different medical fields that analyze medical records & reports, and when the research is completed, we can advise victims on their legal options.
Call us for an appointment for a free initial consultation @ 407-846-2240 and bring any medical records or other pertinent documents. As a consumer, you have legal rights, and we are on your side to protect your rights ! You may also contact us online here, we have several offices for your convenience.


text:
SINGAPORE: Malaysian palm oil futures hit their highest level in more than two months on Friday, riding on gains in crude oil prices as well as lower stocks in top importers India and China.
The benchmark palm oil contract for September delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange jumped 2.2% to 2,420 ringgit ($566.08) a tonne by midday, its highest since March 31.
Oil prices gained after OPEC producers and allies promised to meet their supply cut commitments and two major oil traders said demand was recovering well.
That supported palm prices, a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said. Stronger crude prices make palm an attractive option for biodiesel feedstock.
But "absent" demand of biodiesel compared to pre-pandemic times capped the gains, another Kuala Lumpur based trader said.
Lower stocks in top importers India and China, as well as anticipation of lower-than-expected growth in Malaysia and Indonesia also propped up prices.
"Lower vegetable oil stock in India and China, combined with talks of lower than expected growth in Malaysia and Indonesia palm oil production has set crude palm oil futures to trade higher," said Anilkumar Bagani, research head of Sunvin Group, Mumbai.
Elsewhere, Dalian's most-active soyoil contract jumped 1.83% and its palm oil contract rose 0.6%, while soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade shed 0.5%.
Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market. - Reuters
Did you find this article insightful?
100% readers found this article insightful


text: Furthermore, Air Asia may continue offering aggressive promotional campaigns. In recent years, social media has been growing rapidly. It has been viewed as an efficient and effective technique that allows companies to increase their recognition and awareness of the brand within the public. Based on the preview studies, organizations that involve social media in their business claim that they have an increase in their profit while other companies reveal that there is an increasing rate of their market exposure. Many airline companies have work with the social media platform and comprise it into their service channels and sales. For instance, KLM Dutch Airlines has collaborated with Facebook Messenger. With the help of Facebook, KLM Dutch Airlines’ customer are able to check in, gets updates of theirs flights, and amend their travel schedule via the apps.


text:
Inviting Don Callis was just the latest indication The Young Bucks were looking to ensure fans who can’t get to Chicagoland, or who couldn’t get a ticket to the sold out All In show they’re putting on with Cody Rhodes, would be able to see the event on a device of their choosing.
Details are still scare, but the trio confirmed as much via Twitter a short time ago:
We can confirm that we have decided in favor of licensing production. So 100% this event will be broadcasted in some capacity. We want as many people to see it as possible! Details in the coming weeks. -Cody, Matt, Nick— All In (@ALL_IN_2018) June 20, 2018
There are no shortage of options. Ring of Honor and New Japan are in the loop regarding All In, both of whom have streaming services and television partners (and in ROH’s case, owners in the broadcasting business). Callis’ involvement means Impact and parent company Anthem likely are as well, bringing GWN and Fight Network as possibilities. Twitch and Fite TV stream a lot of pro wrestling.
Pretty much the only thing that isn’t on the table is WWE Network.
While we wait for information on the “how”, are you excited that you will be able to go All In without getting to Sears Centre on Sept. 1?


text:
Certain regions of the country are known more for their cuisine than anything else.
Lay’s has unveiled five new potato chip flavors inspired by iconic dishes from around the country, reported People.
The new flavors range from coast to coast, giving fans a taste of local favorites that have become beloved throughout the country.
Lay's recently announced their new limited-edition flavors, with many fans excited to try out the new chips.
The new flavors include; Lay's Kettle Cooked New York Style Pizza inspired by Grimaldi's in New York City, Lay's Nashville Hot Chicken inspired by Party Fowl in Nashville, Lay's Philly Cheesesteak inspired by Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia, Lay's Wavy Carnitas Street Taco inspired by El Torito in Los Angeles, and Lay's Chile Relleno inspired by Cocina Azul in Albuquerque.
All these flavors will become available nationwide on July 13, but the Chile Relleno flavor will only be available at Walmart and 7/11 and will be viable until supplies last. Many online have already decided on their favorites, even without trying them. Hopefully, these chips are good enough to stick around longer than expected.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


text:
>How the iPhone could reboot education
Date : December 19, 2009 By
> This is a reblogged article. Credits are contained below.
How the iPhone Could Reboot Education
How do you educate a generation of students eternally distracted by the internet, cellphones and video games? Easy. You enable them by handing out free iPhones — and then integrating the gadget into your curriculum.
That’s the idea Abilene Christian University has to refresh classroom learning. Located in Texas, the private university just finished its first year of a pilot program, in which 1,000 freshman students had the choice between a free iPhone or an iPod Touch.
The initiative’s goal was to explore how the always-connected iPhone might revolutionize the classroom experience with a dash of digital interactivity. Think web apps to turn in homework, look up campus maps, watch lecture podcasts and check class schedules and grades. For classroom participation, there’s even polling software for Abilene students to digitally raise their hand.
The verdict? It’s working quite well. 2,100 Abilene students, or 48 percent of the population, are now equipped with a free iPhone. Fully 97 percent of the faculty population has iPhones, too. The iPhone is aiding Abilene in giving students the information they need — when they want it, wherever they want it, said Bill Rankin, a professor of medieval studies who helped plan the initiative.
“It’s kind of the TiVoing of education,” Rankin said in a phone interview. “I watch it when I need it and in ways that I need it. And that makes a huge difference.”
The traditional classroom, where an instructor assigns a textbook, is heading toward obsolescence. Why listen to a single source talk about a printed textbook that will inevitably be outdated in a few years? That setting seems stale and hopelessly limited when pitted against the internet, which opens a portal to a live stream of information provided by billions of minds.
“About five years ago my students stopped taking notes,” Rankin said. “I asked, ‘Why are you not taking notes?’ And they said, ‘Why would we take notes on that?…. I can go to Wikipedia or go to Google, and I can get all the information I need.”
Conversely, the problem with the internet is there’s too much information, and it’s difficult to determine which data is valuable.
These are the specific educational problems Abilene is targeting with the iPhone. Instead of standing in front of a classroom and talking for an hour, Rankin instructs his students to use their iPhones to look up relevant information on the fly. Then, the students can discuss the information they’ve found, and Rankin leads the dialogue by helping assess which sources are accurate and useful.
It’s like a mashup of a 1960s teach-in with smartphone technology from the 2000s.
Each participating Abilene instructor is incorporating the iPhone differently into their curriculum. In some classrooms, professors project discussion questions onscreen in a PowerPoint presentation. Then, using polling software that Abilene coded for the iPhone, students can answer the questions anonymously by sending responses electronically with their iPhones. The software can also quickly quiz students to gauge whether they’re understanding the lesson.
Most importantly, by allowing the students to participate in polls anonymously with the iPhone, it relieves them of any social pressure to appear intelligent in front of their peers. If they answer wrong, nobody will know who it was, ridding students of humiliation. And if students don’t understand a lesson, they can ask the teacher to repeat it by simply tapping a button on the iPhone.
“Polling opens up new realms for people for discussion,” said Tyler Sutphen, an ACU sophomore who has participated in the iPhone initiative for a year. “It’s a lot more interactive for those who aren’t as willing to jump up and throw out their answer in class. Instead, you push a button on the iPhone.”
Kasey Stratton, a first-year ACU business student, said her favorite aspect of the iPhone program was how apps are changing the way students interact socially. Many Abilene students use Bump, a free appdownloadable through the App Store [iTunes], which enables them to swap e-mails and phone numbers by bumping their iPhones together. Also, the campus’ map app helped her become familiar with the campus quickly when she arrived.
“At ACU it’s like they see [the iPhone] is the way of the future and they might as well take advantage of it,” Stratton said in a phone interview. “They’re preparing us for the real world — not a place where you’re not allowed to use anything.”
Implementing the iPhone program wasn’t easy. In addition to writing custom web apps for the iPhone, the university optimized its campuswide Wi-Fi to support the 2,100 iPhones. Rankin declined to disclose exact figures for money invested in the iPhone program, but he said the initiative only takes up about 1 percent of the university’s annual budget. To offset costs, the university discontinued in-dorm computer labs, since the vast majority of students already own notebooks. Students who opted for iPhones are responsible for paying their own monthly plans with AT&T.
After a successful run, the university plans to continue the iPhone program, with plans to upgrade to new iPhones every two years. Rankin said some UK universities plan to launch similar initiatives as well. In the United States, Stanford doesn’t hand out free iPhones to its students (yet), but it offers an iPhone app called iStanford for students to look up class schedules, the Stanford directory, the campus map and sports news. Stanford also offers a computer science course on iPhone app programming, whose lectures are streamed for free via iTunes.
“For us, it isn’t primarily about the device,” Rankin said. “This is a question of, how do we live and learn in the 21st century now that we have these sorts of connections?…. I think this is the next platform for education.”
- From iLightswitch to iBurrito, Stanford Students Concoct iPhone …
- Student Orchestra Performs Music With iPhones
- Apple, Stanford Teaching iPhone Development for Free
- Stanford’s Free iPhone Coding Class Surpasses 1M Downloads …
- Stanford Offers iPhone 101: App Developing Workshop


text:
Yoichi Wada steps down as Square Enix chairman
Former CEO now focusing 100% on cloud-gaming subsidiary Shinra Technologies
Yoichi Wada's tenure atop Square Enix has come to an end. A representative with Wada's current endeavor, the Square Enix subsidiary Shinra Technologies, today confirmed a VG247 report that the executive had stepped down as chairman of Square Enix.
Wada had been an executive at the company since before it was Square Enix. He joined Square in April of 2000, and was named CEO by the end of the year. After the company merged with rival RPG maker Enix in 2003, Wada helmed the united publisher for another decade. He stepped down from that post in 2013 as the company was in a downturn, and took up the role of chairman shortly thereafter.
Last year, Wada established Shinra Technologies to build cloud gaming technology with developers from outside the parent company. The Shinra representative said the plan all along was for Wada to step down as chairman so he could transition to working entirely on the subsidiary. Developers like Human Head, Camouflaj, and Hardsuit Labs are working with Shinra to create multiplayer cloud-based games, but specifics like launch dates and platforms are as of yet unknown.


text: Troll Bridge Creek Inc. announced new branding for its Kiki Maple Sweet Water. The brand refresh gives the product a clean, healthy and pure image, the company says. “We are really pleased with the new look of our products as we think they reflect the desires of our customers — pure, clean and bright,” Chief Executive Officer of Troll Bridge Creek Keith Harris said in a statement. In addition to the branding update, the company also released two new sizes: a 240- and a 750-ml bottle. The bottles also feature a new screw cap, making the product more user-friendly and re-sealable, it says.


text:
Magazine survey reveals Canada's 10 most trusted brands
Published Tuesday, August 14, 2012 2:45PM EDT
In its third annual survey, Canadian Business magazine has unveiled the top brands as rated by Canadian consumers. The survey also revealed a surprising trend: Though Canadians are proud and sentimental about their homegrown brands, they trust them less than today’s global titans.
More than 3,800 consumers across the country were surveyed for the collaborative effort between Canadian Business and the Reputation Institute, a global management consultancy firm. Respondents were asked to rank companies based on seven factors including leadership, performance and products and services.
“We wanted to get a deeper idea of how Canadians value brands,” Canadian Business’ managing editor, Graham Scott, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.
According to this year’s results, only six of the top 60 global brands as chosen by Canadians were homegrown names.
The top five Canadian companies, as ranked by Canadians, were as follows:
- Jean Coutu Group
- Tim Hortons
- Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix
“It was a photo finish between Jean Coutu and Tim Hortons,” Scott said. Jean Coutu is a brand of prominence in Quebec. But Tim Hortons has great brand presence across the country.”
The top five world companies, as ranked by this year’s respondents, were as follows:
- The Walt Disney Co.
- Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)
According to Scott, this year’s rankings reflect how Canadians perceive their country and the brands that it produces.
“They see it as a small country,” he said.
Canadian consumers continue to view Apple, Disney and others international giants as the dominant name brands in today’s marketplace. However, Scott is hopeful that this survey and those that follow will inspire positive changes for Canadian consumers and brands.
“We’d like to see Canadian companies crack the top 30 of global brands,” said Scott. “We’d like to see Canadian brands try a little hard to move up in ranks.”


text:
New “What if”! Have you ever wondered what a 1969 Mercedes G-Wagon would’ve looked like? Here’s my take on the idea!
The first civilian version of the G-Class arrived in 1979, seven years after what was then known as Daimler-Mercedes and Steyr-Daimler-Puch started developing the military vehicle. In an alternate universe, the German automaker would have developed this box on wheels as a luxury SUV that would have challenged the likes of the Jeep Super Wagoneer (launched for the 1966 model year) and first-generation Range Rover (‘69 through ‘96).
That’s exactly what pixel wizard Abimelec Arellano has imagined, a luxury-oriented Gelandewagen that would have premiered ten years prior to the 460 series that ran until 1992. More curvaceous than the real deal, the G-Class from CGI realm integrates the stacked headlamps of the V8-engined 300 SEL 6.3 and the commanding grille of the Grosser Mercedes.
Arellano, which goes by the name “Abimelec Design” on social media, further gifted the vintage luxury SUV with plenty of bits and bobs from a 280, whereas the interior is “mostly taken from a 300 SL.” Speaking of which, did you know that the world’s most expensive car is a one-of-two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that was recently sold for €135 million?
Turning our attention back to the G-Class, it’s worth remembering that the 400,00th example of the breed was assembled in December 2020. As to what the future holds for the body-on-frame overlander, look forward to a four-motor electric utility vehicle coming in 2024 with tank-turn capability. As for the future of the combustion-engined model, here’s hope the civilian version will continue to exist for a few more years after the launch of the EQG.


text:
Mazda Motor Corp (7261) on Tuesday announced a JPY 1.5 trillion ($10.6 billion) investment plan to electrify its fleet and said it was also exploring an investment in battery production.
The company revised up its electric vehicle sales target to up to 40% of its total sales worldwide by 2030 from a previous objective of 25%.
“We will promote the full-fledged launch of battery EVs and consider investing in battery production. We estimate Mazda’s EV ratio in global sales to rise to a range between 25% and 40% as of 2030,” the Japanese auto maker said in a statement.
Under a 3-phase plan, the company intends to introduce battery-powered electric vehicle models in the “latter half of phase 2”, while referring to the period between 2025 and 2027.
Mazda also plans a full-scale launch of fully electric vehicles in 2028-2030.
According to Akira Marumoto, Mazda’s Chief Executive Officer, the auto maker aims to introduce a new hybrid system and increase efficiency on internal combustion engine.
Mazda also said it had reached an agreement to collaborate with 7 companies, including electric component manufacturer Rohm Co, to jointly develop and produce electric drive units.
The company aims to achieve net sales of about JPY 4.5 trillion in the business year that ends in March 2026, which would be a nearly 45% surge compared to the business year that ended in March 2022.


text:
U.S. officials have begun blocking the import of solar panels that they believe could be products of forced labor in China, implementing a recent ban that could slow construction of solar-energy projects throughout the country.
Industry executives and analysts said solar panels from at least three Chinese companies have been targeted in recent weeks, and a Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed by email that the agency has “made a number of detentions” of products under the import ban.
CBP imposed the ban in June on Hoshine Silicon, which produces raw materials used in solar panels. The agency said it had information “reasonably indicating” that Hoshine, which operates plants in China’s Xinjiang region, uses forced labor, a finding that triggered the ban because U.S. law prohibits the import of goods made by coerced workers.
Hoshine had been linked by The Washington Post and human rights researchers to coercive state labor programs targeting Uyghurs and other minorities.
Chinese companies dominate global production of solar panels, with many using raw materials from Hoshine, the world’s largest producer of metallurgical-grade silicon.
Solar is the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation in the United States, according to the Biden administration, which is aiming to boost it from 3 percent of electricity generation today to more than 40 percent by 2035.
The ban brings to the fore the tension between the administration’s human rights agenda and its efforts to address the climate crisis.
“We want to rapidly transition our fuels to solar and wind and other renewables,” said Mark Z. Jacobson, a renewable-energy expert and engineering professor at Stanford University. “Any slowdown of this transition creates a loss of life,” he added, noting that the burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of air pollution that causes 78,000 deaths per year in the United States and 7 million globally.
This is horrible from Jacobson! Yes, we do need a transition to green energy. But you know what, we can’t have slavery to do it!!! This gets at something I often say, which is that green capitalists are still capitalists and hate unions or any labor laws. This is why these energy experts need to be overtly pro-labor. Otherwise, they care more about capitalism than they do saving the world. The other part of this is that American firms can’t exactly compete on making solar panels if they are fighting against the use of slaves. This is why “free trade” is not a position. It’s not about whether trade is “free.” It’s about the conditions of labor wherever they may exist. Free trade is only a position if you literally do not care about whether the labor is enslaved so long as the products are cheap.


text:
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
EU ‘is crunch factor for firms’
THE debate over whether the UK stays in the European Union will be a crunch factor in the British future of firms like Nestlé, Labour’s shadow Business Secretary has warned during a visit to its York factory.
Chuka Umunna was shown the company’s multimillion-pound Kit Kat production line and met bosses to discuss his party’s plans for a British Investment Bank to help businesses yesterday.
He said Nestlé’s approach chimed with Labour’s ambitions for “a modern industrial strategy which helps us pay our way in the world”.
But he said the UK’s continuing European membership was crucial to such firms staying in Britain.
MrUmunna said: “It is a big factor for people like Nestlé when they make investment decisions, and that’s how the European debate has real implications for people’s lives and jobs in York – it’s not a debate about bendy bananas and obscure bureaucracy.
“Nestlé is an international business, ten per cent of turnover from its York factory is exports, and membership of the EU will be a factor in the cities and regions where it invests.”
Comments are closed on this article.


text:
The Patriots won’t be returning to the gridiron on Sunday, and Brady and Gronk will be wearing Buccaneers uniforms instead. But there will be plenty of Boston connections off the field, in the local advertising industry.
Some of the ties involve behind-the-scenes work. Boston media-purchasing firm Mediahub, for example, is helping bring three first-time advertisers to the Super Bowl: Chipotle, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and Cointreau. And Jack Morton Worldwide designed the set for broadcaster CBS Sports.
What about the ads themselves? Local firms have a piece of that action, too. For the most part, the themes remain lighthearted despite the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — or maybe because of them.
“I think more than anything else, humor is going to rule the day,” said Tim Vaccarino, executive creative director at MullenLowe in Boston. “Brands are really vying for the opportunity to allow people to escape from everything we’re dealing with, even for just a beat.”
DraftKings: The sports-betting company developed its first Super Bowl ads with its in-house team. The two 15-second spots feature DraftKings on-camera host Jessie Coffield, and are aimed at driving fan engagement with the game. Among other things, DraftKings is running a free-to-play contest in which fans can enter to win cash prizes for those who correctly predict the most fourth-quarter outcomes, from a list of 10 questions. DraftKings is going big with this bet, given that 30 seconds of airtime in the national broadcast sells for $5.5 million.
E*Trade: MullenLowe is behind the other national ad with local roots, an E*Trade spot dubbed “Workout.” It’s a return to the Big Game for both companies. MullenLowe crafted its first Super Bowl ad for the Virginia-based online brokerage in 2018. The new 30-second spot was produced last summer, long before the recent GameStop mania in the stock market. The story line: A young, scrawny kid attempts to get in shape. The message: It’s the right time of year to achieve financial fitness. The soundtrack: “You’re the Best,” the Joe Esposito song made famous by the original “Karate Kid” movie.
Boston Beer: The Samuel Adams brewer and its hapless but likable ambassador known as “Your Cousin from Boston” will commandeer the Clydesdales known for promoting Budweiser. In a 30-second spot, the bungling character accidentally unyokes the horses and unleashes chaos. It airs in New York and Boston markets only, at a $770,000 price tag. Boston Beer’s agency is from San Francisco (Goodby Silverstein & Partners), but the spot was directed by Worcester native Matt Aselton and stars Amesbury native Greg Hoyt. Yes, the accent sounds good because it’s real. Maybe he can team up with Hyundai for a Smaht Pahk ad next year.
Arbella Insurance: Quincy-based insurer Arbella lands a local spot for its first Super Bowl ad. This one is only airing in the Boston market, but it features another bumbler. This time, it’s a guy telling jokes that fall flat at a fancy pre-wedding meal. Don’t combine stand-up comedy with a rehearsal dinner, the narrator says, but do combine home and auto insurance with Arbella. The ad was created by Joe Berkeley LLC, a local agency. Joe Berkeley’s firm was also behind the Shields MRI ads a few years ago that featured Pats-turned-Bucs QB Tom Brady and his Super Bowl rings. Roger that? Sorry, Joe. Not this time.
New England Honda Dealers: Boston agency Full Contact might be the last one to arrive at the Super Bowl party. Founding partner Marty Donohue only found out that one of the roughly dozen local spots became available three weeks ago, after another advertiser bailed. His client, an alliance of New England Honda dealerships, jumped at the chance. The Full Contact team brainstormed a concept at breakneck pace. They shot the spot two weeks ago: Two buddies on a ski lift talk about the Super Bowl and the “Greatest Offer of All Time” — Honda’s zero-percent financing. Get it, Brady fans? It’s the GOAT. One of the friends buries his head in his winter gloves and sobs: “I miss you, GOAT.”


text:
The value of Welsh goods exports was £17.7 billion for the 12 months preceding June 2019 and as such, hearing that the government will now adopt a ‘lighter’, more pragmatic approach to customs procedures at the border is very welcome.
It is crucial that, going forward, the UK government prioritises maintaining a steady flow across the border, rather than putting revenue or bureaucracy first.
The Chamber has long been calling for the introduction of customs intermediaries to support those traders who haven’t previously needed to make customs declarations. We are extremely pleased our calls have been answered, and the £50m funding to recruit and train these individuals will ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
As the local Chamber, we have a wealth of international expertise and access to a unique global business network of the British Chambers overseas. This which means we are extremely well placed to support Welsh businesses through any changes at the border, market changes resulting from future Free Trade Agreements, along with the new relationships we need to form in trading with the EU.


text:
The automotive industry is currently on the cusp of a revolution driven by changing customer preferences. Now, concepts that formerly seemed to belong in science fiction are becoming reality. Read on to find out what’s coming next in the exciting future of transportation
Employing Artificial Intelligence allows sellers to save both time and money, and it also makes the online purchasing experience better for buyers. These smart solutions are here to make life easy for everyone, so embracing them is the smartest way forward.
With factors like changing consumer preferences, hiked fuel prices, and capacity crisis etc. significantly affecting the market, it has become imperative for players of the industry to constantly innovate and develop to fulfill the ever-rising demands.
Jaguar Land Rover is developing new AI technology to better understand changes in the driver’s mood while behind the wheel. Cabin settings will be altered in response to the driver’s facial expressions to help tackle stress-Reports suggest 74 per cent of people admit to feeling stressed or overwhelm


text:
By Madison Brandt | The Collegian
A Human Bean on wheels will now be caffeinating Rams across campus.
Structured to look like one of the other six Human Bean coffee shops in Fort Collins, this truck is unique in its ability to transform from a weekday campus coffee shop to a weekend sports event coffee cruiser.
The Human Bean coffee truck will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday on the southwest side of Moby Arena at South Shields Street and West Elizabeth Street. It can also be found at Colorado State University and community sports events on the weekends.
The truck is decked out with solar panels, a TV streaming CSU sports events and a California Clean Idle certification. The clean idle certification means the food truck is constructed to produce less diesel pollution than other standard diesel trucks, according to Jenae Nequette, director of operations for the Human Bean.
What makes the Human Bean coffee truck unique is its NSF International certification . This certification is a first for food trucks in America, according to Frank Sherman, owner of the truck.
NSF is a restaurant product testing, inspection and certification organization based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Holding the NSF certification for the Human Bean truck is something Sherman said he felt was necessary in order to be the most honest and community-friendly truck around.
Since its opening, the Human Bean coffee shop has been involved in various community fundraisers.
“Fort Collins is a very philanthropic community, which is really great, but sometimes there is a lot the community does that gets overlooked,” Nequette said. “It is an exciting opportunity for (the Human Bean) to help draw our customers’ attention to those things.”
Over the past year, the Human Bean helped raise $37,000 for various cancer-related local fundraisers, according to Sherman.
The Human Bean has been the coffee shop sponsor of CSU athletics for three years, and the introduction of the truck to the CSU campus was a step toward becoming even more involved.
“We want to be more ‘real’ to the CSU students,” Nequette said. “By being on campus, we will be far more connected to the student community.”
Nequette said the Human Bean hopes to become more involved with CSU-related student fundraisers and events through its presence on campus.
The truck currently employs CSU students and has planned fundraiser events for the upcoming weeks.
“We are proud of this new truck, first ever in the world, proud of working with local communities and especially proud of our corporate partnership with CSU,” Sherman said during his speech at the opening ceremony Monday.
To find out more about the Human Bean, visit its website or stop by the new stand to grab a coffee and a signature chocolate-covered espresso bean.


text:
In the world’s largest e-commerce deal ever, Walmart on Wednesday announced to buy 77 percent stake in India’s online retailer Flipkart for $16 billion.
Flipkart Walmart Deal: In the world’s largest e-commerce deal ever, Walmart on Wednesday announced acquisition of 77 percent stake in India’s online retailer Flipkart for $16 billion. This is the biggest bet by the Bentonville company in the online space in India. It is the biggest foreign investment ever made by Walmart as it battles Amazon in the Indian e-commerce space. The deal has seen a lot of twists and turns with even Amazon Inc reportedly making a formal offer, and Flipkart preferring retail giant Walmart over Amazon. Subject to regulatory approval in India, Walmart will pay approximately $16 billion for an initial stake of approximately 77 percent in Flipkart, formally Flipkart Private Limited, the Walmart release said.
5.15pm: Krish Iyer, president and chief executive officer of Walmart India, will continue to lead that part of the cash-and-carry and fulfilment center business.
5.13 pm: While Walmart and Flipkart will leverage the combined strengths of both companies, they will maintain distinct brands and operating structures.
5.11 pm: With the investment, Flipkart will leverage Walmart’s omni-channel retail expertise, grocery and general merchandise supply-chain knowledge and financial strength, while Flipkart’s talent, technology, customer insights and agile and innovative culture will benefit Walmart in India and across the globe.
5.09 pm: “While eCommerce is still a relatively small part of retail in India, we see great potential to grow. Walmart is the ideal partner for the next phase of our journey, and we look forward to working together in the years ahead to bring our strengths and learnings in retail and eCommerce to the fore,” Binny Bansal said.
5.07 pm: “This investment is of immense importance for India and will help fuel our ambition to deepen our connection with buyers and sellers and to create the next wave of retail in India,” said Binny Bansal, Flipkart’s co-founder and group chief executive officer.
5.05 pm: “As a company, we are transforming globally to meet and exceed the needs of customers and we look forward to working with Flipkart to grow in this critical market. We are also excited to be doing this with Tencent, Tiger Global and Microsoft, which will be key strategic and technology partners,” Doug McMillon said.
5.02 pm: “India is one of the most attractive retail markets in the world, given its size and growth rate, and our investment is an opportunity to partner with the company that is leading transformation of eCommerce in the market,” said Doug McMillon, Walmart’s president.
5.00 pm: While the immediate focus will be on serving customers and growing the business, Walmart supports Flipkart’s ambition to transition into a publicly-listed, majority-owned subsidiary in the future.
4.55 pm: The remainder of the business will be held by some of Flipkart’s existing shareholders, including Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Tencent Holdings Limited, Tiger Global Management LLC and Microsoft Corp.
4. 50 pm: Subject to regulatory approval in India, Walmart will pay approximately $16 billion for an initial stake of approximately 77 percent in Flipkart, formally Flipkart Private Limited.
4.45 pm: Walmart signs definitive agreement to be the largest shareholder in Flipkart. Walmart will buy 77% stake in Flipkart for about $16 billion.
4.15 pm: “What should I do? Well, I said it. I can’t take it back. So that’s it,” Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son quipped, according to a Bloomberg report.
4.00 pm: “Oh, I see here that the Flipkart-Walmart deal isn’t fully confirmed at this point in time,” Bloomberg quotes Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son as saying. “Yabai desune,” he added, which translates in Japanese roughly to “Oops” or “That’s not good.”
3.30 pm: The deal — expected to be among Walmart’s biggest ever in at least two decades, gives it greater access to an Indian e-commerce market, which is slated to grow to to $200 billion in the next ten years, according to a Morgan Stanley report.
3.00 pm: Masayoshi Son did not mention other terms of the Walmart takeover in the briefing on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported.
2.15 pm: Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son says that $2.5 billion Flipkart stake is now worth about $4 billion in deal, ET Now reported citing agencies.
2.00 pm: Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son confirms that Walmart formally agreed to buy Flipkart, ET Now reported qouting agencies.
1.30 pm: Carl Douglas McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart, will arrive at the Embassy Tech Village headquarters of Flipkart in Bengaluru later today. He will also be accompanied by Walmart International’s Judith McKenna and CEO (commerce) Marc Lore, according to media reports.
1.00 pm: Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal is likely to sell his 5.5% stake in the company, CNBC TV18 reported quoting sources.
12.30 pm: India’s tax authorities are keeping a close watch on Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart. An Indian Express report had earlier indicated that if the deal goes through, a repeat of the infamous Vodafone tax case could be imminent.
12.05 pm: Earlier, Amazon.com had made a formal offer for picking up a controlling stake in Flipkart, however, major Flipkart investors reportedly preferred Walmart. This was due to lesser regulatory hurdles due to Walmart’s lack of India presence as compared to Amazon, according to a Bloomberg report.
11.30 am: Walmart will pick up a 71.06% stake for $15 billion, according to a report by ET Now. The deal will be announced later today.
11.15 am: CNBC TV18 reported citing sources that Walmart CEO Doug McMillon will sign definitive agreement with Flipkart shortly.
11.00 am: Google’s parent Alphabet will get a roughly 15 percent stake in the online marketplace for about $3 billion, according to Reuters.


text:
Thanksgiving Day Naked Protest
(New York City)
Animal rights advocates outraged that a SeaWorld float is included in next week's lineup for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade unveiled plans on Wednesday for a naked protest outside the landmark store.OK
Demonstrators wearing nothing but black and white body paint to resemble orcas will squeeze into a bathtub outside the midtown Manhattan store on Thursday to mimic orcas held in captivity and to repeat last year's demand - which was denied - that the float be excluded, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said.
"It is unacceptable to confine orcas to barren tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub," said Delcianna Winders, PETA's deputy general counsel.


text: [wealthdesk shortname="Balrampur Chini" isinid="INE119A01028" bseid="500038" nseid="BALRAMCHIN" sector="Sugar" exchange="nse"]Beginning June 1, the government has directed sugar mills to apply for clearance for export dispatches. The moves comes as the government imposed restrictions on sugar exports for the first time in six years.It has capped exports of the country's sugar season — which ends in September — at 10 million tonnes in a move aimed at preventing a rise in domestic rates. From June 1, sugar mills won't be able to despatch exports within 30 days of approval from the government.According to an official order, the Centre has also asked exporters to seek its permission for any overseas shipments between June 1 and October 31.Indian mills' exports of the sweetener to foreign markets have hit record levels in the recent past.The restriction on sugar exports is a rational step by the government, Balrampur Chini Mills CFO Pramod Patwari told CNBC-TV18."The exports from the country in the ongoing season were expected to be in the region of around 9-9.5 million tonnes... In any case, exports were not expected to be happening beyond 10 million tonnes, but the most positive message that the government is giving is the fact that they are absolutely comfortable, even at an inventory level of 6 billion tonnes by the end of September... This is a very good step,” he said.India is the world's biggest sugar producer and the second biggest exporter, after Brazil.Exporters said the decision to allow mills to export 10 million tonnes will help India sell a reasonably big quantity of sugar on the world market, according to news agency Reuters.ALSO READ: India's top sugar stocks may still be in a sweet spotSugar mills have been benefitting from the government's push on ethanol production and reducing supply from Brazil.On Tuesday, Balrampur Chini Mills reported a two percent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 240.5 crore for the January-March period, as its total income increased 25.7 percent to Rs 1,291.4 crore.


text:
Getting around Bower Place will be more difficult for people who relied on the mall’s electric scooters.
Red Deer resident Karen Gustafson said she used a scooter at the mall just a few months ago, but on Monday they were all gone.
“I was told they don’t have them anymore. They donated them to the Lending Cupboard, and would I like a wheelchair?” said Karen Gustafson, who has been using scooters at local businesses since 2017.
She said it wasn’t an electric wheelchair, but rather an uncomfortable manual wheelchair to push around that limits a person’s independence.
“I think this is a really major thing for people who have any kind of mobility issues. I can walk a little bit, but I can’t do a mall. It’s a big place,” she said about the unavailability of scooters.
“For people with disabilities, not only is it an inconvenience, it stops them from having another outlet in their lives they can negotiate by themselves.”
Bower Place said historically it has been one of the only shopping centres to offer motorized scooters to customers, but there were safety issues.
“At Bower Place, the safety of our customers, tenants and staff are our top priority and following several incidents relating to motorized scooter safety, the team has decided to permanently suspend the scooter program in order to create the safest environment possible,” Bower Place said in a statement.
“In addition, the team takes the cleanliness and sanitation of our shopping centre extremely seriously and the removal of the scooter program has allowed us to divert previously time-consuming cleaning efforts to other areas of the shopping centre.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, the scooter program was suspended for reasons related to COVID closures and cleaning protocols.
The mall said it understands there may be customers who are upset with the decision.
“At Bower Place, we take pride in being an accessible shopping centre with accessible washroom facilities and ample accessible parking spots. We hope that customers who previously used the scooter program can avail themselves of the wheelchairs we have on site if needed.”
Gustafson said she’s heard that many people who visit the mall need some kind of assistance. Instead of getting rid of the scooters, they should have got more.
“I frequent places where I can get around. Costco has scooters. I used one (Monday) at Walmart in the north end. Home Depot has them. Lowe’s has them.”
She said it’s a really sad situation to lose accessibility at a time when there’s been a focus on providing more community accessibility.