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These news stories are selected automatically each day by NewsFinder from over eighty sources, including major newspapers and magazines. The news can be viewed in an RSS feed, in monthly and weekly calendars, or sent to your inbox each Monday morning by signing up with the AI-Alert.
If documents and photos submitted to the US Federal Communications Commission are to be believed, Samsung is prepping a new voice-activated Bluetooth speaker that looks an awful lot like a potential competitor for the Amazon Echo and the upcoming Google Home. First noticed by Ausdroid, the speaker is currently called "Scoop.
A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. SAN FRANCISCO -- One of Silicon Valley's tech behemoths is taking a step further into digital medicine.
USA TODAY tech reporter Mike Snider looks into Microsoft's $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn and how it might help the company. Mike Snider, James Villalobos SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft has made yet another acquisition designed to retool the former software king into an enterprise solutions leader.
In my last column, I looked at how Amazon's Echo device and the Alexa voice service allows you to control things with your voice. You speak, it understands and obeys.
The framework they created, called ViZDoom, allows for the development of bots that can play Doom. It's intended primarily for research in machine visual learning, which means that bots only have access to the screen buffer.
What's cooler than autonomous vehicles or flying cars? Autonomous flying vehicles.
You've likely heard of the Internet of Things (IoT). How about the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT)?
In 2009, Apple CEO Tim Cook memorably trashed Atom-based netbooks for being "junky" hardware that underperformed. Intel's Atom chips have come a long way since, with the latest generation code-named Broxton boasting the most impressive improvements.
Last year, Amazon established the $100 million dollar "Alexa Fund" for developers and manufacturers both large and small. The idea was fairly straightforward -- support people with good ideas on how to put the voice-recognition technology in the Amazon Echo smart speaker to good use.
April 7 -- For the first time ever, NASA has been relying on private companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX for re-supply missions; only that's just the beginning. This QuickTake examines the future of space tourism using private space taxis.
If you're too lazy to cook, help is at hand. Kawasaki has revealed its latest robot is a dab hand in the kitchen - and can make everything from pizza to sushi.
IntelCorp.INTC -0.54 % signaled it wants a bigger role in artificial intelligence, revealing plans to modify a line of chips to target a fast-growing market turning into a battleground for technology suppliers. The company told technology developers Wednesday that it plans next year to deliver a new version of the Xeon Phi processor--a product line previously targeted at scientific applications--with added features designed to accelerate tasks associated with what Silicon Valley calls artificial intelligence.
Sting has had his brain scanned - so scientists can work out what makes gifted musicians tick. He underwent the examination at a Montreal university the afternoon before a Police concert in the city.
Ford Motor Co.F -0.72 % plans to release a fully driverless car without a steering wheel or pedals in the next five years, the latest salvo in a technological arms race engulfing the global auto industry. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker on Tuesday said it would initially target ride-sharing fleets and package-delivery services with the unnamed model, underscoring the still-incremental approach many car companies are taking before offering vehicles to consumers that don't require humans behind the wheel.
It doesn't take an expert to confirm that people are spending more time on the internet. For those interested in exact quantitative measures, consider this: a Pew Research Center survey found one-fifth of Americans self-report going online "almost constantly" and 73 percent admitting they go online on a daily basis.
After almost five years writing for tech publications, I am both very adept and very tired of writing product posts. When I started out, I quickly trained my brain to pull together a nondescript opener, some paragraphs with facts and figures and a functional closing sentence with something like a release date and a price.
VENICE BEACH, Calif. -- Like many in Silicon Valley, technology entrepreneur Bryan Johnson sees a future in which intelligent machines can do things like drive cars on their own and anticipate our needs before we ask. What's uncommon is how Johnson wants to respond: find a way to supercharge the human brain so that we can keep up with the machines.
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang apparently hand-delivered a DGX-1 to OpenAI researchers last week in San Francisco. Dubbed an "AI supercomputer-in-a-box," the DGX-1 will be used by the non-profit research team to explore the challenges surrounding artificial intelligence.
For decades, PCs were at the center of Intel's business, but not anymore. Self-driving cars, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are more attractive to Intel, which no longer views PCs as a priority.


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a Melius (cash 3) will be released on Monday (15), after the market closes, its release Second Quarter Results 2022.
Despite a surprisingly positive operating preview, the company is expected to report another quarter of pressure margins.
The big investment Ebitda’s margin is estimated to be negative 23.3%, down 10 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2021.
The brokerage company also believes that Melius will not get out of the loss, which will amount to 13.6 million Brazilian riyals.
“We should see a drop in revenue from the card co-brandedAnd the […] which will not be offset by revenue from the card itself,” the broker adds.
Genial thinks Méliuz will start making recipes from Debit and credit cards From the third quarter of the year — until then, it’s going to be unrepresentative.
“Although we are more optimistic about the TPV (Total Payments Volume) of co-brandedwe continue to believe that this mismatch will increase pressure on the company’s margins in the short term, which leads us to believe that we will not see a reversal of the company’s 6.5 million R$ loss in the first quarter of 2022, says analyst Igor Gidis and Eduardo Niccio, Head of Research and Finance, in a report released last week.
Genial expects an evolution in net revenue, with growth of about 70% year-over-year, due to a lower TPV slowdown than initially anticipated.
Regarding Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), the broker is not very optimistic and operates with a negative result of nearly R$21.6 million.
Melius recorded 24% growth in total sales in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, according to an operating preview released Thursday (14).
a GMV (Total volume of merchandise) of the company, including operations Promopet and gives picoditotaling R$1.41 billion between April and June of this year, compared to R$1.14 billion in the previous year.
Compared to the first quarter of 2022, the volume of goods sold has shrunk by 10%.
The company started a new phase with the creation of the Méliuz card since the acquisition of banking, a banking-as-a-service platform that allows any company in the market to create and expand its own offering of financial services. Since the launch of the digital account, Melius has recorded 1.2 million accounts created.
On the credit card, the company reached a TPV (Total Payment Volume) of R$7.6 million.
“It is noteworthy that we still accounted for approximately R$797.2 million of TPV in the second quarter of 2022 in reference to the co-branded card,” the company highlighted, in the preview report.
like the great, XP Investimentos It had a positive reading of the running numbers.
In the XP assessment, even as some indicators deteriorate, the numbers presented by Millius indicate the company’s ability to grow above the market, despite a challenging macroeconomic scenario.
However, the broker believes that the decline in GMV data in Brazilian and international operations in the quarterly comparison should continue to affect the company’s stock.
After preview, file UBS BB Reducing net revenue and net income estimates for 2022. The Corporation now considers a loss of R$39.2 million for the year.
For 2023, UBS BB is still considered to have generated a profit of R$3.2 million for the company. However, the amount was heavily revised downward, with analysts’ forecasts for next year being around R$71.1 million.
UBS BB also raised its operating expense estimates by 16% for 2022 and 27% for 2023.
in evaluation Bank of America (BofA)Millius should report on numbers that are still poor this season from results, but they are at an inflection point.
According to the foundation, the company should change course soon, with the second half promising a strong recovery, once new products are launched for the tech company’s ecosystem and Bankly is fully integrated.
Assuming the stock is covered with a buy recommendation, Genial highlighted that investing in company stock has its ups and downs, but the stock is still attractive and worthy of the “rolling emotions.”
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Matrimonial website, Shaadi.com has succumbed to pressure by removing a controversial skin tone filter.
An online petition set-up by Hetal Lakhani from USA, questioned the need for the filter amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.
The filter prompted when new users joined the site asking them to choose between light and dark complexion options.
Shaadi.com told the BBC that the filter “was not serving any purpose” and was a “product debris we missed removing”.
Keep it with BizAsiaLive.com for more.


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With Virgil Abloh’s Italian fashion brand being one of the most controversial fashion labels since 2012, the Off-White Nike Air Force 1 MCA is one of the most controversial sneakers this June. It was spotted on Virgil’s feet himself last year.
It looks like Virgil wants to end his collaboration with Nike, which started with “The Ten” collection, in a very special and surprising way. The bold look and misleading release dates surely confirm that. I mean, it’s already obvious how hard it is to cop a pair of these Off-White Air Force 1.
Here’s a nutshell of all the things you need to know about these Off-Whites:
Off-White Air Force 1: Features
Colourway: University Blue / White / University Red / Metallic Silver
It’s a rick blue paint color along with silver swooshes on the lateral and medial side and exposed stitching. Abloh’s red signature introduces a nice contrast of colors. It differs from the other “The Ten” collection in that it is leather based.
Retail price: $150
Resale price: $2283
When we talk about sneaker reselling, we straight away think of Off-Whites and their crazy resale prices.
The Off-white Nike Air Force 1: Release Date
Abloh gifted the last pair of the collaborative Off-White Air Force 1s to the tennis legend, Serena Williams. And of course, he signed it along the midsole in typical fashion with “Air Williams” and “For Serena Only”.
The release dates were many with none confirmed for sure. It was expected to be June 14 and June 10 previously, but no official announcements have been made by either brand till today. It’s very likely that they will follow the same release strategy as the MoMA Exclusive earlier this year. Rumors had it that it will be released exclusively at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. However, Virgil himself declared that it will not be released at the event on June 10 and he was true to his word.
We were surprised by a late-night drop yesterday (14/6/2019) on the Off-White webstore, but we still do not have any confirmation on full releases. It is expected to drop roughly by July 20.
We know that it will drop in men’s and GS sizes. Be sure that they will be using a raffle too, which makes it even harder to cop it.
Why Cop The Off-White Air Force 1?
- Limited edition,
- last kicks for the Off-White x Nike collaboration, and
- a great resale price,
so hurry up and get prepared to cop.
Will the collaboration really end with the Nike Air Force 1 MCA? Are there going to be any more surprises?
We are all waiting for a shock drop, so stay tuned for further updates. Check out NikeShoeBot‘s successful checkouts.


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Carbon fibre composites manufacturer Quickstep has announced today that its resin spray transfer (RST) technology has passed the environmental test regimes of a prestige European car maker.
In a media release Quickstep said the results of these tests confirm that the RST technology has the ability to meet rigorous painted panel benchmarks and enable outstanding finishes. Furthermore this qualifies the technology for consideration in the brand’s commercial supply tenders.
Quickstep Managing Director Philippe Odouard says the company is delighted at the recent developments which is a positive step toward securing a commercial entry into the automotive market.
“Luxury cars demand absolutely flawless paint and body work, and these tests by a luxury car maker demonstrate that Quickstep’s resin spray transfer technology can support such results,” says Mr. Odouard.
“During tests the car panels, manufactured using Quickstep’s RST, were subjected to hot and cold ageing cycles for weeks and subjected to high humidity and high temperature environments. We are delighted that the RST technology has passed what is considered to be one of the automotive industry’s most exacting ‘quality of finish’ tests.”
Car companies have increased the usage of carbon-fibre composite technology in their contemporary luxury vehicles, but achieving and maintaining top-quality paint finish is much harder with carbon-fibre than metal.
Passing the tests from the European car maker is an achievement that few composite manufacturers have achieved, says Quickstep. Aside from this, the RST technology can be delivered at a considerably lower cost.
“We believe that our RST technology can revolutionise car manufacturing across the globe, as it meets the industry’s three key manufacturing objectives — producing strong yet light vehicle parts with fast processing, at low cost and with a high quality finish,” explains Mr. Odouard.
“The technology is drawing increasing interest, and we are progressing negotiations and providing quotes for several leading European carmakers.”
Quickstep is currently working with carmakers in Europe to develop the RST process for each marquee’s specifications. Component trials are now underway with the Audi AG, for which Quickstep collaborated with a German government-funded consortium to develop cost-effective solutions for high-volume automotive composites parts production using the RST technology.


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Published: January 14, 2022 | Updated: January 15, 2022
Christina for Christchurch: Former Operations Manager is appointed as first BID Manager
Christchurch Business Improvement District (BID) has announced the appointment of its first BID Manager.
Christina Pengelly brings a wealth of town centre experience to the role as well as a strong business acumen.
She was previously the Operations Manager at Poole BID and Secretary to the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade & Commerce.
Christina, who will support key improvement projects for Christchurch, has also formerly worked as a Project Manager in several banking roles.
Her appointment follows the result of the Christchurch BID ballot in October.
A total of 78 per cent of levy payers voting in the ballot said ‘yes’ to the BID.
Supporters, as well as BCP Council’s Cllr Philip Broadhead (third left), are pictured celebrating the ballot result.
Christina will now play a key role in projects including:
- A number of new and ongoing measures to improve the appearance of the town centre
- New town centre events and street entertainment
- Marketing & promotion of the town
- Support to businesses in Christchurch
Christina said: “I am extremely pleased to be appointed Christchurch BID Manager.
“Christchurch has so much to offer and I am excited to highlight its potential in terms of independent shops, national brands, hospitality and services.
“We want Christchurch businesses to thrive in challenging retail environments and deliver the best of Christchurch to residents and visitors.”
Lucy Filer, Chair of the BID, added: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Christina as the next milestone in the BID process.
“The Board of Directors are all focused on supporting Christina in the delivery of a range of improvements for Christchurch which we are confident will take the town centre area to the next level.”
A BID is funded by businesses voting to pay a small proportion of their business rateable value on a package of improvements.
The money is ring-fenced for use only in the BID area.
The Christchurch BID area of approximately 270 businesses is expected to generate about £130,000 per year,.
This is expected to be supplemented by contributions from local businesses outside the town centre, as well as other funding sources.
It’s proposed that the BID will initially operate for five years, meaning that approximately £650,000 of improvements will be generated for the town.
Further details regarding Christchurch BID can be found by clicking here.


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Across the country, attorneys general in nearly every state have made an increased effort to combat identity fraud. One way in which they are doing so is pressuring the Social Security Administration to move faster when identifying identity theft. The Attorney General of Tennessee has joined with the attorneys general of 42 other states and the District of Columbia to lobby the SSA for changes.
The Attorneys General are requesting that the SSA create a searchable database that will give financial institutions real-time ability to verify a consumer’s identity. They argue this change is necessary because there is currently a lag between when a consumer reports their identity stolen and when financial institutions receive notice. This gives thieves a window to commit fraud with financial institutions entirely unable to stop identity theft until it is too late.
The call for a streamlined process for catching identity thieves comes as the frequency of identity theft rises. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s 2017 Consumer Sentinel Network Report, consumers reported over $900 million in fraudulent losses during 2017. The average cost to a household that was a victim of fraud was $429. While some of the fraud was generated through contact by mail, e-mail or online, the vast majority of it came from telephone scams.
Due to the anonymous nature of crimes committed online or via telephone, it’s not uncommon for innocent parties to come under scrutiny in identity theft cases. It’s important to remember that the police are not required to be truthful regarding their intentions, and often disguise interrogation as simply ‘needing some help.” It is important to speak with an attorney before talking with the police about any alleged fraud investigation.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Humans and shopping carts will take the place of dogs and sleds in Taylorsville's first Urban Iditarod race.
Organizer Rhetta McIff said participants will need to be light on their feet, thinking quickly and in costume as they travel to five "challenge locations." The race will begin at 10 a.m. on March 5 in the area around 5400 South and Redwood Road; racers will get an e-mail telling them the exact starting point a few days before starting time.
"It's an intended way to get people out of the house to do something fun," McIff said.
McIff is chairwoman of the LARP (Leisure Activities, Recreation and Parks) Committee, one of the race sponsors. Her husband, Brett, is chairman of the Healthy Taylorsville Committee, the other sponsor. The cost is $40 per team, with proceeds donated to the YMCA.
Participants will compete in five-person teams and must be 18 to participate. McIff estimates there will be 25 to 50 teams.
There's no exact measurement of the course, but it's less than a 5K. Participants do not need to be runners and will have 21/2 hours to complete the race.
Team members dress in costume and decorate the carts. Themes from events in other cities have included favorite sports teams, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, construction workers, movie characters and sled dogs.
Local businesses are contributing prizes. McIff said the event also is meant to encourage people to shop locally.
In addition, she hopes that people will look for lost carts that have been abandoned off store property and return them after the competition. Racers who can't find a cart can ask the Harmons store manager at 5400 South and Redwood Road to loan them one, McIff said.
On your mark, get set, go!
P The Taylorsville Urban Iditarod will begin at 10 a.m. March 5. For information and to register, go to bit.ly/f6gd4r.


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Twitter removes picture of slain prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz as hostage, sees Turkey’s temporary ban lifted.
India’s $18 billion plan to spread the information revolution to its provinces faces problems including electricity shortages, badly planned cities – and monkeys.
Hip hop musician-mogul Jay Z unveils his new streaming video company Tidal, with an all star line-up of investors on hand including Madonna, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West, and a credo read out by Alicia Keys of the company that aims to go head to head with competitors including Spotify and Apple’s Beats.
(EVO) – Few places can claim to have as much time as Basel.
But then the Swiss city is hosting the world’s most important watch show, kicking off this year not with a bang, but with a beep.
“Smart” is the key word here.
(Next Media Online) – Toymaker, Mattel Inc., has announced an internet connected Barbie doll which features interactive conversation with its user. However, privacy advocates fear the doll’s cloud-based technology exposes children to eavesdropping by Mattel, or anyone with access to the company’s servers.
Apple announces exclusive partnership to bring HBO to new users, lowers cost of its Apple TV.
Apple Watch in stores on April 24, high-end version costs $10,000.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Uzbekistan and Hungary signed a number of bilateral agreements on the implementation of 12 investment projects in various regions of Uzbekistan in the fields of poultry, fish farming, livestock and food industry, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.
The mentioned agreements were signed during the Uzbek-Hungarian business forum held in Budapest (Hungary), which was attended by a number of representatives of the business circles of the two countries.
Also, G2B and B2B meetings were also organized between the heads of ministries, departments, industry associations and leading companies of Uzbekistan and Hungary, where the participants were able to substantively discuss the creation of joint ventures and the conclusion of mutually beneficial trade agreements.
It is reported that further joint development of 76 new promising investment projects was agreed upon. It was noted that Uzbek and Hungarian sides have already identified partners for 26 projects, and substantive negotiations are underway.
In addition, an agreement on cooperation between the Export Promotion Agency and the Hungarian Trade Development Agency, an agreement on cooperation between the Association of Private Tourism Organizations of Uzbekistan and the Association of Hungarian Travel Agencies and Tour Operators of Hungary to increase the volume of mutual tourist flows have been signed.
Moreover, cooperation agreements between the Export Promotion Agency and the Hungarian Trade Development Agency, the Association of Private Tourism Organizations of Uzbekistan and the Association of Hungarian Travel Agencies and Tour Operators of Hungary to increase the volume of mutual tourist flows were signed during the forum.
Also, the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry of Uzbekistan and the Pharmacological Cluster of Hungary to improve the education system in the field of pharmaceuticals signed the cooperation agreement.
Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva


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- Nutrabolt's C4 Energy drink brand has partnered with Mars Wrigley to launch four flavors inspired by Starburst candy, per a press release. The new strawberry, cherry, orange and lemon flavors will roll out before Halloween.
- To promote the launch, C4 Energy tapped Instagram star Adam Waheed, WNBA player Te'a Cooper and "dancing weatherman" Nick Kosir as Flavor Expert Ambassadors. The brand will also introduce a Mobile Candy Flavor Shop that will pop up in Los Angeles in October. The truck will appear at ComplexCon in November, with other in-person activations planned for conventions in Chicago and New York.
- In addition to the influencer partnerships and in-person activations, the drink brand will digitally release pop art-inspired visuals and anime-inspired content, encouraging fans to choose their favorite flavor. The launch comes amid several high-profile entrants in the energy drink space.
C4 Energy's collaboration with Starburst allows the challenger energy drink brand to tap into the fandom of the popular Mars Wrigley candy, and comes as CPG brands are partnering to move across categories and reach a broader array of consumers. For Starburst, the tie-up is a way to tap into adults' nostalgia for the candy brands they grew up with by bringing its popular flavors into a new category and follows a recent promotion around Self-Care Awareness month that also saw the brand extending its reach.
"Through this epic collaboration, you can be transported back to your childhood with the juicy Starburst candy flavor but can expect the explosive better-for-you energy that C4 is known for," Rajaa Grar, chief marketing and digital officer of Nutrabolt, said in the press release.
Key to C4 Energy's push are experiential activations that were popular ways to introduce new products before the pandemic scuttled many in-person activities. Even as the delta variant has surged, some marketers are getting back into experiential as consumers tire of virtual and at-home activations. The Mobile Candy Flavor Shop truck will be popping up around Los Angeles, giving the brand a chance to build viral buzz; activations at trade shows and conventions could do the same.
In addition to the in-person activations, C4 is utilizing influencers and digital content — tactics that have continued to see marketing investment as the shift to digital has been accelerated by the pandemic. As the holiday shopping season approaches, boosting confidence in influencer marketing could push it toward lower-funnel productivity.
Nutrabolt's Starburst-flavored C4 Energy drinks are launching in the wake of new category entrants from major CPG companies. In May, PepsiCo's Mtn Dew Rise Energy launched its first brand campaign, which featured LeBron James, while Rockstar introduced its first global marketing platform since getting acquired by PepsiCo. The energy drink category has seen robust growth this year, BevNet reported.


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At the time, the only drawback for those of us in central Pennsylvania was the participating locations were limited. The bagged meal was only available at 294 stores across Pennsylvania and in five other states.
As of last Thursday, Sheetz announced the expansion of the Kidz Meal Bagz program. Meal Bagz will be available at all 600 Sheetz locations. As before, the bagged meal of a turkey sandwich, chips and a drink, will be available all day.
Families interested in taking advantage of this offer can go to any Sheetz location and ask an employee for a meal at the register or through the drive-through. Meals will be available daily while supplies last. An adult does not need to be present to obtain a meal.
The program will be available for the next two weeks at which time it will be reevaluated based on community need.
“The response from the launch of this program has been huge,” said Travis Sheetz, president and COO of Sheetz. “As we expand this program, we are staying connected to our communities to try and understand the need, as meals are available while supplies last on a daily basis. It is our hope that these meals will provide nourishment to those who need it most during these challenging times.”
Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Read more foodie news on PennLive:
- West Shore Farmers Market designates hours for high-risk shoppers during coronavirus pandemic
- Making a go of it: A look at restaurant owners staying open (carefully) during coronavirus
- Wine distributors sue PLCB, push for change that would allow them to direct-ship to licensees
- A central Pa. strawberry festival in April? Coronavirus turning this one into a drive-thru event
- Food Network and Guy Fieri serve up a quarantine version of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’
- Don’t want to wear a mask? Some grocery stores say customers will be asked to leave


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PacifiCorp upgrades contact centre with Graham Technology
Existing customer service platform boosted to prepare for multi-channel future.
Graham Technology, a provider of customer-oriented business software and services, today announced that it is working with U.S. energy provider, PacifiCorp, to upgrade the company's customer service platform.
PacifiCorp is one of the Western United States' leading utilities, serving more than 1.7 million customers in six western states. A long-term customer of Graham Technology, the energy firm has already upgraded its business process platform to the latest version, laying in place the foundations for a move towards a multi-channel customer service environment.
"We are excited to be undertaking the technology upgrade of our customer facing operations with Graham Technology, with whom we have successfully worked for the past seven years, said Nancy Kent, PacifiCorp managing director, applications and corporate security. "The added capabilities that have been provided to us by the new platform lay the foundation for PacifiCorp to further enhance our customer service by centralising interactions across multiple channels such as Web and IVR, in addition to telephony.
The work is taking place as PacifiCorp undertakes a revamp of its customer service operations, with new computer telephony, call routing, and IVR systems being deployed. The upgraded process platform from Graham Technology will be fully integrated with the new systems, while still maintaining the full complement of CRM capabilities it has always delivered, including customer interaction management, workflow management, meter reading, change of tenancy, connections and billing processes.
"PacifiCorp is a great example of customer success for Graham Technology, said Mike Hughes, managing director at Graham Technology. "Our technology has been firmly embedded at the heart of the company's customer operations for many years, and we have now brought that technology up to the next level in preparation for future objectives - truly growing with our customer.
The first phase of work has already been delivered with the upgrade to the existing process platform. This will be followed by additional integration phases when the new telephony and IVR systems are installed. Further integration of additional channels, including Web self-service, is planned for 2008.
Graham Technology will be demonstrating its flagship customer interaction platform, ciboodle, at next week's Gartner CRM Summit in Hollywood, Florida, September 17 - 19, 2007.
About Graham Technology
Graham Technology specialises in contact centre software and services. Since 1986, Graham Technology has worked with blue-chip organisations striving for operational excellence and who, in partnership with Graham Technology, have realised exceptional return on investment.
Headquartered in Scotland, Graham Technology has seven global offices, supporting a worldwide customer base. With its flagship customer interaction software, ciboodle, the company has become recognised as one of the most visionary CRM solution providers in the world.
Media and analysts contact:
inmedia Public Relations Inc.
Tel (UK): +44 (0) 141 404 6478
Tel (US): +1 613 686 5657


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A shot from Carolina Herrera’s collection show last year, with beautiful summer dresses stealing the show. (Image credits: Dubai Fashion Week website)
The Arab Fashion Show Dubai is very popular for the talents that you get to see in them. One of the most popular is The Dubai Fashion Week.
The latest Dubai Fashion Week was full of glamour and excitement, lighting up the city with its dazzling displays.
The Autumn/Winter 2024-’25 fashion week, happened from February 4 to February 8. This event was a big deal for fashion lovers in the region and promised to be an unforgettable experience.
The Dubai Fashion Week not only featured local designers like Dima Ayad and Bouguessa but also international names such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino. This increased Dubai’s fashion status globally.
History of Dubai Fashion Week
The Arab Fashion Show Dubai: The Dubai Fashion Week was established by the Fashion Council (AFC) and Dubai Design District.
The objective of the Arab Fashion Council is to establish a strong fashion industry in MENA and to turn it into a leading player in global fashion.
Dubai Fashion Week, previously called Arab Fashion Week, started in 2015 to show off creative and innovative fashion from the region.
Arab Fashion Week has reached various milestones, hosting men’s fashion weeks, featuring curvy model runways, and attracting international celebrities from different backgrounds.
As a fashion hub in the region, Dubai aims to be the fifth fashion capital destination after Paris, Milan, London, and New York.
The Growing Influence of Dubai Fashion Week
Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) was created by the Dubai Design District (d3) and the Arab Fashion Council and has become a big hit in the region.
Big names like Carolina Herrera and Rizman Ruzaini wowed audiences at the October edition of Dubai Fashion Week, where Naomi Campbell stole the show with her walk.
Many globally known brands and designers participate in the show and people worldwide come to see it including many celebrities.
The success of these events has made Dubai a Centre for creativity and fashion. It also allows the promotion of Arabic Fashion.
What was expected from Dubai Fashion Week 24-25?
Dubai Fashion Week 2024 is not just about showing off new styles. It’s also about being eco-friendly and socially responsible. They want to set new fashion rules that are good for the planet and also for the people.
Haute Couture re-introduced
Dubai once again proved to be a hub for Haute Couture and ready-to-wear in women’s fashion. We got to see the recent styles and designs.
The Arab Fashion Council (AFC) is leading the way with a cool idea called ‘Ready-Couture.’ It’s a new concept that’s changing how people think about luxury fashion. It’s so popular that it controls 70% of the luxury market! This shows how much influence the AFC has in the fashion world.
Introduction to the Modest Fashion Trend
For Dubai Fashion 2024, there was a focus on dressing stylishly yet conservatively, especially for the Middle East. Among the collections, there’s a noticeable trend towards modest wear, respecting cultural norms while still looking good.
Highlights of the Week
Choice celebrated its 25th anniversary with the stunning Flower Bloom collection on the runway. The show displayed feminine silhouettes made from luxurious fabrics like organza and silk and intricate sequin embroidery. The designs featured flowing volumes, cape skirts, fitted waists, and cropped jackets in vibrant colors like metallic white, silver, peony pink, and gold.
Riva launched its highly awaited Ramadan Collection 2024 on the second day. The collection showcased light, comfortable linen pieces paired with printed organza. Featuring a variety of outfits, from daily wear to elegant evening attire, Riva’s Ramadan collection embraced the month’s spirit with metallic hues and silver and gold embroideries.
The Dubai Fashion Week’s previous success
In past Dubai Fashion Week editions, the fashion industry’s current and upcoming trends took center stage. It brought together global and local buyers, media, and designers for a week of style brilliance. Memorable highlights included presentations by renowned designers like Carolina Herrera and iconic runway appearances by supermodel Naomi Campbell, who wore Rizman Ruzaini’s collection. These moments showcased Dubai’s growing influence in the fashion world.


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With House approval yesterday, the General Assembly , to help make Rhode Island restaurants safer for diners with food allergies.
The legislation (2012-S 2127Aaa, 2012-H 7595Aaa) is modeled after a Massachusetts law that went into effect last year and would require all food-service establishments to have a food protection manager on staff who is trained and certified in food-allergy awareness.
Mongeau is allergic to tree nuts, while her 14-year-old sister, Lauren, is allergic to a wide range of ingredients including: dairy, eggs, red meat, mustard, bananas, sesame seeds and other foods. Lauren, who is a freshman at Prout School, has suffered anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening allergic reaction at restaurants several times.
The bill would require allergy-awareness posters in staff areas to make all food-service workers cognizant of the importance of their roles in preventing allergic reactions and the steps they can take to protect food-allergic customers.
Additionally, restaurants would be required to post a notice on menus and menu boards asking customers to make servers aware when placing their orders if someone in the party has a food allergy.
The legislation, which is sponsored by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma and Rep. J. Russell Jackson, also calls upon the Department of Health to develop a voluntary program for food-service establishments to be designated as “Food Allergy Friendly.” The Department of Health would work with the Rhode Island Hospitality Association and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network to develop specific guidelines, one requirement would be that the restaurant makes available to the public a list of all ingredients used in every item served.
The Department of Health would maintain a list of Food Allergy Friendly restaurants in the state on its Web site.
Mongeau asked her legislators to introduce the bill after her family spent a week in Boston after the new Massachusetts law took effect. For the first time outside of trips to Disney World (which carefully accommodates food allergies), Mongeau’s family was able to eat anyplace they liked that week.
“They could make a meal for us both in every restaurant we went to,” said Mongeau, who testified before the General Assembly in support of the bill. “We never go out to dinner around here, because no one can accommodate [Lauren’s] allergies.”
The sponsors say they believe the legislation would be good for the restaurant industry, because it would better enable restaurant staff to safely serve customers with allergies, and make it possible for people with allergies who might currently avoid dining out to do so more often.
“Having training standards across the industry will protect restaurants as well as customers, and it will mean that more people with allergies and whole families like the Mongeaus will be able to dine out wherever they want. That’s good for those families as well as the restaurant business,” said DiPalma. “This is a great idea that will not only help protect the Mongeau family, but all the people with food allergies who visit restaurants in Rhode Island. Danielle’s advocacy could have a long-lasting, positive impact on a lot of people in our state.”
The House approved both the House and Senate versions of the bill. Since the Senate bill has passed both chambers, it will now be transmitted to the governor. The House bill will be transmitted to the Senate for action there.


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LAS VEGAS ¡ª Homee AI, a supplier of A.I. solutions for interior
design and furniture retailing, introduced what it calls the
world¡¯s first A.I. interior designer at the Consumer Electronics
Show (CES) 2024 this week.
¡°Our vision is that everyone can enjoy the fun of designing with
artificial intelligence and create their own ideal
living-space,¡± said Kenny Du, founder and CEO. ¡°Homee AI has
launched cloud-based subscription A.I. software-as-a-service,
and its corporate clients include furniture manufacturers, real
estate developers and interior design firms.¡±
The new software allows users to the camera on their smartphone
and use it to look around whatever room they wish to redesign.
The A.I. scans the room in 3D, learning its dimensions and
current layout and design. Users can then remove, rotate or
shift around their own furniture simply by clicking on it, and
the A.I. will generate a new image, keeping the room¡¯s
measurements in mind.
It is widely declared that, HOMEE AI has unveiled the world¡¯s
first spatial AI solution using advanced technologies such as
AI, deep learning, 3D SLAM, and SfM. This groundbreaking
innovation was showcased at global tech events like London Tech
Week and VIVA Tech in Paris.
At these events, HOMEE AI presented its generative AI solution
that revolutionizes spatial planning and interior design. By
creating digital twins of real spaces and populating them with
3D furniture models, HOMEE AI¡¯s cutting-edge technology is
propelling the home industry into a new era. European media
outlets were particularly captivated by this innovative
solution, with numerous interviews conducted by media from the
UK, France, and other European and Asian countries.
HOMEE AI, a trademark of RICH International Group Co.,
Ltd., provides the world¡¯s first ¡°AI-as-a-Service¡± spatial
planning solution. Their spatial AI technology completely
transforms the business model of home design and furniture
retail. With real-time object recognition and classification
technology exclusively developed by HOMEE AI, furniture size
measurement becomes more accurate, simplifying inventory
management, classification, and sales for home furnishings
brands. The company enables people to visualize spatial data
instantly on any mobile device while integrating e-commerce
services and logistics management systems.
By facilitating the digital transformation of the home
furnishings industry, HOMEE AI delivers unprecedented
convenience, accuracy, efficiency while striving to achieve
net-zero carbon emissions.
The deduction, HOMEE AI¡¯s unveiling of the world¡¯s first spatial
AI solution using advanced technologies is set to revolutionize
the home industry.


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Utility checks ease pain of damage from flood
Grocer, three others share in special help in wake of destruction
Updated 6:45 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2013
A financial assistance program that got high marks from businesses it assisted in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy has been repurposed to help victims of Fort Plain's flash flooding last June.
National Grid on Tuesday presented the first grant from its $2 million Mohawk Valley Flood Recovery Grant Program — a check for $50,000 — to the owner of the local Save-A-Lot, which suffered more than $800,000 in damage in last June's floods.
The current program was put together using a template developed for the earlier storms, said Ken Daly, president of National Grid in New York.
"I was here right after the storm and I saw firsthand the damage that Save-A-Lot suffered," he told a news conference Tuesday morning behind the local firehouse. "I promised the management and the community that National Grid would help Fort Plain to rebuild and I'm proud to tell you that we are doing just that."
National Grid also gave three grants totaling $67,000 to three building owners who are making repairs to help their business tenants remain in Fort Plain.
For Save-A-Lot owner John Hart, the storm and the community's response were an eye-opener.
"It didn't take me long to find out how much the community wanted us to reopen," he said, recalling the volunteers who arrived to clear out the mud and ruined groceries so repairs could begin. "We reopened recently and the place is better than ever."
The store set sales records for the week and for a single day, Hart said, adding that
"The reception we got is just fantastic."
National Grid first offered the grants to businesses two years ago after Irene flooded Middleburgh, Schoharie and other area communities. But its employees also offered encouragement, with one shop owner remembering it made the difference between reopening her store and giving up.
Today, most storefronts on Middleburgh's main street have reopened.
But the town is still without a grocery store, after Grand Union decided not to reopen its flood-damaged supermarket, and Middleburgh and Schoharie residents now must drive 10 miles to Cobleskill to do their grocery shopping.
Hart, the Save-A-Lot owner, said he considered opening a store to replace the Grand Union in Middleburgh.
Instead, he ended up trying to get his Fort Plain store reopened following the June flooding. He's also opening new stores in the North Country and the Southern Tier.
On Tuesday, Hart told a reporter he'd look anew at Middleburgh "now that you've jogged my memory."
email@example.com • 518-454-5323


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Keeping up with the intensive period of EV charged market, Automotive giant TVS Motor has been working towards launching multiple EV Platforms soon.
Talking at the AGM, firm MD Sudarshan Venu stated TVS would roll out merchandise each for the Indian market and international markets to “grasp the massive alternative that EVs provide”.
TVS is already engaged on a variety of new EV platforms for its EV launches and has just lately launched the upgraded iQube e-scooter which has clocked a 15,000 plus orderbook.
“We are going to launch electrical autos within the 5-25 kilo watt hour vary,” stated Venu. These will likely be each two-wheeler and three-wheelers.
“Norton as a model has super worth and legacy and we’ll reinvent it in a contemporary approach,” stated Venu.
“Manufacturing has begun for brand new Norton bikes, and we’re creating an electrical superbike which will likely be our foundation for a play within the luxurious EV phase in developed markets,” he added.
“SEMG is already worthwhile and together with EGO we’ll faucet Europe’s electrical mobility development,” stated Venu.
TVS will be creating an electrical two-wheeler EV platform with BMW Motorrad in sub-15 kilo watt hour vary, he stated.
TVS subsidiary Norton is engaged on an electrical superbike as a luxurious international product.
That is a part of Norton’s plans of creating electrical bikes within the UK after profitable important investments from the UK authorities’ Superior Propulsion Centre scheme.
TVS offered over 10,700 models of the iQube electrical in FY21-22.
At present electrical scooters comprise 10% of the entire scooter market.
TVS additionally plans to make use of its European electrical acquisitions Swiss E-Mobility Group and EGO Motion to faucet the quick-rising e-mobility market in Europe which is the biggest exterior of China.


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A powerful and demanding force has overtaken our leading industries, including banking and financial services. That power is customer expectation. As companies utilize new and nimble technologies that reach consumers in new and evermore engaging ways, it raises the standards for their competitors and that standard bleeds over into other industries as well.
Social media is the golden standard of engagement and has been since the launch of the first social networking website more than a decade ago. Social media exists to grow connections and relationships. In an article titled “The Psychology of Social Media” released by social media engagement company Buffer it is revealed that when we see content that we like, it adds value to our relationships and reinforces a sense of closeness. Obviously that reinforcement has an addictive quality as social channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn have become an almost essential part of day to day life for most American consumers.
But why? Why is social media so appealing to so many? The British Psychological Society suggests that “the human preference for novelty… plays into the attractiveness of social media” in the journal entry “Why do we ‘like’ social media?” Fresh content delivers a stimulation that keeps users coming back for more. And the social media giants optimize on this desire by refreshing the design and features every few months.
As a great example of this, Vox deemed “Stories” as Instagram’s smartest move yet. Why? Because it took what Instagram was already doing well and “super-charged” it. And it worked. According to the article, “Instagram Stories has attracted more than 400 million daily users and changed the way people share and consume things online.” The root of this attraction is user control. Instagram placed Stories right at the top and allowed viewers to control the pace of their content. Watch it, advance it, skip it entirely… The choice is theirs. Meanwhile Instagram quietly utilizes smart algorithms to customize the Stories feed even further to highlight the content each viewer finds most relevant. The result? “It is arguably the fastest-growing media format ever.” With success like this, it pushes other companies across industries to adapt their engagement strategies to follow suit.
Banks and credit unions need to identify their engagement challenges and retool their communication strategies to meet customer expectations for the next decade. The digital-first shift may feel radical to some, but it is only through these innovations that FIs can position themselves for the future. The marketing departments of successful organizations are developing the strategies that will meet their customers with relevant communications driven by cutting-edge technology and solutions.
DeepTarget’s intelligent marketing and sales automation is in use by hundreds of credit unions and banks across the country to deliver relevant product offers and pinpointed one-to-one messaging to their banking customers through mobile banking, online banking, web, and email, all the while engaging them in a seamless communications experience, wherever, whenever and however they bank.


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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Dread River Distilling Company is back at making free hand sanitizer for the public.
In a Facebook post made by the Birmingham distillery, Dread River announced that they had another batch of homemade hand sanitizer ready for the public.
Marketing Coordinator for Dread River, Taylor Kelley, says that this operation was originally intended for local businesses, but that all changed when they started getting a large number of requests from the public.
“We started this thinking that we’d only be giving it away to a few local businesses just trying to help them stay open during this and we’ve just been overwhelmed with requests,” Kelley said. “So far we’ve had 5,000 gallons requested and the requests just keep coming in.”
Kelley says they’ve been producing and handing out hand sanitizers for a little over a month now. CBS 42 reported in March that the distillery was passing out hand sanitizers to local businesses. You can read that story here.
If you missed your chance to pick up some sanitizer, you can pick up a bottle during the distillery’s normal business hours of 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Dread River is also accepting pre-orders for “large requests,” and those can be made through firstname.lastname@example.org.
- Two charged after body of missing student found buried in Mojave Desert
- Former NFL star Marshawn Lynch hands out 200 Thanksgiving turkeys in Hawaii
- Birmingham leaders pushing to make Legion Field a national landmark
- VIDEO: Florida man rescues puppy from jaws of alligator
- Coronavirus pandemic blamed for rise in violent crimes across the U.S.


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–Google’s parent company Alphabet, has a self-driving car company Waymo, which is planning to launch the world’s first commercial driverless car service in early December. According to the Bloomberg article, citing a person familiar with the plans, the service “will operate under a new brand and compete directly with Uber and Lyft.” From the Bloomberg report:
“Waymo is keeping the new name a closely guarded secret until the formal announcement. It’s a big milestone for self-driving cars, but it won’t exactly be a “flip-the-switch” moment. Waymo isn’t planning a splashy media event, and the service won’t be appearing in an app store anytime soon. Instead, things will start small — perhaps dozens or hundreds of authorized riders in the suburbs around Phoenix, covering about 100 square miles.
The first wave of customers will likely draw from Waymo’s Early Rider Program — a test group of 400 volunteer families who have been riding Waymos for more than a year. The customers who move to the new service will be released from their non-disclosure agreements, which means they’ll be free to talk about it, snap selfies, and take friends or even members of the media along for rides. New customers in the Phoenix area will be gradually phased in as Waymo adds more vehicles to its fleet to ensure a balance of supply and demand.”


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The EU on Wednesday unveiled a wide-ranging list of U.S.-made goods, from beeswax to car parts, subject to tariffs in retaliation for subsidies to Boeing as a transatlantic trade war risked re-erupting.
The United States and the European Union have been battling for almost 15 years at the World Trade Organization over subsidies given to U.S. planemaker Boeing and its European rival Airbus.
The duties will apply to imports totaling around 12 billion dollars. That amount corresponds to the estimated value of illegal subsidies granted to U.S. plane manufacturer Boeing, as determined by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Commission's list of U.S. imports, now subject to public consultation, includes fish, tobacco, suitcases, planes, helicopters, tractors and video game consoles.
The WTO has also declared European subsidies for Airbus illegal, and ruled in May 2018 the EU had failed to scrap its support for Airbus.
Last week, the U.S. trade authorities said they were proposing a list of EU products that would face additional tariffs because of Airbus subsidies.
The row threatens to worsen transatlantic trade ties already strained by import tariffs slapped on steel products by Washington, and threats of higher duties on European cars.
"We do not want a tit-for-tat," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. "While we need to be ready with countermeasures in case there is no other way out, I still believe that dialogue is what should prevail."
The list will be subject to public consultation until May 31, and the WTO will determine which countermeasures are appropriate.
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Is retail preparing for a resurgence?
Retailers see positive momentum in reduced cases, vaccine adoption and spring weather
Despite economic challenges, global consumers saved $2.9 trillion during the pandemic, with Americans holding more than half the dry powder, according to Bloomberg Economics.
The retail and hospitality industries are cautiously optimistic that these savings, plus U.S. President Joe Biden’s President $1.9 trillion economic stimulus, will set recovery on track in coming months, especially as COVID-19 cases fall, vaccinations increase and warm weather is on the way.
“Natural consumer behavior has been tamped down throughout the pandemic, and typically when that is unleashed you see a significant consumer spend in the industries that have been repressed,” says Naveen Jaggi, President, Retail Advisory Services, JLL. “And what has been repressed the most? People’s ability to travel, dine out with loved ones, and, of course, shop, especially for clothing intended to be worn outside the home.”
Leisure and hospitality
The cash reserves and their potential to fuel an economic recovery has leisure and hospitality businesses hiring staff in anticipation of a surge in demand once people feel safe to spend and to socialize.
Employment in leisure and hospitality in the U.S. increased by 355,000 jobs in February. About 20 percent of the increase was in the food and beverage industry. Hotel bookings are also up. From February 28 – March 6 of this year, total hotel room night demand surpassed 18 million, the highest level since mid-October 2020.
“We are definitely seeing pockets of growth already, especially around the sunbelt,” JLL’s Global Hotels CEO, Gilda Perez-Alvarado, said on Bloomberg Markets.
Travelers vacationing within the U.S. will be drawn to states that they see re-opening safely, with high vaccination rates and low case counts, Jaggi says.
Airlines are also preparing for better times ahead.
In fact, 15 percent of American travelers said they made travel reservations and/or bookings in the last week and 35.5 percent said their next trip by air will take place by August, according to a study by Destination Analytics. On March 12, 2021, the TSA screened more than 1.3 million travelers , the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
With the renewed interest in travel, major airlines like American and United have scaled back planned layoffs.
“Travel will be a big indicator that we’re returning to normal,” says Jaggi. “Once people start traveling domestically and internationally for business and tourism, that’s when consumers will start to become more comfortable getting out.”
For the retail industry, recovery is largely dependent on vaccine roll-out.
“States that can move quickly on vaccine deliveries and have higher vaccination adoption will recover faster,” Jaggi says.
Restaurants are already showing positive momentum. Every state in the U.S. now allows indoor dining at varying capacities. While restaurant revenues are still down 20 percent as of March 12, 2021, compared to the same time last year, they have been improving steadily since a surge in cases over the holidays.
“Neighborhood restaurants and shopping centers are expected to be the first to return to normal while enclosed indoor malls will take the longest,” Jaggi says.
The same is true for clothing retailers, anxious to outfit consumers who’ve kept shopping to a minimum for nearly a year. Stores like Anthropologie and Nordstrom are seeing purchasing trends change from loungewear to business casual — indicating that consumers are preparing to socialize once again.
“When people feel comfortable being in public again, demand for entertainment and dining out will skyrocket,” Jaggi says. “Now more than ever people will value time spent with family and friends seeking out these experiences.”
On the investor side, several retail sectors performed extremely well over the past 12 months, and some investors took notice.
“We are seeing tremendous investor demand and pricing at or better than we did pre-COVID for smaller, well-located grocery- and pharmacy-anchored shopping centers,” says Chris Angelone, co-leader of national Capital Markets retail group, JLL. “Other sought-after tenants that have out-performed through the pandemic include home improvement, discount and wholesale clubs. Investors are also seeking out value-add centers of all sizes. The depth of the market still isn’t quite there across the board, but it is well on its way.”
As more and more states ease restrictions and vaccination levels increase, investors who stayed on the sidelines might find themselves competing for opportunities. Angelone notes that, while some markets might rebound faster than others, savvy investors will anticipate the market momentum and seek opportunities accordingly.
As retail prepares for a rebound, the big question is supply chain capacity. In January, ship congestion around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach hit some of the highest levels of all time.
To meet consumer demand, supply chain resilience has been top of mind for the industrial, e-commerce and logistics industries. Companies have been looking for alternative solutions to fill holes in the supply chain and fulfill last-mile deliveries.
“COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption rate of e-commerce by up to five years,” said Kris Bjorson, International Director, Retail and E-commerce Distribution, JLL. “It could take up to five years for the supply chain to catch-up.”
E-commerce sales are expected to hit $1.5 trillion by 2025, according to JLL research.
“To keep up with demand, the U.S. will need a billion square feet of new industrial space this decade,” Bjorson says. “We expect at least 7.5% of such demand to be in retail to industrial conversions.”


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Starbucks made a grande gesture this week toward the company’s working parents.
The coffee conglomerate announced Tuesday that it would offer employees an annual 10 subsidized backup care days for children and adults. The new perk, a partnership with the caregiver platform Care.com, allows the company’s 180,000 U.S. workers to pay just $1 an hour for in-home backup care for kids or adults; in-center child care costs $5 a day per kid.
The “Care@Work” benefit also gives workers a free premium membership to Care.com, which connects families with caregivers, and access to senior-care planning resources.
“We all have needs at home, whether you have children, pets, parents or aging grandparents. This benefit supports the partner and their family,” Starbucks director of benefits Alyssa Brock said in a statement. “We are all more than who we are at work.”
The Seattle-based chain introduced a host of new perks earlier this year, including a partner and family sick time benefit for U.S. employees and stock grants for baristas and store managers. “Care@Work is the final piece of the puzzle,” said vice president of benefits Ron Crawford.
The national average cost of at-home child care is $28,354 a year, according to Care.com, while in-center child care costs $9,589 a year on average. Meanwhile, 45% of working parents miss an average of 4.3 work days over a six-month period because of child-care breakdowns, per Child Care Aware, and U.S. companies lose about $4.4 billion a year over absenteeism stemming from these breakdowns.
But while 85% of employees in Care.com’s 2017 Cost of Care survey said they wished their employer offered benefits like backup child-care access or discounted child care, such benefits aren’t very common. Just 5% of the more than 900 employers surveyed for the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2016 National Study of Employers said they offer workers backup or emergency care when regular child-care arrangements fall through.
Still, some companies have stepped up. Microsoft reportedly subsidizes backup care, while Google offers five backup child-care days for free. Prudential offers backup care for both children and adults.


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El Gato was amused to see that Microsoft may be having as much trouble stopping internal memos from leaking to the press as it is providing a secure operating system.
The latest memo that found its way to the Kittys litter box is a scorcher from Brian Valentine, a vice president of Microsofts Windows division, regarding the threat Linux poses to Redmonds reign. Ironically, the Dec. 26 memo, sent to the companys worldwide sales, marketing and services group, also blasts the leak of an earlier e-mail. Apparently, the previous leak included Microsoft staff and customer names, which were then made public on the Web.
“That made me mad. I want you selling and supporting our products—not having to take random calls, e-mails, etc. from the press and others. … I have no problem with any random Linux person sending me hate mail, junk mail, adding my e-mail address to every list server out there—that comes with the job—but I dont want my friends to have to deal with the same junk,” Valentines memo said.
Valentine warned that “I used to run Exchange—so if you think I am not tracking this message, think again. … I want to give you folks all the information I can in a very open way. If we continue to have bad apples or careless people out there, I will not be able to help you by sending this kind of information.”
The memo then goes on to illustrate just how seriously Redmond views Linux: from developing a community to cooperating in winning business from Linux to establishing a new Linux/Unix escalation campaign and debunking the myths around Linux, such as the perception that its free.
Interestingly enough, Valentine cites an “independent analysis” commissioned by D.H. Brown that will look at the issue of server consolidation, saying that “the D.H. Brown report will be customer-ready and will help them understand just how competitive Microsoft is in this arena.”
“Sounds like this is one analysis thats bound to be independent and objective,” laughed the Lynx.
A friend of the Furball whos one of the 50,000 or so laid off by Nortel claimed theres a rise in used networking gear being traded on eBay and similar outlets.
According to the Katt crony, due to the second-hand market, Nortel started a project division about six months ago to handle the recertification or reconfiguration of used Nortel telecom gear for customers that bought the gear from another source (such as a failed telco or Local Exchange Carrier).
The friend of the Furry One claimed that even Passport switches have been auctioned on eBay recently. “So, dont just assume your staff is looking for only Obi-Wan Kenobi action figures when you catch them tooling around eBay,” cackled the Kitty.
Spencer F. Katt can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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An adjusted teaser trailer suggests that EA and DICE are almost ready to reveal Star Wars: Battlefront. The teaser which was previously released has a new ending slide stating that the full reveal will take place during the Star Wars Celebration next month.
Star Wars: Battlefront is due for release later this year on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. As the Star Wars: Episode 7 movie is released on the 18th December, expect Battlefront to be available around the same time.
Disney has confirmed that Star Wars and Pixar will be coming to Infinity with the release of Disney Infinity 3.0. The announcement came in the form of an announcement trailer showing off Star Wars environments and characters mixed with the likes of Olav from Frozen. We previously shared details of Disney Infinity 3.0 through a […]


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LG opens Toronto AI research lab, signs research pact with U of T
August 1, 2018
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This week marked the launch of the new LG Electronics AI Research Lab in Toronto, an extension of the newly expanded LG Silicon Valley AI Lab in Santa Clara, Calif.
In addition, LG is entering into a new research partnership with the University of Toronto, which is recognized worldwide for its AI and machine learning expertise, particularly in the area of deep learning.
“AI will ultimately touch everybody’s lives, transforming the way we live, work and play,” said LG Electronics president and chief technology officer I.P. Park. “Early implementations of AI in connected devices today are setting the stage for tomorrow’s smart cities, smart homes, smart businesses and smart devices, all with capabilities that no one has even dreamed of yet.”
He said the North American labs and LG’s research partnership with the University of Toronto will play a key role in developing source technologies defining that future.
Under its five-year, multi-million-dollar research partnership with the University of Toronto, LG will build on its Open Platform-Open Partnership-Open Connectivity strategy to expand the AI ecosystem.
The new lab will capitalize on the expertise of researchers at the University of Toronto who will now have the opportunity to work collaboratively with LG’s U.S. and Canadian AI R&D teams. Complementing this work, LG said it intends to collaborate with and invest in North American start-ups.
“AI solutions based on deep learning will revolutionize how we interact with the world around us, in new seamless ways that use contextual data from things like biometrics, emotions, gestures and of course voice,” said Park.
Meanwhile in May, Samsung Research America (SRA) announced plans to establish a “state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Toronto.
Located in Toronto’s downtown core at MaRS Discovery District, the company said it will contribute to building the connected future by accelerating the adoption of intelligence on multiple devices ranging from household appliances to cars.


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Have you been wondering how the new Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 will shape up against their rivals, further still, shape up against each other when put to the test on the track?
Best Motoring in Japan are one of the most thorough vehicle testing publications in the world, as far as we are concerned. One of the latest episodes brings together the Subaru BRZ, the Toyota GT 86 (named the 86 in Australia), and the Mazda MX-5, and puts them head to head at the Twin Ring Motegi Circuit in Japan.
All drivers are professional racing drivers, with Naoki Hattori behind the wheel of the Subaru BRZ, ‘drift king’ Keiichi Tsuchiya behind the wheel of the Toyota, and Takayuki Kinoshita in the Mazda.
Both the Toyota and Subaru share the same platform and powertrain, comprising of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated boxer engine producing 147kW and 205Nm.
All three cars have a very similar power-to-weight ratio, with the Mazda slightly worse-off.
Toyota Australia has confirmed to PerformanceDrive that the Toyota 86 will launch in Australia in June. The Subaru BRZ is expected to follow shortly after.
Prices are yet to be finalised, however, the Toyota at least, which will be available in two trim levels, is set to kick off in the mid-to-high $30,000 region. As for the Subaru, just one variant is on the way. Whether it will be priced above or below its sports icon, the WRX ($39,990), is still unclear.
Click play on the video below to see how they all go. It is in Japanese. The action starts at around 1:10 mark. Feel free to comment on what you think of the test below.


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The Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards (FRCA) is returning this year! Previously held from 2012 to 2015, FRCA “gives the readers a voice in the Philippine book industry” by encouraging the public to nominate and vote for their favorite locally published work.
Now with the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), this year’s FRCA will be handing out two batches of awards:
- First batch: titles published in 2015-2018
- Second batch: titles published in 2019-2021
Here are the categories:
Anything to share? :)


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If you read the newspapers you'll probably have noticed full-page adverts imploring pensioners and those nearing retirement to take advantage of the chancellor's generous new pension freedoms by splashing the cash on things like cars, cruises and double glazing. So it seems reasonable to assume that companies in the business of selling these products might be in for a multimillion pound tailwind as retirees go on a shopping spree.
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Social Media Class Starts Soon
Our Social Media Marketing course is designed to provide students the knowledge and skills to effectively use social media in business marketing. Instructed by Tyra Burton, an early adopter of blogs and podcasts, the program assists students in understanding how to create brand platforms and capitalize on their social media presence.
“I think what people don’t understand about social media is that it’s not going away,” Burton said. “It’s also something that regardless of your target market, more than likely they are on social media. So whether it’s somebody’s grandpa or grandson, they are on social media and there is a platform that caters to them.”
The course has drawn a diverse group of students ranging from recent college graduates, people starting new careers, those learning how to market themselves, social media representatives from existing companies, and bloggers in their 70s.
With global social commerce revenues expected to reach an estimated $30 billion by 2015, more companies are using social media than ever before. Of the Fortune 500 companies, 77% are active on Twitter, 70% have a Facebook page and 69% have YouTube accounts.
“I loved the instructor and the energy of the class,” said Barbara Collier, recent program graduate. “It was great to learn about the evolution of social media and the benefits each platform provides. As a writer, this class helped me successfully use social media to market my new book.”
We cover it all in just eight three-hour classes in the evening. Interested? You can find out more on our course page or call us at 470-578-6765.


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Gamasutra - History of Gaming Platforms: The Commodore 64
Gamasutra has begun a monthly series on the history of gaming platforms, kicking it off with an article on the legendary Commodore 64:
The Commodore 64 (C64) is perhaps the best known 8-bit computing platform ever designed, rivaled only by the Apple II in terms of popularity and longevity. Within a few short years after its introduction in 1982, the Commodore 64 dominated the low-end computer market, receiving a steady stream of software and peripheral support that lasted through the decade. In 1985, Commodore followed up with the lesser known Commodore 128 (C128), a technically superior machine that failed to win over the massive base of C64 fans and developers...
... The C64’s unprecedented success demonstrated, once and for all, that there was a strong and viable market for inexpensive personal computers that could run the latest videogames. Today, tens of thousands of avid C64 fans publish websites, populate online forums, run C64 games in emulators, and develop new homebrew software and other products for the system. There are even bands who specialize in arranging old Commodore favorites for the pub and bar crowds. For countless fans of the system, the "Commie" is still the best personal computer ever to grace the living room.


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What does it mean to increase your followers? Be aware of fraud in digital media!
Sometimes online popularity comes with a price tag, this is otherwise known as social media’s black market, and its on the rise.
Do you ever wonder how so many celebrities, athletes and politicians gain millions of followers through social media? Have you ever considered where these followers come from, why they would pay to have this many, and if they could be “fake”?
If a normal person sees that millions of people are watching this video on social media and like it, or that millions are following someone or a brand, are they more likely to feel like they are missing out if they don’t follow it too? Usually…yes. So companies and individuals alike have found ways to buy “fake followers”.
In an article published by the New York Times, it examined how one company Devumi, has 3.5 million automated stock accounts, that get sold several times over in order for customers to gain millions of fake followers. Several identities have been stolen in order to accumulate this many profiles.
Some suggest that 48 million of Twitter’s users are automated accounts instead of “real” people. Facebook confessed that they have roughly 60 million automated accounts. These fake profiles are influencing advertising audiences around the globe.
Although social media platforms forbid buying followers, there are still several sites that openly sell them and many companies are still using them, or getting them without realizing that is what they are paying for. So when companies promise followers, you have to know where they come from and how “real” they are, as they may be doing this artificially through bots.
Sara Mendez, MBA is Principle at Mendez Media Marketing, Inc.


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Prizes include 0,000 in shipping credits for large retailers, ,000 for small retailers
TORONTO — Now in their sixth year, the Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards celebrate retailers large and small, saluting excellence in omni-channel strategy, customer engagement initiatives and community impact. Winners receive prizes designed to further propel their success, including up to $100,000 of free shipping and substantial marketing packages.
“E-commerce is a valuable economic driver,” says Doug Ettinger, chief commercial officer, Canada Post. “Innovation and creativity are at the heart of that achievement, and Canada Post wants to celebrate companies that not only excel but also raise the bar.”
Applications are now available online and will be accepted until May 26. An independent panel of industry experts will determine the winners, who will be announced during a gala at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto on September 20.
Canada Post launched the awards in 2012 to support online merchants in their growth and help strengthen Canada’s digital economy.
The categories for the 2017 Canada Post E-commerce Innovation Awards are:
Best Omni-Channel Retailer Award (Large)
Best Omni-Channel Retailer Award (Small)
Pure Play of the Year Award (Large)
Pure Play of the Year Award (Small)
Best Marketing & Brand Engagement Award
Most Disruptive Start-Up Award
Social Impact Award
Canada Post E-commerce Innovator’s Award
Lloydmedia, Inc is based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, and is a multi-platform media company which delivers a total audience of more than 100,000 readers across four national magazines, three industry directories, and a range of events and online marketing.


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31 March 2014
This week Cerebos Greggs announced the closure of its East Tamaki plant putting 125 jobs at risk. Job cuts were announced at Asda too as the company plans a restructure to cut costs. Ads and marketing campaigns were the centre of attention this week with Aldi getting its wrists slapped over the Swap and Save campaign and Sainsbury winning an appeal for a judicial review of Tesco's price promise. Here is the week in quotes
25 March 2014
Flowers Foods, the second-largest bakery group in the US, has been an active consolidator in the industry and the group remains on the hunt. Flowers plans to drive continued growth while also expanding its geographic footprint, with a significant proportion of revenue gains to come from M&A. Katy Askew reports.
6 March 2014
Flowers Foods has inked a deal that provides Indiana-based baker Aunt Millie's Bakeries the license to produce and market Wonder and Home Pride breads in parts of the Midwest.
4 March 2014
Flowers Foods has partnered with Hershey to offer two snack cake products under the US bakery group's Mrs Freshley's brand.
17 February 2014
Read the financial statements and listen to the conference calls from US food manufacturers in recent days and it is clear: companies operating there are still facing tough conditions and cautious consumers.
12 February 2014
Mexican baker Grupo Bimbo has entered into an agreement to acquire Canada Bread, the bakery business majority-owned by Canadian food group Maple Leaf Foods.
6 February 2014
Shares in Flowers Foods slipped in early trading in the US today (6 February) after the US bakery giant's fourth-quarter earnings - and its guidance for 2014 - were under Wall Street forecasts.
21 November 2013
Grupo Bimbo and Flowers Foods are said to be among early bidders for Canada Bread, the bakery business majority-owned by Canadian food group Maple Leaf Foods.
7 November 2013
Flowers Foods has booked an increase in sales and earnings during the first nine months of the year, but shares sank today (7 November) when the group failed to hit analyst forecasts.
10 October 2013
US baker Flowers Foods is to re-open a plant formerly owned by rival Hostess Brands, which was wound down earlier this year.
19 August 2013
A selection of quotes and insight from last week's news.
14 August 2013
Flowers Foods will look at new markets for its enlarged portfolio of bread brands to boost volumes before it considers reopening the former Hostess Brands bakeries it acquired earlier this year.
13 August 2013
US baker Flowers Foods saw its earnings and sales climb in the first half, boosted by gains from recent acquisitions.
17 May 2013
US baker Flowers Foods has said it is "confident" its snack cake business will continue to thrive even as the new-look Hostess Brands returns to the market, with products including Twinkies.
16 May 2013
US baker Flowers Foods recorded an increase in earnings in the first quarter driven by gains from a recent acquisition.
13 May 2013
US breakfast cereal group Post Holdings kicks off a relatively quieter week of results with its half-year numbers on Monday. On Tuesday, meat giants Marfig and JBS will report on how it fared in the first three months of the year - as will Wal-Mart on Thursday. The week also includes an international conference in the Netherlands looking at the sustainable cultivation of soy.
21 March 2013
US baker Flowers Foods said its sales are up year-to-date and that the company is "well-positioned" for accelerated growth in 2013.
20 March 2013
Hostess Brands has received court approval to proceed with the sale of a swathe of brands, including Twinkies and Wonder Bread, in a series of deals worth around US$800m.
15 March 2013
Privately-owned US group McKee Foods looks set to be the latest buyer of assets from bakery giant Hostess Brands.
12 March 2013
Private-equity firms Metropoulos & Co. and Apollo Global Management have acquired the snack cake business of Hostess Brands.
11 March 2013
Hostess Brands creditor Silver Point Capital and hedge fund Hurst Capital are understood to be interested in buying some of the US baker's snack cake brands, including Twinkies.
5 March 2013
The proposed sale of the majority of Hostess Brands' bread businesses to Flowers Foods subsidiary FBC Georgia is facing a block after an objection to the deal was filed by the US Government.
4 March 2013
The fall-out from the horsemeat contamination continued last week, with Tesco outlining plans to shake up its supply chain and source meat from the UK. Elsewhere, UK free-from firm Genius Foods bought out venture partner Finsbury Food Group and, in the US, more buyers were found for Hostess Brands' assets. Click on the headlines for more.
4 March 2013
UK retailer Tesco grabbed the headlines last week as the horsemeat saga rumbled on. CEO Philip Clarke announced a raft of changes to its supply chain, including a promise to source all fresh chicken from within the UK. Elsewhere, just-food spoke with Genius CEO Roz Cuschieri about its plans for the Finsbury free-from brand it is set to acquire, and the CEO of Hostess Brands announced the successful sales of the majority of its bread units to Flowers Foods.
1 March 2013
Flowers Foods won through in its bid to acquire the majority of Hostess Brands' bread units, including Wonder, but was outbid for the Beefsteak business by rival baker Grupo Bimbo.
27 February 2013
US baker Flowers Foods has purchased the royalty-free licenses to use the Sara Lee and Earthgrains brands in California from Groupo Bimbo.
18 February 2013
Allen Shiver, president of US baker Flowers Foods, has been named the company's new CEO.
8 February 2013
US baker Flowers Foods has expanded its market share in the wake of Hostess Brands' move to wind down its operations.
7 February 2013
US baker Flowers Foods has delayed issuing guidance for 2013 until the outcome of its attempt to buy various assets, including bread operations from Hostess Brands, is clear.
31 January 2013
A consortium of two private-equity firms has emerged as the lead bidder for the majority of Hostess Brands' cake business, including the Twinkies brand.


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Yes, Santa Claus, there is a Virginia.
Her full name is Virginia McDowell. And, while you’ve been resting up at the North Pole after your December labors, Ms. McDowell and her crew have been steadily delivering gifts to Isle of Capri shareholders.
ISLE stock is over $19 a share as of this writing, and has risen throughout the year from the $8.37 that ended 2014, and is triple its 52-week low of $6.25.
In another comparison, the stock has more than doubled from the $9.63 on the day McDowell was appointed CEO in January 2011.
Last Tuesday, the stock jumped 16 percent as ISLE closed out its fiscal year with a fourth quarter that far exceeded expectations—with an adjusted earnings per share of 58 cents vs. analyst consensus forecast of 41 cents.
Most impressive is that the big improvement in earnings is not coming from some special event—no major new property, no comparison to a previous year weather disaster.
The improvement resulted from blocking and tackling—lower costs, reducing debt and interest expense, a more targeted marketing program, and nice revenue growth at the company’s biggest markets, such as Black Hawk, Colorado, and Pompano, Florida.
All the while, McDowell says, there remains a focus on the customer experience that has both driven revenue growth and gained market share. Those customers, she said, are voting with their wallets.
Also impressive is that ISLE is achieving double-digit revenue growth at properties that, in another context, could be said to range from Wal-Mart to Sears in quality, and definitely not Tiffany’s or Bergdorf Goodman.
In other words, the McDowell team knows its customers and manages the company well.
ISLE is also benefitting from the revival of America’s casino industry after years of under performing following the Great Recession.
As casino executives have long promised, their lower cost structures mean a higher percentage of revenue flowing through to the bottom line as growth has resumed.
Of course, what goes up can go down, and a big hit to the economy can bring another big hit to casinos, too.
But short of a deep recession, casinos appear ready for a somewhat sustained period of growth.
Those Millennials who gaming suppliers fret so much about aren’t abandoning casinos. They are social creatures, and nothing is more social than the table game pit. There’s a reason more casinos are replacing slot machines with table games, reversing the long-time pattern, and it isn’t just a tax rate differential in VLT states, though that certainly affects the calculus.
So where does that leave ISLE? Shares are valued at somewhere between seven to eight times next fiscal year’s forecasted EBITDA. Thus, ISLE no longer is a bargain, but is also not expensive.
In fact, with continued improvement, ISLE could lift that EBITDA, thus stock price, beyond current expectations.
On the company’s fourth quarter conference call, McDowell and CFO Eric Hausler mentioned several areas of further cost reductions, such as more debt refinancing and software acquisitions that will reduce operating expenses.
They sounded like practical answers provided by a team that has a track record of implementation.
It has been generally thought that the controlling Goldstein family wanted to sell ISLE. Now, with the stock price and valuation up, that might be both more difficult to do and less appealing.
But it also means a sale would fetch an ever high price than today.
So, Santa, get the elves back to the work benches, and take a look at Isle of Capri.


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Essie launches virtual reality try-on service
Essie is the latest beauty brand to offer its customers the opportunity to virtually try on makeup essentials.
The L’Oréal-owned nail salon expert launched on Friday 'Essie On-Hand', in partnership with ModiFace, a web-based virtual try-on tool that allows users to discover Essie nail polishes right on their hand virtually.
Users can discover 75 gel couture shades, including the newly launched gel couture brilliant brocades collection and apply Essie nail polishes virtually on the spot right from essie.com without downloading an app.
The try-on tool captures the result of using the high-adherence gel couture color (step 1) with the high-shine top coat (step 2) through a virtual lens. Next, users can easily add product to cart and check out on select Essie retailers right from their phone or computer.
"Essie designs and creates all of our products with impeccable nuanced color and precise and easy application," said Carolyn Holba, general manager for Essie worldwide, in a news statement.
"Our new Essie on hand virtual try-on salon is no different! it's the highest standard in nail try on services to make discovering Essie colors fun, easy and accessible.”
Last year, ModiFace began providing make-up testing technology to Amazon, allowing customers of the shopping site to try on lipsticks using mobile phone videos or photos. L'Oreal has also already used ModiFace for online consumers in Canada via a partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart.
L'Oreal Canada bought ModiFace in March 2018 as it continues to invest in technology.
"ModiFace has been the leader in beauty tech for over a decade, and thanks to a close partnership with the Essie team, we have again been able to push our artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies to new heights. we are excited to continue collaborating with Essie on reinventing the nail industry," said Jeff Houghton, ModiFace chief operating officer.
The new tool follows over a year of collaboration to power a back-facing camera AR experience, the first for the L'Oréal Group.
Essie on hand is now available in the U.S., with plans to expand its color offering and features over the next several months including the addition of hundreds of favorite Essie colors.
Users can also expect to unlock exclusive features and be the first to try on new Essie collections, in some cases, before they're even available for purchase via the platform. The brand will also include QR codes at select retailers to help try before you buy in-store.
Copyright © 2022 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Vendor hopes that its new brand image and 90ppm products will help safeguard partner revenue
Written by Sam Trendall
CRN, 24 Jul 2008
Printing vendor Ricoh used its recent Partner Summit to unveil products and a brand strategy, and reassure VARs and customers alike that they are in safe hands.
The theme of the event, held in May in Puerto Banus on Spain’s Costa del Sol, was Protecting your Future. In making his opening speech, Ricoh UK managing director Eiji Kometani tempered his pleasure at announcing sales growth by warning resellers of the perils of the economic climate.
“The Ricoh family continues to experience growth,” Kometani said. “However, we need to recognise the uncertainty of the current world economy.”
Kometani also indicated that Ricoh needs to build on its historic strength as a mid-market copier specialist. “We need to have a presence above and below our core market. This will allow all of you to increase revenue and profit.”
Marketing director Chas Moloney told CRN that Ricoh’s push to get its partner base to adopt software products was an ongoing quest.
“We have talked about this many times. Most dealers are buying into it in some way, shape or form, but it will take time,” he said.
Chief executive Nigel Palmer revealed that printers now account for about half of Ricoh’s revenue and he told resellers that a move towards selling them should be a priority.
“If you are not already doing it, please do it quickly. Within two years, three quarters of sales will be printers,” he said.
Palmer also plans to establish a strong brand image for Ricoh.
“Some businesses immediately conjure images in your head of what the brand represents,” he said. “We had to ask ourselves: what does the Ricoh brand stand for?”
He told attendees that Ricoh had spent time studying a number of global brands and the way they drive their image through nine fundamental human drivers: sex, curiosity, parenthood, prestige, power, winning, health, tribalism and protection.
Palmer claimed he thought the three themes that best described his company were winning, parenthood and protection. “The dominant driver was protection I hope you like the theme,” he said.
He went on to tell partners that he hoped to cultivate associations with security and reliability.
Moloney explained why group legal counsel Tina Smith was tasked with giving a speech bringing partners up to speed on some of the intricacies of competition law.
“We have done surveys and one of the subjects about which partners wanted information was legal competition law and legal compliance because they are a little unaware of the implications,” he said.
Smith warned resellers that the repercussions for failing to comply with directives enforced by the UK Office of Fair Trading and the EU Commission could be severe. She indicated that companies contravening competition laws could face a fine of up to 10 per cent of their annual worldwide turnover.
Smith also revealed that individuals involved could be imprisoned for five years and disqualified from becoming a company director for 15 years.
Smith singled out bid rigging and market sharing as potential dangers for partners.
“There is not a high level of awareness of competition law,” she said. “An agreement can be anything a nod, a wink or a gentleman’s agreement. The history of competition law is full of people who thought a nod and a wink would not get them into trouble.”
One of the key events of the summit was a preview of Ricoh’s latest product line, launched this summer. The centrepiece was the Pro C900 and C900s range of multi-function devices and Moloney was effusive in his praise as he unveiled the 90 pages-per-minute (ppm) products.
“This is a high-volume product at mid-volume pricing. This is an absolutely fantastic product and you will make lots of money, I promise you,” Moloney told partners.
Feedback from partners on the new products and on the event as a whole, was positive.
Jason Spencer, group sales manager for partner Transcribe Thames Group, told CRN: “It was of great importance to get a heads-up on the new products. Our market is increasingly competitive and they look like a fantastic opportunity for us.”
But Ian Morgan, managing director of reseller Lynbrook, was more cautious.
“The products look fabulous, but we are not ready technically,” he said. “It is going to be a big challenge,
but Ricoh is very good in all aspects of its support.”
As the event drew to a close, Moloney indicated he saw the summit as vital to the vendors’ relationships with their partners.
“It is a great opportunity to talk to individuals,” he said.
“It gives us a chance to get our key messages across both formally and informally.”


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G-Star Raw is currently in London’s High Court challenging Rhodi Ltd, maker of Voi Jeans, over an alleged infringement of G-Star’s design rights.
Rhodi has denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim. The case relates to the ‘Arc Pant’, a design that is currently on the market.
The court case, which started on October 29, is expected to last three days.
Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co is representing G-Star. It is not known who is representing Rhodi.


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James Kochalka announces that his new children’s book, Squirrelly Gray, has just been published by Random House. According to the artist, the book “alternates a page of verse with a page of comics, and tells the story of how color was introduced to the world.” Kochalka, a frequent contributor to Nickelodeon Magazine‘s comics section, further discusses the book and his previously published children’s comics in an interview with Newsarama:
I’m not sure if many copies of my previous books for kids (Pinky & Stinky, Peanutbutter & Jeremy’s Best Book Ever) actually ever made it into the hands of actual children. They probably mostly sold to my adult fans. I hope that now, with the backing of a huge children’s book publisher, we might be able to get this book into the hands of more actual children.
Kochalka notes that he recently finished another children’s comic, Johnny Boo, to be published by Top Shelf next year, and is currently working on another unattached children’s project.