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Armored passenger cars and SUVs will be featured at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Aug. 25-28 Food Lion AutoFair. The four-wheeled fortresses will be joined by an exhibit showcasing 100 years of Chevrolet automobiles, the world’s lowest street-legal vehicle, rock crawlers and movie and television cars.
Most people think of stock-looking bulletproof cars as ferrying heads of state, but Prohibition-era gangsters were really the first highly visible buyers of such exotic machinery in the 1920s. Custom coachbuilders transformed expensive, powerful sedans from Cadillac, Rolls-Royce and Duesenberg into rolling bunkers by hiding substantial sheets of iron behind the factory doors, fenders and hoods. Panes of inch-thick, high-impact glass could deflect bullets from any handheld weapon available at the time.
Such armor upgrades added as much as one-and-a-half tons to a luxury car’s already impressive heft. Chicago mobster Al Capone’s 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan weighed more than 9,000 pounds in full defensive trim, hindering its ability to speed away from danger, go around corners or pass a gas station.
Through a stranger-than-fiction twist of history, this special Caddy secretly became America’s first armored presidential transport. Agents of the U.S. Department of the Treasury impounded the green-and-black Cadillac after arresting Capone for income tax evasion in 1929 but brought it out of storage in December 1942 at the emergency request of the Secret Service. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s security detail needed to convey him safely to the Capitol to declare war on Japan for attacking military bases in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and there were no defensive automobiles in the White House fleet. Roosevelt used the gangster’s Cadillac until Ford Motor Co. and a specialty firm in New York constructed for him an armored four-door Lincoln V-12 convertible the press dubbed the “Sunshine Special.” To get around a budget cap of $750 for individual car purchases, the White House leased the Lincoln from Ford for $500 per year.
As demand for bulletproof automobiles grew in the second half of the 20th century, advances in technology improved the effectiveness of materials used to build them. DuPont’s lightweight Kevlar, a synthetic fiber that can be woven into mats and bulletproof vests, gave builders an alternative to sheet steel. Later composites used to deflect bullets included ceramic and carbon fiber. Makers of bulletproof glass – what we now call “transparent armor” – sandwich several layers of clear polycarbonate between panels of glass to ensure shattered window shards do not harm occupants. There is even a technique for making windows that repel bullets fired from outside the car but allow them to pass through when fired from inside the car.
Installing special glass and armor panels in a factory-built sedan or SUV is only the first step to creating a passive-defense vehicle. How many layers of fortification the owner wants depends on the size of his bank account and the kind of weapons his enemies have. To avoid any chance of “ballistic leakage” into the passenger compartment, an experienced armorer will address every weak point of a vehicle’s body or chassis, including the roof, door seams, firewall and floorpans. Vulnerable elements such as the gas tank, engine, radiator and battery must be kept intact so the car can escape under its own power. Run-flat or puncture-resistant tires are a necessity.
Bomb-absorbing underbodies are especially popular in parts of the world where blowing up cars is a common means of expressing disagreement with another person’s political or religious views. Depending on the rules governing the country of delivery, some vehicles can be outfitted with active defense mechanisms such as smokescreen generators, tire spike dispensers, oil sprayers, sirens and, in certain anything-goes nations, flamethrowers. Hidden gun ports have surprised many a carjacker.
Even with today’s lightweight ballistic materials, a full bulletproof conversion on a full-size SUV adds as much as 1,500 to 2,000 pounds.
By the start of the 21st century, worldwide concerns of terrorism, kidnappings and random street crime elevated vehicle armoring into a billion-dollar-a-year industry. There are hundreds of companies selling these specialized cars on six continents. A BBC News report estimated Brazil – a country rampant with armed traffic robberies – had 50,000 cars with some level of bulletproofing and that dealers were selling 7,500 such vehicles per year. Murders and kidnappings attributed to drug cartel wars have given rise to 70 Mexican companies that bulletproof cars. In the United States, professional athletes, corporation heads, movie stars and other potential targets of abduction or violence eagerly spend anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000 above the price of a new car for passive-defense protection.
Two longtime manufacturers of armored vehicles will display bulletproof vehicles during the Food Lion AutoFair. Texas Armoring Corp., of San Antonio, Texas, has been constructing bulletproof cars since the 1970s from a wide range of domestic and foreign brands. The company is bringing a new Cadillac Escalade so thoroughly fortified that its builders call it simply “The Beast.” The Streit Group was founded in 1996 to provide armored cars for the cash-in-transit industry and quickly expanded into the specialized military and law enforcement markets. Streit (pronounced “straight”), which conducts business in more than 100 countries and opened a facility in Charleston, S.C., in 2008, is bringing a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban and 2011 Mercedes-Benz S550 sedan.
Food Lion AutoFair
Hours for the Aug. 25-28 Food Lion AutoFair are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Ticket prices are $10 per day for adults or $25 for a four-day pass; children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking for the event is $5. For more information on the four-day event, contact the speedway events department at (704) 455-3205 or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.


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Roku Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) is scheduled to report second quarter 2019 earnings results on Wednesday, August 7, after market close. Analysts expect the company to report a loss of $0.22 per share on revenue of $224 million.
The quarterly results are likely to benefit from an expansion in subscriber base and user engagement. Active accounts and user hours are likely to see growth which in turn could benefit per-user revenue. The Roku Channel is increasingly becoming popular and updates on its performance will be something to watch.
Analysts are bullish on Roku’s huge expansion opportunities outside the US market as well as the growth in its advertising segment, known as the platform unit. Roku launched analytical tools for advertisers during the quarter and updates on this area will be worth watching. Roku is holding its ground amid competition from the likes of Netflix (NYSE: NFLX), Amazon (NYSE: AMZN) and Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS).
In the first quarter of 2019, Roku reported better-than-expected results with a 51% growth in revenue to $207 million and a narrower loss of $0.09 per share. Active accounts grew 40% while streaming hours grew 74%. Per-user revenue increased 27% to $19.06.
For the second quarter, Roku has guided for a net loss of $30 million to $25 million on revenues of $220-225 million. The forecast for the whole of 2019 is a net loss of $75-65 million on revenues between $1.03 billion and $1.05 billion.
Roku’s shares have climbed 230% so far this year and 53% in the past three months. In the short term, the stock may experience a correction, following the long bull run. It has a 12-month price target of $89, which is a 10% downside from the current stock price of $99.
On the heels of lawmakers moving closer to passing the stimulus bill, inflations concerns gripped the market after Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell at a meeting said the reopening would
Though the retail boom triggered by the pandemic was estimated to be short-lived initially, the shopping spree continued as customers stocked up on essential items, concerned about the persistent market
Shares of Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) were up 5.8% in afternoon hours on Friday. The stock has gained 103% over the past 12 months. Gap reported mixed results for the

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Internet service provider Net in a Nutshell and telco First National have teamed up to offer UK web users the first prepaid internet card, SurfBanana.
The card will allow surfers unlimited internet access for a set fee over a fixed period. Current prices are £5 for 14 days and £10 for 30 days.
According to research conducted by Net in a Nutshell, 62 percent of people interviewed thought Net cards were a good idea, with a third of those saying they were likely to purchase one.
"We listened to what consumers have been telling us and have tailored the SurfBanana offer to suit their needs," said Scott Ide, CEO of Nutshell. "The cards are incredibly simple to use, easy to buy and very competitively priced."
But pay-as-you-go systems have been branded outdated by some ISPs, such as Freeserve, which has seen a serious downturn in the number of subscribers to its service.
AOL UK announced earlier this month it would close its pay-as-you-go Netscape service because its customers preferred flat-fee packages. But the company did recognise that some alternative scheme was needed for those people who did not use the internet enough to benefit from fixed-rate schemes.
"We will be looking at a range of light-usage packages, such as buying a certain amount of hours," said Matt Peacock, chief communications officer at AOL. So it probably won't be long before other ISPs start offering their own cards.
SurfBanana is activated by logging on to Surfbanana.net and following the instructions on the back of the card.
But users who already have internet access will have to pay as usual for their connection while they are activating the card; users who don't can simply call the SurfBanana freephone number to have an account set up for them.
SurfBanana cards will be available in high street stores from the end of September.


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In the latest Insomniac Games newsletter, the company hints that it will be releasing news about a brand new title in the coming weeks, specifically for the PlayStation 3, ruling out its multi-platform project with EA. "Sometime between now and the Penny-Arcade Expo over Labor Day weekend," says...
Posted on Oct 20th 2014 3:30PM
Posted on Oct 20th 2014 12:49PM
Posted on Oct 18th 2014 1:30PM


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Why are big name game developers like Insomniac targets of ransomware attacks? Scott Johnson shares his thoughts. Plus Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially December 29th. Who will Microsoft find to replace him? And Amazon may be setting itself up to get baseball streaming rights in the messiest way possible. We explain.
Starring Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Scott Johnson, Roger Chang, Joe.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
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Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
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To read the show notes in a separate page click here!


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LG has announced its latest financial results for the second quarter of 2014, and the company has seen improved smartphone sales in their latest quarter.
Shipments of LG smartphones are up 20 percent over the same period last year, and the company managed to ship a total of 14.5 million smartphones in quarter two.
The sales of 14.5 million smartphones is up 20 percent on the same quarter last year, and up 20 percent on their first quarter, the company has said that strong sales of the LG G3 has helped them increase sales.
LG’s smartphone business also managed to turn a profit in its latest financial results, this puts and end to three straight quarters of losses for the mobile phone unit.
The LG G3 is turning out to be a popular handset, the device comes with some impressive specifications, which include a 5.5 inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.
We are looking forward to seeing how well the LG G3 does over the rest of the year, and also what other devices LG have planned for their smartphone range.
LG just launched a new version of their G3 smartphone in South Korea, the LG G3 Cat 6, we are expecting the handset to launch internationally, possibly in September, as the LG G3 Prime.
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Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorKayvon Beykpour, head of Twitter’s organization that builds the social-media app’s core features, said he is leaving the company after more than seven years.Twitter is in the midst of a pending $44 billion takeover by mega-billionaire Elon Musk.
Beykpour, in announcing his departure, didn’t cite Musk’s imminent takeover as the reason for his exit. Rather, he said in a thread on Twitter, CEO Parag Agrawal had asked him to resign.“The truth is that this isn’t how and when I imagined leaving Twitter, and this wasn’t my decision,” he wrote. “Parag asked me to leave after letting me know that he wants to take the team in a different direction.”Beykpour added, “While I’m disappointed, I take solace in a few things: I am INSANELY proud of what our collective team achieved over the last few years, and my own contribution to this journey.” The exec said he was “interrupting my paternity leave” to share the news that he is leaving Twitter.
As GM of Bluebird, Beykpour led a team of researchers, designers, engineers, product managers and customer operations staffers.
Previously, he led Twitter’s consumer product team and was responsible for defining the company’s product strategy. According to Beykpour, Jay Sullivan, Twitter’s head of consumer product, will now oversee the Bluebird group.Beykpour joined Twitter after the company’s 2015 acquisition of Periscope, a live video-broadcasting app he co-founded.Read more on variety.com


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Ah, fashion. It’s full of good, bad, and seriously ugly moments that go down both on and off the carpet. Some of these moments are funny, and others get really awkward. Case in point: Anna Wintour’s ban of Kim Kardashian from this week’s Met Ball. Ouch. Below we count down the 5 moments that top John Galliano’s Hitler outburst.
The awkward moment when…
+Karl Lagerfeld Calls Adele Too Fat
In an interview with Metro World News, Lagerfeld dished on his love for the Obamas, and his thoughts on Adele’s weight. The latter conversation wasn’t pretty. After calling the British crooner fat, Lagerfeld quickly issued an apology but it was already the slap heard round the world. Thankfully, Adele was able to brush off those haters. Werk, girl!
+ Kim Kardashian Gets Banned From The Met Gala
Why would a red carpet vet like Kim Kardashian skip the biggest red carpet moment of the season? Well, because HBIC Anna Wintour was not trying to let her Gala become a reality show set. According to insiders, Vogue‘s editrix banned the Kardashian clan even after Kimmy offered up cash for tickets. Looks like no one can buy Wintour’s love.
+Angelina Jolie Attempts To Be Sexy…And Fails
Striking an Oscar red carpet pose for the history books, Jolie’s leggy action at the 2012 Academy Award went viral in seconds…and people weren’t laughing with her…just at her.
+Models Call Out Designers For Being Stingy
It’s no secret that underage models have become fixtures on the runway. Nor is it headline-worthy that some models get paid the same amount as retail associates. But when 17-year old Hailey Hasbrook blasted Marc Jacobs for skipping out on payments and overworking his models, she was given the fashion elite side-eye. After the design house issued a tweet, the model took back her statements and said she was paid in clothing instead of cash–which she “preferred.” Side eye.
+Race And Fashion Collide
For FHM Philippines’ March 2012 issue, Bela Padilla ‘stepped out of the shadows’…and by shadows, we mean black people. The issue ruffled so many feathers that the mag had to reissue a new cover.


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In the first of our monthly series, we’ll be taking a look at November's data, in review. The aim of this monthly instalment is to capture what’s going on in online retail, and how the market has been performing over the period. We’ll be taking a look at some data, in order to find out what key trends are occurring, and how this might affect the month ahead. So, what’s been going on in ecommerce in the month of November?
The event that’s been on everyone’s mind this month, (and year) is Black Friday. IMRG gathered some vital data on how the week performed, and the day itself. IMRG tracked 93 retailers, across November, to see how many sales went live, and what discounts were being offered. They found out that retailers did move their discounts and sales earlier, as expected, to move more stock, and mitigate the consequences of delivery problems and delays.
Then, looking at the market on the whole, Black Friday was down -14.3% overall, which was lower than was predicted (being around -10%). This is due to the high street reopening after a +30% growth rate YoY in 2020. 2021 just couldn’t match the same numbers. On top of this, average basket volume, and traffic, was down overall too (-15.8%). This suggests that there was a struggle to get people to visit individual websites. This can be considered an indicator of shoppers being drawn back to in-store shopping, after 2020, when they had no choice but to shop online.
Interestingly, we saw that online-only retailers’ revenue are up +15% YoY, whereas omnichannel are down -25%. This could be because those with both online and in-person marketplaces saw more people returning to their stores, therefore decreasing those shopping online. It’s thought that returning to in-store shopping is seen as more of an event and an experience now, therefore people may be less inclined to shop around online, whilst in a store (as was common before the pandemic), so customers were just buying items when they found them in a store. This also eliminates the fear of delayed deliveries, as people can simply return home, with their item in hand.
Electricals was the category which took the biggest hit, down -37.5% revenue. Because of this, any retailer who reported greater than 10% YoY growth can consider themselves in the top fifth of performance this year.


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Automotion Customs won the award for creating an accessory package for the 2022 Toyota Rav4 XLE, which was designed to be easy to replicate and ideal for new-car dealers to add mass consumer appeal to their inventory.
The competition, which takes place at the SEMA Show, pits restyler against restyler to create a package for a new-model car or truck that would take less than 40 hours to execute and costs no more than $12,500 to the dealer. Packages are judged on their mass appeal, ease to replicate, and potential profitability, the organization said.
Through the competition, accessory manufacturers see how their products can be packaged with other products, restylers get ideas to take back to their local markets, and SEMA Showgoers witness how new vehicles can be transformed.
The 2022 Toyota Rav4 XLE features:
- Custom Leader (includes door panels), Katzkin Leather
- Satin Roof Wrap and Chrome Delete, Swirl X
- 2-inch Lift Kit, Ready Lift
- 20-inch Wheels, XO Luxury
- Nomad Grappler Crossover Terrain Tires, Nitto
- Slim Line Roof Rack, Front Runner
- Roof Rack Side Awning (with Quick Disconnect Clips), Front Runner
- Interior 12V No-Ice Electric Cooler, Dometic
- Bass Pro Go- Bass Enhancement Portable Speaker, JBL
- Remote Start, Voxx International
- Gloss Black Font Grille Overlay, Trim Illusion
- Gloss Black Mirror Covers, Trim Illusion
- Hitch and Wiring Harness, Curt
- Dual Streaming Rear Seat Entertainment, Voxx International
- Floor Liners HP (Front and Rear), WeatherTech
- Diver and Passenger Window Tint, Sun Shield
- Black Out Toyota Badges, Toyota
- Moki Door Step, Rightline Gear
“Automotion Customs created a unique accessory package that is not only stylish and affordable for dealerships but showcases the many possibilities that consumers have when choosing to accessorize their new-model cars and trucks,” said PRO Chair Josh Poulson. “We are proud of Automotion Customs for their win and are confident that this package will create profitable business relationships among restylers and new-car dealerships nationwide.”
Other companies that competed in the PRO Cup Challenge included Auto Image, 2022 Ford Mustang Mach E; Auto Trim Restyling, 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport; Automotive Concepts, 2022 Ford Lightning; DPS Automotive, 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L; and Pickup Outfitters of Waco, 2023 GMC Sierra 2500 SLE. Top Coverage LTD’s 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning won the Fan Favorite Award, which was voted on by SEMA Showgoers.


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RSA, the security division of EMC, has uncovered a new phishing kit being sold and used online by fraudsters.
This new kit, a Universal Man-in-the-Middle Phishing Kit, is designed to facilitate new and sophisticated attacks against global organisations in which the victims communicate with a legitimate website via a fraudulent URL set by the fraudster. This allows the fraudster to capture victims’ personal information in real-time, said
RSA’s analysts researched and analysed a demo of the kit that was being offered as a free trial on one of the online fraudster forums that RSA’s 24×7 Anti-Fraud Command Center (AFCC) monitors regularly.
Using the Universal Man-in-the-Middle Phishing Kit, the fraudster creates a fraudulent URL via a simple and user-friendly online interface. This URL communicates with the legitimate website of the targeted organisation in real-time – whether it is the online banking site of a financial institution, the order tunnel of an ecommerce company, or any other such business transacting with its users online. The victim receives a “standard” phishing email, and when clicking on the link s/he is directed to the fraudulent URL. The victim then interacts with genuine content from the legitimate website – which has been “imported” by the attack into the phishing URL – thus allowing the fraudster seamless, invisible and immediate access to the victim’s personal information.
RSA’s analysts have identified two primary benefits that fraudsters using this kit are set to reap:
* It is a “universal” phishing kit, meaning it can easily be configured per target. Fraudsters who want to initiate a phishing attack do not have to purchase or prepare a custom phishing kit for each target. Once they acquire and operate this kit, the attack can be configured to “import” pages from any target website.
* Unlike standard phishing attacks, which only collect specific requested data (typically login and card-related credentials), this attack is designed to intercept any type of credentials submitted to the site after the victim has logged into his account as well.
The RSA 24×7 Anti-Fraud Command Center handles this attack in a similar fashion to the way it deals with “standard” phishing attacks – relying on a broad monitoring and detection network, its broad blocking network, as well as industry-leading experience in site shutdown – as it does for more than 150 customers of its FraudAction anti-phishing, anti-pharming service. And, uniquely, RSA can further identify, analyse and mitigate this specific type of attack via the RSA eFraudNetwork community – the company’s cross-institution anti-fraud network – by leveraging sophisticated analytics in the RSA Risk Engine to further protect customers that also use RSA Adaptive Authentication or RSA Transaction Monitoring.
“As institutions put additional online security measures in place, inevitably the fraudsters are looking at new ways of duping innocent victims and stealing their information and assets. While these types of attacks are still considered ‘next generation,’ we expect them to become more widespread over the course of the next 12-18 months,” commented Marc Gaffan, director of marketing, Consumer Solutions at RSA.
“We are working with many organisations to ensure they are positioned to withstand whatever threats fraudsters may create. Some of these organisations have already deployed various layers of protection and others are in the process of strengthening their security.” -TradeArabia News Service


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Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Wayfair recently notified Lindell that they won’t continue carrying his products. He said the actions came after groups such as Sleeping Giant pushed companies to stop doing business with him.
“These are groups that were hired to attack and crush my companies to cancel MyPillow out. And they’re attacking these people, like Bed Bath & Beyond,” Lindell said. “They succumb to the pressure. And you know, that’s their choice. But you know what, this is the time we all have to stand up against this.”
Sleeping Giants, a leftist activist group, has ongoing campaigns to pressure companies to drop conservative and right-leaning websites, such as Breitbart News and Fox News. On Twitter, it trumpeted the news that Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s dropped MyPillow, claiming Lindell played a part in motivating the breach of the Capitol by questioning the results of the 2020 election.
Lindell, who says his products are in the top three in box stores across the country, said that companies are afraid their business will suffer and have therefore tried to distance themselves from him and his company.
“I’m not backing down. Our country’s at stake here. I grew up in this country with the American dream. And I’m the American Dream on steroids,” said Lindell, who created the MyPillow in 2004 and built the business in Chaska, Minnesota. “We’re the greatest country in the world.”
Bed Bath & Beyond told The Epoch Times via email that their decision to stop carrying MyPillow is “data-driven, customer-inspired and are delivering substantial growth in our key destination categories.”
“We are continually improving our product assortment, which includes plans to offer an array of unique and exclusive Owned Brands from Spring 2021. As previously announced, we have been rationalizing our assortment to discontinue a number of underperforming items and brands. This includes the MyPillow product line. Our decisions are data-driven, customer-inspired and are delivering substantial growth in our key destination categories,” a spokesperson said.
Lindell called on Americans to stand up to “cancel culture.”
“This is the time we have to make a stand. We have to make a stand and not back down to media and cancel culture,” he said. “We can’t live in fear this time. We got to all stand together. And I’m not talking politics. I’m talking people.”
Zachary Stieber and Allen Zhong contributed to this report.


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By Charles Riley, reporting from Hong Kong
President Obama and Mitt Romney each used their second presidential debate to talk tough on China.
Romney pledged that he would label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office - a promise he frequently works into his campaign speeches. And he accused China of "stealing" designs, patents and technology pioneered by U.S. companies.
"There's even an Apple store in China that's a counterfeit Apple store, selling counterfeit goods," Romney said. "They hack into our computers. We will have to have people play on a fair basis."
Obama was more circumspect in his use of language, but he touted the trade complaints his administration has filed against China over auto parts. Obama also recently blocked the sale of American wind farm companies to a Chinese firm.Click here for the FULL STORY
By Charles Riley
ING Bank has agreed to pay a $619 million penalty for moving billions of dollars through the U.S. financial system at the behest of Cuban and Iranian clients, acts that violated economic sanctions.
In addition, the Dutch bank admitted to falsifying the records of New York financial institutions, according to the Manhattan District Attorney, who was joined by the Department of Justice in announcing Tuesday's settlement.


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Acer’s Predator gaming laptops are one of the most touted in the market. Featuring unique designs and ground-breaking specifications, each one is better than before.
Predator Helios 300 is one of the bestselling gaming laptops from Acer and the brand has recently announced the latest version of the Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition to bring “glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D to the world of gaming.”
Reports from the collaboration suggests that the device will come with 50 popular game launch from SpatialLabs TrueGame application, with further new additions with the passing days.
Besides the revolutionary 3D gaming laptop, Acer has also announced the launch of a few new gaming devices, including Predator Triton 300 SE and the Predator XB273K LV. They have also introduced new Acer Nitro XV272U RV gaming monitors.
Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition – Redefining 3D Gaming
When it comes to 3D gaming, not many users think of laptops. However, Acer is redefining that with this brand new collaboration with SpatialLabs. The new version of the Predator Helios 300 will offer “glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D gaming experiences” to the gamers.
Gamers can now experience games in real-time, experiencing 3D mode on the new device with ana advantageous gaming experience.
The collaboration of SpatialLabs TrueGame with the new model supports the prospect of 3D gaming but without involving any 3D glasses. This is primary because of the games that are created by the developers with a 3D view and visual.
With 50+ modern and classic new games, the buyers will have a dedicated and configured profile in the new laptop that allows them to experience each of the games in stereoscopic 3D.
The redefined Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition is equipped with a 15.6” UHD 2D panel with an innovative liquid crystal lenticular lens optical that further support the 3D gaming experience of the gamers.
Acer has also paid extra attention to the thermal solutions as the model is integrated with 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan, liquid metal thermal grease and Acer’s CoolBoost technology to prevent overheating and keep the performance maximized.
The gaming laptop is also backed with Killer DoubleShot Pro and Wi-Fi 6E for wireless connectivity and features a wide range of I/O ports, including HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen2 and Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Predator Triton 300 SE – Gaming on the Go
Next on the list of launch is the Predator Triton 300 SE, a refreshed thin and lightweight gaming laptop for the users who are consistently on the go.
Powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core processors, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 GPU, the model is equipped with a 16” OLED WQXGA display panels with 240Hz refresh rate for optimal visual experience.
To maintain productivity, the model is integrated with custom-engineered 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans with Vortex Flow airflow guidance technology, the gaming laptop performs optimally without any lags and buffers.
The model is available in two variants, 14- and 16-inch display options. As for connectivity, users get Wi-Fi 6E for wireless and Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A for wired connectivity.
Besides the laptops, Acer has also introduced a few breakthrough gaming monitors, including Predator XB273K LV Gaming Monitor and Acer Nitro XV272U RV Gaming Monitor for the peak gaming performance.
Pricing and Availability
The Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition will be available starting USD 3,399.99 in the fourth quarter of 2022 in US.
The Predator Triton 300 SE will be available starting USD 1,599.99 in July, 2022 in US.
The Predator XB273K LV will be available starting at USD 999.00 in the third quarter of 2022 in US.
The Acer Nitro XV272U RV will be available starting at USD 449 in the third quarter of 2022 in US.


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THE WHAT? Procter & Gamble has offered relief to residents affected by Hurricane Ian in Florida, offering families, individuals and first responders personal care items, cleaning products or laundry services.
THE DETAILS In partnership with international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization, Matthew 25: Ministries, P&G has distributed free personal care kits with everyday essentials as well as cleaning products to meet basic hygiene and home care needs directly into the affected areas of those impacted by the disaster.
The personal care giant has also deployed the Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry Units, which provided free, full-service laundry to residents affected by the recent floods.
THE WHY? Hurricane Ian – a Category 4 storm with up to 150-mph winds – destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in the southwest coast of Florida, with the Tide Loads of Hope having provided free laundry services to families affected by disasters for 15 years.


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Former Enron leaders to be tried in Houston
HOUSTON Enron Corp.'s top leaders will all be tried in Houston on criminal charges connected to the scandal-ridden company's 2001 collapse, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake's decision denies claims from company founder Kenneth Lay, former CEO Jeff Skilling and former top accountant Richard Causey that they couldn't get a fair trial on their home turf.
Skilling made the initial request to have the trial moved, citing a survey of local residents conducted on his behalf that said too many potential jurors associate his name with words like "snake" and "evil." Alternate sites suggested were Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans or Phoenix.
Prosecutors responded that two Houston-area juries already had considered Enron-related cases and returned reasonable verdicts.
Maytag no longer will sell in Best Buy stores
DES MOINES, Iowa Maytag Corp. said Wednesday it would no longer sell Maytag-branded appliances in Best Buy Co. retail stores, where sales have declined significantly in recent years.
"At this time, it does not make sense to continue selling our major appliances at Best Buy," said Ralph F. Hake, Maytag chairman and CEO, in a statement.
In 2004, white goods sales at the retailer represented about 1 percent of Maytag's consolidated revenue. The discontinuation will become effective later in the first quarter 2005, the company said.
Compiled from wire reports
Maytag will continue to sell its Hoover floor care products at Best Buy.
Best Buy spokesman Brian Lucas said the retailer reached a mutual decision with Maytag to stop selling its appliances which included refrigerators, kitchen ranges and laundry equipment.
He said Best Buy's customers are focused heavily on style and innovation and have responded to other brands such as LG, Siemens and Samsung.
"In the past year we've made a real effort in Best Buy to expand our appliances and bring in some new vendors that really kind of meet the needs of our core customer," Lucas said.
He said the driving force for laundry purchases, for example, has been energy efficiency and front-loading equipment.
The announcement came a day after Maytag said two senior executives would leave the company on Jan. 31 and their positions would be eliminated.
Maytag stock fell $1.94, or 10.4 percent, to close at $16.73 in Wednesday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where Best Buy shares fell 38 cents to close at $57.35.
William L. Beer, a 31-year veteran of Newton-based Maytag, plans to pursue personal and other professional opportunities, while Thomas A. Briatico will retire from Maytag after a 30-year career with the company, a statement issued Tuesday evening said.
Both were named executive vice presidents in June 2004 as the company implemented a major restructuring plan, which consolidated its Hoover, Maytag Appliances and headquarters divisions.
"Our restructuring is now complete and both of these highly capable executives have decided to pursue the next phase of their lives," Hake said.
Beer, 52, will be paid a $344,300 as part of a separation agreement with the company and Briatico will get $300,000, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The sums equal their annual base salary.
Beer will be retained as a consultant for 12 months at a fee of $100,000 for up to 40 hours a month, documents said. He also will receive an allowance for expenses, travel and an office.
Briatico, 57, will be paid $50,000 as a consultant for the remainder of this year and the company will reimburse him up to $5,000 for a home in North Canton, Ohio, if the home sells for less than his purchase price.
Both have pension funds with the company and will retain company stock acquired through incentive programs.
Maytag, the nation's third largest appliance maker, sells appliances under several brands including Maytag, Hoover and Amana.
On the Net: http://www.maytagcorp.com
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LG is no stranger to screens that can flex and curve, and this time around the manufacturer has come up with an 18-inch OLED display that can be rolled up like a newspaper. The display will be showcased during CES 2016, alongside a host of new offerings from LG's display division.
New 65- and 77-inch 4K TVs, as well as LG's first 8K model, the UH9800, will be on display at the event, as well as a concept 55-inch OLED "paper-thin" TV that has its electronics installed separately. We'll be bringing you all the details from the show floor, so stay tuned for more.
Source: LG Display


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Ford has almost finished redesign of an ultra-high-performance supercar. Off course, we are talking about stunning incredible and stunning 2017 Ford GT.
For all true lovers of beautiful and powerful sedans, Ford has almost finished redesign of the 2017 Ford Taurus. New model is going to amaze just everybody.
According to some sources once again Ford is ready to release the next version of its new famous, amazing and remarkable super car, the 2017 Ford Mustang.
Ford engineers have put a lot of effort in redesign of one of the most impressive SUVs nowadays. We are talking about the new and modern 2017 Ford Raptor.
2016 Ford GT is another supercar which’ll be revealed in 2016 model year. With its powerful and stunning look it’ll be more than competitive to the rivals.
Another great Lincoln’s model will be revealed soon. We’re talking about 2016 Lincoln Navigator which will bring many interesting changes and improvements .
Finally, after more than decade, Lincoln Company is ready to launch redesign of its flagship sedan. We’re talking about incredible 2016 Lincoln Continental.
In 2016 model year we will be able to see slight redesign of one more Ford’s model. It is 2016 Ford Everest and it brings some minor but important changes.
In 2016 Ford is planning to reveal its amazing 2016 Ford Focus. Even if it comes slightly redesigned, everybody will be more than just amazed with it.
2016 Ford Expedition comes as the sixth generation of this famous Ford’s model. New SUV will hit the showroom floors completely improved and redesigned.


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TORONTO — Canada's auto parts makers are calling for a $400-million emergency cash injection from the federal and Ontario governments.
The Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association of Canada says the loans — aimed at smaller companies — are needed to save Canada's largest export industry.
Association president Gerry Fedchun has told the Globe and Mail the meteoric rise in the Canadian dollar is an extraordinary burden, and he wants the federal government to put policies in place to clip the loonie's soaring wings.
Fedchun sent two letters to federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Ontario Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello last week.
He will meet with Ontario officials today and hopes to meet federal officials later this week to discuss the issue.
The industry, which employs 90,000 people mainly in Ontario and Quebec, has been squeezed by declining production and price cuts at Ford Motor Company, Chrysler and General Motors.
''Our industry is facing its biggest challenge in 30 years and extraordinary measures are required to save Canada's largest export industry,'' Fedchun said in an interview. ''This is an emergency.''
The rise in the dollar arrived after Canadian parts makers — which manufacture more than $30-billion worth of goods and services annually — had already been battered by other woes that have led to dozens of plant closings and thousands of job cuts.
The loans would be used by parts makers mainly to buy equipment to make them more productive, Fedchun said. But in seven months, the Canadian currency has risen to more than US$1.00 from 85 cents, and it's impossible to order new equipment and install it in that period of time in order to boost productivity, he said.
''There are certainly some (companies) in danger of going out of business, either quickly or slowly,'' he said of his 400 members.
Fedchun said any financial assistance would be aimed at smaller Canadian companies that don't have the same ability to raise money as Linamar, Magna and Martinrea.


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Babylon Ltd. (TASE:BBYL) notified the TASE this morning that Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) will not renew its agreement with the company, which expires on November 30, because of the large number of complaints that Google has received from users of its Chrome browser. The users claim that installing Babylon's browser harms their user experience, raising concern at Google about Babylon's ability to provide a positive user experience.
Babylon added that Google said that it might reconsider the decision in 2014.
Consequently, Babylon's share price was down 65% to NIS 7.05 in morning trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Babylon warned that the termination of the agreement would have a material effect on its revenue and profits, given that the Google agreement accounted for 43% of the company's revenue in the second quarter of 2013.
Google's notice follows Babylon's troubles with Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), which warned the company that if it did not immediately correct deficiencies in its product, it would suspend their agreement. Babylon says that it is working on the problem and that Yahoo has not yet suspended their agreement.
, "The events that Babylon has experience in the past few days are not only related to Babylon, but are industry-wide," said Babylon CEO Alon Carmeli in response. "As industry leaders, we are the first to be affected by the events to such a degree."
Carmeli added that he and Babylon controlling shareholder Noam Lanir were committed to the company. "We believe in the company and we're looking forward. Together with the company's employees, experience and knowhow, and despite the complex challenges, we will do the utmost, using all the means at our disposal to adapt the company to the new reality.
"Babylon has extensive knowhow, a track record, distribution and online monetization capabilities, and advanced technology about everything related to the Internet worlds and users. We're working to adapt to the new reality on the basis of these capabilities. We'll naturally continue to update investors on material developments on this matter."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 30, 2013
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013


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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s cloud computing arm is breaking into the artificial intelligence market, launching what the company is proclaiming to be “China’s first AI platform”, which will give developers the capacity to analyse large amounts of data.
Cloud computing division Aliyun is Alibaba’s fastest-growing division, and although the company still gets most of its profits from e-commerce, the latest quarterly results showed Aliyun’s revenue leaping 106 per cent over the year, flying in the face of China's economic troubles.
In July, the company announced a further $1bn push into cloud computing, as it plans to take on competition from the likes of Amazon and expand into international markets.
Alibaba chief executive Daniel Zhang said then that this was “just the beginning”:
Aliyun has become a world-class cloud computing service platform that is the market leader in China, bearing the fruits of our investment over the past six years.
The artificial intelligence platform will combine algorithms with deep learning techniques, and will be used to predict industry trends and user behaviour.
Alibaba faces stiff competition from other tech giants’ cloud computing services, though, as Amazon Web Services, also expanding rapidly, just launched an AI platform of its own in April.


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We would welcome any sporty car Toyota gives us.
Gazoo Racing has teased a new take on the Toyota GT86 (our Scion FR-S) that it is bringing to next week's Tokyo Auto Salon. Having only posted a picture of the coupe's rear wing and backlight on its Facebook page, we have no idea what the rest of the concept will offer. If last year's introduction is any guide, there should be plenty more bodykit and power to go along with that wing.
The Tokyo Auto Salon will welcome a Toyota GT86 (known here as the Scion FR-S) tuned by Gazoo Racing, said to be called the GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum. We only get the briefest of teasers right now before the show begins on January 11, so we don't have much to go on beyond a unique lower front fascia and headlight treatment, a hood with at least one scoop, and a giant wing with unique LED taillights out back.
It was a little more than four years ago that Lexus announced it would campaign an LFA in the Nürburgring 24-hour race. From 2008 with a black prototype that no one would talk about, the Gazoo Racing LFA has raced every year since and suffered breakdowns, fires, more mechanical issues and high-speed encounters with guardrails.
You don't build a chassis as superbly balanced and capable as that which underpins the Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT 86 and Scion FR-S without taking it racing. Fortunately the Japanese auto marques involved have plenty of competition spirit coursing through their veins, and are already gearing up to take the nimble little sportscar racing at events around the world.
According to a report by TheDetroitBureau.com, Toyota is teaming up with Gazoo Razing (full name: Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) to kickstart development and retail rollout of small-displacement, turbocharged engines. While Toyota is the undisputed leader in hybrid sales, the 274,927 gas-electric vehicles sold in 2011 – that's in total, not just the Prius – still represent a tiny portion of overall sales. By contrast, the EcoBoost-equipped Ford F-150 alone sold 100,000 uni
- Most and least efficient car companies
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


text: The organizers of DaTE, the Italian designer eyewear show, report an increase of 40 percent in the number of visitors at its latest edition in Florence on Sept. 23-25. Most of the 3,500 trade visitors were Italians. They were able to check out the collections of 135 brands, the majority of which were not Italian and represented at the show by their export managers, their distributors or their agents. Lozza, Oxydo and some other high-end brands had a more private space allocated to them than the others. The location was a former railway station in the center of Florence, which offered more exhibition space that the show's former location in Milan and was more easily accessible from all parts of the country. The attractiveness of the city was bapparently a plus. The organizers have decided to keep the same location for the 6th edition of the fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 22-24, 2018.


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There have been nine reports worldwide of children getting entangled in the bed canopies, including one in the U.S. involving a 7-month-old girl who pulled the canopy’s fabric into her crib and wrapped it around her neck several times. The canopy’s fabric may pose a strangulation hazard to children.
IKEA warns purchasers to immediately stop using the recalled children’s bed canopies and return them to any IKEA store for a full refund. The canopy was sold in IKEA stores nationwide and online at www.ikea-usa.com from August 1996 through March 2014 for between $10 and $30. Approximately 2.6 million were sold worldwide with nearly 255,000 in the United States and 7,000 in Canada.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov.
Written by James P. Nevin
James Nevin on Google+


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According to Activision, the new Call of Duty Black Ops 4 made the best start ever regarding digital sales. Accordingly, the new Black Ops 4 sets a new digital sales record among all Activision’s titles, so far.
Indeed, the highly sought-after Call of Duty Black Ops 4 launched on October 12th, and according to its publisher, Activision, the launch of this new title is the best in term of digital sales in the series’ history.
In just 24 hours, Activision confirmed that Call of Duty Black Ops 4 has broken records regarding digital sales, with more gamers buying the new episode of the franchise, within a 24 hours time frame, in comparison to the CoD WWII, released in 2017. Noteworthy is that the new Black Ops 4 is also the first in the saga to make its debut on Battle.net for its PC version and it also scored a successful launch on that platform, selling as twice as much as the CoD WW II.
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 has broken all-time digital sales record for Activision
Of course, this is excellent news for Activision regarding Call of Duty Black Ops 4 digital sales figures. However, the news regarding the physical sales of the new title is not as good as the publisher expected.
Across the UK, for example, the new Black Ops 4 only sold 260,000 physical copies, which is almost by 50 percent less than the 515,000 copies delivered by the CoD WW II.
It is, however, a normal thing that the Call of Duty Black Ops 4 digital sales outperformed the physical ones since almost everything is now on the Internet and is much straightforward to grab a game from a digital platform than going to a store to buy it.
Besides all that, CoD Black Ops 4 is the first in the franchise to practically ignore the single-player campaign and focus on multiplayer with the new Royal Battle mode called Blackout.
As a passionate gamer since the 1990s, Vadim has kept his passion alive since then, and he is here to cover video games news, as well as to share with you all the novelties out there regarding gadgets or games-related tech.


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Lion to buy Stone & Wood maker Fermentum
Lion has inked a deal to acquire craft beer brewer Fermentum, Byron-based brewer of Stone & Wood, formed in 2008 by three former CUB colleagues.
What you need to know:
- Drinks giant will acquire 100 per cent of Fermentum subject to regulatory approval.
- Will build a bigger brewery in Byron.
- New top marketer Anubha Sahasrabuddhe says the firm is also looking beyond beer for new growth.
Lion is to acquire Stone & Wood maker Fermentum. The beer giant will confirm the deal once regulatory approvals have been granted.
The Byron-based brewer was founded by former CUB colleagues Jamie Cook, Brad Rogers, Ross Jurisich. Lion originally had a 20 per cent stake in the business, but the three eventually bought it back under independent ownership. Now they have decided to sell up, having made Stone & Wood pretty much ubiquitous.
Lion recently handed all creative duties to Thinkerbell, scrapping its roster model – which included 72andSunny, Host/Havas and Ogilvy – as new consumer and brand boss Anubha Sahasrabuddhe reshapes the portfolio and Lion’s broader direction.
Sahasrabuddhe told Mi3 last month that the firm aims to create sharper, more effective ads in a category that she thinks is far from reflective of Australian culture. She said the drinks giant is looking beyond beer – and is taking cues from the sharp, crisp creative coming out of New Zealand.
Sahasrabuddhe also suggested that beer brands are missing out on a massive market in overlooking Australia's multicultural society and focusing, in her eyes, far too narrowly on traditional categories and marketing moments.
As part of the Fermentum deal, Lion has committed to will continue continue to brew in the Northern Rivers and will building a new brewery in Murwillumbah, and said it will donate $5 million to the inGrained Foundation and another $1 million to Big Scrub Landcare.
Mi3 Special Report: Australia Post-Cookies, Post-Privacy
- How brands including ANZ, CommBank, Adore Beauty, Little Birdie, Menulog and Westpac are racing for new privacy-compliant ways to market to customers as platform and regulatory changes bite.
- Report covers all of Australia‘s major publishers, their strategies.
- All major alternative IDs covered.
- Plus marketing consultancies, tech provider and agency insights.
- Independent Mi3 report, based on 35-plus interviews, supported by MiQ and Resolution Digital.
How brands including CommBank, Adore Beauty, Little Birdie, Menulog and more are racing for new privacy-compliant ways to market to customers as platform and regulatory changes bite.Get ahead of the curve. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE DOWNLOAD your 67-page report here.
‘The great Aussie SMB reset’: The opportunity for marketers in a massive boom for small and medium businesses
Val Morgan is working with Karen Nelson-Field’s team at Amplified Intelligence to study the effect of attention metrics on cinema audiences. As James Bond’s latest film storms the global box office, it’s time for more meaningful metrics – and cinema is in a class of its own on the attention scale, Val Morgan’s Guy Burbidge writes.
The advertising industry deserves a collective round of applause. In the face of a global pandemic, near constant – and ongoing – privacy questions and scrutiny, advertisers innovated and experimented like never before, and the whole market is better for it. Success in the next (hopefully disruption-free) year will require collaboration and partnerships.


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United States president, Barack Obama, revealed he was in favour of computer programming lessons in schools as part of a Google+ discussion. He said computers and videogames excited youngsters and spurred them on to learn. He referred to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, saying he taught himself to program due to his interest in games. He said he wanted people to understand the principles involved in a career in videogames such as maths, science and design.
Following the troubles THQ had they have sold the rights to the WWE video game series to 2K. 2K are more than familiar with sports titles having previously developed the entire NBA series of games since 2011. The series, which will continue to be developed by Yukes in Japan and will combine the studio’s signature gameplay with 2K’s commitment to authenticity in this years WWE ’14.
In addition 2K Games and Irrational Games today announced that production of downloadable content has recently begun for their forthcoming BioShock Infinite and revealed details of the BioShock Infinite Season Pass. Three all-new add-on packs are in development that will provide hours of additional gameplay and continue the player’s journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons. The BioShock Infinite Season Pass will be available on March 26, 2013 when the game is planned to launch.
Despite Sony showing the currently-available PS Move controller being used with PS4 during the console’s unveiling event on Wednesday, the firm says the new console will not support the use of the standard DualShock 3 controller. The reasons are unclear since the DS3 controller uses the same industry-standard Bluetooth 2.0 tech as the Move controller to connect with PS3, which suggests PS4 will have Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities.
Commander Shepard’s story is finally coming to an end with the announcement of the last bit of single player DLC. Available on March 5th, Mass Effect: Citadel will see Shepard “explore and discover new locations across the vast, deep-space station” while reconnecting with some recognizable characters from the series past. Mass Effect was truly a great game, a save game that lasted six years across three games. Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy shall be missed.


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Cathleen Enright, PhD, has been named the new president and CEO for the Pet Food Institute, effective April 27, 2015.
Most recently, Enright served as executive vice president, food and agriculture for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, where she spearheaded the development and launch of GMO Answers, an industrywide initiative to address negative perceptions about GMOs.
Prior to this, Enright led Federal Government Affairs for the Western Growers Association and served in senior roles across the federal government, including policy analyst, U.S. Department of State; assistant deputy administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, as deputy assistant.
By Lindsay Beaton
Pet food safety is top-of-mind all along the production line, and everything from the ingredients to the equipment must offer solutions.
By Debbie Phillips-Donaldson
Many hours, efforts, dollars and brainpower go into pet food companies’ and regulatory bodies’ efforts to ensure that products on the market are safe and healthy for pets.


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Nielsen Business Media CEO Robert Krakoff Dies Unexpectedly
Bob Krakoff, one of b-to-b publishing’s best-known figures, died at his home Thursday, the Nielsen Co. announced this afternoon. He was 72.
Krakoff, who was CEO of Nielsen Business Media, joined that company in August, when it was called VNU Business Media.
In a memo to the staff, Nielsen Co. CEO David Calhoun said, "A publishing industry veteran, Bob was a consummate professional, a valued advisor and a wonderful friend. Since joining Nielsen late last year, Bob has made a strong impact on our organization, both personally and professionally."
Krakoff attended American Business Media’s Jesse H. Neal Awards Thursday afternoon and "looked fit as ever," according to one source. Nielsen is expected to name COO Greg Farrar as interim CEO, a source said Friday.
Prior to his post at Nielsen, Krakoff had been CEO of Advanstar Communications and Reed Business Information, then known as Cahners Publishing. The Nielsen Co. (formerly VNU B.V.) was acquired by a consortium of private companies called Valcon Acquisition B.V. last spring.
In his short time running Nielsen Business Media, Krakoff made a number of changes. In November, he announced plans to restructure the company into "market-focused" groups. Under the plan, the company will now be broken into six operating groups and brands: marketing, film, music, retail, residential and commercial building design, and marketing services and travel, to be overseen by five senior vice presidents. The restructuring reflected the same market-centric approach he used when he was head of Advanstar.
Under Krakoff’s leadership, the company also launched a Japanese edition of Billboard magazine and partnered with Burrill & Co. on a new b-to-b media company called Burrill Life Sciences Media Group.


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Some plan to launch co-branded prepaid cards while others are developing a semi-automated gold loan kiosk to expand the business.
“The share of the online gold loan (OGL) in our total gold loan business before the lockdown was about 45% and this has now gone up to over 62%,” VP Nandakumar, managing director of Manappuram Finance, told ET. “Clearly, the lockdown period was when many of our customers realised the benefits of OGL as they were able to operate their account and borrow higher amounts, even as our branches remained closed. Even after reopening the branches, we continue to see increased adoption of OGL.”
Manappuram has rolled out doorstep gold loans across India to increase its OGL footprint, Nandakumar added.
Apart from the urban population, subscribers of online gold loans are primarily business communities from the upper crust of the micro, small and medium enterprise segment that is not comfortable with visiting gold loan company offices.
“Their average ticket size would be more than Rs 50 lakh,” said Umesh Mohanan, executive director & CEO, Indel Money.
“We have witnessed 112% growth in OGL disbursements in Q2 over Q1 of FY21,” said George Alexander Muthoot, managing director of Muthoot Finance.
Muthoot Finance expects 30% quarter-on-quarter growth in payments through digital channels in Q3.
“We are expecting 30% penetration in online gold loan disbursement and planning to add an incremental 10% online customers by the end of Q3,” the MD said.
Indel Money plans to launch co-branded prepaid cards for its online gold loans.
“Currently, all our disbursals are fully automated… Customers who have been onboarded can use our portal or app to extend the maximum exposure on the LTV (loan to value) of the gold which has been pledged with us,” said Mohanan.
The NBFCs don’t expect customers to go back to the physical gold loan format once the pandemic ends because there’s been a change in lifestyle and outlook. Before the pandemic, the gold loan was taboo. But now people treat gold loans as an option to meet working capital and fund requirements.
“The rate of growth in online adoption may slow down once things get back to normalcy, post-Covid-19. By then, we feel a large section of our customers would already be transacting online,” Muthoot said.
A customer making an offline repayment would have to visit a branch before the close of business. However, with OGL, they can pay the amount even late in the evening and still save interest for the day, explained Nandakumar.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Concor Suitors Seek Clarity Over Shareholder Rights
Potential suitors for Container Corporation of India (Concor) have sought clarity over shareholder rights after the sale of a partial stake in the logistics major by the government.E-auction for RCap Later this Month; Base Bid at ₹5,231 Cr
Lenders of Reliance Capital will hold an e-auction later this month for Anil Ambani’s insolvent financial services company to identify the highest bidder, two people aware of the development told ET.Premium Models Drive Car, TV, Smartphone Sales in Diwali Season
Indian consumers have purchased more premium cars, smartphones, televisions and appliances than ever before during the week leading up to Diwali this year.
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(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia, the second-biggest palm oil producer, expects Asia and Africa to soak up any supply that becomes available from export disruptions to Europe after the bloc’s new deforestation laws come into effect.
The European Union has put in place rules that stop products causing forest destruction from being sold in shops and supermarkets. Most companies have until the end of the year to comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation, which covers commodities from palm oil to cocoa and coffee. Critics say the rules especially punish smaller farmers.
Read More: Chocolate Faces Price Jolt as Deforestation Law Starts to Bite
EU imports of palm, used in everything from ice cream to shampoo and fuel, already dropped about 5% last year, with shipments from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the largest growers, particularly hit. But that loss will be offset by increasing demand in Asia and Africa, where the population is rising, said Carl Bek-Nielsen, chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Prices of palm oil will hold in a range of 3,800 ringgit ($803) to 4,250 ringgit a ton this year, underpinned by supply shortages and strong demand for the tropical oil, Bek-Nielsen said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Benchmark futures closed at 3,938 ringgit. He is also chief executive director of United Plantations Bhd.
The EU regulations may “amputate” millions of smallholders from the supply chain, Bek-Nielsen said, as they don’t have the necessary tracking systems and are struggling with issues from aging trees to declining yields. The regulations should be delayed until they are made more inclusive for smallholders, which make up about 35% to 45% of production in Indonesia and Malaysia, and up to 90% in Thailand.
“This vehicle may have had good intentions, but it has severe blind spots and it is heading straight toward a huge brick wall,” Bek-Nielsen said. “We have not fully appreciated the complexity of the supply chain involving smallholders.”
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.


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Sep 23, 2023
Sep 23, 2023
The name Gobardhanpur may draw blank stares from a majority of Oriyans but it rings a bell at Dilli Haat, the ethnic mart at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The tiny village of Dhenkanal district has made a name for itself in national and international level by fashioning exquisite ethnic jewellery.
The products of the village are regularly exported abroad besides being displayed at exhibition in Dilli Haat. Gobardhanpur craftsmen have clients in Switzerland, North Korea, Italy, France, England, South Africa and Japan. Significantly, they have created a market for their unmatched products without government support.
According to the villagers, there were only three craftsmen in 1992. But now they are more than 100. Crafting ethnic jewellery is now a full time occupation for almost 25 families in this village, whose products have earned praise from UPA Chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi, her daughter Priyanka Gandhi and Jaya Jaitly to mention some of the dignitaries who sampled them during their visit to the Dilli Haat. Their merchandise has also been displayed at Bangalore Chitrakala Parishad at Safina Plaza.
The craftsmen of this village remain indebted to Anyesha Tribal Works and Crafts, a Bhubaneswar based organization which brought their creations into limelight for the first time. The organization send these craftsmen to Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and Gujurat to hone their skills and talent through training. They are also getting training in handicrafts from Government of India. ï¿½Besides this, National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, National Industries of Designing and Developing, Ahamadabad and MAMA, a Kolkata based organizations have done a lot for usï¿½, reveals Arun Moharana.
They mainly put in 12 to 14 hours a day to meet bulk and delicate orders such as ear rings, necklace and chains. But working space and raw material shortage are two major constraints being faced by these talented craftsmen. ï¿½We donï¿½t have enough place to meet the demands of big orders. Besides the delivery of raw materials from Delhi and Kolkata often gets delayed,ï¿½ said a senior craftsman adding that sometimes outside agencies needlessly interfere in marketing.
However with such problems, they have really achieved a lot for them and for the state as well. Government should come forward to extend support to these craftsmen to make them more efficient and marketable.
More by : Debi Prasad Sarangi
I'm interested in buying these Jewellery.. Can u share the contact details of these craftsmen?Or could u tell em how do i get in touch with them.


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ASIAN PAINTS LTD Q1 RESULTS FY18-19: KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Asian Paints Limited, one of the largest paint companies in India, has posted its Q1 numbers for the period ended 30 June 2018 after the market hours on Tuesday. The Company’s Profit After Tax (PAT) up by more than 35% (on standalone basis) for the quarter ends on 30th June ’18. Here are the key points,
The Company’s revenue (on standalone basis) stood at INR 3775.10 Cr for the period ends on 30 JUNE 2018 as compared to previous quarter last year (30 June 2017) where the revenues were INR 3680.71, showing a jump of 2.56% YoY.
The Company’s revenue for the last quarter ended on 31 MARCH 2018, stood at INR 3834.51 Cr, showing de-growth of 1.55% QoQ.
The Company’s consolidate revenue for the April to June 2018 quarter stood at INR 4460.24 Cr.
The Company posted a hefty gains as far as Profit is concern, stood at INR 542.63 Cr for the April to June ’18 quarter (which was INR 400.86 Cr a year ago) showing a gains of 35.37 percent YoY
The Company’s profit for the last quarter ended on 31 March ’18 stood at INR 491.57 Cr, showing a growth of 10.39% QoQ
The Company’s consolidated PAT for the quarter stands at INR 571.31 Cr
Words from CEO
Overall, International operation faced challenging conditions with issues like (1) forex unavailability and (2) difficult weather conditions impacting business performance. Both the businesses in the Home improvement category viz. the kitchen (sleek) and Bath (Ess Ess) business, registered strong in the quarter, said K.B.S. Anand, MD and CEO of Asian Paints Ltd.
About the Company: Asian Paints Limited
Since its foundation in 1942, Asian Paints has come a long way to become India’s leading and Asia’s 3rd largest paint company, with a turnover of INR 168.43 billion. The Company operates in 16 countries and have 25 paint manufacturing facilities in the world, servicing consumers in over 65 countries.
Over the course of 25 years, Asian Paints became a corporate force and India’s leading paints company. Driven by its strong consumer-focus and innovative spirit, the company has been the market leader in paints since 1967. Today, it is double the size of any other paint company in India. Asian Paints manufactures a wide range of paints for decorative and industrial use.
Stock Price Movement
The stock closed up by 2.41% to INR 1467.75 when the market closed! During the quarter ended June 2018, the share price of Asian Paints Limited surged by more than 12 percent.
The Decorative paint business in India registered good double digit volume growth in the current quarter helped to an extent by the low base of the previous year. The GST rate reduction from 28% to 18% on Paint is a welcome move and should help demand from the small consumers. However, a continuous increase in the raw material prices and expects an inflation of almost 10% in the second quarter could create challenges for the company.
Also Read –
1) Finblab’s Valuepick Stock for the month of July 2018 – CEAT Limited
2) IPO – HDFC AMC Limited
Disclaimer: The contents and data presented here are just for your information & personal use only. While much effort is made to provide the information, I ( Vishal Dalwadi ) or “Fin Blab” do not guarantee the accuracy, correctness, completeness or reliability of any information or data displayed herein and shall not be held responsible.


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Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is raising expectations in Colorado Springs.
The Louisiana-based restaurant, popular among “caniacs” for its marinated and breaded chicken fingers, plans to open its first Springs restaurant on the city’s north side, the latest national or regional restaurant chain to expand to the Pikes Peak region.
Raising Cane’s would open in a new retail center being developed on the southeast corner of North Academy Boulevard and Agora Point on the site of an old Elephant Bar restaurant, according to documents filed with the city’s Land Use Review Division. Elephant Bar closed in 2016 and its building has been torn down.
Raising Cane’s would occupy a standalone, 3,067-square-foot building with a drive-thru and a 300-square-foot patio on the roughly 2-acre site, the documents show. The retail center also will include an 8,411-square-foot multitenant building.
Restaurant officials declined to comment about a Colorado Springs location, although they released a statement suggesting that their plans might not be final. In any case, it’s unknown when the Springs restaurant would open, how many it would employ and whether additional locations would be planned.
“Raising Cane’s is continuously evaluating opportunities to grow restaurants all over the world, and especially in Colorado,” company officials said in their statement to The Gazette.
“Many factors go into our decisions, and ever-changing market conditions can affect planned locations and launch dates. We will make a public announcement if and when an official expansion decision has been made.”
Documents filed with city planners were submitted on behalf of Confluent Development, a Denver real estate company that will build the retail center where Raising Cane’s will locate. Confluent officials didn’t return calls Friday.
Raising Cane’s has more than 380 locations, most of which are in 24 states and the rest in five Middle Eastern countries. It has five restaurants in Colorado — in Castle Rock, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Fort Collins and Parker, according to its website.
The chain opened its first restaurant in 1996. In addition to its made-to-order chicken fingers, its limited menu features fries, cole slaw, Texas toast and drinks.
“Our concept is simple and unique,” Raising Cane’s says on its website. “We only have ONE LOVE — quality chicken finger meals.”
Raising Cane’s would join a raft of other restaurants that have opened or said they plan to open in Colorado Springs. Several have pointed to the Springs’ growing population and healthy economy as reasons for expanding to the Pikes Peak region, while others have established their brands in Denver and now are looking to leverage the distribution, production and marketing networks they’ve put in place.
Among other restaurants and bars who’ve announced they’re coming or have submitted plans showing they’re expanding to the Springs: In-N-Out Burger, Chuy’s, Hop Jack’s, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Anthony’s Pizza, Atomic Cowboy, Fat Sully’s Pizza and the Denver Biscuit Co. Chains that have already arrived include Oskar Blues, Hungry Howie’s, Billy Sims Barbecue, the Brass Tap and Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar.


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A member of our team will contact you shortly.
2018 U.S. Holiday Retail Forecast
This Holiday Cheer Could Be a Last Hurrah
Challenges to the U.S. retail sector remain, but the prospects for the 2018 holiday season are more encouraging than they have been in quite some time. While digital disruption and weak topline sales growth have been impediments to profitability and ROI in recent years, major retail executives are speaking about business conditions more optimistically than they have in several years, largely due to an uptick in consumer spending.


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As you might have heard yesterday, Batman Arkham Knight’s release date has been confirmed for a June release in 2015. The game has been initially announced for both next-gen consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, but unfortunately it seems that over in Japan, the game could end up being an exclusive for the PS4.
In fact at one point Microsoft’s Xbox website was playing host to the Japanese version of the game, but according to a report from Kotaku, it seems that they are no longer doing so. In fact the game’s official website only mentions the PlayStation 4 version and with no word regarding the Xbox One version.
When the folks at Game Watch Impress asked why the game had become a PS4 exclusive for Japan, they were told “no comment”. Now we should note that this could merely be a timed exclusive and that maybe the reason the game’s page was taken down was because Sony was supposed to have an exclusive for its marketing, like what they had with Destiny.
However assuming that this isn’t a timed exclusive, this isn’t the first time the Japanese Xbox One gamers have gotten the shorter end of the stick. Bungie’s Destiny was announced for Japan as a PlayStation exclusive which we’re sure gamers there can’t be too pleased about. Either way we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more info, so do check back with us later for the details.


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Fans have learned a lot of information today about Riot Games’ upcoming first-person shooter, VALORANT, and what will be available for players once the closed beta begins on Tuesday, April 7. But Riot said that a ranked mode won’t immediately be available on the game’s launch.
During TimTheTatman’s VALORANT gameplay stream today, the game’s lead designer Trevor “Classick” Romleski confirmed that although Riot wants to release ranked close to the official release date, the mode won’t be available right away.
This is because the developers still want to give fans some time to familiarize themselves with the game before they can jump into the ranked system and get placed among the best players in the world.
Preventing anyone from hopping into ranked allows people to experiment with different agents and team compositions so they have some plans in mind when finally jumping into a ranked match. No one wants to have their rank on the line when people are still trying to figure out how to play the game.
Rank names were also revealed by various streamers and content creators today. They range from Mercenary, Soldier, Veteran, Hero, Legend, Mythic, Immortal, and VALORANT, the highest rank in the game.
If you want to have a chance to get a key for the closed beta, hop into one of the many VALORANT streams that are live on Twitch today. Only the luckiest viewers will be able to get a Twitch drop that contains access to the game on April 7 in North America and Europe.


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SAP CRM software
- May 23, 2018
Adobe looks to challenge Salesforce by adding e-commerce capabilities into its CX suite of products, just months after Salesforce doubled down on e-commerce with CloudCraze purchase.
- May 18, 2018
If you want better, more timely access to customers, consider customer behavior analytics, which is driven by the combination of marketing and data analytics.
- May 15, 2018
HubSpot's Service Hub, the new customer service product, aims at helping small and medium businesses complete the view of the customer, combined with the company's sales and marketing products.
- May 14, 2018
What's on the minds of customer experience execs right now? This Pipeline podcast breaks down grumblings and rumblings from Oracle's Modern CX show.
- April 13, 2018
Oracle customers weigh in on executive's hypothesis that analytics can now prove ROI of the martech stack -- or soon will -- and make marketing a revenue center just like sales.
- April 10, 2018
Oracle announces infusion of its Adaptive Intelligent apps into several CX Cloud products and promises more to come, with sales, marketing and service all getting upgrades.
- April 09, 2018
The Pipeline podcast looks back at the Adobe Summit and the conference's main themes. Listen in as our team discusses how the NFL uses Adobe to better personalize customer campaigns.
- April 06, 2018
Heading into the 2017 season, the NFL made a concentrated effort to better understand its data and its audience. It turned to data governance and Adobe Audience Manager.
- March 30, 2018
When it came time to engage more effectively with customers, 24 Hour Fitness looked to industry leaders in customer personalization for inspiration.
- March 28, 2018
Products are no longer the focus, according to Adobe. The customer experience is where it's at -- and Coca-Cola agrees, as the company executes its digital transformation process.
- March 07, 2018
Millennials bring more than just their iPhones to the conference table. Here's why you need to stop dumping on your millennial sales force and embrace their tech-savvy ways.
- March 06, 2018
By having a social media strategy in place, companies can quickly respond to customers' concerns through social media.
- March 02, 2018
Marketers interested in social selling need to weigh whether to use chatbots or deploy actual customer service agents. The decision depends on a number of variables.
- February 28, 2018
Hybrid cloud and on-premises IT should remain the norm for years. But more respondents to TechTarget's late 2017 survey indicate more cloud CRM and social media monitoring.
- January 23, 2018
Whether or not Salesforce is building out its own infrastructure is the first big CRM story in 2018, but it won't be the only one.


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Entrepreneur James Hitchen is hoping for a barbecue summer as he invests over £500,000 in a new Manchester city centre diner.
He will next month open Southern 11, which he describes as a "gourmet BBQ eatery" in Spinningfields.
James, 28, whose family previously owned Wigan-based Hitchen Foods, is creating up to 40 full and part-time jobs with the venture.
Southern 11 will serve American-style BBQ meals at a 2,500 sq ft unit with 85 seats indoors and 30 outdoors.
And to whet people’s appetites about what’s to come, Southern 11 is already serving hickory wood smoked meats from a 16ft-long trailer on Hardman Street.
The temporary Southern 11 Rib Shack is equipped with a wood-burning oven imported from Oklahoma.
It allows the meat, which is sourced from Lancashire, to be cooked for up to 20 hours to create a smoky BBQ flavour.
James turned to a chef with a Michelin star for help with developing the menu and training his head chef.
He said: "Although Manchester was hit hard by the recession, the restaurant trade in the city centre has remained buoyant.
"You only have to look at how busy some of the more established restaurants have been and, as long as there are new establishments offering choice, with affordable price points, it’s a good time to be introducing a new concept in eating out."
James’ grandfather set up Hitchen Foods on the back of a horse and cart, aged 15. Developed by his three sons, including James’ father, it grew into a multi-million pound business. It was sold to Geest Foods in 2005.
Seeking to capitalise on his background but move away from food manufacturing, James completed a business studies degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, which included a year’s placement with Aldi.
At 22, he became Lidl’s youngest district manager in England, managing four stores with a combined turnover of £8m.
He left Lidl to formulate plans for Southern 11, travelling to Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked as a chef and learned American BBQ
"I was immediately hooked by the smoky flavours, "he said.
Southern 11 launched a trial site in the food court at Manchester’s Arndale in March last year before deciding to open a city centre restaurant.
James wants to concentrate on his first branch before rolling out Southern 11 to other cities in the region.
He said: "I have been completely inspired by the barbecue techniques found in the 11 Southern states of the USA, hence our name."
James believes there is demand for "comfort food" and believes that the residents and employees of Spinningfields are the right target market.
"There’s definitely a gap in the market in Manchester for American southern comfort food, which is actually taking off in London, with Jamie Oliver leading the way after opening
Barbecoa with American chef, Adam Perry.
"Customers like the idea of eating comfort food in a stylish city centre environment.
"Spinningfields is surrounded by large businesses, professionals and local residents, it has a mix of people making it the right place for the restaurant."


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Business profile: International Business Times (IBTimes) is a growing digital global news publication that delivers international business news to an audience of over 5 million in the U.K. and 50 million people worldwide every month through its network of digital publishing platforms.
IBTimes provides comprehensive content around the most important business, economic and political stories from around the world, while also adhering to other niche areas that interest global readers. It is produced in 10 country editions in 5 different languages, offering in-depth coverage that is relevant and specific to each global market.
Address: 25 Canada Square, 32nd Floor, Canary Wharf, London E14 5LQ
Phone number: 020 7718 8570


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Designer Alexander Wang, diver Tom Daley and his fiancé, “Milk” screenwriter Dustin Lance Blac were all at the event.
“I’m a diva when it comes to skin care,” Wang told Fern Mallis at a Fashion Icons event at the 92nd Street Y.
Naomi Campbell, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs were seen at at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
The designer’s store was shut down for an hour and customers were turned away.
Luxury brand Balenciaga has named Demna Gvasalia -- of edgy Parisian clothing line Vetements -- to replace Alexander Wang as its head designer.
Sources say contenders include Chitose Abe and Demna Gvasalia.
The singer was asked to get down from a bar she was dancing on at Pier 94.
Wang told the crowd: “I don’t want to see anybody sober!”
Henson was also celebrating her 45th birthday at Saturday night’s Season 2 premiere of "Empire" at Carnegie Hall.
The bash, held at Pier 94 directly following Wang's runway show, drew stars like Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Kylie Jenner and boyfriend Tyga, Bella Hadid and boyfriend The Weeknd, and...


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April 9, 2021
2 min read
At this year’s all-digital CES experience, Panasonic partnered with indie rock band The Cold War Kids to bring an exclusive live stream concert to life with Panasonic projection technology inside the experiential art and entertainment complex AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
AREA15 opened in September 2020 and is the first in the US to utilize the newly released Panasonic PT-RQ35k 3-chip DLP laser projector for its Live Events space. The PT-RQ35K Series is the smallest and lightest projector in its brightness class* and can be easily transported, stacked and installed.
The venue provided the perfect backdrop for this immersive live streaming performance. “For this event, we wanted to do something a little extra. We launched our new Panasonic RQ35K, 30,000 lumen projection. We thought this was a perfect venue to utilize that for projection mapping and blending.” says Joseph M. Conover, Strategic Manager, Panasonic Themed Entertainment. “We actually used two RQ35Ks for the exterior mapping. They were blended together in tandem to highlight the AREA15 marquee outside with some color aspects.”
With amazing 360-degree views, the virtual experience brought a visually rich, up-close performance for viewers. To live stream, the production team also used LUMIX BGH1 4K cinema box cameras to capture stunning visuals. Take a look at how Panasonic and Cold War Kids partnered to bring this immersive concert experience below!
To learn more about Panasonic’s laser projectors, click through here.
* As of May 2020, based on dimensions and weight publicly available for laser projectors between 26,000–35,000 lumens


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People are eagerly awaiting the launch of IPad mini 4. After the disappointment created by IPad mini 3, all have set their eyes on IPad mini 4, which is hoped to impress all with its smart updates, unlike IPad mini 3 which had only fingerprint sensor and option of gold color to boast of.
Let us take a look of the date expected for its launch and the various speculations and the wonderful features it is expected to have.
When we look back to the history of Apple’s release October has a significant place. The initial launch of Apple was in November 2012 and was unveiled in October. Similarly, iPad mini 2 was unveiled on 22 of October, which was launched on 12th November in 2013.
iPad mini 3 also had its unveiling on 16th October and release date on 24 October in 2014. As you can see, it’s only natural for people awaiting IPad mini 4 to think that the unveiling of the product will take place in October, and the launching will soon follow in October.
However, there is scope to believe that iPad mini 4 will be released in late April or early June in 2015. It is assumed that it will be released together with the latest iPad Pro. So an earlier release cannot be overlooked. The WWDC 2015 event scheduled for June was the occasion when Apple released the iOS 9 as well as the new version of OS X. It was hoped that the event will also witness the release of the iPad mini 4.
Before the Apple’s 9 March event, there were expectations that it will witness an iPad Pro launch as well as an iPad mini 4 debut. However, the event took place without the launching of new IPads, though the event gave details on Apple Watch and exhibited the new super-slim MacBook.
Meanwhile, speculations are going on about the design and features of iPad mini 4. Mac Fan, the Japanese magazine opines that the iPad mini 4 will have a stylish thinner design and will be featured with A8X processor of iPad Air 2. It is also expected to arrive with A9 processor. Rumors also think iPad mini 4 will have 802.11ac WiFi and 2GB RAM.
The speculations do not end here. It is also assumed that with the launch of iPad mini 4 will also witness the end of the original iPad mini as well as the iPad mini 3, leaving behind only iPad 2, which is calculated to be a better economic version.


text: Xiaomi India head and VP Manu Jain has announced that he has met Rajen Vagadia, VP and President Qualcomm India and Kedar Kondap, VP, product management, Qualcomm regarding the next Xiaomi smartphone that will be powered by Snapdragon 7 series SoC that was announced two weeks back. This should be the Snapdragon 730 that was introduced on April 9th. Great meeting Rajen @rajen_vagadia & Kedar from #Qualcomm.@Xiaomi & @Qualcomm have always worked together to bring the latest & the best! Breaking news: A new #Xiaomi phone with latest #Snapdragon 7_ _ (announced just 2 weeks ago) is coming to India very soon! Any guesses? 😎 pic.twitter.com/TnrnTOr4PI — Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) April 26, 2019 Even though the company has not confirmed any other details official, a recent image that surfaced last week showed a new phone with pop-up camera and 3.5mm audio jack on the top. It also revealed some specifications including Snapdragon 730, 48MP primary rear camera, 8MP telephoto lens and a 13MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 4000mAh battery. This could be an enhanced version of the Mi 9SE, so this might launch in China as Mi 9X. Will launch as Mi A3 Android One smartphone in India? We should know soon.


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Today is World Food Day. A day to "highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world," so designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. And this year, the day comes as food prices around the world are rising, meaning more people are going hungry.
923 million--I did the math for you, that's a little less than 15 percent of the total world population, although of course the hunger is not evenly distributed . Undernourished means continuously consuming less food (energy) than is necessary to carry out basic daily tasks and remain healthy, according to the FAO, or in other words, constantly being hungry. This year the focus of World Food Day is on "Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy." Because global warming is going to make more people hungry.
This article in the Washington Post blog, A Mighty Appetite, points out that 1.4 billion people in the world live on less than $1.25 a day. In the U.S., $7 a day is the maximum daily allotment for a family of four on food stamps. The article raises the question:
Ever wonder how much you spend a day on food?
Well, I'm pretty meticulous about budgeting, so I went back and looked at what our household of 2 spent on food in September. On average, we spent about $20 a day. For two people. Not four. Shocking, even embarrassing, but eye-opening.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Labels: Food Related Ramblings


text: Grazia Russia has created this month an important project with Ferragamo parfums to launch the new fragrance Amo Ferragamo flowerful. For the occasion, a special shooting was produced with the actresses and influencers Polina Maximova and Yulia Parshuta, published on all social channels. The highlight of the operation was an exclusive breakfast-presentation at the Less Sugar Bar, set up like a lush garden and especially decorated by bright flowers and neon constructions to reflect the concept of the fragrance. The breakfast started with a speech of the brand’s representative and then guests had the opportunity to experience the six main ingredients from fragrance olfactory pyramid created ad hoc. The event was attended by Instagram and YouTube bloggers, singers, actresses, the magazine’s beauty department director Nastya Yezhova and Grazia editor-in-chief Natasha Bogdankevich.


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Why tech stocks have a glorious future
Unless you believe poor people will suddenly start to enjoy being unconnected and uninformed, you've got to have faith in tech's future. Just look at the numbers.
(Fortune) -- As a financial writer, I spend a lot of time looking at numbers. Right now, the numbers say that the world has a huge and unremitting hunger for technology, communication, Internet access, and information.
That means that while we may seem to be living in grim economic times, tech companies are facing a future that is anything but grim - something that is salutary to recall when we read the daily headlines about financial turmoil and economic uncertainty. If you take the global view - and what technology company doesn't? - there really isn't much uncertainty. While things could slow down for a year or two, there is nowhere to go but up - way up.
In Indonesia, one person in a hundred owns a PC, and only one in a thousand has a broadband Internet connection. While there are already 63 million cell phone subscribers, that only represents 27% of the country's population of 234 million. Cell phone subscriptions in Indonesia are growing 36% annually. And you think that's something? In India, with 166 million cell phone users, growth last year was 84.5%.
These are numbers I randomly picked out from my favorite annual spreadsheet - the just-published 2008 Global Internet Snapshot compiled by Imran Khan, senior analyst for Internet, media and entertainment at JP Morgan (JPM, Fortune 500). Khan and his adept team spend months gathering data (the CIA is one major source) and making sure it's comparable. They use it to compile a massive chart that enables us to compare countries and regions all over the world by population, GDP growth, use of PCs, broadband, and mobile and landline phones.
When attempting to divine how deeply technology could ultimately penetrate developing countries like Indonesia or India, you might think the benchmark would be the United States. And for PC penetration it is. Only Switzerland (with 85.1) exceeds the 80.3 PCs per 100 persons we have here in the United States. Even if you don't think the rest of the world will ever reach that level, it will go a lot farther than it has so far. Khan's chart shows global PC penetration to be a measly 12.9 for every 100 people.
But for cell phones it's a different story. Here the United States is a laggard, with 77.4 subscribers per 100 people. The place to see the potential for worldwide cell phone use is Europe, where every country but Turkey exceeds the penetration of the United States. Italy, where many people have multiple subscriptions, is the European champ, with 135.1 cellphone subscribers per 100 people. Hong Kong exceeds even that, with 135.3. The overall global average is 41.6 subscribers per 100 people. The world's 2.75 billion mobile phone users are growing in number at an annual rate of 27%.
The unsated hunger for connectivity, communication, and information just leaps off the charts. Let's look at, say, Peru, where cellphone use grew 57% last year, or the real mobile growth champs - Vietnam at 114%, Pakistan at 170%, and Ukraine at a whopping 185%. To be sure, we should acknowledge that some of these stats may be fuzzy, but it's impossible to deny that we are seeing a historic transformation of the world's population. The charts don't give growth rates for PCs per person and broadband usage, but we can simply look at the global figure for broadband Internet access penetration - 5.3% - and draw our own conclusions.
Says Khan: "It highlights that there is pretty significant opportunity worldwide for PC penetration growth and Internet penetration growth. That's why we put this chart out - the numbers speak for themselves."
In addition to the data about economies and technology access, Khan's team compiles data about global advertising expenditure by media, especially the percentage of advertising spent on the Net. Then he looks at the growth of each country's Internet-connected population, and global trends.
He highlights a stat showing that the global population of people connected to the Internet - now 1.3 billion - has had a compound annual growth rate of 20.3% for the past eight years. Meanwhile, Internet ad spending of $40 billion remains only 6.6% of the global total of $605 billion and is growing at an annual rate of 33%. Says Khan, who follows companies like Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500), and Omniture (OMTR): "When I look at this it makes me very excited about the sector I cover."
Khan is quick to point out that he only covers Internet stocks, and thus cannot generalize about what the numbers mean for other types of companies. He adds: "The big question is whether global economic growth can be sustained if the U.S. slows down."
Me, I'm happy to generalize.
Among companies I believe are likely to benefit from these trends long term are globally-oriented ones including wireless equipment and phone-makers Qualcomm, Nokia, LG, and Samsung; infrastructure providers Cisco and Juniper; multi-faceted large tech companies IBM and Hewlett-Packard; telecommunications operators Deutsche Telecom, Telefonica, Vodafone, and BT; software firms Microsoft, Oracle, Symantec, VMware, and Salesforce.com; Internet companies Google, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon, and Facebook; and diversified global media companies News Corp., Time Warner (which owns Fortune and CNNMoney.com), Bertelsmann and the about-to-be-created Thomson Reuters.
More regional players will also likely benefit, especially in China, where winners are likely to include Baidu, Tencent, and China Mobile. Given the pace of growth in wireless, a global economic slowdown might most trouble the companies in that sector, but again, only in the short-term.
We are entering a world of common communication and awareness. Undeniable benefits will continue to accrue to the technology suppliers. But even beyond that, there will almost certainly be a significant positive macroeconomic impact from bringing so many new people into the global economic system.