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Football is a big draw for those watching the NFL's big game on Sunday, but the commercials in between the gameplay are equally iconic.
Each year, stars join in on the fun and star in various high-profile ads, and this year, Sam Elliott is jumping on board.
A teaser for the ad -- which will air in full during Sunday's big game on FOX -- was released this month, and it opens with Elliott in head-to-toe cowboy garb strolling into a dusty saloon and sauntering up to the bar.
As he's served a drink, Elliott begins to recite the lyrics as fellow bargoers scowl at him.
"I've got the horses in the back, horse tack is attached," Elliott said as a hush falls over the patrons of the saloon.
Elliott turns to a patron and says, "You ain't been up off that porch, now. You can't tell me nothin'."
Before long, the song's bassline can be heard playing, and drinks begin to shake from the vibrations.
Elliott simply puts his drink on the counter and leaves the bar. The ad ends with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and the text "02.02.20" sliding across the screen.
Doritos also shared a clip of the ad to their Instagram, showing Lil Nas X himself riding up to the saloon on a horse, amplifiers blaring his tune "Old Town Road."
"There's a cooler sheriff in town," read the caption. "And his name is Lil Nas X."
The big game takes place on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.


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Each day TFO Canada publishes a sample of trade news on the Canadian import market along with any new, updated or changed regulations and legislations regarding international trade; countries in which TFO Canada offers services and on the export sectors which it promotes.
About 200 SMEs take part in Industria Perķ 2015Tuesday, August 18, 2015 > 09:18:34
(Peru This Week)
Small and medium sized enterprises from around the world convened in Lima to discuss trade.
Peru’s economy took a turn for the better in June with a recorded growth of 3.87%, signaling a positive horizon for business and trade within the region and abroad.
A meeting of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) took place in Lima last weekend, gathering representatives from Arequipa, Junin, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Ucayali and Lima regions, reports Andina news agency.
The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) was in attendance and ran the event, Industria Perú 2015, in collaboration with the Mincetur-run Trade Offices abroad (OCEXs) and Peru’s Export and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPeru).
This year, the event saw attendance increase by 73% compared to the same period last year; and an additional 44% of interested buyers in comparison with last year as well.
About 130 buyers from the US, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Bolivia, Colombia and Panama attended the event, said Mincetur Minister, Magali Silva, according to Andina.
The purchasers and buyers discussed cosmetics, electrical materials, construction finishing materials, food industry equipment, wood products, mining supplies and medical equipment and material, reports Andina.

domain: news


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Here’s a quick look at the four new Hallmark movies premiering this weekend: ‘Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater’ “Single mom Maggie is facing Christmas alone until Lucas crashes into her life and becomes an unexpected houseguest. Together they overcome Christmas while finding comfort in their growing bond. Stars Ashley Williams and Niall Matter.” 8 p.m. […]
Yes, there will be balloons. Though, Macy’s employees won’t be marching the balloons down the street. Specialized vehicles will be! But the magic of a miles-long parade will be condensed into one block at the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square, the company announced Monday. The 94th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast from […]
Lifetime announced that it will air feature an LGBTQ romance this holiday season. In “The Christmas Set Up,” “Hugo, a New York corporate lawyer and his best friend Madelyn head to Milwaukee to spend the holidays with his mom Kate, who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges […]
The hits just keep on coming due to the global pandemic. We learned that Pittsburgh’s annual holiday season parade is canceled due to COVID-19. WPXI announced the decision to cancel the parade today. The parade, which would have celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, was first organized by longtime department store Kaufmann’s and known as […]
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It remains to be seen whether the Q3 2010 roadmap that was leaked by Verizon Wireless was done on purpose or not, but the world is now privy to what the carrier is offering – we’re talking about the Motorola Droid 2 World Edition hitting the market next month alongside the youth-oriented Android-powered Motorola WX445 Citrus. Apart from that, the touchscreen capable LG Octane VN530 will also be coming, accompanied by the LG VN270, Pantech Crux and the ZTE Salute. These will all be budget conscious, so don’t expect the planet to stop with their announcement. The month of October is a little bit more interesting, where the BlackBerry Storm 3 9570 will roll out with BlackBerry OS 6, alongside a SurePress touchscreen that is similar to that of its predecessors. To accompany it would be the BlackBerry Curve 3 9330 alongside the Samsung Fascinate, a Samsung Galaxy S variant that might be a little bit too late. More details on other upcoming devices are available after the jump.
We will also see the Motorola XT610 hit the market in October, which will be another Android smartphone in all probability albeit with lower end specifications compared to the Droid X. As for the Motorola A957, it could be the Droid Pro – but that’s all we have for now. The Motorola Stingray could also make its debut this November, but whether it will feature Android 3.0 Gingerbread or not is another issue.


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Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees, mostly in their online retail operations.
"As part of our annual planning process, we are making headcount adjustments across the company — small reductions in a couple of places and aggressive hiring in many others," the statement read. "For affected employees, we work to find roles in the areas where we are hiring."
It doesn’t look like Amazon wants to decrease their overall headcount. They now have 3,900 open corporate job listings in Seattle and 12,000 open positions worldwide. Amazon says it added 130,000 jobs in the past year, which doesn't include its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods.
At the end of 2017, Amazon employed 560,000 people worldwide.
Whether it will be based in Raleigh or not HQ2 will cost a minimum of $5 billion to construct and operate, and will create as many as 50,000 jobs, according to the company.


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Supreme Cannabis appoints new president and CEO
April 27, 2020 By Grow Opportunity staff
Beena Goldenberg, former CEO of Hain-Celestial Canada, is now the new president and chief executive officer of Supreme Cannabis Company Inc.
She succeeds Colin Moore, who was interim president and CEO since January 2020. Moore assumed the role following former CEO Navdeep Dhaliwal announced his sudden departure and former Chief Advocacy Officer John Fowler, “parted ways” with the company in October 2019.
According to the company’s statement on April 27, Moore will continue as a director of the company and as an advisor to Goldenberg, providing support throughout the transition until the end of July 2020.
“The board and I are thrilled to welcome Beena Goldenberg to lead the company,” said Supreme Cannabis’ board chairman, Michael La Brier. “Beena is a proven, entrepreneurial leader in the Canadian CPG sector who will apply her passion and expertise in marketing and manufacturing to Supreme Cannabis’ brands and operations and capture the vast opportunities within the Canadian and global cannabis industries.”
Goldenberg brings with her more than 30 years of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods sector. Before her 15 years in Hain Canada, she held senior leadership and marketing roles at Catelli Foods Corp., Parmalat Canada and Pillsbury Company Ltd. She also served on the Board of Food and Consumer Products of Canada, the largest CPG industry association, since 2008. She holds a Bachelor and Master’s of Engineering (Chemical) from McGill University.
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IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya's wife Natasa Stankovic shows off her summer fashion looks
Hardik Pandya is having a terrific IPL 2022 with Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, his wife Natasa Stankovic is showing off her summer fashion looks.
It has been a fantastic start for Hardik Pandya in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), as he leads new side Gujarat Titans (GT). Moreover, with his team winning, he contributes with the bat and ball. Meanwhile, his Serbian Bollywood wife Natasa Stankovic is also having a decent time during this period.
Recently, Natasa shared a video of her where she was flaunting her summer looks. She is seen wearing a light black single-piece dress, while her stylish white handbag makes her look more fashionable. "#OOTD ✨", she captioned. However, it doesn't seem clear considering that black is not the perfect colour for Indian summers.
Earlier, Natasa had portrayed another style of her summer look, especially for going swimming. She is seen wearing a black monokini, along with jeans and a black hat. She also flaunted her summer looks at the stadium, where she was seen wearing a black shirt and black trousers, along with a red hat, which seems confusing again as to her obsession with black during summers.
However, Natasa did give the summer vibes with one of her swimming pool looks. She shared her picture in a white bikini, as she indeed looked stylish and ready for summer. She captioned the pictures, "Haye garmi 🔥 (Oh summer)".
In yet another perfect summer look, Natasa was seen wearing a white shirt and a half-belly top, along with grey trousers. Meanwhile, red could also be a good colour for the season, especially in the swimming pool, as portrayed by her here.


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HyperX Extends Deal With JuJu Smith-Schuster
Fountain Valley-based gaming peripherals maker HyperX–now part of HP Inc.–says it has extended its ambassadorship deal with football star JuJu Smith-Schuster. Financial details of the deal were not announced. According to HyperX, the multi-year renewal deal calls for HyperX to continue to be the Official Gaming and Audio Partner of Smith-Schuster and is now also the Official Peripheral Partner of his esports organization, Team Diverge. HyperX said the extension will make this the longest “ambassador” deal the company has ever extended, since Smith-Schuster’s first year in the NFL.


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iSoftBet enters Latvia and Estonia
Leading online and mobile casino content provider, iSoftBet, has strengthened its hold in Eastern Europe after its full suite of games were certified for launch in Latvia and Estonia.
Each game was rigorously tested for compliance by third-party auditor Quinel M Limited, and has also been approved by each market’s regulator.
The supplier’s suite of 35 original and branded slots, including popular titles Paranormal Activity, Disco Double and Eye of the Amulet, are now available to players in both countries via its partnership with casino and sportsbook operator Optibet.
Michael Probert, Head of Business Development at iSoftBet, said: “We are delighted to have had our games certified and approved for launch in Estonia and Latvia, as both markets form a key part of our plans for expansion in regulated jurisdictions.
“Players in both markets can now access our blockbuster slots via the Optibet website, and we look forward to making them available with even more operators in the coming weeks and months.”
The news comes shortly after iSoftBet entered African and Latin American markets for the first time via a similar deal with BtoBet.
Alongside its own proprietary original and branded games, iSoftBet offers more than 1,000+ titles from the likes of Playson, Realistic Games and Habanero via its powerful Game Aggregation Platform.
Each of iSoftBet’s products is created to ensure that it meets industry standards, with a combination of innovation and experience providing world class gaming software to the company’s partners.


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RALEIGH – Raleigh-based Altopa Inc. has raised $3.7 million for its company Oblend, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Altopa filed the Form D on Jan. 2, stating the money was raised from 30 investors.
Altopa has developed a portable delivery device for mixing and dispensing botanical oils to create customized botanical oil blends for on-demand, single-use consumption.
The company, Oblend, strives to capitalize on the craze surrounding essential oils and their benefits of improving overall health and treating medical conditions.
The company was incorporated in 2016. Chief executive officer and founder of Altopa, Nicole Wicker, is a graduate from the UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Private firms such as Altopa, Inc. relying on the Rule 506 exemption do not have to register their offering of securities with the SEC, but they must file what’s known as a Form D electronically with the SEC after they first sell their securities.
The form can be found online.
This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism


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Paul Verciglio readily admits it's not advanced calculus: offer restaurant patrons a high-quality steak -- a big steak -- with top-notch service and you'll attract customers willing to pay premium prices.
"You pay attention to the details -- not to the steak sauce," said Verciglio, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. "People will be impressed."
Verciglio and Hyatt owner Paul Snyder Sr. will see how moved people are to sample red meat, chicken and lobster measured by the pound beginning today.
E.B. Green's Restaurant, a staple at the Main Street hotel since it opened a decade ago, is now E.B. Green's Steakhouse, and make no mistake, red meat is king of this fine food purveyor.
"We've researched this concept for a long time; we even put a bunch of us in a car and drove to Cleveland to Morton's," Verciglio said, a reference to the well-known Chicago-based steakhouse chain.
The Hyatt Corp. obviously likes what it sees in Green's Steakhouse; if the concept is successful here, it could find its way into a number of the 103 Hyatts nationwide.
"If E.B. Green's is successful, other Hyatts will want to take advantage of its success," said Eve West, divisional director of training and development for Hyatt. Ms. West was in Buffalo this week to offer five days of fast-paced training to about 30 Green's employees, everyone from the chefs to the busboys.
"They're getting an education in beef, including cuts and grades," Ms. West said. "We want them to be experts on product."
They better be. Waitresses and waiters, for example, will come to a patron's table with a cart showing the various cuts of certified Black Angus available and will recite the entire bill of fare while holding up a two-pound piece of Prime Rib, 20-ounce New York Strip, two-pound porterhouse, etc.
To get E.B. Green's ready for its new life, about $350,000 was spent on new equipment and renovation. The lounge was expanded and the rear of the restaurant, the Directors' Room, is now enclosed for private parties and meetings.
"We've reduced restaurant seating a bit, to 110, but doubled the seating at the bar to 24," Verciglio said. "We've also tripled the number of liquors and scotches available. We see an opportunity here for a steakhouse of this quality."
It is no secret that the steakhouse concept is, excuse the pun, on fire. Statistics from Restaurant Consulting Group, an Evanston, Ill.-based industry watcher, found that the number of upscale steakhouses in the United States jumped 8.6 percent last year to 868 from 799 in 1992.
"High-end prices put you in the fine dining establishment area," said Allan F. Hickok, a restaurant analyst in Minneapolis with Piper Jaffray Inc.
"With those prices, you eliminate a huge swatch of the American population; America is not about a $40 ticket. And at those prices you better create more than good food. It must be good food and a rewarding experience."
Snyder and Hyatt Corp. appear to have taken Hickok's advice to heart. The ambience and the high-quality food and service go on display today. But simplicity remains.
"It's a simple concept: a good grill and a good steak," Verciglio said.


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MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
November 15-30, 2005 Edition
Barnes & Noble
To Announce Q3
Results Via Webcast
NEW YORK, NY/11/15/05Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced the company will report third quarter 2005 earnings results on Thursday, November 17th, before the market opens. The company will host an investor conference call at 11:00 AM ET on Thursday, November 17th, to review the company's financial results and operations.
This call is being webcast by Thomson/CCBN and can be accessed at Barnes & Noble, Inc.'s corporate Web site at www.barnesandnobleinc.com/webcasts. The webcast of this call will be archived and available at www.earnings.com.
ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world's largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 819 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year in a row, the company is the nation's top retail brand for quality, according to the EquiTrend(R) Brand Study by Harris Interactive(R). Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites and the number one online bookseller for quality among e-commerce companies, according to the latest EquiTrend survey.


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MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and MANZANILLO, Mexico -- Grupo Hemas, a rapidly expanding Mexico-based logistics and security firm, has contracted with Savi Networks for its real-time intelligence service that automatically monitors the location, security and condition of shipments transported throughout the supply chain.
Leveraging wireless GPS location and existing cellular infrastructure, Grupo Hemas now can offer its customers the SaviTrak intelligence service, which enables the company to improve cargo tracking, operational efficiency, inventory management and the immediate detection of possible security breaches. SaviTrak also enables Grupo Hemas to immediately monitor and take action on changes in the status and condition of temperature-sensitive cargo, hazardous materials and agricultural products.
"We have turned to Savi Networks because its industry-leading service provides complete location, security and environmental visibility of cargo anywhere and anytime," said Hector Mora, chief executive officer of Grupo Hemas. "SaviTrak adds cost-effective intelligence to cargo entrusted to us by our diverse customer base."
"With logistics operations serving about 600 locations in Mexico alone, Grupo Hemas is a strategically important customer for Savi Networks because it is a major global trading partner," said Neil Smith, chief executive officer of Savi Networks. "We already have commercial and government customers throughout Asia, Europe, North and South America, and now our relationship with Grupo Hemas expands the SaviTrak intelligence service into Mexico."
Grupo Hemas will provide the SaviTrak service through its Hemaspheria security service, initially to customers doing business in Mexico and eventually for cross-border shipments to and from the United States, Canada and elsewhere worldwide.
About Grupo Hemas Grupo Hemas is a company offering innovative logistics solutions to a broad set of customers. Within its portfolio of solutions, Grupo Hemas offers a unique, one-of-a-kind service called Hemaspheria, which has been developed to satisfy the logistics and security needs of shippers transporting cargo throughout Mexico, USA, Canada, and the rest of the world. With Hemaspheria, you always know where your cargo is and its condition via our Command Center, which is staffed with highly trained specialists who interdict if an incident occurs while the cargo is in-route. The service is supported with advanced devices and a state-of-the-art technology platform, which provides unprecedented confidence to our customers.
About Savi Networks
Savi Networks was founded to improve the efficiency and security of global trade. SaviTrak is an intelligence service that utilizes reliable wireless shipment monitoring technology to provide shippers, logistics service providers, and terminal operators with easily accessible, precise and actionable information. Savi Networks is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Hutchison Port Holdings.


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As all Fortnite players who once played on Apple devices know, the two companies have been embroiled in a legal battle stemming from Epic's decision to circumvent App Store V-Buck purchases.
The result of the lawsuit is, among other things, the inability of Fortnite players on Apple to receive updates to their game.
Earlier this week, the two tech giants entered the courtroom for the first time. The revelations that have since come to light have been nothing short of shocking - with leaked services, Fortnite crossovers, and company policies now hitting the public eye for the first time.
Let's take a look at some of the major things we've learned from this court case.
Huge Fortnite crossovers
We'll start with what we learned about Fortnite. According to court documents, Epic were/are planning crossovers with The Rock, Naruto, LeBron James, Samus, The Hunger Games, and more.
Some of these crossovers might be scrapped concepts for Season 5, but it stands to reason that big names like LeBron and The Rock are still on the table.
Lackluster Esports earnings
Competitive Fortnite players have been complaining about the dwindling prize pools of Fortnite esports for a while. Well, it looks like we now know why.
According to a spreadsheet released in the court case, Epic estimated that they'd make $4.59 billion from Fortnite esports in 2019 - the year of the World Cup. It turns out that they overestimated that number by more than $154 Million.
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
Walmart cloud gaming service
Emails relating to the case show that Walmart had been pitching publishers like Epic Games a new cloud-based gaming service, similar to Google Stadia.
Obviously, they didn't want this news to get out. We have no idea when Walmart was planning on announcing or releasing the platform - only that it's in the works.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Sony charges for cross-platform play
Most people who pay attention to gaming news know that Sony never wanted to embrace crossplay. After all, they won the last generation of console wars and didn't want to give any ground to Microsoft.
As we suspected, confidential court documents confirm that Sony were putting blockade after blockade in front of the crossplay integration. Tim Sweeney, Epic CEO, even said, “In certain circumstances, Epic will have to pay additional revenue to Sony.”
This could be why only a handful of AAA games offer crossplay to this day. Small and independent developers can't afford to pay Sony's extra charge. And yes, they're the only platform to charge such a fee to developers.
Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Some other revelations include the fact that Epic pushed Microsoft to offer free online multiplayer ahead of the Apple Lawsuit. Epic also confirmed that they offered players a free Battle Pass to compete with Apex Legends' release - something most of us already knew.
The court case is still going, and more could come to light in the coming weeks. If it does, we'll be sure to update you.


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| Mar 26, 2012
| 12:20 PM
Beef Products Inc. told the Associated Press on Monday that it’ll shut down operations at three of the four plants where it makes the meat product that critics have nastily taken to calling “pink slime.” But some food industry experts...
| Mar 27, 2012
| 6:37 AM
Beef Products Inc. told the Associated Press on Monday that it will shut down operations at three of the four plants where it makes the meat product that critics have nastily taken to calling "pink slime."
But some food industry experts say that the...
| Dec 23, 2011
| 3:19 PM
More grocers pulled Enfamil baby formula cans from shelves Friday, while U.S. health regulators said they are widening their investigation to include several types of baby formula after the death of a Missouri newborn.
Even though Enfamil has not been...
| Dec 23, 2011
| 11:46 AM
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Several more national retailers have joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in pulling a batch of powdered infant formula from their shelves after a Missouri newborn who consumed it apparently died of a rare bacterial infection.
| Jan 9, 2012
| 9:04 AM
As the calendar turned to 2012, the usual glut of "experts" willing and ready to tell us how to be better people — thinner, fitter, more organized, less stressed, kinder and more financially sound — made their annual appearance before...
| Apr 10, 2012
| 7:57 AM
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell Tuesday on disappointing news about the U.S. economy, extending a losing streak that could turn into the year's longest.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 54 points to 12,875 in the first hour of trading. The broader...
| Jul 12, 2012
| 3:29 PM
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy workers at some Maryland and Virginia stores ratified a new, two-year contract Thursday that increases wages, maintains pension benefits and funds health benefits without raising workers' costs, the union local representing the...
| Oct 10, 2012
| 8:08 AM
A group of about 150 residents who live near the Albertsons on Central Avenue in South Glendale have submitted a petition to the company in a last-ditch effort to keep the supermarket open.
The Albertsons is one of 18 slated to close in Southern...
| Oct 11, 2012
| 8:14 AM
Tyson Foods, Inc. is voluntarily recalling 67,269 pounds of packages labeled Tyson® Any'tizers® Honey BBQ Boneless Chicken WYNGZ, company officials said today. The product is packed in 25.5-ounces bags. The affected product was sold to retail stores...
| Oct 22, 2012
| 7:06 AM
Sofia Vergara’s fiancee, Nick Loeb, joined us live to tell us all about Onion Crunch. Onion Crunch is the ONLY ALL-NATURAL topping that can be sprinkled on to bring out the crispiness of a roasted onion flavor on salads, sandwiches, dips, soups,...
| Oct 29, 2012
| 1:12 PM
Meijer, the Walker-based grocery giant, has announced their expansion into a sixth Midwestern state, with possible retail locations on the horizon.
Monday, Meijer announced the purchase of a Wisconsin-based distribution complex, currently owned by...


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Volvo’s Stage V-compliant engine is powering a range of Sandvik loaders and trucks used for underground mining operations.
The OEM’s vehicles that operate beneath the Earth’s surface, including its LH517 loader have now been installed with the Volvo Penta engine after prototyping and testing had been carried out in Finland.
Underground mining provides some of the toughest working conditions in confined areas and, as the next level of EU emission regulations approaches, choosing the appropriate engine to meet the stringent requirements as well as able to cope with the demanding conditions is significant.
“Ventilation in mines requires fresh air being pumped underground both for human needs and to dilute the exhaust emissions, and this is then pumped back up to the surface,” said Wayne Scrivens, vice president of product line, load, and haul at Sandvik.
“In deep mines, this air can be refrigerated, so the processes all add up to considerable cost. With Stage V, reduced emissions from the engine means reduced ventilation requirements, so it lowers the costs for the operator.
“Our units have a low profile for working in confined spaces and tunnels, so they must be compact, and Volvo Penta has found solutions for us.”
To comply with forthcoming EU standards, Sandvik will offer Volvo’s Stage V solution which is certified by the US Department of Labor’s MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) and Canada’s CANMET (the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology) – both of which stipulate regulations for ventilation in mining.
Scrivens added, “We have found that many customers embrace lower emissions engines even when the regulations in their countries do not require the strictest levels.
“And as Volvo Penta’s Stage V engines are certified by MSHA and CANMET, it means we can offer our machines in the USA and Canada with the correct certification already in place. It’s good for us that Volvo Penta is able to support us in this way.”
The engine range offers power from 105kW to 565kW (143-770hp) and feature a high-performance engine and exhaust aftertreatment system (EATS).
David Hamilton, director of global key accounts and business development at Volvo Penta, said, “We weren’t well known in the mining industry when we first started working with Sandvik a decade ago, but we have good products and we have learned a lot about what is important to them.
“Uptime in particular is very important in underground mining. The engines are put in extreme conditions in mining and their success shows we have a robust and durable range.”
March 29, 2018


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There’s no doubt the face of retail is changing dramatically. Also, it’s no secret that consumers are spending more and more time online. And we all know a good portion of that time online is spent spending money.
As the “Amazon-effect” continues to make online shopping easier for consumers, brick-and-mortar retail brands are changing the way they attract, engage and retain customers. In many cases, visitors to brick-and-mortar stores are looking - and in some cases expecting - that same seamless experience in-store they are getting online.


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May 18, 2020
CareGo Disinfection Channel
With the current pandemic situation, the economy has been stagnated with all industries are putting a halt except essential services. How can company prepare for resuming operation and effectively reduce epidemics occurrence? The answer is precautionary measures.
March 2, 2020
Coronavirus – Precaution Measures in Office
Coronavirus has created havoc all over the world. With more than 80,000 cases registered around the world at the point of writing. The infection is spreading more than 60 countries and affecting the businesses too. World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency to control the outbreak of Coronavirus.
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Wilbert Plastic Services adjusts to changes with new owner, leadership
Wilbert Plastic Services Inc. is undergoing some changes that came as part of the $11.6 billion acquisition of its parent company, Alleghany Corp., in 2022 by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
It is now part of a different unit within the Berkshire Hathaway businesses and will have a new leader as Greg Botner plans to step down March 31.
Alleghany subsidiary Alleghany Capital Corp. included thermoformer and injection molder Wilbert Plastic Services Inc. and injection molder Wilbert Funeral Services Inc. The two Wilbert companies, which started out as Wilbert Inc., are no longer related operationally, but maintain business connections and report to the same parent.
As with any companies Berkshire Hathaway enfolds, it's complicated.
Wilbert Funeral Services of Overland, Kan., mainly makes concrete vaults, but in 2022 bought some assets of Carrera Manufacturing: W&M Manufacturing and Pier-Mac Plastics Inc., both of Portland, Ind. It renamed the companies Astral Molding & Finishing, which became part of Wilbert's Astral Caskets division.
AMF, based in Lynn, Ind., makes metal caskets and plastic casket accessories such as handles and decorative items. Astral has 28 injection presses with clamping forces of 110 to 750 tons, as well as 10 vacuum metalizers to plate the plastic parts.
AMF also makes some automotive and consumer products that it sells to retailers and other companies, Astral Caskets President Don Robinson said in a March 23 telephone interview.
Wilbert Plastic Services Inc. (WPS) provides thermoformed casket liners to Wilbert Funeral Services, but also supplies a variety of products to customers in industrial, transportation, medical, commercial and recreational markets.
Both Wilbert companies are now part of Berkshire Hathaway's Marmon Holdings Inc.; WPS is listed under transportation holdings while WFS falls under industrial. WPS was acquired and integrated in October, but the funeral services business just shifted from Alleghany to Marmon in January and is still settling in, Robinson said.
"We will be transitioning into the opportunities Marmon offers to us, which are vast," he added.
Mark Bates, Wilbert Funeral Services CEO, expects to see increases in performance and profitability under Marmon.
"They have more tools in their bag for us to use, and a reputation for being very effective in operations and financial management. They have strong discipline in those areas and our company will benefit from them," Bates said by phone.
There will be some adjusting at WPS as Botner, CEO and president, just announced he will be retiring from the company March 31, though he said he anticipates returning to the business world after a brief break.
"After 40-plus years in manufacturing, I'll take a month or two off," Botner said March 29 by phone. "Business is in my blood and I plan to be involved in something going forward — maybe acquire a business myself" or accept a directorship position.
Botner said Brian Diaz will be overseeing WPS. Diaz is president of another Berkshire Hathaway company, automotive molder Prism Plastics Inc. in Chesterfield, Mich.
Botner has a background in both plastics and metal, so his options are open.
"I thought about taking the T-shirt shop route," he quipped.
He joined WPS as a director in 2007 and has been in his current roles since 2008. Sales doubled in 15 years under his leadership.
"I had a good and successful run these last 15 years at Wilbert Plastic Services. I'm very proud of the company we built and I'll miss the management teams. But being part of the Marmon Group is good for the financial health of the company; it gives them the opportunity to expand and move forward."
WPS had 2022 thermoforming sales of $95 million, placing it at No. 31 in the Plastics News ranking. PN estimated the firm's injection molding sales for that year at $110 million, placing it at No. 77 in that ranking.
PN has not ranked WFS.
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T-Series will continue to support different genres of films with its 12 to 15 scheduled releases this year, including 'De De Pyaar De', 'Kabir Singh', 'Bharat', 'Batla House', 'Tanhaji', 'Netro', 'Marjaavaan', India’s biggest dance film and so on. Along with the new films, T-Series will also launch new talents under its banner.
This is possibly the first time that an Indian production house has as many as 10 films on the floors in a month. The films are a mixed-bag of medium and big budgets ones and have been in the planning stage for a year now.
Starting 2019, T-Series has 11 films on the floors just in India — a result of the rigorous planning by the entire team in the previous year.
While Kumar and his team were busy promoting the releases last year, he was also managing the pre-planning stage of all the films that will go on the floors this year. The hands-on producer credits his team and co-producers for efficiently supporting and helping him.
Presently, shooting of the films is underway in Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai, Mussoorie, Nagpur and Kochi, with actors Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn, Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, John Abraham, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Amitabh Bachchan, Sidharth Malhotra, Tara Sutaria, Riteish Deshmukh, Varun Dhawan and others.
2019 not only marks a strong year for Kumar production-wise, but also towards making music — his biggest passion, just like his father. The man has adapted to the new-age music scene and has been continuously delivering hits while exploring different genres of music. He kicked off the year by exploring a new concept like Electro Folk, followed by the second segment of Mixtape.
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Nirma will acquire 75% of Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS) in a deal valued at ₹5,651.5 crore, or ₹615 per share.Apple Bites Big, Turns Largest Smartphone Exporter from India
Apple has for the first time outpaced Samsung on smartphone export volumes from India, shipping 49% of the country’s total 12 million shipments in the June quarter compared to its Korean rival's 45%.China no More the Main Character in India TV Picture
The Chinese brands in the Indian television segment are losing market share for the first time, mirroring the trend in the smartphone space.
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You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘4 A's’ category.
Media Link’s Michael Kassan is known as our industry’s “player,” and he exhibited some Hollywood-esqe sucking up in introducing his consumer experts panel at the Four As conference this afternoon, calling Ball State’s Mike Bloxham, a “rock star.”
That was nice, and probably true, but how do you introduce the rest of your panel after setting that bar. Well, Kassan lowered the bar a notch, introducing MediaVest’s Jim Kite as “probably a rock star” too. Ouch.
At the 4As conference in New Orleans this week, the themes obsessively revisited were consumers’ desires and their preferred methods of media consumption. But there was a special twist: Actual focus groups, comprised of three important consumer groups—millennials/Gen Y’ers (age 20-30), baby…(subscription required)
by Daisy Whitney
An oft-heard phrase in the advertising business is, “It’s all about the consumer.” That will be the mantra at the American Association of Advertising Agencies conference, which is hosting local New Orleans consumers on its panels as part of the trade group’s reality check.
“Unlike conferences we’ve had in the past, which started and ended with industry people talking, this year’s conference begins with a trio of live consumer focus groups: young people, baby boomers and women,” said Kipp Cheng, senior VP of communications for the 4A’s. “Each segment that follows the consumer panels will respond, in one way or another, to what the consumer panels had to say.”


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Image Source: Facebook
On Sunday, The Limited shut down all of its brick-and-mortar stores and laid off 4,000 workers. According to Business Insider, The Limited announced on its website:
“We’re sad to say that all The Limited stores nationwide have officially closed their doors. But this isn’t goodbye. The styles you love are still available online — we’re just a quick click away 24 hours a day.”
While the retail locations are closed, online sales at thelimited.com continue, currently with deep discounts. The Limited is offering 50% off all purchases, but these are final sales and delivery may take up to 10 business days to process.
If The Limited was your favorite stop in the mall, now is the time to stock up on the classic, work friendly attire it was known for. Shop fast! Many sizes and colors are running out, and there’s no guarantee if there will be any restock.
Here are our top picks from The Limited’s store-wide 50% off online sale.


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Google has canceled its Google I/O event, where the Pixel 4a smartphone was expected to be launched. That has left people wondering what the search giant was cooking up for the unveiling of the budget Pixel 4a device. Notorious leaker Evan Blass has shared what he claims to be some leaked Billboard designs for advertising the new smartphone.
There are multiple designs, but the one pictured here is the interesting one. It shows not only the smartphone but also confirms the price tag of $399 reports 9to5Google. The Billboard of the price tag shows the smartphone from the front, indicating that it has thicker than some other devices on the market and a hole punch camera in the left top corner of the screen.
It appears that the device has dual camera sensors on the back and will come in at least black and white colors. One of the images that shows the side profile makes the device look very chunky compared to other very thin smartphones on the market. Considering the budget price, most shopping in this price range won’t mind a thicker phone.
Other than the price, the Billboard renderings don’t show any other details of the smartphone. It’s also worth noting that these are advertising renderings put over a real-world Billboard, not advertisement that is already out in the wild.


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It’s happened. We have built our reputation upon providing Washington State Department of Health certified cannabis to the market and now we are running out of tested material. But the state of Washington does not yet have a lab certified to test for heavy metals in cannabis, as per the Department of Health rules.
To quote from my March 2018 LTD column:
“With more than 1,000 growers competing for space in less than 400 stores in Washington, one factor that helps keep us relevant is having our flower blessed by the testing standards set by the state Department of Health for pesticides and heavy metals. This testing allows us to put the General Use sticker on the package, ensuring consumers that they are getting cannabis that is free of harmful contaminants.”
Or my December 2018 column:
“Recently, I fielded a call from our testing lab representative informing us that the lab’s owners decided to no longer test cannabis. … All of our packaging has the DOH symbol. The lab rep was giving me a 10-day warning to test all we needed before they shut down to our industry at the end of September.”
That lab ended up getting an extension of its certification until the end of January 2019. That put the state Department of Health in a bind since its own rules demanded both pesticides and heavy metals be tested to use the symbol and that was the only lab in the state for heavy metal testing. Their solution, if we are to continue to use the General Use Complaint symbol, is to impose an emergency rule that forces the few of us who relied upon this testing to put a sticker on our packaging that states: “WARNING: This product has not been tested for heavy metals.”
In a field of thousands of other producers that claim “pesticide-free” on their packaging but have no required tests to back it up, we are supposed to put a warning on our packages that points out the lack of having this test available! Incredibly infuriating!
I won’t do it. I will not place a warning sticker on our packages that indicates somehow lesser quality products. I paid for new printing plates to incorporate that symbol onto all our packaging and now I am designing a sticker to cover it up?
What will tomorrow bring? I cannot tell. I threw away my crystal ball and just take it one day at a time.


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Sambo's Restaurants Inc., which operates 1,117 restaurants nationwide, is changing its name in the Northeast in the hope that a new image will win back customers, officials said today.
They said the change was designed to shift the conception of Sambo's from a breakfast-only restaurant to one that offered breakfast, lunch and dinner, and was not a response to criticism that the name is racist. Sambo's evolved from the name of the chain's founder and former chairman, Sam Battistone, the company said.
The new name, to be used initially at 18 restaurants in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, will be ''No Place Like Sam's.'' The chain has already renamed 13 of its restaurants ''Jolly Tiger.''Continue reading the main story


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HORSHAM, PA. — Bimbo Bakeries USA (B.B.U.) is introducing Sara Lee sliced bread products to the Northeast market, including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Additionally, B.B.U. said it is expanding its existing distribution network of Sara Lee bread in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
“Bringing Sara Lee into the Northeastern United States provides an exceptional opportunity for B.B.U. to leverage an iconic brand and deliver a world-class product to new consumers and retail customers,” said Jon Silvon, category director.
The move will allow for greater availability of Sara Lee sliced bread products in the Northeast region, including Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat and Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bread; Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White and 100% Whole Wheat Bread; 45 Calories & Delightful 100% Whole Wheat and Healthy Multi-Grain Bread; and Iron Kids Better White Bread enriched with Calcium & Fiber.
B.B.U. also is introducing a new Butter Bread, now available in the Atlantic markets.
“Sara Lee breads have always had the taste consumers want and the nutrition they need,” Mr. Silvon said. “Our investment in these products will not only yield a more healthful, high-quality product, but will also allow more of our consumers to enjoy them every day.”
Sara Lee bread will be available in superstores and regional grocery chains throughout the Northeast markets.
Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V., parent of B.B.U., acquired Sara Lee’s Fresh Bakery business in November 2011. Since that time, B.B.U. said it has reformulated some of the recipes to improve their healthfulness, removing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives as well as high-fructose corn syrup.


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From manufacturers to wholesalers, the lighting supply chain needs to start measuring and explaining the non-visual impact of its products on end users.
Lighting designers must learn to design for the biological as well as the visual effects of light, PhotonStar’s Fenella Frost told LuxLive yesterday.
The latest installment of 'whose lighting industry is it?' The IT giant develops a technology that's kind of like 'Li-Fi' but different. Could even replace the ubiquitous bar code
Back in April we reported on the world’s first glow-in-the-dark road - now the artist behind it has unveiled a glow-in-the-dark cycle path inspired by Van Gogh.


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Brett Childs, Brainworks Ltd chief executive, tells Proactive he is looking to build up the number of hotel beds it owns in Zimbabwe to meet a rush of tourists.
Hotel occupancy jumped 20% in its normally quiet first half and Brainworks now sold its financial services business to focus on leisure.
Childs says he wants the company to become the vehicle of choice for any investor looking to invest in Zimbabwe tourism.
The country has five world heritage sites, while the upgrade to new Victoria Falls airport has given a significant boost to an area where Brainworks has over half of its assets.
Political change has also helped and Childs is looking to acquire greenfield sites to build new hotels in the country, something that has not happened for years.


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Within six months, AutoNation customers should be able to initiate car purchases online.
AutoNation, the largest new-car retailer in the U.S., will switch its Web sites in December from being mostly informational to transactional, CEO Mike Jackson recently told analysts.
“Customers can select specific vehicles, get a committed price, give us a deposit and that becomes their vehicle without ever having entered the store,”Jackson said. “If somebody walks in 10 minutes later and wants to buy that vehicle, no, it’s committed to that digital transaction.”
The Web changes are part of a $100 million effort by AutoNation to create digital storefronts, according to Automotive News.
Customers want Web sites that will give them information about vehicles as well as handle actual transactions, Jackson said.
“Informational sites are useful,” he said in the Automotive News article. “They’ve taken us to a certain point, but customers are not interested in doing all that work, disconnecting and then coming to the stores and starting over again.”
AutoNation operates 17 new-car dealerships in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to its Web site.


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MOUNTAIN VIEW, California -- Apple may have the Jesus phone, but today Google rolled out its own "superphone."
Google unveiled its Nexus One touchscreen handset during a private press-only event at its headquarters here Tuesday. Developed in partnership with hardware manufacturer HTC, the Nexus One is Google's first branded entry into the smartphone market.
The Nexus One runs the latest version of Google's Android mobile operating system, allowing for several forward-thinking features. Nexus One users can rely on speech anywhere on the phone where text can be input -- users can speak their e-mails, text messages, tweets and web searches. The phone also uses dual-microphone noise cancellation for improved voice quality and speech recognition, and has a vastly improved user interface which incorporates widgets that can pull in live data feeds from web services like Facebook.
"The Nexus One is where web meets phone," says Google vice president of Android project management Mario Queiroz, pictured above. "It's an exemplar of what's possible on mobile phones. It belongs in an emerging category of devices which we call superphones."
The phone will retail for $180 with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile, but will also be available for $530 unlocked (spot on with the latest speculation). It ships today and is available for purchase immediately at Google's new online store. The Nexus One will be available on Verizon and Vodaphone networks this spring, Google says.
Google's Nexus One will not only have to compete against other web-enabled handheld devices like the iPhone and Palm Pre, but also other Android phones such as the Motorola Droid. By releasing its own phone, Google puts itself in direct competition with other members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a consortium of mobile hardware and software developers and carriers, all of whom have been working on Google's Linux-based Android operating system. It could represent a tricky balance for the company to maintain.
The handset itself is sleek and gorgeous. It's housed in a thin exterior case less than half an inch (11.5 mm) thick, and it weighs only 4.5 ounces (130 grams). The Nexus One also boasts some impressive hardware. It features a zippy 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which Google says enables the phone to seamlessly run multiple applications at once. A trackball allows users to navigate the interface, and also uses different colored lights to send various alerts -- such as a new call or e-mail message. It also sports a 3.7-inch touchscreen AMOLED display with a native resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, a 5-megapixel camera, 512 MB of RAM and ROM, and a microSD slot that's expandable up to 32 GB of storage (it ships with a 4-GB card). It has a compass and an accelerometer, and light and proximity sensors allow the device to save power by dimming or shutting off the screen. A metal plate on back is designed for personal engraving. There is no hardware keyboard.
Although the Nexus One was only officially unveiled Tuesday, the debut has been highly anticipated for weeks, as Google had all but announced it was on the way. The company gave a pre-release version of the phone to all of its employees just before the holidays, and posted a message to its mobile blog about the "dogfooding" process of testing a new mobile device.


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Uber-pressed London black cabs will finally accept cards, from late next year
Thu 26 Nov 2015
It has taken the massive pressure of Uber’s popularity in the capital to bring about a fundamental change in London’s black cabs that most of us believed should have taken place sometime in the 1990s, at latest – but in any case, from next year, increasingly cashless Londoners will finally be able to pay black cab taxi fares by credit or debit cards, including contactless payment and the possibility of paying for journeys via PayPal.
However Transport for London’s announcement also reveals that the expense of bringing London’s fleet of 21,000 licensed Hackney carriages all the way up to the 20th century will put 20p on the minimum fare chargeable, which will rise from its current £2.40 to £2.60. Notwithstanding this buffer to black cab income, TFL has succeeded in negotiating a reduction in credit card transaction fees for this scheme, to three per cent or less, rather than a ceiling of ten per cent.
The innovation will come into force from April of 2016, and by October all black cab drivers will need to have complied with the directive, which mandates the new payment methods. The change comes in the wake of a survey conducted by TFL which asked the public and special interest groups about whether card payment should be instituted for the fleet; the resultant PDF is littered with references [PDF] to the superior and cheaper experience that consumers are currently getting from Uber.
The change has to be approved by the TFL board in February, but that seems unlikely to obstruct the plans, about which London’s mayor Boris Johnson waxes enthusiastically ‘This is great news for the millions of people who use London’s world famous black cabs. This move will boost business for cabbies and bring the trade into the 21st century by enabling quicker and more convenient journeys for customers.’
Johnson, by nature in favour of disruptive technologies, usually finds himself conflicted regarding the plight of London cabbies threatened by the Uber invasion. However last month he set himself hard against the ride-sharing company by protesting that Uber drivers are using technology to circumvent the law which prohibits all but black cab drivers from picking up casual street traffic, noting that many members of Parliament ‘do not have Uber’, presumably meaning that they do not have smartphones.
Various card payment operators are currently working on various payment solutions for black cabs, including PayPal, Taxipay, CCIPS, Ingenico, iZettle and Dashtaxi.
Cab users who need longer journeys will probably be trundled very quickly out of the possibility of contactless payment for their fare, since the current per-transaction limit is fixed at £30. Many of the individuals consulted during the survey which has led to this new action have also suggested that London’s Oyster Card scheme be included among the payment options, although no provision has currently been made for this, according to the releases so far.


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We have been reading about big corporations like Samsung, Apple and LG trying to bring foldable display technology in the smartphone market. Some confirmed that they will bring the big surprise as soon as early 2019. But well, it is already here in 2018. But guess what, who introduced it to the market? An unknown US company called Royole who till now only made some flexible displays. Yes, Royole FlexPai is in fact, the first foldable display phone of the world and if you open it, the display is as big as 7.8 inches and it transforms into a fully functioning tab.
Royole FlexPai has the specs of a flagship phone including the all-new Android Pie v9.0 (based on Water OS 1.0), Snapdragon 8 series Chipset, powerful Adreno 640 GPU for gaming, 2.8 GHz Octa-core CPU, 8 GB RAM, 16 & 20 MP cameras, Full HD+ Display and so on. The phone is available for pre-order for 1,388 Euro (about 1 lakh 33 thousand Taka). The device was introduced in an event in Beijing, China. The first phones are expected to be delivered in early December.


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Academy Award and Emmy-nominated director, producer and showrunner Leslie Iwerks is reportedly bringing a 3-part documentary about the history of DC Comics to HBO Max.
Produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, DC, Berlanti Productions and Iwerks & Co., the as-yet-untitled documentary will focus on the creation of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the DC Universe of characters, allowing fans to “rediscover the universe of characters, as well as the iconic comic book company’s origins, its evolution and its nearly nine-decade cultural impact across every artistic medium.”
“DC has a rich legacy of over 80 years of iconic storytelling: from the introduction of the genre defining superhero Superman in 1938 to the amazing movies, TV shows, cartoons, games and comics which have been synonymous with superheroism for generations thereafter,” said Jim Lee, publisher and chief creative officer at DC. “We are so excited to dive into this history and bring fans along this amazing journey.”
“DC has created some of the most meaningful, culturally significant comic book characters that have defined a generation and truly impacted people’s lives,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive vp nonfiction and live-action family at HBO Max. “We are thrilled to take fans behind the scenes and give them a never-before-seen look into the company and creators behind this iconic universe.”
No premiere date has yet been announced.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.


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We recently told you about the five new Prestige levels that were released on the PC and would be coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3 soon. Now we know exactly when those dates will be.
Prestige Levels 16-20 will release on the Xbox 360 on May 15th, and on the PS3 in mid-June.
Infinity Ward isn’t intentionally holding the new levels back from the PS3. Rather, they’re including the new levels in the next patch for each console. The 360 has a new release planned for May 15th already, whereas the PS3 doesn’t have another planned until June. They could release the new prestige levels as a separate patch, but new patches reportedly cost $40,000 per patch for certification on the Xbox 360 and PS3, so the decision was made to include the new prestige levels into already planned patches instead.


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FabIndia, which has recognized Khadi not only in the country but also abroad, is going to bring an IPO soon. The company is preparing to raise one billion dollars, or about Rs 7500 crore, through this. The company may submit documents related to this with the market regulator SEBI in the coming few months.
According to media reports, this New Delhi-headquartered company is in talks with several investment bankers like SBI Capital Markets, ICICI Securities, JP Morgan. The valuation of the company could be around Rs 15,000 crore. The company will sell a 25-30 percent stake by IPO. Five years ago in 2016, Premji Invest had bought an eight percent stake in FabIndia. The company valuation at that time was around Rs 4500 crore. Infosys co-founder Nandan, Nilekani, and Rohini among those who are also involved who invested in FabIndia. FabIndia has 327 stores across 118 cities in India. There are 14 stores abroad.


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When you hear the word “cryptocurrency,” what’s the first thing that springs to mind? For many of us, it’s Bitcoin — the original, most highly valued, and most widely discussed cryptocurrency. And for many of us who care about conserving energy and innovating with sustainable solutions to climate change, Bitcoin isn’t exactly a household brand.
The Guardian’s Alex Hern recently pointed out that Bitcoin uses as much CO2 per year as 1 million transatlantic flights. That number is a baseline, it’s not static — the nature of the cryptocurrency means Bitcoin miners are continually adding new “blocks,” or transactions, to the network, which is called a “blockchain.” This process creates an ever-increasing demand for energy worldwide. Because it’s a distributed system, Bitcoin’s energy consumption isn’t confined to a single data center — it’s distributed. Every miner is responsible for skyrocketing energy usage.
Bitcoin incentivizes energy consumption because miners make more Bitcoin as they process transactions. As Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies increase in value and more miners join the party, energy consumption increases. If countries were to produce this energy through alternative methods such as wind and solar, this wouldn’t be a problem. Or, if a renewable energy company were to somehow contract with Bitcoin to provide all the energy its miners need, its proponents could have a clean conscience.
As is, Digiconomist reports that Bitcoin consumes more energy than Bangladesh and is just below Israel on the energy consumption ladder:
The nature of Bitcoin combined with the nature of coal-fired power plants makes for a wasteful, pie-in-the-sky cryptocurrency, especially given the fact that there are very few real-world uses for Bitcoin. Investors can cash out, but that lessens its value. Businesses can accept it as payment, but that makes them a part of an unsustainable, unproven and volatile system.
Yet, despite this seemingly damning state of affairs, the technology underpinning Bitcoin — blockchain — has its merits.
Solar Bankers is a solar energy company using a new blockchain solution called Skycoin to promote clean energy. The idea is novel to say the least: Skycoin is an open-source blockchain platform businesses can use to create their own cryptocurrency. Solar Bankers tapped it to create SunCoin, “the first peer-to-peer energy trading platform.” Solar Bankers’ customers can generate solar energy in their homes and then use SunCoin to effectively trade solar energy credits. In other words, you could generate solar power, and then instead of the excess that you don’t use going to the power company, you can sell it to someone else using SunCoin.
The idea is disruptive because it cuts out power companies. According to Solar Bankers: “The solar energy market is dominated by large utility companies that buy solar energy at a low price and sell it through the electricity grid at a much higher price, securing huge profits at the expense of the end consumers and small-scale solar producers.”
If utility companies weren’t driving up the prices through net metering agreements, solar credits would cost much less. What’s more, some customers unknowingly fund anti-clean energy groups, because utility companies help pay for these groups’ lobbying efforts.
SunCoin works through an app that lets you monitor your electricity consumption. Once you generate enough electricity to power your home, Solar Bankers says the excess goes to “community microgrids.” Smart meters monitor the microgrids and communicate with users’ apps. Solar Bankers says users could potentially make money and profit outside of SunCoin’s trading platform. Recently, Solar Bankers kicked off a pilot program in Turkey, where it’s installing a microgrid, which is a series of nodes that store and transfer solar energy.
All SunCoin transactions will take place on Skycoin’s Skyledger, a blockchain platform that eliminates the power-burning practice of cryptocurrency mining. Instead of incentivizing miners with coins, Skyledger works by giving cryptocurrency to people who operate nodes in a mesh network. Basically, in exchange for cryptocurrency a user houses an antenna or other device that communicates with other members of the network. The user’s computer acts as a modem and doesn’t consume any more power than it normally would to connect to the internet. With SunCoin, users would generate power through solar devices, making it a circular, sustainable network. With Skycoin, users are participating in a free, environmentally friendly Internet called Skywire that could potentially replace the current Internet.
That’s not the only sustainable use for blockchain. Moyee Coffee has a blockchain setup to monitor supply chain transactions for coffee beans. This could serve as a model for supply chain transparency for all sorts of businesses — using blockchain to document every step of a product’s supply life from farm to market. Moyee uses a blockchain solution from FairChain to make this happen.
Skycoin’s model shows you don’t need energy-intensive mining to operate a blockchain. And using Moyee’s model, a company could show you everywhere a product has been, and you could pay for that product using cryptocurrency the company has created. You can compare the company’s cryptocurrency price for a product to its market value. Furthermore, you could be certain the company’s cryptocurrency is powered by clean energy.
It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to see how blockchain can promote sustainability. In fact, the platforms for sustainable blockchain are already here. It’ll be exciting to see where we go with them.


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The harsh reality is that schools that don’t understand NIL will be left behind in recruiting, on the field and on the national stage. Schools trying to make it to this national stage now have a better route to do so. Powerhouses who think resting on their name will work will be awakened to a new reality in college sports.
Orange Mountain Designs, which opened Oct. 1 in Knoxville after years in Blount County as part of a partnership between store founder Holder and Hall Alumni Jeff Goodfriend, sells apparel and retail items exclusively for the nine Sports Lady Vols. The opening brought in two head coaches, Kellie Harper from basketball and Karen Weekly from softball, as they know the role the store can play in recruiting. Chancellor Donde Plowman and UT Director Emeritus of Women’s Athletics Joan Cronan were also in attendance.
NIL players arrived soon after to sign autographs, talk to fans and handle media interviews.
The Lady Vols currently under contract with the Lady Vol Boost (Her) Club are: Edie Darby, Tess Darby, Jasmine Franklin, Jillian Hollingshead, Jordan Horston, Rickea Jackson, Tamari Key, Brooklynn Miles, Justine Pissott, Jasmine Powell, Sara Puckett, Karoline Striplin, Jordan Walker and Kaiya Wynn (basketball); Bailey Davis (golf); McKenna Gibson, Payton Gottshall, Kiki Milloy, Karlyn Pickens, Zaida Puni, Ashley Rogers, Rylie West and Ryleigh White (softball); Jaida Thomas and Giselle Washington (soccer); and Morgahn Fingall, Danielle Mahaffey and JaKya Moore (volleyball).
If international players, such as basketball players Jessie Rennie and Marta Suárez, show up at functions, they cannot be paid, but the Boost (Her) Club can donate to a nonprofit of its choice.
While players may be compensated for retail sales and appearances, community service is also part of the Boost (Her) Club’s mission with ties to local nonprofits, such as a camp that the team basketball event held over the summer which benefited Knox Youth Sports.
The next event is the Fall Festival in the Smoky Mountains on Sunday, October 16 from 2-6 p.m. at Elvira’s Café, located at 4143 Wears Valley Road in Sevierville. Assorted student-athletes from Lady Vol will play basketball, golf, soccer and other fun games with attendees. Signing sessions and a selfie station will be set up. Admission fees are $25 for ages 13 and up; $15 for ages 3 to 12; and children under 3 are admitted free.
A special Fall Festival t-shirt and custom player jerseys are available for purchase. Tickets are available HERE.
“We want to allow fans to enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the Smoky Mountains, playing games with these amazing young ladies,” Holder said. Fans can have real and meaningful interactions. The players really enjoy these events and meeting the fans.
Debby Jennings, longtime director of sports information for women’s athletics from 1977 to 2012, was part of a panel convened earlier this year for a panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX, its impact on the women’s athletics in Tennessee and Lady Vols’ legacy of leadership and excellence in women’s athletics. The panel, fittingly, gathered next to the statue of Pat Summitt on campus, and the story can be read HERE.
Jennings pointed out during the discussion that the original Boost (Her) Club, which formed in 1979, played a role in propelling Tennessee to the fore amid the sweeping changes to the sport brought by Title IX.
“I remember when we had our first West Coast volleyball player, it was like we had arrived,” Jennings said. “Before, if your state touched the Tennessee border, you would probably compete in Tennessee because that’s where the recruiting was. You haven’t strayed very far from your state’s borders. And that’s how it was until things changed in 1982 when we joined the NCAA, and then it changed the dynamic.
The original club was way ahead of its time, Jennings said, as it indicated early support for UT women’s sports.
The new version of Lady Vols Boost (Her) Club is also ahead of its time, as it navigates historic NCAA legislation that allowed NIL.
Harper said at the opening of Orange Mountain Designs: “I am thrilled as a fan of all Lady Vols but also as a trainer to be able to continue to spread our brand and ‘to offer to the community and to players and future players. It’s a big deal when we can tell them how important our brand is, when we can tell them how important Lady Vols is in this community and for the department athletics. We can say that, but now we can show them. We can drive them here.
“When you choose to be a Lady Vol, you associate yourself with our brand in today’s NIL space. This brand sells. This brand is recognized in this community and, honestly, not just in this community but in This brand is what you can associate yourself with as Lady Vol.


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The tech industry has spoken: Smart watches are the hot gadget that electronics manufacturers want you to buy. It seems like every company has a wrist-computer now. Here are three of the newest, most-hyped smart watches coming to wrists soon.
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's worst-ever COVID-19 outbreak is dealing a blow to the country’s tourism and recreational industries, which are already reeling due to the pandemic.
Travel agencies, which have turned to domestic travel as a lifeline, are bearing the brunt of the fresh restrictions placed over the weekend due to a surge in local cases.
As orders are canceled, Chung Hsing Travel has seen NT$15 million (US$536,000) in sales evaporate in two days, and leading agency Lion Travel has been forced to scrap Explorer Dream cruise tours until at least June 8, reported Mirror Media.
The impact is also being felt by accommodation businesses after Taipei and New Taipei announced a Level 3 alert on May 15. Marriot Taipei posted losses of NT$30 million from canceled banquet hall rentals and NT$10 million from room reservations, and its restaurants are being shuttered this week.
Not only are hotels in Greater Taipei suffering, but those elsewhere in the country are also being hit by cancellations prompted by increased caution. National chain Fullon Hotels has seen room reservations and dining services drop by 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively, as schools abort their summer travel plans.
Meanwhile, amusement parks and theaters are feeling the heat too. The Lihpao Resort in Taichung, which received 9.6 million visitors last year, has reported that 320 group tours comprising 40,000 visitors have been axed.
A theater business owner speaking on the condition of anonymity lamented that sales were already down over 80 percent and that with mandatory closures in cities nationwide, the outlook of the industry is expected to be gloomier.


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Recently the famous conference organizer CIMGlobal, opened a new office in Abu Dhabi with a view to exploit the continuingly growth of business market to the area.
The company stated that they see many opportunities in the Mice [meetings, incentives, conferences and events] sector in the emirate and as the Abu Dhabi constitutes the center of the reason when it comes to business initiatives is the ideal place. This is the first time that CIMGlobal expands its business activities in the UAE and there are two more projects in company’s plans.
The office is going to be based in Adnec, Abu Dhabi’s national exhibition center, which will help CIMGlobal to enrich its list of international conferences and exhibitions, stated Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, the acting group chief executive of Adnec.
Last year the conference centre hosted 327 events and 1.6 million visitors, increasing the visiting percentage of the area about 5.2%. But there are also hundreds of other exhibitions and conferences that took place in several hotels and venues in the city.
Mice sector in the Arabian Gulf turn a profit of US$1.3 billion with the half of it issue from UAE. The region’s key Mice destinations include the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Bahrain and Qatar in the GCC, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan in the wider Mena region – excluding Turkey which is a major international Mice destination.
Travellers and visitors of conferences and exhibitions usually spend more money at their destination places than the rest of the tourists when it comes to shopping in the area. There is also a possibility for the city to attract the attention of the other tourists too.


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November 3, 2011, The Bridal Show at Overture. Photography by Mike Bechner.
This article appears in the December 2011 issue of Madison Magazine
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The local retail brand has come a long way since its early days selling only nautical gear
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Most major river systems in Wisconsin are good eagle-watching spots
A look into the world of animal research at UW and beyond. Why the debate remains so heated.
Don't forget to try An Affair to Remember
Food & Dining |
Arts & Entertainment |
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Copyright 2014 Madison Magazine. All rights reserved.


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The pound has fallen sharply after several pieces of data raised fears of a slump ahead for UK economic growth, driven by surging inflation.
The market mood turned ugly when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 1.4% monthly decline in retail sales in March, led by a big drop in demand for online purchases.
There was little sign for optimism among retailers, except for the owners of garden centres and DIY shops, though the data did suggest that COVID-weary consumers shifted discretionary spending towards hospitality and attractions instead as the weather improved.
Economists had expected a 0.3% decline in sales month-on-month - and sterling dived by more than 1.5 cents against the dollar, to an 18-month low of $1.28, as investors fretted over the prospects for economic growth ahead.
The UK currency was also more than one cent off against the euro.
Adding to the gloom was data from a survey of purchasing managers showing the slowest rise in private sector output for three months in April - with record inflationary pressures and war in Ukraine hitting demand.
A closely-watched measure of consumer confidence, also covering April, delivered its second-lowest reading since records began nearly 50 years ago.
It suggests that consumer spending, the biggest contributor to the UK's GDP, is at risk of being choked off as families fret over rising bills for everyday goods and services.
ONS Director of Economic Statistics Darren Morgan said of the retails sales data: "Retail sales fell back notably in March with rises in the cost of living hitting consumers' spending.
"Online sales were hit particularly hard due to lower levels of discretionary spending.
"Fuel sales also fell substantially, with evidence suggesting some people reduced non-essential journeys, following record high petrol prices, while food sales continued to fall, dropping for the fifth consecutive month."
It all makes for worrying reading at the Bank of England.
The GfK consumer confidence index, derived from a survey, came in at -38 - worse than economists had expected and just shy of the all-time low seen in 2008 as the global financial crisis was gathering pace.
The responses were registered at a time when we learned that inflation had hit a 30-year high of 7%.
It is forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility to climb above 9% after the unprecedented surge in the energy price cap in April - and rises in other household bills such as mobile, water and broadband are reflected in the calculations.
The price cap is currently expected to rise further - by up to £500 - in October when the additional effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine are included, while the retail sector expects price rises to intensify throughout 2022.
GfK reported a sharp decrease in consumers' intentions to make major purchases.
All the data will be taken into account by rate-setters at the Bank, who have signalled more caution on rising rates ahead after lifting Bank rate to 0.75% at their last meeting.
They will be anxious not to choke off economic growth through rising interest rates, which are intended to stop rising inflation expectations, such as wage hikes, rather than rising prices as the inflation has been caused by factors outside their control including energy and food costs.
Inflation, while not demand-led, is nevertheless proving more sticky and persistent than policymakers had expected and financial markets still forecast a 0.25% rate hike at the next meeting of the monetary policy committee in two weeks' time.
That is because the inflationary fires have been stoked by Russia's war against Ukraine.
However, Bank governor Andrew Bailey admitted on Thursday that policymakers were walking a tight line between tackling inflation and avoiding recession.
That is because raising borrowing costs to help ease inflationary pressures could prove counterproductive with millions of mortgage holders - those on tracker or standard variable deals - already paying more.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said of the situation: "The ONS' retail sales data is a wake-up call that life is going to be tough for shops - virtual or physical - in the coming months.
"Once those vastly increased energy bills hit the doormat and households take time to reassess their financial situation, there is every chance that retail sales could get even worse," he wrote.


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The manager of a virtual marketplace for local farmers and an independent bakery owner tell us why online shopping is the future for artisan food producers.
When the topic of shopping local comes up, a common complaint is that with today’s busy lifestyles, a lot of people don’t have the time to go to multiple shops or visit a market.
It’s much more convenient to go to a large supermarket or log on to Amazon, where you can buy a range of goods from different traders and get everything you need in one go.
With this in mind, pioneering entrepreneurs in Scotland have now set up similar online marketplaces for local farmers and artisan producers to sell directly to customers in a bid to help local businesses survive and keep up with modern shopping habits.
The system allows shoppers to stock up on everything from organic vegetables to fresh meat, to artisan cosmetics, all without leaving their sofa.
During lockdown, they’ve provided an essential service to people self isolating and to local businesses alike.
The North East Food Hub, established by Ellie Sinclair, owner of Aberdeen jam and sauce company Veg Co, is described as a virtual “local supermarket” and launched around the start of lockdown.
It stocks everything from fresh meat, dairy, vegetables, vegan items, dried fruits, confectionery, ready meals, soft drinks and basic household goods.
More than 50 producers including Cambus O’May, The Bread Maker, Rora Dairy, Big Beefy’s Biltong, Invercamey Dairy, Aberdeenshire Highland Beef, Kilted Coffee, Mike’s Pizza and Louise’s Farm Kitchen have already signed up to the project.
Donald Anderson, CEO of The Break Maker artisan bakery, which has benefited from selling through the hub, said: “We stayed open for wholesale orders but had to close our café and retail bakery.
“Our wholesale operation supplied cafes and restaurants but obviously now that’s all gone, so it’s mainly places like farm shops that we’re servicing. Then we started to deliver to people’s home through the North East Food Hub.
“It’s been a success – we’re taking around 500 orders a week. At the moment we’re just focusing on bread, such as wholemeal, brown rolls, gluten-free bread and butteries.
“We’re finding that people are liking getting fresh bread delivered to their door rather than going to a supermarket. The home deliveries are a big help to us after losing a big percentage of our trade, and we’re now gradually bringing some people back from furlough.
“There’s been a lot of support for local businesses and small producers, which is why we’ve been able to remain open.”
Meanwhile Rosie Jack, market and events manager at Bowhouse Link, explained that the platform was much more than a standard farmers’ market.
“We’re a working farm, set in a modern working estate”, she said.
“We grow grains and cereals and produce organic beef and lamb, among other things. We also have a converted farm building with food and drink production bases. There are eight different food and drink businesses with tenancies here, it’s a whole hub.
“Before lockdown, the producers and a number of other stallholders would sell their goods at a monthly market that we hold. When the lockdown came we had to re-think how we would do that. One of the features we wanted to have even before lockdown was an online shop – that was something we were already working on for some time. We just had to implement it.
“So we’ve been working closely with the Open Food Network, which is an e-commerce platform that allowed us to upload the food producers’ stock and sell it. Once a week, on a Monday, customers can log on and place their orders at the virtual ‘market’. That has worked really well so far.
“At the beginning we were just focusing on our core traders, which include a flour mill, The Butchery at Bowhouse, East Neuk Market Garden and organic wines, beers and spirit producers. Now we’ve opened it up to all the traders that take part in our markets.”
Rosie explained that the Bowhouse hub was created because there was a “missing link” in the food chain – people would see produce growing in the local fields but it would then be shipped off to supermarkets in other areas.
Meanwhile, on visiting their local supermarket shoppers would see products brought in from other locations in the UK and abroad.
“You’d see cauliflower in the fields but if you went to a shop the cauliflower there would be from, say, Yorkshire, for example”, added Rosie.
“Bowhouse is here to disrupt this and retain local produce for our communities. It’s about getting people closer to farming and help them learn more about food, and building direct links with customers.
“It benefits the environment too, if you’re shopping local. And we’re not just a selling platform, we really engage with the traders and encourage them to collaborate. Rather than taking the produce out to the community, we bring the community into the farm.”
Before lockdown, the physical monthly market was set up as a mini-food festival with street food stalls, music, cooking demonstrations, workshops and talks, making it a fun day out for all the family as well as a shopping opportunity.
The farmers would bring cattle too, allowing the children to pet the lambs and learn about food production.
Although lockdown has put a stop to this for the time-being, Rosie is hopeful that when things return to normal people will come back for the market as well as continuing to shop online.
Rosie added: “This is now the seventh week of running the Bowhouse Link online market”.
“It will keep running after lockdown, as we want customers to use it for their weekly shopping, rather than getting everything from the supermarkets.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in traders who want to be involved and also a steady sign up of customers – during our first week we sent out about 30 orders, this week we had 65. This is a manageable number for us at the moment. We deliver to Leven, Cupar, St Andrews and East Neuk but we can definitely expand the locations we deliver to in future.
“We also normally do collections, but right now we don’t want to encourage people to come from far away. When lockdown is lifted we hope to have a mixture of online and physical custom. I do think that people are really missing face-to-face interaction and I think we’ll see a big rise in people wanting to come to the monthly markets when they re-open.
“It’s too early to say right now what way things are going to go. There’s been a really great movement of people supporting local businesses during lockdown and it would be brilliant if this can continue. I really hope we can keep the momentum and move towards shopping local regularly.
“Demand for produce fluctuates, but generally people load up their baskets with a mix of veg, dairy, bread and meat.
“Prices are something we’re looking at – we want to be affordable for most people, but at the same time our produce does cost a little more than at supermarkets, because we want our producers to be paid fairly.”


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Samsung dives into 8K, MicroLEDs and more at CES
Our TV screens are only going to get bigger.
Dell on the upgradable Alienware Area 51m laptop, OLED and what's next
It's going to be an interesting gaming year for Dell and Alienware.
AMD's CEO and CTO on Radeon VII, ray tracing and beyond
AMD isn't too worried about NVIDIA's RTX GPUs.
Presenting the Best of CES 2019 finalists!
Here's our list of nominees for all 15 categories.
AMD's Radeon VII is the first 7nm GPU for gamers
It's targeted at solid 4K gaming.
NVIDIA RTX 2060 hands-on: Ray-tracing on a budget
NVIDIA's cheapest RTX GPU is still a massive upgrade.
What's next for HP's PCs?
Alex Cho, HP's president of personal systems, chats with us at CES.
Intel Studios shows off volumetric video capturing with 'Grease'
It's just a short taste, though.
Alienware's 55-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor is pure eye candy
Now Dell is getting into big screen gaming displays.


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Shanghai, January 24, 2013 – An SAP implementation within a few weeks – years ago, that was still unthinkable. But with the new Rapid Deployment Solutions (SAP RDS), it is now becoming the rule, writes expert Christopher Thomson in a new white paper by itelligence AG, the leading full-service IT provider in the SAP environment.
Dr. Clemens Weis, Vice President, Managing Director Greater China, comments: “I am delighted that itelligence has been selected by SAP as RDS partner of the year in the fast growing Chinese market. As a result, it was clear to us to publish the white paper on RDS in China- with its detailed information – as one of the first counties worldwide. Thanks to the white paper, our customers can now decide much more quickly which system is right for them.”
Expert Christopher Thomson has overseen global RDS projects over the past months. His conclusion: The implementation time for SAP software can be reduced by 40% by means of supplied templates and standardized implementation. Fixed prices ensure that budgets are adhered to. Companies can also expand their RDS system step by step. This means that “big-bang projects” are now a thing of the past. Thomson illustrates this with three examples from the current total of more than 100 quick-start solutions from the Walldorf-based software group.
For organizing global supply chains, an RDS solution is available that allows companies to react immediately to any sudden changes in the demand or supply situation. In addition to the software, the complete package also includes all services relating to implementation. In this case, the go-live can take place within twelve weeks provided there is a supply planning system that provides CSV files.
itelligence Press Release Rapid Deployment Solutions permit SAP implementation in just a few weeks SAP consulting company itelligence: New white paper shows the advantages of Rapid Deployment Solutions
Furthermore, it now takes only around 20 weeks for a customer-specific warehouse management system to be ready for rollout. With SAP RDS for Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), even smaller companies are able to map more complex warehousing processes and ensure a higher throughput of goods.
The third example shows how companies can integrate their subsidiaries into their financial management system in a record time of eight weeks – including all fundamental accounting, financial statement and reporting functions.
All-inclusive packages at fixed prices including all implementation services – for SAP, this type of software implementation is the future standard. According to itelligence expert Thomson, this benefits companies of all sizes: “The time-to-value is reduced and with the fixed-price offer companies have more reliability in their budget planning.”
You can read the Chinese version of the white paper on SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions in full at http://machinery.itelligence.cn/
Author of the white paper: Christopher Thomson
Christopher Thomson is Senior Manager Global Business Solutions at itelligence in Munich,
Germany. One of the focuses of his work is global projects with SAP RDS. He is also responsible for international project methods and tools. Thomson is currently consolidating itelligence’s SAP RDS business and is responsible for the international rollout.


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Marks & Spencer chief executive Steve Rowe is taking over leadership of the Clothing and Home division to deal with supply chain issues including availability and flow of product.
Rowe said: “The business now needs to move on at pace to address long-standing issues in our Clothing and Home supply chain around availability and flow of product. Given the importance of this task to M&S, I will be overseeing this programme directly.”
He takes over from Jill McDonald who is leaving the business nearly two years after taking over as managing director of the division.
“Jill was brought in to establish a strong platform for the transformation of the Clothing and Home business. She has achieved that; she leaves with my thanks and good wishes for the future. She has recruited a talented team, improved the quality and style of product and set a clear direction for the business to attract a younger family age customer,” said Rowe.


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- China farms one-third of the world’s caviar, making it the most significant producer of the luxury food in the world.
- Chinese caviar producers like Kaluga Queen are flooding the global market, making the food less expensive and more accessible.
- US producers are now feeling the strain, as caviar prices have dropped 58%in six years.
- View more episodes of Service Insider Today on Facebook.
Following is a transcript of an episode of Company Expert Today. View the full episode here
This sturgeon can produce as much as 33 pounds of eggs. And simply 1 pound is worth nearly $57,000
It’s caviar– likewise known as “black gold.”
However Chinese caviar producers are flooding the market, making this luxury product less expensive and more available in the United States.
Wholesale costs for caviar fell 58% from 2012 to 2018 for United States manufacturers– and little American caviar farms are struggling to make a profit.
Even so, caviar production in China continues to increase.
China supplies one-third of the world’s caviar, and its most significant producer, Kaluga Queen, raises its sturgeon in this 221- square-mile man-made lake.
Here, an employee is feeding pellets to sturgeon– which are no ordinary fish.
Xia Yongtao, Kaluga Queen deputy basic manager: “It’s a living fossil from the Cretaceous period, the period of dinosaurs, and like a ‘living Ferrari’ swimming in the water.”
There are about 200,000 of these “living Ferraris” at this farm consuming a diet plan of shrimp, peas, and vitamins. At 7 years old, they can reach up to 13 feet long and weigh 660 pounds
And after tending to them for seven years, it’s not always simple to say farewell.
Qiao Yuwen, Kaluga Queen sturgeon farm worker: “When they are fully grown, they can give the company revenue, however they have to leave us. I discover it hard to part with them.”
In the end, it’s a service and the eggs are a special, looked for by lots of all over the world.
Russia utilized to be the world’s leading producer, but overfishing of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea diminished its supply of caviar.
And other nations– consisting of Japan, Italy, and the US– have actually stepped up to satisfy demand.
Today, China leads the charge with 54%of the world’s business caviar farms. And no one has increase production rather as fast as the Chinese.
In truth, China’s caviar production increased tenfold from 2003 to 2016.
And Kaluga Queen has plans to get back at bigger. Its deputy general manager said over the next five years, it will produce 20%to 30%more caviar each year.
This increase in supply is a hazard to other caviar manufacturers, who fear the abundance will lower earnings and reduce the value of their product.
However consumers have whatever to acquire from a lower cost. And for now, caviar is still viewed as a symbol of luxury.


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The drop represents the first time overall spending has declined for three consecutive months since February 2013.
Visa UK & Ireland managing director Kevin Jenkins commented: “The figure provides further evidence that rising prices and stagnant wage growth are squeezing consumers’ pockets.
“The drop in spending was felt across a broader range of retail sectors last month, with clothing, household goods, food and transport among the worst hit.
“There were still some bright spots in July, with hotels, restaurants and bars reporting a 6% increase. The sector is likely to have benefited from an early surge in summer staycations, as the weak pound made holidaying at home more attractive.”


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Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — Many Vietnamese firms are set to participate in the Vibrant Tamil Nadu Expo and Summit in Madurai city, India, to seek information and business opportunities, a meeting heard in HCM City yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting, Jeevan Kandpal the Indian consul in the city, said the food industry-focused expo from August 12 to 15 would provide “opportunities to forge business partnerships world-wide.”
The expo aims to bring together all the stakeholders from “farm to fork” – a reference to farmers, food processors, manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers, and consumers -- he said.
India is the world’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, marine products, and meat and poultry.
It is the largest producer of milk with production estimated at 155.5 tonnes, or approximately 19 per cent of the world’s production.
Its food and grocery market is the world’s sixth largest, with retail contributing 70 per cent of the sales.
“Domestic consumption is immense, given the 1.3 billion population and increasing affluence,” Kandpal said.
It would be a lucrative food market for Vietnamese firms, he said.
“The Indian Government has relaxed norms for the sector, allowing up to 100 per cent FDI in food product e-commerce through the automatic route, and the wide consumer base should be a magnet for creating successful business ventures.”
Nguyễn Thế Hưng, deputy director of the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s HCM City office, said food is among Việt Nam’s industries with the greatest potential.
“Food products not only meet domestic demand but are also exported to many countries and territories around the world. Việt Nam is becoming an important supplier of agricultural products and food globally.”
Hưng hoped through the expo Vietnamese agricultural products, foods and beverages would enter the Indian market.
Vietnamese firms would also have the opportunity to network with international partners at the event, he said.
Nguyễn Đình Trường, representative of the Việt Nam Cashew Association, said cashew enterprises are very interested in the Indian market and, in addition to participating in the expo, would also want to visit leading cashew processing facilities there.
The District 5 Business Association said it would send a delegation to the expo.
K Thiruppathi Rajan, chairman of the event organising committee, provided information about the event and took questions.
Kandpal said bilateral trade grew by 35 per cent last year to $12.27 billion, and the two countries are striving to lift it to $15 billion by 2020. — VNS