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AMResorts is consistently trying to stay ahead of the trends. The hotel chain continually adds to its inventory and value-added packages to provide guests with more value and a better product. Offers of girlfriend getaways, unlimited spa packages and group deals are one way the company continues to keep profitable.
“Despite the current economic situation, demand is growing,” said Matt Mullen, senior director of sales, group sales for AMResorts. “The number of total travelers coming to Mexico has increased since 2010.”
The company is heavily invested in its product in Mexico and has several new projects planned for the coming year and beyond.
“AMResorts has a very strong pipeline in Mexico,” said Mullen.
The 400-suite Secrets Huatulco is scheduled to open this month adding to the company’s inventory in that region of Mexico, a new destination offering for the Secrets Resorts & Spas brand in Mexico. The Sunscape Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa is also scheduled to open this month.
“The opening of these resorts brings a new brand experience and destination to new and existing AMResorts customers,” said Mullen.
Two newly built properties will open mid-2012 in Puerto Vallarta — Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta and Now Amber Puerto Vallarta. In 2013,
AMResorts’ largest development project to date — Gems in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic — will be unveiled featuring a total of four properties: Zoetry Cap Cana, Secrets Cap Cana, Now Cap Cana and Now Preferred Cap Cana. This project cements the company’s investment in the growing luxury destination.
AMResorts believes that agents are key to the success of its brands.
“We maintain an open line of communication with the agent community and provide them with a host of platforms, from a dedicated site to the Master Agent program, to keep them in the loop on any openings or plans for development,” said Mullen. “We value their input and are glad to hear their excitement in welcoming more options for their clients.”
Mullen suggests that agents utilize the company’s dedicated agent website to keep up-to-date with changes.
“Our dedicated travel agent site, AMRagents.com, is a one-stop-shop for everything an agent needs to sell us successfully,” he said. “The site includes our latest promotions and incentives, Master Agent Program, travel agent & Master Agent rates, resource center with fact sheets, brochures, videos and more.”
The Master Agent course is an online education program that is constantly updated to reflect
AMResort’s newest properties. Once agents have successfully graduated, they automatically hold Master Agent status, which provides them with exclusive Master Agent rates, an ID card for day-pass access, up-to-date news, information and more.
AMResorts will also offer personalized Master Agent Workshops throughout the year. These workshops are held in a small, classroom-like setting and are designed to educate agents on AMResorts’ brands and provide them with the opportunity to become an official AMResorts Master Agent.
“Each year certified Master Agents can participate in May Madness, our largest agent incentive of the year with tons of bonus cash, free nights and prizes,” said Mullen.
The company also has a brand-new Facebook page, offering agents an additional platform by which they can share the brand and gain customer insight as well as learn about new promotions and incentives.
“Throughout the year, we offer incentives for the agents with tons of bonus cash, free stays and prizes,” said Mullen.


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South African SUV buyers are in for a treat in 2019 with a host of exciting products making landfall throughout the year. If you are looking for the best-of-the-best in terms of SUVs, this list is for... Read More
Until the recent local launch of the Lamborghini Urus, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio was the lone performance SUV from Italy (we mean no disrespect to the Maserati Levante). The evocative Stelvio... Read More
There is a barrage of new and facelifted cars headed for South Africa in 2019. Take a look at what you can expect below...
The year 2019 is gearing up to be a cracker and you can expect a big wave of new and updated... Read More
One of the world's hottest performance SUVs has finally landed in South Africa and we can bring you pricing. This is the Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV and here's how much it costs.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio was launched... Read More
2018 has been a bumper year for new models coming to South Africa and with just over 2 months left in the year, there is still lots of new product to look forward to in the coming weeks. Here is a list of new cars... Read More
What if we told you that car collectors around the globe secretly scour the internet in search of bagging some of the rarest and most sought-after models that have ever been produced... in South... Read More
With an exciting new venue, 99 classic cars to go on auction and SA's F1 Design guru Rory Byrne being inducted into the South African Hall of Fame as additional attractions, the annual Concours SA promises to be a... Read More

domain: news


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Nissan is planning to showcase two brand-new trade vehicles at the Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC Birmingham.
The event, which is in its 13th year, takes place from April 9th – 11th, and will see the UK debut of the eNV200, which is Nissan’s first 100 per cent electric van.
It is highly-anticipated after receiving praise from fleet operators around the world for its zero CO2 emissions, driving comfort and large carrying capacity and payload.
Jon Pollock, Nissan GB corporate sales director said: We’re looking forward to showing the eNV200 to the public and offering a glimpse into the future of vans and their potential low running costs. Fleets that have recently tested the eNV200 have given us excellent feedback and we’re now excited to see the response from the public.”
The other vehicle to make its debut at the show will be the NV200 taxi, which the Japanese manufacturer believes is the future of the London “black cab”.
It is based on the NV200 compact van and has been redesigned to fully comply with the host of Transport for London Taxi Conditions of Fitness.
Visit the #1 Black Cab Insurance page
New black cab design given go-ahead by Nissan |
New plans could extend towns taxi rank |
Changes to licensing system means good news for taxis |
New app makes taxi booking easier |
more taxi news


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Start-up delivers access to cheap mortgages
Australian fintech companies like HashChing are great disruptors to the mortgage industry. The banks should be very wary of companies like these…
It is a never-ending battle for consumers to seek out the cheapest home loans in the market. With interest rates at record low levels, consumers are actively searching to lock in mortgages for as long as possible before interest rates start to rise and property prices begin to fall.
Besides trawling through the regular financial institutions such as banks and established mortgage lenders online for the best deal, a range of loan comparison websites have entered the market.
HashChing is one such company claiming to be ‘Australia’s first online marketplace for home loans’.


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Google's executive chairman says the Internet is leaving the majority of the world's population behind.
On August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web made its debut as a publicly available service on the Internet. Now, 20 years later, we're giving it a big thank you for revolutionizing the world as we know it.
In the age of Google and YouTube, anybody can become a celebrity, villain, or laughingstock in no time.
It's the graph, stupid! Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the World Wide Web, has published a much discussed post about the future "Internet of things."
Microsoft's co-founder and former CEO is the latest luminary from the world of technology and science to warn against the threat of smart machines.
Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee had the sci-fi inspired name in mind, according to fellow innovator Wendy Hall, who spoke to CNET about the evolution of the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web Consortium finishes an update to this seminal Internet technology, but with two organizations in charge of the same Web standard, charting the Web's future is a mess.
Tim Berners-Lee thinks scrubbing false information off the Web is fine, but the truth should be preserved for reasons of free speech and history. Also: the robots are already here.
A new World Wide Web Consortium group tackles issues like authentication and digital wallets. The eventual result could be electronic payments not so dominated by particular companies.
Imgur's new GIFV format means animated images load faster, look better and play when shared on social networks. Will the 1987-era GIF format finally fade from use?


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Top enforcers call for global response to dominance in digital markets
Competition agency heads in South Africa, Korea and the UK have called for a worldwide solution to the substantial market power of some internet companies – but how that might work remains unclear.
To read more
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- The SA Paint Manufacturing Association (0.01 MB)
/ MEDIA STATEMENT / This content is not written by Creamer Media, but is a supplied media statement.
The SA Paint Manufacturing Association is driving a renewed and formal appeal to the government to protect the coatings sector by imposing higher import duties on the increasing volumes of paint being dumped on our shores.
Deryck Spence, executive director of SAPMA, says the Association has reliably learnt that an Indian paint manufacturer has launched plans to make its presence felt on local retail shelves which, if successful, would lead to the importation of even more, cheaper – and perhaps inferior – paint to compete with the already beleaguered SA producers.
“The coatings sector’s appeal to the government to not allow another South African to suffer at the hands of cheaper imports is now being formalised and will be lodged as a matter of urgency by a leading SAPMA producer. The damage done to the textile industry by dumped imports is still only too fresh in our minds,” Spence stated.
Spence says for the past two decades or so the annual volume of paint imported to South Africa on average amounted to 20 million litres per year.
“But currently at least R1.2 billion of paint is being imported - about 10% of the entire South African market. Around 65% of the paint is emanating from Europe - which is free of import duties in terms of Customs and Trade Agreements with the EU - and another 20% from the USA, on which only 10% import duties apply. But the ominous development is that it now appears that India, in particular, has discovered South Africa as a lucrative export destination.
Spence says the import dumping situation could lead to major job losses in the coatings sector. “SAPMA believes that the current 10% import duties applying to all imported paints (other than the duty-free paints from Europe) should be raised to at least 25% to level the playing field for the SA coatings sector and to restrict rampant dumping of paints.
The SAPMA Technical Committee recently raised the matter with the South African International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) which said that an appeal from SAPMA would not be acceptable and that any ITAC consideration for the increase of import tariffs would have to be generated by a complaint from a specific manufacturer - and not just from an association body such as SAPMA.
“The fact that a leading SAPMA member has now appealed for protection against imports will now, hopefully, spark such an ITAC investigation. But time is of the essence: local manufacturers need protection before thousands of litres of imported paint fill our hardware stores,” Spence urged.


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GUJARAT TOURISM CORPORATION
Railways to launch train for religious tourism
The Aastha Circuit Tourist Train will be jointly operated by the Northeast Frontier Railway and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp.
Tourism Budget 2017-18: Government’s proposal to establish five special tourism zones
Thomas Cook (India) COO Mahesh Iyer opined that this Budget has very little to offer to the tourism industry.
Helicopter tourism in South Goa is boon for the area: Goa Tourism Development Corporation
The state tourism body also said Pawan Hans has similar service in neighbouring Maharashtra (Mumbai), where the joy rides are a success.
Get set for wine tours, courtesy Maharashtra tourism
It could also soon become a part of the exotic journeys of this luxury tourist train.
China shuts 74 tourism websites for disseminating pornography
The administration called on consumers to choose tourism products through legal websites and encouraged the public to report violations.
Stayzilla ties up with ATDC to promote rural tourism
ATDC is a private organisation which stands to endorse agriculture tourism. The MoU was signed between Western Region Office of Stayzilla and ATDC.
Here are 8 interesting facts about Indian tourism
Tourism in India provides 40 million jobs. The sector is expected to grow at an annual average growth rate of 7.9% till 2023, making India the third fastest growing tourism destinations over the next decade.
Stayzilla ties-up with ATDC to promote rural tourism
ATDC is a private organisation, which endorses agriculture tourism to achieve income, employment and economic stability in rural communities in India.
Buy Tourism Finance Corporation of India with a target of Rs 95: Shrikant Chouhan
Buy Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. with a target of Rs 95 and a stop loss of Rs 58
WTTC chief on India's tourism potential
WTTC chief David Scowsill talks exclusively to ET Now about India's tourism potential and the opportunities the sector has and the hurdles it faces.
Jangal Mahal to be a tourism hub
The tourism circuit development would take off with Jhargram and the heritage spots around the area.
Demonetisation caused heavy jolt on tourism
In Eastern Himalayan region comprising tourism hotspot Darjeeling, Sikkim or North Eastern region, the inbound tourists flow remains comparatively low after Sep-Oct festival season.
Gujarat establishes cashless system for PDS
According to the Food ministry there are over 81 crore beneficiaries under NSAI in the country.
China targets $1 trillion tourism revenue by 2020
The Chinese government's five-year tourism plan says China will strive to develop tourism into a major driver for economic transformation and upgrades.
Trillion dollar business lies in tourism: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that trillion dollar business lies in tourism.


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Abu Dhabi-UAE: 22 December 2013 – Speaking ahead of INTERMAT Middle East - one of the UAE's leading construction shows; Laurent Berthouloux, Regional Sales Director, SDMO Industries; discusses the future of the company in the Middle East, their product range and their participation at INTERMAT Middle East.
According to research studies, to date, the UAE still retains pole position in the GCC with USD 1.38 trillion worth of ongoing projects, followed by Saudi Arabia (USD 1.02 trillion), Qatar (USD 420.12 billion), Kuwait (USD 326.55 billion), Oman (USD 189.90 billion) and Bahrain (USD 104.74 billion). Also, as per Zawya's project tracking data compiled in November 2013, around USD 3.45 trillion worth of projects are in the design, bid or construction stage until 2025 across the GCC.
Highlighting the growth of the company sales, Laurent Berthouloux, said: “We have seen a significant increase in sales in the construction market. This growth is mainly due to the dynamic products we offer. SDMO has launched a complete new range of generators dedicated to the construction market. Thanks to this new “Rental Compact” range SDMO has recorded a significant increase in sales. This range of generators starts at 20 kVA up to 550 kVA. Furthermore, we have launched a containerized new generator. Being very compact the 1650 kVA in a 20-foot dry container, offers large power in small volume.”
The global crisis changed the industrial world. However, due to its entrepreneurial spirit and great adaptability, SDMO has managed this crisis with skill. In 2013, even though the company is still feeling the effects of the crisis, it has made efforts that have allowed the company to be optimistic about the outcome of the business. The company recently just opened a new office in Egypt apart from the already existing head office in Dubai.
With the aim of providing close support to the local business, the company continues its efforts to strengthen its distribution network and service in all countries where they operate.
Speaking of its participation in the upcoming 2014 edition of INTERMAT Middle East, Mr. Laurent, said: “Our presence in this region is strategic for SDMO's growth. The strengthening of our local presence and the release of new equipment dedicated to building activity led us to naturally be a part of INTERMAT Middle East as it is the region's leading construction show. SDMO has also been the historic partner of INTERMAT Paris for a long time and we trust the seriousness of the event and the organisers.”
The 2014 edition of INTERMAT Middle East will see some of the recently launched products by the company such as: the “Rental Compact” range dedicated to the construction market that showcases indispensable features such as solidity, compactness, safety, and ease of use in handling; and the latest innovation from the “Rental Power” range, the R1650C generating set - which brings together a back-up power of 1,650 kVA (1200kW COP) and compactness of a 20 foot container (CCR20 SSI DRY). Fitted with wide access doors and a filtration system accessible from the outside, this generating set combines performance with ease of use and maintenance. It offers the best ratio of compactness to power available on the market.
When asked about any challenges faced while developing the new products that will be showcased at the event, Laurent clarified that: “Despite facing specific trouble with both products due to the temperatures in this region, the SDMO technical staff successfully overcame these constraints by implementing innovative and advanced solutions. Also the company filed a patent to protect the innovative cooling system of the R1650.”
Organised by Comexposium and Clarion Events Middle East, the third annual INTERMAT Middle East will take place from 14 – 16 January 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
With 250 brands participating, INTERMAT Middle East is a must-attend event for decision makers, buyers, and influencers in the region to view the largest showcase of new, pre-owned and rental machinery and will feature national pavilions consisting of key leading exhibitors from France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Korea, the Netherlands, and more.


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The Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team will lead the organisation of a pan-Ayrshire presence at the national tourism trade show, VisitScotland Expo, being held at the SECC in Glasgow in April 2013.
Following on from the success of Ayrshire’s collaborative presence in previous years, the Tourism Team is co-ordinating an even bigger presence for 2013. Plans are underway to include up to ten of Ayrshire’s leading tourism operators who will come together on a custom-built stand designed to highlight the best of Ayrshire and Arran at Scotland’s flagship business to business event for the travel trade, which attracts hundreds of buyers from around the UK and worldwide markets.
Moira Birtwistle, Chair of the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Leadership Group said: “I am delighted to support this initiative which showcases Ayrshire & Arran, stimulating interest and new business. It is a great opportunity and I would urge tourism operators to make the most of it.”
“Expo is a fantastic opportunity to promote our wonderful area to buyers from around the world. The show returns to Glasgow this year and we are looking for industry partners to get on board and work with us to make sure that we have a strong presence to maximise new business for Ayrshire & Arran.”
Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team works in partnership with VisitScotland and industry representatives across Ayrshire to increase and development the tourism market, create jobs and encourage people to spend in the area.
Places are limited so interested businesses should contact Daniel Steel, Tourism Development Officer, at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 01292 616197 to note interest and secure their place on the stand.


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Among the 1,000 pieces on display at the Toy Museum, founded by Canik municipality in Black Sea region's Samsun province, a few very special 300-year-old toys are among the most valuable.
In the museum, where writer and journalist Sunay Akın serves as a concept consultant, toys that children do not drop from their hands in many places in the world such as Germany, France, America, Japan and Poland along with Turkey, can be found.
The most noteworthy pieces in the museum - where there are about 1,000 toys ranging in variety from babies to cars, from horses to trains, from stuffed toys to animal figures - are the toys that children played with in the past. Replicas of these toys were made 300 years ago after they were found in excavations.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Hamza Aygün, the director of culture and social affairs at Canik Municipality, said that there are six toy replicas, which were prepared 300 years ago, in the museum.
Noting that these toys are human and animal figures, Aygün said, "One of the toys resembles a girl while the other resembles a boy. They were made of earth. It makes us excited to know that a child was playing with them 300 years ago. That is, children played with them until they grew up 300 years ago and got to know life with them."
He stressed that the way toys are made has changed as the years progressed.
"Other 250-year toys that we have here were made of wood not earth. They were prepared in a quality way and managed to reach the present. These toys are one of a kind and survived to date in a solid way. They were revealed by Sunay Akın with 20 years of work. They are on display at our museum now," he continued.
Implying that the technological era began with toys in Europe, Aygün added, "Before producing automobiles, Europeans produced its toy. Then, they took this toy as a portfolio and produced a real one. Indeed, toys became an educational tool. Railways, trains, cable cars, automobiles, tracks and many other technological vehicles were produced as toys first. The toy car of the Ford which was produced in 1950 is also in our museum."
There are toys from nearly 40 countries in the museum. Aygün lastly remarked that the countries which are advanced in technology come to the forefront in the toy sector as well.


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SALAMANCA POLICE DEPARTMENT
SALAMANCA - A.J. Larkin Wheeler, 22, of Salamanca was taken into custody on a warrant charging him with third-degree assault on Wednesday around 1 p.m. He was sent to the Cattaraugus County Jail and held awaiting arraignment.
SALAMANCA - Phillip Haight, 26, of Bradford, Pa., was charged with third-degree larceny, trespassing and possession of burglary tools Wednesday around 3 p.m. He was taken into custody, arraigned and sent to the county jail where he was held in lieu of bail.
SALAMANCA - Cody Wyatt, 19, of Salamanca was taken into custody on a warrant charging him with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree harassment Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. He was processed and released with an appearance ticket.
SALAMANCA - Brian Donner, 26, of Salamanca was taken into custody Wednesday on a warrant out of Cattaraugus County Family Court. He was taken to the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's office for processing.
PENNSYLVANIA LAW ENFORCEMENT
CONEWANGO - Warren-based state police charged a 19-year-old Warren male and a 17-year-old Clarendon male with retail theft after they were caught by Wal-Mart security personnel taking motion sickness pills out of a bottle and discarding it in another aisle at 6:05 p.m. Dec. 19. According to police, the male from Clarendon had also placed two doughnuts and a honeybun in his pocket.
CONEWANGO - Dana L. Greenlee, 22, and Nichole L. Worley, 25, both of West Hickory, Pa., were stopped outside of Wal-Mart by security personnel from the store and the Conewango Township police and charged with retail theft on Dec. 22. According to police, Greenlee was cited for retail theft for under $50 worth of items while Worley was charged with concealing $150 worth of items underneath clothing she had placed over the items in a shopping cart as she went through the checkout.
PINE GROVE -Warren-based state police reported Phyllis J. Edminston, 60, Warren, was driving a 2000 Plymouth Neon northbound on South Main Street while James T. Kestler, 59, of Kennedy, N.Y., was driving a 1997 Ford Explorer southbound at 9:55 a.m. Dec. 22. According to police, Edminston lost control while negotiating a right curve and slid across the center line. Police reported Kestler drove off the road to attempt to avoid the crash, but the Neon hit the driver's side of the Explorer. According to police, the Neon stopped in the southbound lane facing north and the Explorer stopped off the west side of the highway facing south. Police reported Edminston was charged with driving too fast for conditions.
CLARENDON -Warren-based state police reported that Clarence Edward Mott, 20, of Clarendon, was charged with theft after he allegedly took an iPod Nano from David Durstine, Clarendon, sometime between Dec. 14 and 19. According to police, the value of the iPod Nano was $150.


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Security researchers have developed a new technique for faking a shutdown on iPhone, potentially granting malware persistence even after an iOS reboot.
Generally, a reboot will wipe any malicious code off an iPhone. But the security technique, dubbed "NoReboot" by researchers at ZecOps, could allow iPhone malware to gain persistence, or survive after reboots.
The technique works by faking an iPhone shutdown in an attempt to trick a user into believing their device has been shut off. If an attacker pulls off the trick, any malware can continue operating on the device — and the bad actor could also potentially spy on a user with an iPhone's camera and microphone without their knowledge.
"NoReboot" works by injecting malicious code into three background processes — InCallService, SpringBoard and backboardd — that are responsible for the reboot process on iPhone.
Once an attacker hijacks the reboot process, an iPhone will appear like it's off to the user but will be fully awake and connected to the internet. That could allow the attacker to do pretty much anything they want without alerting the user.
The process also works in reverse. "NoReboot" can show a fake wake or startup process to trick the user into believing that their iPhone has actually undergone a reboot.
There's no patch for the "NoReboot" technique because it doesn't actually exploit any bugs. To fix it, ZecOps researchers said that Apple would need to build in a hardware-based indicator to display an iPhone's on or off status.
While "NoReboot" isn't malware, the technique could be built into malicious applications as a way of evading detection and gaining persistence on an iOS device.
Who's at risk — and how to protect yourself
As mentioned earlier, "NoReboot" can't be patched. Additionally, ZecOps says that the technique can be carried out on any iPhone model running any version of iOS.
iPhone users can protect themselves by only downloading reputable apps from the App Store. There are also tools, including one made by ZecOps, that can check if an iPhone has been compromised.


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One million refrigeration units creates an environmental and health impact equivalent to approximately 56 million diesel cars.
Analysis undertaken by Dearman, the clean cold and power technology company, has highlighted the damaging economic, health and environmental impact that cooling of refrigerated vehicles is having across Europe.
Hundreds of thousands of refrigerated vehicles run on European streets every day –delivering cold and frozen goods to restaurants, supermarkets, warehouses, homes and hospitals. Unregulated secondary diesel engines often power the cooling in these vehicles are which are inefficient and disproportionately polluting.
Transport refrigeration units can emit up to 29 times more potentially carcinogenic particulate matter and six times more NOx than far larger, modern diesel truck engines. They can emit up to 165 times as much particulate matter and 93 times as much NOx as the latest diesel cars.
A high cost
“Until now, nobody has given transport refrigeration units a thought. We all shop at food stores, eat in restaurants or have chilled and frozen food delivered, but the impact of transport refrigeration units has never been investigated, let alone addressed. They are unregulated, use outdated, fossil-fuelled technology and are disproportionately polluting. What’s worse, their pollution is concentrated on city streets where it does the most damage to our health.”
He added, “With 400,000 people dying prematurely every year in the EU as a result of air pollution, we simply cannot afford to ignore these hidden polluters any longer. Awareness is growing and the policy landscape is just beginning to change, but action is needed now to prevent further environmental damage.”
This year alone, the cooling of refrigerated vehicles in the EU will emit 13m tonnes of
CO2e; 40,000 tonnes of NOx; and 5,000 tonnes of particulate matter – equivalent to the emissions from 56 million diesel cars.
The report authors base their projections on a conservative assumption that the refrigerated vehicle fleet will grow by 1.5% per year. However, other studies have predicted that annual cold chain market growth could be as much as 12% YoY.
The significance of refrigerated vehicles to modern supply chains is palpable – but with the growing popularity of online grocery shopping and the shift from out-of-town supermarkets towards local convenience stores, demand for transport refrigeration – and its detrimental impact on air quality – is set to increase, unless a zero emission solution is adopted.
The key findings of the report:
- 1 million transport refrigeration units currently operate in the EU (180,000 in Germany; 150,000 in France; 84,000 in UK)
- Diesel transport refrigeration units in the EU produce an air quality impact that is equivalent to approximately 56 million diesel cars (10 million in Germany and 8.4 million in France)
- Environmental impact is emission of 13m tonnes of CO2e; 40,000 tonnes of NOx; and 5,000 tonnes of Particulate matter (PM)
- The environmental and health impact of emissions will impose an annual burden of €2.5 billion by 2025
- Transport refrigeration is currently unregulated, providing no incentive for innovation
- Transport refrigeration units give off up to 29 x more particulate matter (soot, smoke and liquid droplets) and up to 6 x more NOX (Nitrogen Oxides) than a modern diesel truck engine (Euro VI)
- That’s up to 165 times as much particulate matter and 93 times as much NOX than a Euro6 diesel car
- A zero-emission alternative is to use a liquid nitrogen powered Dearman engine to provide both clean cold and power – a solution that creates no localized emissions and generates substantial CO2 savings
- Dearman’s transport refrigeration system will be in on road commercial trials in the UK later this year, with European trials set for early 2016. Commercial manufacture will begin in 2017.
Dearman is rapidly developing a range of applications for its technology. The most advanced is a zero-emission transport refrigeration system, which will help to significantly reduce emissions and meet fast growing demand for refrigerated transportation, without creating significant environmental consequences or burdening operators with additional operating costs. Dearman’s system is expected to offer the lowest total cost of ownership on the market.
The Dearman transport refrigeration system is currently undergoing onvehicle trials, will enter commercial trials later this year, and will begin multi-country trials next year.


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Adidas and Under Armour are challenging Nike like never before
|09/22/2016||Posted by BusinessMediaguide.Com under General World News||
Nike’s competitors are gaining on the athletic apparel giant.
The brand is facing unprecedented headwinds spurred by Adidas and Under Armour making progress, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley.
“Adidas’ resurgence, Under Armour’s basketball gains, and the weak US athletic apparel environment remain headwinds for Nike,” the analysts write.
Nike’s earnings per share growth has stalled. Inventories are starting to pile up, indicating that Nike isn’t clearing out all the merchandise it is making.
Meanwhile, Nike’s competitors are gaining share. During the Olympics, Adidas and Under Armour shares rose far more than Nike stock.
While Nike’s $30 billion in read more >>>


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First Data expands by 100-plus jobs, adds ‘innovation center’
Payments processing giant First Data Corp. is expanding, with plans to add more than 100 jobs and open an “innovation center” in Sandy Springs.
First Data, which employs about 1,400 statewide, provides the technology that allows people to use credit cards online and in retail stores. The Fortune 250 company also provides transaction processing — serving as an intermediary, connecting financial institutions with merchants.
First Data helps anchor metro Atlanta’s financial payments and technology industry. Georgia is home to more than 90 fintech companies, according to the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). Metro Atlanta’s payment processing industry employs nearly 40,000 workers. Four of the top 20 American Banker FinTech 100 companies are headquartered in Georgia: NCR Corp., First Data, Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) and Equifax Inc.
“The fact that we have a critical mass of companies that all play in that space ... means that there is a lot of intellectual capital gathered here in Atlanta,” Hufford said.
In addition to its headquarters at 5565 Glenridge Connector N.E., First Data has a service center and a call center in Marietta. The new jobs include corporate, sales, information technology and product development positions.
“We are going to continue to invest in the Atlanta area,” said Chip Swearngan, a First Data senior vice president. “We are growing our sales and relationship management; we’re adding staff to our telesales group in Marietta to support growth on the merchant side of our business.”
Urvaksh Karkaria covers Technology.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus Is an Android Winner: 10 Reasons Why
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Is an Android Winner: 10 Reasons Why
Samsung's Galaxy Nexus has finally been revealed.
And as expected, the device has several features that make it a
standout in the Android ecosystem. For one, it comes with a large,
4.65-inch HD display.
Combine that with LTE support and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor for more-responsive functionality and on paper the device seems like a fine option for just about any consumer looking for a new smartphone.
When compared to other devices in the Android ecosystem the Galaxy Nexus is equally appealing. The device is the first smartphone to run Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich." If that operating system can deliver on its promise of improved functionality, it might just be a key reason the Galaxy Nexus sells well when it hits store shelves in November.
Simply put, the Galaxy Nexus, at least on paper, appears to be a real Android winner.
1. First and foremost: Ice Cream Sandwich
The future of Android directly relates to the success or failure of Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich." According to Google, that operating system will deliver a host of improvements to users, including a revamped user interface, improved multitasking and better notifications. If it can deliver on Google's lofty promises, it could very well put iOS 5 on notice. Even better for Samsung, its device, at least at launch, will be the only device running the operating system, which means if it does come through with fine functionality, the Galaxy Nexus will benefit.
2. The big display matters
Prior to the launch of the iPhone 4S, there was some hope among Apple users that the company would unveil a smartphone featuring a larger display that would match some of the 4.3-inch options already on store shelves. After failing to do so and sticking with the 3.5-inch screen in the iPhone 4S, Apple disappointed many of those hopeful consumers. The Galaxy Nexus, on the other hand, won't disappoint anyone: the device comes with a 4.65-inch display that dwarfs the iPhone 4S's screen, as well as most of the screens available in competing Android devices.
3. Google Wallet support
Google has its sights set on in-store payments with its Wallet service. When the Galaxy Nexus launches next month, it too will be able to take advantage of that service. So owners who want to use a credit card to buy a product at a retail outlet can use the Google Wallet app on their Galaxy Nexus rather than pull out plastic. Granted, there are several limitations, mainly limited support from retailers and availability of the service only on Sprint's network so far. But near-field communication is the future. The Galaxy Nexus is one of the few devices coming to store shelves that will embrace that.
4. LTE support is a key factor
It's worth noting that Apple has taken aim at 4G-capable devices with its latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, saying that its 3G handset can deliver the same 14.4M bps download speeds as its chief competitors. But that's only true on AT&T's network. Customers of other carrier networks won't have 4G-like speeds when using the iPhone 4S. The Galaxy Nexus, however, is a different story. The platform will support LTE connectivity out of the box, making it a potentially more appealing option for customers that don't want to get locked into 3G.
Stellar Design, Googles Involvement
5. Social integration through People
As mentioned, Ice Cream Sandwich could be one of the main reasons Android shoppers buy the Galaxy Nexus, but it's the integration of social elements that could keep them attached to the device. According to Samsung, Ice Cream Sandwich will launch on the Galaxy Nexus with a new "People" app that "lets you browse friends, family, and coworkers, and see their photos in high-resolution." Considering the importance of social networking today, People could be a driving force behind Galaxy Nexus adoption.
6. An upgrade guarantee
One of the biggest issues in the Android ecosystem is fragmentation. Too often, it takes too long for a handset to be updated with the latest flavor of Android. But Samsung reassured customers on Oct. 18 by saying that the Galaxy Nexus be the "first to receive software upgrades and new applications as they become available." That alone might be a selling point for Android customers.
7. The design is stellar
It's easy to point to the Galaxy Nexus' specs and get excited, but the device itself looks to be an extremely well-designed product. It's thin, comes with a nice casing, and looks nice from all sides, not just the front. As Android customers know, it has taken quite a while for companies to deliver truly good-looking smartphones, and too often, Android vendors have been selling devices that can't come even close to matching the iPhone's design. But like the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Galaxy Nexus comes close. That might just play into its popularity on store shelves.
8. Consider Samsung's history
When looking at the Android ecosystem, it's hard to find many companies that have brought to customers everything they're really looking for. Motorola has the Droid X 2, which is nice, and HTC's Evo line has proven popular. But Samsung has done the best job of appealing to customers. In fact, the company announced recently that it has sold 30 million units of its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones since their launch last year. Although that might not impress Apple fans that are used to their company selling up to 20 million iPhones in a quarter, it is impressive in the Android space. It could play a key role in the value customers see in the Galaxy Nexus going forward.
9. It's the best answer to the iPhone 4S
Considering the bitter battle going on between Android and iOS in the mobile space, it's no wonder that every new Android-based handset that launches is compared to Apple's iPhone. Although many times Android handsets fall short, the Galaxy Nexus is unarguably the best answer yet to the iPhone 4S. As mentioned, it features a bigger screen, LTE connectivity, and a design that appeals to consumers. As long as the Galaxy Nexus comes in at the right price and is available to enough carriers, Android customers that don't want any part of the iPhone might just flock to Samsung's latest device.
10. Google's involvement
Although Google doesn't get directly involved in every new Android device that hits store shelves, when it does, courtesy of its "Nexus" name, it matters. In fact, the company is trying to use that stamp as a way to help customers determine which devices on store shelves are capable of delivering the most value to them. As a result Google's involvement with the Galaxy Nexus is huge for Samsung and it helps put its device ahead of the rest of its Android-based competitors.
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Standalone Version of RedHawk Vision Software to Be Demonstrated at PMA 2001
COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- RedHawk Vision, Inc. today announced that it will demonstrate a standalone version of its previously released Video Pics(TM) plug-in software for Adobe Premiere(R) during the Photo Marketing Association 2001 (PMA 2001) Conference and Trade Show, February 11-14, 2001, in Orlando, FL, Booth #4137 (www.pmai.org). This standalone product will allow the user to extract and produce 35mm quality photographs from digital video sources, without being dependent on third party video editing software. The company will be demonstrating a developmental Mac(R) version of the standalone product at PMA 2001. A Windows(R) version is also currently under development. According to James D. Evert, RedHawk Vision's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, "Our first family of products, Video Pics, has been targeted to meet the needs of the video professional, and these new application software products will initially be targeted at that market as well. However, we believe the functionality and user-friendly interface of the new products will also appeal to the prosumer and consumer, allowing us to move downstream into the next phase of our business." "Video Pics has helped to build interest in and credibility for our first products," said Mark Gart, RedHawk Vision's Chief Marketing Officer. "We believe that our new general purpose software, expected to be available later this year, will generate greater interest in extracting still images from video, especially those missed moments not captured by traditional photography. This will allow us to be better positioned to move into larger markets such as consumer and the Internet."


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Technology giant Intel has proved its commitment to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles by unveiling a hoard of new innovations.
While exhibiting at Xponential, which is currently taking place in Denver, Intel announced updates to the commercial drone ecosystem with new hardware and software solutions.
Intel’s new tools, which include flight planning software, additional payloads, as well as obstacle avoidance, are designed to maximise the potential of aerial data and to help businesses and organisations with important flight missions.
The new Intel Mission Control software provides planning, project management and data handling and is designed to increase workflow efficiency and enhance automation of drone flights for commercial missions. Intel Mission Control enables Intel Falcon 8+ drone operators to create 2D and 3D flight plans for commercial surveying, mapping and inspection missions.
First announced in September 2017, the Intel Insight Platform is now deployed to strategic enterprise customers across several verticals. The Intel Insight Platform is a cloud-based digital asset management system that enables customers to store, share and manage the rich data that commercial drone systems collect.
In addition to the software launches, Intel has announced three new payloads designed for inspection, surveying and mapping applications. The payloads deliver real colour, time-stamped and geo-referenced images for mapping, surveying and inspection.
“We are pleased to announce a suite of new Intel drone technology at Xponential,” said Anil Nanduri, vice president and general manager of the Intel drone team.
“Now companies can come to one supplier, and a name they know and trust, for their hardware and software needs – providing them with more tools to capture critical information about their assets, process and analyse it, and make insightful decisions for their business.”


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Historic 170-ct Pink Diamond 'Could Fetch $100m'July 27, 22
IDEX Online) - A huge pink diamond weighing 170 carats has been recovered at the Lulo mine, in Angola.
Australia-based miner Lucapa describes it as "an historic recovery" and says it is believed to be the largest pink diamond found in the last 300 years.
The stone, named The Lulo Rose, will be sold at international tender by Sodiam E.P, the Angolan state diamond marketing company.
Tobias Kormind, managing director online jeweler 77 Diamonds, said it could sell for as much as $100m as a polished stone.
It could, he said, "surpass the price paid for the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction - the CTF Pink Star, a 59.6 carat fancy vivid pink diamond which sold in 2017 for $72.1m at Sotheby's Hong Kong".
Lucapa's managing director, Stephen Wetherall said: "Lulo is an exceptional alluvial resource and is truly a gift. We are once again made very proud by yet another historic recovery."
Diamantino Azevedo, Angola's Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas said: "This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage for diamond mining."


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The high prevalence of respiratory diseases, technological advancements in capnography devices, and rise in government initiatives, across the globe, are the major growth drivers for the capnography devices market. Due to the aforementioned factors, the industry is projected to generate $736.6 million revenue in 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 5.7% during 2020–2030.
In the beginning of 2020, owing to COVID-19, manufacturing facilities of capnography devices were partially closed down due to lockdowns. Although, the demand for capnography devices has been increased, owing to the large number of admissions in healthcare settings and rising awareness among people regarding well-being. Thus, there has been a healthy growth in the capnography devices industry during this pandemic time.
Based on product, the capnography devices market is categorized into hand-held, stand-alone, and multi-parameter. Among these, the hand-held capnography devices dominated the market during the historical period, and it is expected to maintain its lead in the market during forecast period (2021–2030) as well, due to their small size, portability, and ease of use. Moreover, with the technological advancements, globally, healthcare professionals are adopting these medical devices that can provide point-of-care (POC) treatment to patients.
Moreover, the market for capnography devices is bifurcated into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) modules and others, on the basis of component. Out of these, the OEM modules have emerged as the larger revenue-generating and faster-growing category in the market, mainly on account of their ability of making end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) or carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring simple and accurate, even in smaller and portable monitors.
Globally, North America was the largest contributor to the capnography devices market in 2020. This is mainly driven by high prevalence of respiratory medical conditions, presence of prominent market players offering capnography devices, improved healthcare infrastructure, and high awareness amongst healthcare professionals, in the region . Whereas, the APAC market is predicted to witness the fastest growth in coming years, owing to the surging demand for improved respiratory monitoring systems, growing awareness about the devices, rising number of government initiatives, and increasing incidents of preterm birth.
Players in the capnography devices industry are frequently involved in product launches and their approvals to gain a significant market position. For instance, in April 2021, Masimo Corporation announced that Radius PCG, a portable real-time capnography device with wireless Bluetooth connectivity, received the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance. Radius PCG connects with the Root Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform to provide seamless, tetherless main-stream capnography for patients of all ages.
Similarly, in March 2018, Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA announced the launch of a new series of personal single-gas monitors, namely, Pac 6000, 6500, 8000, and 8500. The monitors detect not only the standard gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen (Pac 6000 and 6500), but also special gases, such as ozone, phosgene, and nitrogen dioxide (Pac 8000 and 8500). The Pac series is designed to withstand harsh operating conditions and can be used in a temperature range from -40 °C to +55 °C.
Major players operating in the global capnography devices market are Diamedica (UK) Limited, Shenzhen Comen Medical Instruments Co. Ltd., Edan Instruments Inc., Nonin Medical Inc., Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Masimo Corporation, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Medtronic plc, Smiths Group plc, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Welch Allyn Inc., Zoll Medical Corporation, and Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co. Ltd.


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Meta’s finally shutting down its Instant Articles service after seven years of dutifully serving up fast news and meandering listicles. The departure marks the clearest sign yet of Meta’s pivot towards video and away from hard news.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the move in an email to Gizmodo Friday and said it had notified publishers it will stop supporting Instant Articles by mid April 2023. That gives publishers roughly six months to figure out alternative strategies. Traffic that would have otherwise stayed on Facebook as part of Instant Articles will reportedly go to the publisher’s web pages.
For anyone unaware, Facebook Instant Articles were Facebook native HTML documents intended to load especially quickly on mobile. When Facebook launched the format, it claimed Instant Articles would, “load and display 4 times faster than the standard mobile web.” That sounded particularly attractive to news publishers back in 2015 when Facebook’s mobile app was one of the biggest names in town for reading news.
Facebook billed Instant Articles as a potential boon for publishers who wanted access to the platform’s immense audience and didn’t want to deal with slow loading mobile pages. That proposition, however, came at a price. In exchange for quicker load times, partners needed to host their content on Facebook’s servers and post directly to the site. Facebook immediately benefited from a groundswell of content and user engagement and news publishers, so the pitch went, would enjoy the scale and additional eyeballs from appearing on Facebook’s mobile app. When it launched, Instant Articles gave publishers the ability to insert their own ads or have Facebook’s highly coveted ad network called “Audience Network” automatically place ads.
That arrangement no longer makes business sense for Facebook.
“Currently less than 3% of what people around the world see in Facebook’s Feed are posts with links to news articles,” the spokesperson told Gizmodo. “And as we said earlier this year, as a business it doesn’t make sense to over invest in areas that don’t align with user preferences.”
TikTok’s meteoric ascension to the top of the social media ecosystem has shown users’ increasing appetite for short form video content over text based articles, something Meta’s learned the hard way. Meanwhile Facebook has shown less and less interest in supporting news on its platform, particularly after weathering years of criticism from activists and academics for fueling a wave of misinformation and noxious political content following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. That trend continued earlier this year, with Axios reporting Facebook no longer plans to pay publishers for content appearing on its News Tab.
Like many aging Facebook products though, Instant Articles were lingering on life support long before Meta decided to pull the plug. Though most major news providers banned the format when it first launched, it started losing popularity in 2017 when Facebook unanimously announced its first major pivot to video. The ensuing reorientation led to what some called a “media bloodbath” as publishers fought for scraps of digital advertising revenue. By early 2018, more than half of the publications listed as original partners with Facebook Instant Articles three years earlier had abandoned the format, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.
With authoritative news sites leaving Instant Article for other distribution methods, other, less reputable sites quickly jumped in to fill some of the gaps. A 2018 BuzzFeed News investigation found 29 Facebook pages and associated websites that allegedly used Instant Articles to push out blatantly false news stories.


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CmdrTaco from the sucks-to-be-them dept.
theappwhisperer was one of a surprisingly large number of people writing in this morning to report that the Apple store is having serious troubles taking pre-orders of the new iPhone 4. People are seeing the error page or just waiting an insanely long time to get pages back. Just imagine trying to do this from an iPhone in a major market!
"How to make a million dollars: First, get a million dollars."
-- Steve Martin


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DETROIT Volkswagen of America Inc. and Audi of America Inc. are voluntarily recalling 530,000 VW and Audi cars to replace engine ignition coils that have been failing at a higher than normal rate.
The companies said the recall mostly involves 2001 and 2002 model year cars with the 1.8 T engine. Also affected are early production 2003 models.
The companies are notifying all customers potentially affected and are initially replacing those ignition coils that fail at no cost. They will replace all ignition coils whether they fail or not in the coming months. The company said that they should have all the necessary coils by early March.
We know that some ignition coils installed in our cars are not up to our high quality standards, and we are determined to do the right thing for our customers, Gerd Klauss, president of VW of America, said in a statement. The right thing to do is to fix every single car with these coils by replacing them whether they are broken yet or not. That is exactly what we will do as soon as we have the parts.
Ironically, VW just told dealers at the NADA conference Monday in San Francisco that it has created a post of quality leader in North America and is beefing up its field staff to sort through the problems.
The new U.S. staff is being assembled to uncover vehicle problems and correct them at VW factories.
Stefan Ketter will lead the quality team. He was in charge of quality planning at VWs operations in Brazil.
The vehicles affected in this action include cars equipped with the turbocharged 1.8-liter engines, which includes the Audi TT and A4; and the VW Golf, GTI, Jetta, New Beetle and Passat. Also included in the recall are the Passat W8, which has VWs first eight-cylinder engine, all VWs equipped with the 2.8-liter VR6 engine, and the Audi 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
The ignition coils provide electricity to the engines spark plugs during operation. VW and Audi have recognized through service reports that the ignition coils used in the products listed above have a higher-than-normal failure rate. If an ignition coil fails, the check engine light/malfunction indicator lamp will blink. The cars performance may, in some cases, become rough and/or the engine will lose some power and the car should be taken to an authorized dealer for repair. The engine and its electronic controls are designed to keep the vehicle running. Some deterioration in performance, however, can be expected.
Klauss said the unnamed supplier is working triple shifts and seven days a week to make as many new parts as possible. Additionally, a second supplier has been activated.
Customers will be notified soon by mail that VW and Audi will begin replacing all ignition coils in cars potentially affected, whether a failure has occurred or not. This action will begin as soon as replacement ignition coil supply volumes will allow, the company said.
In order to minimize inconvenience to customers during repair, VW and Audi dealers will offer alternative transportation at no cost.
The recall is global, also impacting VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda brands.
The company has not spoken with the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration.


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WELSHPOOL Indoor market, based at the town hall, is going through a time of transition with new stall holders moving in, as others move on.
In recent weeks four new businesses, True Treasures, Bits and Pieces, 2nd Hand Lane and Welshpool Vapes have been bedding in to life at the Indoor Market.
They have been trading now for several weeks and are looking forward to a busy run-up to Christmas.
Oswestry Vapes have now come to Welshpool and are calling their stall at the Indoor Markets, Welshpool Vapes.
Chet Morris, of Welshpool Vapes, said: “I’ve been here for three weeks now and we’re doing well so far.
“We saw that there was potential in Welshpool as there are no other similar outlets.”
“We’re hoping that through word of mouth, people in Welshpool will know we’re here.”
Philip Low, after years of selling second hand items online, has finally taken the plunge by opening his own stall.
“Things are ticking along nicely.
“Many years ago I worked in a second hand shop.”
“When I and my fiance moved up here six years ago I did think about setting up a shop and had a look around for shop space.
“When I saw the advert advertising a stall here, I finally decided to take the plunge.”
Kim Wright has just moved in to her stall, True Treasures.
Kim said: “I’ve only been here a week but I’m getting good feedback.
“I started the business so that I can fit work around my children.
“I’ve always loved going to car boot sales, auctions and jumble sales.
“Picking things up and ‘upcycling’ them.”
The Town Diner has also changed hands this year with Becky Williams taking over its running back in June.
“The previous owners were friends of mine, I already have a shop here selling giftware,” said Becky.
She added: “I asked my friend Joanne Evans if she could join me in running the diner and it’s been going really well.”
Andrew Mel Hewish is known as Taz at the Market and sells everything from collectable toys to watches.
While he’s been at the Indoor Market for seven years, he’s just moved stalls.
Andrew said: “It would be nice to get more footfall here, I still get people who’ve lived in Welshpool all their lives coming here and being amazed to find all of our stalls here.
“The good thing about the Indoor market is it gives you a chance at trying out a business idea.”
Ffion Davies, of Welshpool Town Council, said: “We’re delighted to welcome these new business to the Indoor Market.
“The tenants that left, have gone on to open their own shops after successfully starting their businesses here.”


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Tofurky and other plant-based producers marketing their veggie “burgers” and “sausages” in Louisiana can now do so without fear of facing fines, according to a recent U.S. District Court ruling.
A Louisiana law, effective Oct. 1, 2020, imposed fines of up to $500 a day for plant-based marketing that used words like “burgers” and “hot dogs” – even with the use of modifiers like “veggie” or “plant-based” on the labels.
Tofurky, a plant-based company that clearly labels all its products as “Vegan,” “plant-based,” “vegetarian,” or “meatless,” sued in response, with the backing of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and the Good Food Institute.
The 2020 lawsuit alleged the restrictions violated Tofurky’s First Amendment rights by improperly censoring truthful commercial speech, and also that there was no evidence that consumers felt misled by Tofurky’s labeling.
The judge agreed – meaning that producers of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products can now use commonly known naming conventions in Louisiana without fear of prosecution.
Tofurky CEO Jaime Athos hailed the ruling as “a victory for the entire plant-based industry.”
“The law was an obvious attempt to give unfair advantage to animal agriculture interests by stifling the growth of plant-based food sales,” Athos said. “This ruling serves as a warning to other state legislatures who may forget that they are elected to serve the needs of their constituents, not those of corporate special interests.”
ALDF also applauded the ruling, saying that agriculture-supplied alternatives – such as “veggie pucks” instead of “Veggie burgers” or “vegan tubes” instead of “vegan hot dogs” – would likely only confuse consumers.
“These types of terms, like ‘veggie burger’, accurately inform consumers how plant-based products can be served and what they taste like,” ALDF said.
The growing popularity of plant-based products has correlated with similar backlash and meat-labeling censorship laws in Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and other states.
Tofurky, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ALDF, and The Good Food Institute also challenged a similar labeling law in Arkansas in December 2021 and won, with a court declaring the restrictions were likely an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.


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Delta Labs improves service quality and expands scale, striving to become one of the companies that support the blockchainization process in enterprises.
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, USA, October 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Delta Labs strengthens and improves service quality and expands scale, striving to become one of the organizations that actively support the blockchainization process in enterprises.
Blockchain has emerged as one of the most promising technologies to transform companies. Many large and medium-sized businesses are currently investigating the blockchain’s potential to find a place in the crowded market. The blockchain technology market size was estimated to be worth roughly USD 4.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to increase to USD 69 billion by 2030. With high adaptability and speedy digital transformation, Vietnam has great potential for blockchain development to compete in the global market.
According to Forrester, most projects in 2022 run on enterprise blockchain platforms. Also, according to IDC, about 30% of manufacturers and retailers across the globe will build digital trust through blockchain services. As a result, blockchain development companies will come into sight to cater to this cutting-edge market’s needs. With the increasing number of options, finding the right blockchain development company will be challenging as this technology is still new for many enterprises.
Vietnam is one of the countries that early adopted blockchain technology thanks to the support and encouragement from the government. However, very few colleges and universities have integrated the new technology into the curriculum due to its complexity and lecturers’ lack of experience. Therefore, human resources for blockchain development in Vietnam remain insufficient and fragmentary. In addition, very few domestic tech companies specializing in blockchain development are capable of customizing the system based on clients’ special requests.
Delta Labs Technology JSC, a company operating in the Mekong Delta, provides intensive blockchain programming, aiming to offer optimal solutions for businesses and projects and build high-quality human resources for Vietnam’s technology industry.
With an experienced team, Delta Labs provides promising startups with expert knowledge, guidance, and counsel until they are robust enough to operate successfully on their own. Additionally, the company offers services to set up optimal systems with easy-to-use interfaces for customers and adaptable monitoring systems for the management team, making it easy to scale up businesses and develop additional functions.
In particular, Delta Labs also offers smart contract programming services, incorporating all the terms on paper into an automated apparatus, ensuring immutability and regulatory compliance. Smart contracts can be modified with various features to fit clients’ needs. The team has abundant experience in supporting many projects, especially crypto projects, developing smart contracts for tokens, NFTs, IDO, and features of decentralized finance such as farming, staking, lending, marketplace, etc. Besides, recognizing that human resources are the primary factor in ensuring rapid and sustainable development, the company also continuously accepts interns to expand the team and, at the same time, provides training to supplement a high-quality workforce for the blockchain industry.
Delta Labs has established a large network of clients and partners despite its young establishment, all thanks to the professional services and dedication of the team. The company has cooperated with several technology companies, organizations, and investment funds, including FundGo Startup and Innovation Fund, LiveTrade, TSS, TrustPay, etc.
To become a leading company in developing blockchain-based applications or platforms in Vietnam and in the region, Delta Labs continuously enhances service quality, workflow, and human resources in order to create more Delta Labs-branded products and solutions, offer blockchain application solutions in all fields and develop high-quality human resources for Vietnam’s technology industry.
Delta Labs Technology Joint Stock Company
Address: Floor 2, No. 81, Nguyen Hien Street, An Khanh Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, Vietnam.


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Ibstock plc (LON:IBST) had its price target boosted by Peel Hunt from GBX 215 ($2.74) to GBX 265 ($3.38) in a research report report published on Monday. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.
Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Numis Securities Ltd increased their price target on Ibstock plc from GBX 195 ($2.48) to GBX 240 ($3.06) and gave the company an add rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Jefferies Group LLC increased their price target on Ibstock plc from GBX 230 ($2.93) to GBX 240 ($3.06) and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Berenberg Bank started coverage on Ibstock plc in a research note on Friday, May 12th. They set a buy rating and a GBX 310 ($3.95) price target for the company. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a GBX 265 ($3.38) price target on shares of Ibstock plc in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. Finally, Barclays PLC reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a GBX 285 ($3.63) price target on shares of Ibstock plc in a research note on Monday, May 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Ibstock plc presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of GBX 256.88 ($3.27).
Shares of Ibstock plc (LON:IBST) opened at 250.80 on Monday. The stock’s market capitalization is GBX 1.02 billion. Ibstock plc has a 52-week low of GBX 113.20 and a 52-week high of GBX 261.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 242.27 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 208.93.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY NOTICE: “Ibstock plc (IBST) Price Target Raised to GBX 265” was originally published by sleekmoney and is owned by of sleekmoney. If you are reading this story on another publication, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of US & international trademark and copyright law. The legal version of this story can be read at https://sleekmoney.com/ibstock-plc-ibst-price-target-raised-to-gbx-265/1930083.html.
In related news, insider Jonathan C. Nicholls acquired 10,000 shares of Ibstock plc stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 241 ($3.07) per share, with a total value of £24,100 ($30,704.55).
About Ibstock plc
Ibstock plc is a United Kingdom-based company, which is engaged in manufacturing of clay bricks and concrete products. The Company’s segments are the UK and the US. The Company’s principal products include clay bricks, brick components, concrete stone masonry substitutes, concrete fencing, pre-stressed concrete products and concrete rail products.
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Bethesda, Maryland – January 20, 2016
Walker & Dunlop, Inc. (NYSE: WD) announced today it has financed $493,481,050 in office transactions across the United States in 2015. Most recently, Walker & Dunlop completed a $32,250,000 financing for Spectrum Brands. The financing was for their Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin headquarters, which was constructed in 2013 and consists of a 222,002 square feet, four story office and technology building.
Over the past few years, the office market nationwide has strengthened due to a decrease of new supply, organic growth of existing office users, and diversified growth of new users seeking functional office space. The office market in Madison, Wisconsin’s state capital is comprised of nearly 30 million square feet of office space. With a diversified and strong local economy, the office market vacancy rate in Madison has fallen to its lowest level in seven years after peaking in 2009 at close to 9.0 percent overall. Based on CoStar’s 2015 2nd Quarter Madison Office Report, the vacancy rate for office space is 6.6 percent, which is down 1.2 percent from 2nd quarter 2014.
The borrower was seeking an 80 percent loan to value to refinance the existing construction loan of the newly completed facility and took advantage of the low interest rate environment. The loan was structured with a five year term, a 79 percent loan to value, and a 1.44x debt service coverage ratio. Mike Lee, vice president at Walker & Dunlop commented, “The recently completed headquarter facility for Spectrum Brands provided a functional, efficient and environmentally friendly workspace which replaced their former older, obsolete space. The borrower was able to utilize the attractive debt terms available in the market to enhance the value of this investment.”
This property serves as the world headquarters for Spectrum Brands, which relocated from a site on the west side of Madison. Spectrum Brands Holdings, is a global consumer products company with well-known brands including Rayovac®, Kwikset®, George Foreman®, and Black + Decker®. Spectrum Brands’ products are available in more than one million stores, throughout 160 countries and the company has approximately 15,500 employees. Its primary focus is in global batteries, appliances, pet, home and garden, hardware, home improvement, and global auto care.
About Walker & Dunlop
Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate services and finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 600 professionals in 28 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.


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Recently, a whole slew of interesting gaming-related exits has boosted the profile of gaming in the venture capital space. Zenimax has been acquired by Microsoft for over US$7.5bn while Unity has made its debut on the NYSE with a US$22+bn market capitalization.
The rapidly growing community of online gamers has found ways to use the technology available via social media and live streaming platforms to attract a large audience. Whereas gamers used to be a specific group of nerds, eSports is evolving to take in literally any person from any background. As technology advances from the spectrum of connectivity, it helps in spreading eSports to traditional communities.
We are seeing a boom in mobile gaming thanks to the power of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and the cloud. IoT has enhanced the growth and development of mobile games in the market. Modern smartphones come with advanced hardware and software capabilities that developers can make use of to make gaming on these devices enjoyable and seamless. Consumers can have easier and better access to the games, and many of them are free. Even the premium games come with less costs and enthusiastic gamers are willing to spend on them. Before the internet, access to mobile games was a bit limited.
Developers did not have any platform to plug their new games, so the gaming industry was a stagnant one. Now, things are different and the rapid increase in the number of individuals playing mobile games all over the world gives a clear picture of how mobile gaming has grown greatly in popularity. This has bridged the gap between developers and consumers, thereby creating more ancillary revenues for the developers and the community alike.
The demand for immersive gaming by eSports enthusiasts is insatiable. Even though virtual reality (VR) will be one of the ways to satisfy this demand, 3D technology will also come in handy. You might be surprised to learn that 3D films have been around for centuries. The only impeding factor that made them not to pick up was the high costs of development and adoption. However, recent times have seen the technology revived in films such as Avatar and also in gaming screens. We can expect that video games will have better quality graphics to the extent that it will be impossible to differentiate them from real-world scenes.
The eSports industry is gradually adopting virtual reality. There are dozens of VR only leagues that are being launched on a yearly basis. Even though most eSports enthusiasts are yet to adopt VR as widely as it would be expected, it is quite interesting to see how far the technology can take eSports.
VR in sports involves a player putting on some headset and holding some kind of controller to play a video game. Since the headset cover the players’ eyes and ears, they are completely removed from the physical world and immersed into the video game world.
The essence of VR is to be immersive so that the player has a deeper connection to the video game. It is every serious developer’s wish to make their games feel more real and have little differences with the real life. By including virtual reality features in their games, the developers are a step ahead in achieving this objective.
The fact that virtual reality has already proven to be useful in other sectors does not imply that its adoption in eSports is smooth. As a matter of fact, the technology feels like a glorified niche among its best athletes. Even some of the leading games are yet to incorporate VR components in their design.
The VR League is one of the most prominent virtual reality eSports leagues and is a part of ESL. Evidently, ESL is of the opinion that technology has a place in eSports, hence the decision to create a product solely dedicated to it. Some of the games that are currently being played in VR include Onward, Echo Arena, Space Junkies, and Echo Combat. Developers will need to continue developing games that the general public enjoys in order for their games to grow beyond their current standing.
We would expect the growth of eSports in a much more immersive ecosystem, where competitors can engage themselves into the virtual environment and have a 3D feel of the entire game. Audience can also expect much better graphics with the power of streaming and better computing power.
If you are a gaming founder or an investor who is looking to tap on this massive opportunity for growth, feel free to drop us an email here.
This article is created based on references to the following articles:
1. IoT Gives the Mobile Gaming Industry a Facelift, 15 June 2020, The Katy News (accessed October 5, 2020). Archived Link: Main | HTML | JPEG
2. Investing in Esports Startup Ventures (research by Gamerforce Ventures), 2nd ed. (23 June 2020).


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Posted Thu Feb 20, 2014 at 08:30 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Vita and PS3 titles announced, plus PS4 plans.
At an event last week in San Francisco, NIS America announced several new titles that are planned for release in 2014. These new titles were showcased alongside demonstrations of titles previously announced by NIS America.
First off, there is the NIS masthead series 'Disgaea.' The tactical RPG was announced as coming to the PS4, with specific details promised for the Tokyo Game Show. Meanwhile 'Disgaea 4: A promise Revisited' is now set for the PS Vita this August.
'Danganronpa' Producer Yoshinori Terasawa (of Spike Chunsoft) as introduced by NIS America:
With those titles leading the way, one of the most surprising titles also announced by NIS America has to be 'Battle Princess of Arcadias.' The downloadable title is coming to PSN later this year, and its 2D brawler feel has all the makings of a sleeper hit.
NIS America also showcased a number of announced titles, including the 'The Witch and the Hundred Knight' and 'Mugen Souls Z' for the PS3, as well as 'Demon Gaze' for the PS Vita.
You can find the latest info on 'Disgaea 4: A promise Revisited' and 'Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair' linked from our Video Game Release Schedule.
Source: NIS America
Author: Brian Hoss
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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According to Bitfinex trading platform data, BTC's latest transaction price of 44,743.63 yuan, the highest price of 45,194.34 yuan, the lowest price of 42,160.02 yuan, turnover of 332,000 yuan, up 1.86 percent; 2,490.94 yuan, up 2,525.58 yuan, lowest price 2,392.20 yuan, volume 12.65 million, up 0.73 percent; Price of 4,227.66 yuan, lowest price of 3,934.12 yuan, volume of 226,000, up 0.58 percent; 54 yuan, volume 93.34 million, down 0.26%, LTC latest transaction price 429.72 yuan, the highest price of 443.81 yuan, the lowest price of 409.03 yuan, turnover of 12.41 million, up 0.24 % EOS latest deal price of 39.50 yuan, the highest price of 40.50 yuan, the lowest price of 36.89 yuan, volume of 8.4589 million, down 0.03 %
- Tags: dogecoin lowest price
OKEx will launch DOGE leveraged trading, residual currency and DOGE/USDT per permanent contracts.Tags: dogecoin lowest price
Recall that Elon Musk had deliberately declared himself chief executive of Dogecoin in the past, when the chief executive of Tesla edited his profile to reflect that he was chief executive of Dogecoin, but soon after, he claimed to have retired.
That is, a buy or sell trade at a specified price, also known as a delegated or pending transaction.Tags: dogecoin buy or sell
Both the random indicator (top) and the MACD indicator (bottom) show a diverging in the price of the current daily chart.
Dogecoin has also raised money for sports events, dogecoin in 2014.
Occasioned by the massive spike in Litecoin's price, surpassing the coin's.
Dogacoin is a Shiba Inu Meme-based cryptocurrencies that is currently the 27th largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation. According to Messari and an online video posted on TikTok, the dog coin has quietly risen by 1900 percent in two days. According to the analysis, the Dogecoin video posted on the short video sharing app TikTok has piqued the interest of users.
Update: #Dogecoin已通过黄色趋势线阻力. For me, it means one thing: buy, buy, buy the "ALTSEASON" "Bitcoin" "Ethereum" , "XRP#zcash #Dash.
FireCoin Global Station announced the opening of Dogecoin (DOGE) recharge operations today at 9:00 pm, doGE/USDT at 17:00 pm, DOGE/BTC, DOGE/ETH transactions, simultaneous opening of Dogecoin (DOGE) withdrawal business.
Dogecoin, EOS, GAS, Neo, TRON, Waves, Stellar, Monero, Tezos, Verge, and.
You shout to sell cakes, no one will ask you how to sell fish, you sell clothes, no one will ask you how to sell cars.Tags: how to sell dogecoin uk


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Foxconn plants, the place where some of the most sought after pieces of technology are put together are in the news. TheGuardian now reports that Foxconn has confessed to have hired student interns as young as 14 to work in one of its factories in China, sparking off accusations of breaching the national law, while also raising questions on the factory’s internship program.
Foxconn is now facing accusations from employment rights activists in China, who opine that other big employers were using young student interns as a cheap source of labour for deploying in their production lines. Adults are not very keen on taking up such low paying jobs.
Admits to have hired student interns below 14
In a shocking revelation, Foxconn, i.e., the trading name of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, shared that it had found some interns employed at a factory in Yantai, in the north-eastern Shandong province, to be under the legal working age of 16. Foxconn, however, did not specify as to how many were underage.
The report further quoted the company as saying, "Our investigation has shown that the interns in question, who ranged in age from 14 to 16, had worked in that campus for approximately three weeks. This is not only a violation of China's labour law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy and immediate steps have been taken to return the interns in question to their educational institutions."
Incidentally, while Foxconn is the largest manufacturing partner for Apple, and makes products for Dell, Sony and Hewlett-Packard too, it added that the Yantai factory was not making Apple products. Reportedly, the announcement came after reports came up in the Chinese media about underage interns being part of its Chinese workforce of 1.2 million. It asserted that it had found "no evidence of similar violations at any of its other plants in China".
Foxconn, according to reports, has assured that it would work in tandem with the local government to not allow schools involved in the Yantai case from the intern programme unless they were shown to be compliant with employment law and company policy.
"However, we recognise that full responsibility for these violations rests with our company and we have apologised to each of the students for our role in this action," the company said.
In an official statement, recently, China Labor Watch confirmed that workers at the Zhengzhou factory, especially those deployed in the Onsite Quality Control (OQC) line went on strike after being unable to cope with the excess pressure on them. The factory management and Apple, despite design defects, allegedly raised strict quality demands on workers, including those on indentations standards of 0.02mm, and demands pertaining to scratches on frames and back covers.
Around three to four thousand workers at the unit went on strike after Foxconn allegedly raised the bar on the quality standards to be maintained while producing the iPhone 5, without providing the required training to the workers. This led to the workers producing phones that did not meet the required standards. Reports state that quality control inspectors got involved in a scuffle with the workers and were beaten up several times by the latter. The factory management paid no heed to complaints regarding the conflicts and failed to take any measures. This, in turn, led to work coming to a grinding halt in the factories.
Later, Foxconn rubbished reports of a plant in China being affected by a strike.
Published Date: Oct 17, 2012 04:12 pm | Updated Date: Oct 17, 2012 04:12 pm


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The conference, being held in London, was opened by E-commerce minister, Douglas Alexander, yesterday, with Estonia, Hungary, Macedonia, Bosnia & Hertzogovina and the Czech Republic attending.
It is part of a European-wide initiative aimed at ensuring a successful and prosperous European knowledge economy.
Speaking at the launch, Alexander said early adoption of the knowledge economy would improve the competitiveness of the countries of former Eastern Europe, andEurope as a whole.
He added: ‘Greater prosperity in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe benefits everyone on the continent through greater opportunities for trade and investment.’
The minister said the UK is currently one of the world’s most connected economies, with internet use the highest across Europe.
Last year 2.3m more UK adults were buying online – spending a total of Pounds 1.2bn, the second highest e-commerce market outside the US.
Making Tax Digital will impose significant additional tax compliance costs on small businesses for little or no medium term benefit, tax and small business experts told MPs
The drive towards a fully digital tax regime is an admirable one, but mandation is simply wrong, according to one of the UK's most senior tax technology practitioners - Paul Aplin
Colin responds to the call for 'Darwinism' in accountancy
If businesses do not take cyber security seriously in their business planning regulators may do it for them, the ICAEW has warned


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China urges U.S. to give fair ruling on aluminum foil dispute
The U.S. Department of Commerce made a preliminary decision on Monday local time to slap hefty anti-dumping duties on Chinese exporters and producers of aluminum foil.
There are no grounds to accuse China's downstream aluminum companies of benefiting from subsidies, and it is unreasonable to label Chinese raw aluminum and steam coal producers and commercial banks as public institutions, said Wang Hejun, head of the Ministry of Commerce trade remedy and investigation bureau.
The U.S. Department of Commerce launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports of aluminum foil from China in March in response to a request from the U.S. Aluminum Association Trade Enforcement Working Group.
China is highly concerned that recent U.S. investigations into Chinese aluminum products might have a major impact on aluminum foil trade and will offer relief to the U.S. aluminum industry, Wang said.
China urges the United States to act prudently to avoid damaging economic relations between the two countries, Wang said. ■


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It’s an event that has become close to the heart - and the stomach - of food fans across the North East since it was first staged four years ago.
Danny Hughes of event organisers Unit 44 said: “We’d always loved street food markets and had been to them all over Europe, however we wanted to incorporate a competition element without getting too serious. Street Food meets Great British Bake Off. All wrapped around some pop culture themes for added fun.”
He added: “The location is iconic, it provides the perfect stage for our battles, and it helps to have award-winning beers at your fingertips.
“We’ve worked with the brewery for years and it’s this relationship that has seen our food battles grow.”
This is the fifth year of the Battle of the Burger event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday (April 19 and 20) between midday and 11pm on both days.
Danny explained: “Essentially the event is a burger competition where we pitch some of the best burgers in the region up against one another.”
Each vendor - which will be a mix of street food traders, established independent burger joints and local restaurants - will produce scaled-down versions of their signature burger, which are sold from stands around the Wylam Brewery for £3 each.
The punters then vote for their favourite over the two-day food festival via an online portal.
“We also have guest judges. It’s a family event where anyone is welcome, free of charge, no ticket necessary,” he said.
While it’s free to get in, those who attend can purchase £3 tokens with which to buy any of the rich variety of burgers on offer, which even include vegetarian and vegan options.
“The aim of the game is to try as many as possible before voting,” said Danny.
For the last four years there has only been one winner - Lola Jeans, which has outlets in Newcastle and Tynemouth.
Danny said the prize for them is “bragging rights” – but they face some tasty competition this year.
“This year we’ve tried even harder to add some new faces to the roster,” he added. “Therefore joining previous winners Lola Jeans will be a host of new ‘flavours’ from the likes of Parm-o-rama, Tango Durham, and Fowl Play.
“They’ll join Burger staples Jam Jar, Purple Bear, MedHead and vegan offering Grumpy Panda.”
As unbeaten champs the pressure is on Lola Jeans, admits boss Paul Sample, but he says they are determined to win again.
“We’ve done really well and it’s something we’re really passionate about,” he said.
Each year, he says, rather than just replicate something they produce every day at their two eateries, they create a new burger.
“One of the reasons for our success is everything is made in house and we don’t buy any pre-prepared burgers in.”
As for this year, he says they haven’t come up with the burger they will enter just yet. “We’ll have a meeting next week to discuss it,” he revealed.
Paul said his staff, like him, love the competition and the challenge. It’s just as well, for they expect to make up to 3,000 burgers for the event, with work starting 48 hours before it begins.
And, if this year’s burger wins, it will join the other four winners which now have pride of place on the permanent Lola Jeans menu - the California (2015 winner); Baby Got Back (2016), the James P Sullivan (2017) and the Duke (2018).
Of the four, Paul likes the California best, made of two signature beef patties, smoked salt beef, mature cheddar, crispy pickle chips, red onion jam and ranch dressing.
“It was quite simple and I love ranch dressing,” he said.
The most intriguing was the James P Sullivan which includes a pickled onion Monster Munch.
But Paul admitted: “It will be even more difficult this year because in a way, no one will want us to win. People like to see a change but we intend to make that as difficult as possible.”
Around 5,000 people are expected to attend the event; last year around 16,000 burgers were eaten, but Danny says: “This year with more vendors we hope to beat that total.
“The aim is for an all inclusive event with mass participation at heart. Be it popping by for some food or setting up for the day, we like to think there is something for everyone at our events.”
The DJ collective one20 will provide the soundtrack to the weekend with, according to Danny, “a good mix of BBQ chuggers, feel-good soul, Old School Hip Hop before it goes towards disco floor fillers.”
As for the ethos of the event, Danny said: “It’s not too complicated, just good old-fashioned human interaction, usually with sunshine, and always with good vibes.”
For more information on the Battle of the Burger event, visit www.facebook.com/BattleOfTheBurgerCo/ or on Twitter follow @BattleOTBurger


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Dave, a fintech that is new, could be the David into the big banking institutionsвЂ™ Goliath, fighting exorbitant overdraft charges by warning individuals theyвЂ™re about to blow their spending plans as well as lending them $75 until their next paycheck.
With 4 away from 5 People in america living paycheck to paycheck, the money advance through the Dave mascot, a bespectacled bear, assists you to obtain a tank of gasoline or food until next payday, creator Jason Wilk told TriplePundit. Choices like pay day loans can drive individuals into further financial obligation, as 3p has reported.
Wilk stated he wished to simply take regarding the $34 billion overdraft industry because вЂњit appeared like the finance industry had the brand loyalty that is lowest of mostвЂќ and ended up being ripe for interruption. Tackling overdraft charges had been вЂњsomething that may re solve customer that is true points,вЂќ he said. вЂњWeвЂ™ve all experienced it. Banking institutions an average of charge $35 loan quick cash Mississippi each time a stability goes below $0 for a deal.
Warns of risk ahead
For the account fee of $1 a dave syncs with customersвЂ™ checking accounts to monitor their spending habits and predict when they are at risk of overdrawing their accounts month. DaveвЂ™s appear warnings anticipate outlays that are regular lease or bills and provide users an adamant minds up that difficulty is ahead.
The $1 membership that is monthly the price of linking to clientsвЂ™ banks, getting balance updates, and giving texts if a person is all about to overdraft. Wilk stated the organization doesn’t have intends to ever share anyoneвЂ™s monetary histories with 3rd events.
DaveвЂ™s objective would be to assist individuals of all earnings teams, Wilk told us. Of the 2 million users, about 15 per cent are near to the income level that encounter food insecurity, he stated. Within the very first quarter of 2019 alone, around 300,000 individuals utilized the app to get meals.
To have an advance as high as $75 ahead of the next payday, Dave calls for users to possess work by having a fully guaranteed, constant paycheck and also have the capacity to spend the mortgage right back. The organization doesn’t pull credit history in order to make that determination, therefore utilising the software doesnвЂ™t have an effect on a userвЂ™s credit history. Users have the effect of paying Dave back once again by the date that is due danger being prohibited through the software.
For the greater amount of than 25 % of Us citizens whom overdrafted in past times year, the solution could be a lifesaver, Wilk stated. вЂњOverdrafts are a pricey type of credit, also it would not appear to me personally a good method to resolve spending problems,вЂќ he told us.
DaveвЂ™s users spend on average $500 annually in overdraft fees, Wilk explained, which will be typical of many money strapped US customers, in accordance with a study by the individual finance internet site WalletHub. Image: Jason Wilk, creator of fintech business Dave.
A more youthful demographic
DaveвЂ™s demographic skews more youthful 80 % are under 30, with the average chronilogical age of 22. вЂњTheyвЂ™re simply away from university, learning how exactly to handle their funds for the time that is firstвЂќ Wilk told us. Utilizing the cost management tools and want to repay improvements, DaveвЂ™s bear is supposed to simply help users discover better cash management skills.
Even billionaire investor Mark Cuban, a very early backer of this Dave software, claims he вЂњgot crushed by overdraft fees in my own 20s.вЂќ Yet with 40 per cent of People in the us struggling to cover a $400 crisis cost, it isn’t simply more youthful those who are money strapped.
Acknowledging that chronic overdrafting might be element of bigger economic pressures, DaveвЂ™s software offers Side Hustle, which links Dave users with part gigs to make income that is extra. To take part, Dave users find the gigs they are thinking about consequently they are delivered the information they must begin. Up to now, Dave has gotten over 100,000 applications through this program.
Tip us and weвЂ™ll plant a tree
Dave doesn’t make hardly any money through the borrowing solution regardless of optional contributions. Those contributions or tips, as Wilk defines them be able вЂњto assist individuals without recharging mortgage loan,вЂќ he said.
For almost any portion of the tip, Dave additionally donates a tree in sub Saharan Africa through its partner, Trees money for hard times. вЂњi must say i wished to have portion that is charitable of business, which will be perhaps perhaps not typically that which you see available to you on the market. We thought growing woods could match well with your gratuity model,вЂќ Wilk told 3p.
Graphics courtesy of Dave
Based in southwest Florida, Amy has discussing sustainability plus the Triple important thing for over 20 years, focusing on sustainability reporting, policy documents and research reports for international customers in pharmaceuticals, consumer items, ICT, tourism along with other sectors. She additionally writes for Ethical Corporation and it is a contributor to making a tradition of Integrity: Business Ethics for the 21st Century. Relate with Amy on LinkedIn.