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In depresssing time, Suzuki Motorcycle India has announced a good news today. The company has sold 69,236 units (Domestic + Export) in July 2019 vis-a-vis 58,805 units in July 2018, registering 18% Y-O-Y increase. The cumulative sales for April – July 2019 period stood at 274,309 units. In the domestic market, the company sold 62,366 units in July 2019 as compared to 53,321 units in July 2018.
Commenting on the performance, Mr. Devashish Handa, Vice President, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “July was an exciting month at Suzuki Motorcycle India as we launched new products and variants in both motorcycle and scooter category, further strengthening our product offerings for Indian consumers. Suzuki Motorcycle India is overwhelmed to receive huge response and demand for its products that further translates into higher sales growth. We are steering ahead with full throttle to add more customers to the Suzuki family”
In the month of July, Suzuki Motorcycle India launched new Suzuki Gixxer for motorcycling enthusiasts. The motorcycle proclaims aggressive styling, advanced technology and powerful performance. It is available in three color options–Metallic Sonic Silver/Glass Sparkle Black; Glass Sparkle Black/Metallic Triton Blue and Glass Sparkle Black.
The company also introduced the MotoGP edition of the new Suzuki Gixxer SF boasting Team Suzuki Ecstar decals, enhanced aerodynamic design with edgy character lines adding to the styling as well as functional beauty of the motorcycle. Adding to the enthusiasm of the motorsports followers in the country, the Round 1 of Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2019 was concluded successfully in Coimbatore.
Furthermore, Suzuki Access 125 Special Edition was unveiled in Metallic Matte Bordeaux color making it more appealing and desirable. In addition to this, the Burgman Street was launched in Matte black colour offering joy of riding with luxurious design and premium styling.


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The new chief technology officer Newisys, an early designer of servers built with AMD's Opteron processor. He is responsible for the direction of AMD's overall chip design strategy, which encompasses everything from servers to PCs to newer devices that haven't really gone beyond the drawing board.last year from
On Thursday, the chipmaker is holding a half-day meeting for analysts at its headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., where new details are expected to be revealed about its road map and future direction. Any announcements will receive intense scrutiny, as many people are wondering what AMD has in store for its next trick. It has announced plans for only minor changes this year, such as DDR2 memory support, as it prepares for ain 2007.
In just a few short years, AMD has moved from a niche player known mostly to gamers to acompanies across the world, even convincing longtime holdout Dell to build a server based on its Opteron chip earlier this month. Its market share among retail PCs has also increased over the past year, actually at certain points in the U.S. market. But Intel is declaring that it is back, with the of new processors based on a more power-efficient architecture.
At theQ:When it comes to client software, what is your role in getting the industry ready for the multicore era? conference in Coronado, Calif., recently, Hester sat down with CNET News.com to discuss how AMD is helping the software industry deal with multiple processing cores and gave his take on the hot conference topic, computers for the developing world.
We spend a lot of time really trying to understand the end-user scenarios of "what is the application going to be like that these people would use? And what software characteristics do those applications have?"
If you look at it in the server space, I would argue that more or less all the contemporary applications have been developed for multiprocessing environment. Multicore is just a different way to package that up, and so the server software works well in a multicore environment.
You can't say the same thing about the client software, because you go back 20-plus years down the PC and the client applications, and--other than the possible exception of high-end workstation, dual-processor stuff--those applications always have benefited from single-threaded performance improvements in the processor.
Now that game. If you look at what's happening in the server side of things, you've seen companies build specialized accelerators for things like Java and XML, and the ability to easily add these customized processing blocks around a dual-purpose core processor is something that we think it?s very important. You'll see us do more and talk a quite a bit about that at the upcoming analyst meeting.
It seems that quad-core designs are going to be the way to go for a while. But then some people have started to wonder if you will get into a core race, the way you got into a gigahertz race.
There are only two ways to go faster: Better single-threaded performers or more multithreaded performers. I mean, that's it--those are the two vectors. So the question then becomes, what's the balance between those two? Where we tend to lean right now is that across dual workloads, you could in fact create more cores than you would see a benefit from.
That gets back to discussion about the evolution of the software that's in the client space. For sure, there has got to be thought given about the performance of things beyond quad-core.
What do you guys think about things like (IBM's) Cell processor--that notion of the one larger processor with many smaller cores that do the heavy lifting?
It has its place. Again, it gets back to the question (of) how well does it run across a diverse set of workloads?
For graphics processing, it's a great model, but not for all the applications you are running.. I mean, look at what's happening with the PlayStation 3, for example. I would argue that a lot of the issues around that are the complexity of the software.
It's a hard programming model. If you do it right, it's got some big benefits. (One model we might look at is) potentially a lighter-weight co-processor for specific workloads (around) an architecture that runs well across the diverse set of workloads. If you look at the client or server workloads that we see, you can't optimize for one thing without (hurting) the performance of something else that would be a big issue to enough customers.
The end user has to have a good experience across the whole range of workloads. Some of those workloads and applications--if you were able to accelerate those without penalizing the others, you'd like that. So we kind of start off with the range they use to perform well. Then you could add in things--externally or, at some point, internally--to deal with specialized workloads, where enough of a time you are going to use the benefits from that extra cost.What do you make of this debate over the proper way to ?
Somewhere between 15 percent and 20 percent of the world has a PC. Well, some of those (other) people will need a traditional PC, and there will also be something that merges a cell phone and today's notebook. There will be a lot of focus on power efficiency and cost in those devices, so part of that is also to enable different ways to sell these platforms.
One of the things that we've seen is that...inside emerging countries, the purchase price of the cell phone was an issue that you could fix with a kind of subscription model. There's a similar sort of thing we think would happen on the PC. If you tell somebody this is going to cost $250, and it's a one-time payment before you can get access to it, that's a harder discussion. But if you can make 25 payments of $10 apiece, spread over a period of time--and by the way, you're not going to be forced to pay that amount on regular basis, you'll pay it when you can afford it and the device will work when you cannot afford it.
You also have to deal with the protection of components. When you first get a lot of these devices, someone other than you is on the hook for the liability of the cost. You are in there, you pay for it over time, right, but there is a phenomena that can happen like stripping cars. If somebody steals it, tries to take the components out and sell the components as individual piece parts, for some period of time, there is a higher value in trying to do that than in protecting the device. So you need to think about how you protect the components of these systems to do as much as possible to prevent that sort of thing from happening.
Some participants at the conference have promoted a thin-client architecture for developing nations, which wouldn't require much processing power in each device. What's your take on that?
You just look at, for example, the rural areas, what goes on at the neighborhood school. In number of cases, it would be restricting to say that you have to have a networking infrastructure in place to be able to take the first step. We think there will be devices which would certainly have the ability to run as a thin client with the network attached. But they are still alone going to be standalone-capable computing devices.
I think here in the U.S. and in a lot of developed countries, we now take broadband and, in general, even wireless broadband pretty much for granted. That's not the case in number of these countries. In lot of these places power, for example, is unreliable. They don't even have AC power other than couple of hours a day.

domain: news


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Australian Paralympic gold and silver medallist Kelly Cartwright is set to make her runway debut at this year’s Angels with Wings couture show, the first fashion runway to have a Paralympian model. Dressed in couture body paint by Gold Coast artist, Tracie Eaton, Cartwright, who is a multiple world record holder and cancer survivor, will be the finale model to walk down the runway.
The event is showcasing haute couture, bridal couture and couture body art by national and international couture fashion houses, including Maison De Challie Haute Couture; Belluccio; Coo Culte Australia; Black N Bling; Stephanie Browne Australia; Helena Bridal Studio; the Spectre Collection; Couture Studio; Chavez Inc. and House of Ikons.
The runway’s sci-fi nature theme, Sky Forest, is set to transform the venue into a futuristic forestry wonderland. Intricate designs, textures, and visual art will be used along with lighting techniques and sounds of nature. All models will don butterfly wings, a symbol to promote that beauty comes in many different forms.
“The production team have worked over time to put this together,” said show producer Andrew Claridge. “Couture is something Australia does so well, I’m surprised a show like this had not come to exist sooner.”
Miss World Australia 2015, Tess Alexander will open the event as the Face of Angels with Wings 2018.
“Fashion is art,” said executive producer Neva Weber. “And beauty comes in many forms. It is both inside and outside, it is in your grace and your triumph over adversity. We want to promote both beauty and diversity in one and we believe Tess and Kelly exemplify this.”
Weber hopes to take the fashion events to new heights and has her eyes set on Angels with Wings events in Sydney 2019 and New York 2021.
The event will be held at Peninsula Docklands, Melbourne on October 25.


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Today’s “hemp” products look a lot more like dope than rope, and that’s confusing to consumers and regulators.
Ideas for fixing the Farm Bill and advancing a robust CBD market that prioritizes public safety.
Immediate changes are needed to save one of California’s global-leading heritage industries.
The attempt to track the movement of every cannabis plant is polluting the environment with plastic waste.
Project CBD releases the results of one of the most extensive CBD user surveys to date.


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Amazon and two ex-employees reached a settlement in an illegal retaliation case, a National Labor Relations Board judge announced Wednesday.
The settlement in the case, which involved two women who said they were fired for speaking out against company policies, staves off what could have been a substantive series of hearings for the retail giant.
The amount Amazon will pay the women has not been announced.
The case involved Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who were fired from their jobs in Seattle as user experience designers in April 2020 after they spoke out against the company's climate and labor practices.
Their dismissals drew the attention of senators, including Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Six months later, Cunningham and Costa filed a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, which ruled in their favor.
On Wednesday, after several delays in what was supposed to have been a hearing on Zoom to review the decision, NLRB Administrative Law Judge John Giannopoulos instead briefly announced that the parties had reached an agreement.
Amazon spokesperson Jose Negrete wrote in an emailed statement, "We have reached a mutual agreement that resolves the legal issues in this case and welcome the resolution of this matter."
Cunningham and Costa released a joint statement saying they were "thrilled."
"This is a win for protecting workers rights, and shows that we were right to stand up for each other, for justice, and for our world," the statement said. "Amazon will be required to pay us our lost wages and post a notice to all of its tech and warehouse workers nationwide that Amazon can't fire workers for organizing and exercising their rights.
"It's also not lost on us that we are two women who were targeted for firing," they said. "Inequality, racism, and sexism are at the heart of both the climate crisis and the pandemic."
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which brought the case on the women's behalf, encouraged other workers — unionized or not — to make their voices heard.
"Being able to assist not-yet-unionized workers who were acting in accordance with the law and who were fired has been an honor and responsibility we took very seriously ... and we want to encourage all workers to speak out in a collective and constructive way to improve their workplaces if they so choose," Faye Guenther, president of UFCW 21, said in a statement.
Cunningham and Costa helped found Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an employee advocacy group that protested and advocated for major changes in how Amazon is responding to climate change.
In recent years, Amazon has faced increased scrutiny from labor activists, and it has been found to have violated labor law in some instances, according to previous NLRB rulings.
Last month, a NLRB hearing officer found that Amazon acted improperly during a union vote at a warehouse in Alabama. A ruling from the NLRB regional director in Atlanta is pending.


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ANC Rental Corp. is history.
The holding company for two of the best-known brands in the rental car business went defunct Tuesday, when Cerberus Capital Management purchased substantially all of its assets.
Mired in bankruptcy for almost two years, the parent of National Car Rental System and Alamo Rent A Car will get new financial support from Cerberus, an $8 billion New York hedge fund.
Cerberus agreed to pay $230 million cash and assume $60 million of nonvehicle debt to acquire ANC, which has been protected from creditors under Chapter 11 bankruptcy since November 2001.
The purchase amount will largely go to secured creditors in ANC's bankruptcy, including Lehman Brothers.
ANC, which was spun off as a publicly traded company from AutoNation Inc. in 2000, will no longer have publicly traded shares as a majority-owned subsidiary of Cerberus. ANC stock will be wiped out.
Cerberus has renamed the company Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc. Chief Executive William Lobeck said the plan is to take the brands back to their roots, with National devoted to business travelers and Alamo aimed at vacationers.
In an interview, Lobeck said Vanguard is in the process of aggressively replacing its fleet of older-model cars with new ones. "By the end of the year, 75 percent of the fleet will be 2004 models, and that will go to 100 percent by the early part of the first quarter," he said.
Lobeck said the brands had suffered from drift during the Chapter 11. "Bankruptcy is not a pleasant thing and it brings with it a paralysis where things just don't get done," he said.
The former ANC had a profit in June, July and August, which Lobeck said was the first time in a long time it had three consecutive profitable months.
Lobeck said there are no plans to move Vanguard's headquarters from Fort Lauderdale although eventually he would like to consolidate its facilities in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale under one roof. Vanguard employs about 1,700 people in South Florida.
The Vanguard management team includes Jeff Parell, executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Tyler Best, chief information officer. Tom Kennedy was recruited from Northwest Airlines to be chief financial officer.
Former ANC chief executive Bill Plamondon will serve as a consultant to Vanguard, Lobeck said.
Michael Egan, the longtime head of Alamo and former chairman of ANC, is not associated with the new company, Lobeck said.
Tom Stieghorst can be reached at email@example.com or at 305-810-5008.


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It’s official that Samsung is all set to launch the flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 series today at the annual Galaxy Unpacked event.
The event will begin at 6:00 pm local time and just as we have mentioned in a previous article, we expect Samsung to launch three devices in its flagship S series. They include the Samsung Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 + and Galaxy S22 Ultra.
You can check out the event live on Samsung Newsroom and Samsung’s YouTube channel starting at around for an in-depth look at the devices the company will be unveiling.
The panel discussion will be led by Charles Kimari, the Head of Integrated Mobile at Samsung Electronics East Africa, Foi Wambui, a Samsung Brand Influencer, Dickson Otieno from Tech-ish, Emmanuel Chenze from Android Kenya and Nixon Kanali from here at TechTrendsKE.
The panel is also part of our 24Bit podcast so don’t worry in case you miss out. You will still be able to catch it through the different podcast streaming platforms you may be using.
You can read more on what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event here.


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Liverpool have announced a new shirt-sleeve sponsor after agreeing a deal with travel website Expedia.
Expedia replaces Western Union, whose deal with the Reds was terminated in the summer.
A press release from LFC reads:
Liverpool FC and Expedia, one of the world’s largest full-service travel sites, have set off on a multi-year agreement that will position the travel platform as a principal partner of the club, landing on the shirt sleeve of both men’s and women’s team kit.
As Liverpool FC’s Official Travel Companion, Expedia will create emotionally driven campaigns through access to players, matchday visibility and branded content.
Communication will focus on empowering fans to discover, book and enjoy the journey as well as the destination, maximising their experience for when football and travel will return to normal.
* The Expedia shirt-sleeve patch will be available free of charge from December to all fans who have already purchased an official 2020-21 Liverpool FC shirt in store and online. Supporters purchasing new shirts will be able to add the Expedia patch to their shirt at point of purchase from December too.


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TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Poultry companies sued by Oklahoma in 2005 should be prohibited from allowing waste generated by birds owned, leased or otherwise controlled by them to be applied on fields in the Illinois River watershed in excess of a certain amount, the state of Oklahoma argues in a document filed Friday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Las Vegas-based company and its owners have been sentenced to three years probation for distributing a toxic pet food ingredient. Prosecutors in Kansas City say 43-year-old Sally Qing Miller and 57-year-old Stephen S. Miller also must pay a $5,000 fine, and their company, Chemnutra Inc.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century. Five crates of Scotch whisky and two of brandy have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Ice cracked some of the bottles that had been left there in 1909, but the restorers said Friday they are confident the five crates contain intact bottles "given liquid can be heard when the crates are moved.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment. The new design has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal officials voted Thursday night to adopt urgent safety recommendations in response to last year's deadly explosion at a Slim Jim snack factory in North Carolina. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board approved the recommendations Thursday night by a 2-1 vote taken following a public hearing in Raleigh.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Capping a decade-long battle, private companies in Mexico have begun the first legal plantings of genetically modified corn, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. Environmentalists and farm groups announced they have filed an appeal with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, arguing the government has been unwilling or unable to halt the illicit spread of GM crops in Mexico, the birthplace of corn.
GRAMERCY, La. (AP) — One of the largest sugar cane refineries in the country is scheduled to begin operations in 2011. Construction officially began Wednesday on the Louisiana Sugar Refining plant at Gramercy. The $190 million project is a joint venture between Cargill Inc., Imperial Sugar Co.
LONDON (AP) — Three top officials at Cadbury PLC announced Wednesday their intention to step down, after the British candy maker's shareholders approved Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the company. Todd Stitzer would leave his post as chief executive officer, following a 27-year career at the company, Cadbury said in a statement.
WASHINGTON (USDA) — USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $24 million in grants to study animal heath, reproduction, breeding, genetics and nutrition. The agriculture animal industry plays a crucial role in the success and growth of the nation's economy, accounting for 42 percent of forecast U.
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans' love affair with top-shelf booze cooled last year as the recession took a toll on high-priced tipples. People drank more liquor but turned to cheaper brands, according to a report by an industry group. They also drank more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants in an effort to save money.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Only months ago, dairy producers were slaughtering an average of 50,000 dairy cows a week because a milk glut made it impossible to sell their milk for what it cost to produce. Now, with prices improving, dairy farmers are reversing course, saying they'll produce as much milk as possible this year.
BEIJING (AP) — Three dairy plant managers and one milk powder dealer in central China have been arrested for allegedly selling milk products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, shortly after the government launched a 10-day crackdown. The chemical, which is used to manufacture plastics and fertilizer, became a household name in China in 2008, when six children died and 300,000 were sickened after drinking tainted baby formula.
NEW YORK (AP) — Kraft's successful bid for European candy maker Cadbury could put the company in a good position to benefit from both better productivity in Europe and growth in emerging markets, a UBS analyst said Wednesday. Analyst David Palmer and upgraded Kraft's stock to "Buy".
WASHINGTON (USDA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday USDA's intention to purchase $29.1 million worth of blueberry, pear, potato, peach and mixed fruit products for federal food nutrition assistance programs. "These purchases will help stabilize prices and markets, stimulate the economy, and provide high quality, nutritious food to schools and food banks while assisting blueberry, pear, potato, peach and mixed fruit producers," said Vilsack.
NORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Cadbury PLC shareholders have voted to approve Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. The majority vote marks the final step in Kraft's months-long battle to acquire the company. The deal creates of the world's largest confectionary company and greatly expands Kraft's global reach.
NEW YORK (Reuters) — U.S. manufacturing expanded in January at its fastest pace since 2004 but consumers increased their spending only slightly in December, worried by job prospects and the state of the economy. Although the manufacturing sector has been expanding since August, the data released on Monday showed that the economic recovery is likely to be modest, especially with the jobless rate at 10 percent, an almost 26-year high.
BEIJING (Canadian Press) — China has launched a 10-day emergency crackdown on tainted milk products after several were found creeping back onto the market despite a massive scandal that sickened hundreds of thousands of children in 2008. No one knows how many tainted milk products are still on the market, a member of the country's food safety committee, Chen Junshi, was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper Tuesday.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. faces a deadline Tuesday to get the majority of Cadbury PLC shareholders to approve its $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. Shareholders are expected to approve the deal. Kraft announced its intent to acquire the company in September, and the deal quickly turned hostile.
Ottawa ON (Canadian Stroke Network) — Two of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence — the Canadian Stroke Network and the Advanced Foods & Materials Network — today awarded the third annual national "Salt Lick Award" to Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees. This choice was made because the "Chicken & Pasta Wheel Pickups" dinner serves up the sodium equivalent to two orders of medium McDonald's Fries.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels backed away Monday from a plan to carve out about half of the budget for state inspections of meat processors after complaints that it would drive some plants out of business and hurt small livestock farms. The budget of the Meat and Poultry Inspection Program will be cut by less than 50 percent and some state inspectors will lose their jobs, Doug Metcalf, chief of staff for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, told The Associated Press on Monday.


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MacMinute reports that “in an interview with Neil McIntosh of The Guardian, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that the iPod is no longer meant to lead PC users to switch to the Mac platform. ‘We brought the iPod to Windows. That was a big decision. That was basically a decision not to use the iPod to drive people to Macs,” Jobs said after Tuesday’s iTunes event in Europe. ‘We’re going to use it as a music device, and we’re going to put it on Windows. The majority of iPods we sell are used on Windows.’”
I'm a passionate, long-time lover of Apple products, and was a civil draftsman and graphic designer before creating the iLounge web site. My prior projects include work for The Los Angeles Times' LATimes.com, and the company Creative Domain, where I developed websites for clients including Columbia Pictures, Disney, Fox Studios, Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers. As the Publisher of iLounge, I direct the site's community forums, photo galleries, iPod User Group, and general business affairs, which have grown under my watch to over sixteen million page views every month. I'm happily married with one daughter, one dog (Rocket the Wonderdog), one cat (Ferris), many iPods, iPhones, iPads, and two turntables.


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In celebrating the 25th anniversary of luxury brand Louis Vuitton being present in Australia, the high-profile company is opening a new flagship store Down Under. Not just a retail shop, however, the location will account for yet another Louis Vuitton Maison, of which can also be found in New York, London, Tokyo and Paris. To heighten the overall brand experience, the Australian destination will feature highly intriguing creations by artist Billie Achilleos, including a variety of native creatures, decked out in Louis Vuitton.


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How Internet Users Feel About Marketing At Social Media Sites, September 2012 [CHART]
Adding to the need for marketers to approach social marketing somewhat cautiously, consumers have displayed time and again an indifference to—or at worst, annoyance at—marketing messages pushed at them on social media, instead preferring to use such platforms to engage in more conversational interactions. And it should come as no surprise that consumers were predisposed to marketing messages from brands and companies that they had already chosen to “follow” or “like.”
The annoyance rate of consumers who saw ads from brands they followed was 11%, but jumped to 24% for those confronted with social media marketing messages from brands they didn’t follow, showing that tolerance for unsolicited messages was noticeably lower. Read the rest at eMarketer.


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Apple Inc. prides itself on recording better growth than other PC makers, however, that is changing. Apple’s laptops are getting stale with age and due to this MacBook is suffering as retailers resort to higher discounts and sales plummet.
Apple losing to rivals
Apple announced that it sold 4.3m Macs during the most recent quarter ending in June. Compared to the same period last year, it’s an 11% drop. The sales was not much better than the previous quarter, when the firm sold only 4m Macs – a 12% decline over the previous year.
As per market researcher IDC’s most recent figures released earlier this month, Asus, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard saw a positive growth in the Q2. For instance, IDC said Asus went ahead of Apple to take the fourth-spot in overall PC shipments whereas HP saw 5% year-to-year growth.
Who’s to blame?
In an email, Linn Huang – an IDC analyst – told Foxnews.com, “I think it’s fair to ask ‘What has Apple done with the MacBook lineup lately?’” Huang further noted that MacBooks are no longer anywhere near some of the most interesting products on the market today even when they are still some of the best designed products on the market today.
One of the main issues behind low sales is the meat of Apple’s MacBook lineup seems almost frozen in time. Neither the MacBook Pro nor the MacBook Air has seen any physical redesign in years. Recently, CRN, an industry publication that writes about computer resellers, cited concern from firms that are authorized to consult for the iPhone maker.
MacWorks, LLC, an Apple Inc. consultant based in Madison, Conn is one of those “concerned” firms. Jerry Zigmont – owner of MacWorks – told Foxnews.com, “It’s of great concern to us. It just seems that Apple is ignoring their lineup of desktop and mobile computers. They need to put more attention into the MacBook line.”
Zigmont is worried that as Apple puts more emphasis on the iOS products, such as iPhone and iPad, it may be neglecting the MacBook line. “There’s no file system built into an iPad so it’s not practical to talk about that as a laptop replacement,” he said.
Incredible discounts on MacBooks
All these things have resulted into aggressive discounting by retailers. Recently, AppleInsider said Apple authorized resellers are offering triple-digit discounts on iMac and MacBooks with no tax and free shipping in most states. For instance, one dealer has been offering a 13-inch high-end MacBook Air with a $300 discount. Earlier, another dealer had been offering the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro for $400 off on the regular price of $1,999 or $1,599.99 shipped.
The new Apple Inc. MacBook – the 12-inch Retina MacBook – is continuing to see steep discounting as well. As per the deals posted on AppleInsider’s deal site, a high-end model of the 2015 version was being discounted by $550.


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After the successful launch of flagship N1, Oppo has announced the launch of its second smartphone in the Indian market today. The phone is dubbed as Oppo Neo, and unlike N1, it’s a mid-range smartphone which is priced at 11,990.
According to the press release shared by company, the Oppo Neo features 4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) FWVGA IPS sensitive touch screen with glove mode and dual-SIM support. It works on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean based Color ROM, and packs 1.3GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM and usual 4GB of internal storage.
Among other specifications, it has 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 32GB microSD support and usual connectivity features such as 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. Oppo has included 1900 mAh battery to the phone which is rated to offer ample talk time and standby time to users.
In addition, the frame of Oppo Neo is made of high-end materials and has Quick Reach mode that lets you draw a pattern on the screen and double tap on the display to launch apps easily.
The new Oppo N1 was first announced in Indonesia early this year, and India is the second country to get the smartphone so early. The phone comes in Black and White colour options. It would be available soon in the country.


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from the not-keeping-it-all-bottled-up-inside dept.
zacharye writes "Microsoft is no stranger to criticism these days, and the company's new Windows 8 platform is once again the target of a scathing review from a high-profile user. Well-known Internet entrepreneur and MIT professor Philip Greenspun handed Windows 8 one of its most damning reviews yet earlier this week, calling the new operating system a 'Christmas gift for someone you hate.' Greenspun panned almost every aspect of Microsoft's new software, noting that Microsoft had four years to study Android and more than five to examine iOS, but still couldn't build a usable tablet experience..."
I judge a religion as being good or bad based on whether its adherents
become better people as a result of practicing it.
- Joe Mullally, computer salesman


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Vietnam has been among the top 10 countries in terms of cross-border data transfer in the past decade.
Head of the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS) Nguyen Quang Dong cited data from Nikkei Asia financial newspaper in a recent webinar focusing on cross-border data transfer and privacy protection held by the IPS as saying
The event aimed to find measures to protect users’ data safety and privacy without affecting the flow of data, deemed an artery of the digital economy.
The flow benefits the development of international trade as part of the global economy, but also poses challenges to Vietnam in terms of policies.
Therefore, seeking a suitable pathway is key to the country’s digital economy development.
Digital economy surged to 14 billion USD last year from just 3 million USD recorded in 2015, according to President of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association Nguyen Minh Hong. The figure is forecast to hit 52 billion USD by 2025.
Balance between data exchange, including personal and cross-border data, and privacy protection in a bid to strengthen users’ trust, is among the topics for building policies in Vietnam.
In the absence of protection mechanisms, the risks of data abuse will be tremendous for users, communities and countries, said Hong, who is also the former Deputy Minister of Information and Communications.
Vietnam’s building of legal regulations on cross-border data transfer are still in the initial phase, experts said.
The country should work to realise the twin targets of promoting the free flow of data for digital economy development, and ensuring safety and privacy for users, Dong said, adding supplementary measures should also be considered in the sector.
Accelerating digital transformation in businesses
Digital transformation has opened opportunities for businesses to participate more deeply in global supply chains and value chains, contributing to improving competitiveness, helping them connect closer to customers, and restructuring businesses.
However, to help digital transformation in businesses be more effective and successful, it is crucial to have a new way of thinking and new capabilities in the operation towards combining people and machines on the basis of digital technologies and digital data.
Changing mindsets and perceptions
The Government’s National Digital Transformation Programme to 2025, with orientation until 2030, has set out the goals of developing a digital government to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness; developing a digital economy to improve the competitiveness of the economy; and developing digital infrastructure to narrow the digital gap. In particular, digital transformation is the main means and an appropriate, pioneering, and revolutionary policy.
The actual implementation in some enterprises and localities shows that the digital transformation process has been only considered as non-professional work, in addition to the political and economic goals being carried out. The awareness and selection of technology, ecosystem, people, and financial capacity have not been synchronized nor given due attention in some instances and in some places. This mindset is currently a barrier and a challenge that makes the transformation difficult to reach success.
Recalling the intention to apply digital transformation in her business 5-7 years ago, General Director of Hong Duc Education Equipment Joint Stock Company Vu Thi Ngoc Anh said when starting to apply digital transformation, many employees and even managers of the company have not kept up with new technology, so they objected strongly because they thought it was complicated and they were afraid to do it all over again. In addition, some individuals have not been clearly aware of the benefits of digital transformation in businesses, so they have refused to do.
Due to the lack of experience, some units have applied many software and technologies at the same time, causing a lack of linkage and synchronousness in data and systems and leading to many errors. The challenges mentioned above have caused the digital transformation process at the companies to fall into a “stalemate” because they do not know where to start and how to do it right. Therefore, digital transformation is a big problem for the whole business.
To solve that problem, business leaders need to take action with a digital mindset. Then the digitization and innovation from the normal system to the digital system will be taken into account, in which digitized results converted to building a management reporting system linked to the database. Finally, the businesses should make a full transformation. Currently, most Vietnamese enterprises have failed in digital transformation or confused data digitization with digital transformation, due to financial problems and a lack of technology knowledge among business leaders.
Human resources – the decisive factor
According to a recent survey by the Vietnam Confederation of Trade and Industry (VCCI), 23.8% of surveyed businesses knew about digital transformation but they lack financial and human resources for the implementation and 90% of surveyed businesses announced their digital transformation has not been successful.
Only 11% of businesses succeeded in digital transformation, the remaining 89% were “lost” in the digital transformation process with four main reasons, including misperception and benefits of digital transformation unconnected with businesses’ goals, and a lack of necessary resources or favorable digital ecosystem. In addition, most small and micro enterprises believe that digital transformation is the “playground” of big businesses.
VCCI Vice President Bui Trung Nghia assessed that, along with the rapid development of technology, the application of digital initiatives and digital technology solutions will help businesses add socio-economic values towards sustainable development. However, it has been said that the digital transformation process in Vietnam is facing many barriers due to the uneven business quality foundation, relatively low management level, inadequate digital technology supply, etc. Therefore, digital transformation requires drastic and innovative thinking and actions from management agencies as well as from businesses, organizations, and local authorities. Digital transformation is not only the investment in technology, but also transformation in terms of management, approach, and human resources.
According to the annual report on digital transformation in enterprises in 2022, up to 48.8% of businesses have undergone digital transformation but no longer continue because the solution is not suitable or is no longer appropriate in the current context of the businesses. There are many reasons leading to the above situation, but, according to experts, the first is due to the incorrect perception and thinking of business leaders about digital transformation. Many businesses have just used digital technology solutions for a short time, but because they found it ineffective or had to spend a lot of money on initial technology investment, they stopped deploying it.
According to calculations, the actual cost of technology in digital transformation in enterprises only accounts for about 20% of the total cost of digital transformation. The purchase of application software for business is not difficult, but the problem is to exploit its value. Thinking and understanding digital transformation is a decisive factor for the success of the digital transformation process in businesses. Therefore, business owners must master their internal problems and the implementation method should be based on the capacity and reality of each business to find and apply suitable, correct, and sufficient technology for enterprises.
After having a clear implementation process, businesses can work with partners on digital transformation, then they will also understand the problems of the businesses to come up with a plan for implementation in an appropriate and effective manner.
Source: Nhân Dân
No subsidy for rich electric car buyers: finance ministry
The state budget is prioritized to serve poor people and people in remote areas, while EV buyers are mostly wealthy people, the finance ministry explained.
As the budget is limited and the country has other priorities like infrastructure development, social welfare and hunger and poverty elimination, the transport ministry’s suggestion is not suitable at the moment, the finance ministry added.
In a draft policy on facilitating the nation’s transition to EVs and stopping the use of fossil fuels, the transport ministry suggested lower taxes and fees as well as aid of $1,000 for each EV purchase.
The finance ministry also rejected the proposal that preferential tax policies are issued for EV imports, saying such a policy would negatively impact the domestic auto industry, add pressure on the country’s traffic infrastructure and reduce the state budget’s revenues.
On preferential tax policies for manufacturing and assembly of EVs and EV batteries, the ministry said such products were already subject to low taxes under some schemes. Therefore, the effectiveness of such policies has to be studied more carefully.
On charger components, the ministry repeated that preferential import tax policies were already in place. It urged the transport ministry to work with other ministries on adding more locations to install charging stations.
Vietnam’s emergence as a major electric vehicle (EV) market in Southeast Asia has been reflected in the rush of new models being introduced by leading automakers looking to tap rising demand as the nation proceeds towards its 2050 zero emissions target.
Source: The Investor
Vinfast, Be Group, Digital Bank Cake by VPBank team up to support Be drivers switching to electric vehicles
Be, the on-demand multi-service consumer platform has formally signed a collaboration agreement with VinFast and the Cake by VPBank digital bank to encourage beBike drivers to migrate from fuel to electric motorcycles. The collaboration is part of an effort to further the green transformation trend.
As a result of this cooperation, thousands of Be drivers will directly benefit from VinFast’s support policies as well as have the opportunity to access optimal financial solutions from Cake by VPBank.
According to the first phase of the collaboration agreement, VinFast will assist Be drivers in moving from gasoline motorcycles to VinFast Feliz S electric motorcycles by granting a 4% discount on the quoted price for each motorcycle. Furthermore, Be drivers will benefit from all other VinFast stimulation programs in accordance with the company’s general strategy.
Cake by VPBank Digital Bank offers Be drivers cutting-edge digital financing options to buy VinFast Feliz S at 0% interest. For instance, the loan application and approval process can be completed online in minutes without visiting a bank.
“The cooperation agreement of VinFast – Be Group – Cake by VPBank gives Be drivers the opportunity to own and use smart, modern, environmentally friendly electric motorbikes with optimal costs, simple and convenient procedures. This cooperation will give customers access to safe and refined transportation alternatives, contributing directly to the Government’s net-zero carbon emission target by 2050,” said Ms. Ho Thanh Huong, CEO of VinFast Vietnam.
Thanks to the expertise and capabilities of the multi-service consumer platform Be, Be Group is confident in striving for higher targets in popularizing the culture of “green vehicles”.
Ms. Vu Hoang Yen – CEO of Be Group shared: “After the initial phase of collaboration, working with the GSM partner yielded a lot of positive signals and outcomes. In particular, the total number of electric taxi trips has seen steady growth. It now represents 6% of all car-trips in Be (compared to an average 2 – 5 per cent EV trip contribution of other ride-hailing platforms). Be hopes and expects to promote the plan to achieve the greater objective of popularizing the practice of utilizing green cars for Be drivers and encouraging the growth of green transportation across the country. Be will keep introducing products and services that are more suited to the demands of Vietnamese consumers in the future.”
Observations about the newly signed cooperation agreement, Mr. Nguyen Huu Quang – CEO of Cake by VPBank, stated: “The program brings fast, creative credit financing solutions, with the highest benefits for drivers. In particular, the trio-party cooperation between Cake – Be – VinFast will open up a development strategy in all aspects between Vietnam’s leading financial, technology, and manufacturing enterprises to promote comprehensive digital services, popularize electric vehicles, and foster environmental protection. In the near future, Cake will keep working with VinFast to research the best financing options for customers looking to acquire electric automobiles.”
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Symptoms: Pimple-like red bumps that become large abscesses on the skin with the potential of joint, bone, blood, lung and heart infections that can become fatal.
Some well-informed people may already be taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy and avoid these symptoms, while others may be unaware of the increasing drug-resistant bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. MRSA is a skin-dwelling strain of the Staphylococcus aureus infection. It is making headlines after the Center for Disease Control released a report last month stating that this infection caused 19,000 US deaths in 2005, nearly 2,000 more than that of AIDS the same year.
With the October deaths of a Virginia high school student and New York City middle school student, the overall awareness of this “super bug” is growing like the strain itself. It is reported that MRSA dwells in communal areas like gyms and can be transferred through sharing personal hygiene products like towels, a profile that UM’s Wellness Center fits perfectly.
For anyone like myself, who enjoys daily trips to UM’s Wellness Center, lack of appropriate hygiene precautions puts all of us at risk of MRSA every time we step onto the elliptical machine or pump out ten reps on the bench press. Wellness Center patrons are greeted at the entrance to the gym with a sign reminding them to bring towels and wipe down machines to avoid the spread of germs. I have observed, like George Costanza, that the majority of people don’t separate their skin and sweat from the machine with a small hand towel (some use washcloths, read: useless), and when a towel may be a carrier of MRSA, people aren’t truly cleaning up after themselves.
At least the Wellness Center usually has two, maybe three nearly-empty bottles of what they claim to be the disinfectant, Virex, accompanied by wet, dirty towels – staph breeding grounds. Cardio equipment users often wipe down their machines with the dirty water-looking chemical, but no one seems to realize that the weight machines and benches need constant cleaning as well; the occasional cleaning by the “Can I Help U?” crew proves worthless the second someone uses the machine.
Where are the dozens of spray bottles and towels next to the weight machines? What about tubs of disposable disinfecting wipes?
Here is an idea: Let us get one of our smart infectious disease specialists from the medical school to organize a plan to use the appropriate disinfectants and cleaning treatments that will help prevent the spread of MRSA.
With MRSA on the mind and skin, it is becoming clearer to medical professionals and well-informed citizens alike that necessary precautions must be taken to keep our exercise, learning and working environments as clean as possible. Implementing a larger cleaning plan will help prevent the Wellness Center from becoming “MRSA Central.” In her February 2007 Hurricane article, Amy Sofka voiced some complaints about the Wellness Center, including the relatively nonexistent cleaning precautions. Since nothing has changed, I suggest we work on this as soon as possible. Despite the Wellness Center promoting health and fitness with exercise classes, yoga and nutrition courses, obviously cleanliness is not equal to wellness.
Sam Rega is a senior majoring in motion pictures and philosophy. He may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org. Visit his blog at samrega.blogspot.com.


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I Love Barcelona’ has inaugurated a new restaurant in Badalona’s C/ del Mar.
The franchise ‘I Love Empanada‘ has opened its seventh establishment in the province of Barcelona. Located at Carrer del Mar 93 (Badalona), and advised by the real estate consultant Laborde Marcet, this opening confirms the popularity of empanadas as one of the most attractive gastronomic options among the Spanish public.
The Badalona location will soon be joined by two new locations: Santa Coloma de Gramanet and La Maquinista shopping center. Regarding the brand’s expansion trend, Damián Forneris, CEO of I Love Empanada, explains that his goal is to “finish the year with 16 restaurants open”. In that regard, Forneris, who moved his business from the United States after the pandemic, says: “We are talking about an expected growth of one new opening per month for the next two years“.
You can read the article in the Expansión newspaper
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Tourism in Barcelona is recovering pre-pandemic figures, with the hotel sector standing out. Even so, the price of rooms has risen by 18% in March,
Gradually, the long shadow of the pandemic begins to fade on the streets. For decades, the promenades and avenues of Barcelona havehas been one of


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Maria’s Pantry has opened in Downtown Dartmouth, for now with limited lunch service and ready to go pantry items. The shop specializes in made from scratch sauces and pasta.
The King’s Wharf Market has opened replacing Le Marche. There is a new owner with new ideas. Looking to carry more local goods and still be a convenience store for the King’s Wharf area.
A new location of Asian grocery and variety store Loong 7 has opened in Bedford West in the same plaza as Morris East on Nine Mile Rd. Their first store opened on Brenton Street off Spring Garden Road last year
European sports retailer Decathlon is giving us a taste of what they offer. They have opened a smaller pop-up shop across from the former Forever 21 in Dartmouth where they are actively renovating to open later this year.
Made in the Maritimes has opened their new flagship store at 210 Chain Lake Drive in Bayer’s Lake this replaces their Sunnyside Mall store. You can also find them in the Hydrostone and their Peggys Cove seasonal store.
The Pennington’s at the Halifax Shopping Centre Annex is closing. The other local locations of Pennington’s are staying open while their sister store Addition Elle is closing all stores.
The arrival of Tomavo has been such a success that the produce store has moved their Bedford Common location across the parking lot to a larger location. Tomavo who already had multiple locations in NB opened the Bedford spot late last year. There is also a forthcoming Bayers Lake location set to open next month.
When it opens, the new Bedford SuperStore on Hogan Court will be following the model of the Loblaw’s City Market. These smaller footprint stores have a greater concentration on gourmet, fresh and prepared foods.
Norbert’s at the Seaport have closed their cafe, they will be setting up a tent outside the market selling their vegetables though
Daniel Curren has always loved ice cream, always loved to cook and always wanted to own a food business.
“I made my first batch of ice cream at home about five years ago using liquid nitrogen — I was instantly hooked,” says Curren, who recently opened Tatamagouche Ice Creamery.
“I discovered that the world of ice cream was full of possibilities beyond what we traditionally think.”
The shop recently opened on the main stretch of downtown Tatamagouche, in a small building with a garage door right along the sidewalk that opens wide and invites in pedestrians.
Tatamagouche is famous for its butter, which used to be produced at the Tatamagouche Creamery.
“A fantastic arts centre and farmers market now operate out of the old buildings,” Curren says.
“The creamery is still very much central to the identity of the village, though, and we are thrilled to bring back a functioning dairy to Tatamagouche. We hope to pay homage to that history with our name, our brand and the quality of our product.“
Tatamagouche Ice Creamery is bringing creative flavours to customers, things like corn flakes, buttered popcorn and pistachio while having tried and true flavours. It has also been running special flavour series like Canada Day and breakfast, which saw flavours like butter tart, cinnamon roll, rum raisin and blueberry pancakes. This week, there will be Christmas-in-July flavours.
“We have a few small producers making some great products in the province, but homemade ice cream is not widely available, and after Scotsburn was sold, it’s not local anymore and the ice cream isn’t the same,” says Curren. Scotsburn sold its ice cream division to Quebec dairy giant Agropur in 2016.
Curren also sings the virtues of Tatamagouche.
“It’s a quaint, gorgeous village that just comes alive with cottagers and tourists in the summer. Anyone who has ever strolled along Main Street can tell you that there is a vibrancy to this village that has sadly been lost throughout much of rural Canada, and that vibrancy is due in no small part to the area’s fierce support of the local, small business.”
His family also has strong ties to the area.
“My grandfather grew up on Magazine Hill; he is now one of the veterans residing at Camp Hill,” Curren says.
“Magazine Hill had been known as Curren Hill before the government expropriated the land after World War II. My family ran the Curren Brothers Dairy on Magazine Hill, and it was Grandad’s little piece of heaven.
“Granddad might also be the biggest ice cream lover going. He’d always take us for ice cream on the way to the cottage just outside Tatamagouche. It wasn’t my reason for opening the shop, but I know he’s tickled pink that the family is back in the dairy business and in ice cream, of all things.”
There are plans to roll out products to restaurants and retail outlets throughout the province, but in the meantime, they can be found at the centre of the charming Main Street of Tatamagouche.
I love that every few years that this sign gets exposed when it’s in between tenants. Tony’s Corner was a neighbourhood store and the Morrone family still owns the property and I have love that they saved their father’s sign even though the store actually closed decades ago
Chebucto @ Quinn
I was skeptical, but Starbucks is indeed opening in Truro on Robie just off the exit by the PetroCanada
Costco grocery items are now available via e-commerce site Instacart for home delivery in parts of HRM, and it doesn’t seem you need a Costco membership to order them.


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By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Maybe it's Ford's refusal to take bailout money, or maybe the Obama gang just likes the company's hybrids, but team is a big fan of the car company. The proof: President Obama and spokesman Robert Gibbs drive Escape hybrids. And now, Ford tells Whispers, former Obama campaign manager and adviser David Plouffe is sitting nicely in a Fusion Hybrid.
Over the weekend and just in time for Earth Day, Plouffe took delivery of a black Fusion—41 mpg city and 36 mpg highwayat Delaware's Sheridan Ford, we heard on Sunday. Sheridan is in his hometown of Wilmington. Talk about a sales event. And Ford didn't let it pass. "It's a great time to buy a car, and we are thrilled the Plouffe family decided to purchase the Fusion Hybrid," says Said Deep, Ford's spokesman. "Americans want to feel good about the purchases they make, but they don't want to compromise on quality or performance. Ford gets this, and through our commitment to fuel efficiency, quality, innovation, and advanced technology, we will continue to lead the way in the drive to be green."
Check out more Washington Whispers.


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As of yesterday, Dominaria United has officially launched; on MTG Arena at least. While paper players must wait another week to get their hands properly on the set, Arena players are already living it up. In a welcome twist of fate, MTG Arena players are even able to enjoy themselves with this latest release.
Off to a Good Start
After the launch of MTG Arena’s last set, Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate, many players didn’t have high hopes for Dominaria United. To put it lightly, the launch of Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate was plagued with bugs. Players had issues logging in for days, cards weren’t behaving as they should, and the sound bug appeared. Thankfully, most of these issues were quickly fixed by Wizards of the Coast, but Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate certainly didn’t start on the right foot.
Leading up to Dominaria United’s release, the MagicArena subreddit was inundated with posts expecting a disaster. From general complaints to a disappointing bingo card, there was plenty of preemptive resentment towards Wizards of the Coast. Somewhat remarkably, however, Wizards of the Coast appears to have pulled it out of the bag. Dominaria United has launched on MTG Arena, mainly without a hitch. While there are still a few complaints going around, Wizards is, for once, actually being praised by Arena players.
Alongside praise for Dominaria United’s design choices and limited environment, players are remarkably appeased by Arena’s digital-only offerings. Specifically, Arena’s latest stickers, which are usually a point for complaint, are this time being laundered. By fully embracing memes from three years ago, Wizards of the Coast has won the community’s hearts. Even those on the paper-based MagicTCG subreddit are fond of these adorable stickers!
Not All Good News
Unfortunately, as we briefly mentioned, the launch of Dominaria United wasn’t entirely without fault. As is typical from the launch of any game or update, players did have to deal with a few bugs here and there. Thankfully, some of these bugs were at least adorable. As players have noted across the MagicArena subreddit, the Bjorn pet appears to be going walkabouts. Rather than sitting in their preordained spots, MTG Arena’s pets have been spotted invading the battlefield. With the MTG Arena Twitter account showcasing this bug before release, however, there’s a chance it may be intended.
While players enjoy the antics of one Arena pet, another is already getting on players’ nerves. Introduced in Dominaria United, the new Squee pet is dividing opinion by launching at every point of damage taken. While many players are frustrated by this vicious mockery, which can mercifully be silenced by muting your opponents, others are praising and reveling in King Squee’s acoustic warfare.
Not all Dominaria United’s newly introduced MTG Arena bugs are so innocent, however, as select cards are functioning incorrectly. Abundant Harvest, for instance, no longer allow players to choose a Land when selecting the cards options. Instead, players are only allowed to choose between “nonland” and “nonland permanent,” which isn’t very helpful to landlocked players. Players are also reporting issues with Liliana of the Veil’s ultimate ability, as it’s not giving them the option to choose between the separated piles of cards.
Meanwhile, Magic Online has been suffering from its own issues, with lands not untapping and Fires of Victory doing literally nothing. Thankfully, however, Wizards of the Coast has been quick to address these problems, already fixing the land issue.
Trial by Fire
While Wizards of the Coast may have had a primarily successful MTG Arena launch for Dominaria United, the worst may be yet to come. Later this month, from the 24th to the 25th of September, all eyes will be on Arena for the Arena Championships 1. As the biggest competitive tournament hosted on MTG Arena, with a total prize pool of $200,000, Wizards must ensure everything goes smoothly for this event. Thankfully with over three weeks until then, Wizards of the Coast should hopefully be able to get everything ship shape.
Previously, giving Wizards three weeks to fix a problem like the audio bug would have felt generous. Following the launch of Dominaria United on MTG Arena, however, Wizards appears to have turned over a new leaf. With some timely bug fixes, the launch of Dominaria United may even go down as one of the best in MTG Arena history; uneventfully. We can only hope that this trend continues.
Read More: Future MTG Sets Might Go to Space!


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UPDATE: Nintendo confirmed during today’s direct that the game will be coming to Switch later this summer. The original story follows.
Sine Mora EX, the enhanced next-gen port of Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality’s shoot-em-up, may be coming to Nintendo Switch.
The Brazil Advisory Rating Board has listed their ratings for Sine Mora EX. While the listing rated previously announced versions, it also rated iOS, Android, and Switch versions. Android and iOS versions are not surprising, as the game was previously released on iOS and Ouya. However, this is the first time the game has appeared on a Nintendo console if the listing is correct.
Sine Mora originally released for Xbox 360 March 21, 2012. Later releases came to iOS, Ouya, PC, PS3, and PS Vita. Sine Mora DX is currently announced for a PS4, Xbox One, and PC release later this year.


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The jalapeno-flavoured Miss Vickie’s chips are being recalled voluntarily due to fears of potential salmonella exposure in the seasoning used for the cooked potato chips.
The company has publically informed consumers that this recall is a follow-up to one of their supplier’s own recent recall of the aforementioned seasoning blend. This included the jalapeno powder which potentially had been exposed to salmonella.
Despite this recall, the company has not actually found any evidence of the salmonella in their chips, but it has been considered a cautionary measure to pull back the Miss Vickie’s chips from public consumption to avoid any health problems with their customers. Their caution would probably be considered wise.
More specifically, the recall is covering only the kettle cooked potato chips with the ‘’Guaranteed Fresh’’ dates of 20 and earlier in bags of 40 grams with the UPC code 060410001769, the 66 gram bags with the UPC number 060410017142 and the 220-gram bags with the UPC number 060410066386.
It is imperative that if the chips are contaminated with Salmonella then they should not reach public consumption as the bacterium is capable of causing diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Luckily, the company has reported that as of yet no complaints have surfaced from the consuming of the chips.
The company is working in tandem with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to make sure that the products are being removed from public accessibility and will hold on their further distribution until the issue is resolved. These are the only ones that are being recalled according to the official statement. There is also a reimbursement offered to consumers and the company advises that no one should consume any bags that have been purchased already. More information can be found by visiting the website http://www.canadajalapenochiprecall.com/.


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The largest DTC supplier of men’s wedding rings hopes to solve the $41 billion online retail returns challenge
VINEYARD, UTAH (PRWEB) MARCH 15, 2021
Manly Bands has officially launched their virtual ring sizer app called The Manly Bander, that allows anyone to get an accurate ring size to purchase your Manly Bands wedding band. As the largest supplier of wedding bands to men online, Manly Bands is constantly testing new technologies to expand this ever growing industry.
Providing an accurate ring size has been a major hurdle for the jewelry industry even before direct-to-consumer brands such as Manly Bands entered the market. Most men would go to their local brick-and-mortar store and try on whichever rings were available. Unfortunately, a person’s ring size changes throughout the day due to temperature, blood flow and activity, so size exchanges were commonplace.
Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many brick and mortar jewelry stores have shut their doors, meaning there was no easy way to get your finger sized on short notice. Previous to introducing the app, Manly Bands has offered their own Manly Ring Sizer tool to customers. However, this still added costs as the company scaled which led to an innovative new way to solve the sizing problem, The Manly Bander.
“For eCommerce jewelry brands, shipping ring sizers and paying for product returns can cost brands millions of dollars every year,” said Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Michelle Luchese. “By creating a branded app that can give an accurate ring measurement in seconds, we not only provide a frictionless experience for potential customers, we also create a new interactive touchpoint.”
Most jewelry companies like Jared’s, Qalo, and Enso will offer a “virtual sizer” that amounts to a ruler, a string and a chart. While this method has worked for previous generations, Manly Bands believes in breaking with some traditions and offering people a simpler and more modern option. With the Manly Bander, sizing takes less than a minute and also offers users a discount for trying it out, which has already led to a significant conversion rate increase.
Co-Founder and Co-CEO Johnathan Ruggiero said, “This was a problem that the industry faced even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Online returns are a huge obstacle to scaling a business, and we’ve already seen the value this virtual app provides pre and post-sale.”
The Manly Bander is a free-to-download app and is currently available on the App Store. Early adopters will receive a 21% discount code towards the purchase of their ring of choice. Visit manlybands.com/pages/manly-bander for more information and to learn more about how Manly Bands is revolutionizing the jewelry buying experience.


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Blog: Obama’s billboard backlash
Leonie Barrie | 8 January 2010
The Weatherproof Garment Company has garnered huge amounts of free publicity after mounting a huge billboard on 7th Avenue in New York City's Times Square with a picture of the US president wearing one of its jackets. Underneath the advert is the slogan: “A Leader In Style.”
Not surprisingly, the White House isn’t amused, partly because the picture is used without its approval, but also because it flouts a ban on Presidential endorsement.
But of course Weatherproof isn’t complaining. In fact, it has already got so much free publicity for the so-called “Obama Jacket” that it’s looking to roll out the campaign to other locations too.
But of course not all publicity is good publicity...and the backlash has already begun.
And where better to hit an apparel brand than with allegations it could have been made by sweatshop workers.
The National Labor Committee (NLC) claims the Weatherproof jacket was sewn in Vietnam by “workers afforded few human and worker rights protections and paid just 27 cents an hour.”
It also alleges Weatherproof has in the past sourced its jackets from Burma, although most are now made in China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bangladesh where wages range from as little as 11.5 to 17 cents an hour in Bangladesh, to 86 to 94 cents an hour in factories near Shanghai.
The NLC has even taken the time to delve into shipping records, which it says show Weatherproof leather jackets made in China enter the US with a total production cost of $39.28 each. These then retail in Macy's for $395 to $450 – giving a mark-up anywhere from 900% to 1048%.
But for a firm that clearly doesn’t shy away from controversy, Weatherproof is surprisingly reticent when it comes to revealing exactly where its production sites are, and refuses to release the names and addresses of the offshore factories that make its garments.
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Retailers can shop remotely at this year’s Adirondack Buyer Days
Carrying on a tradition that builds lasting relationships between artisans and retailers, this year’s Adirondack Buyer Days wholesale gift show will take place virtually for the first time in its 35-year history. The virtual marketplace, which is hosted by the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), is open to regional makers and retailers seeking local products for their shops.
After cancelling last year’s show due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ANCA staff have redesigned the 2021 Adirondack Buyer Days to accommodate participants in a safe and convenient online setting. The virtual event, set for April 20 and 21, will offer the same opportunities for interpersonal interaction, relationship building and product marketing the annual show has provided makers and retailers since 1986.


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Google announces new feature for videos: Key Moments. list of the phone Videos will have specific tags, such as an index, to optimize users’ search. It is very easy to find content on the Internet that highlights the potential of videos for marketing strategies . In addition to the high potential for engagement, there is even talk about the possibility of list of the phone videos being responsible for more than 80% of online traffic in 2019. But, despite all this, what are the actions that search engines themselves have taken to stimulate the production of these contents? In the case of Google , list of the phone in addition to creating video carousels on search pages, it will now also be possible to identify which are the most relevant excerpts from the videos through time markers . Want to know more about how this new feature will work? So read on and stay on top of all the details! list of the phone How will video highlights work on Google?
These highlights, or “Key Moments” (as it is called by Google), will be specific tags capable of indicating which themes are covered in the videos. list of the phone As you can see in the image, different frames of the video will be presented with brief titles to represent what each of these excerpts is about. The idea is that this feature is close to an index , which contains all the intertitles to be covered in a content. It is also worth remembering that this functionality will be available for different video platforms, not just YouTube , as had been speculated. list of the phone Why highlight video clips on Google? The feature, which was tested earlier this year, will be available from this week according to the company’s official statement. In addition to the disclosure, its representatives commented on the list of the phone importance of creating this functionality,
“But what if what is sought is found within a video? list of the phone It is not possible to do dynamic video readings as in texts, this means that it is not easy to read videos in general. Now, as we work to make different types of information more accessible, we are developing new ways to understand and organize video content on search pages list of the phone to make it more useful to you ” Thus, it is understood that the highlights of video excerpts are intended to facilitate searches, especially when it is possible to find relevant answers in long videos, Hong Kong Lead such as documentaries, list of the phone speeches and complete step-by-step steps. How to tag your videos for Google? According to Google, it will be the responsibility of the content producers themselves to list of the phone manually tag their videos. Thus, knowledge about SEO will be essential for list of the phone determining the most important parts and defining the titles.


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The report, released on 12 December, looks toward 2017 to 2019 and outlines how the US plans to work to disrupt counterfeiting and piracy, particularly online.
Daniel Marti, the US IP enforcement coordinator, said: “ The plan—which incorporates views from a variety of individual stakeholders across government, industry, educational institutions, trade organisations and public interest groups—offers a blueprint for the work to be carried out over the next three years by the federal government in support of a healthy and robust IP enforcement policy environment.”
“The protection of intellectual property rights is about promoting economic prosperity and supporting jobs; opening new markets for US goods and services; and fostering innovation and investments in research and development.”
The plan described IP infringement as a “lucrative activity” that allows counterfeiters and pirates to profit from the fruits of famous brands, while avoiding the major risks facing legitimate businesses and entrepreneurs.
Infringers can gain “staggering unearned and unlawful profits, reportedly ranging from 80 percent to close to 100 percent, in connection with digital piracy and the sale of pirated DVDs and CDs”, according to the plan.
To combat this, the Obama administration has outlined several areas that the US plans to strengthen to curb infringement.
These include strengthening payment processor network’s efforts to combat illicit proceeds, helping advertising networks to curb the flow of illicit revenue to infringing websites, and aid foreign banks in dismantling the financing of illicit trade.
The US also plans to turn its sights to the domain name system, where it plans to assess the enforcement challenge of domain name hopping.
To help combat this, the US wants to assess the nature of abusive domain name registration tactics and identify opportunities to minimise criminal activity.
It also outlined its support for practices and policies that improve the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s notice-and-takedown processes.
Marti said: “These threats are not limited to a single industry, nor do they fall under the purview of a single government agency or even a single country. They are cross-cutting in scope and global in scale.”
“This strategic plan represents a ‘call for action’ for all nations—as well as international organisations, industry, educational institutions, and consumer protection and public interest groups—to provide forward-thinking leadership and a collaborative approach to combatting illicit IP-based activities.”
He added: “Together, we can enhance our enforcement programmes and policies for the modern era, and ensure that collective efforts to curb illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, online commercial piracy, trade secret theft, and other acts of IP infringement are maintained as a top priority.”


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Cadillac’s Identity Crisis: When Branding Won’t Die
by Melanie Warner
No one can dispute the power of the Cadillac brand. Its identity is so strong that it lingers in our cultural consciousness — and that’s precisely the problem.
First, Cadillac couldn’t shake the decades-old association with drivers “between the age of 80 and deceased,” as former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca said. Then a half a dozen years ago, the brand acquired new status among the hip-hop crowd, which enthroned the $60,000 Cadillac Escalade as the ride of choice.
It’s not that General Motors hasn’t been trying to change Cadillac’s image and broaden the cars’ appeal. The embattled company spent $81 million in the first half of 2009 on advertising, much of that going to an ad campaign featuring the sleek and sophisticated-looking CTS sport wagon. In a bid for younger audiences, Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh sits behind the wheel and asks, “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?”
Even so, marketing experts say the slick campaign hasn’t given the Cadillac brand the center of gravity it needs. GM acknowledged as much recently when it dumped Modernista, the ad agency behind the campaign, from the Cadillac account and embarked on a search for a new firm. GM will hear pitches from three agency candidates in January.
Meanwhile, 2009 sales through October are down 44 percent from the prior year. Rival luxury brands such as Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes saw their sales drop as well, but not nearly as much as Caddy’s. Lexus, the worst of the group, was off 34 percent.
So what’s the problem? Caddy’s current cars get great reviews, but they’re not moving off the lots. With that in mind, BNET asked four marketing experts what GM should do to make Cadillac the “Cadillac of cars.”
Steal a Page from Apple’s Marketing Playbook
Relative to the other luxury automotive brands, Cadillac lacks that solid foundation that explains what it is. If you buy a BMW, people might guess it’s because you like precise performance. If you bought a Lexus, it’s because you like high value on top of perfect quality. For Mercedes, it’s engineering. A Honda or Toyota is dependability. The luxury brands in particular need to know what they stand for. I think Cadillac should stand for technology.
Cars are riddled with technology, but you’d be hard pressed to identify a brand that’s become the Apple of this category. Doing this requires a mind shift. Instead of boasting about brawn or horsepower, it’s about brain power. Cadillac needs to position its brand as being smart and having technology that actually helps you. It’s taking something that others have and rallying your flag around it — things like lane departure control and blind zone alert. But it’s not about whiz-bang gizmos for the sake of whiz-bang gizmos. It’s about using technology to create an image of being forward-looking, smart, and efficient.
I would exploit the fact that a designer is now running the brand. We live in a very design-savvy age. Bryan Nesbitt is a fresh face, and GM should use him extensively in PR and maybe even advertising. I think he could pull it off.
— David Murphy, co-president, director of brand innovation at Barrie D’Rozario Murphy
Go After Prime-Time Women
Since women buy 54 percent of all cars, that’s the audience Cadillac should be going after: prime-time women in their 50s and 60s who have a lot of money and are still driving themselves to work, usually senior vice presidents of companies. They’re past driving little kids around in the back. They’re sick of driving stupid minivans and SUVs. They want some fun. Cadillac started doing some of that fun-to-drive messaging in their ads with Kate Walsh from Grey’s Anatomy. I think that’s smart, but GM could and should be doing much more to target these prime-time women.
The way to reach them is not on blogs and social media and twittering. Some 90 percent of the tweets on Twitter come from 10 percent of the people and most of those people are 20-35. A lot of marketers think buying dual audience TV shows where a lot of women are watching along with men is close enough. It’s not close enough. The best way to reach older women is through women-specific media, like More magazine.
— Marti Barletta, marketing to women expert, CEO of The TrendSight Group
Make the Customer, Not the Car, the Star
We used to say “the car is the star.” Well, that time has passed. The customers are the stars, and it’s the car that helps them express themselves, their values, their needs, and their desire to look good. The consumers that you want to be your brand disciples need to be shocked, surprised, and delighted into changing their minds. When they do, they’ll talk in person, online, via mobile, and more, and spread the word for you like a Twitter wildfire.
Tactically, this means Cadillac needs more efforts that are participatory and interactive, not one-way push messaging. It’s more digital marketing, more social marketing, and more mobile communications to create better experiences that engage with the consumer. You need to talk with the customer daily and be transparent, which is something car companies have never been good at. Instead of old-school media, such as TV ads using worn-out slogans, Cadillac should try something as simple as giving 10 influencers an XLR (a high-performance convertible) and an iPhone, something that allows the customer to talk and be excited about the product.
The other big thing that’s hurt Cadillac is that GM has been over-marketing GM. At a minimum, get GM’s CEO off the air. Consumers want a Caddy, not a GM.
— Julie Roehm, marketing consultant, Backslash Meta; former senior VP of marketing communications at Wal-Mart
Hire Buzz Aldrin as Pitch Man
Cadillac has gone from being a comatose brand to having some vibrancy, which is a tremendous achievement. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Because being in buzzland means zero. The only thing you really care about is being in cash land. And since Cadillac sales are down, that’s a big acid test of what’s going on. A lot of the progress that’s been made is an illusion. You look at the ads and they look good. The cars look good and there’s a certain dynamism in the design, but you always need to be able to look at the cul de sac, which is where cars get bought in America. If you put a Cadillac into an upscale, middle-American cul de sac, it’s like, ‘Why do they have that? What the hell is this Cadillac thing?’ You have to justify it, and I don’t want to justify my car purchase. Most cars are bought based on perception. Right now every Cadillac’s a Hummer.
— Mark Stevens, author of Your Marketing Sucks, and CEO of MSCO


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This piece originally appeared on The Guardian's Sustainable Business website.
As another year begins, big business will continue falling well short of taking the leadership role on the sustainability the world urgently needs. While many chief executives now publicly identify sustainability as a key issue for their companies, walking the talk is proving more elusive.
Successful bosses do not procrastinate. So why are boardrooms dragging their feet as sustainability challenges that have an impact on the private sector mount? As an observer of business trends for two decades, I see two interlinked problems hindering progress: first, corporate failure to embed sustainability into core business strategy, treating it instead as a standalone issue. And second, the lack of tools that allow corporations to make this leap in their day-to-day operations.


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Richard MacManus / Read/WriteWeb:
Windows Live Contacts Beta Launched — Today George Moore, GM of Windows Live, announced the Windows Live Contacts Gadget beta at the Microsoft TechEd 2006 conference, in Auckland New Zealand (I'm here at the conference courtesy of Microsoft NZ). Live Contacts provides programmatic access …
Discussion: Dead2.0 and Skype Journal
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
Is Microsoft really the largest blog vendor? — Microsofties take it on face value that they host the most blogs. They even love shoving it in your face. Yesterday someone who works on the Windows Live team was taunting me with "influentials don't matter, we got to be #1 and we don't care …
Discussion: Guardian Unlimited, Labnotes, UMBC eBiquity, duncanriley.com and The Blogging Journalist
Jack Schofield / Guardian Unlimited: Is Microsoft really the largest blog vendor?
Tim Finin / UMBC eBiquity: Who is the biggest blog vendor?
Duncan / duncanriley.com: 72 million blogs on Windows Live Spaces, do you believe me now about Technorati?
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
Scoble says half of all Live Spaces aren't blogs* — Update: Mike, in my comments, thinks my headline is sensationalistic and says he didn't say they aren't blogs. We disagree on what a blog is, which is what this whole post is about so I changed it to say that I said that half of all Live Spaces aren't blogs.
Discussion: Jeff Sandquist and Message
Stowe Boyd / Message: Scoble on What Is (Or Isn't) A Blog?
Dthorpe / Momentary Gouts of Reason:
Discussion: CyberNet Technology News, LiveSide and OpsanBlog
Kip Kniskern / LiveSide: Windows Live Contacts Gadget beta released
Michael Coates / OpsanBlog: Windows Live Contacts Gadget beta release
Windows Live Dev:
Chron.Com / TechBlog: Back-from-the-midwest linkfest
Marshall Kirkpatrick / TechCrunch:
FeedCrier, another way to act fast with RSS and IM — Adam Kalsey, a founder and former CTO of RSS vendor Pheedo, released a new service last night called FeedCrier that makes it easy to receive rapid notification of new items in an RSS feed by IM. The service currently supports only AIM but Kalsey says that will change soon.
Discussion: CrunchNotes, PostBubble and AMCP Tech Blog
Introducing Feed Crier — The town crier of old made sure that everyone was informed of important news and events. Today he's back and powered by RSS and Instant Messaging. — Feed Crier is an IM bot that delivers real-time RSS feed updates to your desktop over popular instant messaging protocols.
Discussion: Joseph Scott's Blog, 21talks and TechLifeBlogged
Joseph Scott / Joseph Scott's Blog: Feed Crier — Over the weekend Adam Kalsey announced his new service, Feed Crier.
Nuno / 21talks: RSS to IM: FeedCrier debuts
Scott Kingery / TechLifeBlogged: RSS Alerts to your Instant Messenger with Feed Crier
Frank Ahrens / Washington Post:
Pausing The Panic — DVRs Were Expected to Turn TV Upside Down, But We've Stayed Tuned — Prime-time television and its mighty 30-second commercial were supposed to be in trouble when a new, cutting-edge technology arrived on the scene several years ago, giving viewers a tool to zip past the traditional, on-screen ads.
Discussion: IP Democracy, PVR Wire, David Card, Lost Remote and Smalltalk Tidbits …
Cynthia Brumfield / IP Democracy: DVR is Not a Broadcast Network Killer...Or So Says CBS
Brad Linder / PVR Wire: PVRs are/aren't killing TV producers - part 478
Cory Bergman / Lost Remote: 'Easter eggs' coming to TV ads
James A. Robertson / Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants: Sounds like a bozo number
Donna Bogatin / Digital Micro-Markets:
Google CEO wants $74 billion TV ad market — Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes television viewers should not have to stand for tv commercials that are "a waste of your time." — Schmidt is frustrated that "When you watch the television you see ads that are clearly not targeted for you."
Discussion: Newsome.Org and Slashdot
ScuttleMonkey / Slashdot: Google Targets TV Advertising
Liz Gannes / GigaOM:
Google's $7.4 Billion Booty — Top Google executives have sold $7.4 billion in stock in the last 18 months, says Bloomberg. That might have played a role in the stock's recent decline, suggests Mark Gilbert, especially considering no insider has bought a single share of the company in the same period.
Tim / O'Reilly Radar:
Round 2: The Internet As Network of Networks — The other day, I was explaining to a reporter how I could be lumping in cellphones and the next generation of sensor networks into Web 2.0. "Well, Web 2.0 is really not just about the web. It's really about the next generation of internet applications …
Discussion: The Universal Desktop and JD on EP
Ryan Stewart / The Universal Desktop: Why Rich Internet Applications are a blend of "Web 2.0" and "Internet 2.0"
Wagner James Au / GigaOM:
Adidas, Toyota come to Second Life — The biggest business news from the Second Life Community Convention here in San Francisco this weekend comes in the form of two reputed brands entering the 3D online world as immersive, interactive objects. — First out the gate was an announcement …
Discussion: 3pointD.com and POP! PR Jots
Mark Wallace / 3pointD.com: Scion Driving Into Second Life?
Jeremy Pepper / POP! PR Jots: Second Life Convention: RL Business in SL
Mark Wallace / 3pointD.com:
Adidas Reebok Runs to Second Life
Adidas Reebok Runs to Second Life
Discussion: POP! PR Jots and AccMan Pro
Jeremy Pepper / POP! PR Jots: Second Life Convention - Building Your Brand and Marketing
Dennis Howlett / AccMan Pro: VIRTUAL ACCOUNTING - 2ND LIFE STYLE
Evan Blass / Engadget:
Archos officially announces all five Generation 4 devices — Not too many surprises here — after all, we've already seen a full review of one of these new models — but now PMP pioneer Archos has officially taken the wraps off of all the so-called Generation 4 devices we initially spotted over two months ago.
Discussion: Anything But iPod
David N. Goodman / Associated Press:
Recycled cell phones help drive Third World wireless boom — DEXTER, Mich. - With the number of cell phones in use worldwide hitting 2 billion and rising, recycled phones are playing a crucial role in the spread of wireless communications across the developing world, where land lines can be costly or unavailable.
Evan / Popgadget:
MP3 toilet — Boy, this just shows how far we are behind the Japanese. — For years now they've had toilets that raise automatically; the seats are heated and I don't even need to mention that they come with bidets.... So it's no surprise to discover that the Japanese manufacturer Toto …
Discussion: Ubergizmo and Things That


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Chennai, October 21: Usman Road shop-owners saw their sales dip as the rain continued unabated since last Friday.
The onset of the Northeast monsoon has caused a lull in the sales especially for small shop owners who reported the biggest losses.
Arul Mozhi, Manager, Sri Kumaran Silks, said that the trend of buying new clothes is more prevelant among the poor and middle class population since they get a bonus only around diwali.
Samsudeen, owner of a children’s clothes shop on Usman Road, has been in the business for more than two decades. He started his business after his marriage and is settled in T.Nagar. He said that the business during this Diwali had been the worst since he began this occupation.
His turnover during the festival month last year was around Rs. 1.5 lakhs, but this year it was barely half of that. He added thatthere would not be any profit and he would not even be able to recover the principal.
“It’s going to be hard to make ends meet”, he said.
Faizal owns a small shoe shop opposite to Sri Kumaran Silks in Usman Road for eight years. He used to earn at least Rs. 4000 a day during Diwali but this year it had been only between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000.
“I have seen better sales during normal days”, he said.
But there has been a steady stream of customers since the morning and today being the day before Diwali, there is a possibility of sales going up, he added.
Even the bigger players in the business have seen a dip in sales this Diwali season. Gandhi, Manager and employee of Pothys for the past 22 years, said that there had been at least 30 to 35% decrease in sales compared to last year.
Chitra, a housewife, at Pothys with her familyto shop said “I usually finish my shopping one week before but due to rain we had to put it off till the last minute.”
Despite this there are few who managed to keep the sales up.
Mozhi said that the business is pretty normal with sales three times the normal season as it always is during this season. The tradition of purchasing clothes before festivals is decreasing since the people have lot of options to choose from near their area.
– Swathi Moorthy