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Chamber talks Irish Day, event T-shirt
In the second meeting of the Houston County Area Chamber of Commerce this month, the board focused on preparation for the Irish Day celebration.
Always an exciting time for the board is the reveal of this year’s T-shirts sold by the chamber.
“The company used to charge us more for the larger shirts, but we got the same cost across the board this year,” said Teresa Mitchell, before holding up the green shirt featuring a shamrock-shaped guitar with the theme “Get Your Shamrock On” at the top.
The smaller shirts, meant for children, were a slightly brighter shade of green, but the board didn’t have a problem with the shade.
“Last year the shades were a little different as well,” Mitchell said.
The board set the price of the shirts at $10 for all sizes, and they will be available for sale at the Chamber office and Erin City Hall.
Mitchell added that if the shirts sell fast more can be created.
Shirts will also be available at a table during Irish Day festivities.
The number of vendors signed up for the celebration is at 80, although several want more than one spot. There is no cut-off date for the purchase of spots, but placement is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The board is looking to get more children involved in the Leprechaun Parade. They hope by placing forms for the parade at the Houston County Public Library that the event will gain more interest from parents bringing their kids there for events.
The Leprechaun Parade will begin at the Erin Nazarene Church ahead of the Grand Parade.
Parents’ little leprechauns will be judged based on their costumes or form of transport, although no gas-powered vehicles will be permitted.
Forms and information on the parade are available at the chamber’s Web site, www.houstoncochamber.com.
“We’ve had about 18 kids in the event the past two years, but I want a lot more,” said Abby Rouse, chamber president. “We want as many as possible.”
The chamber also discussed the Irish Day banquet and auction, which they hope will gain more support. It will be held March 18 with social hour beginning at 5 p.m. and dinner starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available through the chamber or at Erin City Hall. Buyers have the choice of a chicken or prime rib dish when they purchase the ticket.
Dress will be business casual.
Vietnam Memorial planning
Mitchell updated the chamber on planning a memorial for veterans of the Vietnam War, and she said the city of Tennessee Ridge offered their veterans park attached to city hall as a venue.
While the date hasn’t been decided, Mitchell said it will more than likely be the first week in April.
“I want to have a wreath or a flag to show support for lives lost, have a few words from the mayors and have cookies and punch for refreshments,” Mitchell said.
While veterans will be personally invited, the event will be open to the public for those who want to support the Vietnam veterans being honored.


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God of War Director explains the lack of bosses
God of War Director explains the lack of bosses ⚡⚡⚡ Esports and gaming news, analytics, reviews on WePlay! The latest news on WePlay!
God of War is absolutely a great game — a huge number of awards proves it. But the previous good old God of War games have had a distinctive feature — numerous and unique bosses to fight with and mega-epic battle scenes. Yet God of War 2018 is quite a cosy game next to its predecessors. Even if you can't observe it, there was always something in it that feels incomplete.
Cory Barlog made an exclusive interview with NoClip for their documentary.
In an interview for the NoClip documentary on the game, director Cory Barlog explained that it simply wasn't feasible to add more. Barlog spoke to NoClip's Danny O'Dwyer.
'We cut a lot of bosses – a lot. You know, we had so many more, it was a much more ambitious, crazier game. As you go through development, you start realizing, no, it's too big, we can't do this. One boss takes like 30 developers a year and a half. It's an absolutely massive scale when you really consider it.'
Barlog told about a special 'boss team' — their job was to work on bosses for God of War. Unfortunately, team members had other things to do on the game, making it more difficult to simply add in bosses.
Also, Cory explained the troll-fights — they were clearly not meant like bosses, just the developers couldn't come up on how to place a health bar on such a big enemy to always stay in front of players' eyes. Barlog wanted to adjust the lore with the troll names, as well, but couldn't fit it into the scope of the story.
Moreover, the developers recently spoke about a huge God of War DLC cancelled — precisely because of its massive size. Imagine, what a game it could have been if Ready at Dawn and Sony Santa Monica had more time?

domain: news


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The video this transcript is based on appeared on December 19.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg is selling 41.4 million shares of Facebook stock that are worth about $2.3 billion to pay a tax bill.
Good morning and welcome to Wall and Broad.
Facebook (FB) shares were down over 4% in early trading this morning after it was announced that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg would sell 41.4 million shares that are worth about $2.3 billion. Those losses have been trimmed and now its only down 2%. The market reaction has been negative because at first look, it is typically negative when a CEO sells stock in his own company. In this case, Mr. Zuckerberg is using the money to pay a tax bill related to his option to buy 60 million Class B shares. As a result, his voting power is reduced from 58.8 % to 56.1%.
It's a busy morning for Facebook as the company also announced a secondary offering of 70 million Class A shares. 27 million plus shares will come from Facebook and the remainder made up with Zuckerberg's chunk and also board member Marc Andreessen who is selling 1.65 billion Class A shares. The shares are going to be offered primarily to index funds now that Facebook will be a part of the S&P 500 as of the close of trading on December 20.
Mr. Zuckerberg is also feeling charitable this month and in the spirit of giving he will gift 18 million shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. That donation works out to be about $1 billion. Shareholders don't have to worry too much, even though the stock is down slightly today, its moved up over 100% for the past year. And that gets a big thumbs up and a like button.
I'm Debra Borchardt for TheStreet. Good luck trading.
Written by Debra Borchardt in New York.


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Vietnam’s retail market in 2020 expanded by 7% year-on-year or US$11 billion to a record high of $172 billion, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
|Revenue from Vietnam's retail market reaches record high of US$172 billion in 2020. Photo: Pham Hung.|
“While the Covid-19 crisis remains complicated globally, Vietnam’s effective control of the pandemic has led to recovery of retail sales of consumer goods and services in the final months of the year,” stated the GSO in its report.
Such growth rate, while remaining lower compared to the 12.7% recorded the previous year, was an encouraging sign for the business community amid global retail market suffering plunge in revenue during the pandemic.
Among cities/provinces with strong growth in retail sales in 2020, Ho Chi Minh City witnessed a two-digit growth rate of 12% year-on-year to US$33 billion.
A high growth rate in retail sales by year-end was due to retailers and shopping malls offering sales promotion programs to stimulate domestic consumption, added the GSO.
In 2020, total retail sales of consumer goods and services in Vietnam reached an estimated VND5,059.8 trillion (US$219.53 billion) in 2020, up 2.6% against 2019.
On breaking down, retail sales of goods in 2020 gained around VND3,996.9 trillion (US$172.76 billion), accounting for 79% of the total and increasing by 6.8% over the similar period in 2019.
Estimated sales of accommodation and catering services in this year attained VND510.4 trillion (US$22.14 billion), accounting for 10.1% of the total and down 13% from the same period of the previous year.
Sales of tours achieved an estimate of VND17.9 trillion (US$776.8 million), making up 0.3% of the total and plunging by 59.5% year-on-year.
Sales of other services during this period were estimated at VND534.6 trillion (US$23.2 billion), representing 10.6% of the total and decreasing by 4% against the comparable period in 2019.
- Vietnam’s exports – in search for the magic growth catalyst
- Taiwanese firm eyes Hanoi as a key investment destination
- Vietnam wants to restore international travel with China: PM Chinh
- Central Retail may inject US$1.45 billion to expand Vietnamese operations
- Vietnamese organic farm producers seek opportunities at Biofach 2023
- Eurocham Whitebook 2023 highlights green economy and sustainable development


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Zenara Pharma, a fully owned subsidiary of Biophore India Pharmaceuticals, has announced that it has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), to manufacture and sell Favipiravir tablets as a treatment option for patients with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19. The tablet, which will be sold under the brand name ‘Favizen’, is being manufactured at Zenara’s US FDA approved facility in Hyderabad.
Dr Jagadeesh Babu Rangisetty, Co-founder and MD, says, “In the ongoing pandemic, it has become extremely critical for pharma companies to quickly provide safe and effective treatment options for patients with COVID-19. I am proud to say that we have our own in-house API and are not dependent on any imports for the production. We are also in talks with various institutions to make the tablets available at discounted or no cost to underprivileged patients.”
The company, through a statement, informed that it is in talks with multiple state institutions and several hospitals in India to ensure that Favizen is readily available for patients in need. The company is also likely to tie up with other partners across the country to increase patient coverage. Internationally, Zenara has the manufacturing and distribution capabilities to improve access to this treatment around the world and has already begun exports to the Middle East and Latin American countries.


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Word of slowing growth from Cisco put the brakes on the tech rally in the markets, but Lenovo results and forecasts for the mobile, online and consumer electronics markets suggest that IT's recovery from the recession still has legs.
Startup XI3 announced a modular computer with components that it says can be easily repaired or upgraded, which could help users save money and keep up with changes in technology.
Dell is updating its Kace systems management products to help IT departments deal with the army of smartphones and tablets invading their company networks, Michael Dell said on Tuesday.
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Tata Motors is set to receive Rs 766 cores compensation from the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) after an arbitral tribunal directed so for the losses incurred on Tata's manufacturing site in Singur.
Tata Motors had to shift its plant to produce the Nano car from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in Gujarat in October 2008 following a land row. By the time, Tata had already invested over Rs 1,000 crore in Singur.
Tata Motors in a regulatory filing said that a three-member Arbitral Tribunal ruled that the company is entitled to recover from West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation a sum of Rs 765.78 crore with interest of 11 per cent per annum from September 1, 2016, till actual recovery.
Moreover, Tata Motors will also be entitled to recover Rs 1 crore, a sum incurred towards the cost of the proceedings from WBIDC.
It may be noted that Tata Motors had inaugurated a new plant in Sanand to produce Nano cars in June 2010. The inauguration took place after two years following the forceful change in plans and having to shift its plant out of West Bengal over the land row.


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Disney To Lay Off 28,000 Employees In California, Florida
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — With Disneyland and California Adventure closed for more than six months, Disney will reportedly lay off 28,000 employees, most of whom are part-time employees.
Disney's theme parks in Florida and beyond the U.S. have been able to reopen with limited capacity since the coronavirus pandemic, but its Anaheim properties remain closed as California continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
A letter from Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney's parks, experiences and products division, said California's continued "unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen" exacerbated the impact of the pandemic on Disney's parks. Approximately 28,000 employees in California and Florida will be laid off, about 67% of which are part-time, D'Amaro's letter said.
"Over the past several months, we've been forced to make a number of necessary adjustments to our business, and as difficult as this decision is today, we believe that the steps we are taking will enable us to emerge a more effective and efficient operation when we return to normal," D'Amaro said in his letter.
Disneyland and California Adventure shut down in March, along with most of the state, as COVID-19 spread throughout the state. Downtown Disney reopened in July, but the parks remain closed even as Disney executives urged the state to allow them to reopen.
Since the park shut down, the Anaheim resort along the Harbor Boulevard corridor is a ghost town. Barricades block hotel entrances. Paper covers the windows at shops across the street from Disneyland's entrance.
"About half of our hotels around the theme parks are closed," said Anaheim city spokesman Mike Lyster. "They can actually be open under California guidelines but they're not because it's not economically viable for them to be open without the visitors that the theme park and convention center bring to our city."
Last month, Disney reported a sharp, 42% drop in revenue partly due to the continued closure of its parks.
Disney cast members said they plan to caravan to the state capitol to ask Gov. Newsom if he would sign an assembly bill that would give longterm Disney workers the chance to get their jobs back when the pandemic ends.
for more features.


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Over the years we have heard about market giants practicing unethical business operations. Many accusations have regarded labor exploitation, data selling, and other questionable activities. Some accusations have been proven guilty, and some are still in the spotlight. Amongst many brands that have been in the news for their unethical activities, the three that have created some of the biggest headlines, and their cases, are described below.
Nike has been criticized for using Asian sweatshops as a source of labor. The reports of physical and verbal abuse in Nike’s sweatshops astonished the general public. In addition, it was discovered that up to 50% of the factories imposed restrictions on their employees’ restroom and water usage. Employees were pushed to work more than sixty hours per week and had to face a pay cut if they refused.
This is not the only unethical business practice that has been highlighted for Nike. Because it lacks a clear approach to the use of pesticides and herbicides, Nike obtained Ethical Consumer’s lowest rating for their cotton sourcing policy. Despite covering only 2.78% of worldwide arable land, cotton contributes for 12.34% of all insecticide sales and 3.94% of herbicide sales.
Nike did employ some organic cotton and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) certified cotton, but not entirely. Companies who care about the environment should make a clear commitment to using 100% sustainable cotton.
Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronic contract manufacturer, has been a manufacturer for Apple and Amazon. The company’s working conditions were deplorable and resulted in loss of human lives. Employees at Foxconn complained that supervisors pressured workers to overwork, toilet breaks were not allowed throughout the shift, and employees were required to attend unpaid meetings. Day and night shifts caused physical and mental problems, and workers were only given one day off every two weeks. Several workers committed suicide, and Foxconn handled the sad events in a highly suspicious manner. After hardly reacting to the incidents, Foxconn spokesperson, Liu Kun, dismissed the theory that the suicides were the result of poor working conditions.
Both Apple and Amazon confirmed the claims and tried to mitigate the problems faced by the workers in the Foxconn factories.
The huge tech giant has captured a lot of attention in the past several years. Facebook is accused of selling data to many other tech companies for the betterment of the business. In 2013, Facebook had fixed the flaw and notified anybody whose information may have been compromised. A flaw exposed the email addresses and phone numbers of 6 million Facebook users to anyone who knew at least one piece of their contact information or had a relationship to them. While the company assured that it was not their fault, there are still speculations that they are to blame.
Similarly, in March 2018, it was revealed that Facebook knew about massive data theft and did nothing. When Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO and co-founder, spoke out about the data harvesting claims on his Facebook page, he avoided using the word “sorry,” but admitted to feeling guilty for Facebook’s failure to protect user privacy.
These are just a few of the many cases out there against large, well-known brands. Are there any other brands you can think of that have faced scrutiny over their unethical practices?


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WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission said it wants to give consumers more power to fix devices such as smartphones and home appliances, voting to step up efforts targeting manufacturers if the agency determines repair restrictions are illegal.
The FTC unanimously adopted a new policy Wednesday laying out concerns about device-repair restrictions and said it would investigate them. The bipartisan vote followed an executive order signed July 9 by President Biden directing the FTC to consider writing rules to address “unfair anticompetitive restrictions on third-party repair or self-repair of items.”
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Should consumers have the ‘right to repair’? Why or why not? Join the conversation below.
Manufacturers restrict the repair of their equipment by limiting the availability of parts and repair information, steering consumers to their own repair networks, claiming patent and trademark rights and designing products in ways that make repairs more difficult, according to the FTC.
Consumer-advocacy groups and repair companies want policymakers to back what they call “Right to Repair.” They argue manufacturers in a range of industries, from
& Co. tractors, make it too hard for consumers to get the parts and information needed to fix devices. They also say that manufacturers design products in ways that make repairs difficult and restrict competition among repair technicians, which can make fixes more expensive.
Lina Khan, the new chairwoman of the FTC, backed those concerns Wednesday. “These types of restrictions can significantly raise costs for consumers, stifle innovation, close off business opportunities for independent repair shops, create unnecessary electronic waste, [and] delay timely repairs,” she said at a virtual public meeting.
TechNet, a trade association of technology companies whose members include Apple, criticized the FTC decision, saying it was unnecessary and could end up creating new risks to consumers.
“Allowing unauthorized third parties with access to sensitive diagnostic information, software, tools, and parts would jeopardize the safety and security of consumers’ computers, tablets, and other devices and put them at risk for fraud and data theft,” said a statement from Carl Holshouser, senior vice president at TechNet. For instance, a repair technician could compromise information on a consumer’s smartphone.
The FTC has brushed aside those arguments. Earlier this year, it unanimously approved a staff report on the repair industry, dubbed “Nixing the Fix,” which identified “no empirical evidence to suggest that independent repair shops are more or less likely than authorized repair shops to compromise or misuse customer data.”
Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association, a coalition of repair companies and consumer groups, said, “The context historically is that we did no enforcement for at least 20 years while all of these manufacturers ran around doing incredibly anti-competitive things, and then doing more, and not being stopped.”
“This is the first in my entire lifetime, and I’ve been in the tech industry since the 1970s, that the government has done anything.”
What precisely the FTC may do isn’t known. It has the power to write regulations, but developing those can take years and may face legal challenges. It can also bring lawsuits against companies for behavior it deems anti-competitive, unfair or deceptive. It also enforces the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which generally bars companies from conditioning product warranties on using their brand-name repair services.
Republicans on the FTC said they support stepped-up enforcement, though they added that not all repair restrictions are illegal. “I do not support blanket condemnation of exclusionary design choices,” Republican FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson said. She noted that sometimes design features benefit consumers even if they also make products harder to repair, such as when a manufacturer adopts a new innovation that makes its product incompatible with others on the market.
Right to Repair advocates are also pushing for legislation. A bill introduced in June by Rep. Joseph Morelle (D., N.Y.) would require manufacturers of equipment sold in the U.S. to make available “documentation, parts, and tools, inclusive of any updates to information or embedded software.” Lawmakers in a number of states have introduced Right to Repair bills, but none has become law.
Manufacturers say allowing unauthorized access to equipment could cause the device not to work properly and create security or other vulnerabilities. In the farm-equipment industry, Deere and other companies say allowing farmers or independent mechanics to access the software now embedded in tractors and harvesting combines could compromise emissions controls and wear down components. They say they support farms’ ability to repair their own equipment and that most jobs don’t require tinkering with software.
Apple declined to comment Wednesday. A spokesman pointed to a corporate environmental report published earlier this year, which said: “We’re constantly working to improve the convenience of our repair services as well as the durability of our devices. And we know there’s more work to be done on this journey.” In March, the company said it would expand into 200 countries a program that allows independent repair shops access to tools, repair manuals, diagnostics, and parts.
In other actions Wednesday, the FTC unanimously voted against rescinding a rule requiring clothing manufacturers to affix clothes with labels indicating how to care for them.
It also rescinded a 1995 policy statement that Ms. Khan said set too high a bar for the FTC to require companies to get prior approval for proposed mergers. Removing the policy will deter companies from attempting clearly illegal mergers, saving the agency’s staff time, she said. The move passed 3-2, with the agency’s two Republican commissioners opposed. They said the change could chill pro-competitive deals, among other concerns.
—Bob Tita contributed to this article.
Write to Ryan Tracy at email@example.com
Copyright ©2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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Alldressedup Fall/Winter 2010/2011 – full collection now in stores
Looking for new items for Fall? Local label Alldressedup has announced that their full Fall/Winter 2010/2011 collection, which was shown during this year’s Audi Fashion Festival, has arrived in stores. You can shop for the latest arrivals at the local Alldressedup stores in heart of Singapore shopping district – Paragon, ION Orchard and Isetan Scotts. The label is also stocked in 17 other countries worldwide as well as online stores Net-a-porter and Anthropologie.


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CRA Market News – USA
The HD Repair Forum (HDRF) kicked off the first of six free webinars on July 16, focusing on automated trucking information and the state of the heavy-duty collision repair industry.
Richard Bishop, president of Richard Bishop Consulting, kicked off the event with a presentation on automation in heavy-duty trucking titled, “Robots on the Road: Outlook for Automated Trucking.” The information shared provided attendees with a look at the evolving technology on today’s
truck. Truck manufacturers are incorporating advanced driver-assistance systems at an accelerated pace, and partnerships like Navistar and TuSimple’s recent announcement are another confirmation of that
fact. Semi-autonomous vehicles will be in shops’ bays sooner than later and repairers need to be prepared.
Bishop’s message to attendees was that their businesses need to continue to
evolve and embrace change. Preparing for the future starts with understanding trends and building a foundation within a business to adapt to the change. Investing in tooling, training and equipment will ensure the business will be able to insure, estimate, repair and service modern vehicles.
Following Bishop’s presentation, John Webb, president of TenPoint Complete, shared a subset of the results from the HD Repair Forum’s inaugural collision industry survey. Additional results will be
provided in a future webinar.
“The goal of the survey is to provide benchmark data on the HD collision repair industry with the intent of expanding its content annually,” said Brian Nessen, CEO of the HDRF. “The results included some surprising information on the current state of HD collision repairers.”
Approximately 87% of repairers surveyed stated that despite the pandemic, they felt positive about their business and prospects for the future. Conversely, 13% of respondents said their business was severely impacted by the pandemic. Although not shared on the call, this is in stark contrast to the automotive collision repair industry that has been severely impacted by the pandemic.
Another interesting statistic pulled from the survey includes what the HDRF characterizes as “great news” for progress in the industry: less than 60% of the shops surveyed repair frame damage within their facility. The HDRF believes this is stat reveals a promising opportunity to educate the industry on the added value on-site frame repair can provide. As it relates to cycle time, it also highlights a problem and potential smoking gun within the
industry: could part of the reason for elongated cycle times be a by-product of sublet repairs, since so many collision shops do not have the ability to repair frame damage in house?
Another surprising statistic coming from the survey is the number of HD collision shops that do not use an electronic estimating system. The HDRF states that this is alarming because most developed and mature industries have already adopted this type of technology. These statistics, the HDRF says, could be an indication that the industry is lagging with a lot of opportunity for growth and improvement.
How Many Shops?
The HD Repair Forum continues to grow its reach and identify shops that offer heavy-duty collision repair. However, survey results indicate the challenge it and many others have faced in knowing how many HD collision repair facilities exist: only 17% of the shops surveyed don’t know who or where their competition is.
“We are committed to providing relevant and timely information to the heavy-duty collision repair industry,” said Nessen. “Our webinars are a natural extension of the annual event held in Fort Worth, Texas.”
Episode two of this six-part series is scheduled for Aug. 18 at 11 a.m. CDT. To register for free, click here.


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Apple has released iOS 14.0.1 update that fixes bugs in the operating system. The update brings fixes for default app settings, Wi-Fi connectivity, home screen widgets, and more. This is the first update for iOS 14 that was released last week.
A bug in the software resulted in Safari and Mail being restored as a user’s default browser and email apps after a restart despite changes made otherwise. iOS 14.0.1 fixes this issue among other changes. It is now rolling out for all eligible Apple devices.
Apple’s latest update brings iPhone and iPad up to iOS 14.0.1 and iPadOS 14.0.1.
One of the changes in the recently released iOS 14 included the ability to change the default browser from Safari. However, if you’d changed to Google Chrome, it would automatically reset this default setting every time a user rebooted their iPhone or iPad. Web links would again start opening on the Safari browser on iPhone and iPad after the reboot. The same issue happened for Mail as well.
Apple has fixed this bug in iOS 14.0.1, ensuring that users will only have to set default app preferences once, as per a report by 9to5Mac.
iOS 14.0.1 also fixes bugs related to Wi-Fi connectivity and email sending with some mail providers, as per the report. It also offers a fix for the Apple News widget that prevented images from appearing and addresses an issue that could have prevented camera previews from displaying on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
iOS 14 0.1 is rolling out to all iPhone and iPad users today. If you haven’t received a notification about the update yet, you can find it by heading to Settings and then clicking on General, then Software Update.
Like us on Facebook. Follow us Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Join our WhatsApp Group and Telegram Channel. Read more on Latest News, Tech News, Media and lot more.


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If a picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, what is a video worth? Video enhances the online experience and can be a highly persuasive tool in moving site visitors through the buying process.
In a Pew Research Center study released last month, researchers reported that, “Broadband connectivity has helped to set the stage for high-quality viewing experiences and broaden the appeal of online-video content.” The study found that 63 percent of Americans have high-speed internet access in their homes and that 23 percent watch online video content daily.
As bandwidth has increased, online audiences have increasingly gravitated toward sites that offer video to assist in their online buying decisions.
In July, Idearc Media, LLC, home to Superpages.com® and publisher of the Verizon® Yellow Pages, partnered with EveryCarListed.com℠ to deliver over 1 million videos to the free auto listing website. Idearc Media’s high quality videos are provided to each vehicle listing free of charge and EveryCarListed.com plans to launch videos for all of its listings in the coming months.
According to Briggs Ferguson, Idearc Media’s internet president, “Online videos are becoming part of the buying process.” Ferguson says, “Videos touch consumers’ senses and enhance the buying experience, which in turn provides dealers and for sale by owner listings more quality leads from EveryCarListed.com.”
Unlike some websites that feature limited, amateurish video clips, EveryCarListed.com utilizes the Liquidus Video Platform by Digital Motorworks, Inc. to deliver outstanding picture quality. These high quality videos offer online auto shoppers a “walk around” visual experience combined with equally professional-quality voice-over descriptions of the vehicles. The Liquidus technology also provides real-time capabilities which ensure that vehicle information is current for every vehicle listed.
EveryCarListed.com’s business model is similar to YellowPages directories and IYP (Internet YellowPages) in that it offers dealerships a venue to list their entire inventories at a basic service level at no charge to the auto dealer. The site also allows individuals the opportunity to place “For Sale by Owner” ads at no charge.
This business model is a perfect fit for inclusion in Idearc Media’s stable of multi-platform advertising solutions which includes Superpages.com®, Switchboard.comSM, LocalSearch.comSM, and Superpages MobileSM as well as print directories including Verizon® Yellow Pages and Verizon® White Pages.
Superpages.com® now features a new “Cars” tab at the top of the home page which allows visitors the opportunity to shop for vehicles within the site.
ComScore ranks Superpages.com® number 27 among the top 50 Web properties, and the site boasts over 27 million unique visitors per month.
Ferguson says “With Superpages.com’s traffic and EveryCarListed.com’s content, we are creating a powerful automobile sales arena.” He says, “These sites will provide a venue for dealers to take advantage of exclusive advertising opportunities that will bring more customers to their dealerships.”
By year’s end, the Idearc Media / EveryCarListed.com partnership will have created the only all-video automotive listing website in the U.S.


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Helios Technologies Named to Forbes List of America’s Best Mid-Size Companies
SARASOTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Helios Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: HLIO) (“Helios” or the “Company”), a global leader in highly engineered motion control and electronic controls technology for diverse end markets, announced today that Forbes has ranked the Company number 39 on its annual 2022 list of America’s Best Mid-Size Companies, which was created to highlight the solid financial performance of recognized businesses.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220222005565/en/
©FORBES MEDIA LLC. USED WITH PERMISSION
“We are honored to be recognized by Forbes and to be named among this list of great companies,” said Josef Matosevic, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Helios Technologies. “This recognition reflects our success at executing our augmented strategy for growth and is a testament to our focus on innovating solutions to help our customers succeed. This honor exemplifies the dedication of our global Helios team and their hard work to deliver our strong performance.”
Forbes list of America’s Best Mid-Size Companies was compiled using data from FactSet to identify the best mid-sized investment ideas. Over 1,000 companies were reviewed, with a market value between $2 billion and $10 billion and a share price of at least $5. The ranking is based on earnings growth, sales growth, return on equity and total stock return for the latest 12 months and over the last 5 years.
About Helios Technologies
Helios Technologies is a global leader in highly engineered motion control and electronic controls technology for diverse end markets, including construction, material handling, agriculture, energy, recreational vehicles, marine, health, and wellness. Helios sells its products to customers in over 90 countries around the world. Its strategy for growth is to be the leading provider in niche markets, with premier products and solutions through innovative product development and acquisition. The Company has paid a cash dividend to its shareholders every quarter since becoming a public company in 1997. For more information please visit: www.heliostechnologies.com.
For more information:
Vice President of Investor Relations, Corporate Communication and Risk Management
Kei Advisors LLC
Source: Helios Technologies, Inc.
Released February 22, 2022


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On social media, being promotional is a big no-no. This includes any communication that contains a price, offers a discount or says "buy this." As a result, most marketers focus their social media efforts on building their brand and attracting new prospects, despite the fact most other marketing efforts require the ability to show increased sales, decreased expenses and increased profits. So how’s a marketer to sell his offering using social media? … It’s an unstated rule of social media, where people congregate to engage and keep up with their family, friends and colleagues, that you’re not supposed to …...
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Adobe Announces SocialAnalytics Powered by Omniture
March 17, 2011
From eM+C Daily
Company: Adobe, an open platform for online business optimization
Product/Service: Adobe SocialAnalytics, powered by Omniture
What it Does:
Allows marketers and retailers to monitor and measure popular social media platforms where social conversations are occurring to see their social data in place with all of their online initiatives.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 19
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
A total of $51 million was invested in the Arvand Free Trade Zone in the Khuzestan Province (southwestern Iran) during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 20 through December 20, 2020), Deputy Chairman of Business Development and Investment of Arvand Free Zone Organization, Ali Mousavi said, Trend reports citing the organization’s website.
According to Mousavi, these investments were made by China, Turkey and Iraq.
Mousavi added that currently, 190 manufacturing companies are operating in the zone. This figure is expected to increase to 200 companies by the end of the current Iranian year (until March 21, 2021).
The deputy chairman emphasized that 1,500 jobs have been created in the Arvand Trade Zone in the current Iranian year.
“In general, $1.27 billion worth of non-oil products were exported from the Arvand Free Trade Zone within 9 months. While in the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020), a total of $1.22 billion worth of products were exported from this trade zone,” he said.
The official also noted that the exported goods were mainly fish products, mining materials, food products, fruits and vegetables, steel and construction materials and etc. These products were mainly exported to Iraq and the countries around the Persian Gulf.
Iran's Arvand Free Trade Zone is located on an area of 37,400 hectares between the cities of Abadan, Khorramshahr and Minushahr in Iran's Khuzestan Province.


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Jackson To Sue Memorabilia Seller
MICHAEL JACKSON is vowing to sue the man who has sold some of the pop star's belongings for $1.4 million (GBP792,000), after a court ruled the memorabilia should not be available for sale.
HENRY VACCARO SR had been awarded Jackson family memorabilia in a bankruptcy legal case, and subsequently sold items relating to Michael to a European buyer.
However, following a ruling in Los Angeles last week (ends16APR04) that the construction company owner could not sell Jackson's possessions because the case only applied to Michael's brothers TITO and JERMAINE and their parents KATHERINE and JOE, the troubled singer's lawyers have announced they will sue for the return of the items.
The memorabilia included stage costumes, a medical contract for plastic surgery, supposedly performed on JANET JACKSON, and some drawings by Jackson, such as one entitled 'Little Boy 1994'.20/04/2004 17:20


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When you think about diverse issues like river management during drought, urban traffic prediction, cocoa crop maximization, and how to win at Jeopardy, IBM might not be the first company that comes to mind.
But as unlikely as it might seem, Big Blue has its hands in all four of those areas and many, many more, all part of its IBM Research division, a sprawling organization that seeks to keep the company at the bleeding edge of the world's most pressing technology problems and to help it and its partners develop products aimed at solving them.
According to Katherine Frase, IBM Research's vice president of industry solutions and emerging business, the organization's mission boils down to differentiating IBM from its competition, looking for forthcoming market trends, and staying connected with the outside technology community. Essentially, that means that job No. 1 for everyone involved is to put a finger—ahead of time—on the coming business trends and scientific and technology trends and then help figure out how to build products around them.
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Bigger cash prizes offered as business plan contest kicks off
Organizers have sweetened the pot for the annual San Angelo Business Plan Competition.
Up for grabs is more in cash prizes – $70,000 – plus in-kind products and services, according to a news release from the City of San Angelo.
Registration for the competition, which helps entrepreneurs on the path to starting or expanding businesses, opened today. See www.sbdc.angelo.edu.
Judges may award a first prize of $50,000 and second-place prize of $20,000, plus in-kind rewards, the release states. Last year's first-place winner received $25,000.
Funding for the cash prizes comes from the city's Development Corporation. Originally starting in 2005, the competition went dormant in 2009 and was re-introduced to the community in 2015. The competition is hosted by The Business Factory, Angelo State University's Small Business Development Center and the ASU College of Business.
Separated into three phases, participants will draft their plans and revise them with the help of advisers from the SBDC and students within ASU's College of Business. Winners will be announced April 24.


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A little bit of bragging here — I’ve been asked to give the keynote presentation for the AICPA Auto Dealership Conference in October in Las Vegas.
My friend John Davis who is a partner with Dixon Hughes Goodman’s Dealer Services Group and is on AICPA’s dealer conference committee helped facilitate the engagement.
The conference is for dealership CFOs, controllers, principals, lenders, CPAs, manufacturer representatives and attorneys that interact with the automotive retail space. It’s heavy on tax issues, legal updates, potential problems with manufacturers and financial best practices.
It will be my third time as the keynote speaker at the conference — the topic, as it was the previous two times, will be a State of the Industry report and will cover:
- Overall perspective of what the automotive retail industry will look like in 10 to 15 years
- Insight into the seamless transaction process and what it means for the future of the F&I department
- An update into key vendor strategy to help dealer attendees make sound vendor decisions
- Insight on dealer buy-sell activity, including the public dealer group and larger private group acquisition strategy.


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Responding to a request for public input, Boyden Gray PLLC this week submitted a comment on behalf of Consumers’ Research regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides).
The comment identifies ways that corporate interests have used the existing Green Guides as cover for false and misleading environmental marketing claims—particularly “zero-emissions vehicles,” and “sustainable” or “net-zero” products. The comment explains:
While it is true that all-electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions—they have no tailpipes!—it is completely false to claim that they are “zero-emissions” vehicles. Imagine a car that carried its engine in a trailer. The “car” itself produces no emissions, but the trailer, which provides all the car’s motive power, still emits greenhouse-gases and other pollutants. It would be absurd for this type of vehicle to be labeled “zero-emissions”…. [E]lectricity does not come emissions free.
The comment adds:
The supply chain for solar power and electric batteries is deeply immersed in ongoing human rights violations in China and other nations. The mining of critical minerals often leads to dramatic environmental harms as waste from their production is dumped into water ways in their countries of origin. And solar panels, electric batteries, and wind turbine blades are being manufactured at an unprecedented rate, with no developed plan for safely recycling their toxic components at the end of their lifecycle. Technologies manufactured with slave labor, or which permanently destroy local lakes, cannot be described as sustainable
The comment explains that false and misleading environmental claims seek to “exploit consumer goodwill” and “depriv[e] consumers of the accurate information necessary for informed decision making.” And by blessing these claims, the existing Green Guides create an imbalance in the marketplace, where honest companies that refuse to engage in deceptive “greenwashing” of their businesses “suffer competitive disadvantage and pressure to avoid making any environmental claims whatsoever,” further depriving consumers of accurate information.
View the full comment here.


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Zelnick didn't go into any more detail about exact timing, but at least we know it won't be a surprise release for the next few weeks.Red Dead Online is still a relatively unknown quantity, but Take-Two president Karl Slatoff called it, "an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways.”
In our interview with Rockstar about Online, the developers confirmed that it would use Red Dead 2's full world, and that its development would be fairly fluid, based on what players liked and disliked about the initial release (much like GTA Online).Zelnick also covered the idea of Red Dead 2's release "cannibalising" the playerbase of GTA Online. For now, he says, Take-Two's seen no evidence that GTA Online players have given up on the game to play the new Rockstar game. Of course, that doesn't mean a great deal given that the new online mode hasn't arrived as yet.
Even without Red Dead Online, Rockstar's sure to be pleased with how Red Dead Redemption 2's been performing – the game's already sold over 17 million copies since October 26, which is more than the last game sold in 8 years. Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and he is gently panicking about not being out of Chapter 2 yet. Follow him on Twitter.


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DRI charges Nirav Modi and his firms for diverting duty-free diamonds and pearls worth Rs 890 crore
The DRI lodged a case against Nirav Modi and his firms for allegedly diverting diamonds and pearls worth Rs 890 crore to domestic market
Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday lodged a case against diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his firms for allegedly diverting diamonds and pearls worth Rs 890 crore to domestic markets through units located in the Surat SEZ, an official said.
The case pertains to alleged diversion of duty-free goods by units of Nirav Modi group of companies --Firestar Diamond International Pvt Ltd, Firestar International Pvt Ltd etc - based in the Surat Special Economic Zone.
These units are in the business of importing and exporting diamonds, pearls and jewellery, said the DRI official.
Duty-free import of goods is allowed for the units situated under SEZ for the purpose of export only, he said.
"As per the probe, we detected a difference in the declared stock value of diamonds/pearls in the SEZ units in comparison with the ascertained actual value of the same. This clearly indicates that certain stock of these goods have been diverted to domestic tariff area," he said.
Separately, firms of Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are being probed by various agencies like the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in connection with the alleged multi-crore PNB fraud case.
Referring to the Surat SEZ case, he said, "It has been noticed from scrutiny of the documents available that goods worth Rs 890 crore (approximately), involving customs duty of around Rs 52 crore, appear to have been diverted by the SEZ units of the Nirav Modi group of companies to the domestic market."
He said the agency arrived at the value of the goods by collating various documentary evidence.
"The DRI is currently ascertaining the year and the exact quantity of the diverted goods," the official added.
In 2014, the DRI had registered a similar case of customs duty evasion against three SEZ companies (Firestar Diamond International Private Ltd, Firestar International Private Ltd, and Radashir Jewellery Company Private Ltd) of the Nirav Modi group in Surat, and launched a prosecution against them under Customs Act, 1962.
The companies had paid Rs 48.21 crore towards customs duty along with the interest and penalty in the 2014 case
CBI has booked Army officer Lt Col Abhishek Chandra for alleged corruption and bribery from different private suppliers in connivance with field officers in procurement of ration and other material for department, canteen and stores
The arrested accused were identified as Sumit Gupta, Pardeep Rana, Ankur Kumar and Akash Ahlawat. All the accused are sub-inspector posted in CBI Delhi
The searches were conducted late Thursday night at the bureaucrat's residence in Gandhinagar and some other premises in Surat as well as at his native place in Andhra Pradesh


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Global air freight markets have benefited from a recent upturn in world trade, leading to the sector positing its best results for several years during March 2017.
Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has demonstrated a 14 per cent expansion in freight tonne kilometers shipped during the month, when compared to March 2016. This marked the fastest pace of growth recorded since October 2010.
Meanwhile, freight capacity - as measured in available freight tonne kilometers - grew by 4.2 per cent year on year in March 2017, meaning that freight demand for the first quarter of the year increased by nearly 11 per cent, with capacity up by 3.7 per cent, even when adjusting for the impact of the leap year in 2016.
An uptick in world trade and a six-year high in new export orders were cited as key drivers of this growth, as well as an increase in the shipment of silicon materials typically used in high-value consumer electronics shipped by air.
With the exception of Latin America, all regions reported year-on-year increases in demand in March 2017, with airlines in Europe and Asia-Pacific posting the strongest growth. Indeed, these regions accounted for two-thirds of the industry-wide increase in demand.
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and chief executive officer, said: "March capped a robust first quarter with the strongest year-on-year air freight growth in six-and-a-half years.
"Optimism is returning to the industry as the business stabilizes after many years in the doldrums. There is, however, still much lost ground to recover while facing the dual headwinds of rising fuel and labor costs. "
He noted that the implementation of modern customer-centric initiatives to streamline processes and reduce costs will remain crucial if the industry is to capitalize on the strong momentum seen during Q1.


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New online retailer says it can offer women a perfect fit without needing measurements.
A joint venture between Australia's AGL and New Zealand's Meridian Energy has opened the southern hemisphere's largest wind farm in Macarthur, Victoria.
Victorian police have issued a warning to motorists travelling towards Mildura to put away their iPhones and iPads, and not trust Apple's Maps to navigate.
Mildura has become the first region in Australia with digital-only television after the Communications Minister Stephen Conroy performed the analog switch-over this morning.
Novero, a company formed by ex-Nokia managers keen to express their stylish sides, on Wednesday showed off a range of Bluetooth gadgets that target the fashion-conscious who still want to yell into empty space.
Nokia-offshoot Novero gets out its glue gun and a handful of diamonds to bedazzle us with Bluetooth headsets like we've never seen before
As part of the Kid Witness News program, last week we travelled with Panasonic to Middle Kinglake Primary School, one of the schools affected by this year's Victorian bushfires.
Melbourne gets its second Apple retail store, this time at Doncaster Westfield.
Ford's big wagon is also big on luxury technologies and 8-passenger seating.
Google has added floor plans to its online mapping service for over 200 indoor locations across NSW and Victoria.


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New report finds people plan to travel more once a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available and will extend vacations this year, signaling industry recovery
Today, Expedia Group released its 2021 Travel Trends Report, highlighting the critical role travel will play in bringing people together following nearly a year of relative isolation. The report contains findings from a study of 2,200 Americans in partnership with data intelligence firm Morning Consult, which explored how COVID-19 has influenced trip plans and the way consumers feel about travel in the year ahead. In combination with proprietary data from Brand Expedia®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Travelocity®, and Vrbo®, the report provides a broad outlook on travel and industry recovery in 2021.
“Our latest research demonstrates that people miss traveling and long to reconnect with their friends, family, and colleagues,” said Anni Murphy, Corporate Communications Manager at Expedia Group. “Once circumstances related to the pandemic have stabilized, people plan to take more extended trips, and they’re budgeting a significant amount of money for travel. Pent-up demand indicates even the travel sectors hit hardest by COVID-19 may start to recover sooner than expected. This is a positive signal not only for travel, but also for broader economic recovery, and the communities across the globe that rely on tourism.”
Key findings from Expedia Group’s 2021 Travel Trends Report include:
Initiatives to reduce the spread of COVID-19 will fuel travel industry recovery
Travelers will take more trips and extend their vacations
- Almost half of the respondents are more likely to travel when a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available.
- 42% said recent news regarding the vaccine made them more hopeful about travel, or drove them to book an upcoming trip.
Consumer spending will be high in 2021
- 44% will take more trips in 2021 than 2020, with younger generations traveling the most overall.
- More than one in three respondents said their next trip will be a week, or longer.
Cities will make a comeback
- People are saving $3,444 on average for their next trip, but Millennials plan to spend significantly more.
Travel will serve as a force for good
- Flight demand data on Brand Expedia show Americans plan to visit destinations like New York City and Los Angeles.
- 63% said travel creates greater cultural understanding, while 56% reported that travel is healing.
Copyright 2021 Expedia. All rights reserved. From https://www.expedia.com.


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Chinese importers have already stopped buying U.S. wheat, soybean purchases are expected to drop even further, and the U.S. ag sector is expecting the financial pain to increase exponentially as long as the trade war persists.
The trade war took a major step forward at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning as the U.S. officially began levying new tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods in President Donald Trump’s effort to stop China from taking U.S. intellectual property as well as reduce the U.S. trade deficit. China responded with new tariffs on $34 billion worth of U.S. goods – mostly a wide range of U.S. agricultural products, ranging from soybeans to cucumbers.
Likely in an effort to avoid the new 25 percent tariff, Chinese importers cancelled in late June purchases of 366,000 metric tons of soybeans for the 2017-18 marketing year, according to the latest U.S. Export Sales Report that the USDA released today. The Chinese also cancelled purchases of 66,000 tons for 2018-19 delivery.
China now buys roughly 30 percent of all the soybeans produced in the U.S., and a recent study out of Purdue University predicts Chinese tariffs would result in a 65 percent cut in U.S. exports.


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McDonnell takes ABC privatization discussion public
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) moved one small step closer to privatizing the state's 332 liquor stores today when his staff publicly unveiled the four possible ways they could sell off the stores.
As The Washington Post reported Sunday, the options are: selling all of the state's alcohol assets to a single company (which would offer upfront money for transportation but would not offer competition); having firms take over the state's existing stores (which would maintain annual revenues but not offer upfront money for transportation); offering licenses to the 3,000 businesses that sell beer and wine (which would offer additional annual revenues but perhaps too many stores); and auctioning an undetermined number of licenses to the highest bidder.
Eric Finkbeiner, McDonnell's policy director, told McDonnell's government reform commission, which held its second meeting on Capitol Square today, that many of those affected by privatization prefer auctioning the licenses to the highest bidder.
"That's the one that gets the most head nodding,'' he said.
McDonnell's staff estimate that proposal could bring in $300 million to $800 million, while continuing to bring in up to $220 million each year.
That proposal would probably come with an increase in the number of stores, between 400 and 1,000. Companies would be limited in the number of licenses they could buy, and some would be set aside for small, women-owned or minority-owned businesses. They would be sold by auction in three tiers to big-box stores, such as grocery stores and Wal-Mart, traditional package stores and convenience stores or drug stores.
McDonnell's government reform commission is likely to approve one of the proposals at its next meeting Aug. 26, after which McDonnell expects to call legislators back to Richmond for a special session on privatization and other cost-cutting issues.
July 20, 2010; 1:47 PM ET
Categories: Anita Kumar , Robert F. McDonnell
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Jul 30, 2015 The move is aimed at protecting local artisans and their pricier items.
Jul 25, 2015 Super Smash Bros. is way more serious than we thought.
Jul 23, 2015 Arcade owner doesn't see business slowing any time soon.
Jul 23, 2015 Some Wall Street investors are leaving as China's growth slows.
Jul 15, 2015 The modern Chinese stock market is 25 years old, and it's having growing pains.
Jul 14, 2015 Gamers aren't the only people with an interest in virtual reality.
Jul 10, 2015 Nela Richardson and David Gura join Molly Wood to recap the week in business and finance.
Jul 9, 2015 Shenzhen may need help from the state


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Cynergy Bank announces launch of business saver
Cynergy Bank is pleased to announce the launch of Business Saver, their new business savings account, now available for new and existing customers.
Business Saver has been designed specifically to serve the deposit needs of businesses, with the aim of minimising complexity and hassle for business owners. Account holders can deposit up to £10m at a competitive variable rate starting at 3.25% AER that will be paid monthly, enabling account holders to also manage their money entirely online.
Using the latest technology, the account opening process has been streamlined and applicants can open an account in as little as ten minutes. Business Saver is open to all eligible UK businesses, including sole traders, partnerships, limited liability partnerships and limited companies, with up to 10 directors.
Businesses of all sizes have demonstrated resilience over the last few years despite being particularly vulnerable to global issues such as supply chain disruptions and record-high inflation. As costs remain high, it’s more important than ever for firms to seek better returns, where possible. Cynergy Bank’s Business Saver allows businesses to grow their capital while allowing flexibility and accessibility.
The new savings account complements the bank’s existing range of products designed to serve the different needs of business customers, from current accounts to tailored lending solutions.
Sharon Maguire, chief product officer at Cynergy Bank, comments: “At Cynergy Bank, we pride ourselves on knowing our customers and understanding their priorities so we can meet their needs and support their ambitions. We know that businesses across the UK have been particularly affected by market challenges in the past year, so Business Saver can really help to optimise the returns they receive on any cash balances they are holding by offering highly competitive rates along with convenience and flexibility.”


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Delhi: Now swipe your Metro Card to pay for bus-rides
Delhi yesterday joined global cities using a common card for commuting on public transport, with Metro Smart Card becoming a valid mode of payment for travel in DTC and Cluster buses. The Delhi government and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) agreed to authorize the Metro Smart Card as common mobility card for paying fares in DTC and Cluster buses. Here are more details.
Trials for common mobility card were conducted in two phases
Electronic ticketing devices for 1,650 Cluster and 3,965 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses have been equipped with secured access module chips to swipe Smart Cards of passengers, the government official said. The trial for the common mobility card was started in 100 buses in September last year. Again in January, trials in 250 buses were launched by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Scheme will cover all the buses by April next year
Reportedly, the scheme will cover all buses by April next year. Bus conductors have been trained for issuing tickets to passengers using Smart Cards. However, the number of passengers using their Metro Smart Cards for buying bus tickets is very low. DMRC said the daily ridership has gone up to 28 lakh in recent days. Around 80% of these commuters use Smart Cards.


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Dick’s Sporting Goods is set to report its earnings for the holiday quarter on Tuesday before the opening bell and analysts have set an EPS target of $1.20. Though the sports retailer had previously guided for weakness in earnings, the recent tax reform might partly offset this expected weakness.
The stock has increased 5.4% YTD in 2018.
The company has been facing pressure on its gross margins due to growth investments and this is likely to continue. Last month, Dick’s had announced the opening of four new stores bringing its total store count across the country to 721.
The company had recently made news with its decision to stop sale of all assault-style rifles and to raise the minimum age for purchase of firearms to 21 years. The retailer stated that it no longer wanted to be part of the shooting epidemic in America, which garnered mixed responses.
What is worth noting is that apart from criticism, there have been a number of lawsuits piling up against the company. The most recent one is from 18-year old Tristin Fulton, who is suing the company for not selling a firearm due to “age discrimination”. He is seeking $25,000 in damages. Last week, 20-year old Tyler Watson filed a lawsuit against Dick’s on the same grounds.
Dick’s has also seen employee resignations over its new policies. Griffin Mccullar and Alexander Degarmo, both 20-year old employees at separate locations, quit their jobs with Dick’s Sporting Goods stating that they could not support the new rules due to infringement of personal rights. It is not yet clear how the new policies will affect Dick’s Sporting Goods’ sales as it carves out certain parts of its merchandise. The company is attempting to put restrictions on a part of its customer population, and that population is not taking it well.
Whether the company will be forced to change its policies or adopt some sort of a relaxation to them is worth watching in the earnings report, as well as the call.
PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) reported stronger-than-expected earnings and revenues for the first quarter of 2021. Shares of the payment service provider gained during Wednesday’s extended trading session soon after
Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) reported first quarter 2021 earnings results today. Revenue increased 62% year-over-year to $590 million. GAAP net loss widened to $206 million, or $1.24 per share, compared to
Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) reported first-quarter 2021 financial results after the regular market hours on Wednesday. The ride-hailing company reported Q1 revenue excluding the UK accrual of $3.5 billion, up


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Sam (@thesamparr) and Shaan (@shaanvp) are back talking news, trends, interesting products and businesses. Today Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) happened to drop by to talk investing and celebrity life. Join our FB group: facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion. Topics for today: Brandless.com shutting down (2:58), Buying dying businesses (7:53), Hybrid VC's (9:32), Launch of Ramp Capital (11:13), Corporate universities & online degrees (13:47), Lance Armstrong joins! (18:26), New beverage companies (21:07), Is investing boring? (22:47), Hotels offering more experiences (27:07), Are celebs on Cameo broke? (30:12) and Shaan's last minute meeting idea (33:35).
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.


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Amazon announces global expansion of its Contact Center Intelligence tools
Amazon Web Services Inc. is expanding the focus of its Contact Center Intelligence services that customers can use to add artificial intelligence capabilities to their contact center operations.
AWS CCI can now be used with customer’s existing contact center providers to deliver new efficiencies, create more customized customer experience and get deeper insights from data, AWS said.
Launched last summer, AWS CCI is a combination of services that enables companies to bring machine learning capabilities including text-to-speech, language comprehension, translation, enterprise search, business intelligence and chatbots to their contact centers. These capabilities can be used to help with tasks such as self-service, live-call analytics and agent assist, and post-call analytics for example.
AWS is also expanding its global support for CCI and making it available for use in pre-configured solutions available from participating Amazon Partner Network partners that offer contact center workflow tools.
The AWS CCI Self-Service solution is now available in multiple languages, including French, German, Italian and Spanish, the company said. It uses machine learning-based chatbots and interactive voice response to address and deflect common queries and tasks, so that human operators can focus on more demanding interactions that robots can’t handle.
The service relies on the conversational interface of Amazon Lex and Amazon Polly’s text-to-speech voices to create a dynamic virtual agent that can speak multiple languages. Amazon Kendra helps make these agents smarter by finding answers to caller’s questions from internal knowledge bases.
The Live Call Analytics & Agent Assist and Post-Call Analytics services are now supported throughout Europe. They use Amazon Transcribe to transcribe calls in real-time or post-call.
Amazon Comprehend then analyzes these interactions, detects call sentiment and identifies key words and phrases in the conversation using natural language processing. Amazon Kendra can take these key words and intelligently search for timely information agents can use to resolve live call issues, AWS said.
AWS CCI has also added new language expansions for Amazon Lex, Amazon Transcribe and Amazon Translate. In addition, transcription of live calls is now available in German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese, AWS said. Amazon Translate has been expanded too and can now translate calls into an agent’s preferred language, with support for 16 new languages bringing the total up to 71.
“With AWS CCI, we wanted to make it easy for customers who use different contact centers providers to add AI and achieve new levels of operational efficiency,” explained Vasi Philomin, general manager of AWS Language Services. “Having a global partner network is critical to enabling our customers to realize the benefits of cloud-based machine learning services and removing the need to hire specialized developers to build and maintain these systems.”
AWS said its technology partners at launch include Salesforce.com Inc., Avaya Inc., Talkdesk Inc., 8×8 Inc., Clarabridge Inc., Clevy SAS, XappMedia, Inc. and Voiceworx Inc.
Some of those partners were eager to talk. Talkdesk said it’s using AWS CCI to add new capabilities its machine learning-based contact center tools. It said its customers can use the AWS CCI services together with Talkdesk iQ’s native AI components. In addition, it said, the Talkdesk Agent Assist and Talkdesk Speech Analytics services now both leverage Amazon Transcribe to extend the number of languages and accents they can support.
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
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We really want to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Looking forward to seeing you at the event and in theCUBE Club.


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In his first public comment on the massive recall surrounding Toyota, President and CEO Akio Toyoda apologized to his customers for causing them so much worry.
“I am deeply sorry,” said Toyoda in a brief interview with the Japanese network NHK. Toyoda was seen leaving the interview in a black Audi.
“Truly we think of our customers as a priority and we guarantee their safety,” Toyoda said. He said that he could not answer questions about the recall because the company “was still investigating” the issue.
According to Toyota’s supplier CTS, the companies are awaiting a federal government approval of a redesigned accelerator pedal that is currently being developed.
The recall is now estimated to involve at least nine million cars and trucks.
Here are some highlights on the new surrounding Toyota’s Pedal Recall:
- Toyota suspends sales of 8 models related to sticking accelerator recall
- The effects of Toyota”s sticking accelerator pedal recall
- GM offers incentives to Toyota and Lexus owners facing recall headaches
- Toyota recalls another 1.1 million vehicles for sticking pedal issue
- Toyota”s pedal supplier has a fix, says it has nothing to do with sticking accelerator
- Hertz, Avis and Enterprise suspend rental of Toyotas affected by recalls
- Congress to hold hearings on Toyota recalls in Feb. 25
– By: Omar Rana
Source: ABC News


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Rogers is losing its current consumer president Dirk Woessner to Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, where the long-time telecom executive will become CEO of German operations.
“This is a great opportunity for Dirk to return home to Germany and take on an expanded role,” said Rogers spokesperson Sarah Schmidt, in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
“He has made tremendous contributions to Rogers and built a strong consumer team who know what they need to do to deliver results.”
Woessner will leave the company at the end of November, and Rogers confirms they are now searching for his replacement. The role recently grew in responsibility after the company underwent some internal restructuring at the behest of new CEO Joe Natale, formerly of Telus.
Woessner’s current position as head of consumer includes responsibilities for both customer experience and branding, some of which was formerly handled by chief customer officer Deepak Khandelwal and chief brand officer Dale Hooper, both additions under former CEO Guy Laurence.
“This is a great opportunity for Dirk to return home to Germany and take on an expanded role.”
Woessner also joined Rogers under Laurence, coming from Deutsche Telekom (DT) in January 2015. He had previously been responsible for all of DT’s sales and distribution in Germany.
Current DT Germany CEO Niek Jan Van Damme is stepping down a year early from his post to make way for the soon-to-be-former Rogers executive.
Van Damme told The New York Times: “It’s a bit earlier than I originally intended, but it’s a good fit with my personal life planning and the best way to ensure a seamless transition.”
In addition to the news of Woessner leaving, Rogers has announced internally that Dean Prevost is joining as the new president of Rogers’ enterprise business starting September 12th.
Prevost previously spent seventeen years at business communications provider MTS Allstream (which formerly operated as AT&T Canada) in nearly every senior executive position, including five years as president.
“Dean is a great addition to our leadership team and a highly experienced telecom executive with a proven track record of delivering results in enterprise,” stated Schmidt.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Dirk Woessner was becoming CEO of Germany company Deutsche Telekom. In fact, he’s becoming CEO of DT’s German operations. The article has been updated to reflect that.


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There Are Now Two Edible Cookie Dough Stores in West Michigan
The store opened its first West Michigan location earlier this year at Rivertown Crossing Mall in Grandville and by looking at the Woodland Mall Facebook page post, it has over 1k shares, so obviously, this is a very popular addition to the mall. Dough Life has 54 locations in 18 states across the U.S.
Woodland Mall is celebrating a few new stores and a new wing with a big weekend celebration October 12th and 13th and by their event post on Facebook, you have a chance to win quite a few things as well as a few fashion shows, some makeup workshops and a family fun area as well.
If you've never been to Dough Life, watch this quick video before you go... I mean if you need to see what it's all about.


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Verizon will be holding a press event on July 23rd to "unveil the next generation of one of [its] most popular family of devices." The savvy money is on this event unveiling the new Droid Ultra, the Droid Maxx and the Droid Mini, which will be replacing the Droid RAZR HD, RAZR Maxx HD, and RAZR M, respectively. The press event will be held in New York City. Above is a pic from a previous leak of this new generation of devices. We fully expect all of these devices to still be sporting Kevlar casing just as their predecessors did.
Stay tuned as we will be revealing more intel both before and during the press event.


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Monterey, CA – CyberData - The IP Endpoint Company has expanded their line and has introduced the most cost-competitive, low-cost, feature-packed SIP and Multicast Speakers on the market. The new VoIP SIP/Multicast Ceiling and Wall Mount Speakers are PoE-powered and offer customers the ability to utilize their VoIP network infrastructure to facilitate live paging, ringing and emergency notification, via SIP or Multicast. Separate mounting hardware is not required, making them easy to install and offering additional cost savings.
Live paging and emergency notification are critical to any organization, regardless of their size. For 16 years, CyberData has been the leader in developing and delivering IP endpoints that meet customer needs and with this release, CyberData offers a more cost-competitive option for paging and notification.
“Customers need more choices when it comes to paging in their environment. While devices like our premium SIP Speakers offer added functionality, customers have told us they simply require a cost-effective standard SIP and Multicast Speaker that is dependable, easy to install and easy to manage,” said Phil Lembo, President & CEO of CyberData. He added, “We’re responding to the market, and these new speakers deliver what customers have been asking for. Many small to medium size organizations forego migrating to SIP endpoints right away after spending money on a new VoIP system. Here’s a way for those organizations to get the most out of their VoIP system while minding their budget, and ensuring their staff, customers, or patients receive timely announcements.”
CyberData maintains a robust line of VoIP SIP and Multicast Speakers, including options for InformaCast® and Intrado (Syn-Apps) environments, and these new speaker offerings add an additional and extremely competitive price point for customers with paging needs.
CyberData is celebrating its 48th year in business and Phil Lembo sees wonderful opportunities for 2022, with plans for additional releases. “Our new Certified Resellers have really helped us explore this market in a much more targeted way and are providing us with valuable insight into what customers are asking for. Interop testing with other VoIP systems continues to be a focus and creates mutually beneficial partnerships. I think 2022 will be a year in which companies will look to build more sustaining partnerships to expand their business and tap into the resources and knowledge those collaborations bring. You will see more examples of that from CyberData in the coming year.”
For more information visit www.cyberdata.net
Director of Marketing
Click here for the pdf of this information.


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Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue is aware of the reputation of a parking problem the town has faced.
“We’ve had this perception – and it’s somewhat reality based – that there’s no parking downtown, and it’s inconvenient, so let’s just go someplace else,” said Blue.
That is precisely why, with the help of the Downtown Partnership and several local businesses, the town is looking to “change the narrative” on parking in downtown Chapel Hill with their Lots to Love campaign.
The campaign started late last month with a kickoff party that featured live music, free food from local restaurants and raffles to win free parking.
Lots to Love means new parking meters, parking ambassadors and more opportunities for free parking downtown which, as Downtown Partnership executive director Meg McGurk put it, will help to make parking in Chapel Hill “more forgettable.”
“We want people to come downtown, remember their meal, remember the smile from their downtown ambassador, remember the gear that they bought and completely forget about parking,” said McGurk. “That is how we change the narrative.”
Other changes to downtown parking include the park mobile app, which allows users to pay for parking online rather than feeding the meter.
Blue said that the town also wants to remain focused on safety.
“We certainly want to provide safe, clean, well-lit and well-used public facilities downtown,” said Blue. “That makes everybody safer. The more folks that are downtown enjoying round-the-clock nightlife and restaurants and shopping, the safer we all are, because that puts more eyes on the street.”
More information on the campaign can be found here.


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Today T-Mobile announced new prepaid plans that will launch on January 25, aimed at further cementing its position as a prepaid leader in the US. Called Simply Prepaid, the plans are designed to “focus on simplicity, fairness and value” while throwing out all the bells and whistles that distinguish T-Mobile as the Uncarrier.
The plans are fairly straightforward:
- $40 / month for unlimited data, talk and text + up to 1GB of 4G LTE
- $50 / month for unlimited data, talk and text + up to 3GB of 4G LTE
- $60 / month for unlimited data, talk and text + up to 5GB of 4G LTE
Unfortunately, they do not include Data Stash, Music Freedom, Simple Global, tethering, or any other Uncarrier/Simple Choice features that have been announced in recent months by T-Mobile. They don’t even include LTE at full speeds – instead, high speed data is throttled to 8Mbps, and then down to 128K for the rest of the account cycle.
This begs the question, why would anyone want this plan? These prices are actually $5 more expensive than Cricket Wireless, which offers better coverage on AT&T’s network, the same or better data buckets, and the same throttling.
MetroPCS also offers plans that start at $40 per month for unlimited data, talk and text with no throttling down to 8Mbps, and tethering is allowed.
All in all, these plans don’t seem very competitive, and I would expect to see something better from the Uncarrier. Perhaps T-Mobile is being sneaky and introducing the plans without any Uncarrier benefits, only so it can later swoop in and remove the throttling, add tethering, and add other Simple Choice features, all to make it look like a hero. If this is the case, I’d say that T-Mobile is being very, very carrier.[T-Mobile]


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Call for entries: Ocean in Focus Conservation Photo Contest
SeaWeb has announced that it is now accepting entries for the Marine Photobanks fourth-annual Ocean in Focus Conservation Photo Contest. The competition attempts to raise public awareness of the threats facing the marine environment. Dawn M. Martin, President of SeaWeb asserts that:
“Compelling images illustrating both the grandeur and the threats to the ocean can be the spark that inspires action.”
The competition is open until 30 September, and the winners will be announced in the fall.
Sea and Sea releases RDX-600D housing
Sea and Sea has announced the release of the RDX-600D housing for the Canon Rebel EOS 600D/T3i. The polycarbonate case accepts ports from the Sea and Sea NX, CX and RDX ranges, and comes equipped with fiber optic strobe connectors. A sync cord bulkhead can be fitted by the user as an extra option.
The RDX-600D is available now and can be supplied as a package with various port options. The housing is priced at $1,395.00.
Dominica announces Dive Fest 2011
The Island of Dominica will be hosting its seventeenth annual Dive Fest from 8 to 17 July. Dive Fest is an annual event held to educate the public about diving, and to raise awareness about Dominica’s stunning and unique marine environment.
During the festival, Sealife cameras will be hosting several photography competitions and events.
Call for entries: World Festival of Underwater Images
The World Festival of Underwater Images, held annually in Marseilles, France, is calling for entries. The Festival, now in its thirty-eighth year, will be held from 26 to 30 October and, as usual, will feature categories for stills, video, web sites, magazine articles, music and books.
The competition is open for entries now with a deadline of 15 September.
Panasonic releases the LUMIX GF3 EVIL camera
Panasonic has released the LUMIX GF3 EVIL camera. It features a 12.1 megapixel sensor with a Venus VII HD processor that is designed for give performance in low-light situations. It also has 1080i HD video at 25fps, in AVCHD format with full-time AF and AF tracking. Although the camera features touch screen controls, it also features for the first time on the LUMIX series, a touch-wheel to access key camera functions.
The Panasonic LUMIX GF3 will be available for a suggested retail prices of $699.99 with the 14mm lens kit system starting in July 2011, and $599.99 with the 14-42mm lens kit system starting in late August 2011.
Call for entries: Diving, Resort and Travel Expo
The 2011 Diving, Resort and Travel Expo will be held from 8-10 July at the Hong Kong Exhibition Center. The event will host 130 exhibitors, and it is expected to have over 30,000 visitors. The event will be hosting an underwater photography competition with categories for behavior, reefscapes and conservation. In addition, the show plans to highlight the issues facing the conservation of the marine ecosystem, via professional seminars and promoting public dialog.
The deadline for entries to the competition is 18 June.
Underwater VFX demo reel posted in forums
Wetpixel member Chris East has posted a demo showreel of visual effects (VFX) onto the forums. The sequence includes some underwater footage and also shows what software went into creating each shot. It highlights several uses of post production VFX compositing, from match-moves and 2D camera solves, through to 3D modelling and placement. Chris reckons that it took about an afternoon to actually cut together, but the total time to acquire the footage was about a month.
Muck diving tips and techniques on YouTube
As trailed earlier this week, Steve Fish and the Critters@Lembeh/Lembeh Resort team have released a video highlighting good practices for muck diving onto YouTube. The idea is that this video will be used by many of the dive centers in the area to promote responsible environmental practices among their visitors.
The video also highlights issues like photographic etiquette and using too much strobe on a single subject.
- Blackmagic Design has updated DaVinci Resolve to version 15.2 (via )
- DxO updates Nik Collection to version 1.1 (via )
- Nikon updates Z7 “C” firmware to 1.02 (via )
- Apple announces Final Cut Pro X version 10.4.4 (via )
- Canon updates EOS C200/C200B firmware to v18.104.22.168.00 (via )
- Nikon updates D850 “C” Firmware Version 1.02 to 1.03 (via )
- RED releases DSMC2 beta V7.1 firmware to all users (via )
- Nikon updates NX-D to 1.5.0 (via )
- Nikon releases new versions of Nikon ViewNX-i, NRW Codec and… (via )
- Olympus releases firmware version 2.2.1 for E-M1 Mark II (via )


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Low Latency Manufacturing for Biophotonics and Medical Device PackagingDownload the Article!
The medical device market is expected to significantly diversify and almost double in value to $90 billion by 2025, but vendors face significant cost and packaging challenges if they are to successfully exploit these opportunities. Increasingly there is a growing range of technical, commercial and regulatory demands. As a result, the imperative to find a focused, strategic, commercially cognizant process — with specific-field experts and proven partners to cut through these shifting parameters — is more important than ever.
Whether it’s an implantable or wearable device, medical instrumentation or a life science consumable, there are issues of ever-tightening regulation across a range of jurisdictions, especially for the more invasive products. Technically the interaction of human
chemistry with photonic components, as we see in some wearable devices, adds another layer of complexity that must be resolved. Implantable devices must also navigate around the rigors of balancing longevity with performance. Weighing up one against the other is often very difficult, which partly explains the complexity of the issues that must be tackled. Against such often investment-costly dynamics, anything that can improve the financial effectiveness of development and manufacturing is welcomed.
Download to read more...


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Heater Mckay shows off her artwork at the first Pinellas County Swap-n-Shop in April.
CLEARWATER – The next Pinellas County Swap-n-Shop, a community-oriented retail outlet, will take place Sunday, May 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s held every other Sunday at the Fresh Fruit and Veggie Co-op, 2250 S.R. 580, Suite 2, in Clearwater.
The Swap-n-Shop, which kicked off April 13, offers the every day person the chance to sell or swap their goods, said Jennifer Pisco, who founded the group. Items vary from artwork and jewelry to lotions and balms, and browsers can even pick up homegrown flowers and veggies.
“A lot of the vendors just do this for a hobby,” she said. “So this gives them the chance to show off their skills and maybe make a little extra money.”
But it’s also a good way for vendors to jumpstart a business, before taking their wares to larger markets, she said. One woman lost her job right before the April 27 Swap-n-Shop, and showed up with furniture to sell.
“She said, ‘This is my job for now,’” Pisco said.
Pisco, who works full-time as a graphic designer and also has a line of homemade lotions, got the idea for the Swap-n-Shop when she learned about communities in other counties and states hosting similar events.
“And there wasn’t anything like it in Pinellas County,” she said. “I just thought it was a really cool idea, a great way for people to flex their creative muscles.”
She finds that it draws shoppers from throughout the county, and vendors from as far away as Orlando. Vendors can rent a large, tent-sized space outside for just $20 or a table-sized space indoors or out for $10. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The remaining dates for the Swap-n-Shop are May 11 and 25, and June 8 and 22. But Pisco said if the demand is there, she might consider running it as an indoor-only event throughout the summer.


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Thursday, 4 Feb 2016
LG has been keeping relatively mum about the G5’s features, but if the rumors that are floating around are to be believed, it will have a full-metal unibody construction, two displays, two rear cameras, and even a modular battery.
Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony's Chief Financial Officer revealed that major smartphone makers will launch devices with dual cameras by next year, during the company's earning calls.
SwiftKey, a highly popular software keyboard used on some 300 million Android and iOS devices, is now a part of Microsoft, as the latter confirmed.
A reliable source told MacRumors that the iPhone 7 will have a flushed rear camera and no antenna bands on its back. Read on to find out more.
Wednesday, 3 Feb 2016
With the partnership in effect, U Mobile's prepaid users will be able take advantage of SEDANIA Innovator’s proprietary Airtime Sharing (ATS) platform, which would enable them to transfer and request for mobile prepaid credit from other users.
A new patent given to Apple could see future devices being able to detect gestures using a hovering finger. More details in the link.
According to The Economic Times, a senior BlackBerry executive reportedly said that the company is planning to have only the Android platform for its smartphones in the future. Find out why in this article!
Two photos of the Samsung Galaxy S7 models were posted by tipster @evleaks. Both Galaxy S7 models are expected to be unveiled later this month. Hit the link to check out the photos.
According to an article by The Information, Google may be taking a similar approach as Apple to manufacture its own hardware, instead of relying on OEM partners.
Tuesday, 2 Feb 2016
Ever heard of confiscation as a form of parental punishment ending in a court case? That's what happened last week. Read on for more details on an incident that will never happen locally.


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It’s Valentines Day! And a great excuse to delve into the more romantic side of our favourite artists. Yes, we all love the stadium anthems, but sometimes it’s the love songs that show off songwriters at their very best, so we have compiled a list of our 20 favourite love songs from up north. Only
Ahead of the release of Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” documentary in November, it has been confirmed that chart-topping 1970 album, Let It Be, will return as Special Edition packages to be released worldwide on October 15th. Three tracks from the newly remixed and expanded edition will be released digitally as part of a
Original Beatles documentary, “The Beatles: Get Back”, is heading to Disney+ later this year, directed by the globally renowned film director, Peter Jackson. The show is the combined effort of The Walt Disney Studios, Apple Corps Ltd and WingNut Films Productions Ltd, and will air from 25th-27th November exclusively on the channel. Peter Jackson has
We are giving away Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on vinyl to one lucky winner. To be in with a chance of winning this iconic album from The Beatles, just follow these instructions! How to enter:– Head to our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NorthernChorusUK/– Like and share our pinned competition post.– Comment ‘DONE’ Product information:“Sgt.
We are re-launching our Facebook page for the first time in over two years, and will be marking the news with a Facebook exclusive competition tomorrow. Keep an eye out on our page and website as we are giving you the chance to win an iconic album on vinyl – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
We are giving away a copy of The Beatles – Abbey Road (50th Anniversary) vinyl to one lucky winner. To be in with a chance of winning you need to follow these instructions: Head to our Twitter page – @NorthernChorus_ Retweet our pinned competition tweet. Follow our account! Product Information: The new Abbey Road release


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Source: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean has become the latest cruise line given the all-clear to sail, with the CDC giving its Freedom of the Seas ship the green light to hit the open waters.
Following a successful three-day, two-night test voyage with 650 employees on board, the Freedom of the Seas will depart Miami on Friday for a July 4th weekend cruise to the Bahamas with stops in Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s own private island of CocoCay.
It’s time to get back to adventure. pic.twitter.com/qM4NnOYZNV
— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) June 21, 2021
Following Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order preventing the cruise industry from mandating proof of a COVID vaccination, Royal Caribbean announced that all unvaccinated passengers departing from Florida ports will be required to have travel insurance. According to CNBC, the policies must cover all unvaccinated guests over the age of 12 with at least $25,000 per person in medical expense coverage and $50,000 per person for quarantine and medical evacuation related to a positive COVID test.
Royal Caribbean announced on Tuesday it will require proof of vaccination from all ports except Florida.
According to RoyalCaribbeanBlog, all vaccinated passengers onboard its Freedom of the Seas cruise will be issued wristbands to show they are vaccinated and allowing them access to venues reserved for vaccinated passengers only.


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Sony Computer Entertainment American boss Jack Tretton has promised consumers will be able to go hands-on with the PlayStation 4 throughout the year.
Speaking with Bloomberg in the wake of the PS4’s reveal, Tretton confirmed the “a lot of playable content” console will be on show at E3 2013 – a bit of a no-brainer, really.
More interestingly for regular punters, he promised consumer hands-on over the course of 2013.
“Most people will be able to [get their hands on the PS4 before November],” Tretton said. “We know who our consumers are and we’re going to get it to them.”
Tretton’s comments may refer to in-store demos and similar marketing promotions, but it’s also likely to presage appearances at consumer events like gamescom in August, the Tokyo Game Show and Eurogamer Expo in September.
Tretton was otherwise cagey throughout the interview, defending the PS4’s somewhat mainstream-unfriendly reveal, politely welcoming Microsoft’s competition, and refusing to be drawn on price.