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Selena Gomez is building her own brand empire. She is one of the new celebrity faces for Case-Mate an shows off her sexy legs in outtakes from the campaign.
Black Eyed Peas lead singer Fergie has also signed on to rep for the brand, according to its website. It makes and sells stylish cases for all kinds of electronic gadgets.
Selena revealed her new campaign in a tweet in August. “So excited for my newest announcement……. Working with @Common and @Fergie on our Case-Mate campaign!!!!” she wrote.
Since leaving behind her Disney show “Wizards of Waverly Place,” Selena has been trying to build a more adult-oriented career in music, movies and fashion. So far, she’s managed to developed the right blend of wholesomeness and sexuality.
“Fashion has become a huge part of my life, and I want to share this with all of my fans,” she said in an announement.
“I’m really excited about partnering with Case-Mate; they have so many stylish and beautiful cases that I can switch out and use to accessorize any outfit!”
Selena also is representing her own fasion line, Dream Out Loud. Check out her photos, one of her recent clothes commercials below and click here to follow TheImproper on Twitter for all of the latest Selena Gomez updates.


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IBM Corp. named Virginia Rometty its president and CEO, the technology company said on Oct. 25. Rometty will remain in her post as SVP and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy at IBM until the appointment takes effect on Jan. 1.
Outgoing president and CEO Samuel Palmisano will remain the company’s chairman of the board.
Edward Barbini, VP of external relations at IBM, referred request for comment to a company statement.
“Ginni Rometty has successfully led several of IBM’s most important businesses over the past decade – from the formation of IBM Global Business Services to the build-out of our Growth Markets Unit,” said Palmisano in the statement.
Asked of IBM’s plans to name Rometty’s replacement as group executive for sales, marketing and strategy, Barbini said via email “there’s no timetable for announcing that.”

domain: news


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HTC recently conducted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) where the company announced that they were going to support all “flagship” devices with Android operating system updates two years from their release date. However, this seems to apply to devices sold in North America only.
“Given the immense resource requirements for updates we can?t solve all our past issues, but today we are making a commitment to support all new North America flagship devices going forward with all major Android updates for 2 years after their release date,” said HTC during the Reddit AMA.
This means that if you buy an HTC device in the U.S. or Canada, then it will get two years worth of Android OS updates. It appears that HTC is the only OEM that has guaranteed two years of updates.
HTC has been criticized in the past for the failure to update the One X and One X+ beyond Android 4.2. These two devices are based on the Tegra 3. Apparently, NVIDIA was to blame for the lack of an update because there was no chipset support for newer versions of Android. HTC is now powering their high-end phones with Qualcom processors.
[Source: Android Police/Reddit]


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For many farms in Vermont, manure happens. It’s just a fact of life, and not always a particularly pleasant one. But a farm in Charlotte is exploring a new approach to handling manure effluent – the fluid that comes from manure on their farm via an anaerobic digester.
Manure is fed into the digester, explained M&C Family Farm owner Michael LaClair, yielding biogas to produce electricity. The effluent is a product of this process. Through the USDA Value Added Producer Grant Program, M&C Farm is working with technology partners to create a marketable product out of their farm’s manure effluent.
“The aim of this grant program is to provide farm, forestry and fishery businesses with capital to develop products out of a raw commodity in order to enhance producer profits,” explained USDA Public Affairs Specialist Pollaidh Major.
There are a couple of ways to deal with manure on a farm, including spreading it on crops. But manure can’t always be spread on crops— they don’t always need it, for one thing, and if it’s spread at the wrong moment, rain can carry off a stream of excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, explained Dr. Anju Krivov, president and CSTO of GSR Solutions LLC, a Burlington company that includes farm technology partnerships like this one among its technology projects. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can make their way into Lake Champlain, leading to the infamous algae blooms that have become a familiar problem to many who live and play along the lake.
A nutrient management plan is required by the state, and manure effluent management is part of this, noted Krivov. The USDA grant is providing an opportunity to explore the feasibility of setting up a different way to handle manure effluent: turning it into a pelletized fertilizer. Being storable, such a product would provide farmers with more options and flexibility about when and how to use the manure from their farms.
“It can be storable so farmers can store it and apply it when it’s needed,” Krivov noted. “This gives flexibility to farmers to be able to apply at the time of their choosing.” A pelletized fertilizer would also be a product that farmers who have livestock would not have to purchase—they could just store their own fertilizer and use it as needed on their land.
LaClair noted that having the pelletized fertilizer available would be useful for the 1100 acres he farms—he could take soil samples in various fields, then spread the product as needed without overapplication of any particular nutrient in a field that did not need it.
This grant allows GSR and M&C Farm to study the feasibility of establishing this system on a working farm—a stage that’s expected to last a year to 18 months, noted Krivov. A successful outcome, she said, would be moving on the next stage of implementation. Other attempts at a product like this one have been made, but none have been commercialized yet, Krivov said. GSR’s solution here is unique in its cost-effectiveness. LaClair noted that it is difficult to be profitable as a dairy these days, and diversification is one way to stay sustainable in challenging conditions. He is also considering making his farm organic.
“M&C Family Farms uses a methane digester to turn farm waste—manure—into a valuable product, energy. With this grant, Rural Development is helping this entrepreneurial farm further its value addition process by turning the manure effluent from its digester into pelleted fertilizer creating yet another farm asset,” said USDA Rural Development State Director Ted Brady. “This project has the potential to give Vermont farmers the tools they need to both strengthen their businesses and have a positive impact on the state’s water quality.”


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The fashion world (and the rest of us mere mortals) are in mourning today with the passing of legendary Chanel designer. Karl died on Tuesday at the age of 85 after weeks of ill health.
The German-born designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, was one of fashion’s most iconic and influential figures. Lagerfeld was artistic director of three brands at the same time right up to his death: France’s Chanel - the world’s richest label - as well as Italy’s Fendi, and his eponymous line. It is reported that Lagerfeld had battled pancreatic cancer and died on February 19. Famed for his omnipresent dark sunglasses, white ponytail and black leather gloves, the enigmatic Lagerfeld was arguably the most prolific designer of the modern age. It is believed his fortune surpassed $US200 million ($A279 million) and part of which is reportedly being left to his beloved cat, Choupette.


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Huge Italian Truffle to Be Sold At Macau Auction
A 1.5-kg white truffle found in the Italian countryside will be sold at a charity auction in Macau where it is expected to fetch 150,000 euros ($216,000).
Truffle hunter Cristiano Savini's dog, Rocco, sniffed out the truffle, one of the biggest unearthed in the past 50 years, by an oak tree near Pisa last weekend, in an area of Tuscany where Cristiano and his father scout for truffles every year.
The truffle was 75 centimetres (2.5 feet) underground. It took Savini and his father more than an hour to get the truffle out.
According to media reports, the 1.5-kg truffles were the biggest since a 2.5-kg truffle was found in 1954 and presented to former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower.
Tags: Truffle | Auction | Cristiano Savini


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Google has announced Android One program for smartphone under $100 will be available in India this fall, during Google I/O conference. Android One program is a new Android initiative for developing markets to extend the smartphone software experience. Android One will provide better smartphone software experience on low end devices.
There are few important things to note for the new Android One. This is intended for developing markets like India and will provide Nexus like experience in the lower price category. The device will have stock Android, Play auto-installs and automatic software update.
The Android One will be initially rolled out in India this fall with OEMs including Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles. Google also showed a phone running Android One with features like dual SIM, SD card support, 4.5″ screen and FM Radio.


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70 per cent of small business loans in the US are arranged by community banks; a model we should learn from, according to Peter A Soraparu.
The publication of the GDP figures for the fourth quarter of 2012 at the end of this week has the potential to knock the wind out of the sails of the business community that was given a glimmer of hope by the growth experienced in quarter three, which officially took the country out of recession.
The founder of market leader Seatwave has led three start-ups in the past ten years and changed the face of secondary ticket sales forever.
The co-founder of Crowdcube share his visions of a new, democratised finance landscape.
Recently, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) heard discrimination claims brought by four Christian applicants, all of which argued that UK law did not adequately protect them from religious discrimination at work.
The increase of cyber crime has cautioned consumers against online transactions.


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Ever since Tesla launched their Model S, stock prices have been steadily increasing, with only two small negative spikes on the overall trend.
These came with the occasion of two accidents involving the Model S, in which both burned down to a crisp.
Of, course, at the time, investigations were carried out, and the result didn’t put any blame on the car maker, but rather on the debris the torched vehicles struck. Piercing the batteries, they caught fire and the manufacturer saw a small but sharp decline in stock price.
But while even the NHTSA ruled in favor of Tesla, it seems they nevertheless wanted to take some steps to prevent such a thing happening again. The answer was clear: reinforce the underbelly of the car with titanium. Them doing this of their own volition and not at the request of an authority just goes to show the service quality of the brand.


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New York-based distressed investment firm Cerberus Capital Management has agreed to team with company management and buy the building products distribution business from global paper manufacturer Georgia-Pacific in an $810 million (€661 million).
According to the press statement, the transaction, set to close in the second quarter, assumes $630 million of working capital at closing and includes the separate sale of the company’s real estate assets for $100 million. Georgia-Pacific also has entered into a five-year agreement for the distribution business to continue purchasing structural panels, lumber and other building products manufactured by Georgia-Pacific.
The building products distribution company distributes more than 10,000 products across 14 categories, including structural panels, hardwood plywood, roofing, insulation, metal products, lumber, paneling, vinyl siding and particleboard. The products ship via a fleet of 900 trucks. The distribution division – which had 2003 net sales of $4.3 billion – is separate from Georgia-Pacific’s manufacturing segment.
The sale of the company is another move by Georgia-Pacific, with sales of $23 billion, to pay off debt, which currently totals $11 billion. Earlier this year, Forbes reported the company already had plans to unload its struggling building products distribution division, which was estimated to be worth $750 million. Just this January, Georgia-Pacific announced plans to sell its Brunswick, Georgia-based pulp mill to KoCell as part of a deal worth $735 million.
Cerberus Capital Management has more than $12 billion in funds and accounts under management. Last month, the firm announced an agreement to buy Guilford Mills off the public market for a cash total of $107 million. The Greensboro, North Carolina maker of fabrics had emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy less than 18 months ago.


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Apple's struggle to keep secret documents sealed
After winning big against Samsung in a US court, Apple is now on the defensive, battling against the same court to keep its financial information secret, says a report in Ars Technica. On Tuesday, the company faced a setback in this battle when US Judge Lucy Koh refused to seal documents that contained sensitive financial information.
These documents detail "unit sales, revenue, profit, profit margin and cost data" on a product-by-product basis. Though Apple does report sales by device type in its quarterly earnings, it does not break down the sales by model, nor does it reveal its device profit margins, revenue and other similar device-specific information.
This financial information is required by the court to justify the billions in monetary damages that Apple is seeking. Apple claims this data should be protected as a trade secret, but Judge Koh, the media and other groups disagree.
Koh argued in her denial of Apple's request that Apple "cannot both use its financial data to seek multi-billion dollar damages and insist on keeping it secret." Koh did agree to keep the documents sealed until Apple's request is heard by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
After winning big against Samsung in a US court, Apple is now on the defensive, battling against the same court to keep its financial...
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Recently renewed by U.S. President Barack Obama, the African Growth and Opportunity Act allows qualifying African countries to export certain products to the U.S. duty free.
American exports to Africa are subject to customs duties.
Incoming President Donald Trump isn’t going to go for that, says Herman Cohen, a former U.S. ambassador to several African Countries.
From This Day Live. Interview by Nduka Nwosu.
Ambassador Herman Cohen was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President George H.W Bush and is now the chairman and CEO Cohen & Woods International, a Washington, D.C.-based Africa-focused group helping Western companies do business in Africa. Cohen is a founding member of the Corporate Council on Africa and also has a blog, CohenonAfrica.com.
What are your expectations of a Trump presidency for Africa?
President-elect Trump has spoken of achieving “fairness” in international trade. He also wants American companies to increase their revenues, especially through exports. I have the feeling that he will ask African governments to accept reciprocity in trade relations. Right now, African countries can export their products to the USA duty free, while American exports to Africa pay customs duties. This is a one-way street relationship in bilateral trade relations. I can forecast that a future President Trump will ask for reciprocity. US exports to Africa should be duty free.
Do you think Trump’s America First policy means less money spent to help Africa and more money devoted to rebuilding the U.S.?
It is possible that President Trump will look toward reducing the foreign aid budget worldwide in order to find money to rebuild the U.S. infrastructure which is badly in need of fixing. Nigeria does not receive U.S. development aid because its income from oil is very high. So, any reduction in development aid would not be applicable to Nigeria, but it would be applicable to Nigeria’s neighbors. I imagine that President Trump would want to maintain full support to Nigeria for the fight against Islamic terrorism.
Do you think that AGOA that gives countries in the continent an almost duty free trade agreement could come under review under President Trump?
It will definitely come under review because it gives benefits to African exporters but gives no benefits to U.S. exporters.
Is it likely Trump’s America First mantra will affect the Obama project on Power Africa?
I do not feel that “America First” will impact negatively on “Power Africa”. This project encourages U.S. power companies, such as Contour Global, to invest in power generation and earn profits from the sale of power. This means there will be money coming into the U.S. from the export of power. “Power Africa” is a win-win project for the U.S. and Africa. U.S. companies make returns from their investments, and Africa gains badly needed power at economic prices.
Read more at This Day Live.


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March 14, 2014 AT 8:30 AM
It’s been another brutal week in the headlines for Target. On Thursday Businessweek.com ran a story claiming the nation’s second largest discount chain was first alerted to the installation of hacker malware on November 30th and again on December 2nd of last year. Citing interviews with employees familiar with the company’s security procedures, law enforcement officials as well as eight people with “specific knowledge of the hack and its aftermath,” Businessweek said Target chose not to act on the warnings. As a result at least 40 million Target customers saw their credit card information compromised. The shocking revelation came just two days after a USA Today story cited Kantar research showing a stunning drop in traffic levels at both Target.com and in the company’s roughly 1,700 stores.


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Apple executives have made no secret of their ambitions for China, and this week they've launched a new weapon to lure buyers in that populous country: An official online store alongside other global brands such as Nike and Gap.
While most people spend Thanksgiving thinking about the things in their life that they're grateful for, some see it simply as the pre-game before the real holiday: Black Friday. Those who are willing to brave the early morning haze and long lines — warmed by the still-digesting feast in their stomachs — are rewarded with the chance to save (and spend) tons of money at stores of all sorts. But you can't go out unprepared into the shopping wilderness that is Black Friday. Arm yourself with your iOS device and let these eight apps be the compass that guides you happily to ultimate savings.
You would normally think that the tenth anniversary of Apple's retail business would be a celebratory time among employees. However, there is one group of employees that aren't exactly thrilled, so much so, they're trying to put the finishing touches on the formation of the "Apple Retail Workers Union."
Once called a hobby, the Apple TV is now selling out in many Apple retail store locations across the country. Because of this, at least one research analyst is predicting sales of 1 million units per quarter, which is one-third the sales of the iPad.


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Northeast Economic Results Released
APPLETON, WI, – Dec. 7, 2012 – Northeast Wisconsin Businesses saw increased sales revenue and profitability in 2012, according to a report released today by First Business Bank at the New North Summit. The First Business Economic Survey of Northeast Wisconsin sponsored by First Business Bank and conducted by the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, and Insight Publications showed positive increases in many of the key economic indicators surveyed.
The report indicates that in many cases Northeast firms have reached levels comparable to 2008 in headcount, sales revenue and profitability. Northeast businesses that focus on the Northeast and Wisconsin saw the biggest increases in sales revenue; 58 percent (up from 50 percent) and 66 percent (up from 53 percent) respectively.
“The Northeast is showing growth in several areas,” says Dennis Winters, more companies are showing growth in sales and profits. “It will continue to be a slow, steady climb, but the data shows progress in reaching pre-recession levels in many of the key economic indicators.”
In terms of profitability, manufacturing continues to be the driver with 57 percent of businesses reporting an increase in profitability compared to 41 percent in 2011. Not surprisingly, manufacturing also shows an increase in wages in 2012, with 79 percent of businesses reporting an increase compared to 62 percent
“The manufacturing sector is showing steady growth in the New North,” says Mickey Noone, President – Northeast Region of First Business Bank. “Businesses in other areas are following the manufacturing lead, a good sign for the region.”
Another key economic indicator, capital expenditures, was little changed from last year. However, the percentage of retail businesses showing an increase in capital expenditures jumped from 39 percent in 2011 to more than 72 percent in 2013.
Another indicator, headcount remained steady with more than 34 percent of firms reporting increases in headcount, the highest percentage since 2008. More than 93 percent of businesses project either unchanged or increased headcount for next year.
In addition to major indicators being steady or on the rise, only 32 percent of Northeast Wisconsin businesses performed below expectations in 2012. Winters says that’s an encouraging sign worth noting. Each year the survey asks a current event question. In 2012, the question addressed the current economic and political climate on Northeast Businesses.
The majority of Northeast firms expect the current economic and political climate to continue to pose uncertainty for performance and have similar effects on business performance for 2013. Despite the uncertainty, 83 percent of businesses expect performance will be better in 2013. “There is definitely optimism in the air,” says Noone.
First Business Bank has been conducting the economic survey of Northwest Wisconsin for the past four years. The survey was based on the responses of 386 businesses across the county. The sample size has an error range of 5 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent.
Full survey results are available under “Newsroom” at www.firstbusiness.com.
About First Business
First Business Financial Services is a Wisconsin-based bank holding company, focused on the unique needs of businesses, business executives and high net worth individuals. First Business offers commercial banking, specialty finance and private wealth management solutions, and because of its niche focus, is able to provide its clients with unmatched expertise, accessibility and responsiveness. For additional information, visit www.firstbusiness.com.


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China has posted a big drop in SMS messaging as local mobile phone users are increasingly choosing mobile messaging apps to share information.
In the face of slowing growth and rising competition in its home market, China Mobile plans to take an 18 percent stake in Thailand's third largest mobile operator.
More than two-thirds of the world's Wi-Fi hotspots are in the Asia-Pacific region, partly because of huge deployments by mobile operators in China, and the number of hotspots worldwide is expected to more than double by 2018.
China Mobile posted a rare drop in profit growth for the fourth quarter, as the world's largest carrier is struggling to fend off the competition from rival carriers, and smartphone messaging apps.
Alcatel-Lucent is betting big on operators wanting to virtualize their mobile networks using NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) technology, in order to become more nimble and less reliant on proprietary hardware.
Apple plans to offer the iPhone to more than 760 million China Mobile customers from January, which could help it increase its share from the fifth position in this growing market.
The GSM Association, operators and vendors have published a specification that enables remote provisioning of embedded SIM identification modules, which should cut the cost of connecting cars and utility meters to the Internet.
Technology stocks are up for the year as shares of many vendors are back to pre-recession levels, but recent company results and market research reports have been mixed, calling into question how some vendors will fare next year.
Apple's iPhone could be getting a step closer to being officially offered on China's largest mobile network, after the nation's government finally issued 4G licenses to operate LTE TDD networks in the country.
Despite its growing customer base, China Mobile, the country's largest carrier, saw a rare decline in profit for the third quarter in the latest sign that rival operators and local Internet companies are eating into its earnings.
China Mobile, the country's largest mobile carrier, will release its first voice-over-LTE phones next year as part of its plan to bring a full range of handsets to its upcoming 4G network.
China Mobile, the country's largest mobile carrier, introduced two own-brand handsets on Friday, as a way to bring more affordable smartphones to its 740 million customers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is believed to have recently visited China to talk with local carriers, with the topic of conversation expected to have been market growth and the rumoured low-cost iPhone, dubbed iPhone Lite or iPhone 5C.
Chinese communications providers Huawei and China Mobile have successfully deployed 4G coverage on Mount Everest, some 5,200 metres above sea level.
An 8,900 kilometer undersea fiber cable system in Asia, backed by a consortium including Google, China Telecom, NEC and a host of local telecommunications companies, went live Thursday.
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‘There is a 40% reduction in liquor consumption in the State in one month of its rollout’
The new excise policy has yielded a positive result. Besides putting an end to irregularities and unethical practices, it has significantly brought down liquor consumption, says Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Excise and Commercial Taxes K. Narayana Swamy.
“Liquor trade has been completely streamlined since the announcement of the policy on October 1. The first step towards implementing total prohibition, as promised in the YSRCP manifesto, has been taken,” Mr. Narayana Swamy said in an interview to The Hindu.
“The YSRCP government will not consider sale of liquor as a means of revenue. It has rolled out the new policy knowing well that it will lose substantial income. The reduced consumption is a reflection of the initial success of the policy,” the Minister said. As per statistics, the number of cases of liquor and beer sold in October 2019 was 33.55 lakh against 56.14 lakh sold during the corresponding period in 2018, which was a 40% decrease in consumption.
In terms of revenue, the A.P. State Beverages Corporation Limited incurred a loss of ₹70 crore (5%) as it netted ₹1,624 crore in October 2019 against ₹1,703 crore during the corresponding period in 2018. “After closure of all belt shops, liquor is now available only in the 4,380 government-run wine shops and bars. The nuisance of tipplers at the permit rooms and areas close to it is a thing of the past. All the wine shops will be brought under electronic surveillance in phases,” the Minister said.
“The number of wine shops will be reduced by 20% every year. An action plan to streamline the bars will be announced by the Chief Minister soon,” Mr. Narayana Swamy said.
Certain employees were still indulging in unethical practices, the Minister said, and added, “All such officers are under watch. Disciplinary action will be initiated against them. A majority of the officers and employees are doing their best.”
Officials had been asked to ensure that the wine shops were located close to the bars, he said.
The idea was to discourage people from going to the bars, where the possibility of fleecing customers was high, he said.
“We have found that some bars are selling liquor parcels for cheaper price. Such bars under scanner and they will be seized,” the Minister said.
“District Collectors have been asked to provide an alternative source of livelihood to the people dependent on illicit liquor trade. The number of de-addiction centres will also be increased gradually,” he said.
Drive against ganja
Referring to ganja consumption at educational institutions, Mr. Narayana Swamy said that committees would be constituted in colleges to identify the students addicted to the vice and the peddlers, and get rid of the menace with the help of the department.
“To address the issue of ganja cultivation, the government will discuss with the neighbouring States,” the Minister informed.
To streamline and improve Commercial Taxes collection, the department would undertake a street survey. Officials would visit the the business units in person and assess the details.
“We have found units quoting lesser turnover and production capacity to avoid tax. Such practices will be exposed during the survey,” he said. More


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Whether it’s Tim Horton’s or Einstein Bros Bagels, many students at Plattsburgh State drink coffee every day to get through their hectic, weekly schedules.
Coffee is a stimulant that can help students get through a late night or an early morning. There are health pros and cons for coffee, and it affects students both physically and mentally.
Senior nursing major Laura Humphrey said she drinks at least one cup of coffee per day.
“I feel like my day can get started because I had a nice cup of joe,” she said.
“The effects of caffeine can last anywhere between six to 10 hours for some individuals,” Angela Durant, an Assistant Professor of Nutrition at PSUC said.
“I’ll drink coffee just because I like it, but when I need to stay awake, I’ll turn to coffee,” PSUC sophomore Julissa Vera said. “The only bad thing is that it’ll keep me awake for a while, but once it wears off, I’ll crash.”
Durant said there are the well-known pros to coffee, such as increased mental alertness, elevated mood and the ability to process information. She said there are studies showing that test scores improve with caffeine or coffee intake.
“I’ll usually drink coffee just in the mornings before I go to work, and then I usually get a coffee on my way back from work and then going to my classes,” senior communication disorders and science major Danielle Savage said.
Durant said phytochemicals, chlorogenic acids and melanoidins are strong antioxidants in coffee that have been known to fight chronic diseases.
“I think a lot of students want to know the ‘why’ of coffee effects,” Durant said. “So, in coffee there is something called phytochemicals, and coffee specifically contains polyphenols, and other antioxidants.”
“Regular to moderate coffee consumption has been linked to a reduction and risk to Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
Durant also said coffee is linked to the reduction of kidney stones, gallstones, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease and asthma.
“If students are athletes with asthma, coffee can help with lung function,” she said.
Based on an article in the US medical journal, National Center for Biotechnology Information, theophylline is a bronchodilator drug found in caffeine products that is taken to open up the airways in the lungs.
Even as a coffee lover, Durant said there are some negative aspects of excessive coffee consumption.
Durant said sleep disruption occurs more frequently in students who consume an excess amount of coffee.
“If I’m pulling an all-nighter, I’ll drink five or six large cups of coffee,” Savage said.
Anything above 400 mg of coffee per day, which is about five cups of coffee in 24 hours can cause sleep disruption.
“During freshman year, I drank copious amounts of coffee during finals week. I was over-caffeinated, and even after my tests were done, I couldn’t sleep.” Humphrey said.
Buzzfeed experimented with coffee addiction, where an employee named Erin gave up caffeine for a week. Because she drank two to three cups of coffee a day, she went through withdrawal.
According to WebMD, caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system, and regular use of caffeine causes mild physical dependence. Withdrawal is a symptom many people go through when they’re “quitting” caffeine.
Savage said she has experienced withdrawal with symptoms of headaches and grogginess.
“It’s a lot like being hungover,” she said.
PSUC senior John Hannon said he drinks a cup of coffee a day, but when finals come, he typically drinks three to four cups a day. Hannon also said he has been through withdrawal.
“I feel depleted and I feel like I have to drink more coffee,” he said.
“I gave it up for a week. You actually feel sick. You think there’s something wrong,” Humphrey said.
Durant said students build up a tolerance, and if they can’t keep it up, they can go through a period of fatigue or even depression, which are withdrawal symptoms.
For Buzzfeed’s Erin, she turned to other sources to stay energized, such as eating more often during the day.
She said the brain has adenosine receptors. Caffeine then binds to those receptors and triggers the adrenaline rush.
“Taper off slowly, and try to prevent consuming so much coffee in the first place,” Durant said.
Another effect Durant said was the increased anxiety students get with consuming too much coffee.
“A lot of students have test anxiety anyway. Couple that with an excess intake of caffeine, and it can make things worse,” she said.
She said if students have a test that morning, they should only have that one cup of coffee, and not two or three. The one cup can increase your alertness.
“I love coffee, and there are definitely benefits,” Durant said. “There are little consequences as long as it’s used in moderation.”
Email Kavita Singh at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Over the last few months, leading pot supplier Apta, have been busy working on new branding and a new consumer focussed website. Apta are hoping to create inspiration for consumers, particularly those under 50, who according to reports out this week, over 65% get their gardening tips and inspiration from online or social media sources.
The new website www.apta.co.uk helps consumers filter their way through different styles of product to find the right one for them.
National Sales Manager Darren Boorman said “the new logo design injects colour and the contemporary style reflects our company strategy to provide high quality innovative pots and planters. We are keen to bring the Apta name forward as a recognised brand leader in pots”.


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26 February 2015
Big companies should pay small suppliers in 30 days, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) says.
To enforce this 30-day payment term, the UK government has strengthened its Prompt Payment Code as part of its tougher reporting laws in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill.
The Prompt Payment Code promotes 30-day payments as the standard, with a 60-day maximum limit. This will be rigorously enforced by the new Code Compliance Board, which will include people from business representative bodies who will investigate challenges made against signatories to the Code by their suppliers. The Compliance Board will remove signatories found to be in breach of the Code’s principles and standards.
According to BIS, the Prompt Payment Code sets out fair and agreed practices for businesses to follow when dealing with, and paying, their suppliers. More than 1,700 businesses and public authorities have so far committed to these principles, which include paying suppliers within an agreed timeframe and communicating with them effectively.
Businesses will be actively encouraged to start complying with the strengthened Prompt Payment Code in the coming weeks. The changes complement the tougher reporting laws in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. These new laws will force the UK’s largest companies to publish their payment terms, increasing transparency and empowering small businesses.
The Code Compliance Board will be able to use this data to review the status of signatories to the Code and challenge those that either do not pay their suppliers promptly or insist on excessively long standard terms.
Business Minister Matthew Hancock said: ‘Making small businesses wait an unreasonable time for payment is entirely unacceptable. I know first-hand the great burden that late payment can place on firms – and how it can strain family finances – which is why I am committed to stopping it.
‘Big companies should lead by example and pay small suppliers within 30 days. I have already written to the FTSE 350 urging them to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code.’


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A pilot project to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of using solar energy.
Projects & Practice
Two young farmers set up a hydroponic facility to produce high quality green fodder for livestock in the Canary Islands.
Five districts in the north of Hesse joined forces to provide fast internet access in a region where no privately financed investment was covering the existing digital divide.
A winery in response to changing consumers’ preferences, decided to restructure its bottling plant in order to widen the range of high quality wines produced.
The local community of Ballstadt created a financially self-sustaining combined village shop and café, which acts as an important meeting place for the local community.
Food producers and providers in Spain’s Aragon region used RDP funds to promote local food through short supply chains via a coordinated system of local and online outlets across an area larger than the Netherlands


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Assistant has been going through a ton of changes lately. From skipping out on activation phrases for specific tasks to a new look for conversations and responses, Google is throwing itself into making its AI service better than ever. Of course, not every change is a groundbreaking improvement — some quality-of-life tweaks go unnoticed until just the right time. Google has given its Assistant lock screen settings an all-new placement to help surface the options for more users.
The first Android 12 beta just landed shortly after the I/O keynote, and it has the huge rumored redesign in tow. While the most obvious changes are easy to spot, a few things are harder to see when you just have Google's press images to work with. One of these places would be your device lock screen's PIN or pattern entry field.
Pixel phones have become pretty customizable thanks to the Pixel Themes app first introduced with Android 10, but there's one part of the Pixel skin that you can't tweak too much — the lock screen. The Android 10 beta suggested that we might get some custom clocks at some point, but when the OS went stable, no traces of alternative clocks were left. That might change with Android 12. It looks like Google will include Pixel-exclusive lock screen clocks.
XDA is on a tear today, releasing piles of details divined about the upcoming Android 12 release. Among those planned is a general UI refresh for Android 12, seemingly overdue given the dialed-back changes in Android 11 last year. Beyond the new theming tweaks that have already been discussed, we can look forward to some lock screen tweaks (including adjustments to the Pixel's always-on display), notification and Quick Settings panel adjustments, an unknown "letterboxing" feature for framing apps inside a window, dynamic splash screens, and more, including an abstract "Material NEXT" aesthetic beyond current Material Theme designs.
Chrome OS has always required you to hit the enter key or click the submit button to confirm your PIN code at the login screen. Adding an extra step to the login flow is a security-preserving measure that slows down snooping attackers from guessing your password. Still, some users prefer the convenience of signing in automatically after entering the correct PIN. In the most recent Chrome OS Beta channel update, Chrome OS will now offer to confirm your PIN automatically.
This story was originally published and last updated .
With over a decade under its belt, Android has built a long history as Google's mobile operating system. And in that history are dozens of little features, changes, and updates that have added, removed, or modified aspects of that OS in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. But for every new option Google brings to Android, we're probably forgetting one that been in there for years that we've simply not bothered to use in a while. And in some cases, these are pretty genuinely useful things!
Remember you can use two fingers to swipe down for quick settings? Screen pinning? Lock screen messages?
Dozens of Pixel owners are reporting that they can't authenticate into their devices because every time they put their PIN in, the phone loops them back to the lock screen. The issue, which was first reported on the Pixel Phone Help forum nearly a month ago, seems to be affecting Pixel XLs the most, though there have been mentions of other Pixel, Pixel 2, and Pixel 3 series devices. So far, product experts have been encouraging affected users to escalate the issue with Google directly or reset their device from recovery.
Advertising has a time and a place, and the place is never on the lock screen of a smartphone you paid a lot of money for. As if Huawei didn't need more negative publicity right now, the company has seemingly begun allowing advertisements for Booking.com on the lock screens of several of its phones.
The Android Q Betas have had a ton of major changes, both in the interface and in the APIs that applications use. However, there are some changes so minor that they aren't quite important enough for a dedicated post. We already covered the little changes in Beta 1 and 2, so now it's time to take a close look at Beta 3.


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Know your city: From a godown to a bakery. This is the journey of Albert Bakery, a 120-year-old bakery in Bengaluru
What was once a godown in Kamaraj Road which provided bread, crackers, rolls and rusks in 1902, is now a major cultural landmark in central Bengaluru. Even after 120 years, Christmas hot cross buns or mutton brains during Ramadan at Albert Bakery still thrill the taste buds of dessert and snack lovers in Bangalore.
Mohammad Sabir, who is Albert Bakery’s managing director and fourth-generation businessman, believes that “keeping it simple and affordable” is the key factor in the bakery becoming a culinary landmark known for its desserts. lip smacking.
“It was my grandfather Mohammad Suleman who started godown in 1902. However, in 1921 we moved to Frazer Town and converted godown into a bakery. We realized that bread and rolls are part of people’s daily livelihood and that is mainly the reason why we wanted to open a bakery,” said Sabir.
“Since the bakery was opened during British rule, my grandfather felt that keeping a western name would be more appropriate and popular and that’s why it was called ‘Albert’. However, it is not associated with the name of any of the British officers or officers.
His father Nawab Jan added a culinary touch by introducing a range of desserts and snacks along with new fillings and flavors. The famous khova naan – a soft and crispy filo pastry – was first introduced here at Albert Bakery and it is now available in many varieties like mutton khova, coconut khova and sweet khova.
The bakery is also famous for its other snacks like sheep brain puff, vegetable sandwich, egg pudding, chicken mayonnaise bread, mutton tandoori roll, chicken swiss roll, chicken shami kabab , banana muffin and chocolate pastries, among others.
In what appears to be an unusual practice, the bakery has followed the tradition of opening its doors to customers from 3 p.m. daily. “The mornings are closed for customers, but open for our bakers who prepare the fresh desserts of the day. We only allow our customers from 3 p.m. when everything is ready to be served fresh,” says Sabir, who also exports khova naan varieties to Saudi Arabia.
Albert Bakery is also the go-to store for people at Christmas. From hot rolls to plum cakes and roasted cookies to marzipan cakes, Sabir calls it a celebration of desserts at Christmas.
Sabir, a graduate in hotel management, says that with changing times come new decisions. “We didn’t open any points of sale for 120 years because we wanted to keep the originality. However, in the next few days, we plan to expand and plan to open a new branch of Albert Bakery in Bangalore soon which holds some surprises in its culinary spread. We won’t disclose our plans until later,” adds Sabir.


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Treasury Wine Estates and Baron Philippe de Rothschild embark on Ecommerce collaboration with Tmall
Wine giants Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) and Baron Philippe de Rothschild (BPR) have announced a collaboration with Chinese Ecommerce platform Tmall to “enhance brand building, supply chain efficiencies, and consumer experiences in premium wine.” Now, a selection of BPR’s premium French and Chilean wines will be available through TWE’s flagship Tmall store, enabling “exclusive distribution and marketing” in Mainland China.
Treasury Wine Estates’ share price has risen by 46% in the last 12 months
SOURCE: Yahoo Finance
Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, chairman of BPR’s supervisory board, made the following statement:
“Our partnership with TWE, one of the world’s leading wine companies, as well as Tmall, China’s most influential e-commerce platform, will go a long way to help us grow in one of the most dynamic markets in the world – China. Working hand in hand with TWE, our joint efforts are underpinned by shared value of excellence and commitment. Together, we underline our intention to continue to expand on a fast-growing strategic market.”
This is the latest deal by Tmall owner Alibaba aimed at helping foreign brands to capitalize on the “new retail” opportunity in China. Alibaba’s considerable capabilities in big data will be deployed to “bring its online ecosystem, offline.” In other words, it will use data-driven solutions like augmented reality to help sell wine in the “real” or offline world.
Alibaba’s Australian boss, Maggie Zhou, added: “We look forward to working closely with our partners to deploy technologies such as contactless payments, cloud shelf and Augmented Reality in the future, that will help to promote TWE wines and products under BPhR, and further realise new retail possibilities. As the consumer experience continues to improve, we also see a role for us to support with the optimisation of brand building, warehouse management and marketing costs.”


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On September 20th the U.S. addressed complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China, accusing Beijing of setting unreasonable duties on the import of U.S. chicken and turkey. According to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal, to the end of the year manufacturers will have to pay nearly a billion dollars in fees.
In turn, China September 21 stated that the duties on poultry from the United States were introduced legally. The Chinese believes that U.S. producers receive subsidies from the government, and deliver their products to the Chinese market by deliberately reduced prices.
Duties on imports of chicken and turkey meat from the United States have been introduced by China in September 2010. Fees range from 50 to 100 percent of the price of supplies. Thus, in some cases, importers have to pay double the price.
China and the United States regularly complain to each other in the WTO. In 2009, Americans expressed dissatisfaction with the imposition of duties on the import of U.S. steel pipe. In turn, China has complained about the U.S. decision to raise tariffs on imports from China later on.


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A couple of weeks ago, I used an analogy about my grandfather"s wrecking yard to describe the search for better security, making the point that automobiles used to start with a mere foot pedal before the development of effective theft protection in the form of a car key.
Through a confluence of cosmic events, these two topics -- cars and security -- have once again come together.
A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University and RSA Laboratories found that a widely used RFID chip created by Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) and installed in a variety of car keys may be cheap and easy to hack. (You can read the report at rfid-analysis.org.)
The car key chips are included on recent models of cars made by Nissan, Toyota, and Ford. The RFID chip is also used in the ExxonMobil Speedpass, a key tag that wirelessly completes transactions at gas pumps. According to TI, almost 150 million chips are in use in the United States.
The report states it"s easy to hack the chip in a car key. Thieves only need some relatively cheap equipment that can wirelessly interact with and then make a clone of the device. The clone would let them disable a car"s alarm system.
They couldn"t just drive away in a new Lexus, however. Getting into the car is still a problem. Apparently, after disabling the alarm, the thieves would have to resort to a good old-fashioned crowbar to crack a window. That"s a lot of trouble to go through just to steal the latest Kanye West CD.
When they examined the Speedpass system, the researchers were able to unravel the mathematical process used in verification. They then purchased a commercial microchip (costing less than US$200) and programmed it to find the secret key for a gasoline purchase tag owned by one of the researchers. By linking together 16 such chips, the group cracked the secret key in about 15 minutes.
That, too, is a lot of trouble, despite the price of gas. Thankfully, in the Speedpass system the owner"s credit card information isn"t carried on the chip and isn"t revealed by breaking the pass" security.
The researchers have some advice if you"re worried about the security of your Speedpass or your keys: Put aluminum foil around the device when it"s not in use. Apparently aluminum foil is just enough of a barrier to block unauthorized data transfers. And you thought those guys wearing foil hats were nuts? Nope, they"re just protecting their RFID chips. If only the rest of computer security were that easy.


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· Automated System
For years, under Daimler’s rule, it seemed that Chrysler was surviving solely on its fleet sales. Now, Chrysler has the highest percentage of retail sales of the Big Three, according to numbers released by Automotive News. While the domestic three continue to rely more on fleet sales than imports, Ford is relying on them far more than GM and Chrysler, 32% of Ford’s March sales were to fleets, compared with 27% at GM and 26% at Chrysler. In March 2012, one year ago, Ford still led in fleet sales (32% of their total); GM was about the same, with 26% of sales going to fleets, and Chrysler is in the middle, with 30%. Fleet sales contain both lucrative deals and less valuable sales; the numbers contain profitable pickup sales, balancing government and rental fleets, along with corporate deals, police cars, ambulances, and others. The import brand with the highest percentage..
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Among the CBD Market’s A lot of Encouraging Companies is Making Waves
In 2018 Congress passed a bill known as the “Farm Costs”, where 0% THC-CBD products have become recreationally legal in all 50 states in the U.S. One year later on, we’ve seen the CBD market become one of one of the most appealing markets for both healthcare and investing, with an increasing number of rivals going into the room each day.
In the in 2014 alone, the marketplace has actually grown a tremendous $219 million dollars as well as there are no signs of it decreasing. what are cbd hemp capsules have actually gone on record claiming the marketplace can increase upwards of 700% by the end of following year. So, what’s with all the focus? Why has the trend moved far from THC to CBD markets? What made this apparently unidentified medicine impact up in the previous year?
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol, or CBD for brief, is a non-psychoactive chemical located within the hemp plant and belongs to the same family as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Though THC and CBD are associated, the 2 drugs differ immensely. While CBD is made use of as a long-lasting, non-psychoactive medicine, THC is regularly made use of as a temporary, psychoactive medication.
This suggests that CBD experiences several of the very same advantages as conventional cannabis, however does not put the specific into a psychedelic frame of mind. Some advantages include, but are not restricted to, the suppression of seizures, psychosis relief, and additional assistance for your body to battle lumps as well as cancer cells in some situations.
Fast Market Growth
As mentioned previously, several market experts believe that the CBD market will certainly go through fast expansion over the following couple of years. One resource by the name of The Hemp Service Journal also declared that the marketplace will grow from its present $390 million market capitalization to $1.3 billion by the year 2022. That would certainly make CBD among the most rapidly expanding non-technology markets in the country.
Even the sellers are noticing the CBD wave. This year alone CVS, Walgreens, as well as many other tiny sellers have actually begun to sell CBD items. The monetary gain is just too eye-catching to these retailers, specifically when CBD assists patients greatly, bring about duplicate sales. Up until now, are you wondering why cbd does not get you high and also Walgreens have been greater than satisfied in their dry run of offering CBD and also they expect sales to just expand a lot more swiftly in the coming months. Among their next possible CBD customers passes the name of UrthLeaf and agents at each store appear thrilled concerning this business’s possibility.
UrthLeaf is The Financial Investment to Make
One of the most recent players in the CBD market, a business called UrthLeaf, has actually already begun to make big waves with its distinct products and also branding framework. UrthLeaf is a CBD firm based out of Los Angeles, California that is a wonderful choice for investment today, as it has big potential to expand in the next year. Although UrthLeaf is a fairly new business, the owner has a proven track-record in business and a service design unlike any various other competitor in the marketplace.
cbd101 everything you need to know represents itself to be a lifestyle and also medicinal company rather than a typical brand. The group has gone as much as getting to out to private people and also create customized items for individuals that have actually had trouble using their existing items.
For more details or to acquire items, visit them below.
Why has the fad relocated away from THC to CBD markets? As stated earlier, several market professionals think that the CBD market will go through quick development over the next few years. That would certainly make CBD one of the most swiftly expanding non-technology markets in the nation.
One of their next potential CBD clients goes by the name of UrthLeaf and representatives at each store appear overjoyed concerning this firm’s potential.
One of the latest gamers in the CBD market, a firm called UrthLeaf, has actually currently begun to make significant waves with its special products as well as branding framework.


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Bobii's IPO press conference is now officially announced!
Dear Robelf fans:
Following the development of Robelf in 2016, Robotelf Technologies has worked with industry partners from terminal communication, system connection and service integration to recreate the core product of the new generation of innovative smart home device- "Bobii Smart Media Assistant", which will be released on 9/9 (Wednesday) .
Bobii will show everyone the full function of smart life experience at the IPO press conference.
-We invite everyone to come and participate-
Time: 9/9/2020 (Wednesday) 14:00-15:30
Place: Eslite Life Songyan Store, Eslite Performance Hall, No. 88-B1, Yanchang Rd., Xinyi Dist., Taipei City 110, Taiwan (R.O.C.)


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Apple has announced not only the dates for WWDC 2013, but in a stark break with tradition, they've also announced when tickets will be available for purchase. From the WWDC 2013 website:
Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, June 10-14, San Francisco
Tickets go on sale worldwide on April 25 at 10 a.m. PDT
Get an in-depth look at what’s next in iOS and OS X, and learn how to take your apps to the next level. With over 100 sessions, extensive hands–on labs, and engaging events, you’ll connect with Apple engineers and fellow developers for an incredible week of inspiration.
There's a lot of extra information on the website, including eligibility, tracks, and more. So... will this make the purchasing process better, or worse? Lack of surprise vs. full on riot rush? Who's buying?


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Google Station is gearing up to launch its free WiFi hotspot network across Mexico, and no physical wall or billionaire monopolist can stop it now, though Facebook may be hot on its trail soon enough.
Mexico opened up thanks to telecom reform in 2014 that brought an end to the domination of the market by billionaire Carlos Slim and his America Movil. Now, the number of internet users is soaring, and Google Station is hoping for another success to mirror its efforts in India, where it now boasts some 8 million users.
In Mexico, it will be an ad-supported WiFi hotspot network in 56 locations initially.
But where does this put Google in its war of sorts with Facebook to win the emerging market WiFi race?
Google Station might have 8 million users in India, but Facebook has been intent on challenging this, even if they have different means (personal versus public connectivity) to the same end: getting more people in front of their products.
In May last year, Facebook’s Express WiFi—a low-cost solution for people who can’t afford expensive broadband--announced it would team up with India’s Airtel to launch 700 hotspots across the country, with another 20,000 to follow. Google Station is targeting a partnership with RailTel to push its hotspots across India. By next year, they plan to have free WiFi at all of India’s 8,000 rail stations, and 7,000 of those stations are in rural areas. Related: The Tweet That Started A Trade War
Google is serious about giving as many of the world’s 7.4 billion people access to the internet as a gateway to its products. The search giant’s parent company, Alphabet (NYSE:GOOGL) is already a $790-billion market cap company, whose stock sells for over $1,100.
In 2016, it sent thousands of free bicycles into rural India, peddled by women carrying smartphones, tablets and mobile data connections to bike their way across the countryside, teaching people how to use it.
But Facebook is winning hearts and minds elsewhere—not the least among Nigeria’s 140 million mobile phone subscribers who suffer from poor internet connectivity problems.
And it’s also been playing around in Latin America—and much of the rest of the world—with its Free Basics program, which boasted two billion monthly active users as of the end of 2016 by creating an “on ramp” to the internet through closed, mobile platform. Users get free access, but only a few online services. It’s not Express WiFi, but that’s where it’s headed.
Rumblings about the Google and Facebook monopoly on modern-day life are intensifying, but there is one advancement that could break the grip of these two giants: 5G, the next generation mobile that could ‘cut the cord’, which is perhaps why emerging markets are looking so attractive to Google and Facebook right now.
By Fred Dunkley for Safehaven.com
More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:


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For some gamers, the only thing cooler than playing "Minecraft" might be playing "Minecraft" on a huge theater screen.
Chicago-area "Minecraft" enthusiasts will have a chance to do just that later this month when Super League Gaming of Santa Monica, Calif., comes to town to offer gamers a chance to play together at local movie theaters on a single huge screen.
The idea is to create a sort of Little League for gamers, company founders say.
And for theater owners, the move comes as theater attendance has fallen to a 20-year low, although ticket prices are at an all-time high averaging $8.17, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Efforts to raise revenue through sources other than movie ticket sales and concessions, like hosting corporate meetings, teleconferences and group events, have been going on in theaters for years. Hosting gaming events is another potential revenue stream.
Nine Chicago-area theaters on July 27-29 will host "Minecraft" theater events in Chicago, Evanston, Country Club Hills, Bolingbrook, Lincolnshire, Joliet, Deer Park and two in South Barrington. Tickets are $20 each.
"Minecraft" is a popular fictional-world construction and survival game using Lego-like blocks.
The tour, which began last month in Los Angeles, is meant to kick off the company's in-theater video game leagues. The tour includes 28 major U.S. cities in more than 80 movie theaters, including the three largest chains — Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres, as well as luxury chain iPic Theaters.
The company says it will be the first time gamers and their teams can compete inside a movie theater for league championship titles. Other games besides "Minecraft" will come in the fall, the company said.
Super League President Brett Morris likens the leagues to baseball minor and junior leagues. "And much like a basketball player has a court, or a soccer player has a field, gamers now have theaters," he said in a statement. "We're bringing together gamers to compete and socialize with other like-minded gamers in an exciting setting."
During the 80-minute "Minecraft" sessions, a third-person view of a customized game will be projected on a theater screen, with all players appearing on a single screen. Gamers play on their own laptops in the theater. They will play with their teams, compete in battles and socialize and strategize with other gamers as they work to climb the international leaderboard, the company said.
"There are all kinds of leagues out there, but there's still a vast group of gamers who don't have any way of organizing themselves into recreational teams," said John Miller, Super League co-founder. "We were just a group of dads who saw that void and thought this would be a great way to bring gaming to life. Gamers learn how to cooperate, how to develop their social skills, and work together toward a common goal over a period of time. The core concept of teamwork is still there. We're just evolving the playing field."
"Minecraft," appealing generally to children age 7 to 14, is one of the best-selling video games of all time, its original PC version last year surpassing 100 million registered users. Microsoft bought "Minecraft" maker Mojang last year for $2.5 billion.
Meanwhile, cinemas are having to work harder than ever to lure younger patrons to the multiplex because they have more entertainment options in the home, including streaming movies on their tablets and playing video games online.
To boost profits, big theater chains have been trying new ways to draw in crowds who want to be entertained as part of a group experience. "Theaters would like to be your local destination for all your entertainment," said Matthew Harrigan, an analyst with Wunderlich Securities.
AMC, Cinemark and Regal formed a joint venture a decade ago to help fill seats that might otherwise go empty during off-peak hours.
Fathom Events offers simulcasts of concerts, Broadway shows, big sports matches and other events that can be broadcast digitally to theaters across the country. Those theaters then can make money by selling tickets at a premium.
Video games have also proved to be a popular draw. Cinemark, for example, recently partnered with Coca-Cola Co. to present a viewing party for part of the world championship series of the video game "League of Legends."
"We've tried to create an environment that caters to all our customers," said James Meredith, who heads marketing at Cinemark. "Many moviegoers are also gamers and we want to make our theaters must-visit places for them."
For theaters, hosting video game contests and other alternative entertainment also addresses a long-standing problem of low occupancy rates.
Theaters fill only about 16 percent of their seats during an average day, mainly because of very low turnout during weekday mornings and afternoons, according to Wunderlich Securities. So theaters see financial sense in essentially renting themselves out, especially since they don't have to bear much of the cost to host the events.
Bringing more people into theaters also boosts sales of concessions, an important profit driver.
This new business model has attracted companies trying to cash in on the trend, like Super League Gaming and its "Minecraft" tour.
The company was co-founded by Miller, Morris and David Steigelfest, who saw their children come home from school to play video games by themselves. They wanted to give their kids the same social experience that children who played outdoor sports like soccer or baseball had.
"We thought, if baseball has a Little League, why shouldn't kids who play video games have their own league?" Morris said. "Plus there's the competitive aspect to it, the thrill of playing to win."
Tribune Newspapers contributed.


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The merger of Airtel and Millicom Ghana – AirtelTigo has presented numerous opportunities for both customers and business managers on the network. These are exciting times for prospective customers because the ‘Bigger Stronger’ telecommunication network has rolled out several promotions and awarding numerous existing and new customers on the network.
Currently, AirtelTigo customers benefit:
Improved coverage, improved customer experience and a bigger combined network of customers.
State of the art network with high speed mobile data coverage as well as innovative and competitively priced services.
With the combined fibre footprint and increased Data Centres, Enterprise customers including both large corporations and SMEs have access to a diverse portfolio of world class solutions.
Mobile Financial Services greatly enhanced with combined agent networks and platforms.
At a recent media encounter, the company’s CEO, Ms. Roshi Motman, told the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR) that: “Another key piece of our strategy is going to be mobile money. Tigo Cash has a bunch of customers; Airtel Money has its customers, and now we want to expand that footprint quite dramatically.
“There are two things that are important from the customer perspective when it comes to mobile money, which is the accessibility and agents having enough liquidity to give out the money. We are going to be on top of our game so the business can thrive.”
Relatedly, Chief Finance Officer of AirtelTigo, Bright Owusu-Bempah, also revealed the company’s strategy is to leverage on the opportunity to effect fresh changes, which is what it will be working on in the next couple of weeks.
Data from the Bank of Ghana show that from January to December 2017, AirtelTigo recorded an amount of GH¢79million – accounting for a 3.56 percent share of the mobile money deposits in the country.
This is the best time to enjoy the BIGGER STRONGER NETWORK! AirtelTigo has invested greatly in the youth of Ghana by supporting the Barcamp Ghana over the years.
We say Ayekoo!


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People in the richworld should become “demitarians” – eating half as much meat as usual, while stopping short of giving it up – in order to avoid severe environmental damage, scientists have urged, in the clearest picture yet of how farming practices are destroying the natural world, say today’s The Guardian
“They said the horsemeat scandal had uncovered the dark side of our lust for meat, which has fuelled a trade in undocumented livestock and mislabelled cheap ready meals. ‘There is a food chain risk,’ said Professor Mark Sutton, who coined the term demitarian and is lead author of a UN Environment Programme study published on Monday . ‘Now is a good time to talk to people about this.’
“The quest for ever cheaper meat in the past few decades – most people even in rich countries ate significantly less meat one and two generations ago – has resulted in a massive expansion of intensively farmed livestock. Continue reading “Eat less meat, the scientists now say”
A meat processing firm in the south of France was named Thursday night as having a central role in the horsemeat lasagne scandal as a convicted Dutch fraudster who supplied the meat admitted close ties with the French firm, The Guardian reports today
“A French investigation suggested that meat wholesaler Spanghero was implicated in the scandal of ready-made frozen beef meals that contained horse flesh, affecting supermarkets across Europe. Benoît Hamon, the French consumer affairs minister, said the inquiry showed that Spanghero was the first ‘agent’ in the food chain to stamp the label beef on horsemeat. The investigation suggested the firm ‘knew that meat destined for ready meals was horse’.The French authorities found that Spanghero had profited to the tune of more than €500,000 (£430,000) over six months by marketing the cheap horsemeat as much more expensive beef. Continue reading “Horse-meat lasagna”
No, we are not talking your regular “tofurky” or “not-dogs” of veggie days gone by. Today’s Guardian carries a story about the very serious work being done to synthesize protein into meatish food. It all sounds a bit dreadful, but as they say…..
“With billions of mouths to feed, we can’t go on producing food in the traditional way. Scientists are coming up with novel ways to cater for future generations. In-vitro burger, anyone?
“The future feast is laid out around a cool white room at Eindhoven’s University of Technology . There is a steak tartare of in-vitro beef fibre, wittily knitted into the word “meat”. Continue reading “Where’s the transgenic beef?”


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If you think things are tough for McDonald’s now, imagine what it was like when the company was starting out.
Banks didn’t want to loan McDonald’s money. So the Golden Arches transformed itself into a business the banks would lend to.
Sort of a real estate company. Buying land and building restaurants, then renting them to franchisees. The sales pitch became:
“It’s not a burger company, it’s a real estate company that sells burgers,” says Sam Oches, editor of QSR, a trade magazine for the fast food industry.
Oches says this is a unique business model that gives McDonald’s a lot of control over its franchisees.
“If they own that restaurant, they’ll be able to dictate a lot more about the upkeep of the restaurant,” he says.
For example, McDonald’s can give franchisees a break on the rent if they upgrade their stores. John Gordon, a restaurant analyst at Pacific Management Consulting Group, says rent accounted for about a fifth of McDonald’s worldwide revenue last year. But McDonald’s is coming under pressure from some of its investors who want the chain to start selling off its real estate.
“It’s some activist investors looking for ways to juice the stock higher,” Gordon says.
But others think the investors are right — McDonald’s should sell.
“It would be good for McDonald’s, because McDonald’s would have to focus on the food service business and not on real estate,” says Don Sniegowski, editor of Blue Maumau, a news site for franchise owners.
McDonald’s refused an interview request, but a spokeswoman said McDonald’s will provide an update on “financial areas of opportunity” at its November investor meeting.
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With Nokia having only one high-end Windows Phone 8 device at the moment – the Lumia 920 – it’s only natural for the company to prepare a new Windows Phone flagship device for 2013.
According to The Verge and undisclosed “sources familiar” with the matter, Nokia intends to use an aluminum body “for at least one high-end Lumia Windows Phone” that’s going to be launched sometime this year. The aluminum construction would allow the new handset to be significantly thinner and lighter than the Lumia 920 – which uses a polycarbonate body, and is one of the largest and heaviest sub 5-inch handsets out there (185 grams, 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm).
This new aluminum-made smartphone is currently codenamed Nokia Catwalk. It will be the direct successor to the Lumia 920, and should feature similar internals. So we probably must not expect a quad-core processor. But a PureView camera is almost certainly going to be included.
Apart from the Catwalk, Nokia is planning to introduce other two new Windows Phone 8 handsets this year. At the moment, there is no word on exactly when this will happen, an neither on the features or design of the two.
If you liked the post, you might find these interesting too:
- Nokia Lumia 928 and Catwalk could be announced on May 14
- Windows Phone 8 officially coming soon to Sprint
- Aluminum Nokia Catwalk (Lumia 920 successor) coming to T-Mobile “in the summer”. Lumia 928 at Verizon
- New Nokia EOS Windows Phone 8 handset with PureView camera headed to AT&T?
- Lumia 928 for Verizon in April. Aluminum body Nokia Catwalk on May 15th. 41mpx Pureview EOS in the works too


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LeoVegas has become the latest company in the United Kingdom to receive a substantial penalty for several breaches of the established gambling laws in the country. The UK Gambling Commission has outlined those breaches in an official statement published on its official website.
In detailing the £1.32m financial penalty, the watchdog said that LeoVegas had been fined due to social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) shortcomings. The operator company runs a number of brands in the United Kingdom, including pinkcasino.co.uk, betuk.com, slotboss.co.uk, 21.co.uk, and the namesake leovegas.com. The offenses date to a period between October 2019 and October 2020 and will trigger a 12-month review of the operator.
All of these brands have now received an official warning and have been told to ensure that their social responsibility policies are up on par with industry standards in the country. The same applies to their AML policies. The update was accompanied by a statement from Gambling Commission Director of Enforcement and Intelligence Leanne Oxley.
Oxley explained that the shortcomings were detected as a result of "focused compliance activity." The director assured that similar actions will be taken against any and all operators who do not learn how to uphold the necessary operational standards in the jurisdiction. Oxley was unapologetic in the final conclusion, too, arguing that operators are failing to uphold their obligations to consumers.
"This case is a further example of operators failing to protect customers and failing to be alive to money laundering risks within their business," she said. The Commission proceeded to outline the specific problems it had detected with LeoVegas’ offer in the United Kingdom.
Those included spending limits that were set higher than average for the Safer Gambling Team customer review. This is the measure that triggers manual examination of a customer’s spending if the operator suspects someone may be exhibiting signs of problem gambling.
The Commission established that LeoVegas had not acted on its own policies for consumer interaction with customers who were exhibiting signs of harm, such as denied deposits, canceled withdrawals, and extended gameplay sessions. Other shortcomings were also named here.
The Commission moved to explain how the AML standards had been breached as well. The regulator argued that the AML financial triggers for review were "too high" and "unrealistic" in order to effectively manage the issue at hand, i.e. terrorist financing and money laundering risks.
These threshold triggers were part of the overall problem at LeoVegas as they were set too high. The UKGC called them inadequate and ineffective specifically. Another issue the company registered is that too much money was allowed to be spent without any background check or knowledge of some customers. The full penalty has outlined all the sections of the current law that were broken.LeoVegas is not the only operator to have been hit by the UKGC in recent months. Sky Betting and Gaming received a $1.5m penalty in March along with Camelot. Before that in February, BetVictor was hit with a penalty worth $2.6m.
Image credit: Unsplash.com


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The gaming industry is not only a high growth industry it is also very profitable, but this, in turn, has lured big technology companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft into the industry. The competition will likely increase and so will the overall global revenue from gaming.Â
With five new equity theme baskets this year, Saxo Bank can identify long-term trends in the economy and see more exciting ways to analyse the equity market during different volatility regimes.Â
Revenue growth in 2020
The gaming industry is a sprawling and fragmented industry with many companies deriving revenue and profits from other businesses than gaming.Â
The revenue growth rate is very high with 37 per cent on average in 2020 as the pandemic impacted demand positively. Whereas other high growth industries such as e-commerce are running low margins and having difficulties generating large free cash flows, the gaming industry is very profitable. Capital expenditures required are low and revenue can easily scale due to the digital nature of the business. EBITDA growth was 59 per cent in 2020 and analysts are very positive about the industry with an average price target that is 16 per cent above the current price.
Saxo Bank's gaming basket is up 5.8 per cent year-to-date and up 101 per cent the past year and up 772 per cent over the past five years. Historic performance is no indication of future performance so investors should not put too much weight on these performance metrics. They reflect the high growth of gaming but what is relevant is whether the growth can continue for another decade.
Grabbing the leisure market
According to data on gaming consumption, the average American adult spends around an hour a day gaming socially online, and streaming of e-sports is gaining popularity. In 2019 the CEO of Netflix said that the company's biggest threat was not Disney or HBO, but that of Fortnite, one of the most popular games in the world.
In 2019, before the pandemic emerged, the industry generated $120 billion in revenue and by 2021 it is projected that 2.7 billion people will be playing games on some platform. The industry has benefitted a lot from smartphones, allowing them to steal time from people commuting or when they have a spare moment. Many games are also designed around the same reward feedback loops invented by social media platforms increasing engagement. The future of gaming will see fierce competition as the high profitable growth in gaming is luring in big technology firms mentioned before. The expectation is that VR/AI will become more dominant features of gaming in the future.
Key risks to consider
The pandemic has lifted revenue growth rates for all gaming companies and elevated their share prices and equity valuations. As society opens on the back of vaccines people are likely to prioritise physical socialising for some time instead of playing video games. This could reduce revenue growth in 2021.Â
Other key risks are the difficulties as a gaming developer to constantly develop the next new game that will captivate users to keep growth high. There are several examples of gaming developers who were once successful, losing their ability to innovate.Â
Many gaming stocks come with rich equity valuation, which means that the implied equity risk premium is low. This means that rising interest rates impact the equity valuations more and thus the risk of rising interest rates in the US should be a key consideration for investors who want exposure to the gaming industry.
Peter Garnry is the Head of Equity Strategy at Saxo Bank


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HERALD DESIGN FORUM 2015
The annual Herald Design Forum returns for its fifth edition on Nov 10, bringing together the design world’s big names to Seoul.
This year, the forum will explore the potential of design when it integrates with other fields such as technology, management, psychology, humanity and art. It will focus on how design acts as an intermediary and comprehensive platform between different industries, merges them, and creates new values in the process.
The forum signals the start of a monthlong celebration of design in Korea, featuring Design Korea (Nov. 11-15) and Seoul Design Week (Dec. 2-6).
Under the theme “Design Platform Creates Value through Integration,” it will offer a glimpse into how design changes the world, with speakers drawn from various fields such as architecture, industrial design, social media, food and 3-D printing.
Date: Nov. 10 (Tuesday) from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Venue: Grand Hyatt Seoul, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, former director of market development and spokeswoman of Facebook
Kim Ju-yoon, CEO of Dot, a smartwatch-maker for the blind
Tom Dixon, creative director of the brand “Tom Dixon”
Arik Levy, creative director of L-Design Studio
Marti Guixe, food designer
Ban Shigeru, architect and winner of Pritzker Prize 2014
Bob van der Lee, CEO of Total Identity
Tommy Li, branding designer in Hong Kong
Janne Kyttanen, founder of Freedom of Creation, a product design company specializing in 3-D printed products
Alvy Ray Smith, cofounder of Pixar
Lee Lee-nam, artist


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Previously in danger of foreclosure, the National Black Theater on 125th Street and Fifth Avenue in Harlem has resolved its financial disputes, the New York Times reported. Help came from Baltoro Capital Management, which recently took over the 64,000-square-foot building, located at 2031 Fifth Avenue, that houses the theater and other tenants, and relieved the theater’s debt of over $10 million.
In addition, Baltoro will keep the theater inside the building rent-free, even if the building gets sold down the line. However, the Times wrote, more details of the partnership between Baltoro and the theater are in the works and neither side would specify exactly how long the theater would be rent-free.
According to city public records, Baltoro purchased the building from an LLC named Nubian Realty in April for $10.4 million.
The theater hosts shows and workshops aimed at fostering respect for African ancestry and African-American self-expression.
The 125th Street strip has seen a lot of retail activity of late, with three new tenants signing on for a 100,000-square-foot retail development slated to be complete by the end of the year near Fredrick Douglass Boulevard, and Burlington Coat factory committing to Jeff Sutton’s planned retail development on Lenox Avenue. [NYT]


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In his recent blog entry “The Ethics of Social Media – Part I: Adjusting to a 24/7 World,” retired Wall Street Journal reporter and editor James Hyatt writes that since the social media explosion, once-resolved issues are having to be rehashed and new predicaments have been born, needing solutions.
In today’s social media-frenzied world, “Businesses have less and less control over how they communicate with the public, while 24/7 bloggers feel free to snipe away,” writes Hyatt. “Job seekers find their private lives may no longer be private and employees worry that the boss is electronically looking over their shoulders,” he adds.
Also, consumers must worry if their online account information is safe and secure, and have no way to know if favorable online reviews about products and businesses are legitimate.
Hyatt says professionals of all kinds, even NFL players, are learning how to live with new social media rules. One customer’s fuming blog entry can ruin a corporate image that has taken months or even years to perfect. A slipshod e-mail can harm contract talks or negotiations. Not protecting customer information online can cost you time and money in litigation. Hitting send without thinking can torpedo an executive’s career.
In just one week, various businesses have come under fire for social media-related gaffes:
- An e-mail rating headshots of the “top 10″ new female employees at the PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin circulated among male employees, went viral and drew widespread criticism.
- A Pacific Gas & Electric executive in California was put on paid leave after joining an online discussion group that criticized the company’s plans to install “smart meters.”
- Attempting to tackle insider trading. Britain’s financial regulator ordered financial services firm to keep records of employee calls made on their cell phones.
Companies as well as individuals are now rethinking their laid-back attitude about putting personal information on the Web. And in Washington, government agencies are adopting new guidelines defining acceptable social media behavior.
In a survey of different organization’s social media issues last year, 24 percent said an employee had been disciplined for activities on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. But half of the respondents for these organizations said they had no policy regarding employee online activity outside of work.
What is your social media policy?
Large, well-known companies have begun to draw up specific rules for social media behavior. While most encourage employee efforts to put companies in a positive light, they also spell out what’s acceptable. Here are some company policies:


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LONDON (ShareCast) - 1623: "Judging by the technicals the market has not only decided that Tesco (Other OTC: TSCDY - news) is going to offer good news, but an event/up-date so positive that traders are taking the equivalent of a running jump - leap of faith if you are a cynic -" Zak Mir tells us Digital Look this evening. He believes a test of resistance at 360p is possible and perhaps even 380p.
1608: Tesco approaching near-term technical resistance at 350p. Aquarius Platinum is up strongly for a second day today. Some market commentary is abscribing the move to 'bottom-fishing´in miners by speculators, who are looking to pick up last year´s worst performers on-the-cheap. For other, however, it has to do with the likelihood that some global platinum production may be pulled off-stream this year.
1533: Investec (LSE: INVP.L - news) has just issued a research note reiterating its negative stance on the food retail sector. Here is a snippet: "Tesco and Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY.L - news) are likely to report strong internet and convenience growth, but the more these grow, the more sales from large stores fall. We estimate that Tesco and Sainsbury have underlying 3-5 per cent, volume declines in core stores (closer to Morrisons than first appears). The market may take solace from fewer openings, but the problem of blurred channels and excess capacity growth (including virtual capacity) is growing." FTSE 100 (FTSE: ^FTSE - news) up 13 to 6,041.
1455: Nouriel Roubini writes in today´s Financial Times that the United States has yet to wake up to the true dimensions of its fiscal crisis.
1330: US initial unemployment claims rose to 372,000 last week, up from 362,000 (upwardly revised from an initial reading of 350,000 for the week before) and versus a consensus forecast of 362,000. Although the seasonal adjustment factors should have corrected for it the data showed a "strong holiday effect" the Department of Labour said.
1330: Economic optimism is on the up, a report by the Institute of Directors (IoD) has found, with business leaders feeling more upbeat about the year ahead than they did this time last year. In a survey of 1,369 IoD members, the findings showed that the proportion of business leaders who believe this year will be an improvement on 2012 is higher than the number who believe it will be worse by a margin of +31%. This compares to last December, when the balance was -31%. The FTSE is up five points at 6,032.
1315: Private sector payrolls in the US gained by 215,000 last month according to data from private consultant ADP (Consensus: 140,000), after an upwardly revised gain of 148,000 for November (from 118,000). Lay-off announcements at large US corporations came in at 32,556 for that same month, after a rise of 57,100 in the previous month, according to the so-called Challenger (SES: E1:573.SI - news) survey. All of the above figures come ahead of the release of tomorrow´s monthly employment report in the US.
1231: More on Aberdeen from Jefferies. "Our short-term tactical call is Aberdeen. We have raised our target price in line with our forecast increases but if markets start 2013 in buoyant mood we believe there is more potential. The key here is momentum: funds continue to flow into high margin pooled products in the global, Asian and emerging markets. Our forecasts assume continued flows but at 80% of their previous rate - this might prove too conservative and with our underlying assumption of 1.5% equity returns per quarter there is room for more optimism here." FTSE 100 down 3 to 6,025.
1230: Chemring is now pacing gains on the FTSE 350. The defence contractor has appointed Steve Bowers as Group Finance Director, the company reported Thursday. Bowers worked as Finance Director for Umeco, a provider of composite materials to aerospace and defence industries until its acquisition by Cytec UK Holdings in July 2012. He was with the company for 13 years in a number of finance roles.
1211: Economists at BNP (Paris: FR0000131104 - news) cut their view on US GDP growth in 2013 by half to 1 per cent.
1210: Analysts at Jefferies have today issued a note in which they update their earnings forecasts for European brokers, asset managers and exchanges. The chief forecast changes for fiscal year 2013 were at Aberdeen and Jupiter where fiscal year 2013 earnings per share (EPS) estimates were increased by +8 per cent and +12 per cent, respectively. They have also adjusted their price targets accordingly as they are driven directly off the cash flows.
1136: After nearly doubling over the previous month the share price of Igas Energy is today enduring a 17 per cent correction.
1135: Market darling Next (Other OTC: NXGPF - news) strong run in the stock market last year seems to be extending into the New Year after the retailer announced that full-year profits will be at least at the higher end of its previous forecasts. Serco is also near the top of the leader board after analysts at Banco Espirito Santo (Other OTC: BKESY - news) upgraded their view on the shares to buy from neutral. The stock prices of several issues whose performance is itself closely correlated to the health of capital markets in general are also doing well today; this is the case of Standard Life (LSE: SL.L - news) , Legal&General and Aberdeen Asset Management (Other OTC: ABDNF - news) . FTSE 100 down 6 to 6,022.
0930: Markit UK construction sector purchasing managers´ index for the month of December falls to 48.7 after 49.3 in the previous month (Consensus: 49.5).
0858: UK Gilt yields rise above 2 per cent for first time since May 2012. Vodafone (LSE: VOD.L - news) is fighting to hold on to technical support.
0820: Markets have edged lower in opening trade, as investors rebalance yesterday's huge gains which saw the FTSE close at 6,027, having gained 130 points throughout the session. Following the relief of averting the raft of tax hikes and spending cuts that the 'fiscal cliff' threatened to bring, investors are now likely to look at the deal more closely and turn their attentions to the US debt ceiling and upcoming spending cuts, to which the country's lawmakers now have around two months to come up with a solution. President Obama has said he would not let the US increase its debt ceiling again in return for a deal on spending cuts. In company news, retailer Next said its full year results would come in towards the top of expectations. Looking to 2013, the group expects consumer spending to remain "subdued but steady" as employment levels continue to stave off a significant downturn. The FTSE is down five points at 6,022.


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After their Summer/Resort 2017 edition at Reliance Jio Garden, the Winter/Festive 2017 edition of Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) will take place at St Regis here starting from August 16 to 20.
“Considering the grand success of the last few seasons of Lakmé Fashion Week, we are thrilled to announce the dates for the Winter/Festive 2017 edition. Once again, we aim to conceptualise path-breaking concepts that take fashion forward and beyond the realms that it currently operates in,” Jaspreet Chandok, Head-Fashion, IMG Reliance Ltd, said in a statement.
With each season, LFW continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
There have been several firsts to its credit over the past couple of seasons. These include launching artisans as designers, presenting the first cruise show in Indian Fashion, a Virtual Reality show, model auditions in the North East and having a transgender model as part of the model pool.
“Lakmé Fashion Week celebrates the best in fashion and beauty, and establishes cutting-edge trends year-on-year. Winter/Festive 2017 will bring to the runway looks that showcase the best of Indian creativity. Whether you’re at our venue or following the event on your mobile screens, you’re assured a not-to-miss season,” said Purnima Lamba, Head of Innovation, Lakmé.
LFW is jointly organised by Lakmé and IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd.


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Americans May Be Using Their Tax Refunds for Healthcare Costs
Have American healthcare costs gotten so high that doctor’s appointments are considered a luxury purchase? New research from JPMorgan Chase suggests just that. According to the Deferred Care study, out-of-pocket healthcare spending increases 60% the week after consumers receive their tax refunds.
To further prove that Americans are spending their tax refunds on healthcare, the study showed an 83% increase in debit card spending. However, there was no change in credit card spending for healthcare before and after tax refunds. “This suggests that liquidity from the tax refund drove the change in healthcare spending,” the report stated. Consumers are using this money to pay for doctor’s visits, dentists appointments and paying off outstanding hospital bills.
This may be a case of unbalanced expectations vs. reality. At the end of last year, only 3% of Americans planned to pay off medical debt with their tax refunds. A much higher 20% said they would put money away in a rainy day fund, and 18% said they would pay off their credit card debts. Chase’s study reveals that despite lavish plans for tax refunds, many Americans are forced to use that money for basic necessities.
There is one other factor to consider. Many Americans switch to a new healthcare plan during the open enrollment period (November 1 to December 15). Those policies may not go into effect until the new year. Tax refunds start going out in mid-February, so the spike in healthcare spending could be from taxpayers taking advantage of their new, lower co-pays. In response to that, the pre-refund daily average stays fairly consistent in January. Thus the jump is most likely from refund itself, not coincidental timing.
If you plan to use your tax refund to pay for medical expenses, your doctor may fewer appointments available due to the influx in patients.