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Seattle Residents Shun Starbucks
Monday, July 3rd 2000, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
SEATTLE (AP) â€” Some people in Starbucks' hometown have grown cool toward the chain that made coffee hot in Seattle.
Annoyed by the everywhere-you-look ubiquity of Starbucks and the corporate uniformity of its coffee shops, people are walking a few more blocks or cutting down side streets to get their lattes from smaller, independent places with more personality and a more neighborhood feel.
``I go to Starbucks when it's the only thing around and I have to have a cup of coffee,'' said John Davis, a 35-year-old regular at Cafe Habitat on Capitol Hill. ``It's annoying, and I'm embarrassed.''
Since Starbucks' humble start at Pike's Place Market in 1971, the green and white Starbucks sign has become nearly as recognizable as McDonald's golden arches. There are more than 3,000 Starbuckses worldwide, 144 in the greater Seattle area and 78 in Seattle alone.
Many complain that Starbucks coffeehouses look exactly alike, with the same color schemes, selling the same knickknacks and serving the same coffee.
The backlash against Starbucks â€” or, for that matter, other businesses that started out small and quaint, only to become corporate behemoths â€” isn't new. But in a city like Seattle, where many residents can't open their eyes without their morning espresso, sentiment against Starbucks has been a golden opportunity for the independent coffee house.
``I look for a place a little funkier that's local,'' said Derek Baylor, a 28-year-old theater carpenter sitting outside Caffe Ladro with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. ``I like to support the little guy.''
Starbucks isn't exactly suffering in Seattle. Customers still line up for its coffee drinks and spend a lot of time lounging on its chairs and sofas.
Over 34 weeks ending in May, Starbucks reported that net revenue increased 32 percent to $1.4 billion, compared with the same period in 1999. While the company does not release regional earnings figures, four Starbucks opened last month in Washington state.
In a recent interview, Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz said people see Starbucks outlets as ``very stable, very high-quality establishments, and that's what we aim for.''
Joshua Wheeler, a 22-year-old student at the University of Washington, visits Starbucks once a day for his coffee because of the consistent taste. ``It's not necessarily superior,'' he said, ``but it's familiar.''


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Tech start-ups are developing ideas to help homeless people in cities across the United States.
Image copyright Getty Images Samsung will not be forced to update the software on its mobile phones for years after their release, after it won a court case in the Netherlands. A consumer association had argued that Samsung should update its phones for at least four years after they go on sale. Regular software updates […]
Twitch has updated its guidelines so that abuse taking place on other platforms can contribute to a suspension on the streaming site. Directing “hate or harassment” towards someone on Twitch using other services will be considered a policy violation. Conduct Twitch deems “hateful” on any platform will result in an “immediate indefinite suspension”. Sexual conduct […]
Image copyright EPA Image caption The Pentagon is seeking out the links between software companies and state-backed hacking campaigns The US military is being warned off installing software believed to have been compromised by Russian or Chinese state-backed hackers. The Pentagon has drawn up a “do not buy” list of suppliers, reports the Defense One […]

domain: news


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In addition to abandoning retirees, Local 400 said Kroger offered only 25 cents a year in raises for full-time employees and 20 cents for part-timers. "Our hard work has built this company into the largest traditional grocer in the United States. We deserve to share in the success we have built and we won’t accept paltry wage increases from a company that makes more than $2 billion a year in profits." While the current contract has now expired, Kroger has committed to honoring its terms and conditions through June 1, so "nothing will change for now," said Local 400. "This company has been taking advantage of our hard work and dedication for too long. It is time for us to stand together and demand to share in the success we created."
Local 400 will be visiting stores this week, talking to customers, elected officials, community allies, "and everyone who will support us in this fight...Sticking together is the only way we can get a better deal."


text: Having featured the previous three colorways of the Christ the King Soldier 6’s we continue the breakdown of this year’s LeBron James’ team shoe. This time it’s two new colorways of the Nike Zoom Soldier VI. Nike Basketball has equipped the students from Christ the King High School in Queens, NY with a second Home / Away set. This adds up to 5 different CTK styles in one season! Nike has stopped releasing their High School Player Exclusive styles a long time ago. Do you feel it was the right decision? Let us know in the comments below.


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A Chinese court’s decision recognising the copyright of an image generated via artificial intelligence (AI) aims to encourage such creations and provide a boost to this nascent industry, according to the judge who made the landmark ruling.
In the first judgment of its kind in mainland China, the Beijing Internet Court last November ruled that a picture, generated via the text-to-image software Stable Diffusion, should be considered an artwork under the protection of copyright laws, because of the “originality” and intellectual input of its human creator.
Assigning generative AI content a legal status under certain conditions in this case is aimed at encouraging people to create with new tools, presiding judge Zhu Ge said last week at a lecture that was first reported on Monday by Chinese online news outlet The Paper.
“If no content created with AI models can be considered artwork, this would deal a blow to the industry,” Zhu was quoted as saying in the report.
Although the ruling has added fuel to heated arguments on whether AI-generated content should be protected by copyright laws, the Beijing Internet Court has asserted that future disputes about an author’s personal expression in images created with AI’s help should be judged on a case-by-case basis.
The intellectual property infringement lawsuit was initiated in May last year by the plaintiff surnamed Li, who used the US start-up StabilityAI’s Stable Diffusion program to create an image of a young Asian woman and posted it on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.
Li sued a blogger surnamed Liu for allegedly using that image without permission in a post on Baijiahao, a Chinese content-sharing platform owned by Baidu.
The court subsequently ruled in favour of Li. It said Li’s AI-generated image was an artwork, based on how he had continuously added prompts and repeatedly adjusted the parameters to come up with a picture that reflected his “aesthetic choice and personalised judgment”.
The court ordered the defendant Liu to issue a public apology as well as pay the plaintiff 500 yuan (US$70.43) in damages and 50 yuan for court fees.
Zhu, the presiding judge, said in her lecture that the ruling was made with the potential implications for “emerging industries” in mind, according to The Paper’s report. It said Zhu hoped her decision in the case could serve as a reference for future disputes.
China’s generative AI industry is forecast to contribute 30 trillion yuan worth of economic value by 2035, accounting for a third of the industry’s global value of 90 trillion yuan, according to a report by the CCID Group, a research unit affiliated with Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Many Chinese tech firms have also ramped up their efforts to grow their businesses using generative AI. Chinese delivery services giant Meituan, for example, recently launched Wow, a chatbot that purports to respond to user questions with a personal touch.


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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific has published a report revealing that underground banking and money laundering in East and Southeast Asia are now heavily reliant on casinos, junkets, and cryptocurrency.
The study highlights a significant rise in illegal online casinos, e-junkets, and cryptocurrency exchanges in recent years, coinciding with a surge in cross-border criminal activity.
According to the report, major organized crime groups have been utilizing online casinos and related businesses as a means to transfer and launder substantial amounts of both government-backed fiat currency and cryptocurrencies.
Furthermore, the report examines cases in which illegal online casino operators have expanded their operations to include cyberfraud and cryptocurrency laundering.
In order to tackle this issue, the report offers recommendations to enhance knowledge, awareness, policy, capacity, and coordination among governments.
Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, commented on the situation, stating that while casinos and high-cash-volume businesses have long been utilized for underground banking and money laundering, the proliferation of unregulated online gambling platforms and crypto exchanges has drastically changed the landscape.
He also noted that the expansion of the illicit economy has necessitated a technological revolution in underground banking, facilitating faster anonymous transactions, mingling of funds, and opening new opportunities for organized crime. This development, particularly in the Mekong region and Southeast Asia as a whole, has been accelerated by the advent of scalable, digitized casino and crypto-based solutions.


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HERTZ Global Holdings Inc’s US$4.2bil (RM17.43bil) deal with Tesla Inc is about more than just an order for 100,000 cars. It’s about vaulting electric vehicles (EVs) into the mainstream.
Not only does Tesla get a huge order at a premium price, it gets a way for the electric-curious masses to test-drive its Model 3.
Hertz, meanwhile, gets to tap into the growing interest in EVs while aligning itself with the industry’s leading and sexiest brand.
Tesla also will benefit from exposure in a splashy Hertz ad campaign starring seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
“This is an opportunity not only to fix the business, but also to employ a strategy that allows us to play a central role in development of the modern mobility industry,” Mark Fields, Hertz’s new interim chief executive officer and a former CEO of Ford Motor Co, said in an interview.
“One of our objectives is to lead in the adoption of electric vehicles.”
Investors clearly thought the announcement was bigger than the financial terms alone.
The deal, first reported Monday by Bloomberg News, sent Tesla soaring to a US$1.03 trillion (RM4.28 trillion) valuation and added about US$1.2bil (RM4.98bil) in market value for Hertz, which is just four months out of bankruptcy protection.
Tesla rose 13% to a record US$1,024.86 (RM4,254), while the rental-car company gained 10% to US$27.17 (RM112.78).
Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in Twitter post that he was a bit surprised by the “strange” jump in value, considering that his automaker’s already selling as many cars as it can make as it speeds up production.
Hertz will have a competitive advantage, Fields said, as consumers look for options other than traditional internal-combustion vehicles.
Even in a down US auto market in the third quarter, sales of electric vehicles jumped 60% and accounted for a record one out of every 10 sales, according to Cox Automotive.
Nearly 40% of US car buyers said they would consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Centre.
“When a lot of consumers think electric vehicle, they think of Tesla, and now if they want to rent one, they’ll think of Hertz,” said David Whiston, automotive analyst for Morningstar Inc in Chicago.
“Eventually, there will be much more competition.”
Hertz picked an ideal time to get in the game, Whiston said, and EV-makers will benefit as well if renters turn into buyers down the road.
“It’s a great way for consumers to get that EV experience for a few days or a weekend trip or a vacation,” Whiston said.
“For a lot of them, it will probably be a good experience, which could help them, if they were on the fence, to take the plunge.”
Tesla is in the midst of a vast production push as plants in California and China expand, while factories in Texas and Berlin set to open this year.
Analysts say Tesla, which sold fewer than a half-million cars last year, could have the capacity to build 1.5 million EVs next year.
“EV demand continues to go through a structural shift,” Tesla told shareholders in its third quarter presentation Oct 20.
“We believe the more vehicles we have on the road, the more Tesla owners are able to spread the word about the benefits of EVs.”
Until now, Tesla has relied on word-of-mouth and eschewed traditional advertising entirely. But a side benefit of this deal is the Hertz ad campaign where Model 3 rentals will be the focus of Brady’s message.
Two TV spots debuting today –entitled “Plugged In” and “Speed” – show the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback renting, recharging and driving a Tesla from an airport. The tag-line for the commercials is Brady’s signature exhortation, “Let’s Go!”
Tesla also benefits simply from the size of the order, which is about US$4.2bil (RM17.43bil), according to people familiar with the terms of the deal.
That value suggests Hertz is paying close to full price, breaking with a long-time tradition of automakers selling their wares to rental companies at a deep discount.
The Model 3s, which Hertz said will begin appearing on lots in the United States and Europe next month, are said to be well-equipped and not the usual stripped-down models that automakers often relegate to rental fleets.
Hertz also said it’s installing “thousands” of charging stations that will augment Tesla’s supercharging ports in the United States and Europe.
“The pricing sounds like it’s comparable to retail pricing – this is not about overproducing and dumping cars into Hertz,” analyst Whiston said.
“This won’t hurt Tesla profits. Over time, this should be much more positive for Tesla.” —Bloomberg
Keith Naughton and Dana Hull write for Bloomberg. The views expressed here are the writers’ own.


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In downtown Manhattan, the bankers are getting bored. So far in July, there have been only three small IPOs completed, after the markets welcomed nine new issues in June, 14 in May and 22 in April. Though the spigot has slowed to a trickle, these bored bankers will soon be busy. Five new issues are expected to be priced this week, led by:
Palo Alto Networks, which provides computer network security software
Kayak Software, a travel search-engine operator
Fender Musical Instruments, known for its eponymous guitars
Five Below, a discount retailer
Durata Therapeutics, a research-stage biotech firm
1. Splunk (Nasdaq: SPLK)
Peak price: $37.57
Current Price: $28.40
This had been a hotly-anticipated IPO -- and for good reason. Splunk is a play on "big data," an emerging trend that has companies focusing on the best ways to analyze the massive amounts of information that flow out of networks every day. Splunk has emerged as the largest standalone player in the space, boosting sales from $18 million in 2008 to a projected $175 million in 2012.
It's not a cheap stock, trading for more than 10 times sales, and meaningful profits are likely a few years out. Yet, with the tough market erasing more than $600 million in market value since the end of May, this recent IPO is worth a fresh look for investors seeking companies with potentially very robust growth.
2. Yelp (Nasdaq: YELP)
Peak price: $32
Current price: $21
This merchant rating service now tracks more than 600,000 locations with a reported 25 million cumulative reviews. Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), Local.com (Nasdaq: LCOM) and others have tried to make a big dent in this market, but Yelp has emerged as the leader. Just as the case with eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) many years ago, growth has been viral as a greater number of consumers attracts the presence of more merchants, which in turn makes it an even broader platform for consumers.
In the quarters ahead, Yelp aims to deepen its presence among smart phone users and plans to roll out its service internationally. That's expected to keep sales growing at a 40% to 50% annual pace, perhaps reaching $250 million by 2014. But investors shouldn't expect to see meaningful profits until at least 2014, which may keep shares from moving past that $32 peak for the next few years.
3. Brightcove (Nasdaq: BCOV)
Peak price: $25.50
Current price: $14.25
This company, which helps build and operate video delivery websites, recently made a splash by announcing it was giving away free tools to help companies make video-serving apps for smart phones. One key beneficiary: Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), which would love to see an eco-system develop around its anticipated Apple TV launch.
There's no question the worlds of TV and Internet video are rapidly colliding. Brightcove aims to enable its 4,300 clients to deliver video in a range of formats. Right now, the company generates roughly $20 million revenue per quarter with roughly 65% gross margins. Still, as is the case with many new IPOs, it might be a few years before Brightcove generates net profits. As such, investors should temper their expectations for near-term gains.
4. Tumi Holdings (Nasdaq: TUMI)
Peak price: $29
Current price: $16
This luxury goods retailer was a hot IPO, in part because Wall Street bankers and brokers are often big fans of the brand's luggage and other travel items. Tumi operates about 100 stores, with plans to open 10 annually, especially in overseas markets with robust luxury goods demand. Tumi is expected to earn close to 70 cents a share this year, and earnings per share could exceed $1 once the global economy starts to rebound.
5. Guidewire Software (Nasdaq: GWRE)
Peak price: $38
Current price: $25
The insurance industry is quite mature, but this software provider is uniquely positioned to outgrow the market. Guidewire offers software that helps insurers manage the billing and claims process -- an especially handy service for smaller insurance agencies that lack the funds to develop cutting-edge software that firms such as Allstate (Nasdaq: ALL) and State Farm use.
Sales shot up from $87 million in fiscal (July) 2009 to a projected $205 million in the fiscal year that ends in July. Analysts at Citigroup forsee strong growth ahead, with sales hitting $285 million by fiscal 2014.
Risks to Consider: As these companies haven't been public very long, they have yet to establish a long-term shareholder base. This leaves them vulnerable to heavy selling if the market slumps badly and investors cling to the stocks they've known a long time.
Action to Take --> While many investors like to focus on brand new stocks, it's the IPOs that are three to six months old that often offer better value as there is less hype around them.


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- Gartner UK Ltd
- Tamesis, The Glanty Egham
- TW20 9 Surrey
- Marina Lovric
- +49 (89) 998370-10
Gartner Says Emerging Markets Will Generate $1.22 Trillion in IT Spending in 2012
Analysts to Reveal Latest Global IT Spending Forecast on 5 April
The emerging regions of Asia/Pacific (which exclude the mature markets of Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Latin America, the Middle East and Africa (minus mature Israel), and Central and Eastern Europe, continue to show positive IT momentum, despite economic deceleration and a high degree of financial uncertainty in mature markets.
"While professional and consumer market opportunities can be found in many emerging markets, Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico and China (BRIMC) continue to perform particularly strongly, and this is where over half of emerging markets' IT spending will be concentrated in 2012," said Luis Anavitarte, research vice president and head of emerging markets research at Gartner. "Seventeen per cent of global IT spending will be generated by BRIMC in 2012, representing nearly $658 billion, and the markets remain far from saturated."
From a regional perspective, Latin America will generate nearly $326 billion in IT spending in 2012, of which professional markets will represent 48.4 per cent of the total IT market in reaching $157.7 billion in 2012. Consumer markets in Latin America will reach $168 billion in 2012.
IT spending in the Middle East and Africa is expected to reach $244 billion in 2012, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Africa accounting for nearly 35 per cent of this revenue. The Middle East and Africa professional markets represent 38 per cent of the total IT market in the region, and will reach $93 billion in 2012.
Central and Eastern Europe are expected to generate nearly $158 billion in IT spending in 2012. Professional markets will represent 48.2 per cent of this, totalling $76 billion, while the consumer market is predicted to reach $81.7 billion. Russia's share of IT spending in the region in 2012 is expected for be nearly 45 per cent, followed by Poland with 11.8 per cent, the Czech Republic with 7.7 per cent and Hungary with 3.7 per cent.
IT spending in emerging Asia/Pacific countries is expected to reach $496 billion in IT spending in 2012. Emerging Asia/Pacific professional markets will reach 42 per cent of the total IT spending in the region, while consumer IT spending will reach $288 billion in 2012.
"IT spending caution will be a constant in 2012, suggesting IT sales will be more challenging than in 2011," Mr Anavitarte said. "In 2012, we expect to see a more aggressive approach of selected professional and consumer markets, with particular attention to new consumer buyers. IT budget increases are expected in emerging markets for 2012 and end users' top technology priorities include cloud computing and mobile technologies."
Mr Anavitarte advised providers to rebalance their portfolio of markets by assessing worldwide demand for 2012 and shifting resources accordingly from some mature markets to selected emerging economies. Being selective and strategic in regions, countries and selected cities will be key in the coming year, and providers will need to carefully select where to execute their strategies after BRIMC countries, maximizing profitability while minimising investments. They should also plan for a larger direct presence and execution in BRIMC, and for a slightly higher reliability in channel partners in the rest of the emerging markets.
Additional information is available in the Gartner report "Emerging Market Analysis: Bases for a Solid 2012 Market Growth Strategy." The report is available on Gartner's web site at http://www.gartner.com/....
Gartner analysts will announce the latest overall worldwide IT spending forecast on 5 April. The findings will be available on the Gartner Quarterly IT Spending Forecast site at www.gartner.com/.... The forecast will include a breakout of IT spending by hardware, software, services and telecom.
Gartner UK Ltd
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Jun 21, · A Complete List of Release Dates for All the Games at E3 by Noelle Warner. Jun 21 • PM. Created with Sketch. Check out our list of the best games of E3 ! Jun 22, · When wrapping up any E3, it can probably be difficult for players to separate what was completely new and announced at the show, known games that were given a launch date, known games Author: Owen S. Good. Jun 08, · E3 Sony Announcing New PS4 Games, Release Dates Before The Show [Update] Let the countdown to E3 officially frvi4.net: Jeremy Winslow. Jun 21, · All The PC E3 Games With Release Dates: Fallout 76, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, And More. By Chris Pereira | @TheSmokingManX on June 21, at PM PDT. PC Games Releasing In Author: Chris Pereira. Dec 23, · Looking for an UPDATED video game release schedule? Here is a massive list of ALL of the video game release dates for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and frvi4.net: Bobby Bernstein. So another E3 has come and gone -- which games revealed got actual release dates? Here are all the game releases from E3 you'll need to frvi4.net: Rachel Kaser. Jun 13, · What you need to know about E3 , including dates, times, confirmed games, and how to watch! E3 Date, Schedule, Games, Time, and Location | . Jun 11, · Home Gaming List of Games Announced at E3 We are actively working on this list as new titles are announced and as release dates are Author: Christopher Isak.
Retrieved May 11, Learn how your comment data is processed. E3 starts in a little under a week, and ahead of the massive showcase, Sony has released an announcement schedule on the PlayStation Blog leading up to its press conference on Monday, June That means more than just additional car types--you can drive planes, motorcycles, and boats. Retrieved May 2, Den of Geek US. Archived from the original on June 16,
The beginning of will see the release of two hotly anticipated games: "Resident Evil 2" — January 25 "Kingdom Hearts 3" — January PixelOpus is currently working on Concrete Genie , which is slated for a release, but there's no official confirmation of what the other studios are working on, so Sony could have these three studios announce their projects. Editorial notice: The last update to this list of games talked about at the E3 this year was done on June Interactive Entertainment. Release date: Unknown Read the article. The latest chapter in Square Enix's beloved RPG series arrives in the West more than a year after its Japanese release, and it comes with some notable tweaks.
View the discussion thread. Release date: November 14, Read the article. You'll also get the expected additions like more Exotic gear to collect, while a free update will introduce some other improvements such as a new in-game achievement system for all players. June 6, The main stage featured custom player experiences with analysts and casters and gave the audience up-close VIP access to the world of competitive esports. Fallout 76 is the latest entry in the tenured post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. Retrieved March 13,


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New Jersey Puppy Mill Owner Charged With Consumer Fraud
In New Jersey, the owner of a pet store called Just Pups has been charged with consumer fraud by state officials. The man is also facing multiple counts of animal abuse and has had one of his stores closed down due to excessive health code violations.
NJ.com reports that Just Pups owner Vincent LoSacco, 50, and his brother Leonard LoSacco, 51, were accused of animal cruelty after police discovered 67 puppies in a van left in the cold behind their Paramus, New Jersey pet store. In addition to the animal cruelty charges, though, LoSacco has also been charged by the Attorney General and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs with multiple counts of consumer fraud.
The fraud charges stem from reports by at least 55 customers who were told that the puppies they bought from LoSacco’s four stores in New Jersey were healthy and up-to-date on their vaccinations. However, when these customers learned that their puppies were sick and required veterinary care or died after being brought home, LoSacco refused to reimburse them or to take the sick puppies back.
In a statement acting Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said, "Vincent LoSacco’s alleged deceptive behavior caused his customers to suffer financially and emotionally as they sought expensive veterinary care for the sick puppies he sold them. This kind of consumer fraud has a devastating effect on pet lovers and will not be tolerated in our state."
The state’s complaint against LoSacco lists 32 violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, the Pet Protection Act, the Pet Regulations, and the Advertising Regulations. Some of the charges against him include:
- Failing to refund the purchase price of an animal that died of a congenital illness within six months of purchase
- Selling animals without proper health certificates
- Falsely advertising that all dogs were up-to-date on vaccinations
- Stating on the Just Pups website that all previous complaints against the business were made by a single person, when this was not the case
- Selling puppies infected with Parvo, Kennel Cough, Giardia, and Bronchitis
- Refusing to reimburse customers for veterinary fees for sick puppies
If found guilty, LoSacco could face up to $10,000 for each of these 32 counts. The state also seeks to ban LoSacco permanently from selling dogs in New Jersey, restitution for the defrauded consumers, civil penalties, and reimbursement of attorney’s fees and investigative costs.
In addition to the consumer fraud charges, CBS New York reports that LoSacco is also facing up to 400 counts of animal abuse and at least six health code violations for his Emerson store, which was closed last week when that town denied his application for a business license. Additional violations have also been filed for the Just Pups store in New Brunswick. Now, the only store of LoSacco’s left open, in East Hanover, will house some of the puppies taken out of closed stores. In East Hanover, there is no current law against puppy mills, though state legislators are debating a state-wide ban on puppy mill sales.
In most cases, consumer fraud results in financial suffering to victims. However, in this case, the emotional damage some of the customers of LoSacco suffered is severe and may add to the damages for which the state demands they be compensated. When innocent and trusting consumers are duped by greedy vendors or otherwise defrauded, an experienced consumer fraud lawyer can help them recover justice. To learn more about the ways a consumer fraud lawyer can help you, please contact us today to schedule a free and confidential legal consultation.


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Showing 3 posts tagged trademark registration.
In early August, the nearly half a billion users of Twitter looked at their phones and found something perplexing—the instantly-recognizable blue icon with the white silhouette of a bird had vanished, and in its place a black square with a white “X” had appeared. CEO Elon Musk had decided to rebrand Twitter as “X”—but did he think through all the trademark ramifications of this choice before implementing it? More >
Over the past few weeks we have been watching CBS’s celebration of college basketball and, during commercial breaks, hearing those familiar musical notes that signal The Masters golf tournament has arrived. So, what better time than now to celebrate Passover, Easter, world class golf, and, naturally, a good trademark dispute.
Trademark Registrants, Take Note: COVID-19 Presents Some Challenges for Maintaining Trademark Registrations
As we all know, the varying degrees of lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have, for over a year now, interrupted nearly every aspect of personal and professional life. For businesses, mandatory closings and temporary shutdowns can mean a waning customer base and dwindling revenue, but it can also mean something even worse: losing federal rights to a trademark. More >


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Xiaomi joins the home automation battle30th December 2014
Home automation is a subject that is being hotly discussed by experts in the tech market, but it is still an area that is very much under development.
The mainstream rise of smartphones and other handheld devices over the last few years has led to many inventions and apps intended to make daily life easier. This has seen industry leaders like Apple and Samsung attempt to tap into the concept before anyone else, but there have been few inventions that could be described as revolutionary.
Some of these products may well be hugely beneficial for almost all of their customers, but the price of them when they first go to market can often prove a stumbling block.
However, a start-up that has been dubbed one of the most upcoming tech firms on the planet has now entered the playing field with a smart home service that could provide a viable and affordable alternative.
Xiaomi was launched in China as recently as 2010, but having just received a huge boost of $1.1 billion (£709 million) in funding, it could become a major player sooner than first thought.
One reason for this increased confidence is its new home automation set, which includes four components – the Ants Webcam with two-way voice, Mi Smart Power Plug, Yeelight smart bulb and the the Mi Smart Remote Centre hub.
Central to the invention is a new power saving plug device, which means the environmentally-conscious among us needn't worry about the amount of juice that could be sucked up and the energy that will be used by automating the home.
Meanwhile, the kit allows the user to hook up a huge range of devices to their smartphone, meaning whether you are cooking a meal, doing the washing or monitoring infants, keeping on top of your daily routine has never been easier.
To learn more about the huge range of products that are making home automation a reality, check out Energenie.
Posted by The EnerGenie


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As Google Play completes a decade in India, the country is going from an app consumption economy to an app development economy, Swamy told ET in an interview.
This is going to be a fundamental shift as India becomes “the hotbed of innovation and tech development”, he said.
Google Play sees more than 2.5 billion people in over 190 countries using it every month and works with more than two million developers globally. India is becoming increasingly important for Google because of its market potential but also its rich developer base.
“Apps and developers will play an important role in further enabling India’s progression to a truly digital economy. They will also play a significant role in driving economic growth and jobs,” Swamy said. “There is so much diversity now in app development. We are seeing founders and app developers, not just from metros, but a lot of tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well. We’re also seeing more women founding companies or cofounders, or in leadership positions.”
Among the non-metros, he said Play is seeing a lot of traction from places like Lucknow and Coimbatore, and a lot of momentum in Kerala and Gujarat, too.
One in three developers who are part of its Appscale Academy are not from metros, he said.
Since its launch in 2018, Play Academy has trained more than 80,000 developers in India. It has trained more developers in India than any other country.
Swamy said Indian apps and games saw a 200% increase in active monthly users on Play in India in 2021 compared to 2019.
These apps and games also saw a 150% increase in time spent by users outside India in 2021 compared to 2019. Further, there was an 80% growth in consumer spend in 2021 vs 2019 on Play for Indian apps and games, he said.
A lot of ‘born in India’ verticals are emerging on Play, Swamy said. Traditional categories of Play have always been games and entertainment but in India, he said there's the emergence of new verticals like education, healthcare, mental health and agriculture, which are enabling a more vibrant place for businesses and developers to thrive.
“We're seeing a lot of new trends emerge out of India, both in the developer world as well as in the verticals in which they're making apps,” Swamy explained. “One very inspiring trend is that many developers building in India today are building for the globe. They believe that India is their primary market where they start with, but they're not limited by India.”
He said Google Play Protect scans over 125 billion apps per day to keep people safe from malware and unwanted software.
Globally in 2021, a total of 1.2 million policy violating apps were blocked from being published, 190,000 bad accounts were banned, and around 500,000 developer accounts that were inactive or abandoned were closed on Play.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Companies & Sports
- RBI may Opt for a Smaller Rate Hike this Week: Experts
Easing inflation expectations both in India and abroad, indications of slower rate hikes in the US and worries over a global economic slowdown are likely to ensure a smaller interest rate increase by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) this week, bankers and economists expect.Rules for Indian Financial Sector Need to be Reviewed
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules restrict Indian banks from lending to companies for takeovers. The Indian central bank always viewed lending against shares as a risky activity because a sudden collapse in stock prices could leave banks holding worthless paper. They can lend only up to Rs 20 lakh, a rule that was set after the so-called Harshad Mehta scam of 1992.Deadline for Filing Charge Sheet in Focus
A special CBI court judge, while dealing with a bail application in India’s biggest bank fraud case, called for legislation to extend the deadline for filing of charge sheets in “highly serious” cases, highlighting the difficulties faced by investigating agencies in completing complicated case probes.
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Images of the new Range Rover Sport has stolen Land Rover’s thunder, giving the public a clear view of what the next generation ‘RRS’ will look like.
With obvious similarites to the Evoque stablemate, notably around the stoplight and headlight clusters that wrap around the side, the new Sport follows in the footsteps of soft and rounded L405 Range Rover in overall design.
The new Range Rover Sport’s biggest drawcard is the lightweight aluminium monocoque chassis that will slash the overall weight of the new version, set to be on sale by this year’s end.
You can expect the new Sport to feature the same running gear as the current Discovery 4. The 3.0 litre ‘SDV6’ sequential-turbo diesel V6 with around 180kW will probably be offered, along with a petrol V8 option, but wait for the official specifications for Land Rover soon. The motor should be linked up to an 8-speed sequential transmission currently found in the higher-spec Discovery 4 variants.


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NEW YORK (AP) — The major stock indexes edged up in late trading to close slightly higher. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 43 points to 13,208. The S&P 500 rose three to close at 1,406. The Nasdaq composite is up two to 3,021.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Federal prosecutors pursuing drug charges against two medical marijuana operators have asked a judge to bar from the proceedings any mention of medical uses of the drug or state laws regulating it.
Austin’s trusted source for business news and videos. KVUE.com
NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney Co. is reporting a bigger-than-expected loss and plummeting sales, as its customers continue to be turned off by a new pricing plan that gets rid of hundreds of sales in favor of every day lower prices.
If you don’t think the hot sauce business is a growing industry, think again. The production of hot sauce is one of the eight fastest growing industries in the country.
NEW YORK (AP) — Performant Financial Corp.’s initial public offering of 9 million shares priced at $9 per share, below an expected range of $12 to $14.
NEW YORK (AP) — Six months after J.C. Penney Co. launched a bold new pricing plan, customers still aren’t buying it.
From April to June, losses totaled $5.2 billion, up $2.1 billion from the same period last year.
BOSTON (AP) — A former Intel Corp. worker in Massachusetts has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of computer chip manufacturing and design secrets while working for a rival company.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Livestock farmers and ranchers seeing their feed costs rise because of the worst drought in a quarter-century are demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency waive production requirements for corn-based ethanol.


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August 13 2015
The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent entrepreneurs. Ski Butlers joins an impressive list of companies associated with snow sports that gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 5000, including GoPro, Under Armour, Clif Bar, Patagonia and other well-known names. Ski Butlers official ranking was 4511.
"The entire team at Ski Butlers is very proud that our hard work and commitment to customer service has been honored with such an iconic business accolade as a place on Inc. magazine's list of America’s fastest-growing private companies," said Bryn Carey, Founder & CEO of Ski Butlers.
The 2015 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 18 to September 22) is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year growth of 490%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $205 billion, generating 647,000 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.
"The story of this year’s Inc. 5000 is the story of great leadership. In an incredibly competitive business landscape, it takes something extraordinary to take your company to the top,” says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “You have to remember that the average company on the Inc. 5000 grew nearly six-fold since 2012. Business owners don’t achieve that kind of success by accident."
This is not the first time Ski Butlers has been recognized on the national stage, other highlights include 2013 and 2012 US Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Award Winner (Top 100 Business) and also the prestigious honor of being the 2012 US Chamber of Commerce DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Western Region Winner.
(This information will not be shared)


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Story excerpt provided by The Plain Dealer.
Written by Joe Vardon.
LeBron James is promoting his new CNBC TV show “Cleveland Hustles” by launching a new contest in which the winner gets his or her small business promoted by the Cavs superstar on social media.
The contest is called #PitchLeBronContest, and applicants are “are asked to submit videos that demonstrate why the social-media support from James would be especially meaningful for their business” – according to an announcement of the contest on CNBC’s website.
The videos, submitted via Twitter or Instagram, are to be 23-seconds long. If you don’t know why, then, well, maybe you’ve been working too hard on your small business. That’s James’ jersey number for the Cavs.
Click here to read the complete article.
Originally published August 10, 2016.


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Nestle SA's takeover of Pfizer Inc's (NYSE: PFE) Wyeth division will make China's infant formula market more concentrated, experts say.
China's $30 billion infant formula market is growing 10% annually as local women tend to resume working after giving birth and are loath to breast-feed on fears of gaining weight.
Frequent food safety scandals are another major concern for those favoring foreign brands.
Wyeth collects 85% of its takings from emerging markets, particularly in China, where a large population means more births.
Nestle will control Wyeth's SMA, Promil and S-26 Gold brands, which are more well-known than Nestle's own Nan, Gerber, Lactogen and Nestogen products in China's infant formula market.
The acquisition will help Nestle's share of China's infant formula market climb by 4.72 percentage points to 15.3%, overtaking Mead Johnson's (NYSE: MJN) 12.06% and trailing market leader Dumex's 16.76%, according to CIConsulting, a leading Chinese research firm.
Nestle bought out Wyeth for $11.85 billion after outbidding Danone and Mead Johnson. The amount was above the $10 billion the market had expected.


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Pubs and restaurants had “the busiest Monday of the year” with customer numbers “doubling in a week” as thousands took up the Eat Out to Help Out discount on the first day of its launch.
Outlets reported a huge boost in demand and data from payments provider SumUp showed that spending at restaurants and cafes on Monday was 16.4 per cent higher than the previous Monday.
However, several restaurant owners said there had been confusion among customers who were unaware that the discount was capped at £10 or did not apply to alcohol.
The scheme gives consumers 50 per cent off their bill for food and soft drinks from Mondays to Wednesdays throughout August.
The Owl pub in Loughton, Essex, tweeted that it had been the busiest Monday of the year so far, while Andrew Macleod, of Emilia’s Crafted Pasta in London, said it had been a “roaring success” with guest numbers double what they were last week.
John Molnar, of The Cod’s Scallops, a fish and chip shop chain in Nottingham, said: “We had a really busy day on Monday with eat in sales exceeding takeaway for the first time since lock down.”
Figures published by HMRC on Tuesday showed that 73,089 restaurants have signed up for the scheme.
However, some restaurant owners expressed concerns about the complicated admin involved and confusion from customers.
Chris Marsh, of Spanish City, a dining complex in Whitley Bay, Tyneside, said that while he was pleased the scheme is in place, the laborious process of calculating bills manually had slowed things down.
“We found the first day to run a lot smoother than predicted,” he added. “It did slow things down at the till as we have to manually calculate the bill.”
Charlotte Hay, of the Pig and Whistle at Healing Manor, near Grimsby, said that some customers had been rude when they realised the discount was capped at £10.
She said: “Most are aware of how the Government’s scheme works, however some are adamant it should be applied to their alcohol bill as well.”
She added that calculating the VAT due was complicated as the till system automatically applied it to the discounted rate when it should be charged on the original price. She said checking the correct amount has been claimed will be “a lot of work”.
The Treasury has said that the scheme has been designed to be as simple as possible to administer and has been introduced to protect 1.8 million jobs in the hospitality sector.


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It's been a busy four weeks for Windows Phone 7, with the Nokia deal, a first update, the update bricking some phones, and the raising of the free applications submission limit for developers from five to 100.
And it's to the app side of the platform that we turn our gaze for this week's top 10, as we round up the best business applications for the fledgling platform, in no particular order.
The Windows Marketplace may not be creaking under the weight of apps like Apple's and Android's stores, but it does contain some nifty tools that are ideal for getting the most from your smartphone.
Honourable mention: Angry Birds (TBC)
This isn't a business app, but Angry Birds is coming to the
Windows Phone 7 platform and this definitely a big plus for
The game has become the app for smartphones and tablets. So if
Windows Phone 7 is going to compete with Android and Apple, especially when it starts appearing on cheaper Nokia handsets, it's going to have to offer the most popular entertainment app of the lot.
If you can't wait until the release date of the app on 6 April, there's always the incredibly similar Chicks and Vixens already on the app store, and boy do we mean similar.
IBM hopes that its new tool will avoid bias in artificial intelligence
Found by calculating the strength of the material deep inside the crust of neutron stars
Can highlight in real-time the relevant regions of an image being described
Double legal trouble for Musk as he also faces civil lawsuit over renewed British pot-holer 'paedo' claims


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It’s been just over a year since T-Mobile launched its affordable 5G Home Internet and it appears it’s being adopted quickly. Along with the anniversary, the uncarrier announced the service is now available to 10 million additional households, making it accessible for a total of 40 million US homes.
T-Mobile shared the news in a press release this morning that it reached 1 million users on its 5G Home Internet in the first year with the expectation of hitting 7-8 million customers for the service by 2025.
CEO Mike Sievert said the fast growth of the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet “underscores how hungry customers are for a real alternative to the Carriers and the Landline ISPs.” Per T-Mobile, growing its home internet solution to 1 million users over the last year has made it the “fastest growing broadband provider in America.”
And now the T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available to 40 million US homes, up from the 30 million it launched with. The service has a number of compelling features like no contracts or equipment fees, 100 Mbps average download speeds, unlimited data with no cap, self-setup, and more from just $50/month.
You can check if the service is available in your area here.
- $50/month with AutoPay, period. No added taxes or fees. No equipment fees. Not contracts. No surprises or exploding bills.
- Fast and unlimited. With expected average speeds of 100 Mbps for most new customers, it’ll handle all your home’s needs, with unlimited data and no caps.
- 5G powered. T-Mobile ships a 4G/5G gateway to your home.
- Easy to setup. Plug it in, download the app and follow a few simple instructions. You’re online in minutes.
- Backed by experts. When you need help, dedicated experts are just a call or message away.
T-Mobile also offers 5G Business Internet plans for small companies with up to 20 employees as well as an enterprise solution.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:


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By Bill Parry
The popular Shake Shack burger chain opened its first stand-alone location in the borough last Wednesday at the Queens Center mall in Elmhurst. The company operates licensed Shacks at Citi Field and LaGuardia Airport that do not have designated seating..
In addition to its famous 100 percent all-natural Angus beef Shakeburgers, the Queens Center Shack features frozen custards, specialty concrete shakes, hot dogs and crinkle-cut fries, the restaurant also offers such local beers as Queens Lager. Five percent of the profits from some desserts will by donated to Play4Autism, a Middle Village-based organization.
“Shake Shack is all about community and as we continue to grow and expand, it only made sense to offer a spot for the Queens community toenjoy good food and company,” a spokeswoman said.
The company, owned by Danny Meyer, first opened in Madison Square Park in 2004. It has since expanded internationally to the United Kingdom, Russia, Dubai and Japan.
“We’re pleased to have a great new food choice and it’s a wonderful addition to our mall,” Queens Center Senior Manager of Marketing John Scaturro said. “Our visitors are very familiar with the Shake Shack name and there have been lines ever since it opened.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr


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Square Enix would like to shorten its development cycles on Final Fantasy games, according to Final Fantasy XIII-2 producer Yoshinori Kitase.
Speaking to Game Reactor (via CVG), the writer and former director said, “The current generation console, Final Fantasy XIII, was obviously the first game, and personally I think we took a little too long getting it out.
“When you think of Western triple A titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Assassin’s Creed, they seem to work with a lot shorter turnaround – they make a new game in 1-2 years. That is something we need to follow up, because that seems to be the best way to keep our fans interested and attracted to the franchise.”
He also told the website that the Japanese publisher had “learnt a lesson” from the development of Final Fantasy XIII, stating that they took “a long time” to complete it.
The game was announced for PlayStation 3 at E3 2006—with an Xbox 360 version revealed at the same event two years later—and was released in 2010.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America on January 31, and on February 3 in Europe.


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The photo sharing app Instagram has introduced a new feature called 'Archive' for its users. This feature will allow the app user to move posts that you've previously shared a space and is visible only to you.
How one can do access of it is at the top of the post, and choose the "Archive" option. The posts will still be visible when one taps the Archive icon at the top right corner of the profile.
This new feature is available as part of Instagram version 10.21 and above for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play.


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BJP disrupts parliament over Wal-Mart lobbying issue
New Delhi: Proceedings in both houses of parliament were stalled as the BJP took up the issue of international supermarket chain Wal-Mart lobbying in the US to open the way for foreign equity in retail trade in India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party wanted question hour to be suspended to discuss Wal-Mart reportedly spending Rs.125 crore on lobbying activities in the US, including on issues related to enhanced market access for investment in India. As soon as both houses met, BJP members started shouting slogans, demanding suspension of question hour and asking the government to clarify how much money the company spent on lobbying in India.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar asked members to allow the house to run and said she would give them a chance to raise the issue during the day. But this did not pacify the BJP and they continued the ruckus, forcing the speaker to suspend the house till 12 noon. Similar scenes were reported from Rajya Sabha, leading to suspension of the upper house for 30 minutes.
Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari proposed to reschedule Question Hour or "dispense with it entirely" because of frequent disruptions.


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The Commercial manager of SPII firm stated that Europe was the largest market for Iranian petrochemical export last year, second only to China, MANA reported. Prior to the execution of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran’s export to Europe was done through foreign shipping lines only due to the sanctions and limitations; nonetheless, post-hoc to Iran and 5+1 nuclear agreements, these exports could also be done through IRISL .
Pointing out that SPII firm is one of the sub-branches of SATA Investment Holding, and concentrates on exporting petrochemical material and funding petrochemical projects. SPII firm owns branches and offices in South Africa, China, Oman, and Germany.
Since the sailing of IRISL ships to Europe began, SPII commercial manager asserted, this company has exported approximately 100 containers of petrochemical products to Europe, and hopefully, this export will continue at a larger size. He further stated that fortunately, since IRISL commenced sending goods to Europe, Iran did not use foreign shipping lines any further.
Bagherin stressed that currently, Antwerp Port in Belgium, Hamburg in Germany, Geneva in Italy, and Barcelona in Spain are among the major destination ports for Iranian ports to dock at. The majority of the SPII exports to Antwerp Port are distributed around Europe to Germany, Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands and England both in bulk and capillary network.
Competition in oil and petrochemical market is growingly increasing, SPII commercial manager added, in a way that every day we are exposed to the news regarding the expansion of manufacturers’ products and the inauguration of new complexes. In these conditions, we must prepare ourselves to enter the new and virgin markets such as Africa, and as well, to continue making profit from our current markets


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Canadian and British regulators are on an entirely different wavelength to a significant portion of the cryptocurrency market and industry. They have implemented new regulations and cast doubt on the future of decentralized digital currencies.
The moves come as China is cracking down on all but one form of cryptocurrency, forcing Bitcoin miners out of the country to more liberal markets.
In June, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority issued a consumer warning about Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world. According to the FCA, Binance didn’t have the necessary registration to sell crypto derivatives and the platform would be required to warn its British consumers of the situation.
Binance soon issued a statement to customers explaining that the decision won’t affect the way consumers use their services.
The Ontario Securities Commission also began legal action against unregistered crypto exchanges in May. The OSC noted that the exchanges, including Binance, were offering securities and derivatives without registering. It prompted Binance to warn customers in Ontario that they would no longer be able to make investments on the app – effectively shutting down their services for parts of the Canadian population.
Canadian and British regulators are cracking down – although to a lesser extent than China – and it’s unclear how this will end.
The global cryptocurrency market was valued at US$792.53 million in 2019 and is expected to reach over US$5 billion by 2026. The total volume of transactions moved in 2019, however, was more than US$51.6 billion, with numbers reaching US$91.8 billion in 2021.
This huge and growing currency and investment market is being adopted in bigger numbers by the year. It poses a long-term threat to the banks and perhaps Western governments are beginning to notice that.
Either this recent regulatory involvement is a warning shot or it’s simply a matter of the government trying to maintain regulation over a volatile market. It’s up to you to decide which you think is more likely.
Meanwhile, China’s extreme crackdown on cryptocurrency makes Canada and the United Kingdom’s approach seem relatively liberal. The Chinese Communist Party has banned all mining of cryptocurrencies and imposed restrictions on trading.
It’s important to note, however, that this isn’t an indication that China has no faith in digital currency. In fact, quite the opposite is true.
China is expected to hand out US$6.2 million worth of its digital yuan currency to citizens in Beijing as part of a lottery scheme. Residents of the Chinese capital will be able to use two banking apps to win one of the 200,000 “red packets” that contains 200 digital yuan. The plan comes before an expected national rollout of the digital currency, which has been in development since 2014. It comes ahead of what experts suggest could be an outright ban on holding any non-yuan digital tokens.
It is no secret that China has been ramping up efforts to establish its global financial, technological and military dominance in recent years. It could find itself with the edge over the rest of the world if its digital yuan currency thrives among its population of 1.4 billion while Western markets inhibit the natural growth of various cryptocurrencies in their own markets.
Furthermore, China’s decision to shun all but one cryptocurrency could prove beneficial for countries like Canada. That’s what IBC Group chairman and iMining CEO Khurram Shroff said this summer, describing how a shift of crypto mining operations out of China could prove a “huge opportunity for China.”
“The Toronto Stock Exchange recently listed the world’s first Bitcoin ETF (exchange-traded fund), so the nation is already ahead of the curve, in terms of mainstreaming cryptocurrencies,” he said.
The West can embrace digital currencies or hinder its growth to the point that China’s digital yuan becomes a model for the rest of the world. But as things stand, doesn’t it make you wonder whether China has more faith in cryptocurrency than the West does?
Jack Buckby is a research associate at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
© Troy Media
Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.


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Shares in Hong Kong saw strong gains after investors were encouraged by a new cross-border investment scheme announced over the weekend.
The latest move - called mutual fund recognition - would allow funds domiciled in Hong Kong and China to be sold in each other's market from July.
It could result in a fresh flood of mainland capital to Hong Kong's market.
The Hang Seng ended up 0.9% at 28,249.86 after being closed for a holiday on Monday.
The Shanghai Composite continued to head higher, rising 2% to 4,910.90.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 closed up 0.1% at 20,437.48 as the index chalked up an eight-day winning streak.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 ended up 0.9% at 5,773.4.
Shares of Fortescue Metals rose as much as 15% after reports that Chinese companies were seeking permission to buy a stake in the miner. The shares eventually closed up 10.6%.
The market in South Korea closed lower despite data showing that consumer sentiment rose for a second consecutive month in May, hitting its highest level in seven months.
The composite consumer sentiment index rose to 105 in May from 104 in April, the Bank of Korea said.
The benchmark Kospi closed 0.1% lower at 2,143.50.


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A massive 85% of Amazon’s private label sales come from its AmazonBasics line, an indication that affixing "Amazon" to a product has little marketing downside, according to a report emailed to Retail Dive from e-commerce research and analytics firm One Click Retail. The remaining 15% is divided between 45 distinct labels, according to the report.
It's not always clear when an item is Amazon-manufactured: Amazon Echo and Echo Dot are obviously Amazon products and Wickedly Prime foods gives a little clue with its nod to Prime members, but Lark & Ro apparel and Happy Belly snack foods are decidedly less obvious, the report notes. "The distinct impression is that Amazon is testing out a variety of different ways to introduce private brands to the platform," according to One Click Retail CEO Spencer Millerberg.
AmazonBasics (which started out in batteries and still mostly offers electronic essentials like phone cords) has begun to take sales from other private labels as it gets into more categories, according to the report. Its Pinzon bed and bath sales have dropped 50% so far this year (about $8M) since AmazonBasics moved into that turf, with the latter brand growing about 50% (or nearly $10M in sales), primarily in bedding. "[T]his indicates an intention on the part of Amazon to reinvest in the broader (and more successful) AmazonBasics brand and move away from niche labels," Millerberg said.
Store brands are popular these days, especially among younger shoppers like millennials, who came of age during the Great Recession and are less brand-loyal than their parents and grandparents. That’s provided fertile ground for retailers with high-quality private label brands.
The number of heads of households shopping at dollar stores under 35 years-old that earn more than $100,000 a year increased 7.1% between 2012 and 2015, compared to 3.6% at all retail stores, according to Nielsen research. Some 29% of millennial dollar store consumers earn over $100,000 annually and accounted for about 25% of sales at those stores, much of it to no-name brands of common household items, according to market research firm NPD's Checkout Tracking.
Amazon clearly appreciates all that. AmazonBasics is now the third bestselling brand on Amazon.com and ranks highly in many product groups (#4 overall in both electronics and wireless), according to One Click Retail. The bulk of AmazonBasics sales are in electronics accessories, including wireless, camera and computers (with an unexpected bestseller, paper shredders), the brand's third-largest category overall.
In fact, 19 of the top 20 bestselling private brand items on Amazon.com are AmazonBasics, with an Apple-certified USB cable the top item in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the U.K. In Canada, AmazonBasics is the #2 brand overall, though it’s not as strong of a competitor in Europe. In France, the labels ranks 20th, In Germany 28th and in the U.K. 30th, One Click Retail said, though researchers there believe the rankings reflects a lag period and that it's just a matter of time before private brands take off internationally, too.
Through its Amazon Elements line, the e-commerce giant has other well performing private label products, including baby wipes, where the "sensitive, 480 count" choice earned $2.5 million in sales this year so far. In fact, according to One Click Retail, Amazon Elements ranks third behind Huggies and Pampers in the baby wipes space.
In a challenge to both department stores and specialty retailers, Amazon’s bestselling product group among its other 45 private labels is apparel (by what One Click Retail deems a significant margin) with more than $20 million in sales. That merchandise includes Lark & Ro, Amazon Essentials, Buttoned Down, Mae and Goodthreads. The next leading product group is home, with sales mostly from its Pinzon line.
Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, and its 365 store brand, promises to move the retailer further in its consumer product competition. At the end of last month, Amazon made more than 2,000 Whole Foods items available through its website in the U.S., which moved some $500,000 in sales in just one week. Almost all (96%) of that was though Amazon’s Prime Pantry, Prime Now and Amazon Fresh units, while just 4% was through its main platform. Amazon doesn’t seem to have anticipated that level of success, Millerberg said, considering that just 7% of the top 100 items remained in stock at the end of the first week, leading to a 38% drop in sales during the second week.
Still, it’s too early to quantify the full impact of Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition, he said, although it’s clear that retailers and brands have a "significant new competitor" because of it. Still, competitors can keep an eye on Amazon's private brand strategy to learn how to develop new products and compete online. "If you're going to learn strategy and best practices from anyone, why not learn from the master?" Millerberg writes.


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Lloyds to pay £280m redress to customers in mortgage arrears
LBG is setting up a redress scheme that will see £283m paid out to 590,000 customers charged mortgage arrears fees, including litigation.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced this morning that after engaging with the regulator, Lloyds acknowledged that when customers fell into arrears, the bank did not always do enough to understand customers’ circumstances to ensure payment plans were affordable and sustainable.
After talks with the FCA, Lloyds has committed to refund all fees charged to customers for arrears management and broken payment arrangements during a seven-year period – from January 1 2009 to January 2016. Lloyds suspended arrears management fees back in January 2016.
For mortgage customers who entered Lloyds’ litigation process during this seven-year period, refunds will include any litigation fees that were applied unfairly.
Lloyds will also offer payments for “potential distress and inconvenience”, and consequential loss which customers may have experienced as a result of not being able to keep up with “unsustainable repayment plans.”
Jonathan Davidson, executive director of supervision – retail and authorisations at the FCA, said: “Ensuring fair treatment of customers, especially those in financial difficulties or who are vulnerable, is key priority for the FCA. We continue to engage with Lloyds as it works to improve the way it treats customers in arrears.”
The FCA said the redress scheme will refund the accrued interest on all fees up to the remediation date or, where customers have already paid the fees, the date when the fees were paid. Lloyds will also pay an extra eight percent interest for customers deprived of funds.
Lloyds will write to all affected customers to explain the refund they will receive and to prompt them to make a claim for any distress and inconvenience they may have suffered.
The bank will also advise customers to consider whether they suffered any “consequential losses” as a result of this issue, such as a direct debit fee charged because of a broken payment plan.
The regulator said it continues to engage with Lloyds and the retail lending sector to continue to raise standards and ensure the fair treatment of customers in arrears and financial difficulties.


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Around 60 per cent of British suppliers, including those of garden toys, games, and other outdoor equipment, have experienced import delays in the past month, according to the customs clearance platform, KlearNow that could eat into demand over the coming summer months.
Based on findings uncovered from interviews with 300 import-export businesses based in the UK, the platform has cited a combination of Covid-19 restrictions, the backlog from the Suez Canal blockage, and increasing global demand for shipping containers as the root causes of delayed goods this summer.
Goods that were scheduled to arrive in the UK weeks ago are still stuck on container ships, while some smaller businesses are finding themselves “priced out of landing the goods and materials they need” owing to increased competition for container space in these summer months.
“A combination of Covid-19 restrictions, the backlog from the Suez Canal blockage, increasing global demand for shipping containers, disruption to shipping caused by India’s public health crisis and a shortage of packaging materials means UK businesses are already struggling to meet summer demand,” said KlearNow’s chief executive Sam Tyagi.
“With competition for container space so high, some smaller businesses are simply being priced out of landing the goods and materials that they need.”
ToyNews reported early on of issues surrounding the toy industry, when a number of companies came forwards to suggest that the Suez Canal fiasco would ’cause supply headaches later down the line.’
Items like garden toys and games are among those being held up by delays, while ToyNews has learned that some suppliers are now suggesting ‘serious issues caused and major impacts on business.’
Speaking to the BBC this week, Katherine Rhodes of the retailer PomPom, said: “We’re experiencing delays of up to four months on wooden toys coming from the Far East, handmade baskets and wood supplies. And we’ve had to wait 16 weeks for cardboard boxes.”
Meanwhile, the competition for garden furniture looks to be pushing many small businesses and Britons to secondhand mobile marketplaces – with retailer Shpock announcing a 157 per cent increase in Home & Garden sales than it did in the first quarter of the year.
Iyesha Cheema-Bradshaw, brand and content manager at Shpock, said that it is currently a “challenging environment for buyers, where summer products are in short supply,” noting that the second hand retailer has seen a “sharp increase in garden sales” fueled by buyers “looking towards platforms with plentiful supply of quality items.”
Platforms such as Shpock have been quick to embrace the current supply issues, noting that the drive towards second hand shopping has helped encourage the message of a more circular economy.
“Secondhand shopping is becoming a major way for buyers to cut down on emissions and waste by reusing goods,” said Cheema-Bradshaw. “A recent study commissioned by Shpock found that in 2020 the buying and selling of secondhand Home and Garden items across the UK helped save 29,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.”
Having gathered its own data through the Sphock platform alone, the retailer suggests that the truer, nation-wide impact is likely to be higher still.


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Korean Market Opens in Lakeland
Published: Saturday, December 7, 2002 at 2:23 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, December 7, 2002 at 12:00 a.m.
LAKELAND - As Lakeland's population continues to diversify, ethnic markets and businesses are opening around the city.
The Korean Oriental Market recently opened at 1751 E. Edgewood Drive at Lake Bentley Plaza in Lakeland.
Lakeland doesn't have an Asian market, said Sun Ae Malkowski, the owner's sister. Jeom Yeol Chy is the market's owner and he and his wife run the store.
The 2,200-square-foot shop opened Nov. 16 and offers fresh kimchee, a spicy condiment made of fermented vegetables, rice, fresh vegetables, sushi and assorted Asian foods.
"We have everything Oriental," Malkowski said. "People were driving to Orlando or Tampa to find an Oriental market. A lot of people like Oriental food and we want to make them happy.
"Lakeland has a lot of Korean and Oriental people," she said.
Kathleen Munson, president of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce said the market is a positive venture for Lakeland.
"We're getting a very diverse community and it only enhances the quality of life to have diverse grocery products and services," Munson said.
The store is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Elizabeth McCormick can be reached at elizabeth.mccormick@ theledger.com or 863-802-7592.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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Ready for the week ahead? Jim Cramer is. And he sees plenty of money making opportunities scattered across almost every sector of the market. Following are the events on Cramer's calendar.
Mon., July 28
On Monday Cramer will be looking for insights on the global economy contained in the Cummins earnings report. "Buyers have begun to retreat from the industrials broadly. I think that's because they're worried about a potential slowdown in Europe if the conflict in Ukraine worsens. I'll be looking to hear if Cummins confirms that those fears are justified. If they are, I'd pull in my horns on the sector."
Also Cramer will be ready for some unexpected drama on Monday as Herbalife reports earnings. After the assault launched by billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who has bet against the company, Cramer says, "it's time to let the facts speak for themselves. I want to hear what Herbalife has to say."
Tues., July 29
On Tuesday, Cramer will again be seeking more commentary on the economy, this time as UPS reports earnings. "I really want to hear how they describe commerce conditions around the world. Along with FedEx, UPS is a great tell for both the U.S. and global economies. There should be some great information on this call."
Also Tuesday, Cramer will be eagerly sifting through earnings from Twitter. "I think this one could be very problematic because Facebook delivered such a great number and Twitter could suffer by comparison. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend buying Twitter until it drops back to $29, a huge decline from these levels. Until then, just stick with Facebook."
Elsewhere in the market, Cramer intends to focus on results from two restaurants stocks, Buffalo Wild Wings and Panera Bread. "In this earnings period the doggy stocks get doggier while the winners keep winning. I think that's how these two will go. Buffalo's stock has been very strong of late while Panera just hit a 52 week low."


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(CBS SF) — Some Bank of America customers are claiming they’re been double-charged on transactions made using Apple Pay.
According to CNN’s Samuel Burke, an item he bought at Whole Foods with Apple Pay appeared twice on his bank statement Tuesday — one day after Apple rolled out it’s new mobile-payment system. Reddit users also reported the same problem.
Burke said he called Bank of America to report the mistake, but was told it was a problem with Apple. After calling Apple’s help line, a customer service representative told him there was “nothing they could do about it,” since the company does not keep a record of transactions for security reasons.
Complete CNN Video Report:
His money was eventually refunded after he got Apple and Bank of America talking together in a three-way-call.
Bank of America later tweeted that it was working to fix the problem.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told the HuffPost in an emailed statement: “We’re aware of a Bank of America issue impacting a very small number of Apple Pay users. They’re working on a fix that will be available shortly and reversing any duplicate transactions.”
Meanwhile, Bank of America told HuffPost that the issue affected “only about 1000 transactions” and that all customers affected by the issue will be refunded, including overdraft fees.


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There is no such thing as “too cold for ice cream.”
Beth and David Hertzler believe that, and they believe their customers at the Shoofly Dairy Bar in Williamsburg agree.
The soft-serve ice cream stand, surrounded by a patio full of tables and chairs, opened a year ago and stayed open throughout the winter.
“For practice,” Beth Hertzler says, even though conventional wisdom suggests most people won’t eat ice cream outdoors in cold weather.
After marking Shoofly’s first anniversary in early October, the Hertzlers made clear that they plan to stay open year round. They may benefit from the recent closure of Williamsburg’s only Dairy Queen, which went out of business recently after more than 20 years. That void could bring soft-serve devotees to Shoofly, which features the standard vanilla, chocolate and a “swirl” of the two.
The Hertzlers also serve homemade pies — shoofly (of course) and Whoopie Pies, both made from Pennsylvania Dutch recipes learned from David’s Mennonite family. Beth Hertzler stresses that all of their sweet treats are made naturally.
“We get our ice cream directly from a creamery that uses cows that are grass-fed and pasture-raised,” she said. “The ingredients are pure and natural. And we make all of the pies ourselves. What we want to bring to our community is healthier desserts.”
Shoofly Dairy Bar is at 7127 Merrimac Trail and opens at 1 p.m. daily. It closes at 9 p.m. weekdays, 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 8 p.m. Sundays.
Craft beer festivals
The Beer on the Beach festival will be held at Buckroe Beach Park in Hampton from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, featuring musical performances by The Bobby Blackhat Band and Unleaded.
Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the gate ($10 for non-drinking admission). More than 20 craft beers will be available.
Proceeds will benefit the Center for Child and Family Services and the Buckroe Improvement League. The rain date is Sunday.
For information: 757-810-7478, villageevents.org.
Also this weekend, the Imbibe Craft Beer and Arts Festival will come to Virginia Beach on Sunday. The event will be at the Virginia Beach Field House, 2020 Landstown Centre Drive, starting at 2 p.m.
The event — for ages 21 and older — will feature live music, food trucks, a “game zone” and distinctive items from local and regional artisans. There will also be a “Brew U” craft beer education stage for those who want to learn. And of course, more than 100 craft brews to sample.
Tickets are $45 for general admission and $75 for VIP early admission (1 p.m.). There is also a “corporate chalet” ticket for $3,500 that provides VIP tickets for as many as 30 guests and other benefits.
For information, visit imbibeva.com.
Same as the first
Tony Hilario, proprietor of TJ’s Sports Tavern in Newport News, is working to create a second location in Poquoson. He has taken over the space that was formerly occupied by George’s Restaurant on Wythe Creek Road, and will reopen it as TJ’s II.
“I’ve already got one,” Hilario said. “I might as well have another.”
He does not have an opening date scheduled, but would like to open doors by the end of November. He said his goal is to make TJ’s II as close as possible to the original location.
Veer Magazine has launched the voting for its annual Golden Tap Awards for local breweries and beers. Online voting is open through Nov. 6 at veermag.com.
Gold, silver and bronze medals in 50 categories — determined by a combination of reader votes and a panel of experts — will be presented in a ceremony on Dec. 11 at O’Connor Brewing in Norfolk. Proceeds will benefit Hope House Foundation.


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Fortune's curated selection of the day's most newsworthy tech stories from all over the Web. Sign up to get the newsletter delivered to you every day.
* With just a 27% share of the U.S. search market, Reuters argues Microsoft should find a buyer for online search engine Bing. (Reuters via The New York Times)
* Google is revising its approach towards Google + users who for one reason or another don't use their full, real names MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Jul 26, 2011 7:53 AM ET
While new board member Reed Hastings can help Facebook, the social network has a lot to offer Netflix as well.
FORTUNE -- Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings made a strategically brilliant move for the business Friday when he announced plans to join Facebook's board of directors. Since it was founded in 1997, Netflix (NFLX) has risen from a start-up that took down Blockbuster with its red-enveloped videos by mail to the MOREJessi Hempel, writer - Jun 27, 2011 9:36 AM ET
By Kevin Kelleher, contributor
For all the reasons a Nokia merger wouldn't work, Netflix can be the core of Microsoft's answer to Apple's iCloud -- and provide Ballmer a canny co-CEO.
FORTUNE -- Poor Steve Ballmer. Standing at the helm of one of the computer age's biggest success stories while its brand withers and its stock languishes at the same level it traded at in 1998. Shareholders are increasingly unhappy with him. MOREJun 8, 2011 1:14 PM ET
Reed Hastings' disruption tour continues as Netflix weighs ploughing its profits into an original series. "It's not TV, it's HBO" may soon be "It's not HBO, it's Netflix."
Update: 24 hours later, it's official. "Netflix has committed to a minimum of 26 episodes," the press release reads, of "House of Cards." That sounds like 2 seasons worth, and it should begin, um, "airing" in late 2012. Kevin Spacey and David Fincher MOREMichael V. Copeland, Senior Writer - Mar 17, 2011 10:29 AM ET
The company uses a mix of subscriber information, user ratings, rentals, and cool computer algorithms to predict what kinds of entertainment you might enjoy streaming.
Back to Reed Hastings: Leader of the packMichael V. Copeland, Senior Writer - Nov 18, 2010 12:00 AM ET
Executives from Silicon Valley to Hollywood to Wall Street admires his savvy persistence - and his company's cool culture. The secret to the Netflix CEO's success? He never stops looking over his shoulder.
Reed Hastings isn't supposed to be here -- not on a list of the year's top businesspeople, and certainly not on the cover of Fortune. His DVD-by-mail company, Netflix, was supposed to have flamed out by now, a MOREMichael V. Copeland, Senior Writer - Nov 18, 2010 12:00 AM ET
How To Recommend Movies (and Win $1 million)
It was like the machine learning world's version of "American Idol" Monday in New York: A seven-man multinational group dubbed BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos was awarded $1 million by Netflix (NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings as the winners of the Netflix Prize.
Cooked up three years ago by Hastings, the Netflix Prize challenged all comers to improve the recommendation technology used by the online movie rental MOREMichael V. Copeland, Senior Writer - Sep 21, 2009 10:15 AM ET
Finally, a Powerpoint presentation worth reading
It isn't often that I get convinced to read through a slide deck 128 images long. But after the fourth startup CEO, in this case Jonathan Sposato, CEO of online photo-editing service Picnik brought it to my attention; I sat down to give "Reference Guide on our Freedom & Responsibility Culture" a gander.
The slide deck, which can be found here, contains the distilled thinking of MOREMichael V. Copeland, Senior Writer - Aug 26, 2009 7:27 AM ET
Penelope Patsuris - Jul 21, 2009 1:51 PM ET
|Chrysler relents, agrees to recall 2.7 million Jeeps|
|U.S. oil boom helps thwart OPEC|
|Bond investors bracing for Bernanke|
|Tesla announces Model S recall|
|Men are disappearing from the workforce|


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Woman Who Urinated on Walmart Potatoes Turns Herself In
Woman accused of peeing on potatoes in supermarket turns herself in to police
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South Hills woman accused of urinating on potatoes at Walmart turns herself in
First, there was the ice cream licker. Now, a woman is accused of — well, altering — food at the Walmart store in West Mifflin. Grace M. Brown, 20, of Whitehall turned herself into authorities on Tuesday afternoon, West Mifflin police said. She is charged with open lewdness, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, court records show.
A woman who was accused of peeing on potatoes last week at a Pennsylvania Walmart has turned herself in. After releasing CCTV images of the culprit in an effort to track her down, West Mifflin police said Grace Brown arrived at the station with her attorney on Tuesday and "identified herself as the person urinating on the potatoes. On July 25, officers responded to a call by a store employee who had noticed a pool of urine in the produce area near the spuds. After cycling back through camera footage, he spotted a female "urinating in the potato bins" at PM the night before.


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Winter Walkoff 2012 Promotes a Walk a Day During February
One of the easiest, safest and least expensive forms of exercise and getting around doesn’t require a fancy gym membership, designer clothing or special training. In fact, you’ve been doing it practically your entire life: it’s walking!
Dear EarthTalk: I read that car makers had agreed to up fuel economy standards to an average of about 55 miles per gallon by the year 2025, and that specifics were due to be hammered out by the end of 2011. Did this happen and where do things stand now? -- Scott Ellis, Norwalk, CA
After years of wrangling on the issue, auto companies, regulators and policymakers have finally come to terms on increased Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for vehicles plying American roads. According to the plan as formulated by the Obama administration, automakers will double the average, unadjusted fuel-economy rating of their car and light truck vehicle fleets to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 from today’s standard of 27 miles per gallon. Automakers which don’t meet the standards will be penalized $5.50 per 0.1 miles per gallon they fall below, multiplied by their total production for the U.S. market. Congress is likely to sign the new rules, which will start taking effect for the 2017 model year, into law this summer.


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Frankfurt, Germany: Germany teetered on the brink of recession Friday after official data showed the economy stagnated in the first quarter despite expectations for a slight rebound, as the energy crisis weighed on Europe’s top economy.
Gross domestic product came in flat from January to March, according to preliminary figures from federal statistics agency Destatis said.
If the economy had recorded a contraction again — after shrinking 0.5 percent in the final quarter of 2022 — it would have entered a “technical recession”.
However, the flat reading could still be revised to a contraction when final figures are released.
The industrial powerhouse, which had long been heavily reliant on Russian energy, was hit hard after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices surging.
Analysts and the government predicted for months that soaring inflation, particularly of energy, would push the economy into a sharp winter downturn.
But expectations changed in recent weeks as Germany’s vast industrial sector rebounded, on the back of falling energy prices and the reopening of China, a key market for German manufacturers, after long Covid lockdowns.
While the economy appears to have avoided the worst, the first quarter reading was below expectations from analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet for an expansion of 0.2 percent.
According to Destatis, exports and investments helped to support GDP but household and government consumption declined.
The GDP data “illustrates that the industrial renaissance of the last two months has not been enough to get the economy out of recessionary territory,” said ING economist Carsten Brzeski.
“The overall direction for the German economy is clear: this year will bring a long flirtation with stagnation.”


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Alibaba, the giant Chinese e-commerce company, is “95 percent certain” to choose New York as the venue for its upcoming initial public offering.
According to a report by the Financial Times, Alibaba is estimated to be worth some $120 billion, and its IPO could surpass that of Visa (NYSE: V) for the largest ever offering in the United States. It’s such a huge and influential company that, the Financial Times added, some Hong Kong authorities are exploring ways the city might change rules for public companies in order to accommodate Alibaba.
The New York Times reported that the company could file for a New York IPO as soon as next month, though no underwriters have yet been chosen. Bloomberg explained that even though most of the news is pointing toward a New York IPO, Alibaba could still go back to Hong Kong, even after filing in the US, should regulators there change the rules over board nominations to the company’s satisfaction.


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Over the last few weeks, reports of AMD processor shortages have run rampant. Dell has said they have had a good supply of chips from the CPU maker, but others have said that the company's higher-end parts are difficult to come by for both OEMs and at retail. Ars talked to Stephen DiFranco, AMD corporate VP of marketing, and John Taylor, director of product communication, to get the scoop on what's causing the channel problems the CPU maker has been experiencing lately.
DiFranco says that the main issue is stronger-than-anticipated consumer demand which has peaked ahead of time. "Typically, the channel prefers a lot of inventory in December," DiFranco said. "This year we have seen demand spike earlier than anticipated, and our engineering inventory has been off."
While demand from Dell has obviously grown with the introduction of Athlon desktops and Turion laptops, AMD says that Dell is not the cause of the difficulties. "Dell is really not a factor," said DiFranco. "We just got notebooks on Dell's web site in the last couple of days, and desktops in the past six to eight weeks."
According to DiFranco, the issues this time around are of a different nature from the processor shortages the CPU maker experienced in late 2005. "At that point it was increased interest across our entire product line," according to DiFranco. "We had very good server products, very good desktop products, and we had just launched the Turion. At the same time, our competitor [Intel] was challenged a bit on chips. These are different dynamics."
Early next year, AMD will launch its mutisocket, multicore 4x4 platform. Even though it will take even more silicon to crank out two dual-core CPUs, AMD doesn't see 4x4 contributing to the supply issues the company has been experiencing. "It won't have any dramatic effect," DiFranco told Ars. "People interested in 4x4 are primarily gamers and the high-end desktop marketa special part of the marketplace. It's high-profile, but not high-volume."
Currently, AMD operates two CPU fabrication facilities, with some CPU production handled by Chartered Semiconducting. Fab 36 is churning out 300mm wafers while Fab 30 is still producing 200mm wafers. Fab 30 is in the midst of being transformed into Fab 38, which wil begin producing 300mm wafers once that transformation is complete. Taylor tells Ars that "Chartered is working with us to adopt AMD's patented Automated Precision Manufacturing and our lean manufacturing approach, which will eventually include 65nm." AMD's first processors made on a 65nm process will begin appearing next month.
With demand from OEMs strong, will the enthusiast community get the short end of the stick? "We don't expect our users to jump brand," DiFranco remarked. "Their loyalty comes from many years of dedication, and they're a sophisticated group. We think they will stay loyal over the long term; they're better served by sticking with AMD technology."
Both DiFranco and Taylor were mum on the recently announced Fusion project, which aims to stick CPU and GPU on a single piece of silicon. AMD will be offering more information on Fusion next month, along with an update on their overall product roadmap. That will include the first official glimpse at what the combined AMD-ATI has in store.


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9:10 P.M. (MST)
With tax season back in full swing, Yuma's branch of the Better Business Bureau has some tips on how to avoid falling victim to tax scams. A typical scam seen in our area involves scammers calling or e-mailing a potential customer, which is why staying away from any form of electronic communication with unknown parties is key. The bureau also says to be careful of anyone who reaches out to you claiming to be with the IRS. Stay away from those advertising special 'one time offer' deals, because no reputable tax business ever works this way. Janet Torricellas is the director of the Yuma branch of the Better Business Bureau and says working with either a proven online company or with a local accountant you know can go a long way towards keeping you safe from scammers. "If you do them online and have had great success in the past go for it, or if you feel like doing them one on one with someone here locally thats good as well," she says. But the number tip anyone can give you while doing your taxes? Be prepared, and know what you are going to be claiming and reporting well before you begin to file.


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Security publication CSO reports that retailers are seeing attacks against their gift card systems as criminals look to find unspent cards and make a quick buck.
Traditionally, gift cards have been a quick way to make stolen credit card numbers pay off quickly. They buy the gift cards online, in bulk, then use the gift cards at their leisure or resell them, without worrying that the credit card number has been canceled — until the charge backs started coming in from the credit card companies and merchants wised up.
So criminals have been turning to hacking the gift card systems themselves, figuring out how to find the gift card numbers of cards that have already been issued, but haven’t yet been spent.
The article is based off a report published by anti-fraud company Flashpoint, which recommends that retailers make sure their fraud prevention tools such as PINs are more than window dressing. Additionally is suggests that companies avoid pitfalls like sequential card numbering.
As old fraud schemes become less profitable, retailers and others in the payments business will need to work together to anticipate future holes in fraud defenses and close them as quickly as possible.
Overview by Ben Jackson, Director, Prepaid Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group
Read the full story here


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AHDB Pork marketing campaign shortlisted for award
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Pork sector has been shortlisted for a Marketing Week award.
The levy board, which has never made the shortlist before, has been recognised with a nomination in the Market Disruptor category for its ‘Pulled Pork – Achieve Lazy’ campaign.
The Market Disruptor award acknowledges an organisation that has changed its market or industry through the use of a business model, changing focus or reaching new consumers.
The Achieve Lazy campaign has been designed to breathe life into the image of pork, with a focus on promoting the meat more with the under 55 market by encouraging them to buy pork shoulder and pulled pork to be cooked at home. The Pulled Pork campaign is the first of a long-term plan to boost the image of pork.
“To think we would be shortlisted for such a prestigious award was not front of mind two years ago when I was touring the country presenting the ‘Pulled Pork – Achieve Lazy’ campaign plan to farmers and processors,” said Kirsty Walker, AHDB Pork’s head of marketing.
“Back then, success was their support with which we built the campaign. I hope everyone involved in the campaign, from farm to fork, feel proud and can share in the success so far.”
The Marketing Week awards recognise campaigns from the world of corporate, agency, non-profit and consumer marketing and communications teams from across the UK. AHDB Pork will be going up against Marks & Spencer and Carlsberg in its category, with results being announced on Thursday 12 May.
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