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“Time to keep local farmers on the menu”, says NSA
3rd June 2021
As lockdown easing continues, including the recent reopening of indoor hospitality, the National Sheep Association (NSA) is now stressing the importance of a continued “buy local” philosophy amongst UK consumers.
A new appreciation for the role of local farm shops and butchers was experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic as shoppers turned to them as concerns were heightened over personal safety in larger, busier stores and certain products became hard to source. It is estimated nearly half of British shoppers avoided large supermarkets at the height of the pandemic, favouring farm shops and other local businesses that were able to provide essentials such as meat, vegetables, baking ingredients and other groceries to keep the nation fed.
With the lost luxury of dining out, local butchers and farm shops were there to provide fresh locally produced meat and vegetables as the nation turned back to cooking at home and “dining in”.
NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “The nations farmers, growers and dairies work hard every day to feed our nation and provide vital produce for export. They continually strive to improve animal health and welfare along with environmental standards and continuously deliver against those standards to a much higher level compared to many other countries. NSA takes great pride in the way the UK’s sheep farmers integrate high quality productivity with a balanced approach to the protection of nature, managing climate change by their farming practices and supporting local communities.
“It’s now time to return the favour by continuing to shop locally, using butchers and farm shops, but also asking supermarkets to identify where their produce has been sourced. Supporting locally produced food further reduces the need for imported foods, adding to further benefits for climate change for the whole nation. Help spread the word by raising awareness and encouraging others to do the same.”
It is recognised that as a nation we want to buy better and eat better. Dietary choice has changed, perhaps even more so during lockdown, but the key personal drivers still tend to be health, environment, ethics and pleasure. A balanced diet is essential, with nutrients that are unique to, or more bioavailable from meat and dairy, complemented by plenty of fruit and vegetables. From the Sunday roast to the summer BBQ, locally produced lamb and mutton can meet those needs and have a key role in celebratory meals and special treats as well as simple day-to-day recipes.
NSA believes the provenance of meat products should not only be made clearly available when buying produce at a store but also when enjoying dining out. Mr Stocker continues: “A number of restaurants, pubs and hotels are very good at informing the customer on the origin of the produce on their menus but now is the time to encourage, actually even insist that local producers are acknowledged on all menus, in all types of establishments including take-ways - it is not too much to do as a thank you to the nation's farmers.”
The use of Australian lamb is commonplace in some hospitality so NSA’s ask is that wherever possible customers should request information on where the lamb in their meal has been produced, also raising awareness with meat wholesalers of the availability and quality of British lamb. Mr Stocker concludes: “Let’s get local farmers on the menus in our pubs, restaurants, hotels AND takeaways allowing an even wider audience to enjoy sustainably produced, high welfare lamb from the UK.”
Several resources are available to help consumers identify local producers, a few examples being:
- Farms to Feed Us (Farms To Feed Us)
- Farmison & Co (https://www.farmison.com )
- Big Barn (https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/ )
For delicious Sheepmeat recipe ideas, go to


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[This article was previously published in the summer issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.]
by Marie Burcham, JD, Director of Domestic Policy at The Cornucopia Institute and Melody Morrell, Operations Director
Family-scale organic dairies are struggling to make ends meet. Many have already lost their farms and businesses, some of which have been in the family for generations.
At their biannual meeting in April, the National Organic Standard Board (NOSB) heard from multiple family-scale dairy farmers about how their businesses are failing due to the inconsistent application of organic principles during certification.
For example, a small number of very large “organic” dairies are disregarding the origin of livestock rules by continuously cycling conventional livestock into production. Industrial organic operations, whose cows spend most of their lives in the feedlot, also struggle to meet even the most modest pasture requirements.
Authentic organic dairy farmers easily exceed the pasture requirements for organic livestock: 30% dry matter intake (DMI) and a minimum 120-day grazing season for each individual animal.
What’s more, the grain being fed in industrial operations may not actually be organic. In 2018, Cornucopia Director of International Policy Anne Ross, JD, exposed a network of fraudulent grain importers from overseas.
Available data shows the U.S. is importing more than they can possibly grow. This grain is cheap and abundant compared to real organic grain, making it an attractive choice for livestock factories.
Several dairy farmers shared emotional stories at the spring NOSB meeting in Seattle—about their families losing their homes, about financial ruin, about watching other dairies break or bend the organic rules without consequence, while their own ethical practices put them further and further into debt. Read Full Article »

domain: news


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(CN) – The European Commission said Thursday that beer giant AB InBev has abused its market dominance by refusing to sell its Jupiler and Leffe brands to Belgian customers more cheaply due to increased competition there.
In a statement of objections, the commission said it believes AB InBev has been thwarting Belgian retailers’ efforts to import Jupiler and Leffe from the Netherlands and France, where both brands – the most popular beers in Belgium – are cheaper.
According to the commission, AB InBev changed the look of Jupiler and Leffe cans in France and the Netherlands to make them harder to sell in Belgium. The company also limited quantities to Dutch retailers and blocked them from some promotions if it believed they might sell to Belgian outlets.
The net result, competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said, is Belgian beer lovers suffered.
"Belgian consumers may have had to pay more for their favorite beers. Our preliminary finding is that AB InBev may have deliberately prevented cheaper beer imports out of France and the Netherlands from reaching consumers in Belgium,” Vestager said in a statement. “Such practices would breach EU competition rules, because they deny consumers the benefits of the EU Single Market – choice and lower prices.”
A formal step in propelling antitrust investigations forward, the statement of objections gives AB InBev the opportunity to respond to the commission’s concerns either in writing or in a hearing.
The commission’s antitrust investigation of AB InBev, begun in 2016, is one of several opened after citizens, national competition authorities and the European Parliament complained that prices for food and drink products vary wildly between neighboring member states.
While the regulatory agency acknowledged there may be some legitimate reasons for cross-border price differences, obstacles to trade between member states placed by suppliers may violate competition rules, the commission said.
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West Ashley’s chicken sandwich lovers may have to change plans since one Chick-fil-A franchise announced they’re closing, temporarily, on June 22nd.
The Chick-fil-A restaurant on Magwood Drive announced plans for a massive renovation until November 2019. Unfortunately, that means one of the areas favorite fast-food franchises will be closed for MONTHS!
The restaurant’s Facebook post states it will undergo a “complete renovation” to better serve its customers (if you’ve been during lunch hour you know how busy they get).
There are still plenty of other Chick-fil-A stores around, 19 across the Lowcountry, and two more in West Ashley. Of course, you could also go get your fix from Boxcar Betty’s down the road.


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Millennial homebuyers bring down payments below 20%
Putting down 20% of the sales price has been the industry standard when buying a house, but less than half of consumers do that much, according to Zillow.
Millennials make up the largest group of buyers and are shifting the trends. Median down payment amounts reached an 18-year high in the third quarter and the time its taking people to save is the longest since the housing bubble. All these factors are why down payment percentages are shrinking.
"Saving up for a down payment can be tough and requires good budgeting and long-term planning, especially when for many of us the cost of rent and everyday life outpaces what we're able to put in the bank. Even if you don't have plans to buy a home in the next year or two, it never hurts to start setting aside savings for a future home purchase," Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow, said in a press release.
The median home value nationwide is $221,500 and 43% of buyers put down 20% or more. On the other end of the spectrum, 24% of buyers get into a more precarious situation of putting down 5% or less.
"There are many mortgage options that require less than 20% down, but buyers should be careful that they don't set themselves up to be underwater. Interest rates are rising, of course, but for many, waiting a bit longer and saving for a larger down payment might still be the way to go as they weigh their current stability and housing needs against their long-term futures," Terrazas continued.
In a traditionally hot housing market like San Francisco, the median home value is just under $1 million and 51% of buyers put down 20% or more while 18% do 5% or less. Atlanta's split is the inverse, with 32% putting down 20% or more and 44% at 5% or less.


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Facebook has unleashed its latest business venture, the Facebook Card. A reusable gift card, now you can send your friends gift amounts for select stores and never have to leave your computer.
In the last 15 days, Facebook has made three major announcements. The first was the Facebook Graph Search, a way to search profiles en masse. The second was the results of the fourth quarter of 2012; Facebook did well, much to the shock of many Wall Street watchers. And the third, just announced today, Facebook has come out with its own reusable gift card.
Facebook will soon allow users to send “friends” a gift card to places such as Sephora, Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, and Target. According to Facebook, these gift cards are not just reusable but they can carry multiple gift amounts.
“Your card can hold multiple gift balances, and each balance is dedicated to the retailer associated with the gift. For example, you might have gift balances of $100 at Sephora, $75 at Target, $50 at Olive Garden, and $8.25 at Jamba Juice.”


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What makes the recently announced Huawei B199 smartphone so special from the rest of the other smartphones that are in the market? For starters, the Huawei B199 comes across as a dual SIM capable Android-powered smartphone, where it will continue from where the Huawei A199 left off (which incidentally made its debut in April last year). Of course, the Huawei B199 also walks in the legacy of its predecessor that came with dual SIM capability alongside CDMA/GSM dual stand-by. There must be a clincher for the Huawei B199, which is what we will take a closer look at right after the jump.
Apparently, the Huawei B199 boasts of a large 3,000 mAh battery that can be used to juice up other devices thanks to a dedicated cable. This sounds nifty, although in my experience most of the time, it would be the smartphone itself that needs charging and not the other devices simply for the fact that the smartphone is used a whole lot more often than say, your GPS navigation system.
Other hardware specifications of the Huawei B199 include a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal memory, a 5.5″ 720p display, a 13MP shooter at the back as well as a front-facing 5MP camera.


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Ullu Digital to go public, files IPO papers to raise Rs 135-150cr
New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform Ullu Digital has filed a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise around Rs 135-150 crore.
The Ullu platform has proposed to raise funds via fresh issue of up to 62,62,800 equity shares.
The company’s DRHP, filed with the BSE SME, does not have any offer for sale (OFS) component, reports startup coverage portal Entrackr.
The OTT platform aims to use the fresh funds to generate new content, hire more staff, and purchase international shows, among others.
Founders Vibhu Agarwal and Megha Agarwal own 95 per cent shares in the company, according to the DRHP.
Zenith Multi Trading DMCC has a 5 per cent stake in Ullu, according to the report.
Ullu generated Rs 58.33 crore in revenue from operations with a profit of Rs 12.28 crore for the period of April-September in the current fiscal year (FY24).
As of September 2023, the company has 20,92,975 subscribers. Ullu’s revenue from operations grew two-fold to Rs 93.1 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 46.8 crore in FY22.
The platform saw its profits increase to Rs 15.1 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 3.9 crore in FY22, according to reports.


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Why doesn’t CVS clearly define its ExtraCare rewards for customers?
If companies want to reward customer loyalty, offer a real reward. Don’t make a nifty-sounding promise and then renege when the customer tries to cash in.
Airlines are notorious for moving the goal posts. United, for example, announced in June that it would follow Delta in switching to rewards based on ticket prices instead of the familiar miles traveled. The upshot for passengers: Fewer reward miles received.
And now CVS Health is playing fast and loose with its ExtraCare rewards program. The company says discounts don’t apply to products that are on sale. But it sneakily excludes some full-priced items as well.
CVS also neglects to state anywhere on its ExtraCare website that sale and promotional items are excluded from the program.
“Think how many people have been cheated out of discounts because of this,” said Susan Tellem, who recently encountered the drugstore’s policy while trying to use an ExtraCare 30%-off coupon. “This may have happened to thousands of CVS customers.”
Or maybe more. CVS, America’s second-largest drugstore chain, has about 70 million ExtraCare members.
The company’s questionable rewards plan highlights the need for greater oversight of such programs, and for all exclusions and conditions to be spelled out clearly to consumers.
Tellem considers herself a loyal CVS customer. She receives emails from the company announcing what discounts are available, and then goes online to link the offers to her ExtraCare account so they’ll be applied at the cash register.
Tellem was pleased when CVS recently sent her a 30%-off coupon. She’d been wanting to buy some Crest Whitestrips to brighten her teeth, and they can be pricey — $55.99 for a box of 20 treatments. The coupon would save her almost $17.
But when Tellem tried to redeem her coupon at the CVS store in Malibu, she discovered that the Whitestrips didn’t qualify for the 30% discount. Neither did a $4.59 bath brush.
The only items she purchased that CVS would apply the discount to were three $1 picture frames and a $2.49 assortment of bandannas.
That gave Tellem a savings of $1.65 — closer to 2% of her total purchase rather than the 30% she had been expecting.
She complained to the manager, who pulled a fine-print rabbit out of her hat. The manager explained that the 30%-off coupon didn’t apply to sale items. Both the Whitestrips and bath brush were part of special deals — buy one and get a second one for half price.
Regular CVS shoppers will recognize this as a familiar offer. Many products at the company’s stores come with a half-off discount for an additional purchase.
Tellem pointed out the obvious: She wasn’t buying two of either item. She thus was paying full price for each. Therefore, they weren’t on sale.
The manager dug in her heels. Sorry, she said. If there’s a “buy one, get one” offer involved, the products are technically on sale, even if you’re paying full price because you’re only buying one.
There are a number of things wrong with this picture. First, CVS does a terrible job making clear that sale items are excluded from ExtraCare discounts.
The website for the company’s rewards program says only that “savings can’t be applied to prescriptions, alcohol, gift cards, lottery, money orders, postage stamps, pre-paid cards and tobacco products.”
The fine print of the coupon Tellem received did say that it couldn’t be used for “sale & promotional items,” but that hardly communicates CVS’ notion that a full-priced item can be considered “promotional.”
Richard Kellner, a Los Angeles lawyer who specializes in consumer class-action cases, said CVS’ actions could violate Section 17200 of California’s Business and Professions Code. That’s the state law against unfair business practices.
He said the company also could be violating Section 1770 of the Civil Code, which bars companies from “making false or misleading statements of fact concerning reasons for, existence of, or amounts of price reductions.”
“I find this type of practice to be very deceptive,” Kellner said. “People are paying good money to CVS with an expectation that they’ll get a discount. It’s a bait-and-switch, and it’s unfair.”
A spokesman for the California attorney general’s office declined to comment.
Mike DeAngelis, a CVS spokesman, insisted that there’s nothing wrong with the company’s policy.
“The first item in a ‘buy one, get one’ sale is considered a promotional item, regardless of whether or not the second item is purchased at the sale price,” he said.
DeAngelis declined to comment on why this isn’t spelled out on the ExtraCare website.
Obviously if a customer takes advantage of a “buy one, get one” offer, the items in question are part of a special promotion.
If a customer skips the half-off second item and pays full price for the first, there’s nothing promotional at all. It’s a normal transaction.
In Tellem’s case, though, the difference between how she saw things and how CVS saw them was worth at least $17. And that was $17 the company clearly didn’t want to part with.
Multiply that by potentially millions of ExtraCare members, and you can see the stakes involved.
A reward is supposed to be a good thing — a token of appreciation, a recognition of merit. It’s not supposed to be a head-spinning example of corporate double-dealing.
Maybe companies having difficulty honoring their promises to customers just shouldn’t make promises.
Things would be a lot easier for everyone.
David Lazarus’ column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Koei Tecmo has announced that the next entry of the Blue Reflection series will be a free-to-play mobile title in Japan with microtransactions. Titled Blue Reflection Sun, this new entry in the Blue Reflection franchise will be released on Android and iOS and for PC via DMM’s own proprietary DMM GAME PLAYER.
The teaser site also says that the developers are accepting applicants for an Android/iOS Closed Beta Test. Those interested can apply for it starting today until November 24, 2022. If you are accepted, you should receive an email on November 30, 2022. The test itself occurs from December 2 to December 9, 2022, and is divided between 1,500 iOS and 1,500 Android players, for a total of 3,000.
The narrative synopsis is as follows:
It all started eighteen months ago.
Suddenly, “ashes” began to fall onto the world.
At first, we had thought it was a natural phenomenon, but…
We had soon learned that said “ashes” are actually a malicious substance capable of harming the human body…
Thanks to our team’s Ryuji for translating key information.
You can view the announcement promotional video below:
Blue Reflection: Second Light is available now on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate Noisy Pixel earns from qualifying purchases.


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From Awareness Times Newspaper in
In Sierra Leone, Zain has Helped in Expanding the Business Horizon of other Organizations
Aug 12, 2010, 17:10
These days, telecommunications is much more than just a telephone handset or even a headset connected to the PC in a busy office. The giants in the telecommunications sector here in Sierra Leone and beyond have progressed further into an advanced multi-international business, supplying endless amounts of products and services, connecting millions of people across their operational regions. This story is a reality in Sierra Leone today and only on the Zain Sierra Leone Network.
Sierra Leone had its first GSM operations in 2000 by Celtel, now trading as Zain Sierra Leone. Zain is part of a revolutionized telecommunications system that has changed the communication ‘landscape’ in Sierra Leone – prioritizing both voice and data communications both within the Sierra Leonean territory and beyond. Â
Zain has got tremendous capacity for transmission of digital signals over their network. They have an explosion of products in computers, in telephone equipments, in faxes, in voice mail, in all of the products that just 10 years ago we as consumers in Sierra Leone couldn't even imagine.
It is a fact that competition has made this country the preeminent leader among our neighbors in telecommunications. Zain is creating jobs, but more than that they have tremendous productivity and have products and lower prices better than any other related company within Sierra Leone.
There is no question that the products and services of Zain affect the life of every Sierra Leonean. It affects the economy of this country and it affects our relationship to the outside world.
The world of telecommunications from Zain has greatly evolved in the past few years, and now such facilities are available that make business communication easy and effective. With the help of latest telecommunication features, organisations can now expand their businesses beyond the horizons.
Â© Copyright 2005, Freetown, Sierra Leone.


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Fashion and beauty brands along with retailers are tapping into the Super Bowl’s massive marketing machine.
Amazon, Marmot and the Camuto Group have secured their first 30-second TV spots during the event, which begins this Sunday on CBS at 6:30 p.m. EST, while Axe will make a return during the broadcast.
While it is pushing hard into fashion, Amazon instead will promote its Echo wireless speaker and voice command device, which is named Alexa, during the Super Bowl with a commercial featuring Alec Baldwin and Missy Elliot. So far it has released a few 30-second teasers showing Baldwin getting prepared for a Super Bowl party with help from Alexa. They are tagging the campaign the #BaldwinBowl.
“Echo has had an amazing reception from customers over the past year — they love it. We thought the Super Bowl was a great chance to tell even more people about what Echo and Alexa can do, and have some fun while doing it,” said Neil Lindsay, vice president of Amazon Devices.
Marmot, an outdoor apparel brand based in California, is also making its Super Bowl debut this season. The brand has partnered with Goodby Silverstein & Partners on a 30-second spot that shows a man enjoying the outdoors with the brand’s mascot, a Marmot.
“Marmot’s parent company Jarden Corp. has supported key Marmot brand and company growth initiatives for numerous years, and the Super Bowl is one more great opportunity for Marmot to reach new consumers,” said Tom Fritz, vice president of marketing at Marmot. “Marmot has grown substantially over the last decade, and the company has reached a critical mass and is at a point where this type of marketing program makes sense to take the company to a new level of growth.”
According to Fritz, Marmot has been able to do well despite the odd weather and the Super Bowl commercial will mark the beginning of a robust marketing plan for the remainder of the year.
Axe, which advertised during the Super Bowl in 2014, has purchased a 30-second spot that will show its “Find Your Magic,” campaign, a new direction for the brand that shows various depictions of masculinity.
Matthew McCarthy, senior director of Axe and men’s grooming for Unilever, said, “The Super Bowl is a great place to feature the brand’s new point of view because the scale allows us to bring more men and women into the conversation around individuality and inclusivity.”
Camuto Group will air its first Super Bowl commercial — and first TV commercial ever — on Sunday during pre-game coverage on CBS. The ad, which will run between 5:55 p.m. and 6:05 p.m., will precede the Super Bowl kickoff.
The 30-second spot, which was created by agency and production company Swell, along with Camuto Group’s in-house global marketing team, features a Brindle Boxer dog who wants to help his owner select a pair of shoes to complete her outfit. The dog rifles through a walk-in-closet filled with Vince Camuto shoes and offers his suggestion for the perfect shoe. The brand is running teasers on social media platforms leading up to the event.
Victoria’s Secret will not air a TV spot during the game, but it did release an online video titled “Score More,” which debuted on Tuesday night during the CBS Super Bowl commercial special. The ad features Victoria’s Secret Angels Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes and Taylor Hill.
The Angels, who are dressed up in football helmets and jerseys, are at a near loss against their rival team, The Devils, but defeat their opponents after a pep talk from their coach, who is played by TV personality Erin Andrews. The video ends by reminding viewers that “This Valentine’s Day…score more at Victoria’s Secret!”
Dove Men + Care and Skechers advertised last year during the event but won’t be participating this Sunday.


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Popular Influencer Ashmusy from Nigeria recently displayed her bikini on social media.
The well-known Instagram influencer for brands posted the images on her account. Check out the screenshot of the article below;
I promised to keep myself till marriage, and I am so delighted I have maintained that commitment, Ashmusy wrote in a statement she published earlier today.
Nevertheless, Ashmusy’s admirers continue to comment on his fresh Instagram posts.
However, there are a lot of benefits to wearing a bikini dress, and sometimes it can be challenging for women to choose the correct one. Here are some fresh photos of Ashmusy wearing a bikini.
Ashmusy is plainly visible in the photos above sporting a bikini with numerous stripes. She made the decision to dress elegantly and attractively to make a fashion statement.
Even though Ashmusy is still on vacation, she continues to display her excellent sense of style and enthusiasm for sharing photos on social media.
Gossipinfo Recalled That Amarachi Amusi, often known as Ashmusy, is a well-known sketch creator and social media influencer. She has shared why she managed to resist temptation and maintain her virginity.
On her verified Instagram feed, Ashmusy posted images from her trip in Ghana. She expressed her happiness at having kept her long-standing pledge to remain virgin till marriage
She did, however, hoped her future husband would live up to the pledge in a hopeful letter.


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Peacock Style At The Graduate Shows
‘Middle finger up to gender!’ The exclamation printed on a bold men’s outfit told the story of the colourful, crazy, free-wheeling menswear at the London colleges’ graduation shows this season.
Hannah Wallace, from Manchester School of Art, won London’s Graduate Fashion Week Gold award
Rachel Siggee, from Nottingham Trent University, wove ‘Middle finger up to gender!’ into a zip-pull
Angus Lai – Print CSM
Gabriel Castro – Menswear CSM
Milligan Beaumont – Print CSM
Rachel Siggee from Nottingham Trent University made that statement at the Graduate Fashion Week awards show. But she was not alone in her attitude that menswear now has a sense of wild freedom, more recently associated with a woman’s wardrobe.
In fact, the male looks are taking over the runways in style and in numbers. Space-age menswear with a metallic silver finish won the ‘Gold’ award at Graduate Fashion Week for Hannah Wallace from Manchester School of Art.
In all areas from knitwear to textiles, clothes for men are now the fighting force.
At London’s Central Saint Martins BA show, colour, pattern and texture exploded across the runway. Challenging gender stereotypes was the issue, from the first outing of soft, shiny men’s sportswear in sweet pink from Gabriel Castro through to the giant, tent-like garment in shocking pink and pattern from Milligan Beaumont. Equally crazy colours on oversize outfits with wild patterns came from Wataru Tominaga and Angus Lai.
I felt the spirit of the Eighties in many of the giant silhouettes. But the digitalisation of print, laser-cutting and 3D pattern-cutting has changed fashion dramatically in the 30 years since Japanese designers – Yohji Yamamoto, for example – faced those issues.
I was frustrated in all the college runway shows about the lack of technological information – especially since I was a judge at Saint Martins.
The single word ‘knitwear’ or ‘print’ was just not enough to define the workmanship. And I still don’t know how student Han Kim created giant ‘wings’ – nor whether, because of their weight and huge size, the outfits should be seen as artistic sculptures rather than clothes.
The same applied to Susan Yan Nan Fang’s intriguing ‘mobile’ clothes, with threads hung on wires like an Alexander Calder mobile. Or another decorative treatment of super-fine metal mesh in an all-scarlet collection from womenswear designer Jim Chen Hstang-Hu.
Louis Pileggi – Knitwear CSM
Pedro Mântua – Menswear CSM
I WANT fashion students to stretch their designs – actually or metaphorically – to the limits of their imaginations.
And the fact that menswear is given just the same wild, bold, intense treatment marks a new stretch of fashion wings.
Фото: SIMON ARMSTRONG, Suzy Menkes


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Beijing Quietly Charms Both MNCs And Specialty Biotechs In Effort To Establish China's Bio Valley
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
BEIJING - Aiming to carve a leading position in China's nascent biotech industry, Beijing has embarked on a project to grow the industry more than two-fold in three years. Dubbed the "G20 Project," the Beijing Leap-forward Development Program for Biopharmaceutical Industry seeks to transform the capital city into China's hub for biotech R&D and manufacturing
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A H7N9 diagnostic testing agent developed by Beijing Kinghawk Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd and Beijing SinoMedgene Technology Co. Ltd. was approved by Beijing FDA under the green channel approval process. The test cuts the time for results to less than three hours, down from six hours.
Merck Unveils $1.5 Billion Expansion In China With New Beijing R&D Center; Plans To Double R&D Team By 2014
While many Big Pharmas are cutting R&D budgets in response to patent cliffs, Merck is investing $1.5 billion in R&D in China, in what could be the largest ever pharma R&D investment in the country.
SHANGHAI - Nanjing, China's Simcere Pharmaceutical Group reported a slowdown in sales for the second quarter, pointing to intense competition from the spread of Anhui province's tender model for essential drugs and price cuts on products included in the National Drug Reimbursement List


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U.S. economy strengthens; coronavirus threat presses
The economy of the United States is expected to expand at its fastest annual pace in decades this year. It is also predicted to surpass most of its major peers as the country upgraded its economic outlook. However, an increase in coronavirus infections will likely press over the next three months, a Reuters survey showed.
The world’s biggest economy will likely grow 6.2% in 2021. The forecast came to be the most upbeat in more than two years. Should the economy hit the target, this would also be the sharpest pace of expansion ever recorded since 1984.
Over 100 economists predicted that the economy will record a 7% expansion this year, placing larger than the 6.4% prediction rendered by the International Monetary Fund. However, analysts are wary that their outlook would be hindered by another wave of COVID-19 infections across the country.


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Reddit dark web markets A darknet ledger or cryptomarket is a commercial website on Best darknet markets reddit 1 Origin countries 5. For years, r/DarkNetMarkets was the place where drug dealers, hackers, and cyber criminals, would hang out and talk about what happened on. Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Gmail The past year has been a transition period for dark web markets, as the illicit e-commerce hubs. Telegram @COCAG dark web drug markets 2022 reddit news stories - get the latest updates from 6abc. Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Gmail. The October 1 closing of a popular darknet marketplace leaves a big hole in the billion-dollar industry of illegal drugs, credit card and. Deep web cp reddit. Visit now Largest all-purpose market on the darknet. We would like to make distribution packages for easier installation.
Reddit darknet. Dream Market is an escrow marketplace on the Tor. By R Broadhurst 2022Cited by 5 darknet markets that sold opioids enabled. By KH Kwon 2022 Cited by 1 This study examines the dark information commons in Reddit, a cannazon market link pseudonymous social news site, in the context of illicit e-commerce communities. Unlike market. New markets on the dark web represent a shift in how underground The former AlphaBay vendors soon disappeared from Reddit as news of. Before cannazon market url navigating markets on the dark web, you will need to install the TOR browser. Darknet markets reddit 2022 Dark web's largest illegal market. Dread A Darknet Market Forum to Replace Reddit. Six months ago a Reddit user by the name gramsadmin posted on /r/DarkNetMarkets to announce the launch of a new darknet search engine.
A Reddit user wrote what appears to be the making of a novel about how a man is selling kilos of fentanyl on the "darknet" and shipping. A darknet cannazon link market (also known as a DNM) is a website operating in a the markets admin and therefore rely totally on the good will ofthe markets admins. By AC Dwyer 2022 Darknet marketplaces, accessible through, Tor are where users can buy illicit goods, and learn to hide from law enforcement. We surveyed the. The seizure of the Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets was made Tuesday morning in Germany by the German Federal Criminal Police in. By K Porter 2022 Cited by 32 These darknet markets sell illicit items such as drugs, weapons, and hacking tools. Recent research shows that the markets and forums on the dark web have been. A lot cannazon link of the darknet markets mentioned above are third-party/escrow several complaints in it on various reddit groups, forums and dark web websites.
Reddit admins banned the DarkNetMarkets subreddit minutes after Even if subreddit moderators tried their best at banning users from. Preview7. The seizure of the Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets was made Tuesday morning in Germany by the German Federal Criminal Police in. On Wednesday, the darknet market reddit. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had disrupted a two-tiered global botnet of thousands of infected. After almost six years in operation, Dream Market is calling it quits. CCN has confirmed rumors of the shutdown. Since the original message. They look like the real deal. However, appearances can be deceiving. Find out how you can recognize darknet market reddit fake drugs and deceptive drug packaging. S. Former Empire users discuss collaborating on illegal darknet markets: White House Market and Monopoly Source, His bio contained contact details for.
Archetyp Market Link
The amount that is being deposited is refundable if the account is in good standing which stands at 3 months from the date of deposit. Darknet customers are now using messaging app Telegram to purchase narcotics and other illegal products through its Televend channel, which uses an automated software to peddle illicit drugs to. At least some of these drugs I think we would be better off legalizing, taxing, restricting sale to minors and restricting advertising, testing for purity. In addition, while this particular piece was not stolen by ISIS, the incident darknet market reddit is notable for the clear connections between stolen art darknet market reddit and cryptocurrency on the Dark Web. Once thriving, now dismantled, Wall Street Market was used to trade in hard drugs, along with fake or hacked documents and malicious software, Europol said in a media release. Haven't even learned how to harness the power of the Internet and there's a Darknet?
“Americans, needless to say, didn’t see much good in discovering a new king. The Farmer's Market was launched in 2006 and moved onto Tor in 2010.”
Archetyp Market Url
Always choose the darknet market reddit best VPN for your privacy while selling or buying over the dark web. Storage companies generally exist to make money, so it’s unlikely that any provider would undercut potential paid plans and waste profits with such a generous product. Olympus Markets is a robot broker currently owned and operated by Next Trade Ltd, registered atPort Vila, Vanuatu. Monero, making it the second cannazon darknet market most-used cryptocurrency for such transactions behind Bitcoin. Once this process is complete, your account balance should reflect the deposit. The dark web fraud economy is built on compromised data, and the steady stream of breaches and exposures have contributed to the proliferation of personal data on the markets.


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The acquisition shows Nvidia’s growing ambition to corner the booming $235 billion software-defined data center market dominated by Cisco, Dell and others.
GPU powerhouse NVIDIA makes a huge play for the networking data center market with plans to acquire network software trailblazer Cumulus Networks. The move comes close on the heels of closing the big-ticketed $6.9 billion Mellanox deal that accelerated Nvidia’s entry in the open networking segment. The chip company that fueled deep learning and cloud gaming trend and rivalled well-heeled chipmaker Intel is now eyeing the booming software-defined data center market.
Global Market Insights predicts the software-defined data center market value will hit $235 billion by 2026. According to Nvidia, the Cumulus buy will help the AI chipmaker innovate and optimize across the entire networking stack from chips and systems to software including analytics like Cumulus NetQ, delivering great performance and value to customers. This open networking platform is extensible and allows enterprise and cloud-scale data centers full control over their operations.
In addition, Nvidia believes its approach to creating both the hardware and software for accelerated computing will allow them to expand deeper into networking software with Cumulus and innovate across the entire technology stack.
Cumulus, supports as many as 100 hardware platforms with its Cumulus Linux, the company’s operating system for network switches. NVIDIA’sMellanox Spectrum switches are shipping with Cumulus Linux and SONiC, the open-source offering that Microsoft’s Azure cloud has forged and the Open Compute Project managed since 2013.
Together the companies have created DENT, which is a distributed Linux software framework purpose built for retail and other enterprises at the edge of the network. And the Onyx operating system continues to expand, especially in Ethernet Storage Fabrics (ESF).


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In two separate record-breaking settlements, the FTC said Epic will pay a $275 million penalty for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and $245 million to refund consumers tricked into incurring unwanted charges.
In a federal complaint, the FTC had alleged that Epic violated the COPPA by collecting the personal information of Fortnite players under the age of 13 without notifying their parents or obtaining verifiable consent from a guardian.
It also said that Epic had violated the FTC Act by enabling real-time voice and text communications for children and teens by default, resulting in some players being bullied, threatened, harassed, and exposed to dangerous and psychologically traumatising issues.
Epic will now be prohibited from enabling voice and text communications for children and teens unless affirmative consent is provided through a privacy setting.
In a separate complaint, the FTC alleged that Epic used “dark patterns and billing practices” to trick players of all ages into making unwanted purchases, and let children amass unauthorised charges without any parental involvement.
“Fortnite’s counterintuitive, inconsistent, and confusing button configuration led players to incur unwanted charges based on the press of a single button,” the FTC said.
“For example, players could be charged while attempting to wake the game from sleep mode, while the game was in a loading screen, or by pressing an adjacent button while attempting simply to preview an item.”
Up until 2018, Epic also allowed children to buy Fortnite in-game currency by simply pressing buttons without requiring any parental or cardholder action or consent.
The FTC claimed that Epic ignored more than one million user complaints over players being wrongfully charged.
It also alleged that Epic locked the accounts of players who disputed unauthorised charges with their credit card companies, meaning they were blocked from accessing any content they had purchased. Going forward, it will be prohibited from doing so.
“As our complaints note, Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan.
“Protecting the public, and especially children, from online privacy invasions and dark patterns is a top priority for the Commission, and these enforcement actions make clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices.”
In a blog post addressing the FTC settlements, Epic claimed: “No developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here… We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been making changes to ensure our ecosystem meets the expectations of our players and regulators, which we hope will be a helpful guide for others in our industry.”
It added: “The old status quo for in-game commerce and privacy has changed, and many developer practices should be reconsidered. We share the underlying principles of fairness, transparency and privacy that the FTC enforces, and the practices referenced in the FTC’s complaints are not how Fortnite operates.
“We will continue to be upfront about what players can expect when making purchases, ensure cancellations and refunds are simple, and build safeguards that help keep our ecosystem safe and fun for audiences of all ages.”


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'Root Film' Game Launches in Japan on April 23
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Kadokawa Games announced on Tuesday that it will release the Root Film game for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in Japan on April 23.
PQube and Kadokawa Games had announced in October that the game will get a release in Europe and North America for the Switch and PS4.
Root Film is Kadokawa Games' sequel to its Root Letter mystery adventure game, and it features a new murder story by Hifumi Kōno. Similar to the first game, Root Film takes place in Shimane prefecture.
The members of the i☆Ris voice actress idol unit will voice the main characters, and Wataru Komada will voice the male protagonist.
The √Letter (pronounced "Root Letter") mystery visual novel shipped in June 2016 in Japan for the PS4 and PlayStation Vita. Rice Digital and PQube released the game in Europe in October 2016, and in North America in November 2016. Kadokawa Games released the game on PC via Steam in July 2017 and for iOS and Android in August 2017.


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Analysis and comment on all matters pertaining to the supply chain and distribution of electronics components from Richard Wilson, editor of Electronics Weekly.
Several messages were transmitted to trigger malware in computers using the technique, including from a laser 900m away and from a drone outside the building.
“In this research, we demonstrated how to use a laser or smart bulb to establish a covert channel between an outside attacker and malware installed on a networked computer,” said scientist Ben Nassi of Ben-Gurion University. “A scanner with the lid left open is sensitive to changes in the surrounding light and might be used as a back door into a company’s network.”
In another demonstration, the researchers used a Galaxy 4 phone to hijack a smart lightbulb in the same room as the scanner via radio signals. They then manipulated the bulb to send light signals to the scanner to trigger the malware.
To mitigate this vulnerability, the researchers recommend that scanner are connected to networks through a proxy server – which will prevent establishing a covert channel, at the expense of limiting printing and faxing remotely on all-in-one devices.
“We believe this study will increase the awareness to this threat and result in secured protocols for scanning that will prevent an attacker from establishing such a covert channel through an external light source, smart bulb, TV, or other IoT device,” said Nassi.
Professor Adi Shamir of the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute conceived of the project to identify network vulnerabilities by establishing a clandestine channel in a computer network.
“When the United States Department of Energy (DoE) implemented its Level VI standard in February 2016, most OEMs were forced to update their designs to meet these requirements. Now with even stricter regulations proposed to become law in the European Union (EU) in 2018, companies that ship an external power adapter with their end product must yet again closely monitor the regulatory environment to ensure that they are in compliance,” said the firm.


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The United States government has imposed a new requirement on garment-processing companies to test whether they are complying with the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires that companies that make garments for human consumption to offer free, public access to the factories where they work.
The Fair Labor Department said Tuesday that it has issued a new guidance requiring companies to conduct their own garment-factory inspection to ensure that their factories are not being exploited by unscrupulous labor suppliers.
The guidelines are in response to a complaint by the UAW and the UCLU, the UMWA union that represents garment-manufacturing workers in the United States.
The new requirement requires manufacturers to test if their factories meet the requirements of the law and also to offer public access at least once a week to those factories where the inspection is conducted.
The U.s. government said in a statement that the requirements are intended to help ensure that manufacturers “are not being used for cheap labor.”
“While the government believes that the Fair Labor Standard Act and other standards are a vital safeguard against exploitation, the government is also mindful that manufacturers may have an incentive to avoid paying workers a living wage,” the statement said.
“We are working to ensure this happens and to improve labor-management practices that make it harder for workers to earn a living.”
The government said that the factories in question have to comply with a wide range of laws, including minimum wage laws, federal and state occupational safety and health rules, health and safety regulations, and federal procurement and compliance requirements.
The guidance came after a government investigation into the Ulam Group, a subsidiary of the Ucla Group, revealed that the company had violated several U. of T. and the Fair Labour Standards Act requirements.
Ulam was found to have failed to provide paid sick leave to its workers and failed to properly record the number of sick days each worker had taken.
The Department of Labor has also issued a warning letter to Ulam, ordering the company to cease and desist from violations of the Fair Work and Hour Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Ulim, the statement added, is also required to provide all of its U. workers with a written, signed contract outlining the terms of employment, and to provide written notice of the rights and responsibilities of workers under these laws.
The federal government said it is also investigating Ulam’s business operations and will take appropriate action against any company that fails to meet these requirements.
“While this new guidance is a positive step in addressing this troubling situation, it does not eliminate the potential for exploitation, exploitation of workers, or wage theft,” the UofT government said.
“This is why we continue to push for the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that will bring these problems to an end,” U.T. said in its statement.
“The North American Fair Trade Agreement is a critical piece of the solution.”


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Nope, we’re not done talking about masturbation, apparently.
William Tyler Black is a substitute teacher in Florida who was recently caught at Wal-Mart masturbating to Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit edition. According to TrueCrime Report, Black was discovered when a security guard overheard his moans from the next aisle and came around, just in time to catch the culmination of the act all over the store floor.
Black was subsequently arrested on charges of indecent exposure and battery — for mishandling a dangerous substance (i.e., semen) in a public place.
Clearly educators are not paid enough in this country. If the guy had been able to afford a proper subscription to Playboy or even an internet connection, none of this would have happened.
Image from B&N. Information from TrueCrime Report.


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It looks like broccoli with cheese sauce. It tastes like broccoli with cheese sauce. It is, in fact, broccoli with tofu mustard sauce.
David Mintz, who developed the recipe along with dozens of other western-style tofu products, understandably thinks tofu-based ethnic foods are the wave of the future. He's selling everything from the broccoli side dish to frozen tofu desserts through his New York delicatessen and catering service.
A recent study by a New York-based market research and publishing company suggests Mintz is part of a national trend.
Tofu could become the yogurt of the 1980s, says John Perry, director of research forFIND-SVP. Perry thinks the potential market for tofu as a tasty, versatile food 'is at least as great as the current market for yogurt.
'It will probably take tofu five to 10 years to reach the current level of yogurt, even with appropriately promoted and branded products,' Perry says.
Tofu is also known as bean curd. The soft variety resembles egg custard in texture. The firm type is more like cheese. Both are almost totally flavorless -- which makes them a prime extender for flavorful but more expensive food such as ground beef or highly seasoned dishes.
The FIND-SVP survey estimates current sales at about $50 million, and predicts they will increase 300 percent within the next five years.
Since 1975 the number of shops and soy dairies in North America has grown from 55, all run by orientals, to 159 today, 62 percent of them run by Caucasians.
Even without major advertising, the number of tofu makers has nearly tripled in the past five years, says FIND-SVP researcher Cassandra Marrone.
Tofu is one of the cheapest forms of complete protein available. That makes it attractive to people trying to save money on their food budgets in these hard economic times.
Other factors, according to the study, are the introduction of more ready-to-eat entrees and processed tofu products, wider use in schools, hospitals and other mass-feeding institutions and better manufacturing and packaging techniques that lengthen shelf life, widen distribution and preserve the products' taste and freshness.
Tofu today is in the same position yogurt was about 10 years ago, Ms. Marrone said by telephone. 'Yogurt was considered an ethnic food with a foreign taste to the average American. Now yogurt is considered a dessert, a diet lunch and it's still the fastest growing dairy product in the United States.'
Ms. Marrone thinks William Shurtleff, author of 'The Book of Tofu,' 'is responsible for a great deal of interest in the soybean curd -- in producing and selling it.
'Many businesses started with a handful of young people looking for an alternate lifestyle,' she said.
She said a San Francisco-based company, Quong Hop, is making frozen entrees, including casserole dishes, in hopes of opening up the market.
'Tofu is so bland on its own it turns Americans off,' she said.
The FIND-SVP survey showed most people buy the product in supermarkets, generally in the produce department where oriental vegetables are also displayed.
'There's very little advertising,' Ms. Marrone said, but many companies provide recipe leaflets with the product.
'I've heard of people combining tofu with peanut butter during the peanut butter shortage (that resulted last year after bad weather sharply reduced the peanut crop).'
Mintz's Buffet Kosher Take Out Foods and Catering was featuring soft-serve peanut butter Tofutti, a frozen, non-dairy dessert, the day we dropped in for lunch. It tasted like top-quality ice milk and, at 95 calories per five-ounce serving, was no more fattening than an apple. Soymilk and soybean oil replace the usual egg and cream of ice creams.
The owner-manager was also preparing to cater a wedding for 300 at which about 65 different tofu-based dishes will be served.
Mintz's tofu specialties also include egg roll in which the usual Chinese filling of pork or shrimp with vegetables is replaced by tofu and spinach; quiches dense with vegetables and made with egg whites only - to lower the calorie and cholesterol content; a ratatouille-like vegetable side dish; souffles; and traditional Jewish pastries such as rugelach.
Tofu is especially useful in kosher cookery. Since it is pareve, it can be used with either meat or dairy products, without violating kosher dietary law that forbids mixing those two types of food or even serving them at the same meal.
The delicatessen's one window was filled with pans of plump bran muffins made with whole wheat flour in a yeast batter. Instead of sugar they're sweetened with barley malt, molasses and honey and they taste as rich and moist as they look.
'I sold a half-dozen a day at the start,' Mintz said. 'Now I sell about 2,000 a week.
He said he's going to have to move by the end of the year -- the building is going to be razed. He said he may drop meat dishes entirely after the move and become strictly a vegetarian restaurant with tofu specialties.
'We sort of combine traditional foods with the new wave of eating.'
He woos new customers by offering tastes of different products every day.
'What's that?' asked a woman, eyeing a plateful of beige-colored cubes on the counter.
It was gefilte fish -- fish balls traditional to Eastern European and American Jewish cooking. No tofu in them, Mintz said.
'Listen, if you can make ice cream out of tofu, why not gefilte fish?' the woman said as she left.
Tofu does make a good extender for meat loaf.
The recipe following is from 'The Tofu Cookbook,' by Cathy Bauer and Juel Andersen (Rodale 1979):
1 lb. ground beef
One and two-thirds to 2 c. (1-1 ) lbs. tofu
1 medium onion, chopped fine
c. celery, chopped
c. parsley, chopped
c. wheat germ
c. soymilk, water, or wine
One-third c. sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except sunflower seeds in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon the mixture, which will be quite moist, into a loaf pan and top with the sunflower seeds. Bake 1 to 1 hours and serve hot with a sauce. Save leftovers to slice cold for sandwiches. Makes 8-10 servings.
adv for tues sept.


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MCLEAN, Va. (February , 2003) — Planning already has begun for the 2004 SIA SnowSports Show. The dates are January 26-29 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. “We informally announced this timeframe in October when the SIA board voted to keep the organization’s show in January,” said SIA President David Ingemie. “Now that the 2003 Show is over, we are starting to get questions about next year’s show and we want to make sure that everyone in our industry knows the dates.”
Next year marks the third year for the snow sports industry’s realigned “See it, Try it, Buy it” business cycle. The process began in 2002 when the SIA Show moved to a January timeframe to be held in conjunction with major buying group shows followed by regional on-snow demos and indoor shows organized by the industry’s various rep associations.
“The ultimate vision of this realignment was to make the business cycle more efficient and cost effective,” added Ingemie. “We knew from the beginning that this change would take from three to five years. We are continuing to work closely with the buying groups and rep associations on scheduling adjustments. We appreciate the patience and understanding of the entire industry and especially those involved in this difficult process. We also understand that there is a potential conflict with the Outdoor Retailer Show in 2004 and we are in contact with the management of that show to resolve this issue.”
The 2003 SIA SnowSports Show recently concluded its four-day run at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The industry’s business cycle is now moving into the regional on-snow demo phase and will conclude by the end of March with a series of indoor regional rep shows.
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national, not-for-profit, member-owned trade association that represents snow and winter sports outdoor companies. SIA produces the SIA SnowSports Show, the largest trade show and gathering place for the snow sports industry. Proceeds from the SnowSports Show fund market development programs for all snow sport disciplines. SIA also annually produces more than a dozen industry research studies. For more information, check out www.snowlink.com. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587. Phone: (703) 556-9020, Fax: (703) 821-8276, Email: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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By Ronnie Cummins
Organic Consumers Association
Take Action! Ask Whole Foods to Support GMO Labeling!
On Jan. 31, organic and natural foods giant Whole Foods Market (WFM) once again attacked the Organic Consumers Association, the nation’s leading watchdog on organic standards, as being too “hard-line” for insisting that retailers like WFM stop selling, or at least start labeling, billions of dollars worth of so-called “natural” foods in their stores – foods that are laced with unlabeled, hazardous genetically engineered (GE) ingredients.
On January 31st, family farmers from across the county will take part in the first phase of the OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto court case filed to protect farmers from genetic trespass by Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) seed, which can contaminate organic and non-GMO farmers’ crops and open them up to abusive lawsuits.
Meet at Foley Square in Manhattan at 9 am on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. [Image]
Posted in Biotechnology, Courts - Justice System
Tagged basf, bayer, biotechnology, Bioweaponry, CorpoGov, Dow, dupont, Environment, FDA, Food & Farming, genetic contamination, genetic engineering, Genetically Engineered Food, Monopolies, monsanto, occupy monsanto, organic, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, OSGATA, pharma crops, pollution, public patent foundation, pubpat, seed monopoly, syngenta, USDA


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A recent survey of Japanese consumers about two upcoming systems might be cause for concern to executives at Nintendo and Sony. According to Japanese research firm goo Research, consumers aren't all that excited about either the Wii U or the PlayStation Vita. The firm surveyed 1,083 of its members and unearthed some interesting sample opinions on the upcoming products from both companies.
A little more than 10 percent said that they wanted to buy a PS Vita, and less than 10 percent were interested in purchasing a Wii U. More than half those respondents said that they weren't interested in either of the devices at all.
The survey was conducted between October 17 – 19, with half of those participants being male (53 percent). Around 16.3 percent were in their teens, 18.2 percent in their twenties, 21.9 percent in their thirties, 16.3 percent in their forties, and 27.3 percent were fifty years old or older.
Around 64 percent of respondents said they owned a games machine, with the DS being the most popular (62 percent, or 694 game owners), while 53 percent claimed they owned a PlayStation 2, 5.7 percent said they owned a Nintendo Wii, 34.3 percent said they owned a PSP, and 27.8 percent claimed ownership of a PS3.
Chances are that a lack of details on what titles will be available at launch is the cause of so much disinterest in both platforms.


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Ford Recalls More Than 50,000 VehiclesFord is recalling the charging cords for more than 50,000 plug-in hybrid and electric cars in North America because they could cause fires in electrical outlets.
Mayor ‘Ecstatic,’ Says Ford’s Investment Will Bring Jobs To Western Pa.A billion dollars. That's the investment Ford Motor Company is making in a Pittsburgh company to develop a system for self-driving cars.
Ford Invests $1 Billion In Pittsburgh Robotics Startup In Driverless Car QuestFord Motor will spend $1 billion to take over a robotics startup to acquire more of the expertise needed to reach its ambitious goal of having a fully driverless vehicle on the road by 2021.
New Business: Auto Suppliers Expected To Usher In Hundreds Of JobsAn auto supplier is set to build a new plant in Detroit and create as many as 750 new jobs.


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NSoft has released upgraded Greyhound Races on all four delivery channels – web, mobile, retail and terminal – for its partner Balkan Bet.
The collaboration with Balkan Bet will also see the release of two new products: Virtual Motorcycle Speedway, which was already presented during the ICE Totally Gaming show in February 2017; and Slot Car Races, to be presented during the ICE 2018.
The latter game is based upon pre-recorded footage, the company said.
All NSoft’s products will be presented during Excellence in iGaming on stand 211. This event is taking place on 30 October – 1 November in Berlin.


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Smartron has launched its latest smart band called tband. It has 18mm changeable straps and comes with IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
It has 0.96-inch OLED touch display with 128 x 64 pixels resolution. It comes with either MediaTek MT2523 or MT2511 processor and is powered by 100 mAh battery which offers about 2 to 4 days of battery life.
The Smartron tband features in ECG (Electrocardiography) and BP (Blood Pressure) monitoring and measures Fatigue and Stress factor. The smartband also allows continuous heart rate tracking (including resting heart rate).
There is a thealth app which gives users an overall Health Index score, which is derived from combined tracking of activities, calories, sleeping patters, stress / fatigue levels, Blood Pressure and heart rates.
Apart from this, tband also shows calls, texts, notifications with DND, Sedentary reminders etc. It has up to 10 hours of alarms customization and supports wrist detection.
The smartband is compatible with Android 5.0+ and iOS 8.3+ devices. It has 3-Axis Accelerometer, ECG and PPG Optical heart rate sensors.
The Smartron tband is priced at Rs. 4999 and will be available online exclusively at Flipkart from May 13th.
Hari Kumar, Senior Director, Head of Electronics at Flipkart said:
Wearables is currently a 3.5mn industry in India and has shown tremendous year on year growth. Online contributes to more than 80% of this industry by volume and we are seeing a lot of interest in smart wearables that go beyond just tracking and monitoring basic stats. With the Smartron tband that has first of its category features like ECG and BP monitoring, we plan on building this category and offering consumers quality products with new and innovative features. We are excited to be exclusive partners for Smartron’s new wearable launch and are confident that we will see great response from the consumers for the tband. We see a lot of traction in this category and will be working closely with Smartron to strengthen this partnership and giving consumers an enhanced shopping experience with a number of launch offers.


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The Franchise Key:
Schlotzskyâ€™sÂ® has announced that it has signed 75 franchise agreements for a total of 25 restaurants that will each house the Schlotzskyâ€™s, Cinnabon and Carvel concepts under one roof. Company executives said the restaurants will begin to open throughout New Jersey and Texas during the next six to 12 months.
Kelly Roddy, President, commented, â€œTogether, these agreements represent the largest in Schlotzskyâ€™s history. We are thrilled to expand the brand throughout Texas and New Jersey with a talented group of business savvy entrepreneurs.â€


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Japanese tech giant has recently announced the SF-G UHS-II SD card claiming it will be the world’s fastest one. The maximum write speed for the SF-G series will reach 299 MB/s, while the read speed will hit 300 MB/s. For comparison, Amazon’s current bestselling SD card can only handle 80 MB/s read and write speeds. The SF-G cards are waterproof, temperature resistant, shock proof and X-ray proof. The cards optimized for professional photographers, DSLR and mirrorless camera users will be available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB variations.
YouTube has announced that it now supports HDR videos. HDR (or High Dynamic Range) has been getting a lot of attention lately since both the Xbox One S and the upcoming PlayStation 4 Pro support it. Now that YouTube videos support HDR content, it means that those with HDR-capable consoles will be able to show the world what these new systems are capable of.
Let’s face it, the state of virtual reality gaming isn’t looking so great these days. Though the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive managed to sell out rather quickly upon each of their respective releases, sales of the two devices have pretty much flatlined. The initial hype got early adopters to jump on board and buy units in droves, but the current sales numbers tell us that consumers just aren’t interested in VR gaming. Some believed this technology would usher in a new era of innovation for games, but it appears that VR is turning out to be the fad most (myself included) said it would be.
Sony's biggest PlayStation 4 software update yet is now available, refreshing the console's interface, adding folders, tweaking its menu screens, and enabling HDR output. The version 4.00 update — codenamed Shingen — prepares the way for Sony's two new versions of its PS4: a slimmer model coming this week, and the PS4 Pro, a more powerful version of the machine capable of playing games in 4K resolutions, due for release on November 10th.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is an important business phenomenon, especially in business spheres connected with IT and innovations. August 2016 was rich in companies’ acquisitions. Let us introduce you a list of fifteen companies which have acquired businesses last August. The list is drawn up in date order.
If you missed out on the PlayStation 3's catalogue of games, which includes classics such as The Last of Us, God of War III and the Uncharted series, you now have a chance to play (or replay) them on your PC, thanks to the PS Now streaming service.
With Sony bringing PS Now to PC for residents of the UK, US and Canada, you're able to play over 400 PS3 games on your desktop or laptop – and a steady stream of new games are being added to the library every month.
Sony announced an update to the curious-looking FES Watch with a new design. TheFES Watch U features an e-ink display and pairs with your phone. But the surprising part is that the band is also a flexible e-ink display, opening a brand new world of design possibilities — what an exciting time to be alive.
As soon as we found out the Pro Evolution 2017 Demo is available on PlayStation, we downloaded it and started playing. If you have a PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 or a PS3, you can do the same. Based on our two days with the demo, we think you won't be disappointed with PES 2017.
With FIFA 16, rival EA took the simulation route, trying to make the game as life-like as possible. The game has slowed down considerably, made defending a lot harder, and found the right balance between attack and defence. This makes FIFA extremely tough to compete against. So how does PES answer? By making the game as arcadey as possible of course.
The Playstation 4 is getting a facelift. Sony will reveal a new slimmer version of the PS4 next month, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The new console, unofficially dubbed the PS4 Slim, will have the same exact specifications as the original PS4 but with a new thinner design. It will compete directly with the Xbox One S. According to one analyst cited by the WSJ, the new slim model will also be sold at a cheaper price.
After many a leak, it was confirmed that Ubisoft will not be releasing a new Assassin's Creed game any time soon. That however, has not ruled out a re-release of its older games.
According to the eagle-eyed members of popular gaming forum NeoGAF, Assassin's Creed Ezio Collection will be making it to the PS4 and Xbox One. Information pertaining to this was discovered on the Game Rating and Administration Committee, a South Korean content rating board.


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Annapolis, MD– On Wednesday, April 3, 2019 the Maryland General Assembly approved a bill that raises the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21.
The bill now goes to Governor Larry Hogan to sign or veto.
The bill also changes the definition of tobacco products to include electronic smoking devices, authorizes the Maryland Department of Health to conduct unannounced inspections, requires specific signage at specified retailers, alters restrictions on selling tobacco products through vending machines and states retailers who sell to minors will have to pay a civil penalty.
The bill received bipartisan support in the General Assembly. The lawmakers hope that the bill, and tobacco education programs will cut down on teen smoking.
If Governor Hogan signs the bill( or overridden due to veto), Maryland will become the 10th state to raise the age to 21.
This is a developing story.


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‘DOOM Eternal’ Trailer: Now With 100% More Laser Swords. Let’s fucking go!
Here’s the new trailer for DOOM Eternal. And it fucking rules, just like everything else that’s been shown of the game.
id Software and Bethesda Softworks gave Doom fans a new look at Doom Eternal today, showcasing new glory kills and new enemies coming to the hyper-violent first-person shooter.
There’s plenty of story setup here, as well, giving Doomguy reasons to do what we all came here for: to gorily shred demons with shotguns, laser swords, rocket launchers, and a pair of meaty fists. The new Doom Eternal trailer focuses on the single-player campaign side of things, showing off the new enemies like the Marauder and the Gladiator, and Doomguy’s sword skills with the Crucible. (There’s also a brand-new multiplayer mode, called Battlemode, being developed in house by id Software.)
Doom Eternal is coming to Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One on March 20, after a brief delay. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development and will be released later.
Polygon will have more on Doom Eternal soon.


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New research released by BAE Systems Applied Intelligence today reveals that the majority of UK businesses (57%) now regard the threat from cyber attacks as one of their top three business risks. The research mirrors the recent warning from the World Economic Forum, which included cyber attacks in its 5 biggest threats facing the world in 2014.(1) In the most recent research, conducted earlier this month, the majority of international respondents (58%) said that recent high profile cyber attacks on international businesses, including banks and retailers such as Target, have led to their organisation increasing its budget for cyber security.
The latest research comes as BAE Systems Applied Intelligence releases a new report, “Business and the Cyber Threat: The Rise of Digital Criminality”, based on a broader international survey (2) which details business concerns and opinion around the cyber threat. It comes in the wake of a series of high profile attacks, where criminals have used highly sophisticated cyber techniques to conduct financial crime on a massive scale. It was immediately striking that organised fraudsters capable of carrying out increasingly sophisticated attacks are viewed by 67% of respondents in the UK (and 55% overall) as being the chief threat. This suggests that predictions that cyber-enabled fraud will become the new frontline in the war against digital criminality are rapidly becoming a reality.
Faced with these challenges it was alarming to note that a significant proportion of respondents internationally (30%) have concerns about their Board’s grasp of the risk posed by targeted cyber attacks. In the UK, however, confidence in Boards’ grasp of the issue was much greater – with 65% of UK respondents believing their Board fully appreciates the business risk presented by cyber attack.
Interestingly, the research showed that businesses’ awareness of the scale and size of the cyber threat appears to be growing, and the majority of respondents are confident that their organisations are well equipped to prevent targeted attacks, with 70% of UK companies possessing crisis plans in the event of a cyber attack. However, the research also found that a large majority of businesses (90% in the UK and 84% overall) expect the number of cyber attacks to increase over the next two years.
Martin Sutherland, Managing Director, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, said:
“What this research clearly demonstrates is that whilst businesses are increasingly aware of the threat presented by digital criminality, the ever-evolving threat landscape means that there is a real need for continued agility in dealing with these threats. Digital crime as a whole - a dangerous combination of organised groups of criminals using cyber techniques to carry out financial crime on an industrialised scale - is a major concern, particularly since the most recent wave of high-profile attacks.
“We’re starting to see genuine interest from British businesses who realise that the threat of digital criminality is something that affects their whole business and is not just an IT issue. As the number of avenues open to criminals in a hyper-connected world increases, it is more essential than ever that organisations think carefully about the actions they need to take to protect themselves and their customers as effectively as possible.”
Further key UK findings include:
- Cost: In the UK, 40% of respondents estimated a successful cyber attack would cost their organisation more than £50 million, a further 10% of UK respondents said the cost would be more than £10 million.
- Concern: when asked what they would be most concerned about in the event of a successful attack, the most common responses was loss of customer data (60% of respondents internationally), theft of intellectual property (43%) and reputational damage (35%).
- Convergence: Organised groups of fraudsters were identified by respondents internationally as the most likely group to mount targeted cyber attacks. Of those respondents who had encountered cyber-enabled fraud, 77% of UK respondents expect cyber to play a greater role in financial fraud.
- Crisis Plans: 30% of UK organisations surveyed did not have, or were unaware of, crisis plans in the event of a cyber attack on their company. Of those respondents who did have crisis plans, 60% of UK respondents thought their companies’ plans were well publicised.
- Change: Majority of respondents internationally think that new business practices such as greater use of Mobile Technologies (71% of respondents) and Critical Operating Systems (69%) represent a significant cyber risk to their organisation.
The full report can be found at: http://www.baesystems.com/ai/cyberthreat
UK PR Manager, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7812 4633
Mobile: +44 (0)7833 134 432
Blue Rubicon, on behalf of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7260 2700.
Notes to editors
1. From Global Risks 2014, published by the World Economic Forum in January 2014.
2. Our report, “Business and the Cyber Threat: the rise of Digital Criminality”, is based on 511 online interviews conducted by Ipsos MORI with strategic and IT decision makers in private sector companies in the US (300), UK(110), Australia (51) and Canada (50), carried out online using a business panel in Autumn 2013. Participants were drawn from companies with a turnover in excess of £350 million (or the equivalent in local currency) from a range of business sectors including Financial Services (Banking and Insurance), Telecoms, Energy, Transportation, Technology, Engineering, Mining, Legal, Media and Pharmaceutical. Additional research conducted with 256 respondents across US, UK, Canada and Australia was conducted online in February 2014 among a comparable audience.
3. Please contact us for a copy of the full report, or visit http://www.baesystems.com/ai/cyberthreat
About BAE Systems Applied Intelligence
We deliver solutions which help our clients to protect and enhance their critical assets in the intelligence age. Our intelligent protection solutions combine large-scale data exploitation, ‘intelligence-grade’ security and complex services and solutions integration. We operate in four key domains of expertise: cyber security, financial crime, communications intelligence and digital transformation.
Leading enterprises and government departments use our solutions to protect and enhance their physical infrastructure, mission-critical systems, valuable intellectual property, corporate information, reputation and customer relationships, competitive advantage and financial success.
Applied Intelligence is part of BAE Systems, a global defence, aerospace and security company with approximately 90,000 employees worldwide. BAE Systems delivers a wide range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. For more information, please visit www.baesystems.com


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News hotlines: 08111813019, 08025868561
Email: firstname.lastname@example.org, email@example.com
As part of new efforts to grow continental trade relations in non-oil deals, the Federal Government on Thursday, opened a window expand Nigeria’s trade with other countries of the world by inaugurating a national committee for the Continental Free Trade Area negotiations.
Business Hilights recalls that African Union Heads of State and Government at their summit in 2012, decided to establish a Continental Free Trade Area, as part of a plan to industrialize the Continent by 2063 as well as boost Intra-Africa trade, which is currently, at only 19 per cent.
Minister Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja, said the Nigerian Economic Summit Group will from henceforth, be part of the Nigerian negotiating team for the CFTA.
While revealing that President Muhammadu Buhari has given his nod, Enelamah said the 20 member committee has representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Office of the Vice President; Ministry of Budget and National Planning; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; Nigeria Customs Service; and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
Agencies coming on board the committee also include the Central Bank of Nigeria; Manufacturers Association of Nigeria; National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture; NESG; Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission; National Bureau of Statistics; National Association of Nigerian Traders; and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council.
Others are National Coalition of Service Industry; National Association of Small Scale Industries; Representatives of Academia; Representatives of Digital Economy (Jumia, Iroko and Andela).
Key responsibilities of the committee include advising government on the CFTA negotiations, across all the negotiating areas, including, but not limited to goods, services, investment, competition and intellectual property.
The new committee will also undertake analysis to ensure that the negotiations and emerging results is in tandem with the goals established by the Federal Government as well as identify the opportunities and challenges facing the country in trade with other African countries.
While seeing the new move as a game changer for the Nigerian economy, the Minister said with the instrument of trade negotiations, the government can diversify the economy, create jobs and ensure inclusive growth.
According to him, time has come for Nigeria to grow and modernize the Nigerian economy through African trade integration.
“This would require focus, discipline, organization, determination and the exercise of that famous entrepreneurial spirit for which Nigerians are renowned the world-over.
“The inauguration of the National Committee for the CFTA, today, is therefore, intended to reinforce the process for national economic recovery and development, across all areas. Today’s inauguration is auspicious and timely.”


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lena_serditova / iStockphoto.com
The Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) has called on Singapore to crack down on copyright infringement online in the city-state.
CAP pointed towards recent research by Singapore-based Sycamore Research which found that 14% of Singaporeans admitted to accessing pirated content via illicit streaming devices (ISDs).
This compares to 6% of all households in North America who currently have TV boxes configured to access illicit content, according to Sandvine Research, also cited by CAP.
CAP represents several major international entertainment companies including Disney and HBO.
“Singapore faces similar challenges to other developed countries, with the surge in popularity of illicit streaming devices,” explained CAP president Neil Gane.
He added: “The pay-TV industry is hopeful that the Singapore government recognises the commercial damage that such illegal sales have on their industry, and the risks that consumers face due to malware being embedded within the ISD applications.”
Gane continued: “The fast transmission of digital data has facilitated access to online pirated content among some consumers in Singapore. This has resulted in an expectation of getting something for nothing.
“This has contributed to consumers migrating away from legal services and funding criminal syndicates who provide access to this illicit content,” he added.
piracy, streaming, Coalition against piracy, Singapore, ICDs, illicit streaming devices


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Freeview Play and LG have strengthened their partnership with a new five-year agreement, announced today. This means that all new LG TVs will come with Freeview Play built-in as standard. Freeview and LG will also work together on future product updates to continue to innovate the user experience.
Freeview Play claims it is the UK’s fastest-growing TV platform, with over 11 million users to date. In 2021, LG increased its sales share to nearly 20% of the UK TV market, and its value share to record levels, now close to 30%.
The new five-year agreement reflects the importance of Freeview Play and demonstrates LG’s continued faith in the platform and what it delivers for its growing number of users.
Home to some of the UK’s most-watched shows, Freeview Play provides over 70 live channels, and ten-demand players; BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, CBS CatchUp Channels UK, Horror Bites, POP Player, STV Player, and BBC Sounds.
Altogether, Freeview Play provides viewers with over 30,000 hours of on demand TV, including over 700 boxsets. Best of all, it’s completely free of charge.
Says Simon Hunt, Director of Business Development and Strategy for Freeview Play:
“Freeview Play is going from strength to strength, and we are delighted that LG, our biggest brand TV partner, continues to show its commitment to the platform and the value it delivers to UK viewers.”
Adds Peter Booth, Commercial Director CE from LG:
“The strength of support and partnership from the Freeview Play Team at all levels makes our lives both easier and more enjoyable. The launch of the 2021 Freeview Play platform was incredibly ‘en pointe’ given the vast change and dynamics of how our joint end users have consumed world-leading catch up services throughout the recent pandemic. We look forward to the next phase of our relationship.”
Watched in over 17 million homes, Freeview is it claims the UK’s biggest TV platform. The service is available on millions of smart TVs sold in the UK. In 2019, Freeview launched its mobile app, giving viewers access to the country’s most popular programmes all in one place, on the go.
The Freeview platform is managed by Digital UK Ltd and DTV Services Ltd. The companies have three common shareholders – BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Sky is a shareholder in DTV Services Ltd, and Channel 5 is a shareholder in Digital UK Ltd.


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Mar 23, 2012 — Detroit, USA – Connected World magazine awarded the Cadillac XTS a Connected Car of the Year award in the luxury category. Available in late spring 2012, the new XTS will debut Cadillac CUE, a comprehensive in-vehicle experience that merges intuitive design with auto industry-first controls and commands for information and media.
“Rather than just looking for power, speed, and performance, a connected car means turn-by-turn directions, voice-activated controls, and precollision systems,” says Peggy Smedley, editorial director,Connected World. “Car buyers now want it all under one hood and in the cabin.”
CUE, which stands for Cadillac User Experience, is a highly customizable user interfaces including a standard eight-inch (203 mm) screen in the “center stack.” CUE features several auto industry firsts, including capacitive-touch control with proximity sensing, gesture recognition and natural voice recognition.
The intuitive touch interface used in CUE is the same technology employed by many of today’s most popular handheld phones and tablets. Designed for both tech savvy and tech averse users, it allows consumers to securely store those mobile devices while channeling the information on those devices, along with navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar and AM/FM and XM radio.
In addition to CUE, the XTS will debut a network of safety cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors to bolster driver vision and awareness of road hazards and intervene to help avert potential crashes. In some cases, Cadillac’s enhanced vision and sensing systems will act without the driver, such as though automatic braking based on information indicating potential obstacles.
The Connected Car of the Year awards honor vehicles with technology that strike the right balance of safety, convenience, and infotainment. Chosen by the editorial team at Connected World magazine, the 2012 winners were named in small, mid-size, luxury, and ultra-luxury categories.
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology


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“If you want to drink tequila, prepare salt and lemon …”. The ritual of unsheathing the salt shaker, slicing the citrus fruit and raising the elbow to see the bottom of the shot seems to be something out of movies and television series, but it has its reason for being. Several decades ago, when the drink made from agave was not so popular, you had to put something in your mouth that would distract the taste buds before ingesting it. “It was a very strong one, with a difficult passage through the mouth,” says Víctor Martínez, an expert at Casa Sauza, one of the great producers in Mexico. Over the years, the elixir has gained versatility, quality and international fame (mainly in the United States). Today he is delighted.
“The industry is going through a historic moment,” says Ramón González, general director of the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). Production reached 374 million liters in 2020 (6.3% more than in 2019). While exports accumulated their eleventh consecutive year on the rise with 286 million liters, with a value of 2,000 million dollars (about 1,700 million euros) that entered through the Mexican borders during last year, in the midst of the health crisis. The elixir, which in its country of origin is usually taken alone, in small sips and sometimes accompanied with a bloody (an aperitif made with tomato, some citrus and spices), it is sold to more than 120 countries around the world. But it is in the first economy in the world where it has made a dent.
The United States absorbs nine liters of every 10 that are exported, 61 times more than Germany, the second most important destination abroad, and 90 times more than Spain, the third largest market. It has become one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the US in the last 20 years, highlights an analysis by the English bank Barclays. “The country is a large consumer and continues to experience accelerated growth,” says Luis Félix Fernández, president of the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry (CNIT). “There is a great dependence on the American economy and it is a great challenge to be solved…, we must diversify”, highlights González. Currently, tequila producers (whose denomination of origin dates back to 1974 and covers the entire State of Jalisco and 56 municipalities in Michoacán, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Guanajuato) are exploring countries such as Russia, China, Japan or Turkey, where they make their way incipiently.
“The boom seems unstoppable,” Salvador Rosales, Tequila Cascahuin production manager, underlines with some concern. This small manufacturer emphasizes the price of the raw material: the Tequila Weber Azul agave, whose cost has multiplied by five since 2015, according to figures from the Agricultural Market Consultant Group (GCMA). High demand in the last decade —Which brought the world’s largest producer, José Cuervo, to the stock market in 2017— has been interspersed with a decrease in the sown area, caused by the accelerated process of jima (cut and roast the leaves of the plant to create the distillate). Currently, the kilo of the plant (which needs between six and eight years to mature) ranges between 24 and 26 pesos (less than a euro cent). It even came to be above 31 pesos, a figure never seen before.
The decline in the area planted, however, will be short-lived. Many farmers, attracted by the success in the demand for the drink, have already left corn plantations and other crops aside to dedicate themselves to agave, explains Juan Carlos Anaya, director of GCMA. The number of farmers has jumped from 5,500 to 19,000 in just four years, says the Jalisco State Agave Council. Far from being an incentive, This fact could generate an overproduction when its plants reach maturity, which in the future would trigger a drop in prices and a crisis for the Mexican countryside. “We do not see that scenario,” argues the representative of the CRT. “The industry has the capacity and the need to bring the entire product to market.” The forecast is that the growth rate of the sector (with an average annual rate of 6.5%) will continue in the next decade. The hopes of tequila producers are that consumers demand more 100% agave products (whose sole ingredient is the juice extracted from the caramelised agave pineapple that goes through a fermentation and distillation process), compared to others that require a lower percentage. and they are mixed with other sugars.
They also believe that the global economic recovery will give them new impetus. “Due to the health crisis scenario, many important markets were affected,” says Fernández, from the CNIT. “Restaurants and bars were closed, and these are consumption centers where brands have more presence and, therefore, register higher sales,” he adds. To this is added to a good reputation that the industry has forged. “Tequila is increasingly perceived as a glamorous drink with increasing exposure to wealthy individuals,” highlights the Barclays analysis. It is not trivial that many celebrities have opted for their own brand. From former basketball player Michael Jordan (with Cincoro) to George Clooney (with Casamigos, who would later sell to the multinational Diageo for 1,000 million dollars) they have tasted the honeys of the Mexican elixir.
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.


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Here We Go Again
Now we have the Heartland Breach burning up the airwaves. Unless you were stuck in a cabin in the remote wilderness for the past few days, you heard about the most recent data breach of Heartland Payment Systems that resulted in approximately 100 million cards being compromised. Supposedly – bigger than TJX.
Reporters came out of the woodwork with headline stories discussing the latest Identity Theft story. Unfortunately, this is not an identity theft story. It is a story on stolen card information. This lack of understanding and mis-information does nothing to help us in the fight against identity theft.
Identity theft is when someone gains access to a person’s identifying credentials and uses this to either take over an existing account or open up a new account in the victim’s name. This leads to a serious burden on the victim who then has to fight for months and years to clean up their credit histories, their name and yes, their personal identity.
In the Heartland case, credit card numbers were compromised. Yes – this is serious, but from a consumer stand-point, it nowhere resembles identity theft. If someone gains access to your credit card number, what can they do with it? Virtually nothing. If you want to order merchandise online – you not only need the credit card number, but the Billing Name, Address and security code. Heartland maintains that this information was not part of the breach.
Even if it were compromised, this is not overly impactful to the consumer. Even if the card were used fraudulently, it would be the merchant or issuer that would bear the brunt of the damage. For the consumer, when they saw the fraudulent transaction – they would call their issuer and would not be liable for anything beyond $50 (which is never collected anyway). At that point, the issuer would issue a new card and numbers and the consumer would go on their merry way.
I think we need some more consumer education, so we can better focus on controls. I think a good first step would be to begin clarifying two types of breaches: an Identity Theft Breach and a Credit Card Number Breach. If I had heard that 100 million identities had been breached – I would probably have put an immediate fraud block at the bureau. The Heartland breach is meaningless to me…… other than watching the News, or should I say Wrong News.