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In Donald Trump's first ever Address to Congress on Tuesday night, the new President chose to focus on the importance of buying American products, with a new slogan: 'Buy American and hire American.'
'Currently when we ship products out of America, many other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes, but when foreign companies ship their products into America we charge them nothing or almost nothing,' he said in his speech. 'I will be asking Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastruture of the United States [...] This effort will be guided by two core principles. Buy American and hire American.'
It seems, however, that his daughter Ivanka didn't get the memo beforehand. The 35-year-old businesswoman chose to wear a fuschia pink cocktail dress for her appearance at Congress, made by the French designer Roland Mouret. Talk about mixed messaging...
Ivanka posted a picture of herself and husband Jared Kushner, a senior advisor in Trump's administration, with the caption 'Getting ready to leave the White House with @realdonaldtrump as he prepares to address Congress #JointSession.'
A spokesperson from Roland Mouret told The Independent that the Rawlings dress cost $1868 (or £1772), and was produced in the UK.
Naturally, social media users were quick to point out the irony of Ivanka's outfit, which some even branding the President's daughter as 'hypocritical.'
After the President tweeted that 'the time has come for a new program of national rebuilding that will be guided by two core principles: Buy American, and Hire American!' one user responded with: 'Except Ivanka who wore a £3000 French designer made dress.'
'Dad said Buy American so Ivanka wore a French designer's dress #hypocrisy' wrote another user.
Others pointed out a further flaw in Trump's argument: the fact that products from his own and Ivanka's eponymous lines are not made in the United States.
'Buy American. When will the Trumps buy American? His suits and ties are made in China. Also Ivanka's clothing is made in other countries,' pointed out one user.
This is not the first time that Ivanka has come under fire on social media since his father's inauguration. In January, she was criticised for sharing a picture of 'date night' with her husband shortly after her father's controversial immigration ban was put into place, with Twitter users labelling the post 'offensive' and 'inappropriate.'


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Factory Records exhibition in support of Forever Manchester
Saturday 5th to Monday 7th May 2012
Manchester has a rich popular music history and this month marks an important date for the city. May 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the opening of the iconic FAC 51 ‘Haçienda’, and Factory Music fan Colin Gibbins is looking to mark the occasion by launching an exhibition showcasing his complete collection of Factory discography. Entry is fee, and donations will go to local charity ‘Forever Manchester’ which looks to raise and distribute money in support of local people and groups across Greater Manchester.
The event will run from 11am-6pm on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th, and from 11am-3pm on Monday 7th. Gibbins has been building his collection for the last 30 years and for the first time ever Factory’s complete collection will be showcased in their original form, including rarities, promos and test pressings. Supporting Gibbins and Forever Manchester in this venture is Trevor Johnson, an original Factory designer who has produced limited edition merchandise to raise additional funds for the charity.
The event, sponsored by Creative Lynx and Northern Group, will take place at The Ice Plant, Blossom Street, Manchester, M4 6AJ. Visit www.factvm.com and www.forevermanchester.com for more information.

domain: news


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Another major construction and fit-outs business has collapsed into administration, the latest victim of an industry which continues to suffer at the hands of subdued activity in both property and retail.
by Patrick Stafford
Several subsidiaries within a large architectural design and consulting group have been placed in administration as part of a corporate restructure, with redundancies expected as part of a response to what the company says are challenging business conditions. by Patrick Stafford
More exporters have turned to importing over the past few years due to the surge in the value of the Australian dollar, statistics released today reveal, but only half of all exporters expect to increase profits in the next year. by Patrick Stafford
Ford’s decision to scrap its manufacturing plants over the next three years will have a devastating effect on the automotive supply chain, with component manufacturers being warned they need to diversify and start seeking alternative business models. by Patrick Stafford
Ford announced this morning it will cease all manufacturing in Australia by 2016 and cut 1200 jobs in the process in one of the largest shake-ups to the local automotive sector in several years. by Patrick Stafford
SmartCompany.com.au is Australia's leading website for SMEs featuring business news, business information and business blogs. SmartCompany's archive of news, feature articles, entrepreneur interviews and business webinars cover topics such as advertising and marketing, buying or selling a business, starting a business, growing a business, franchising, SEO, superannuation and tax.


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AUSTRALIA’S vegans could finally be able to celebrate a “prestige year” after a major win over the US in the US Supreme Court case.
Key points:In February, the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that a California ban on commercial meat processing violated the US ConstitutionA new “Meat Free America” initiative has been launched in the stateThe state is hoping the new initiative will result in a drop in demand for veg in supermarketsThe court ruling was hailed by many animal rights activists as a major victory, with vegan activists saying they could now celebrate the last year of “Prestigious Vegan Year” and see a “significant reduction” in demand.
“We’re celebrating the end of a year that was extremely disappointing, especially for us vegans who have had to face the daily onslaught of cruelty and discrimination from the food industry,” said vegan campaigner Linda Boonen.
“It’s been very difficult to navigate the political landscape and our inability to use our veg to be our voice and to be the force for change in our country.”
Key points -The state of California is hoping to make it easier for vegans to shop in supermarketsIn December, the court ruled in favour of a California restaurant owner, who claimed his “Pledge” to not buy meat was a breach of his state’s Animal Welfare Act.
In its decision, the appeals court said that the state’s ban on retail sales of meat by retailers was constitutional.
“The Supreme Court found that the prohibition on meat sales by retail outlets violates the Constitution because it bans commerce among the states and is substantially related to an establishment’s policy of ‘pandering to the public’ and promoting meat consumption,” the court said.
“While the ban is valid, the ban on sales by private parties is not.”
In January, the Supreme Court decided that the US government’s “MeatFree America” campaign was not illegal, so it could continue.
On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court overturned that decision.
“By allowing private parties to sell meat, it effectively places the state of commerce in a position of government control,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the decision.”[The] Court does not view the California law as a ‘law of the land’, but rather as a legal fiction enacted to serve a specific political purpose.”
In a statement, Mr Kennedy said: “The ‘MeatFree’ initiative has no bearing on the state, the food service industry, or the public.”
California continues to be a model for the rest of the country, and it will continue to serve as a model to the world.
“Its a victory for animal welfare, for a new kind of food, and for all of us who love our food.”
The new MeatFree America initiative, which is backed by a new group of animal rights and environmental groups, aims to make shopping easier for vegetarians in the world’s largest market.
“What we’re really looking for is people who are not vegans, but have some veg,” said Dr Lisa Smith, the group’s national communications director.
“So they can go shopping with their kids and say, ‘I have meat.'”
The MeatFree Australia initiative has a lot of work to do.
“There are a lot more stores than before, and a lot less veg.”
But the fact that we’ve got a major consumer movement to do this is a really positive step.
“The organisation’s website says it will start offering veg-free products, including vegetarian chicken and veg lasagne, next year.AAP


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Producing towels and bathrobes with a monthly capacity of 80 tons, Berberler Tekstil exports 75% of its production.
Berberler Tekstil has been at the service of textile customers since 1999, offering products such as towels, bathrobes, beach towels and bath mats. Berberler Tekstil exports its products especially to Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Saudi Arabia, Germany, England and Israel, in addition to a long list of domestic customers.
Keeping close track of update trends to satisfy global and domestic customers, Berberler Tekstil considers textile a form of art that is to be offered to consumers all over the world in various forms with premium quality and elaboration. Seyit Berber, the owner, says that packaged and boxed products are in demand in the new season with the popularity of anthracite and powder colors.
“New destination, South America”
Seyit Berber adds that they have focused on E-Commerce during the pandemic. “Thanks to E-Commerce, we kept operation even after the closure of businesses. We were getting ready for fairs of 2021, but sadly, we will not be able to take part in a showcase this year due to cancelations. We hope to come together with our distinguished customers at the fair to be held in May, 2022. Thankfully, we managed to achieve our goal in Turkic Countries, the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East, Russian Territories and European Countries. Our new target is South American market.”


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Jennifer Lopez buys dogJennifer Lopez has bought a new dog - a huge German Shepherd.
While many celebrities opt for miniature mutts, the Latin diva is said to be smitten with her new four-legged friend.
A source, who spotted the star sharing a car with her pet pooch, told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "Jennifer looked very squashed in the back with hubby Marc Anthony and the huge dog.
"But she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she looked quite cosy."
Earlier this year, it was revealed the stunning brunette is set to design an entire new fashion range - for animals.
The Latin beauty - who launched her own fashion range, Sweetface, for women earlier this year - has now turned her hand to a new range of accessories for pampered pets.
A source said at the time: "Jennifer thought it would be fun and unusual to extend the range of accessories to animals."
Have an question? Get it answered by AskMen's guyQ.


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Video-conferencing platform Zoom has come under the scanner over its security flaws in one its major markets, India. The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the central government on a writ petition that has called for a ban on the popular app.
The plea was filed on Wednesday by Harsh Chugh, a tutor, who has alleged that the sudden rise in the number of users in the application due to the Covid-19 lockdown has led to security issues, with personal data of the app users being compromised.
The app, owned by San Jose California based Zoom Video Communications, offers free and paid subscription models. Its global users shot up from 10 million in December last year to more than 300 million daily participants in March.
India accounted for 18.2% of the 131 million downloads that the platform witnessed in April alone, data from mobile marketing analytics firm Sensor Tower showed. The cyber Coordination Centre (CyCord), under the ministry of home affairs, recently issued an advisory on the use of the app. Currently, Zoom is not used by government officers for official work.
The plea against Zoom alleged that “poor privacy and security of the application have enabled the hackers to get access to the meeting, classes, and conferences being conducted online through this application.” It added that the platform reportedly has a bug that can be misused by hackers to leak information of users to third parties.
The petitioner hopes that the platform is banned until appropriate legislation is formed on the usage of such applications, citing that the app breached privacy.
According to the plea, Zoom app is in violation of the Information Technology Act of 2000, and the Information Technology rules of 2009 which pertained to the procedures for the interception, monitoring and decryption of information.
Another allegation is that the application lacks total end-to-end encryption, with the petition claiming that the CEO of the company Eric S Yuan has openly accepted security flaws in the app.
The home tutor stated that since her tuition classes were taken through Zoom, she was worried about privacy and security issues and the possibilities of cyber breaches and being hacked.
"It is important to realise how Zoom consistently violates its duty to implement and maintain reasonable security practices and misleads consumers about the security benefits of the product. Zoom has targeted consumers, businesses, and schools," the plea stated.
The platform had recently undertaken a 90-day security plan to upgrade its security features, with the most significant being the Zoom 5.0 upgrade which looked to tackle Zoombomning and data encryption issues.
“We will earn our customers’ trust and deliver them happiness with our unwavering focus on providing the most secure platform,” Eric S Yuan, CEO of Zoom, said in an earlier blog post.


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During the interaction, PM was briefed on the action taken to ensure speedy and effective disposal of consumer grievances. The PM also emphasised the need for improvement in the administrative arrangements, so that consumers can be benefited.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired 23rd interaction through PRAGATI, which is ICT based unique integrating and interactive platform that helps enable Pro-Active Governance and timely implementation of resolutions related to consumer grievances. During the interaction, PM was briefed on the action taken to ensure speedy and effective disposal of consumer grievances. The PM also emphasised the need for improvement in the administrative arrangements, so that consumers can be benefited.
PM Modi also reviewed the progress of nine infrastructure projects, cumulatively worth over Rs 30,000 crore in the Railways, road, power, and renewable energy sectors, across Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Assam, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Reviewing the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) he said that the progress in the implementation of the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) should be utilized to strategically focus upon and eliminate major development issues or deficits that these districts now face. He said, “this should be done in a focused way, so as to achieve the greatest possible, tangible results by 2022, which marks 75 years of independence”
The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing, and geospatial technology. It also offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism since it brings on one platform the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States. With this, the Prime Minister is able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation. Such an effort has never been made in India. It is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.


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An increase in fake reviews and false information, as well as flouting of consumer protection laws, are all possible results of the AI boom.
A quarter of consumers will soon spend an hour a day on the metaverse
By our News Team | 2022
The metaverse will impact every business that consumers interact with every day, creating new opportunities and challenges for organisations.
By the year 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education, social and/or entertainment. This is according to a study released last week by international insights company, Gartner.
“Vendors are already building ways for users to replicate their lives in digital worlds,” said Marty Resnick, Research Vice president at Gartner.
“From attending virtual classrooms to buying digital land and constructing virtual homes, these activities are currently being conducted in separate environments. Eventually, they will take place in a single environment – the metaverse – with multiple destinations across technologies and experiences.”
Image by Nurudeen Ayaga Alidu from Pixabay
Gartner defines a metaverse as a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. It is persistent, providing enhanced immersive experiences, as well as being device-independent and accessible through any type of device – ranging from tablets to head-mounted displays.
Andrew Bosworth of Facebook Reality Labs has a slightly different explanation: “The defining quality of the metaverse will be presence – the feeling of really being there with people… so you can remove the limitations of physics and move between them with the same ease as moving from one room in your home to the next.”
A virtual economy in the metaverse
Because no single vendor will own the metaverse, Gartner expects it to have a virtual economy enabled by digital currencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs). The metaverse will impact every business that consumers interact with every day.
It will also impact how work gets done. Enterprises will provide better engagement, collaboration and connection to their employees through immersive workspaces in virtual offices. Businesses will not need to create their own infrastructure to do so because the metaverse will provide the framework.
In addition, virtual events that have gained popularity over the last 18 months will offer more collaborative and immersive networking opportunities and workshops.
“Enterprises will have the ability to expand and enhance their business models in unprecedented ways by moving from a digital business to a metaverse business,” said Resnick. “By 2026, 30% of the organisations in the world will have products and services ready for metaverse.”
The adoption of metaverse technologies is nascent and fragmented, and Gartner cautions organisations about investing heavily in a specific metaverse.
“It is still too early to know which investments will be viable in the long term, but product managers should take the time to learn, explore and prepare for a metaverse in order to position themselves competitively,” Resnick explained.
As tougher times bite, only 10% of CMOs believe their marketing investments will enable them to emerge better off than their competitors.
On-the-Go stores will extend the brand and be located on TotalEnergies service station forecourts to cater to motorists and busy consumers.
The social media platform’s ad revenue is up 25.8% year-on-year and is forecast to total US$71-billion for 2024.
Alliance offers a simple, fast and convenient experience for consumers to buy groceries online, with orders being delivered within an hour.
Consumer must feel that buying the product will somehow elevate them so that they sit more squarely alongside the influencer they follow.
What are the key things that people consider before buying online? Researchers find that the computer mouse holds important clues.
Bon Marché has typically confined itself to the affluent suburbs of Zimbabwe’s capital. Now it has opened in Marondera in Mashonaland East,
As rugby fans liken the SA national team’s alternative kit to the Checkers Sixty60 e-commerce platform, the brand seizes the opportunity.
Sports apparel company renews an old partnership with Newcastle United as it further cements its presence in top soccer competitions.
Interactive Advertising Bureau study finds internet advertising has reached a new high of 34% of the overall SA advertising market.


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Walmart’s next store to come up in 2017, Punjab likely site
Continuing with its cautious expansion in India, US-retail giant Walmart will open the next cash and carry outlet only in 2017 and is zeroing in on Punjab for that.punjab Updated: Oct 11, 2015 23:45 IST
Continuing with its cautious expansion in India, US-retail giant Walmart will open the next cash-and-carry outlet only in 2017 and is zeroing in on Punjab for the same.
The company, which had opened its 21st store in India in August - after a gap of over two years - at Agra, had stated that it would open 50 wholesale outlets in the country within the next 4 to 5 years.
“We are working on several (sites) right now. We have signed quite a few properties. I do expect the next one will be in Ludhiana in Punjab,” Walmart India President & CEO Krish Iyer told PTI.
Asked when the next cash and carry outlet is expected to open, he said: “Currently we are in the process of working out single window clearance with the Punjab government. When all of that is taken care of, all it takes is two years... so around the first half of 2017.”
Although there is a ‘lot of competition’ among states for the next store, Iyer said, “I do expect a little bit of a headstart in Punjab.”
Walmart had paused expansion in India in 2012 when it was investigating violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at its Indian arm.
It had also called off a six-year partnership with Bharti Enterprises in 2013 and decided to operate cash-and-carry stores independently in India.


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If you thought VEVO was too good to be true, you might be right ― especially if you’re an indie. According to a troubling critique from Songs Music Publishing CEO Matt Pincus, VEVO is sytematically skipping payments to indie publishers. The bilk seems to be happening through highly-inclusive deals involving Vevo’s major label, joint venture partners, according to the Pincus’ op-ed (published in the Wrap).
Digital Music News contacted VEVO immediately after the Wrap published the piece. VEVO emailed us back, but declined any comment. The allegations, if true, would help to deflate a recent announcement that VEVO is now making $150 million in revenues annually, with more than $200 million going back to artists since inception.
Sounds great for VEVO and its partners, though Pincus says the fun stops there for Songs and other indie publishers and songwriters.


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PROMOTIONAL CONTENT ON BEHALF OF LKQ EURO CAR PARTS
LKQ Euro Car Parts has launched the OmniHub, a new content hub on its trade website, where independent garages can access help and resources designed to assist their day-to-day operations and recovery.
Omnipart receives more than 180,000 visits a month from independent garages looking to buy car and van parts and has now been developed to offer business advice and guidance, too – via the new garage support hub.
Colin Cottrell, Marketing and Central Operations Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts, said: “While we and our customers have been working hard to supply essential parts and carry out maintenance and repairs for key workers, business inevitably dropped off since the start of coronavirus outbreak.
“As we look to recovery across the UK, garages now face a new set of challenges – not least, managing a surge in demand with people getting back on the road and the closure of the MOT extension comes into force at the end of July. And it goes without saying that many cars will have developed faults while stationary that will come to light when they’re started up again.
“As long as this demand is managed safely and effectively, it represents a huge opportunity for the independent aftermarket to get back up and running.”
The OmniHub will cover the measures garages can put in place to encourage inbound business as part of their post-Covid-19 recovery plans, such as introducing more contactless services and implementing social distancing.
There will also be insight into the service and repair jobs that are likely to be in highest demand after much of the UK car parc has been out of use, coupled with tips on how to manage high volumes of work.
Colin Cottrell continued: “Our advice to garages in the immediate term is to take advantage of free training opportunities where business is slower, and to plan thoroughly for potential demand increases expected in the near future, such as MOTs. The OmniHub is designed to guide them through this process.”
The OmniHub is already home to content on existing government schemes from Statutory Sick Pay and Business Rates Relief, to Self-Employed Income Support and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, defining what each package is for, before outlining which customers are likely to be eligible, and explaining how to apply.
Visit the Omnihub info page for more details
Clean with CV1 Shot
LKQ Euro Car Parts has added an innovative new disinfectant to its growing range of PPE and hygiene products, designed to eliminate coronavirus, both in vehicles and around the workshop.
The ‘CV1 Shot’ has been developed in line with the latest guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Benzalkonium chloride is the active ingredient that breaks down and kills coronavirus, recommended by the EU and tested to EN1276 and EN13697 standards.
The product is an aerosol and can be distributed throughout a vehicle via its ventilation system, without leaving any residue behind.
The canister takes two minutes to discharge and then as little as five minutes to circulate, when the vents are open on full, and the vehicle in re-circulating mode.
Colin Cottrell, marketing and central operations director at LKQ Euro Car Parts, commented: “Garages can offer a CV1 Shot treatment to customers before they hand the car back, to reassure them that it’s been fully disinfected with a top-quality product. Using an aerosol means the active ingredient is spread across all surfaces, including those that are difficult to reach.
“The CV1 Shot is also a time and cost-friendly solution to use throughout the garage premises, in reception, in the toilets and in the office.”


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Last month Google offered refunds to users who bought a fake antivirus app from Google Play, but the scam seems to be catching on and security researchers have recently identified similar apps in both the Android and Windows Phone app stores.
An Android Trojan app that sends SMS messages to premium-rate numbers has expanded globally over the past year, racking up bills for users in over 60 countries including the U.S., malware researchers from Kaspersky Lab said.
National security may be at stake as private businesses try to manage a growing number of cyberthreats, but IT professionals shouldn't have to bear that burden alone.
International conflicts such as the current tensions over Ukraine could stand in the way of global cooperation on cybersecurity, according to the founder of Kaspersky Lab.
In the race to protect themselves from the Heartbleed vulnerability, enterprises could be opening themselves up to new attacks if they aren't careful.
An archive containing transaction records from Mt. Gox that was released on the Internet last week by the hackers who compromised the blog of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles also contains bitcoin-stealing malware for Windows and Mac.
Kaspersky Lab has spotted malware for the Android mobile operating system employing the TOR anonymity network, a development previously only seen on Windows.
A cyberespionage operation that used highly sophisticated multi-platform malware went undetected for more than five years and compromised computers belonging to hundreds of government and private organizations in more than 30 countries.
A new exploit that prompted Adobe to release an emergency patch for Flash Player was used in targeted attacks that distributed malware designed to steal log-in credentials for email and other online services, according to researchers from antivirus f...
Adobe released an update for Flash Player to fix a critical remote code execution vulnerability that is actively being targeted by attackers.
Belgian cryptographer Jean-Jacques Quisquater had his personal computer infected with malware as the result of a targeted attack that's believed to be related to a security breach discovered last year at Belgian telecommunications group Belgacom. Acc...
Payment card data was stolen during the past three months from several dozen retailers that had their point-of-sale systems infected with a memory-scraping malware program called ChewBacca.
A new Trojan program that targets users of online financial services has the potential to spread very quickly over the next few months, security researchers warn.
A new financial malware program that communicates with attackers over the I2P (Invisible Internet Project) anonymity network is for sale on a Russian cybercrime forum.
The PHP Group will reset the passwords for accounts on php.net, the official website of the PHP programming language, and will change the site's SSL certificate after attackers compromised two servers and injected malicious code into the website.
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Baggage fee hikes and warm weather help easyJet to slash its winter season losses
Higher baggage charges and fewer flight cancellations during a mild winter have given low-cost airline easyJet a trading boost.
The revenue it rakes in per seat has risen by 10 per cent in the past six months, with around half that improvement driven by higher fees and charges.
EasyJet has also received a boost from unseasonably mild weather, which led to 'unusually' low levels of cancelled flights, and benefited from the demise of rivals such as Spanish carrier Spanair and Hungary's Malev.
Catchy tune: easyJet promotes its services in a TV advertisement featuring music from Liverpudlian rockers The Wombats
The Luton-based group, which operates more than 580 routes across 30 countries, has also been promoting its services lately in a TV advertisement featuring music from Liverpudlian rockers The Wombats.
The improved performance means easyjet now expects to report a pre-tax loss for the six months to March 31 of £110million-£120million, compared with previous expectations of £140million-£160million and a £153million loss last year.
Like many travel businesses, the firm reports a loss in the first half of its financial year. Shares in easyJet were 7 per cent higher at 494.4p in early trading.
The group previously reported higher revenues for first three months of its financial year as it raised its first-bag charge by 16.9 per cent to £4.70 per seat. Total fees and charges increased by 26.7 per cent to £5.88 per seat.
Meanwhile, the carrier said today that disruption and de-icing costs in the past six months were £18million lower than the same period last year, when the UK was hit by a prolonged period of severe weather conditions.
The group, which has a 200-strong fleet of aircraft, said total cost per seat for the whole year is expected to increase 2 per cent, assuming no significant disruption caused by events such as airspace congestion during the Olympics.
Looking ahead, easyJet said around 30 per cent of seats for the second half of the financial year were booked.
The group's expectations for financial performance in the latter half of the year are unchanged, as it expects a higher fuel bill.
EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall said: 'We continue to expect the environment for airlines to remain difficult.'
The airline's board last month won a battle with its founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, after shareholders overwhelmingly backed its multimillion-pound pay plans.
Sir Stelios, who speaks for 37.4 per cent of the company's shares, failed to convince enough investors to join him in voting against the company's remuneration report, as well as the re-election of four directors including chairman Sir Michael Rake.
Sir Stelios is currently working on his latest project, a new airline venture in west Africa to be called FastJet.
View from the City
'In an unscheduled release, easyJet has indicated that trading in the first half is running ahead of expectations,' said Edward Stanford of Oriel Securities.
'This performance is attributed both to stronger than expected revenue per seat reflecting capacity discipline in the European market as well as the fact that recent fee introductions such as the new administration charge are sticking.
'Revenue per seat is now expected to be up 10 per cent against previous guidance of "upper single digits".
And he added: 'The continued strength of earnings momentum on the back of disciplined yield and cost management should continue to fuel share price outperformance in our view and we therefore retain our buy recommendation.'
Stock trend: easyJet shares have risen steeply since last summer
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- Rare 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione sold for £5.6million
- Renault Zoe scores zero stars in crash tests after airbag removed
- Incredible Lewis Hamilton's GP winning McLaren sold at auction
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Irregular supply and slow demand make for a tough market, says Marcel van Rooijen of Trofi
Adverse climatic conditions and logistical problems are resulting in a challenging mango season for Dutch importer Trofi. After weeks of low supply due to El Niño-related production issues in Peru, a glut of fruit is expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks – but European demand is very sluggish according to senior import manager Marcel van Rooijen.
“We are facing an extremely complicated Peru mango season,” he told Fruitnet. “Due to almost no temperature differences during blooming time, the setting of the fruit was far lower than normal with up to 70 per cent less volume. This created a season delay of four weeks.
“Then, surprisingly, heavy rains in which also affected the quality and shelf-life of the fruit that had been harvested.”
Van Rooijen says early, limited volumes were picked for the US market, with the resulting European shortage causing prices to skyrocket. The problem was exacerbated by logistical issues which delayed arrivals by up to four weeks.
“We are now facing a huge bump of fruit within a time frame of just 14 days. In a normal market with promotions that should be no problem, but the high prices have caused consumption to slow right down.”
Despite the challenges, Trofi managed to keep on loading through January and February by relying on supply from Brazil.
Fortunately, he expects the situation to improve as other countries come on stream. “In 10 days the main supply from Peru will be over and Brazilian supply will take over. Then Côte d’Ivoire will start to export their Kent mango in week 16, and their volume should be around 40 per cent higher as the weather this year has been much better and they had enough rain to feed the trees.”


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In most countries, spring is the best time of year when a good number o >>>
Over the years, BlackBerry has seen its ups and downs, like any other tech company. Even though, it has been mostly downs — for BlackBerry — the Canadian smartphone manufacturer has held on, all this while, trying hard to not let its fans down.
BlackBerry isn’t dead. It lives to die another day. Secondly, it will not make or design its phones in future, because, well, that costs a lot of money. Somebody else will do that for BlackBerry.


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You Can Now Buy Dunkaroos at 7-Eleven Stores For $2!
Dunkaroos Are Officially Back, and Here's Where You Can Get Them!
This is not a drill, '90s kids: Dunkaroos are officially back! Rumors of the nostalgic cookie's return first began spreading months ago, which only heightened after the brand quietly started official Instagram and Twitter accounts in January. Dunkaroos finally put our curiosity to rest and confirmed the news on Feb. 3 by sharing a '90s-tastic Instagram video compilation captioned "🚨Definitely coming back. Summer 2020.🚨" And now the time has finally come! You can get the beloved snack at 7-Eleven stores for $2 per 1.5-ounce tray, or in two packs for $3. They're also available for delivery using the 7-Eleven app, 7NOW.
General Mills's Dunkaroos made its debut to the snack scene in the '90s before sadly discontinuing in 2012. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen are vocally on board for a Dunkaroos revival, which is slated to happen this Summer. We're more than ready for those vanilla-flavored cookies and rainbow-flecked icing!


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It’s finally happening, folks. Intel is absolutely, 100% leaving the long-toothed 14nm process node for greener, or rather denser, pastures. Intel has arrived at Computex full of gusto and has previewed its mobile Ice Lake processors ahead of its keynote on May 28 at Computex, which I’m sure has nothing to do with AMD’s upcoming Computex keynote.
Yes that’s just mobile chips for now. Avid desktop gamers will have to wait a little (or a lot) longer to get their hands on 10nm processors. But that doesn’t mean all is lost for us lot, Intel still has a few new tricks to keep on-the-go gamers on the hook for a little longer. And maybe even a glimpse of what to expect from Sunny Cove once it finally makes its way to desktop.
Intel has increased the graphics capability with its top Intel Ice Lake processors. A single mobile SoC now features up to 64 Execution Units (EUs) – that’s the silicon that keeps integrated on-chip graphics ticking over, and Intel claims this substantial upgrade over last-gen graphics tech will finally see some half-decent esports gaming on low-power devices without dedicated GPUs.
The company’s own internal benchmarks put an undisclosed Gen 11 iGPU – presumably the top chip – capable of “nearly double” the performance of previous Gen 9 graphics (Intel Core i7 8565U) in CS:GO, Rainbow Six:Siege, and Total War: Three Kingdoms. Intel’s footnotes show that all three games were running at 1080p at either low or medium settings.
Want more? These are the best CPUs for gaming so far in 2019
Intel’s system benchmarks also indicate that we can expect at least up to four-core/eight-thread chips running at 15W with Ice Lake U-series chips.
— Intel News (@intelnews) May 26, 2019
Intel Ice Lake processors will be the first to ditch the Skylake architecture, which has been utilised in some form – whether that be Skylake, Kaby Lake, or Coffee Lake – since the 6th Gen. Instead, these chips will utilise the Sunny Cove architecture announced back at Intel’s Architecture Day.
Aside from just the 10nm process node, Sunny Cove also brings with it Intel’s Deep Learning Boost and integrated neural accelerator. All that AI smarts, Intel says, will come in use for tasks such as image deblur or stylising video and “usher in a new era of intelligent performance for PCs.”
Intel’s early announcement comes just ahead of AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su’s Computex keynote, during which AMD is expected to announce its Ryzen 3000 processors on the 7nm process node. Convenient timing on Intel’s part.
Intel is remaining a little light on the details for now, but we’re sure to find out more from Ice Lake and whatever else Intel has in store to take on AMD over at the Intel Industry Keynote on May 28. Stay tuned for all the details.


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BlackBerry has won a court battle against a former senior vice president who broke his contract to leave for Apple, iMore reports.
Last September, Sebastien Marineau-Mes began discussions with Apple to leave his position at BlackBerry for a position on Apple's operating-system team after nearly three years at the company.
In December, he was given a formal offer from Apple to serve as vice president of Core OS, the team responsible for code shared between Mac OS X and iOS, according to the court opinion posted by iMore. Two days before Christmas, Marineau offered his resignation to BlackBerry and said he'd be leaving for Apple in about two months.
But two months wasn't enough notice, according to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruling released on Monday. The same month Marineau began discussions with Apple, he was promoted to executive vice president at BlackBerry during a promotion freeze at the company. Then, in October, he signed a contract saying he would give six months notice if he decided to leave.
BlackBerry decided that Marineau's move was a big enough slight that it was worth taking him to court. And it won: The Ontario court decided that he had to fulfill his obligation.
It's not clear what that means for Marineau and his position at Apple — the odds are slim that either he or BlackBerry would want him to continue working at the company. Here's BlackBerry's official statement:
"BlackBerry will not stand by while a former employee violates his employment contract. It is unfortunate that we had to take this step, but we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that employees honor the agreements they make with us. When we enter into an agreement with an employee, as we have with Mr. Marineau, we expect him to honor his commitment just as he would expect that we will honor ours. We are pleased that the court has endorsed our position and ruled that the employee contract and its terms are valid."


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Freight deal brings job security to hundreds of workers
HUNDREDS of Queensland jobs, including Mackay based positions, have been secured a week out from Christmas with a major deal between transport firms Linfox and Aurizon getting the tick of approval.
Almost 200 Aurizon employees will be welcomed into the Linfox Intermodal business unit, including those in Mackay, after the company's agreement to purchase Aurizon's Queensland Intermodal business (QIB) yesterday became unconditional.
The deal guarantees service continuity for customers and ensures vital freight services into and out of regional towns are preserved.
The Federal Court of Australia lifted an interlocutory injunction on the sale of Aurizon's QIB on November 19, allowing employees, freight forwarding, pick-up and delivery assets and rail wagons to transfer to Linfox on January 31, 2019.
Linfox President Intermodal Ian Strachan said the deal was reassuring for customers and regional communities.
"Not only will this agreement deliver service continuity to customers, it provides much needed certainty to the employees and communities who have been living in doubt for two years and who would have been impacted if the Aurizon intermodal business had closed,” Mr Strachan said.
From February 1, businesses operating into and out of northern Queensland will have a new and compelling logistics option. The integrated road and rail services will provide greater speed and efficiency in delivering goods to market and direct customer relationship will deliver sole accountability for end-to-end service.
"We've waited a long time for this and we're looking forward to showing what Linfox can do with such a strategic asset.”
Linfox CEO Mark Mazurek said the agreement was only the start of Linfox's long-term investment in the region.
"We will bring Linfox's commitment to safety, compliance, exceptional customer service and the delivery of the latest technology to the region,” he said.
The agreement will increase the scale and scope of the freight forwarding services offered to customers delivering freight to NQ. It will also increase Linfox's Queensland-based pick-up, delivery and warehousing capability.


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A propos de moi
On 17 February 2022, the Justice division called Eun Youthful Choi as the very first supervisor of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Group to assist in recognition of and also taking care of misuse of cryptocurrencies as well as other electronic possessions. Mainstream firms throughout numerous industries took passion-- and also in some cases themselves purchased-- cryptocurrency and blockchain tips [try this web-site] in 2021. AMC, as an example, introduced in 2015 it would certainly approve Bitcoin settlements. Fintech business like PayPal and also Square are additionally betting on crypto by allowing individuals to purchase on their systems.
The federal government has yet to grant the FCA the capacity to correctly manage cryptoassets, regardless of indications of enhanced policy of crypto in other places. The new FCA rules include a restriction on reference incentives for investments, an advertising and marketing device that supplies a little economic benefit to individuals that obtain a friend to sign up for the same investment solution. The very first cryptocurrency purchase in the history of Argentine soccer angered the nation's nationwide bank, which forbade Banfield from running ... The purpose of the Accord is to "decarbonize the industry in record time", and accomplish net-zero discharges in the global crypto industry by 2030.
We contributed to those partnerships this year by joining forces with LVL, an up-and-coming cryptocurrency exchange. These partnerships-- with much more prepared in the pipeline-- improve our years of crypto partnerships. Doing this work will produce a whole lot even more opportunities for consumers and vendors, enabling them to negotiate in a totally new type of repayment. This adjustment may open sellers approximately brand-new consumers that are already flocking to electronic assets, and also assist vendors build commitment with existing clients who desire this additional option. As well as customers will be able to save, store as well as send cash in brand-new methods.
Forsage additionally presumably used assets from brand-new investors to pay earlier investors in a typical Ponzi framework. After increasing to prominence as the modern technology support different crypto money, blockchain originally made its presence felt in the monetary field. Early hype declared blockchain boasted a number of clear gains, nonetheless over the complying with years its impact remains muted at ideal.


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Super Mario Odyssey launched on October 27 and is available now for the Nintendo Switch. Prior to its release, most people assumed Super Mario Odyssey was being positioned as Nintendo's most important IP this year. The console, which sold 2.3 million global units and was notoriously hard to get hold of, is expected to return to store shelves in the Summer.
Mario has been Nintendo's most important character for 32 years - and his popularity is showing no signs of slowing down.
Social media reacts to Carolina Panthers trading Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo
The Bills are off to a surprising 5-2 start and find themselves just one win behind the division-leading Patriots (6-2). If healthy, Benjamin goes to a Bills team that could use a big receiver for Tyrod Taylor to entrust 50/50 balls.
According to a new report from Engadget, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima stated that despite the game's 200 million-plus downloads, the company has "not yet reached an acceptable profit point" from Super Mario Run. Whereas the "shipped" term (7.63 million Nintendo Switch units shipped) refers to products shipped to suppliers, "sell-through" (3 million copies of Super Mario Odyssey) were sold by retailers.
We enjoyed our time with the Nintendo Switch exclusive, writing in our Super Mario Odyssey review: "Packed with energy, charm, and every trick in the book thrown in, choosing to hop aboard the Odyssey will undoubtedly result in you having the chance to experience one of Mario's greatest adventures". Put another way, more than a quarter (28.5 percent) of all Switch owners have purchased Super Mario Odyssey in the first three days. Ultimately, Nintendo is hoping that the game will eventually be seen as an evergreen title, showing solid sales longevity beyond the holiday market period.
National Weather Service warns of high winds, potential flooding
If you live in a flood prone area, definitely have a plan of action ready to go in case a warning gets issued for your location. After Monday , temperatures are predicted to rise with a high of 43 on Tuesday , 62 on Wednesday and 63 on Thursday .
From 2012 on through 2016, Nintendo was in a dreary place, but it seems to have found its footing in 2017. Looking ahead, several upcoming games will strengthen the Switch's lineup, including Doom, Skyrim, and several Resident Evil titles, to name just a few.
A Federal Judge Just Blocked Donald Trump's Transgender Military Ban
The case will still have to be addressed in court to ultimately determine if the ban is unconstitutional. Therefore, she said, the court does not have jurisdiction to enjoin the aspect of Trump's policy.
- Territory lost by Kurds in Iraq
- Microsoft Announces Surface Pro With LTE Connectivity
- Navy SEAL members under investigation in death of Ft. Bragg-based soldier
- Tiger Woods will return to golf at Hero World Challenge
- Space Has Never Sounded Scarier Than On NASA's Halloween Playlist
- Antonio Conte: 'Roma had more desire to win than Chelsea'
- Browns, Bengals were close on AJ McCarron trade
- Bharti Airtel Ltd Q2 net profit drops to Rs. 586.1 crores
- Six Palestinians killed as Israel hits Gaza tunnel
- 76ers rookie Fultz out indefinitely with shoulder injury


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Diego Garcia doesn't like being called a pizza guy. But you can call him a pizza artist. Garcia, 22, a UTEP art student who likes to do surreal paintings and cartoonish murals, is now starring in national TV commercials for Domino's Pizza.
He's worked part time as a pizza maker and pizza deliverer at Domino's stores in El Paso for three years.
The commercials are touting Domino's handmade pan pizzas by featuring Garcia and two other Domino's workers in Santa Fe and Flower Mound, Texas. They talk about their passion for their art, and for making pizzas.
"It really bugs me that people think I'm just a pizza maker or just a pizza boy. I think of myself as a craftsman, and these are my tools," said Garcia, as he waved his hands, in the commercials showcasing his mural-painting talents.
A 30-second commercial shows all three of the Domino's workers/artists. Another 15-second commercial features Garcia alone. The other two artists' solo commercials are being shown online only.
"Consumers seemed to like the Diego spot the best" when it was tested with consumers, said Chris Brandon, a spokesman at Domino's headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Domino's has featured employees in commercials for years because it found people like seeing "very real and very honest" Domino's workers rather than paid actors, Brandon said. Garcia received only regular pay and travel expenses for his commercial work.
Last fall, the company sent a message to its almost 5,000 stores in the United States looking for employees with artistic talents. The aim was to find employees to feature in commercials to publicize not only Domino's pan pizzas, which hit the market about a year ago, but also to highlight that the pizzas are handmade by some talented people, Brandon said.
Joe Perez, general manager of the East El Paso Domino's store at 2128 Wedgewood, where Garcia works part time, said Garcia immediately came to mind when he saw the corporate request, and he forwarded Garcia's name for consideration.
"He brings in his art every now and then, and I see it on social media. He has some good talent," Perez said. "I trained him to make pizzas. He's one of the best (pizza makers), real good."
Garcia said his artistic abilities enhance his pizza-making skills. He also enjoys making them, he said last week during an interview inside the Wedgewood store.
"There's a little skill with it. You have to be precise with it," Garcia said about making pizzas. "I like to spin the dough. You can do tricks with it."
Garcia didn't know he was about to become a Domino's TV star when he was asked last fall by Domino's advertising agency, Miami-based Crispin Porter & Bogusky, or CP+B, to submit photos of his artwork. He was later interviewed via Skype. After that, he was given a plane ticket to Los Angeles.
In L.A., ad agency personnel handed him a bag of spray paint cans, and for about 14 hours over two days he painted one of his signature cartoon characters on the wall of a glass-blowing studio, Garcia reported.
Some of his spray painting and the finished mural are featured in the commercials, one of which include photos of three murals he painted in the El Paso area in recent years. Garcia, dressed in a Domino's uniform, also was shot making a pan pizza inside a Los Angeles Domino's store, and talking about his art and pan pizzas. He was given lines to say, but they reflected his views and personality, Garcia said.
Andrew Lincoln, vice president and creative director for CP+B, said in a statement: "We picked Diego — just like the others — for his amazing energy, talent, and for the way he talked about his love of handcrafting his art. He also has an incredible amount of passion when speaking about making pizzas, which is what the campaign is essentially about."
Garcia said he likes the commercials.
"They're pretty cool," Garcia said last week during an interview at the Wedgewood Domino's. Friends and co-workers have teased and congratulated him about his new-found stardom, he said.
During the interview, he showed off samples of three of his paintings, including one of deceased movie icon James Dean with half his face as a skeleton. A woman requested the painting, and it's now one of his favorites, he said.
Garcia and his family moved to El Paso when he was 2 years old. His parents decided to move here, where they have relatives, after the family home was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, Garcia said.
He started playing around with art in elementary school as a way to compete with his older brother, he said. Then, he got hooked, took art classes at Bel Air High School, where he graduated in 2010, and also hit El Paso's streets to paint murals on buildings where business owners encourage artists to use the walls as canvases, he said.
He's studying at UTEP to be an art teacher.
One of his dreams is to travel around the country, getting paid to paint murals, he said.
"If I could do more of anything, I'd do more of that (murals). They are pretty priceless; not for sale. It'll be there until someone paints over it."
He hopes the commercials open more art opportunities for him, he said. Since the commercials began airing the first week of February, a Los Angeles artist called him to recruit him for a possible art show, he said.
Garcia said he has no aspirations of starring in other commercials. The Domino's gig showed him how complex and restrictive making commercials can be, he said.
"It was a fun experience, and I met some cool people," Garcia said. "But it's too strict, it has too many restrictions."
The commercials are scheduled to run on national TV through March. They also can be viewed online at handmadebydominos.com.
Domino's Pizza workers featured in national TV commercials:
Diego Garcia: Muralist and painter, El Paso.
Crystal Stanley: Water color painter, Flower Mound, Texas.
Chris Polly: Glassblower, Santa Fe.
See commercials at handmadebydominos.com


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“I wanted the Temando story to inspire future entrepreneurs, and help build a community of Australian business leaders that thrives on celebrating and supporting each other through their various innovations.”
We’ve all been there: spent time browsing an online store and adding things to the cart only to get to checkout, see shipping will cost twice the price of the entire cart, and click the ‘x’ out of that tab so fast even Usain Bolt is impressed. According to the 2017 State of Shipping in… Read more »
Temando CEO Carl Hartmann says the Talent Unleashed Awards provide Aussie entrepreneurs with important recognition
Temando’s software aggregates courier services to help both consumers and retailers compare their shipping options. CEO Carl Hartmann says expensive and complicated postage arrangements is the number 1 reason consumers don’t complete a sale and the figure for abandonment stands at between 60-80% depending on the industry.
The recent investment in Market Engine means AusPost has now passed on two critical growth opportunities
As I have stated many times in the last 12 months, the current opportunities in the ecommerce sector are plentiful. The B2C ecommerce space alone is set to hit $2 trillion this year, and this has enabled startups offering solutions that support the growth of this space to become very valuable commodities.
The rhetoric this week was that Neopost’s sizeable investment of $50 million into Brisbane founded freight quoting and booking startup Temando, was a coup for the Australian startup. I couldn’t disagree more.


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Penny Stock Info from Press Releases
Press releases can come from various sources, but generally the companies themselves issue them. You can glean a great deal of information from the press releases that a company puts out, but like everything from a biased source, take what you read with a grain of salt.
Remember that companies issue press releases to announce positive events. As such, press releases will always sound positive for the business. For example, a company may announce a new CEO, new contract win, gaining a listing on a better stock exchange, or the award of a new patent.
Consider adding your email to a company’s mailing list or setting automatic alerts to be notified any time a certain penny stock has news. That way you get the latest press releases right when they come out. Getting the information as soon as it is available — and before many other investors — increases the value of the news tremendously.
Keep an eye on how frequently a penny stock company puts out press releases and what kind of effect the releases tend to have on the stock price. Some penny stocks announce “news” every week while others go for months without putting out a word. Some penny stocks spike at the slightest hint of optimism in a press release, while others don’t budge in price no matter how glowing an announcement happens to be.
By getting an idea of a company’s press release strategy and knowing what kind of reaction you should expect from investors, you will have a much better understanding of how to trade and profit from the underlying penny stock.


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WASHINGTON — Is America falling out of love with fast food? That’s what the numbers from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index say. The report finds that while people’s satisfaction with full-service restaurants held steady, fast-food…
WASHINGTON — There’s a little less to choose from at your nearby McDonald’s. The fast-food icon cut seven sandwiches from its menu, Bloomberg reports, in the face of a long decline in revenues. The items…
WASHINGTON – A McDonald’s franchise owner from Maryland had a grand idea that will become a reality at 700 McDonald’s locations next week: Old Bay tartar sauce with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. The fast food giant and…
WASHINGTON — Are your two all-beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame-seed bun missing a little extra oomph? Burger fans may be one step closer to getting the same flavor as McDonald’s…
(NEW YORK) — Ah, McDonald’s French fries. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like the American classic, regardless of their thoughts on the fast food chain. It’s always been a bit hazy, though, how…
A man is in police custody after he smashed an SUV into a McDonald\’s drive-thru early Tuesday.
After an elderly couple got the boot from their local McDonald\’s for sitting too long, management and the owner are not answering the question if there really is a 30-minute sitting limit at the Culpeper, Va. fast food restaurant.
Anyone who patronizes both McDonald\’s and Dunkin\’ Donuts stores
has surely noticed that the former coffee offerings are starting to
look a lot like those at the latter — and that the New England
favorite\’s menu, in turn, now boasts a lot more than just Boston
cremes and munchkins.
Romantics in Tampa who want to don\’t want to break the bank or families who want to bring their kids along may be heading to McDonald\’s for Valentine\’s Day dinner.
Once again, the McDonald\’s McRib sandwich has returned.
Some McDonald\’s fast-food locations are telling their customers to pull up their pants.
Getting breakfast at a fast food restaurant used to be a novelty, but now it seems that everyone wants in the game.
Subway promotes itself as the healthy fast-food restaurant, but when young people do the ordering, their Subway meal might not be much healthier than McDonald\’s.
It\’s that time of year again. The Shamrock Shake is back and fans are celebrating.
A driver of a gray SUV crashed into the Adams
Morgan McDonalds just after 3 p.m. Friday shutting
down traffic in that area.


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Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos knows what it takes to be successful.
Bezos says the key mindset is thinking long-term, which requires patience. He says he's used this approach repeatedly at Amazon.
"What we're really focused on is thinking long-term, putting the customer at the center of our universe and inventing," Bezos says in an interview with Four Peaks TV. "Those are the three big ideas to think long-term because a lot of invention doesn't work."
When you're first creating something, whether it's a new business or a product, you have to invent, says Bezos. "If you're going to invent, it means you're going to experiment, and you'll have to think long-term," he adds.
It can admittedly be difficult to think long-term and stay the course without panicking when things don't go your way. Bezos offers this advice: Be straightforward and clear about how you're going to operate and what you want to get done from the beginning.
Bezos says you should also stick to your guns. "[At Amazon] we don't even take a position on whether our way is the right way," he says, "we just claim it's our way."


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Port St. Lucie, FL leverages Bludot
We’ve had a busy couple of months! We’ve onboarded new cities and counties and also grown our team! We will begin to highlight some of the new cities and counties that have joined our platform as they onboard and begin to utilize the platform.
The city of Port St. Lucie has joined our platform to promote and grow their local businesses. A couple months ago, they launched on our business directory platform. With Bludot Open, the city now has a place for business owners to add or update their information and the community has a mobile friendly site to see what businesses are open to support. To check out their business directory, click here: https://lnkd.in/g-T7PktF
Now the city of Port St. Lucie is going to leverage the BR&E business platform to further track and support their local businesses. The department is now able to track their business engagement, share information and collaborate transparently across their team, and access the real time data dashboard to view these activities.


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(PRESS RELEASE) -- Everi Holdings Inc., a premier provider of land-based and digital casino gaming content and products, financial technology, and player loyalty solutions today announced a five-year agreement with the Delaware Lottery to launch the Company's high-performing gaming content.
Everi will bring an extensive library of its proven, player-popular games to Delaware for the first time with an anticipated late 2021 launch at three properties. The company plans to install nearly 500 units across The Casino at Delaware Park
, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
, and Harrington Raceway and Casino
by early 2022. Everi will deploy almost every cabinet in its portfolio – the Empire MPX, Empire Flex, Empire DCX, Empire Arena, Flex Fusion, Player Classic, Player Classic Skyline, and Skyline Revolve platforms.
"This is an important opportunity to work with the Delaware Lottery to grow our installed base and generate excitement with our high-performing products in a new market," said Dean Ehrlich, Everi Executive Vice President and Games Business Leader. "We are excited to bring patrons of Delaware casinos the elevated experience Everi is known for, with our engaging gaming content and cabinets."
Everi will deploy 68 total themes in the state. Each of the three properties will receive the award-winning The Vault game theme with its attractive 360-degree LED sign as a showcase bank for the Company's Empire Arena platform. Other successful titles that will launch in Delaware include: Cashnado on Flex Fusion, as well as the industry-leading Double Black Diamond, Crystal Star, and the award-winning Cash Machine on Player Classic.


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More than 14,000 illegal cigarettes seized from one shop
- Credit: Norfolk County Council Trading Standards
More than 14,000 illegal cigarettes were seized from one shop in a Norfolk town.
The counterfeit cigarettes were discovered in a shop in Thetford on Tuesday (April 30) in a joint operation by Norfolk police, Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Breckland police posted a photo on Twitter which shows boxes and bags-full of the seized items filling the boot of a car.
A Norfolk County Council spokesman said Trading Standards, along with other agencies, had visited three shops in Thetford although could not reveal the location.
She added: “One had no illegal tobacco, another had a small quantity and the third shop had the larger quantity. This was seized by HMRC and enquiries are ongoing.”
You may also want to watch:
You can report illegal tobacco sales to 03454 040506 or 101.
- 1 Man in critical condition after being stabbed in Thetford
- 2 Flowers and windmill stolen from baby's grave
- 3 Town's county councillors vow to tackle neglected underpasses
- 4 Masked burglar hit victim with fake gun and threatened to shoot family dog
- 5 Amazing photos show storms over Norfolk – and there are more to come
- 6 Rush to save school proms from being axed
- 7 WATCH: 'Selfish' drug-driver ploughs into police detective's vehicle
- 8 Drug-driver's pickup cannoned off-duty detective's car into oncoming traffic
- 9 Cat food brands recalled over link to fatal disease
- 10 Tributes flood in for Dad's Army superfan and family man Neville


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PlayStation Network Outage: By External Intrusion
It really started on Wednesday night, with PlayStation gamers finding their network unresponsive to their login attempts, and now it continues as well. Sony has now finally shed some light on the problems; the culprit for the trouble has been identified as an external intrusion. The current downtime for PSN is second one, with anonymous group of online crusaders climbing responsibility for the first. The PSN blog has added an update to their US website, which suggests the service disruption may not over soon according to Patrick Seybold, the company is rebuilding our system for further strengthen our network infrastructure, and working nonstop to do so.


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Headlines Tagged with Business (General) — 14,285 headlines found
Britain’s major supermarkets sought to reassure smokers on Wednesday that the collapse of Palmer & Harvey (P&H), the UK’s biggest tobacco distributor, would not lead to shortages of cigarettes.
Nov 29, 2017 Reuters
added Nov 30, 2017 21:45
FDA has really told the market, out with the old and in with the new when it comes to tobacco. According to BAT/RJR Investor Day presentation, 46% of smoking consumers are open to change and are looking for products to better suit their desires. These new
Nov 29, 2017 Convenience Store Decisions
added Nov 30, 2017 15:39
For the first time since I became part of the vaping community in 2013... Why not allow vapers to use their e-cigarettes within the office? Or at least create a smoke-free area in which to vape should be compulsory for businesses nationwide. If we really
Nov 28, 2017 Talk Business (uk)
added Nov 30, 2017 06:28
we refused the sale 97.2 percent of the time. Statewide, compliance is only 95 percent. We don't expect applause; it's our job. But neither do we expect the county government to knowingly take legitimate business away from us by enacting a policy based o
Nov 30, 2017 Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard
added Nov 30, 2017 05:03
“But by being ordered by the courts to issue these corrective statements in American newspapers and on TV stations, the industry itself has been forced to come clean and acknowledge once and for all that its tobacco products kill.”
Nov 29, 2017 World Health Organization (WHO)
added Nov 29, 2017 17:12
[UK] Food wholesaler crashes with loss of 2,500 jobs / Failure of Palmer & Harvey is ‘devastating blow’
The grocery sector was facing a grim start to the Christmas trading season last night after a food and tobacco wholesaler with annual sales of more than £4 billion collapsed into administration with the loss of about 2,500 jobs.
Nov 29, 2017 Times Of London (uk)
added Nov 29, 2017 17:09
To help employers establish robust policies and procedures for smoking breaks, as well as ensuring compliancy with the smoking legislation, Croner’s experts have put together this simple guide.
Nov 28, 2017 Croner Group (uk)
added Nov 29, 2017 17:06
Did independent and convenience (small) retailers comply with standardised tobacco packaging in the UK?
Given the value of such research in gauging the effectiveness of retailer-related tobacco policy,6 we examined independent and convenience (small) retailer compliance with standardised packaging legislation in the UK. Small retailers are an important grou
Nov 27, 2017 Tobacco Control
added Nov 28, 2017 21:39
smoking will not be allowed anywhere in the building. What’s more, Skylark Group will prohibit employees from smoking anywhere between the building and the closest train station or bus stop. In other words, employees will not be allowed to smoke even when
Nov 28, 2017 RocketNews24 (Socio Corporation) (jp)
added Nov 28, 2017 20:38
Minimum pricing on cigarettes and a licence fee to sell tobacco should be central to a new national tobacco strategy in Scotland, according to a report which is expected to guide the Scottish Government’s strategy in 2018. The report by NHS Health Scotla
Nov 23, 2017 Talking Retail (uk)
added Nov 28, 2017 18:37


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NexTag[R], San Mateo, California, has signed two agreements with Atlanta-based Equifax and with San Luis Obispo, California-based TrueCredit to provide convenient accessibility to consumer credit services on NexTag.com.
NexTag is working with Equifax and TrueCredit to provide its shoppers with the latest tools to make informed purchasing decisions and safeguard against fraud, according to Purnendu Ojha, chief executive officer and co-founder of NexTag.
"NexTag believes in empowering online shoppers to make smarter buying decisions," said Ojha. "Our innovative comparison-shopping features and our timely addition of providing access to credit-reporting services all equip the consumer to do just that."
NexTag's November announcement of its consumer credit services agreement with Equifax and TrueCredit was timed to coincide with...


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Bhupinder Kour has not received any gifts yet
Today, in the pandemic-affected business atmosphere, the pace at which organizations are advancing has drastically changed. COVID-19 has forced firms to develop a digital plan to enhance the digital transformation shaping customer experience.
COVID-19, by limiting us to our homes and bringing the global economy to a standstill has proved that the world healthcare ecosystem is not prepared for a pandemic. However, what it did teach us is that as consumers we are prepared to adopt the digital era in all life facets.
This new found pro digital movement, however, has shown a glaring picture as well - despite of the preparatory stages that businesses and…Continue
The eLearning industry is already surging on today’s words and finding ways to enhance the learning experience through leading technologies that are loved by many. Recently eLearning has embraced AR/VR technology which has changed the whole dynamics of what learning is.…Continue
With the growing demand for scalability and flexibility, NoSQL databases are gaining huge momentum in the market. These databases are preferred as the first choice to develop complex web and mobile applications and operate with unstructured data. A ripple effect of which is that the NoSQL market is anticipated to hit $4.2 billion by the end of the year.
This has made both new and experienced database…Continue


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The Ministry of Trade and Industry has described as untrue that the sector Minister, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has condemned the recent tariff hikes by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
A statement signed by Nana Akrasi-Sarpong, Director of Communication and Public Affairs of the Ministry, said the Ministry is aware of the media reports concerning statements purported to have been made by the Minister during a recent visit to the Volta Region.
It said during the visit the Minister discussed amongst others the recent increases in tariffs and their effects on the economy.
The statement said what the Minister sought to discus in relation to the tariff increases referred to the reported real post-paid and pre-paid bills some residential, commercial and industrial customers of the ECG are said to be paying.
It said this did not refer to the Special Energy Levy which necessitated the tariff increase to 57 per cent and which has now been reduced following negotiations between Labor and Government.
The statement said the Minister did not condemn the PURC but that though the initial increment was around 57 per cent, many individuals and businesses reported that the actual payments they were making are more than 200 per cent, 300 per cent or even 500 per cent.
It said it is based on these reported actual payments by some utility consumers which compelled the Minister to describe as “excessive” and “outrageous” the payments being made.
The statement said in an election year, “based on past experiences, it was possible for various public agencies to create mischief for the government by an adverse application of properly agreed tariff increases, thereby making the Government unpopular”.
It said in such instances stated tariff adjustments may be misapplied with some customers receiving “exaggerated and excessive bills aimed at causing disaffection for government”.
The statement said the Trade and Industry Minister called on “his colleague political appointees to be extra vigilant in supervising and monitoring agencies and departments under their oversight responsibilities”.
It said the Ministry was ready to discuss with “public agencies—such as the Lands Commission, Forestry Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, etc– that wish to revise levies,” such that meaningful discussions can take place before new or increased levies are announced by some of these bodies.


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Young Americans Likely to Be Unbanked Regardless of Income Level
In discussing unbanked and underbanked American consumers, we tend to focus on low socioeconomic status communities. The mainstream opinion is that building wealth and long-term financial stability relies on the use of traditional banking and investing products and the knowledge to use these products effectively. The financial industry tends to avoid low socioeconomic status communities for a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is that these customers have not been proven to be profitable. Taking the place of these mainstream institutions are check-cashing facilities and payday loan outfits, designed to be very profitable while providing the immediate services required in these communities.
These “low-class” financial product purveyors are part of a growing industry. As with any burgeoning industry, there is beginning to be more research into its consumers. The unbanked and underbanked consumer is becoming better defined, and traditional banks see this as an opportunity to create products that directly compete with the successful check-cashing and payday loan market.
With this new research comes some interesting findings. Prepaid debit cards are products designed for consumers with low or no credit scores, a condition that is more common among low-income households, though there are many reasons anyone in any income bracket could have damaged or undefined credit. Think Finance has determined that the use of prepaid debit cards is the same regardless of income level. Among the consumers surveyed, a representative sample of the Millennial generation, someone earning up to $74,999 a year is just as likely to use a prepaid debit card as someone earning less than $25,000 a year.
The statistics pertaining the check-cashing services show a similar trend. For a fee of usually 1 to 4 percent, a check-cashing storefront can immediately give you cash. So can any bank branch, but you often need to open an account first, and that requires patience, the willingness to share your personal information and submit to a ChexSystems verification, and the openness to endless marketing. In many cases, it’s just easier to just pay the fee. 34 percent of Millennials with the lowest income make use of check-cashing services outside of traditional banks, only 5 percentage points higher than those with the highest income.
An article in USA Today addresses what might representative of the fact that the status of unbanked or underbanked is pervasive in this age group regardless of income:
Ammy Orozco, 30, who works as an executive assistant at a Check Cashing USA branch in Miami, has a checking and savings account with Bank of America but often chooses to cash checks at work instead. She says she’d rather pay to cash a check immediately than pay for gas to drive to the bank. She has also taken out payday loans in emergencies. She’s tried to get a loan from the bank, but it was “stressful.”
“They wouldn’t confirm right away… You’re there sitting and you need the money, and you’re like, is this going to happen or not?”
Millennials expect instant gratification and are willing to look past fees and unnecessary expenses in order to feed this desire, regardless of income. For a generation whose defining economic moment has been the Great Recession, the credit crunch, and high unemployment, as well as the media environment dominated by stories about bank executives behaving badly, poor use of taxpayers’ money, and class-action lawsuits pertaining to anti-consumer practices, it’s understandable that a mistrust of the mainstream financial industry keeps people away from banks regardless of income. Half of Americans are not saving for retirement, and while unemployment certainly plays a role, lack of trust in the industry and in markets in general is an important factor.
With the proliferation of services targeted to the unbanked and underbanked reaching a wider set of customers — that is, popularity and use has moved beyond low socioeconomic status communities — regulators have begun to take notice. (In other words, these products and their negative effects were acceptable when they took advantage of only the poor and whoever you might assume is more likely to live in poor neighborhoods, but now that the middle class is targeted, it’s an issue worthy of consideration.) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking into designing regulations for these products. Meanwhile, traditional financial institutions are taking advantage of this regulatory grey area to create products that compete with check-cashing storefronts and payday loan issuers, and to use these products as profit centers with the intent of eventually mainstreaming these customers into other profitable services.
Are you a Millennial who prefers immediate services like check cashing, payday loans, and prepaid debit cards instead of checking accounts, bank loans, and credit cards? This is not the primary audience of this website, but I’d love to hear some feedback from the millions of Americans who fit this description.


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Reality show star Khloe Kardashian recently uploaded a photo of herself with sibling Kendall Jenner and English model Cara Delevingne. The new picture raised eyebrows as it said that Delevingne has changed the first letter of her name from "C" to "K".
"Introducing Cara with a K!!!! She is now Kara everyone!!!! Woooohoooooooo," Khloe titled the picture on her social media page.
The post made her fans excited over Jenner's relationship with the model and the curious tweets ranged from "Omg is it a sign?" to "Are they dating?"
Meanwhile, one of the admirers of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star even joined the names of the young model and her sister together, as he wrote, "Cara Jenner Delevingne".
The celebs were recently featured together on the latest issue of Love magazine titled "Kendall on Cara", in which both were seen sporting similar tattoos. According to a source close to them, they wanted to get themselves "twirled around each other" with their initials.
Previously, there were reports that Jenner and Delevingne are spending more time with each other. As per Radar Online, the celebs were sitting on top of each other in a bar during New York Fashion Week.
While their closeness triggered rumours, the celebs are tight-lipped over it and their fans will have wait a little longer to know whether Delevingne is joining the Kardashian family or not.


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The challenger wants to popularize access to cryptocurrencies in the country.
Latest from Angelica Mari
According to IDC, the sector's performance saw a 31% decrease in the same period in 2021.
There has been a 230% demand boost for devices ahead of the rollout of the 5th-generation mobile technology, according to new research.
A Deloitte study shows that online banking in Brazil is on the rise -- smartphones account for over half of all banking transactions in the country.
The assembly process can take up to three months, and the equipment is expected to be operating at full capacity in December.
The country was also the first in South America by breached users for the second consecutive quarter, according to a new study.
According to research by the Internet Steering Committee, the situation is dire in urban centers but even worse in rural areas.
Brasília is the first city to get the fifth-generation mobile technology; other capitals are expected to go live in August.
A new report found that most organizations do not have backup or encryption policies.
After smartphones, TVs are the second most-used device to access the Internet in the country, according to research.


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With an end goal to battle hunger and lessen squander, Kroger conveyed 10,000 pounds of ground hamburger Friday morning toward the East Texas Food Bank – a gift that will help feed a great many neighborhood families.
Dennis Cullinane, East Texas Food Bank Chief, said this gift could take care of around 8,000 families in the food bank’s 26-district inclusion region. The ground meat was given in the interest of both Kroger and Tyson Nourishments.
“It was a shock to us,” he said. “It’s a genuine treat for our families.”
Cullinane noticed that the food bank regularly needs to buy a thing like a ground hamburger legitimately from the markets, and the gift is particularly useful as costs for meat rise.
“This truly assists with setting aside cash and giving food to storerooms,” he said.
The gift is important for Kroger’s Zero Craving Zero Waste program, which is a dedication made in 2017 to kill both yearning and waste by 2025.
They’re additionally truly attempting to be economical,” Cullinane said. “It’s essential for a magnificent activity by them — groundbreaking.
Cullinane added that the food bank is energetic about Kroger and its incredible program.
April Martin, corporate undertakings director for Kroger Dallas Division, said the meat is given through the organization’s food salvage program, which takes things that are as yet protected and practical to food banks with an end goal to battle appetite and waste.
Coronavirus has affected everybody, and we have an exceptionally cozy relationship with the East Texas Food Bank,” Martin said. “We’re tied in with giving food, yet taking care of the human soul.
Martin clarified the ground meat originates from providers everywhere in the nation, and the organization either carries the items into the stores at elective costs or gives to regional food banks.
“For this situation, we thought it was basic to give,” she said.
Kroger is additionally drawing near to starting its yearly significant appetite crusade called Kroger People group Care from Nov. 11 to Dec. 23.
Martin said the greatest concentration for Kroger is hunger help.
Kroger is her to improve the networks we serve,” she said. “We need to be here for networks when they need us most.
Kroger has a few East Texas areas, including Palestine, Henderson, Marshall, Longview, and two in Nacogdoches.


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- Investment bank Piper Jaffray found teens now spend more time on YouTube than they do on Netflix.
- Teens spend 37% of their daily video streaming time on YouTube and 35% watching Netflix, according to Piper Jaffray's fall 2019 survey.
- Still, Netflix remains much more popular among teens than Hulu and Amazon Prime, the survey found.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
YouTube edged out Netflix as the preferred video streaming platform for teens, according to a new survey from investment banking firm Piper Jaffray.
As part of its fall 2019 survey, Piper Jaffray polled teenagers about their video habits and found — for the first time — that they spend more time on YouTube than Netflix. Teens reported spending 37% of their daily video consumption on YouTube and 35% on Netflix, according to the survey.
When Piper Jaffray asked teens about their streaming preferences in the spring, Netflix usage was at 37%, while teens spent only 32% of their daily video time on YouTube.
Piper Jaffray analysts attributed YouTube's rising popularity among teens to its diverse content options such as music videos, video game streaming, and influencer videos, according to insight from the survey.
Netflix faltered in subscriber growth during Q2, although it's expected to perform better in Q3. And it still remains much more popular among teens than its subscription streaming service competitors, according to the Piper Jaffray survey. Hulu's teen usage rates remained flat at 7% from the spring to the fall and Amazon Prime's stayed at a similarly consistent 3%.
Cable TV continued its downward trajectory. Piper Jaffray found teens only spend 12% of their daily video time watching cable TV, a 2% dip from the spring survey. In 2016, cable TV sat at 26% in the same survey.
"As teens see their households continue to migrate away from traditional TV services, we expect a growing transition of consumer content spend towards online video services," Piper Jaffray analysts wrote in the report. "Looking into 2020 and beyond, despite increasing competition from Disney and Apple, we are optimistic regarding ongoing international sub growth and price increases."
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.


text: The Israeli hi-tech sector is continuing to grow, with the number of active start-ups increasingly steadily every year.Today, more than 6,600 hi-tech companies are active across Israel, with a mixture of first-time entrepreneurs and repeat, experienced hi-tech players contributing to the swelling size of the sector.Yet, at the same time, the number of start-ups closing every year has also increased steadily in recent years, with an estimated 600 companies shutting down in 2017, according to Start-Up Nation Central.Eager to emulate the success enjoyed by Israel’s leading innovators, ambitious new start-ups can be saturated by advice and guidance given by various industry players. Information gaps may often be filled by venture capital firms and multinational corporations, understandably seeking to advance their own interests.One repeat player in the hi-tech ecosystem, however, maintains that it is both involved in more deals than any other entity and clear of promoting such agendas: the large tech-practicing corporate law firms, which represent all the players in the sector, whether investors or entrepreneurs.Now, offering a platform to fill that information gap, employees of Yigal Arnon & Co. law firm – involved in five of the 10 largest investment rounds in Israeli hi-tech last year – have established YTech Runway, an online hub aiming to better educate industry actors.“The vision of YTech Runway is to provide first-time entrepreneurs with every single app, tool and content they might need in the first 18 months of their lifecycles,” said Adv. Nimrod Vromen, co-founder of YTech Runway and partner at Yigal Arnon & Co. “This is before they are adopted by sophisticated players in the ecosystem, like venture capital firms, investors and advisers with their own personal protocols.”For early-stage start-ups and potential investors, the website offers a wide range of financial, legal and human resources-related document templates, a comprehensive list of service providers, regularly-updated expert insights and market analysis.“We do hope that once start-ups and entrepreneurs start using the platform more often, they will see the value, the breadth of information and tools that they can get there, and they’ll return according to their needs,” said Adv. Noa Mayer, head of business development and innovation at Yigal Arnon & Co.The platform is completely free to use, and even offers a one-click service for entrepreneurs to send a digital pitch to 60 investors of various sizes who have partnered with the initiative.The website also provides a calendar, detailing all the upcoming events that could be relevant for entrepreneurs, whether in Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, San Francisco, New York and Tokyo.“YTech Runway is our way of making the cake bigger, educating founders, bridging their information gaps and also testing our ability at developing our standalone business asset for ourselves,” Vromen said. “It’s not a business development or marketing play and we don’t want clients from the site. The best evidence of that is that we don’t mention Yigal Arnon except in the ‘About Us’ section of the website.”Ultimately, by enlarging the cake, filling knowledge gaps and facilitating fundraising efforts by emerging start-ups, Vromen said he believes the law firm will profit from representing more companies seeking to secure investment deals.


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ORLANDO — Here's an economic indicator for you: Lizardman.
Ripley Entertainment Inc. hasn't had an amusement park trade show booth in 11 years. Yet Erik Sprague — a herpetologist with a surgically split tongue, pointy filed teeth and skin tattooed with green scales — appears in its booth today pitching a new Guinness World Records attraction.
"The economy is turning around and we are poised for the opportunity," said Edward Meyer, the top buyer for Ripley, which runs 31 oddities museums including Louis Tussaud's and Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Ripley joins 1,100 vendors this week at the sprawling International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando. It's the annual one-stop shopping mall where theme parks, zoos, museums, show people and arcades from 90 countries see the latest rides, midway games and foods, plus everything from climbing walls to ticketing systems.
And Ripley is evidence that for the first time since the recession began, vendors and attractions are acting like a slow economic recovery has taken root.
"It's been an ugly two years, but things are starting to pick up," said Ken Bell, president of Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. "After sitting out capital spending completely in 2009, we're getting back in our regular cycle."
Attendance and vendor space are up slightly at this show, which offers a walk across just about everything new sold to the attractions industry.
"There's a sense of optimism. The parks want to spend, but it's partly offset by banks unwilling to lend," said Bob Rippy, chairman of IAPPA, who owns a Wilmington, N.C., water park.
Thrill-ride makers continue pushing the gut-wrench envelope. The world's fastest coaster just opened in Dubai, with a top speed of 150 mph. S&S Entertainment has a new 70-foot giant swing ride — armed with pneumatic power assist — that hits 55 mph and subjects riders to forces three times that of gravity. Straight-down vertical coaster drops are old hat. S&S claims the record now with a coaster that actually dives down, inward and slightly upside down at 113 degrees.
For $90,000, the New Zealand inventor of the Zorb globe, an 8-foot-tall clear plastic bubble that takes somebody tucked inside for a roll down a hill or a wild ride in a pool offers a new twist. He tosses three people and 20 gallons of water inside what he calls the Fishpipe, then spins the big clear plastic barrel on a rotisserie up to 45 times a minute.
"It passed the drunk test," said Kyle Kenworthy, who owns one of the first three in the United States. "We set it up near a bar at the Indy 500 and nobody threw up all day."
On the food front, an Italian company offers a frozen crepe that's ready to eat in 10 seconds. Dippin' Dots, the flash-frozen treat line, is adding coffees, frappes and three low-calorie, carb-free sour ices sweetened with stevia. Discovery Ice Cream debuted a coin-operated robot arm that dishes out custom, touch-screen orders of three flavors of ice cream and six candy toppings.
Technology will intensify other experiences, with better 3-D projections in sit-down attractions and small mobile simulator rides sporting special effects like smoke, spritzes and puffs of air. The movie Avatar now comes in a pinball game, Terminator Salvation is a big-screen video shooting game and the new Xbox Kinetic, Microsoft's controller-free answer to Nintendo's popular Wii, is headed to local video arcades with six games. That is, if arcade owners can be persuaded to pay $5,000 for a digital player.
Meanwhile, many parks are experimenting with smart phones and similar handheld devices that help patrons find their way around, check the length of ride lines, compare menus and sign up for line-dodging fast-pass systems. One outfits swimsuit-wearing water park patrons with a plastic wristwatch that tells time, works as a debit card and enables them to book times for busy slides.
"There will be no reason to stand in line again at a water park," said Steve Drake, chief operating officer of Orlando-based Lo-Q PLC.
The economy, however, means not everybody's buying new. One vendor was willing to take $199,000 for a 3-year-old Zombieland 3-D simulator ride.
Mark Albright can be reached at email@example.com or (727) 893-8252.