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(Images via: Science Blogs, Channel 4, Travel Pod, Neat-O-Rama)
A recent study detailed that nearly 50 percent of dogs and almost 60 percent of cats are overweight or obese due to high-calorie diets and insufficient exercise, sparking questions in this author’s mind about the eating habits of animals in the wild. From bonobos maintaining a unique food rating system to rats falling in love with junk food to apes knowing when wild fruit is perfectly ripe to lizards literally basking in the sun for Vitamin-D, animal consumption is a wide spectrum of cool, absurd, weird, disgusting and critical stories. Bon appetite.
Nature’s Food Critics: The Bonobos
(Images via: Rubicon Exotic, Lolaya Bonobo, Flickr, Harvard, Huffington Post)
Apparently if bonobos could talk, they would tell you that their top 5 favorite foods are as follows: figs, raisins, grapes, bananas and popcorn. That’s not bad in terms of healthy foods. According to recent research, bonobos preferred these foods during a study that examined their eating behavior and ultimately learned that these animals maintain a unique vocalization system to express their like or dislike for certain types of foods. More specifically, bonobos made a barking sound when presented with their favorite foods and grunted like a little piggy when presented with unfavorable foods. Foods that were in-between in terms of bonobo likes and dislikes were greeted with peeps, peep-yelps and yelps. Yams and peppers were least liked by the bonobos, which researchers believe use this vocalization system in the wild to communicate with other bonobos about the presence of certain types of foods.
Nature’s Junk Food Lovers: The Rats
(Images via: Elated, My Lovely Rats, Morning Star, Sky, Ekawaaz)
Just when the bonobos get us off to a good start about eating healthy, leave it to the rats to come in and screw everything up. Actually, recent research showing how rats get hooked on junk food could have larger implications for understanding why people may become addicted to food and drugs. More specifically, pleasure centers in the brains of rats become less responsive once rats become addicted to junk food, a similar effect seen in previous studies in which rats became addicted to heroine. In the food study, a group of rats was given junk food like Ho Hos, sausage, pound cake, bacon and cheesecake. These rats soon became so addicted to these less-than-healthy foods that they became less active and continued to eat them despite knowing that they would receive a mild, electrical shock. According to researchers, the rats needed more and more of the junk food to receive pleasure once they got hooked on these fatty substances, just as rats on heroine needed more and more of the drug once they became addicted. Even more interesting, the addicted rats refused to eat any other food for two weeks once the junk food was taken away from them, choosing to starve rather than subsist on healthier grub.
Nature’s Man-Eaters: The Tsavo Lions
(Images via: Squidoo, Blue Lion, Wild Dream Liners)
What happens when grazing animals like buffalo, zebras and other normal sources of food were not available to lions as a result of drought? In 1898, two Tsavo lions in Kenya turned to the convenience of man at a time when there were more humans in their area during construction of the Uganda Railroad. Recent research examined the carbon and nitrogen in the teeth of the remains of the two lions — now on display at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History — and estimated that the lions claimed 35 humans in a 9-month period. Past accounts had credited the lions with eating as many as 135 humans during that span before they were shot to death. Especially interesting and scary is the belief that the lions worked in a tandem when hunting men.
Nature’s Vitamin-D Lovers: Lizards
We’ve all seen pictures of lizards basking in the sun, a common ritual that had been popularly believed to help regulate the body temperatures of these reptiles. According to new research, it turns out that lizards also bask in the sun to get them some vitamin D, a vital nutrient found in orange juice. Lizards and humans are similar in that we both have compounds in our skin that can convert sunlight into vitamin D. What’s especially interesting with lizards is the belief that these reptiles have sensors in their brains telling them when they’ve gotten the right amount of Vitamin D. Why does this matter? Well, too little vitamin D can make the lizards sick while too much of this nutrient can be toxic. Sure, this example of lizards basking in the sun for vitamin D is not exactly a story about animal eating habits, but it certainly is a relevant depiction of how other types of animal consumption are as vital to healthy living.
Nature’s Food Testers: Apes
Apes have always loved to get their hands on bananas at any time of the day, but did you know that these primates may actually know when this favorite fruit is just right for their picking and eating without even having to peel one open? According to new research, dying brown spots on bananas are surrounded by rings that glow blue in ultraviolet light and may suggest to wild apes that the food is good to eat. Scientists have theorized that apes search for food that emits short-wavelength light and use this detection to gauge whether food is ripe or rotten. Since apes are better than humans at seeing such light, these new findings on the light emitted from bananas could eventually provide more research on the eating habits of apes.
Nature’s Spoilers: Firefly Flashes
(Images via:U Know Why, Top News, Maggie’s Farm Revisited, Deep Creek Times)
Just as light seemingly plays a role in how apes and monkeys determine when to eat food, light also signals to other animals not to eat certain types of prey. A recent study found that bats use firefly lights as a signal not to eat this prey, a good decision when considering that fireflies can be toxic for bats. According to field observations, fireflies may actually help themselves and larger predators by flashing light when in danger. Researchers provided the example of a bat catching a firefly with its wing or tail prior to getting ready to eat it. However, with such contact, a firefly may emit its light, signaling to the bat to let the prey go because of its danger, thus saving the firefly’s life. Based on field observations, bat reactions to eating fireflies are not good and can include head shaking, gagging and vomiting.
Nature’s Secret Food Stashes: Penguins and Sperm Whales
(Images via: , MSNBC, Tree Hugger)
Sometimes when the going gets tough for finding food in nature, the tough get going. For a long time, scientists wondered why some penguins actually leave their families and drift out to sea for long periods of time. This mystery is now understood based on new research of adult Macaroni penguins in the Subantarctic. Following spring breeding, these adult penguins spend six months swimming and diving in the deep sea so that they can feed on a secret stash of food: Subantarctic krill and crustaceans. As for the mythical and elusive sperm whale, it was recently captured on video stealing fish from fishing lines. Amazingly, the sperm whale was able to unhook the fish without getting caught in the fishing lines. For a mammal that big, stealing fish seems like an uneven playing field, but hey, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do sometimes.
Nature’s Food Myths: Beavers
(Image via: Max Wideman)
Beavers have always subsisted on and loved eating wood, right? Not so, according to new research that details how giant beavers in the Ice Age were more like hippos than modern beavers in terms of what they ate. Carbon dating of the extinct giant beaver Castoroides ohionesis revealed that this precursor to the modern beaver ate large amounts of aquatic plants and pond weeds as there were likely few trees during the Ice Age. However, once the climate became better and wetlands were replaced by forests, the beaver’s love for tree bark began. In current times, beavers crave wood so badly that they will resort to eating their own homes when in need of food.
Nature’s Food Crises: Albatrosses and Leatherback Turtles
(Images via: The Bird Guide, Turtle Protection, Resource Efficiency, Tree Hugger)
Just how dangerous is pollution — particularly introducing plastic into the environment — to animals? Ask remote albatrosses and ancient leatherback turtles. A recent study found that Laysan albatrosses living on Kure Atoll (a remote island in the Pacific Ocean) ingest 10 times more plastic than chicks living on the populated island of Oahu. Another study analyzed 400 deceased leatherback turtles and found that approximately 1/3 of these reptiles had plastic in their digestive systems. It turns out that these turtles can easily mistake plastic for jellyfish, their main source of food. Just as plastic can block a turtle’s gut, cause digestive problems and even lead to death, this material can also puncture intestinal tracts of albatrosses, thus highlighting the dangers of improper garbage disposal and the importance of recycling.ï»¿


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- Articles tagged "nokia"
At Nokia Connection 2010, the Finnish outfit introduced its 12-megapixel with 720p video recording juggernaut, the Nokia N8. Also new was the Nokia X5 aimed for the hip and trendy crowd. Here's a quick hands-on impressions of these two new Nokia devices.
Are mobile phones capable of 720p video recording? Judging by the latest lineup, yes, they can. We give you some quick highlights of the latest devices from Apple, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung that does just that, and when you can expect them on our shores.
We got some hands-on time with the recently announced Nokia C3, C6 and E5 at Nokia's office. Also, a quick peek into the Microsoft Communicator Mobile, a collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft to unify communication channels in a corporate environment.
- Specs of Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced leaked
- Huawei and Xiaomi rumored to launch phones with curved displays in September
- IBM shows the way forward beyond Moore’s Law with five-qubit quantum computer
- Search issues plagued the iOS and Mac App Stores
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Review
- Leaked: Pictures and benchmark results of the upcoming Intel Core i7-6850K “Broadwell-E” CPU
- This LG washing machine is hidden under another LG washing machine!
- LG's sanitizing, odor-removing, steam-cleaning Styler closet is coming to Singapore!

domain: news


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Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is an online public procurement portal which was primarily brought in with a focus to aid MSMEs for the procurement and selling of products. Throwing light on how GeM portal is declining the supply chain challenges for MSMEs and taking India a step ahead towards self-reliance, Talleen Kumar, CEO, GeM joined in India Transformation Summit organised by Elets Technomedia.
Mr Kumar, mentioning the efforts by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said, “The Ministry has taken various measures to strengthen the business environment for MSMEs and GeM has been one of the most significant steps.”
“The three pillars of GeM are – Inclusivity, a perk of the Government e-Marketplace where from small vendors to business owners all are equally allowed to use the services available on the portal. Second is Usability and Transparency, a feature where the authorities ensure complete transparency and from craftsmen, artisans to shopowners, wholesalers and companies all can use the GeM portal. The third pillar is Efficiency and Cost Saving. In a recent study by the World Bank, 1,63,000 tenders have been analysed and it was found that at GeM 9.57 percent less than the median price was offered. Hence, the World Bank identified GeM as a cost-effective platform”, told Mr Kumar.
Further, describing how GeM has posed as a gamechanger for the micro, small and medium enterprises, Mr Kumar said, “Apart from this, we have over four lakh sellers and out of this 26 percent are from MSMEs. Moreover, the contribution from MSMEs on the GeM portal is over 56 percent of the total of Rs 56,000 crore. This simply implies that the MSMEs are benefitting from the GeM portal.”
Mr Kumar also talked about policy and guidelines regarding payments. He mentioned that the Government of India has taken a historic step in fine-tuning the payment receiving. “We have filters regarding PPPMI and PPPMSE at the portal and we also encourage the practice. As per the recent historic decision taken on July 3, if anyone delays payment over 10 days after Consignment Receipt Acceptance Certificate (CRAC) they have to pay 12 percent interest.”


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Let It Be Done
JUNO Award-winning reggae singer, songwriter, producer and social activist Kirk Diamond, from Brampton, offers messages of unity and hope in his new single and video “Let It Be Done”, written in light of the political climate and social unrest that has affected so many worldwide. Holding multiple #1 spots on the Canadian Reggae Chart for over 25 collective weeks, it’s no surprise Kirk Diamond has been named one of CBC’s 10 Canadian Reggae Artists You Need To hear. kirkdiamondmusic.com
Drones for trees
Flash Forest is Canada’s first-to-market and largest drone reforestation company that uses its technology to reforest areas at 10 times the normal rate of reforestation. Its goal is to heal the planet’s lungs (did you know only about 15 per cent of the world’s original forests remain intact). Instead of humans on the ground, Flash Forest transfers the hard labour to drones at 10 times the speed. A successful pilot was recently completed in Barrie on a post-burn forest. Flashforest.ca
Photo: Flash Forest
Avengers are here
Are you a Marvel fan? Visit the Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. Exhibit at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, open until January 31, 2021. The award-winning immersive S.T.A.T.I.O.N. allows visitors to experience the history, science, engineering, genetics, technology, and profiles of Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers. Avengersstationcanada.com
Supporting local is more important than ever. Now, it’s easier to intentionally purchase Ontario made goods thanks to Supportontariomade.ca. Its goal is to expand the awareness of what is Ontario made, to help consumers make informed decisions, and to increase the purchase of Ontario Made goods. Look for the Ontario Made logo when you buy.


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El Shaddai Dated, Trailer, Box Art, Website and More
Ignition Entertainment have officially announced the release date for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for North American shores. Mark your calendar, folks, it’s slated to release on July 26th. The game will launch September 9th for those of you that are across the pond. To celebrate the announcement, Ignition Entertainment has released a brand-new trailer which explains the story as well as showcases new gameplay–from combat, to platforming sections and more. Truly, the trailer oozes with visual splendor.
Yeah, it does look like if Lady Gaga made a game, doesn’t it? In any case, the official boxart has also been released. Check it out:
Lastly, make sure to head on over to the official website, which has been revamped. You can now find over a hundred wallpapers, character profiles and some religious-y music in the background.


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There’s nothing quite like an anniversary announcement to remind you just how old gaming is, and 40 years? Astonishing. For this special 40th anniversary of the beloved Pac-Man, Bandai Namco Entertainment has partnered up with the NBA (National Basketball Association) to celebrate four decades of the ghost muncher.
According to Business Wire:
Leading interactive entertainment company BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., creator of PAC-MAN, today announced an innovative new partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to collaborate on a myriad of NBA-themed video game integrations and various co-branded PAC-MAN and NBA licensed products in celebration of PAC-MAN’s 40th anniversary.
For a little more information on just what this means, Bussiness Wire goes on to share:
Throughout the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season, the collaboration will offer numerous points-of-engagement for fans to enjoy their favorite video game icon and sports league in unison, leveraging the global appeal of both PAC-MAN and the NBA. Starting on December 22nd, fans can begin enjoying the NBA inspired game content featuring fun power-ups and special mazes in the PAC-MAN mobile game – available on iOS and Android.
The December 22 date given is the start of the upcoming 2020-2021 NBA season so the partnership plans are beginning right away.
While the only specific information given is crossover with the mobile game, it can be expected there will be some Pac-Man merchandise set to be released during this NBA season.
40 years is a big deal and shows off just how much of an influence Pac-Man has had over gaming now heading towards its 50th decade.
Do you have a personal Pac-Man story you’d like to share with us? Drop it in the comments below as we all share our love that’s still going 40 years strong.
If you want more news on the yellow cheese wheel, just recently Pac-Man became a battle royale on Google Stadia.


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On Thursday, Target is rolling out same-day delivery at its stores in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, thanks to Shipt, the online same-day grocery delivery service the retail giant bought in December for $550 million, one of its largest deals yet. With Target already offering the service in a number of cities, including New Orleans and Phoenix, the retailer is aiming to offer same-day delivery from half its stores by early 2018.
Being acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars is the dream exit for any company. But Shipt’s story isn’t one of immediate sky rocketing success and it doesn’t take place in a start-up mecca like Silicon Valley or even Seattle, where monster competitor Amazon was born. Instead it starts in Birmingham, Alabama with Bill Smith, a high school dropout and serial entrepreneur who had perseverance — and a particularly grueling grocery-store trip.
From high school dropout to serial entrepreneur
“My father was an entrepreneur, so I grew up and saw him doing different businesses, and literally from the time I was 5 years old, I wanted to understand business and how it all worked,” Smith tells CNBC Make It, adding that his father was in the cell phone industry.


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Updated 24 May, 2013, 11:28 am IST
Transparent, flexible Nokia concept phone takes the 'HumanForm'
| by Naina Khedekar |
Newer technology innovations walk into the tech terrain at a rapid pace. Recently at the Nokia World, the Finnish firm had showcased its flexible OLED displays and the Kinect device. But little did we know that Nokia’s foldable phone technology could result in this interesting fish-like phone. Though a concept yet, Nokia has crafted the 'HumanForm', a transparent, flexible phone, which looks and feels like a jelly-fish, reveals the Nokia Conversations blog. This latest to come out of the Nokia Research Center is definitely something everyone would want to lay their hands on.
Transparent, flexible phone concept
22 May, 2013, 03:25 PM
15 May, 2013, 04:57 PM
15 May, 2013, 12:44 PM
Apart from having a long name, there are some other interesting features...
By Shunal Doke
If you’re out looking for a new smartphone, then there are a couple of...
In the hustle-bustle of everyday life, you might have missed the launch of
21 May, 2013, 01:00 PM IST
We’ve already established that the Lumia 720 is Nokia’s best effort as far as Windows Phone 8 handsets go. This could soon change once the Lumia 925 hits markets, but as it stands now, the Lumia 720 offers the best blend of features and performance, wrapped in a beautiful package that’s quite affordable.
Fri May 24, 10:18:59
Fri May 24, 10:03:57
Fri May 24, 10:03:46


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There has been a lot of pain in the hotel sector in the past couple of years but probably the hardest hit segment is the resort market.
While vanity upscale resort projects have largely seen their backers lose everything, even more mundane resorts have suffered. Worryingly, this looks set to continue even further.
Thomas Cook, the second largest tour operator in Europe, said in early December that it expects to be able to put the squeeze on accommodation providers during 2010. CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa said that one of the company's main goals in 2010 was to cut hotel costs by 5% to 7%.
Heading up the push against hotels is Pete Constanti in the newly created role of chief executive for group destination management. A report in trade journal Travel Trade Gazette said that Thomas Cook spends more than £3bn on hotels each year.
Perhaps more amusing, but just as traumatic, was an article in the Wall Street Journal that identified the plight of wealthy investors into resorts.
Among the projects reportedly in trouble was a resort in Temenos in Anguilla. The main investor, Robert Sillerman, reckons he has lost all of his original $180m.
Also in trouble is the Four Seasons Hualalai which is backed by a consortium led by Michael Dell, the computer mogul. And the newspaper reported that Bill Gates was foreclosing on the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California.


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26th October 2007. Los Angeles, California. Americans love Halloween, and it shows. For those who celebrate it, this ghoulish occasion has become one of the year's most expensive holidays. One Los Angeles bakery is producing scary treats in the form of Halloween cakes. Selling for nearly US $500.00 each, the hand crafted sugar coated delights resemble some people's worst nightmare. Hansen's Cakes in Los Angeles are cashing in on the multi billion-dollar Halloween industry, which in 2006 saw American's spend $4.96 billion on Halloween costumes alone. PHOTO © JOHN CHAPPLE / REBEL IMAGES Tel: 310 570 9100.
- © JOHN CHAPPLE / REBEL IMAGES
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- 4992x3328 / 1.1MB
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The decision by the Bush administration to impose tariffs on steel imports from various countries is certainly a violation of WTO rules. Legally, the safeguard mechanism that the US invokes is only allowed under WTO rules if there has been a recent surge in imports. In fact, US steel imports fell during 2001. Practically, the tariffs are a response to the failure of the US steel industry and government to deal with pension obligations of acquired or bankrupt steel companies. Politically, the measures are a slap in the face of America’s most important allies. Furthermore, the dispute risks escalating into a broader trade conflict and undermines the United States role as promoter of free trade for the benefit of developing nations.
The unintended beneficiaries of the protection are the efficient US producers whose profit margins will increase as a result of higher prices. The 25 US steel companies on the verge of bankruptcy will only get some breathing space to restructure, but the consequences of restructuring are ultimately inevitable (unless President Bush did not really mean that the measures would be ‘temporary’). The health cost and pension obligations of former steel workers are still not addressed and can only be solved by direct government action. The tariffs hurt American consumers who need to pay more for steel as well as steel producers from Europe, Japan and Korea who are losing a valuable export market. European producers also face the threat of trade diversion, with Asian exports that would otherwise have found their way to the US now adding to the supply in Europe. So how should the EU respond ?
EU should act but not retaliate
Surely, the EU should process its complaint through the WTO and continue direct discussions with the US. However, the WTO Trade Panel which has just been established will take more than a year to come with a verdict and direct discussion with the US have given no result. So the main question remaining is whether to retaliate now. Currently the EU is threatening retaliatory action, clearly hoping that the threat will lead to the abolition of the tariffs and that the threat will not need to be carried out. Considering past performance, the European threat is unlikely to impress President Bush. The US government is already preparing counter measures. Such language could be the start of a vicious cycle whereby much more trade as well as political relations can be harmed by the escalation of a relatively isolated dispute.
Besides the fact that European retaliation is not going to open US steel markets, action would also hurt European consumers. Even if further restructuring of Europe’s steel industry were necessary, this would be preferable to protection. Given the enduring overcapacity in the world steel industry, Europe could further cut capacity and free up resources for other activities. If European steel workers would be affected, they could receive direct compensation rather than protection. In fact, the same factors that make the US protection hurt Americans explain why EU retaliation would hurt Europe. Therefore, retaliation causes more harm than good and the threat of European action is worthless if not credible.
Open markets and promote development
An absence of retaliatory measures would also send a powerful message. In a world where the US acts as the de facto leader on so many fronts, trade gives the EU the opportunity to show the global consistency and leadership that is lacking on trade in the world today. The message should be that the EU is consistently promoting free trade within a framework of global rules (including rules on issues such as environmental protection and child labour). This would benefit all European consumers, make European markets more dynamic and, above all, show the developing world that they can export to Europe. Europe would become the standard setter for honest implementation of trade policies, offering hope to the developing world. The resulting reductions in poverty and instability can only help Europe.
A logical extension of this argument is that the dismantling of protective measures of Europe’s agriculture and textiles industry should be accelerated. Uganda’s flower production has only blossomed after the EU opened its markets. Consumers can now buy good flowers at lower prices and the Netherlands can concentrate on the activity where it has a true competitive advantage ; the auctioning, storage and distribution of flowers. More such openings should be created quickly and where necessary local European producers could be compensated or retrained.
The steel dispute is an important test for EU – US relations and for the global trade agenda. If the EU is serious about its stated objectives for the Doha trade round, which include the ‘promotion of a development agenda’ and to ‘liberalise market access’ it can encourage others to open up only if it sets the example. So no retaliation, but aggressive pursuit of the dismantling of the American measures through direct discussions with our American partners and the WTO.


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Wauwatosa-based real estate development firm Wangard Partners Inc. announced today that a Zoup! soup restaurant franchise will lease a retail space in the Avenir Apartments building, a new development under construction at 1437 N. Jefferson St. in the Park East corridor on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side.
Zoup! has more than 70 locations in 15 U.S. states and Canada. The restaurant has hundreds of soup recipes.
The Milwaukee Zoup! location will lease 2,230 square feet of space in the Avenir Apartments building.
The addition of Zoup! fills up the last available retail space in the Avenir Apartments building. The other retail tenants are Great Clips, which is already open; eliteNutrition, which will open in mid-February; Jimmy John’s, which will open in March; and JK Nails, which will also open in March.
The building has a total of 7,045 square feet of retail space and 104 market-rate apartments. The apartments will open within the next few weeks, according to Wangard Partners.


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Tuesday, March 5, 2024
International Cargospot products
Air Greenland has signed an important agreement with the international company CHAMP, which specialises in cargo handling systems. The agreement means a significant improvement in cargo operations that will connect us to the rest of the world in a more efficient way.
We live in a country that relies on air freight due to our geographical location on the world map, where we have large distances to the rest of the world. But with the new agreement with CHAMP, Air Greenland has gained access to Cargospot products. These include smart tools that will make it easier to organise and manage our freight to and from the outside world.
With Cargospot, Air Greenland will be better able to navigate freight in challenging areas and ensure that freight reaches destinations faster and more efficiently.
The Cargospot tools will also help us manage what goes where and ensure that the process of sending freight is made easier. In other words, Cargospot can be likened to a personal assistant, helping to organise everything while ensuring that our community is connected to the rest of the world.
As a new CHAMP customer, Air Greenland will be supported by the Cargospot suite, including Cargospot Airline, Cargospot Handling, Cargospot Mobile, Cargospot Revenue Accounting, Cargospot AirMail and Cargospot Portal. All of these products support the entire freight and mail management process from selling freight, handling, tracking and tracing and allow our customers to book their freight on our cargo portal.
By investing in CHAMP's open and interconnected systems, we are strongly positioned to increase air cargo to and from Greenland, which is fully in line with Air Greenland's modernisation and digitalisation strategy.


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Putin proposes extending term of Russia's Central Bank chiefBusiness & Economy March 22, 21:49
Mayor says investigation into London attack is underwayWorld March 22, 21:16
Ukrainian radicals urge Poroshenko to nationalize Russian banks’ subsidiariesBusiness & Economy March 22, 20:51
Peru is back on 2018 Dakar Rally track alongside with Bolivia, ArgentinaSport March 22, 20:08
Three dead, twenty injured in London attack — policeWorld March 22, 19:59
Stadium in Russia's Dagestan to be named after pole-vault queen IsinbayevaSport March 22, 19:19
Top pilots to fly Su-30SM jets over Moscow on Victory DayMilitary & Defense March 22, 18:53
Russian design bureau ready to integrate BrahMos missiles into frigates for Indian NavyMilitary & Defense March 22, 18:50
London police say they are treating Westminster incident as terrorismWorld March 22, 18:45
TBILISI, June 15 (Itar-Tass) - The Georgian wine exports in Russia was resumed for the first time after 2006. The first wine batch of 30,000 bottles crossed the Georgian-Russian border on Saturday.
The wines, which are produced by the company Dugladzeebis Gvinis Company (the wine company Dugladze), which along with other companies was granted the right for the wine exports in Russia, will be delivered in Moscow on June 16. In the course of June the Georgian wine company will supply 500,000 bottles of wine and cognac to Russia.
The first batch of Georgian cognac of 21,000 bottles of the company Kakhetis Traditsiuli Megvineoba (the traditional winemaking Kakheti) will be delivered to Moscow on Saturday. The company intends to deliver a total of 130,000 bottles of cognac and wine to Russia.
Various Georgian enterprises, which produce alcoholic drinks, will export about ten million bottles of wine and cognac to Russia in 2013.
In February-April 2013 the specialists of the Russian consumer rights watchdog visited Georgia several times and examined the work of the enterprises producing the wines, cognacs and mineral water, after that 69 companies were granted the right to export their produce to Russia.


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While some are humming and hawing about the whole 3D thing, others are diving head first into it the third dimension and Samsung are at the forefront of this brave new world.
Having launched the first 3D TV in the UK last years, Samsung was obviously an early adopter of this technology. Now, in a bid to provide more content for its 3D sets (and their owners), it has launched a 3D video streaming service in Korea with roll out in the US and Europe to follow shortly. Among the many reasons the BBC has decided against fully embracing 3D is the lack of a constant source of 3D content to make the platform viable, so Samsung’s move could help ease those worries – as well as helping Samsung’s 3D TV sales figures of course.
The 3D video streaming service will be available through Samsung’s Smart TV 3D application and will initially see movie trailers, concerts and music videos coming online with full-length feature films to follow. The announcement was made on Samsung’s Korean website and while the translation of the announcement is not crystal clear, it does confirm the roll out to Europe and the US later this year with a global roll out also planned. It also mentions a content collaboration with Dreamworks Animation which sounds like it could bring some interesting content to the platform.
3D is obviously a divisive subject at the moment and while there are some moves to standardise the area, proponents of the technology face a struggle to convince consumers that 3D in people’s living rooms is the way forward. Would this 3D video streaming service be enough to make you convert from 2D to 3D?


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USBC Board Member & CEO of Enlightened Inc., Antwanye Ford has partnered with the Howard University School of Business to create the region's premier education center for training and research in cybersecurity.
Ron Busby captivated the audience Wednesday night in the Silver Spring Civic Center as he told the story of how he grew his father's cleaning company from $150,000 in annual revenue, to $15 million, over 10 years.
We're proud to receive growing support from Presidents of African American Chambers of Commerce. Most recently, Aubry Stone- President of the California Black Chamber of Commerce added his voice to support the USBC's Bank-Black initiative.
Black History is full of trailblazers and pioneers that fought to build the Black community from the ground up, we will not let them down. We're doing our part to support the economic development of the Black community through our Bank-Black credit card initiative, which was specifically created to help Black entrepreneurs obtain much needed capital.


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TransContainer and Delovye Linii will jointly develop international container transportation segment
PJSC TransContainer (a part of Delo Group) and Delovye Linii Group agreed to jointly develop international container transportation.
The corresponding memorandum was signed by Valery Veremeev, First Vice-President of TransContainer and Farid Madani, Director General of Delovye Linii on April 18, during the international exhibition TransRussia 2023.
According to the agreement, the parties plan to improve multimodal logistic chains given the growth of cargo turnover in foreign directions.
"The consolidation of TransContainer and Delovye Linii assets into a single transportation solution will make it possible to offer customers a convenient door-to-door container service. Given the growing demand for international destinations, multimodality will be an important advantage when choosing how to transport cargo," said Valery Veremeev.
"New trends in logistics require us to make serious and timely decisions. Today we make another big step for the development of international multimodal transportation by combining the efforts and potential of the two leading companies in the industry. Our joint work will provide new business opportunities for Russian organizations and significantly improve the availability and quality of transportation services in various international directions," said Farid Madani.


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Introducing the 2016 Toyota Tacoma.
At first glance the revised Toyota Tacoma appears to be a much-needed step forward for the imported midsize pickup.
Everything about the new 2016 – from its chiseled, modern face to its fresh new tail lamps – says ‘muscular, sculpted, and buff.’
Toyota hasn’t released any details yet, but the badging on this truck suggests a V6 engine under the hood. Presumably we’ll have more specs and information on the 2016 truck next week during the Detroit Auto Show next week.
Read more over at AutoBlog.


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If you’re a little unnerved by the spate of lifelike, Uncanny Valley robotics that you’ve seen on ExtremeTech over the last few months, you should probably turn away now. PETMAN, the latest and most terrifying creation of Boston Dynamics, walks, talks, looks like, and does pushups and lunges just like you or I.
Every day there is a new headline about a patent dispute between internet giants. Is it ever going to end, and are the real victims all the small companies trying to innovate while under constant attack from patent trolls.
Stanford grad student Matt Fisher has created an AI for StarCraft 2 that is able to play the game and beat opponents into the ground. The goal of the project is to make the toughest AI out there for people to try to beat.
Drawing yet another battle line between the incumbent oligarchs of the West and the developing hordes of the East, China has unveiled a new supercomputer that uses entirely-homegrown processors — 8,704 of them, to be exact. The computer is called Sunway BlueLight MPP and it has a peak performance of just over 1 petaflop — or around the 15th fastest supercomputer in the world.
Rumor has it that Apple will launch the iPad 3 sometime in Q1 of next year. Contrary to the hints that Cupertino’s newest tablet device will have a Retina class display, don’t be fooled. Screen manufacturers are simply not ready to create 10-inch tablet screens with that kind of resolution.
When I built my current desktop computer, I had a dilemma: I couldn’t find a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray drive that perfectly matched the anodized, brushed aluminium exterior of my new Lian Li case. I decided to forego an optical drive — and I haven’t used a CD or DVD since.
With more and more of our everyday activities moving to the cloud, you would think that Mozilla — like Google — would be over the moon. The browser is the portal through which the entire web is experienced, after all. In actuality, cloud-based computing represents a serious conflict with Mozilla’s primary purpose.


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The world's most feared banking Trojan, Zeus, is going after Mozilla Firefox users for the first time, security company Trusteer has reported.
Also known as Zbot, Zeus is designed to steal banking logins from its victims using sophisticated web form spoofing as well as keyloggging. It has previously steered towards Internet explorer thanks to security layers built into Firefox.
According to Trusteer, version 2.0 of the Zeus Trojan has cracked Firefox security, and real examples targeting the browser are now being seen at a rate of one in 3,000 PCs scanned by the company's Rapport service.
Trusteer describes this as a 'unprecedented rate of distribution', which is probably not an unfair characterisation given the malware's known tendency to deliberately under-infect available victims as a way of staying out of the detection range of honeypots. Variants of Zeus also have a history of evading many antivirus scanners when they first appear."We expect this new version of Zeus to significantly increase fraud losses, since nearly 30 percent of internet users bank online with Firefox and the infection rate for this piece of malware is growing faster than we have ever seen before," said Trusteer's CTO, Amit Klein.
The company's Flashlight and Rapport services detect the latest version of Zeus, however, and the company recently developed a hardened version of Mozilla for UK bank HSBC specifically to counter the threat of advanced banking Trojans such as Zeus.
Although the plug-in should offer some protection against banking Trojans such as Zeus, it is designed to be used tied to a specific bank's site using encryption, a technique that would stymie html injection attacks.
This story, "Bank Trojan Takes Aim at Firefox Users" was originally published by Techworld.com.


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Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit takes place this March as part of the research backed Digital Well-being initiative by King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Ithra. Under the theme of "In Pursuit of Digital Truth," 60+ special guests from all around the world, including bestselling authors James Clear and Simon Sinek, will gather to discuss digital wellbeing best practices, showcase the latest research, and facilitate the creation of a global advocacy movement towards the promotion of digital wellbeing for all.
Anyone who is or wants to be more mindful of their relationship to the digital sphere.
29-30 March, 2022
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and online.


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Tarkett is the latest company to announce price increases for resilient flooring. The company said it will raise prices by 4 to 7 percent on all commercial resilient tile beginning April 7.
The company said increasing global
demand for raw materials and higher energy costs led to the decision to hike
prices. “Of course, the resilient industry is not an exception to escalating
costs,” said Gilles de Beaumont, president of Tarkett Commercial Tile in North
America. “In the best interest of our customers, Tarkett will continue to work
diligently to find ways of further increasing our manufacturing efficiencies to
off-set these costs as much as possible.”
The move comes at a time when other
resilient flooring makers have announced plans to raise prices on their
products. Last month, Armstrong,
Congoleum and Mannington said prices on their resilient products will increase
anywhere from 5 to 7 percent in March.
Tarkett to raise prices on commercial products
February 19, 2008


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The back-to-school and college retail sales are expected to be strong this year, but many parents and college students are waiting for the best deals, according to National Retail Federation.
NRF and the Prosper Insights and Analytics consumer trends research firm say total spending for K-12 schools and college combined is projected to reach $82.8 billion, nearly as high as last year’s $83.6 billion.
“With the economy thriving thanks to tax reform and growing consumer confidence, we expect to see a very strong season,” says NRF President Matthew Shay.
“College spending is expected to be at its highest level ever, and back-to-school will be one of the three highest years on record. Whether shoppers buy now or wait until the last minute, retailers are ready with everything they need for a successful start of the school year.”
Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of about $685 each, compared with last year’s $688 to create total forecasted sales of $27.5 billion.
That’s the third-highest total in the history of the survey following a peak of $30.3 billion in 2012 and last year’s $29.5 billion, NRF says.
Those buying for college students – as well as undergraduate and graduate students who shop for themselves – say they plan to spend an average $942 each, down from last year’s $970, for a total of $55.3 billion.
That total is an all-time high, the federation reports, up from last year’s previous record of $54.1 billion.
According to the survey, back-to-school shoppers plan to spend the most on clothing – $237. Shoppers also plan to spend $187 on electronics such as computers, calculators or phones; $139 on shoes; and $122.13 on classroom supplies such as notebooks, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes
“The biggest change we are seeing in back-to-school spending this year is coming from electronics,” says NRF vice president for research Mark Mathews.
He points out that laptops, tablets and smartphones are now such an everyday purchase instead of being saved for the start of the school year, which is why a slight decrease in sales is being predicted for this category.
With the growth of ecommerce, the top destinations for shopping are department stores (57%), online retailers (55%), discount stores (52%), clothing stores (51%) and office supply stores (35%).
Consumers Shop Earlier
More consumers are starting to buy earlier. A whopping 77% of back-to-school shoppers plan to start at least three weeks before school begins, up from last year’s 74% and 64% a decade ago.
However, there is still plenty of shopping left to do, the NRF reported July 12. Nearly nine out of 10 (89%) of back-to-school and college shoppers still have half or more of their purchases left to complete. Of these, more than half are still waiting for the best deals for the items on their lists.
“One trend that we continue to see during the back-to-school season is the strong influence children have on their parents’ spending decisions,” observes Phil Rist, Prosper Insights’ executive vice president of strategy.
“This shouldn’t come as a surprise when social media tools such as Pinterest and Instagram have allowed GenZers to be more selective in the items they want. However, the payback for being picky is that parents now expect their kids to contribute toward their back-to-school lists.”


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The UK’s Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) has welcomed news that France’s General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), part of its Ministry of the Economy, will allow the term ‘probiotic’ to be used on the labels of food supplements in the country.
The European Commission considers the term ‘probiotic’ to be an unauthorized health claim that cannot be used in food labeling. However several EU countries have struck out on their own path, setting off a so-called ‘probiotic wave’.
The DGCCRF recognised that many EU Member States have chosen to no longer follow the position of the Commission, including the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Greece. In the UK the regulatory authority continues to follow the Commission line.
The DGCCRF seems to have taken the view that the market in Europe is anti-competitive and has acted to correct the situation in France. It has defined probiotics as “live microorganisms which, when consumed in adequate quantities, have a beneficial effect on the health of the host by contributing to the balance of the intestinal flora”. Companies in France are now authorised to use the term ‘Probiotics’ on the labelling of food supplements as a category name, and to associate it with a statement on the balance of the intestinal flora.
Graham Keen, HFMA executive director said; “This (decision) adds weight to our long-held belief that the term ‘Probiotic’ should be similarly authorised for use here in the UK, and we will continue to advocate strongly on behalf of our members in this respect.
“A significant part of our argument for an alternative approach in the UK market has focused on the same arguments used in France and we will actively be asking the UK regulatory authority why it should not be taking similar steps here in the UK.”


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Cargo containers stack on top of a ship on November 22, 2021 in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Spencer Platt | beautiful pictures
Morgan Stanley said most acute supply chain disruptions have been eased and will be more fully addressed in the first half of 2022.
That’s the base case the investment bank made in a recent report assessing the global supply chain, its risks and bottlenecks.
This year’s supply chain crisis has hit companies hard as bottlenecks grow and industrial production fails to meet the post-pandemic spike in demand. Energy shortages in China and Europe, as well as Covid-related lockdowns, have contributed to a massive squeeze in the supply chain.
Supply chains remain vulnerable, especially as the world is still assessing the risk of emergence of new strains of omicron, said Morgan Stanley.
“However, Orders have skyrocketed amid concerns about product sourcing, thus increasing backlogs and setting the stage for a better-than-expected short-term, especially for consumer electronics and segments are facing the risk of demand destruction,” the bank’s analysts wrote in a December 14 report.
Morgan Stanley predicts logistics costs will remain “significantly higher” and will “persist through 2022”. “Quarantine and travel restrictions are unlikely to be eased on key transcontinental routes in a coordinated manner through 2022, with little new capacity through the end of 2023.”
For companies that make technology hardware, Morgan Stanley is cautious about those with high backlogs and limited visibility into when demand will return to normal. It said it prefers semiconductor companies exposed to automotive and industrial materials.
The investment firm has identified companies it says are “regional champions” that “recognize their importance to supply chains and the role policymakers can play.. . to support their position against competitive pressure from other spheres of influence.”
These companies have indeed stood out through the global supply chain challenges of 2020/21, but broadly we also see them showing fertility trends, the report said. stronger returns and significantly outperforms the MSCI ACWI global equity benchmark.” The MSCI ACWI Index includes MSCI world stocks as well as emerging market indices.
These are the top stocks that Morgan Stanley says are the most “central” to the supply chain.
- Technology hardware: Apple, HP, Cisco, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Hitachi
- Semiconductor: Samsung Electronics, Intel, Infineon Technologies, NVIDIA
- Automotive and components: Volkswagen, Ford Motor, Daimler, Synthetic engine, BMW car, Tata Motors, Renault, Hyundai Motor, Continent
- Software: Microsoft, IBM, Dell, SAP
- Insurrance: Berkshire Hathaway
- Consumers: Sony, Panasonic, LG Electronics
- Retail: Amazon
- Material of manufacture: Volvo AB, Siemens
Morgan Stanley also lists the companies it says are most pressured by supply chain bottlenecks.
“Industries in this category are the strongest transmitters of supply chain pressures, in part because companies in this group face a continued dependence on inputs,” the company said. labor despite increased automation or capital investment”.
Along with other factors such as reliance on trade-sensitive markets or other policy conflicts, this “makes such companies vulnerable to geopolitical and labor dynamics, but is also important to the global supply chain.” Some examples include shipping containers and semiconductor companies.
Such companies may be facing cost pressures, according to Morgan Stanley, but they still retain pricing power thanks to their industry positions.
These are stocks in the category of “bottlenecks”.
- Semiconductors: Infineon, ST Microelectronics, NXP . Semiconductor, Microchip technology, Texas Instruments, Similar equipment, Semiconductor ON, Globalfoundries, Nuvoton Technology, Nanya Technology
- Technology hardware: BYD Electronics, Wingtech Technology, Unimicron, Kinsus Interconnect Tech, Nan Ya PCB
- Network equipment: Lumentum, II-VI, Corning, CommScope
“In the face of disruptions and capacity constraints, there are many options other than price increases to offset higher input costs or to increase rations capacity due to backlogs,” Morgan Stanley said. Stanley said companies are facing bottlenecks.


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In case you didn’t notice during May’s Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft has banned SHA-1 certificates in Internet Explorer and Edge.
Browsers will now flag SSL/TLS certificates that leverage the dated cryptographic hash function as insecure.
This marks yet another step toward phasing out the use of the SHA-1 certificates – which date back to 1995 – that many browser vendors believe do not provide enough security, according to a report by CSO Online.
“This change will only impact SHA-1 certificates that chain to a root in the Microsoft Trusted Root Program where the end-entity certificate or the issuing intermediate uses SHA-1,” Microsoft said in its security bulletin.
Although enterprise or self-signed SHA-1 certificates aren’t impacted, the company goes on to recommend that customers “quickly migrate to SHA-2 based certificates.”


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Uber has put together is annual list of most popular rider drop-off points in cities around the world, and tourist attractions are among the top drop-off spots in the D.C. area.
In the District, the Lincoln Memorial tops the list. The top spot in Maryland in 2019 was the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, while Virginia’s top Uber destination this year was Fashion Center at Pentagon City.
Worldwide, the Empire State Building was Uber’s No. 1 passenger drop-off in 2019, followed by Freedom Tower, CN Tower in Toronto, and the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, both in Paris.
Uber also said its most popular time for Uber rides this year was the St. Patrick’s Day weekend for the second year in a row. And two nights that were popular for Halloween celebrations — Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 — were close behind.
Uber’s 2019 summary also includes Uber Eats. It said the most searched and ordered foods in the U.S. were pizza, sushi, wings and ramen.
Waiting for that Uber to pick you up takes a few minutes. A recent report from the D.C. government says the average wait is 5.5 minutes.
Here are Uber’s Top 10 Washington area drop-off destinations for 2019:
1. Lincoln Memorial
2. MGM National Harbor
3. Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
4. Marriott Marquis Washington
5. Georgetown University
6. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
7. Nationals Park
8. Washington Hilton
9. The Wharf
10. The Mayflower Hotel


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Apprentice Motoring Journalist at Blackball Media.
DAVID Hammond has joined Cazana as a chairman in a non-executive capacity. Hammond, pictured below, is currently the CEO of Camden Ventures. In addition, before joining vehicle history and registration check company Cazana, the industry expert held a number of high-level senior roles with various automotive businesses, such as Camden Corporate, Fleet Services, Car Shops,READ MORE
SSANGYONG is offering zero per cent finance and no deposit on its Tivoli and Tivoli XLV diesel models. Nought per cent finance is also being made available on the petrol Tivoli and Tivoli XLV, as well as the SE, SE 4×4 and LE specifications of the Korando, with a 30 per cent deposit. 0% financeREAD MORE
VOLVO has seen its most successful UK new model launch of all time with its XC40. The premium compact SUV has doubled Volvo’s own sales forecast for the model, with more than 3,000 XC40s having been sold since its launch in late February. Sales are currently sitting at 2,000 cars per month, with the range-toppingREAD MORE
UK CAR dealers recorded average losses of £18,000 in February 2018 – a £4,000 increase year-on-year. The figures, which come from automotive profitability specialists ASE, show a continued trend of rising mid-quarter month losses, meaning the gains made in January have been reversed, leaving the average dealer £2,000 behind in terms of year-to-date profits. TheREAD MORE


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The Visit Saint Petersburg City Tourism information office is now open in Doha at Tawfeeq Travels in Shoumoukh Towers.
The new office will help tourists from Qatar get information about Saint Petersburg, the city’s tourist spots, hotels and most convenient travel routes and options.
The new initiative is aimed at drawing foreign tourists towards the cultural capital of Russia and boost the city’s economy by attracting business initiatives and investors.
A function in connection with the office opening, held at La Cigale Hotel on Tuesday was attended by Saint Petersburg City Tour Information Bureau head Nadezhda Petrova, Tawfeeq Travel Group CEO Rehan Ali Syed, Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau deputy general director Olga Rendino and representatives of Meteors Travels.
Syed said that Tawfeeq Travel Group is delighted to announce its strategic partnership with Visit Saint Petersburg City Tourism as the exclusive representative in Qatar. “Tawfeeq Travel Group is looking forward to facilitating Qatar-Russia ties by promoting tourism between the two countries,” he said.
“Tawfeeq Travel has an extensive network of 10 retail locations across Qatar. With the recently launched Tawfeeq Holidays, we will soon offer exciting packages to Saint Petersburg and the rest of Russia to help visitors go through the cultural history of the city and the country,” he added.
Petrova said tourists will be given a rousing welcome in the city, which is equipped with all facilities to serve the visitors.
Rendino said that the city each year marks a increase in the number of tourists. The authorities were looking to promote foreign investment and business meets in the city.
Visit Saint Petersburg City Tourism information office in Doha is the 14th of its kind and will help tourists plan their vacations in the cultural city in advance. The tourist partners will be helped to expand interaction of Saint Petersburg tourism industry representatives. The office will also provide support to complete travel proceedings.
Qataris are able to visit Russia without a visa under a new system introduced in 2019 following an agreement with the two countries. Visit Saint Petersburg City Tourism information office are functional in Taipei, Hong Kong, Paris, Leipzig, Rimini, Mumbai, New Delhi, Dubai, Tehran, Tokyo, Barcelona, Yerevan and Palermo.
For more information tourists can contact: +97444484848
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Dairy co-op Dale Farm has redesigned its brand to better communicate its farmer co-operative credentials as part of its three-year growth strategy.
The Northern Irish co-op said it had revamped its consumer facing brand to 'reflect a more contemporary style' after 50 years of its previous branding.
The new design brings farming to the forefront visually, as well as incorporating the brand mission ‘Sharing Goodness Everyday’.
Its corporate identity has also been redesigned to align with the new look, using the strapline ‘Your Dairy Cooperative’ to place focus on the role of the 1,300 farmer suppliers.
Nick Whelan, group chief executive of Dale Farm, said the new look celebrated the central role of farmers in its products.
“We carried out extensive consumer research aligned with our ambitious business growth plans and our desire to compete at a high level in today’s marketplace.
“The results showed that it was time to refresh our identity. The brand has been known and loved for generations yet has not been reinvigorated for half a century."
Dale Farm's three year growth plan will see the dairy co-op grow its presence within existing and new markets.
It will also see the co-operative deepen its presence in a variety of dairy product categories.


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The lights from the Michigan Theater have shone for more than 80 years, but its constant presence has been the exception rather than the rule for businesses on East Liberty Street.
In recent years the street has seen a shuffle of businesses, most notably the closure of the flagship Borders bookstore in 2011. But the transformation of the Borders space was one of many over the course of the street’s history.
Before Borders, Jacobson’s department store occupied the space on the corner of East Liberty and Maynard Street, until it moved to Briarwood Mall in the 80s.
When Susan Pollay, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, first moved to Ann Arbor in 1983 she could buy everything she needed to live downtown, noting the multiple clothing, food and service stores that existed in the area, including Jacobson’s. She added that you still can find a wide variety of shops downtown, but East Liberty in particular has given way to coffee shops and restaurants.
While Jacobson’s gave shoppers a reason to go downtown, Pollay said Borders provided an anchor for local businesses.
“It became its own kind of experience and, like Jacobson’s before it, Borders had an enormous advertising budget and an enormous ability to pull in those name authors,” Pollay said. “These huge names came to do book readings and from that again businesses nearby thrived because they sat off of the Borders space.”
Borders declared bankruptcy and left the street temporarily vacant, but it wasn’t alone: East Liberty has seen a lot of storefront turnover in the past few years. Some spaces, such as the former @Burger and Grand Traverse Pie Company space, saw two businesses come and go within nearly four years — each restaurant stayed in business for less than a year.
Pollay cited the Borders closure, the struggling economy and an increase in outlet and online shopping as the causes of the turnover on the street, adding that Ann Arbor isn’t as insulated from the struggling economy as people think.
“I think things were pretty fragile here for a while, and I don’t know that we all understand just how fragile it is to have an independent business,” Pollay said.
Though there are still a few empty storefronts, Pollay said she sees the street growing and evolving to support a different clientele than in the past: tech workers. Two tech companies, Menlo Innovations and Barracuda Networks, relocated to the East Liberty corridor in the past two years, which Pollay said will bring a more stable customer base than that of students, who aren’t in the city year-round and don’t necessarily venture down the street.
“The neighborhood is going to change because the new economy fortunately includes a lot of folks who are doing very well in tech businesses and those employees are now spending their money locally in that neighborhood,” Pollay said.
Anna Flynn of Menlo Innovations said though they have only been in their East Liberty location for about a year and a half, employees enjoy being close to all the shops and restaurants that State Street, Main Street and East Liberty have to offer. Flynn added that they are excited for the new businesses moving into the former Borders building.
“We love being downtown and close to everything and seeing Liberty grow and change,” Flynn said. “I think that East Liberty is in the middle of town, but it’s not on Main Street or on State Street so you can get the best of both worlds.”
Tom Hackett, who has owned the Afternoon Delight restaurant on East Liberty for 35 years, said the street has seen a steady decline in foot traffic and overall business since the 1990s. Hackett said he believes people don’t come to Ann Arbor to shop anymore.
Hackett added that because the area has become home to an increasing amount of restaurants in comparison to other properties, he has shifted the restaurant’s focus toward catering to offset the decrease in business.
Russ Collins, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Theater and an Ann Arbor native, said though the Michigan Theater has been a long-standing presence on Liberty, it has seen a long term decline in patrons.
The theater was almost shut down in 1979 after the company running it left following a 50-year lease, but Collins said the community rallied to save the theater.
Collins has seen a lot of change on East Liberty — including the departures of Jacobson’s and Borders — and he believes the Michigan Theater is the true anchor business on the street, given how long it has been in existence, the consistent customers it draws in and the vitality it brings to the street.
Having grown up in Ann Arbor, Collins said it’s hard to define exactly how downtown Ann Arbor and East Liberty have changed because the area never stops evolving. He added that while stores and restaurants frequently move in and out of downtown, that’s the nature of business.
“There has been constant change in Ann Arbor in general, but in the downtown specifically,” Collins said. “There’s an old saying that the only constant in the universe is change, and that is absolutely true.”


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Trump tax cuts don’t appear to be enough as retail sales slow. last year after an income boost from the Trump tax cuts, taxed corporate profits based on the share of sales that occurred.
Retail sales and consumer spending have stumbled in early 2019. What a difference a year makes: Americans ratcheted up spending last year after an income boost from the Trump tax cuts, but they’ve.
The only difference would be that there wouldn’t be tax cuts or a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Consider an Atlantic article published the day after the Tree of Life mass shooting.
Spokeswoman says Sen. Isakson’s calls to agencies on behalf of biotech firm’s CEO were ‘nothing improper’ The VA and the FDA are keeping veterans from a helpful treatment option, just because it’s marijuana Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (TTNP) CEO Sunil Bhonsle on Q4 2018 Results – Earnings Call Transcript – The medical affairs and drug. just starting to enter this and the market itself is in multiple places. Obviously, we are looking at what we believe to be our best shot at say the criminal justice.Still, Isakson’s extensive outreach on behalf of a biotech ceo surprises. isakson’s spokeswoman. "Our office has helped Mr. Petit just as he would any other constituent needing assistance from a.
Read: Trump tax cuts don’t appear to be enough as retail sales slow Government, for its part, isn’t doing much to push growth to greater heights after a burst of spending last year. Businesses – the.
Tax collections under the city’s other BIRT tax on business revenues – a secret sales tax that retail customers don’t see – are also down, from a recent high of $105 million in 2013 to $89 million in 2016.
Dustin Lynch comes to Virginia Beach in June Dustin Lynch Virginia Beach Tickets. Dustin lynch tickets virginia beach are one of the most sought out commodities in Virginia Beach. With your Dustin Lynch Virginia Beach tickets you are guaranteed one of the best live performances in Staples Center from some of today’s best musicians in Dustin Lynch.
The Trump tax cuts were supposed to set off an investment boom. They haven’t so far. The problem is that while the tax-cutting story the Trump administration was telling might be true for a small, open economy, it was never going to be for a large.
Rockford city ordinance mandates gravel driveways to be paved Coasties, agencies honored at Chamber Military Affairs Committee luncheon DC VA Med Center Patient Escaped Psychiatric Unit A patient escaped a locked psychiatric unit at the Washington DC veterans affairs medical center sunday, traveled to a home in Virginia, and abducted and assaulted a woman there, according to.Coasties, agencies honored at Chamber Military Affairs Committee luncheon Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. senator, speaks at the Abilene Chamber of Commerce military affairs committee (mac) luncheon held in her honor oct. 15, 2014, at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The MAC hosted the luncheon to recognize Hutchison for her 20 years of support.Due to the City of Rockford requirements for all gravel driveways to be paved by the beginning of November 2019, we have received a influx in calls and estimate requests. You have not been forgotten! It may be a small delay but we will get to you as soon as we can.
“He thinks that all the people that do this economic forecasting are a bunch of establishment weenies – elites who don’t know.
· The issue of online sales tax has nothing to do with libertarians disdain of taxes It has to do with online retail companies enjoying an unfair advantage over brick and mortar companies. Currently there is a case pending in SC regarding sales tax payments by.
The low Q117 Real GDP Growth will probably prompt anti-Trump analysts to blame him and pro-Trump analysts to say it argues for a tax cut. Neither is correct. Without the two drags mentioned above Real GDP Growth was slightly above trend.
NEW YORK CITY — For real-time odds on the stock market’s faith in US President Donald Trump, look no further than recent weakness in American industries most closely tied to his proposed policies.
On Aug. 1, Trump announced new tariffs against Chinese imports. On Aug. 13, he delayed most of them, worried about the impact.


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Yesterday the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust settlement was finalized. New Jersey will have 60 days to accept the money of up to up to $72 million. States must identify a lead agency to supervise the distribution of settlement money no later than Friday, December 1, 2017 in order to access these funds. We have a huge opportunity to use this money for new plug-in network of electric vehicle charging stations, electric transit and school buses, and other projects that will reduce air pollution and prioritize environmental justice. These initiatives are so critical in New Jersey because the biggest source of air pollution and greenhouse gases in our state comes from cars and trucks.
“The clock is ticking on whether Governor Christie will accept $72 million from the Volkswagen Settlement. We are concerned that he won’t accept these funds because he can’t use them to plug holes in the budget or divert them as he’s done with past settlements. Volkswagen must pay this settlement because they were caught illegally polluting our air. The settlement money is to mitigate for the pollution and is critical to get us moving with electric cars, create jobs, and reduce air pollution,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Christie has been a stumbling block in the development of electric vehicles in NJ and the Legislature has had to circumvent him to allow Teslas to be sold in the state. We’re concerned that he may hold NJ’s electric vehicles hostage to politics by not accepting this settlement.”
The biggest source of air pollution and greenhouse gases NJ comes from automobiles. Each year, American passenger vehicles spew upwards of three trillion tons of carbon pollution into the air by burning about 121 billion gallons of gasoline. Air pollution is especially dangerous in many of our cities and ports. Newark and Camden are some of the worst polluted cities nationwide. Switching to EV busses and trucks without tailpipes will eliminate much of that dangerous smog and contaminates, but also help fight climate change.
“New Jersey needs to move forward on electric vehicles and plug-ins and this $72 million could jumpstart our clean transportation system. We need to make sure that that funds go to the right places including to plug-ins and helping urban areas where air pollution is worst. This will help create jobs and move our state forward with an automobile that has zero emissions and decrease fossil fuels. The biggest source of air pollution and greenhouse gases in our state comes from automobiles, which is why we need to increase electric vehicles to clean our air. We need to install plug-in stations along with providing things like zip cars, ride shares, and taxis to encourage EV’s that everyone can afford,” said Jeff Tittel. “We need to get these plans in place now; this can’t wait until the next Governor.”
A fully electric vehicle uses electricity to power a battery. This means no gasoline, no dirty oil changes, and no internal combustion engine. Thanks to rebates and tax credits, decreasing prices in EV technology, and the much cheaper price of electricity vs. gasoline, the cost of owning and operating an electric vehicle is now notably lower than that of many conventional vehicles. There are currently more than 20 fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles available at US dealerships. GM is discussing new models and some states want to phase out gasoline-cars altogether. New Jersey must continue to support the sale of electric vehicles, install charging stations, and commit to a more sustainable transportation future if we want to meet California’s goals.
“Our state hasn’t even gotten out of the starting gate on electric vehicles because Christie’s policies have slowed us down. We really need these settlement funds as a jump start on electric vehicles. We only have about 10,000 electric vehicles, but we should have had 30,000 by now to reach our 2050 goal to meet California’s Clean Car Standards. We cannot do this, however without major incentive programs, education, or program to build charging stations,” said Jeff Tittel. “New Jersey is one of the best states to utilize electric vehicles since most of our energy is already carbon-free. Electric vehicles not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars, but can help stop future drilling, pipelines, and oil bomb trains. If we are able to charge electric vehicles with renewable energy like solar, it is even better for the environment.”
Electric vehicles will help grow our economy as well as protect our environment. EVs are more than five times more efficient than standard vehicles; the average gas automobile is 15% efficient while EVs are 80%. EVs use electricity to power a battery, the technology of which continues to get cheaper and better. By increasing electric vehicle sales, it will help car dealers in selling more fuel efficient cars, help New Jersey companies who are part suppliers for these car parts, and even bring in new companies since we may be the first state on the east coast to implement these practices.
“In the past Christie has sided against EVs but we need him to now accept this money and put aside his political agenda for the people of New Jersey. He refused to join the EV compact and failed to pass legislation to promote EVs and their infrastructure. The electric vehicle compact would helped put 3.3 million electric vehicles on the road. The eight states will enjoy the creation of thousands of jobs, provide infrastructure around the states for EVs, and allow them to leaders in EV technology. New Jersey is clearly missing out on the green jobs because of Christie’s failed policies,” said Jeff Tittel.“While other states are promoting electric vehicles with rebates and thousands of charging stations, our state is falling behind because we have no plan for charging stations or incentive for electric vehicles. We even have $72 million available from the Volkswagen Settlement, but we’re concerned that Christie may rather side with polluters than take the money for electric vehicles.”
Electric vehicles will help grow our economy as well as protect our environment. By increasing electric vehicle sales, it will help car dealers in selling more fuel efficient cars, help New Jersey companies who are part suppliers for these car parts, and even bring in new companies since we may be the first state on the east coast to implement these practices. Tesla even has developed a new battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low to power your home. These technologies will make it even easier to drive electric vehicles. Instead of moving us forward, the Trump Administration is rolling back Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards as well as the vehicle tailpipe standards finalized under the Obama administration.
“We have two months to accept these funds and use them to help drive our vehicles in the 21st century. This means following California’s lead for strong clean car goals. We need to stop the gridlock with electric vehicles. While Trump is rolling back CAFE standards, it makes it even more important for New Jersey to be a leader in electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We’re calling on Governor Christie to accept these funds and use them to move New Jersey forward with electric vehicles. We can see the benefits of clean air and clean jobs if we put this money to good use. We can build a state-wide network of charging stations, create green jobs, save people money on gas, and reduce air pollution.”


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A homeless charity has slammed supermarkets for throwing away horsemeat they say could feed starving clients.
The Mustard Tree is currently feeding up to 90 homeless people every day, having seen demand for meals at its soup kitchen double in the last year.
A number of products have been withdrawn from sale in UK supermarkets over consumer outrage that products sold as beef were found to have contained horsemeat.
Leading supermarkets have confirmed to the M.E.N. that the meat will be thrown away or be turned into fuel through a process called ‘anaerobic digestion’.
But Dawn Frary, kitchen manager at the Ancoats-based charity, has urged businesses or residents considering disposing of the products to help them feed homeless people with the unwanted goods.
She said: “It’s abominable waste that people are throwing away food while there are plenty of people in this city who are actually starving.
“There’s nothing wrong with the meat and it is perfectly edible. If people believe it is not fit for consumption then we will happily take it off their hands.
“For people who visit us we often supply them with the only hot meal they get all day and demand has shot up in recent months to the extent that we are struggling to provide enough.
“Particularly in this cold weather people who do not get a proper warm meal are often more prone to hypothermia or other illnesses. It seems crazy that there is edible meat out there being thrown away.”
The Food Standards Agency has stressed that horsemeat does not pose a risk to the public. But following consumer outrage over the mislabelling of products, mainly beefburgers, several brands have been withdrawn from the shelves of nine supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
Supermarkets said there were no plans for the products to enter the food chain and that frozen products were generally not redistributed to charities due to carbon footprint issues.
A Morrisons spokesman said: “The products will be destroyed and will not re-enter the food chain.
“We currently work with the charity Fareshare in redistributing surplus products but the logistics of safely transporting frozen products mean it would be extremely difficult to do this on such a large scale.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “The products have been isolated from sale and will be disposed of appropriately.
“They will not re-enter the food chain, and will be turned into fuel or go through a process of anaerobic digestion.”
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We withdrew our own label frozen burger range as a precaution as it was produced by Dalepak, one of the suppliers implicated in the original FSAI report. Our subsequent tests have not shown any issues with our burgers.
“None of our food waste goes to landfill and the products withdrawn from stores will be sent to anaerobic digestion plants. This is the most efficient method of generating energy from waste, and part of our broader zero food waste to landfill strategy.”


text: Starbucks is fighting an expanded effort to unionize its stores. The effort comes even as a union vote proceeds at three of the coffee chain’s locations in Buffalo, New York. Union organizers from three additional Buffalo-area stores appeared before the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, asking to hold union votes at each of their stores. The workers are seeking representation by Workers United. They want more say in pay and how stores are run. Seattle-based Starbucks has never had unionized workers at its U.S. stores in its 50-year history. It says its stores function better when it works directly with employees.


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Apple had already witnessed some of the worst days of software issues just before the end of 2017, and it looks like 2018 also isn’t starting so well either. Even after providing the best updates on all the devices, Apple always is still facing blemishes.
Recently, a new glitch has been found in iOS 11 that lets people send a specific character that crashes iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and block access to the Messaging apps.
Apple is scrambling to fix this “text bomb” that is crashing many of its devices. The nasty bug affects when a single character from Telugu - a language native to India - is received by some devices via text message or typed into a text editor. Once the message is received, it freezes every single messaging app. The only way to de-freeze the lagged apps and regain access is to have someone send a message and try to delete the thread that contained the noxious character.
iOS is not the only OS affected; the glitch can also be reproduced on macOS High Sierra (version 10.13), along with the new versions of tvOS and WatchOS. But, there is good news too. This Telugu symbol doesn't trigger any error when displayed over an internet browser unless someone tries to paste it into a text field.
Also, Telegram and Skype are not affected by this notorious bug. The public beta version of iOS 11.3 is also unaffected. Fortunately, Apple was made aware of the problem three days ago and Apple quickly issued a fix for the bug.


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Rather than its customary stand at the Anaheim MI staple, the company is instead focusing its efforts on the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which takes place on 9-12 January 2018.
The move seems to tally with Gibson Brands’ recent statement regarding the shock move to end development for Cakewalk music software, where it stated, “The decision was made to better align with the company’s acquisition strategy that is heavily focused on growth in the global consumer electronics audio business under the Philips brand.”
As well as Philips, the ambitious group also plays host to audio companies TEAC, Tascam and Onkyo.
This year's no-show follows 2017’s rather sparse Winter NAMM stand, which featured a few new Custom models, but was more notable for its absence of a much talked-about, mysterious new solidbody design, which was showcased instead to tech-heads at CES. That guitar was later released as the Modern Double Cut and finally made its NAMM debut in Nashville in July.
Last year also saw the sale of the company’s Memphis factory, which itself came amid profit warnings.
Regardless, we’ll be rounding up any news Gibson may have from Vegas - just don’t expect anything from Anaheim.


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Legal battle looms as passengers seek refunds over vouchers from airlines in Canada
Though it's been weeks since travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders were put in place, airline customers continue to be disgruntled about shoddy customer service and a lack of refunds from major carriers.
Many of the industry's key players have been refusing to offer passengers refunds for flights cancelled (or not taken) due to the pandemic, and are instead issuing vouchers for travel at a later date, some of which expire in as soon as a year's time.
Advocacy group Air Passenger Rights has now commenced legal proceedings against the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) for "misguiding passengers into swallowing vouchers instead of demanding cash refunds, while benefiting airlines with billions in interest-free loans," as it states in its case overview.
The filing is based on a statement on vouchers that the CTA issued in March, in which it said that "an appropriate approach in the current context could be for airlines to provide affected passengers with vouchers or credits for future travel," with the only stipulation being that credits do not expire "in an unreasonably short period of time."
Canada’s airline regulator is accused of “misguiding passengers into swallowing vouchers instead of demanding cash refunds, while benefiting airlines with billions in interest-free loans.” @CTA_gc #passengerrights https://t.co/KSMSYND5IW— Ellen Roseman (@ellenroseman) May 8, 2020
Customers are enraged with the fact that full refunds are not being provided in light of the unprecedented circumstances, especially when many flights were cancelled by the airlines themselves due to the health crisis.
There is also the fact that many residents have been out of work and particularly strapped for cash these days, so could really use the extra hundreds in funds instead of a voucher for future flights.
Plus, a credit that expires isn't exactly useful when no one knows when it will be safe, or permitted, for people to travel again.
Why will Air Canada not issue my refund. I have paid for a family of four and I don’t want vouchers. It is disgraceful!!😡😡— Ramon (@RamonRazor65) May 6, 2020
Many are also saying that companies like Air Canada have still been charging them cancellation fees despite saying at one point that it was waiving them for some customers given the fact that various levels of government worldwide have directed people to avoid non-essential travel right now.
Air Canada is among the carriers that have completely suspended or drastically reduced service on nearly all of their routes given the understandably staggering decrease in demand for air travel.
The national airline reported a 2020 Q1 loss of $1 billion earlier this week, though it has qualified for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program and is also expecting flight volumes to ramp up as demand increases again around Christmas.
Same With my case they asked for $ 295 charges for one person and we booked for 3 family members and they are not ready to cancel / reduce the cancellation fees— Acharya (@Acharya58873323) May 7, 2020
This is really taking advantage of situation..
The National Airlines Council of Canada is now also asking the federal government for a financial bailout due being in, as Air Canada's CEO called it in the company's Q1 report, "the darkest period ever in the history of commercial aviation." Many people are also scrambling to sell off their airline stocks, a foreboding sign.
But, citizens are not exactly sympathetic with carriers' plight given the fact that they feel completely gouged by the giant companies (usually, but lately in particular).
Many are also questioning the magnitude of airlines' financial losses given that they have kept customer money without actually having to fly anyone anywhere or keep up with usual operation costs.
Wait wut ? They don't refund tickets, give vouchers that we cannot buy groceries with or pay bills, AND they now want Canadian taxpayers to bail them out?? Refund Canadians first, then we can talk about yet ANOTHER airline bailout #aircanada @MarcGarneauhttps://t.co/zu2yThSaJA— Paul Rose (be powerful - VOTE) (@Paul_R_Canada) May 4, 2020
Given that major carriers' customer service lines have been completely inundated with calls and complaints for months now, and that thousands have still not been able to secure a refund, it seems that would-be flyers may simply be out of luck.
Thankfully, organizations like Air Passenger Rights are still fighting for the rights of customers, and have provided a lot of information, such as legal precedents, to help travelers seeking a refund argue for their money back in these trying times.
Join the conversation Load comments


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Tuesday, July 6, 2010
As fashion companies see and realize the value of the web more will embrace ecommerce, social media, mobile and digital strategies and learn how to incorporate them in their retail and marketing strategies. For example Bottega Veneta realized the web was crucial when its site’s global traffic surpassed the number of people actually coming into its physical stores.
Once Bottega Veneta launches their Japan ecommerce site they will soon after launch their mobile site. Which is a good thing as 113.025 million people or 85% of Japan's population are currently connected via their mobile phones * - the marketing and sales implications are endless.
* Data CNET Japan News


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Source: Casey Quinlan is an investing editor for Investing at U.S. News.
Are investors right to scramble into marijuana stocks?
It doesn’t matter if it’s indica or sativa. It all sells out by the end of the day. Toni Fox, the owner of 3D Cannabis Center near downtown Denver, is overwhelmed with the demand created by the state’s new recreational marijuana law. She says the store pulls in $20,000 a day in sales and made $40,000 on Jan. 1, the day licensed shops began selling recreational marijuana to people age 21 and older.
The majority of Fox’s customers are from out of state. On Saturdays, they may wait 20 minutes to purchase marijuana, and limos and charter buses pull up five times a day. Fox is hiring more staff and building new rooms in her store to meet demand, and she eventually aims to open two more locations. She’s also leasing 1.35 acres of farmland three hours away in Chaffee County, building hoop houses and greenhouses for cannabis cultivation.
With marijuana now legal in Colorado and Washington and tourism booming, investors and financial pundits are wondering how fast the marijuana industry will grow and if it could become national. The ArcView Group, a San Francisco-based investing and market research firm for high-net-worth investors, estimates the national legal market (including recreational and medical marijuana) at $1.53 billion in 2013 and expects it to grow to $2.57 billion by the end of 2014, with marijuana sales in Washington and Colorado pulling in $316 million and $802 million, respectively. ArcView says the national market could reach $10.2 billion in five years.
Legalization is already attracting a slew of investor interest, mostly in penny stocks – low-priced, thinly traded shares that are generally considered speculative investments, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These companies, which sell everything from hemp-based health products to e-cigarettes, aim to capitalize on the burgeoning marijuana industry.
[Read: Should You Jump on the Alternative Investment Bandwagon?]
Growing pains. The industry faces some significant challenges, which investors should be aware of before jumping into pot stocks. Banks have been reluctant to provide loans to marijuana dispensaries, and interstate trade is illegal, allowing little room for expansion. Even in states where recreational marijuana is legal, there are considerable obstacles.
For example, Washington’s Liquor Control Board stipulates that companies cannot have more than three marijuana processor licenses and more than three retail store licenses. The state also imposes a 25 percent excise tax, and stores must be 1,000 feet away from schools, recreational centers, public transit centers and other facilities. And in both Colorado and Washington, marijuana can only be purchased with cash.
In Kirkland, Wash., Jamen Shively, a former Microsoft executive turned cannabis entrepreneur, founded Diego Pellicer, a “premium” cannabis brand. Shively, who plans to open a retail location this summer, says he envisions his future customer base as well-educated, wealthy, older people who are looking to unwind in their retirement years. “I don’t want it to be known as a brand just appealing to young people,” Shively says.
He aims to eventually open many stores under the Diego Pellicer brand, but three is currently the maximum according to state law. With expansion somewhat limited, Shively hopes to dominate the new industry simply by being “first in people’s minds,” he says, through advertising and news conferences.
Jeffrey Miron, an economist at the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, says the marijuana industry is not as large and influential as some investors may hope. “People are way overstating the significance of what’s happening,” Miron says. “One should be very cautious when there’s a big change in the industry, and the magnitude of it is not that huge. It is one product that could compete with billions of products like alcohol and tobacco.”
Marijuana innovation. The rollout of legal dispensaries, with more than 150 licensed recreational stores in Colorado, and Washington expected to hold license lotteries for 334 retail stores, is good news for startups aiming to profit from the growing industry.
Most of these companies are privately held, including OpenVape, which makes a device similar to an e-cigarette. The social media site weedmaps.com launched in 2008 and offers a service like Yelp for dispensaries. The privately held company says its 2013 fourth-quarter revenue increased 33 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012.
Other ancillary businesses that may benefit from marijuana legalization include Analytical 360 in Seattle, which tests marijuana potency, and MediSwipe, which provides transaction processing systems to hospitals and medical dispensaries. GreenGro Tech sells equipment favored among marijuana farmers, such as lighting and hydroponics kits.
The risks of marijuana stocks. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority issued an investor alert in August 2013 warning investors of marijuana stock scams that provide misleading or overly optimistic information.
Gerri Walsh, FINRA’s senior vice president, says regulators saw a huge spike in such incidents in January. “There was a significant upswing in trading, and share prices spiked in thinly traded companies and low-priced securities,” Walsh says.
She says investors should look out for red flags such as prior iterations of a business in which the company has used “pump-and-dump” schemes. In such schemes, fraudsters make exaggerated and misleading claims to raise the share price of a company with little or no history of financial success, then sell their holdings at a profit, leaving other investors holding the bag. Walsh says investors should look up stock symbols using EDGAR, a Securities and Exchange Commission database, to see whether a business has had a “past life.”
Full article source: http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/mutual-funds/articles/2014/03/14/the-economy-of-pot


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Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) are down after a fiery crash involving a stolen Model S raised safety concerns about the lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars.
Investors bid down Tesla shares by 2.9 percent to $222.66 on Monday, just days after a man stole an electric-powered sedan from a Tesla store in Los Angeles, led police on a high-speed chase and then slammed into several cars and a pole, the Wall Street Journal reported. Seven people were injured, but no deaths were reported in the July 4 accident that split the vehicle in half.
The smashed sedan sprayed chunks of the car’s lithium-ion batteries around the street. Some of the pieces burst into flames and shot sparks through the air like fireworks, the WSJ noted, citing a broadcast report by television station KTLA-TV.
The Los Angeles crash marks the fourth time a Tesla car has burned after a collision. The California-based carmaker’s stock dropped nearly 14 percent early last October after a Model S struck debris on a highway south of Seattle and caught fire. Two weeks later, shares took another hit after a Model S slammed into a concrete barrier and a tree in Mexico.
Car fires are relatively common among gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States, but accidents involving electric vehicles garner extra attention because the battery packs are becoming powerful enough to raise concerns over lithium-ion chemical fire risks. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized what he said is disproportionate media coverage of a handful of Model S fires. About 65,000 car fires occurred each year from 2008 to 2010, almost all of which involved conventional vehicles, according to a study by the U.S. Fire Administration.
After the earlier crashes, Tesla added a titanium plate in March to increase protection of the lithium-ion batteries in the Model S vehicles. The luxury sedan has a five-star rating for crashworthiness, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest designation.
The company is working with Los Angeles police and fire officials to examine what exactly happened to the car during the July 4 crash, a Tesla spokesman told Bloomberg News.


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ProgrammableWeb tracks the latest API news to keep you on top of the API economy
Searching: No Search Term , Filtered By Category: "Search", Category: "Classifieds", Category: "Transportation", Category: "Auto"
API search-as-a-service product Algolia has secured more investment, which it aims to spend on making search a UX-driven experience.
Automatic, a startup that aims to help drivers connect their cars to their digital lives, has launched APIs and SDKs for third-party developers.
Multiple APIs from AlchemyAPI have been added to the directory, as well as more Yandex APIs, and libraries for Expedia and Vine. Here's a summary of what's been added.
We've added 6 APIs to the ProgrammableWeb directory today in Email, Financial, Search, Activity Streams, and Calendars categories. Here's a summary of what is new.
Search-as-a-service API provider, Algolia, has grown to service customers in 50+ countries. They share tips on building a distributed API that is available anywhere in the world.
We've added APIs to Transportation, Home Automation, and Enterprise categories today as well as U.S. Dept. of Labor SDKs and code samples.
Six APIs, a connected car client library, and source code samples for Bing Maps have been added to the directory among other things in the past day. Here are the highlights.
Citymaps has opened APIs to allow developers to access a new mapping design and endpoints for places of interest, business logos and social data.
Recent additions to the ProgrammableWeb directory include six APIs, source code snippets for Vine, and .Net libraries for LinkedIn developers.
OBS Logistics will announce the impending launch of its VEhub mobile app for vehicle management at the forthcoming CV Show. The app integrates with TomTom's Telematics API.
With the new ability to add a request endpoint to third-party apps, Uber has announced a two-month-long virtual hackathon to generate innovative ideas.
Google says it will close down the old version of Webmaster Tools API on April 20, the same day ClientLogin shuts down, requiring developers to switch to the new API by that date.