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PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea relaxed state control of salaries last month, a government economist said, outlining a change in policy intended to boost production by giving companies latitude to provide workers with financial incentives.
Q: I am a married 64-year-old woman. I started getting my Social Security at age 62. I was told at the time that I was not eligible for any of my husband's Social Security. But we were just on a cruise and an older woman told me that she took retirement benefits at 62 and was also able to get half of her husband's Social Security. Why don't I get half of my husband's benefits?
MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) - Few have explored the remote volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago, an otherworldly landscape inhabited by the world's largest tortoises and other fantastical creatures that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
NEW YORK (AP) - It was another ugly quarter for Sears Holdings Corp.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 23,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, a level consistent with solid job growth.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - After years of struggle, Gap is back in style.
CHICAGO (AP) - An 87-year-old grandmother took on billionaire Donald Trump. And on Thursday, she lost.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes ticked up last month to the highest level in three and a half years, helped by a jump in the number of houses for sale.
NEW YORK (AP) - "Jenny from the Block" wants the block to buy Verizon phones from her.
PALO ALTO (AP) - Hewlett-Packard is still scrambling to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices as a slump in its personal computer sales deepens, but the company's cost-cutting measures and focus on more profitable areas of technology appear to be easing the pain.
PALO ALTO (AP) - Tesla Motors, which makes a highly acclaimed $70,000 electric car, has paid off a startup loan from the U.S. government nine years early.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate dragged Apple Inc., the world's most valuable company, into the debate over the U.S. tax code Tuesday, grilling CEO Tim Cook over allegations that its Irish subsidiaries help the company avoid billions in U.S. taxes.
DETROIT (AP) - Eminem's song publisher is suing Facebook and an ad agency in Detroit federal court, saying they appropriated one of the rapper's songs.
NEW YORK (AP) - Burger King said bringing back its "Chicken Fries" helped sales jump in the U.S. and Canada by the biggest amount in two years.
SANTA MONICA (AP) - Activision Blizzard Inc., maker of the blockbuster "Call of Duty" video game franchise, said Tuesday that strong sales led to better-than-expected results for its third quarter and raised its full-year forecast. The stock jumped in after-hours trading.
CVS'S 3Q BENEFITS FROM GENERICS, SPECIALTY DRUGS: WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - CVS Health Corp. reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings Tuesday as increased use of specialty drugs helped offset missing sales of tobacco products, which the company stopped selling this fall.
NEW YORK (AP) - This year more Americans than ever are expected to make their lists, check them twice, and then click the "add to cart" button.
NEW YORK (AP) - Hotels don't want guests to have to linger at the front desk - or even stop by at all.
NEW YORK (AP) - It turns out people go to Red Lobster for the seafood.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A federal judge on Monday said Honeywell Inc. could begin penalizing workers who refuse to take medical or biometric tests.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Twitter's third-quarter revenue outpaced expectations, but investors concerned about user growth and holiday-quarter revenue clipped the company's stock price late Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) - Dunkin' Donuts plans to roll out a croissant-doughnut hybrid in the U.S. next week, but the company says please don't call it a "Cronut."
WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of Americans signing contracts to buy homes ticked up only slightly in September, as it remained difficult to qualify for mortgage financing.
DETROIT (AP) - Toyota continues its winning streak atop Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The city's parking authority lived up to its threats to impound vehicles and fine drivers participating in the UberX ride-sharing service.
NEW YORK (AP) - It might be a blue Christmas for Amazon.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Union Pacific Corp. delivered a 19 percent increase in its third-quarter profit as the railroad hauled 7 percent more freight and increased rates.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Microsoft's quarterly profit and revenue sailed past expectations Thursday, as CEO Satya Nadella's push to embrace cloud computing and diversify into mobile devices helped lift sales by 25 percent.


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Learning Pool, the Derry headquartered e-learning company, has acquired its Oxfordshire-based rival, HT2 Labs, for an undisclosed sum.
It is the third major acquisition for Learning Pool, which is backed by the investment fund Carlyle Cardinal Ireland, in the last three years and according to its chief executive, Paul McElvaney, it will enable the Northern Ireland company to expand faster.
Learning Pool, which was set up by Mr McElvaney in 2006, provides online learning products to private and public sector organisations throughout Ireland, the UK and internationally. Among its biggest clients are government bodies like the UK’s National Health Service.
In recent years Learning Pool has strongly benefited from industry and public sector trends to spend more and more of their training budgets online which has helped to deliver a significant boost to their business.
The Derry company has developed a portfolio of products which also facilitate businesses to build their own e-learning sources and has also harnessed “game mechanics” to “provoke an emotional response” from learners.
Its latest acquisition, HT2 Labs, has also developed learning technologies including its award winning Learning Locker and its Curatr Learning Experience Platform.
Learning Pool was already a HT2 Labs partner and the Derry company believes that the acquisition will enable it to “create unique learning experiences and analytics solutions”.
Dr Ben Betts, chief executive at HT2 Labs, will re-invest in Learning Pool as part of the acquisition deal and will join the company's executive team as chief product officer. Additionally, under his direction a new Learning Pool lab will be established.
Dr Betts said as a result of joining forces with Learning Pool he and his team will be able to "quickly deliver the innovation we're known for but at a much greater scale."
“The combined product roadmap we’ve drawn up means that we can make that future available to customers right now,” he added.

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Berlin-based Bitcoin startup Cubits aspires for a more Bitcoin-accepting world. Immersing in its specialization of Bitcoin from its definition and discipline, the new company aims at making communities more Bitcoin-friendly with its B2B and B2C initiatives gearing up to make lives easier and more productive this year.
The former will be done by providing everyone the platform to sell, trade, and buy bitcoins with the company’s supported 14 fiat currencies. The latter, on the other hand, will be executed by giving enterprises the required technological innovation to incorporate bitcoins in their system.
Cubits released its software for production in the late 2014 with the intention of further strengthening and developing it. Setting to introduce itself this month, the company hopes to leave a strong mark in an industry that continuous to flourish despite adversities brought by political, social and economic discord.
As more communities warm up to the utilization of cryptocurrency, startups like Cubits finds it ideal to create and develop a Bitcoin-related project to address the further need for diversification in the industry. With the Vault of Satoshi finally closing down on February 5, along with the current security predicaments of Blockchain and Bitstamp, this may be the perfect time to come out in the open and strive to be new and different and to be something that the consumers and investors can trust.
Though it may seem that Cubits will soon enter a jungle and struggle to be on top to survive, it’s actually the ideal moment to join the pandemonium of bliss and eventually rise as its one true survivor. After all, the nature of Bitcoin may be unpredictable, but it surely is exhilarating; and to be a part of this thriving industry as a provider of an innovative service can put this company in the middle of a very important milestone.
Furthermore, as Cubits take the stage and present its awe-inspiring offerings, the Bitcoin community will soon realize the need to experience this new Bitcoin platform and what it is capable of doing to create a significant change among both consumers and enterprises. In addition, finding a platform in Europe that guarantees fast purchases of bitcoins is almost impossible. This is where Cubits come in.
As for the company, its creators have been observing the nature of cryptocurrencies and its overall impact to its users since bitcoins rose to prominence. Thus, their decision to develop something new and better that can further increase the value of bitcoins came from their knowledge and passion in the industry, accompanied by good intentions and the hopes of bringing Bitcoin usage to every corner of the world.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 7, 2021) – Today’s leaders in business require creative and diverse professionals with crossover skills in marketing, media and film, but there is a significant talent gap. To answer this call, Brand Storytelling and East Tennessee State University, along with several global industry sponsors, have stepped up to bridge the education and diversity gap with a first-ever professional certification program.
The Brand Storytelling Brand Film Certification is a 100% online professional certification taught by industry leaders connected to Brand Storytelling’s world-class network of professionals in media, production, marketing, advertising, culture and entertainment. The certification will appeal to industry professionals and recent college graduates looking to better understand the intersection of business, brand and film, ETSU officials said. The first Brand Storytelling Certification cohort begins Jan. 31, 2022, with five additional cohorts launching throughout 2022.
“Today, our industry is propelled by consumer behavior and forward-thinking brands,” said Rick Parkhill, founder of Brand Storytelling. “Led by our core mission of education, the Brand Storytelling community is in a unique position to grow, cultivate and inspire the next generation of brand storytellers through innovative education that they know is taught by professionals in the industry.”
This innovative certification is sponsored by Discovery, Southwest Airlines, Intel, Univision and BODYARMOR, alongside leading brand storytelling production house UM Studios. The involvement and support of these leading companies grounds the program in the real world of brand-funded entertainment, officials at ETSU said, giving program participants the opportunity to get actionable, hands-on experience they can apply upon the completion of their certification.
Sponsors support immersive scholarships, valued at $2,000 each, granted to diversity, equity and inclusion students to participate in the immersive program. Scholarships provide opportunities for direct interaction and mentorship with sponsors, faculty and advisors. These scholarships help foster greater opportunities for students and professionals looking to advance their skills in brand storytelling while brands get access to emerging talent.
“We are so proud to participate in a program that provides amazing opportunities for professionals from diverse backgrounds,” said Patrizio Spagnoletto, chief marketing officer for Discovery. “This program also serves to help participating sponsors like us to identify the next generation of media production and marketing leaders.”
Parkhill and Dr. Stephen Marshall, ETSU professor and chief marketing officer for the ETSU Research Corporation, recognized brand storytelling industry needs for ongoing learning and saw a collaboration opportunity between their organizations. By supporting the industry-focused program through a university, the Brand Storytelling Certification perfectly blends industry expertise with academia’s prestige, they said.
“The worlds of marketing, media and film continue to merge in what is still considered new territory,” said Marshall. “Partnering with industry to innovate education outcomes and diversity needs is central to the ETSU Research Corporation’s environmental, social and governance mission. We are proud to power this professional credential with world-class education experiences. Professionals from around the world can take this virtual course, and outcomes will build a diverse community of brand storytellers.”
The certification course will feature some of today’s most influential names in brand storytelling as instructors: Marc Battaglia, co-founder of Story + Strategy and former global executive creative director for Marriott International; Brian Newman, founder of Sub-Genre brand consulting agency; Marcus Peterzell, chief executive officer of Passion Point Collective entertainment marketing agency; and Dawn Reese, senior vice president and managing director of UM Studios.
Additionally, instructors will bring a variety of guest presenters from their own professional networks to speak. These guest presenters will broaden the academic scope and provide further industry knowledge to benefit students’ understanding of brand film.
As part of the Brand Storytelling Certification, each student will develop a capstone project at the conclusion of the program that answers a request for proposal by a brand partner. The projects will feature detailed responses to real-life challenges and needs from the partner.
“The Brand Storytelling Certification is one of the most comprehensive and innovative industry programs available,” Battaglia said. “Its specific focus on brand film and entertainment makes it not only unique but supports how today’s industry is evolving. Featuring top industry experts, the program includes hands-on experiences, collaboration and networking opportunities powered by Brand Storytelling, a thought leadership organization with the mission to support, educate and inspire brand-funded content.”
Brand Storytelling and the ETSU Research Corporation will host six Brand Storytelling Brand Film Certification cohorts throughout 2022.
Learn more about the certification and application process at brandstorytelling.tv/certification.


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Grasshopper CEO Suda 51 has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes that the Japanese games market - currently suffering a significant slump this calendar year - can be revived by games created for what he calls a "middle audience".
By that he means the gap between the well-served core and casual markets, a segment of the population he believes will be "very important".
"Well, there are a lot of core gamers, and a lot of lighter users playing on platforms such as the DS - but there's nothing in-between," he said during an interview at this year's Nordic Game conference. "I think it's going to be very important for games to be created for that middle audience, and that will help bring the market back on-track.
"I was actually here early last year for the promotion of the first No More Heroes, and I realised that the UK, France and Germany are the mature markets, while Italy and Spain are still growing. There are still new gamers there and they want to know more - so there are good opportunities.
"In Japan there are still core gamers, but since Nintendo released the Wii and DS a lot of people who never played games before are now playing. Those people that are playing the different types of games are growing, which is a good thing for the Japanese market."
The full interview with Suda 51 is available now.


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The Mississippi Department of Revenue’s September sales tax diversion report indicated varying results for Monroe County’s municipalities, with one local city indicating gains from both the previous month and the same period last year.
Amory’s total of $204,261 was an increase from last month’s $203,508 and last year’s $194,657.
Aberdeen’s total of $72,044 indicated decreases from last month’s $77,923 and last year’s $77,082 in sales tax collections.
While Nettleton’s $44,683 in sales tax collections was an increase from $37,109 this time last year, it was a decrease from last month’s $49,120 total.
Smithville’s total of $5,671 was reflective of a decrease compared to last month’s $6,535 and last year’s $5,772.
Hatley witnessed an increase from last year’s $2,820 with its total of $3,473 for the month but a decrease compared to $3,532 last month.
The September report indicates purchases made locally during the month of August.


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On New Year's Eve, Caesars Entertainment will open the first stage of the Linq: the first open air retail, dining and entertainment district on the Strip. More than 30 shops, restaurants and other venues will be anchored by the Linq's High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel.
The High Roller has already changed the Las Vegas skyline, but what makes the Linq a real game changer here is the fact that it is an outdoor, pedestrian-friendly area that will be blocked off to traffic, lined with trees, and won’t require people to wander through miles of slot machines.
“Not only is it one of the first multi-faceted outdoor spaces on the Strip with shopping, nightlife, entertainment and dining, but you won’t actually have to walk through a casino to get to it,” says Aleza Freeman, attractions expert for Vegas.com.
Over the last year, Las Vegas’s downtown began offering open-air experiences, previously a foreign concept to the city. Newly opened restaurants began offering outdoor seating; the Downtown Grand hotel encouraged patrons to explore the surrounding Downtown3rd neighborhood; and open-air festivals invited visitors to wander from business to business.
While the idea that visitors might want to get outside was embraced downtown, the Las Vegas Strip had kept patrons indoors — until now. Following the opening of the Linq, MGM is also responding to the outdoor trend, building an outdoor promenade running from New York-New York to Monte Carlo, with dining and retails spaces opening in 2014.
These changes reflect the evolving Las Vegas traveler, which has altered the way the city is defined.
Las Vegas travelers are increasingly spending more money and time away from tables and slots: Only 72% of visitors to Vegas gambled in 2012, down from 85% in 2008, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The Linq is poised to meet changing visitor interests and combat “Sin City” stereotypes.
“I think it will help solidify Las Vegas as a destination for more than just gambling,” Freeman said. “[This is] an international city with a ton of world-class dining, entertainment and nightlife options.”
The Linq is being built in an alleyway between the Quad and Flamingo Las Vegas that no one had previously noticed, but where an estimated 20.4 million visitors would walk right past every year.
Banking on this lost opportunity, the Linq is planned to appeal to the region’s growing Gen X and Gen Y clientele, whose market share is estimated to grow to 52% of Las Vegas visitor spending by 2015, according to Caesars.
Freeman points out that the space’s literal transformation from a service alley into an urban outdoor space catering to a comfortable environment for pedestrians of all ages reflects a more “grown-up” Las Vegas atmosphere.
“We’ll probably always be Sin City on some level,” she says, “but there is so much more to us than that.”


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Three different kinds of baby formula were recalled after four infants got sick and one died.
The formulas could contain harmful bacteria and were all made at the same facility in Michigan.
Leah Lupo had to throw out the baby formula she made for her four-month-old son Joseph because the powder was recalled over possible contamination.
"It's very scary because now I'm thinking to myself, 'Have I been giving him contaminated powdered formula,'" Lupo says.
According to Abbot, the voluntary recall includes certain Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powder formulas.
The items are being pulled from shelves after the Food and Drug Administration found that four infants were infected with Cronobacter or Salmonella. One of those infants died.
Lupo says baby formula is already hard to find because of supply chain problems and the recall means several containers she has are no longer good.
"This is your method to feed your baby for the first year of life," Lupo says. "You need it. It's essential."
People can find out if their formula was affected by the recall by looking at the code on the bottom.
If the first two digits are 22 through 37 and also contain K8, SH or Z2 with an expiration date of April 2022 or later, it's not good.
Pediatrician Dr. Sara Siddiqui, of NYU Langone Huntington Medical Group, says parents need to monitor their infants for signs of infections such as fatigue, fever vomiting or extreme irritability.
She says a child's doctor can substitute their formula.
"You may not have to change the brand, but as long as you don't use the formula with those recall numbers," Siddiqui says. "It's very important."
Abbott says the recall has not affected any of its liquid formulas.
Powdered formulas made at other plants are also still OK to use.


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Apple Inc., manufacturer for world-renowned computers and mobile devices, may be on another innovative idea as a number or rumors are spread of then developing their first electric car.
An Apple employee started the rumors on February 2015 that a new electric car is under development and that it will "give Tesla a run for its money". Tesla has been producing smart cars and has been in the business of electric cars since 2003. Will Apple, being one of the worlds top producer for reliable computers and mobile device, be able to catch up more than a decade of work and research by Tesla?
Various reports mention that the iCar is codenamed 'Project Titan". Information of the car is still under a lot of questions as some employees say that they are building an electric car, while some state that it is going to be an autonomous vehicle, thus raising concerns regarding the credibility of the said employees.
Here are some reports that may shed some light to the said credibility issues:
Apple is apparently in talks of buying British supercar maker McLaren. It is said that they plan to buy the company in aims of incorporating their technology and knowledge with McLaren.
Some are speculating about the report, as Apple does not have any history of creating any transport vehicle. McLaren has been doing research on optimizing their cars on their own, although they may also be on the road of Autonomous cars, thus making them need additional resources that Apple can possible provide.
However, a Mclaren spokesperson denied that the company is not in talks with any company for any tie-up or takeover. Even with the spokespersons statement, rumors are still spreading that McLaren is asking for a £1.5 billion purchase price.
Up to this date, only speculations and rumors can be found online regarding Project Titan. And that Apple is interested in McLaren because of their vast knowledge and experience in Formula 1 racing. These factors can be a big asset in developing the first Apple smart car as Formula 1 experts exert a tremendous amount of time in researching and developing various means of perfecting their cars.
It is also not impossible for this tie-up to happen in the near future as the future of autonomous cars is vastly approaching. With Tesla already on the Model 3 Autonomous car, Apple or McLaren will most likely work together to catch up with fast growing Tesla.
Either way, it is still going to be a win-win situation for consumers, as it is only a matter of time before a company such as Tesla, Apple or McLaren develops the smart car of the future.


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Huawei is coming this spring with the P50 series and the first renders have already appeared online. We recognize a waterfall screen that is very reminiscent of the Mate series.
It is not the first time that we talk about leaked information of Huawei’s upcoming P50 series, but it is the first time that renders of the P50 Pro appear. The image comes from the reliable OnLeaks and we see a phone with a waterfall screen, just like the Mate 40 Pro. Only this time there is no longer a pill-shaped screen notch to be found, but a notch in the middle of the screen. the screen has a size of 6.6 inches.
Immediately fills in another rumor spreader, Twitter user @ rodent950 the information from OnLeaks. According to him, Huawei chooses similar to Samsung for three very different screen sizes. The regular P50 will be a smaller 6.1-inch or 6.2-inch model, followed by the P50 Pro Plus, which will have the largest screen of the three: 6.8 inches. Last year, the P40 Pro Plus had a screen that was exactly the same size as that of the P40 Pro.
According to the rumor distributor, the camera setup of the P50 series will also be very similar to the ‘Space Ring’ of the Mate 40 devices. The P50 Pro gets three cameras on the back, but nothing is known about the Pro Plus yet. According to previous rumors, we can expect special liquid lenses for fast focus.
Finally, we know that Huawei again opts for the Kirin 9000 processor from its own house. You can read more about the leaked specifications here. With the P-series, it is primarily the camera that steals the show. How do you expect Huawei to do this year? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.


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Vauxhall has revealed the all-new Corsa in fully-electric Corsa-e guise.
The new car forms part of the brand’s electrification strategy, which will see electrified versions of every Vauxhall on sale by 2024.
Vauxhall's first electrified model to reach dealerships will be the Grandland X plug-in hybrid, followed by the Corsa-e in early 2020.
The Corsa-e has a 205 mile range (WLTP) and uses a 50kWh battery.
It develops 136PS and 260Nm, giving a 0-30mph time of just 2.8 seconds. The car can reach the 60mph benchmark in just over eight seconds.
The new Corsa shares a platform with the new Peugeot 208, which is also available as a fully electric car.
It is larger and lighter than its predecessor and will be sold in five-door body style only.
Vauxhall says the Corsa-e will feature numerous camera and radar-based assistance systems and an infotainment system with a 10-inch colour touchscreen.
Prices are predicted to start at around £25,000 for the electric model. Petrol and diesel versions of the new Corsa will also be offered when it goes on sale next year.


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Most brands today have a good idea of who their online customers are. But despite the advance of e-commerce, 80 percent of all purchases are still made offline, in physical stores. Accurat uses mobile data to map the physical environment and offline shopping behavior of consumers. By processing, on a daily basis, millions of coordinates (anonymized of course), retailers gain reliable insights that allow them to make informed strategic decisions. Three years after its foundation, major retailers such as Delhaize, Lidl and Brico are already using Accurat's technology.
"Retail, and especially food retail, is an extremely competitive market", explains Roel Dekelver, head of external communications at Delhaize. "Quick access to reliable data is crucial. It is the reason why Accurat acquired in no time a permanent place in the set of analytical solutions we use to underpin our strategic decisions."
Eliminating blind spots
“What profile do your customers have? How far do they drive to visit your store? Which of your competitors do they visit? These are still blind spots for many retailers," says Bart Muskala, one of the two founders of Accurat and previously partner at advertising agency BBDO. “They know maybe 10 percent there is to know about their customers. They have a good idea of customer behavior within the four walls of their stores, but that's about it. How these consumers behave at their competitors or in other stores, or what their daily environment looks like is based on outdated reports from market research firms and on inaccurate surveys of roughly 1,000 customers.”
“These reports and surveys are also just snapshots”, explains co-founder Dr. Ir. Steven Van Canneyt (ex-Yahoo and ex-Realo). “The corona crisis has shown that consumer decision patterns are changing rapidly. Our data gives retailers the missing real-time insights to base strategic decisions on. They can strengthen their local competitiveness, optimize their folder distribution or measure how many extra store visits a campaign generates. For this we also work together with media companies such as Clear Channel, LijnCom and Brightfish.”
Capital round to boost European growth
Accurat has just raised 1.1 million euros to make its technology available to even more supermarkets and retailers (do-it-yourself chains, fashion, horticulture, beauty,…). In addition to Belgium and the Netherlands the start-up is also targeting other European markets, the first contracts in Germany have now been signed. To support that growth, Accurat is recruiting plenty of new talent. There are vacancies for sales people, developers, data scientists and data engineers.
In addition to KBC, PMV and VLAIO, serial entrepreneurs such as Lorenz Bogaert and Toon Coppens (Netlog, Twoo, Realo, Delta,...) also participated in the recent capital round.
Lorenz Bogaert is convinced that Accurat's technology will transform the way retailers make decisions in the near future: “Retailers face difficult decisions every day. Gut feeling, half-truths or outdated insights are no longer good enough. Retailers will be guided in their decisions by the recommendations of smart artificial assistants, which in turn rely on big data. Accurat is the solution to the challenges facing retailers.”


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The Regional Government of Sardinia and a selection of Sardinian companies took part in a very successful business mission at the Real Italian Wine and Food, an event organized by ICE. The event was included in the Regional Programme by the Ministry of Industry.
The observers and experts who took part in the event in the Westminster Church House praised the exposition of the 27 companies, that were accompanied by President Francesco Pigliaru and Minister for Industry Maria Grazia Piras.
The event was an important opportunity for the Sardinian companies to present themselves to the foreign markets and in particular to the British operators, which are always interested in the quality of Italian agri-food products. Entrepreneurs were able to meet local importers and start negotiations to introduce Sardinian products in London. The wines were particularly appreciated. Dozens of technicians and British wine experts tasted a selection of the best wine cellars of the island in a Masterclass, including Vermentino, Cannonau, Carignano and Monica.
"Accessing the foreign markets is difficult, but it is essential for us," says President of the Region, Francesco Pigliaru. "We have a high quality agri-food sector, we cannot sell it only in Sardinia. The major global markets are very interested in our excellences and we must know exactly what to do to benefit from it," he adds. "Very small businesses find it difficult to make themselves known and to seize the opportunities, we work to unite, to push them towards network creation - continues - if we confront ourselves, all together, with importers and those who have been successful, we can improve the scenario, and there will be more companies able to open up the market for themselves and for those who will come after. " As for the meetings around the world, "we thought of a real awareness campaign - says the President - we will close it with an event in Sardinia, during which we will reunite all those who have been here in London, in Singapore, in Los Angeles and in Berlin. We will take a pause to reflect together, to understand which will be our next steps. " Because "there are no magic wands - concludes Pigliaru - but there is a path we need to walk together."
For the Industry Minister, Maria Grazia Piras, “We are investing ideas, projects, and resources to develop the exports of Sardinian companies, starting from the food sector. Our products are not afraid of competition in terms of quality and authenticity, so there is every reason to win this challenge. " According to Maria Grazia Piras, “the London experience shows that we can do it. Business owners can reap the benefits of the work done these days in the British capital, but we need to focus a lot on training. " However, in order to succeed, "companies must be ready, they have to know deeply the foreign markets and they need to be accompanied by advisors and qualified professionals - insists the Minister- this applies especially for businesses that do not have an export manager. Our department offers them an opportunity by replicating the experience of the Export Lab, providing new calls for the joint partnerships, building new calls for individual businesses and strengthening the institutional missions to take Sardinia’s excellences around the world. "


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The Political Action and Education Department of SEIU-West is pleased to announce the winners of our Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA) Crossword Contest.
Each winner received a Safeway gift card and an SEIU-West hoodie.
Purple Works Profile
Women should never have to choose between groceries or menstrual products. Yet for many women in need, those are the choices that often must be made.Read more


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The Saturdays have hit Los Angeles and are already flaunting themselves in skimpy bikinis as they top up their tans – but bandmate
Mollie King proved she couldn’t quite contain herself as she caught some rays by their hotel pool.
The girls are in the sunshine city to film a music video from their upcoming fourth album but first enjoyed some well-earned relaxation time by their hotel pool.
Flaunting their toned and tanned bodies in skimpy bikinis – and showing off their bafflingly long legs – the five girls certainly slotted well into the LA glamorous lifestyle.
But it was Mollie King who stole most of the attention – and not just for the classy fifties-inspired white halter-neck two-piece she was wearing.
Clearly engaged in a phone conversation as she enjoyed the luxurious surroundings, she adjusted her bikini top but as she did, flashed her fellow pool loungers, leaving very litle to the imagination.
Mollie didn’t seem to notice her fatal error and luckily her bandmates Frankie Sandford and Una Healy , who had joined her catching some rays, didn’t catch an eyeful either.
The duo were too busy relaxing on inflatable pink doughnut rings as they topped up their tans ahead of hitting the studios.
Feeling refreshed after their pool trip, the trio later joined fellow bandmates Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman for a spot of shopping in nearby Hollywood.
Here the girl group showed the LA girls how fashion is really done as they each sported a glamorous outfit to help them fit into the Beverly Hills scene.
Wearing a collection of mini-skirts, summer dresses and oversized shades – as well as loading their arms up with some trendy shopping bags – it was as if the girls had forgotten they were actually in the city to do some work.
Finishing their packed-day with a bite to eat at Akasha restaurant, Culver City, they sported yet more wardrobe changes.
Mollie this time made sure she was well covered for dinner with a yellow floral top and black mini skirt but Frankie and Vanessa both opted for a more casual look with denim shorts and white t-shirts with jackets on to keep out the warm chill.
Rochelle and Una also had their legs on show. Una wore a high-waisted black skirt with pink top and Frankie went for a brown zebra-print skirt and white cropped top.
All five of the girls are bound to be a sore sight for their boyfriends, all of whom are stuck back home while the girls get down to work across the pond.
Let’s just hope they remember to actually do some work though…
Click here to see more pictures of The Saturdays in Los Angeles


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Within six months, the brand is now available in 103 retailers nationwide
Premium sanitaryware brand Sottini is “on track within the first six months” to meet its showroom target, following its relaunch at 100% Design in September 2015.
The brand currently has 103 retailers and Sottini has a target of 160 showrooms within the first year.
Head of product category Leanne Martin reported around 300 products were now on display across the year, and sales of Sottini had doubled that of last year.
She explained the brand “was doing really well in retail but also with developers and in hotels. We’re hitting both the residential market and the retail market now.”
Martin stated Sottini sales were a 60:40 split towards specification but added: “That’s very different to where Sottini was two years’ ago, which was much more specification orientated at probably 80:20. So it’s a real turnaround.”
The brand has been specified by the likes of regional developer Cameron Homes, as well as the first Park Regis Hotel in the UK, sited in Birmingham.
Martin explained why she thought the brand had been successful: “Everyone has taken to the new look of the brand really well. It was still a popular brand in the retail environment, even though it wasn’t overly displayed or overly sold; there was still affection for it. The products have really brought that back for a lot of the retailers.”
She pointed out: “It is different to other brands out there on the product look and the collateral. The retailers love it because the brochure gives the look and feel of the brand. People are buying into that premium brand.”
Sottini has plans to further expand its portfolio in 2017, with models curated from existing European brands owned by its parent company Ideal Standard, but Marten reported most of the products will be new.
The brand launched with 640SKUs and now stands at 890, including its latest launches from KBB, but Marten suggested the portfolio will grow to around 1,000-1,5000 SKUS: “We need to make sure we have enough breadth in the product categories.”
Although originally introduced as individual pieces which were divided into four design categories of Precision Lines, Crafted Creativity, Minimal Elegance and Organic Forms; Sottini has since seen the introduction of suites including Mavone which is the entry into the brand.
Martin explained why the brand has seemingly made a turnaround decision on the deconstructed way it had looked at suites: “There will always be a one or two suites, [which will be] more for specifications as they still want a little bit of help of how to put [a look] together.”
Although the Sottini brand is currently meeting the company’s expectations, Martin stated: “It’s not an overnight turnaround. It’s a long-term plan for us.”


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Over the course of only one 12 months, the cryptocurrency market went from funding darling to a headache-inducing nuisance, notably for the Web3 trade.
Web3, which incorporates fashionable ideas like blockchains and the metaverse, misplaced practically $4 billion final 12 months attributable to fraudulence that shook among the largest gamers within the cryptocurrency world, in keeping with Immunefi.
Regardless of the shock that the trade has confronted attributable to a myriad of causes, together with plummeting shares and cryptocurrency founders being charged with fraud, it nonetheless managed to slash its losses by nearly half year-on-year.
Now, Immunefi expects Web3 to beat blows to its repute, forecasting the trade to develop from $3.2 billion in 2022 to $81.5 billion over the subsequent seven years.
“Web3 continues to be a model new world, stuffed with unknown paths,” mentioned Mitchell Amador, founder and CEO at Immunefi. “That novelty, by definition, brings a couple of degree of inexperience and hazard to the sport. Moreover, because of the very nature of the Web3 ecosystem, the place sensible contract code holds large quantities of capital, the setting is much extra adversarial in comparison with conventional Web2 functions.”
As a result of Web3 continues to be anticipated to make waves in the way forward for work, its challenges ought to function main classes for leaders: spend money on safety, schooling and coaching when incorporating fashionable instruments.


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From the presence of Peter Pettigrew to the conspicuously invisible Thestrals
This week, we were treated to the very first look at Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the highly anticipated sequel to the Harry Potter prequel. Yes, Eddie Redmayne and the whole cast look awesome and pensive, but as we peer...Show More Summary
A female star from the Harry Potter franchise just found her way into True Detective Season 3.
The holiday decorations at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando are up, perhaps a little early for the purists amongst us who think their debut should be post-Thanksgiving in the U.S., but, hey, if you are lucky enough to visit Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure in the run-up to the holiday season, why not...read more!
It’s hard to believe 12 years have passed since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened in theaters. The book had come out a little over three years earlier. Eager fans were already well-acquainted with the plot and, by that time, anxious to meet their beloved favorites again on the big screen. Following the...read more!
When we think of the holidays at Hogwarts, we envision epic decorations, massive Christmas trees dressed in beautiful ornaments, and a picturesque Great Hall with snow sprinkling from the ceiling. True fans who want to re-create the Harry Potter holidays of their dreams can start with an easy DIY that seriously takes minutes to make. Show More Summary
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is adding a holiday light show that splashes images of falling snow, flying owls and wizards on broomsticks on the 200-foot Hogwarts Castle. The new show, the first Christmas celebration at the Harry Potter land, is free with admission,...
Jude Law plays Harry Potter's mentor in the upcoming sequel.
The exhibition, which will also travel to New York, explores the history of magic to mark the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter
It takes serious talent to make recognizable characters with as few details as possible, and Amanda Penley’s got it! Here Minimal Pop Culture series takes on Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Suicide Squad, and it’s all amazing from front to back. Show More Summary
In this edition of Theme Park Bits: Get new details on Christmas events at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. See what Universal Orlando’s new parade collaboration with Macy’s looks like. Watch video of Mark Hamill joining fans for a ride aboard Star Tours at Disneyland. Show More Summary
The magical world of Harry Potter just got an extra dose of sorcery this year for Christmas—in the tune of snow and ghosts.
Australia-based Black Milk has been a great source of bold fan wear for a long time, and they’re showing why with this stunning Harry Potter collection! The collection originally dropped back in July, but it’s still around — and with Wizards...Show More Summary
A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone by J K Rowling set a new world record at auction of £106,250 at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts Sale in London today (15 November). It had been estimated at £30,000-40,000. Show More Summary
If you read the Harry Potter books as a kid, you're aware of the happiness the stories can bring. But thanks to a study in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology entitled "The Greatest Magic of Harry Potter: Reducing Prejudice," there's...Show More Summary
Every week in /Answers, we attempt to answer a new pop culture-related question. With Justice League about to hit theaters, this week’s edition asks “What is your favorite movie team?” Hoai-Tran Bui: The Trio in Harry Potter There’s...Show More Summary
Any excuse for a party, right? Especially when the party has a Harry Potter theme. With so many book and movie release date anniversaries to celebrate (and more releases on the horizon), you can have one practically every week. The first film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the UK and...read more!
Super NES Classic in Stock at Walmart at 11am PST, 49" LG 4K TV With $100 Dell Gift Card for $399.99, Harry Potter Book Set, Battlefront II, and more
It was recently revealed that Niantic is working on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite for mobile devices. This lead some fans to worry that Pokemon GO was going to be shelved in favor of the new project. Niantic has taken to their blog toShow More Summary
The world of game development has evolved to the point where studios provide constant updates and new features to their games, keeping them fresh and keeping the brand growing. This takes effort, and sometimes developing a new game means leaving the old one in the dust. Show More Summary


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Austria slashes taxes in biggest post-war fiscal reformStaff writer ▼ | March 18, 2015
Austria's government agreed to slash personal income taxes by 5 billion euros, as part of what it described as the biggest post-war fiscal reforms in the country.
Europe The reforms would come into force in 2016
Each taxpayer is expected to be levied an average of 1,000 euros less a year. Tax rates on capital gains and non-wage income would however remain unchanged.
"This is the most significant fiscal reform" since 1945, Chancellor Werner Faymann said.
Austria will turn to consumers and retailers to finance the reforms, with the lowest rate imposed on goods and services to be raised from 10 to 13 percent.
The government also expects to claw back some 1.9 billion euros in lost taxes through tighter checks on cash transactions.
In addition, some tax perks including those on company cars would be scrapped, a move expected to lead to 900 million euros in levies. ■


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Motorola on Rocky Road
Speaking at a Bank of America Conference on Wednesday, Dave Devonshire, the CFO of the Schaumburg, Ill.-based company, said the first two quarters of this year will continue to be "rocky" for Motorola, although he didn't elaborate further.
The world's No. 2 cellphone manufacturer saw its fourth quarter 2006 profits fall 48 percent largely because of issues with its handset division. (See Motorola Profit Falls 48% and Moto Handset Chief Quits.)
Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. says the company will continue to see issues with handsets and older network equipment in the first two quarters of 2007. "We believe the handset segment continues to be pressured by a weak mix, aggressive pricing, excess inventory and poor execution," the firm writes in a research note. "In addition, there is share loss in the Networks segment (GSM) and weak iDEN prospects."
Like Motorola, however, Merill Lynch is expecting margin improvements in the second half of the year. In part, this will be down to Motorola's plan to cut 3,500 staff in 2007 and 2008. Merill Lynch is also expecting improvements as Motorola upgrades its 3G phone portfolio and improves its supply chain, which should help cash flow. (See Motorola to Cut Handset Staff?.)
One potential fly in the ointment is so-called "activist investor" Carl Icahn, who recently carved out a 1.4 percent stake in Motorola shares and wants the company to up its share-buyback plans and to elect him to its board of directors. Merill Lynch describes Motorola as "hesitant" to implement the billionaire's proposals. (See The Wrath of Icahn.)
"In fact, Devonshire highlighted that Motorola is already deploying its cash effectively by raising its dividend, announcing a massive buyback program in mid-2006, and continuing to make strategic acquisitions," writes the research firm. "Therefore, it is unlikely to undertake a major shift [in] its cap structure, though our work shows this could be accretive to [earnings per share] and the share price."
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung


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UPDATED: Telecom mulls response after Court of Appeal upholds record $12M fine
Aug. 3 (BusinessDesk) - Telecom Corp., the biggest company on the NZX 50 Index, is reviewing the Court of Appeal’s decision affirming a record High Court-imposed fine of $12 million for breaches of competition law through the misuse of market power.
“We are reviewing the decision and considering next steps,” the company said in an emailed statement. “This judgment relates to conduct before sector-specific regulation, more than 10 years ago. Following structural separation (last year), the judgment relates to assets and services that now sit within Chorus.”
The Court of Appeal upheld the fine imposed in the High Court in Auckland in April last year for breaches of section 36 of the Commerce Act. It has the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The court “found that from February 1999 to late 2004 Telecom unlawfully took advantage of its market power to charge downstream competitors disproportionately high prices for wholesale access to its network,” the Commerce Commission said in announcing the decision.
“This prevented competitors from offering retail end-to-end high-speed data transmission services at a competitive price,” it said.
Commission chairman Mark Berry said the fine “sends a strong signal to businesses that taking advantage of market power to prevent rivals from competing effectively is a serious breach of the Commerce Act.”
In its High Court ruling last year, Justice Rodney Hansen said breach of section 36 of the Commerce Act “was the result of a deliberate strategy, apparently sanctioned at the highest levels of Telecom, to price data tails at a level that would preclude price competition between Telecom” and other service providers..
The fine is the highest imposed under the Commerce Act for anti-competitive conduct.
Shares of Telecom fell 1.1 percent to $2.67 and have gained 28 percent this year.


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The U.S. economy was growing at a moderate pace through mid-February despite severe winter storms that had disrupted activity in some regions, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.
The Fed said that six of its 12 regions had reported moderate growth with modest gains seen in most other areas. The Boston district said businesses in its area remained upbeat despite a series of huge snowstorms.
The Fed survey found that consumer spending was up in most districts, travel and tourism was increasing and manufacturing had shown solid gains with aerospace companies in the San Francisco region forecasting a record year.
The information contained in the Fed report, known as the beige book, will be used when the central bank next meets on March 17-18. Economists expect the Fed will not start raising interest rates until June or later.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen delivered the central bank's semiannual economic report to Congress last week and indicated that the Fed is still willing to be "patient" in terms of raising interest rates because of weak wage growth and inflation well below the Fed's 2% target.
The beige book found that wage pressures remained moderate and were largely limited to workers in skilled occupations. The report said prices were either flat or rising only slightly.
Most districts reported increases in overall consumer spending with the Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco districts reporting growth in restaurant sales. Economists regard gains in the number of people eating out as a sign of an improving economy.
The New York and Boston districts reported that harsh winter weather had depressed overall retail sales but Boston and Cleveland reported an increase in sales of winter clothing, rock salt and snow shovels.
Auto sales were up in most districts and home sales increased in most districts although housing construction was mixed with some districts reporting disruptions due to the winter weather.
Oil drilling service firms in Minneapolis and Dallas reported reduced demand, reflecting a drop in drilling activity due to the big plunge in oil prices.
Manufacturing showed gains across the country with auto manufacturing up in the Cleveland, Chicago and St. Louis districts.


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Iconic retailer Saks Fifth Avenue as unveiled plans for a casino at its flagship store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
The New York Post reported that Saks’ parent company Hudson’s Bay Company hopes to convert the department store’s top three floors into a glamorous, James Bond inspired gaming venue.
Richard Baker, Executive Chairman & Chief Executive of Hudson’s Bay, said: “In Monte Carlo they have fancy casinos so why not in Manhattan,” Baker said. “Why should Manhattan have another slobby casino? We need spectacular.”
Hudson’s Bay is a retail and real estate group, not a casino operator, and it will be interesting to learn who the company selects as its operating partner. Obvious candidates such as Las Vegas Sands or Wynn Resorts are already seemingly committed to other New York proposals.


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Jeff Lawson on the Past, Present and Future of Programmable Communications
16 Nov 2017
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An interview with Jeff Lawson, Co-founder and CEO of Twilio on the past, present and future of programmable communications
13 Nov 2017
Vidyo is prepping for 2018 with important announcements around VP9/SVC support and a new alignment of their product line. Here's what it means.
26 Jun 2017
Cisco just closed the doors to Tropo, the CPaaS company it acquired two year ago. What does that say about Cisco, and about the future of CPaaS?


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Prezzo, the Italian restaurant chain, has announced that it will be closing 46 of its loss-making restaurants due to soaring energy and food costs. The restructuring will put approximately 810 jobs at risk. Prezzo says that these closures are part of a broader strategic review, and will focus on sites that have struggled to recover following Covid-19, leaving the company with 97 restaurants and roughly 2,000 staff. The closures will impact some high street sites, but as the company shifts towards better locations, with the aim of catering to changing consumer habits, such as shopping centres, retail parks and tourist destinations, it will help to make the chain’s position more appealing. Staff were informed about the closures on Monday morning, and a consultation process was launched. The company expressed a commitment to redeploying as many staff as possible and to supporting others in finding new opportunities. Increases in utility bills and double-digit wage inflation have also taken a toll on Prezzo. The company’s food inflation has skyrocketed, with a 45-year-high in prices last month, and Prezzo has seen a 40% increase in the cost of spaghetti, a 28% increase for pizza sauce, and a 15% increase in the cost of its dough balls, causing the chain to struggle to remain competitively profitable. Cain International, Prezzo’s current private equity owners, rescued the chain from administration in late 2020, following the heavy impact of the pandemic. This will be Prezzo’s second major round of cuts, as it shut 22 restaurants and cut 216 jobs two years ago.
Is Your Neighborhood Italian Restaurant Affected? Prezzo Plans Shutting Down of 46 Sites.
- 6 May 2023
- 242 Views
Jack Wilson is an experienced finance writer and analyst with a deep understanding of the global economy, stock market, and personal finance. He holds an MBA in Finance and has worked in the industry for over 12 years. Jack's insights and commentary have been featured in various financial publications. In his spare time, he enjoys investing and following the latest market trends.
Are Your Banking Partners Overcharging You?
1 June 2023


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How to adopt best practices to keep customers’ employees safe.
Conducting business during the coronavirus has been challenging across all industries, and micro markets are no exception. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing have altered the marketplace. And micro markets now face stiff competition from online ordering and food delivery.
While operators are well aware of their obligation to provide food that’s safe to eat, helping customers stay safe when they have limited contact with their customers’ employees is a unique challenge. Micro market operators should do what they can to motivate their customers and their employees to be especially vigilant about safety and hygiene.
Operators can make their micro markets an oasis of shopping safety by following these four tips.
1. Maximize the use of contactless payments.
Realizing that cash, like other everyday objects, may transfer the coronavirus, customers are turning to alternative payment methods. Operators should make enabling contactless payments a priority.
Why contactless payments? According to NMI, a white label payment gateway solutions provider, such technologies reduce the spread of germs and infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and decrease the time needed to purchase food and beverages.
2. Post signage to remind employees of safety precautions.
Remind customers’ employees to limit physical contact—both through social distancing and by avoiding touching products that they don’t intend to purchase. While social media campaigns and coronavirus news conferences have made social distancing a familiar term, placing signage within micro markets can further encourage people to maintain 6 feet between them and others. Another helpful step: Post reminders on refrigerators and shelving asking people to touch only the items they plan to purchase.
If you choose to use signs, make sure their messaging is as clear and eye-catching as possible. As Accuform, a facility safety identification materials manufacturer, noted in a white paper that speaks to the value of workplace signage: “Signage is proactive: It alerts and warns workers before hazards are encountered.”
3. Maintain and encourage frequent sanitation.
Additional cleaning measures are required during the coronavirus pandemic. The National Grocers Association recommends placing hand sanitizer stations at micro markets and having frontline employees use personal protective equipment, if these supplies are available.
How you clean has changed, but when you clean may need to change too. For example, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s micro market vendor only restocks the quarantined micro market area when troops are absent.
4. Keep in contact with customers.
Communication about any problems that arise is key in business—especially during a crisis. Customers may have questions about the safety practices you’re implementing, and they may have additional recommendations to increase safety.
For example, some micro market locations may be suitable for audible prompts for employees, such as the audible social distancing reminder tool developed by Indyme. Such technology may be distracting in other office environments, however, so consult each customer about which methods of encouraging safety practices are ideal.
Providing the best customer service—in all circumstances
Remember that taking steps to provide the best customer service, even during this exceedingly stressful time, will build and maintain the trust you share with your customers.
Looking for more ways to satisfy consumers buying from convenience services in these uncertain times?
Find additional strategies here.


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As promised Apple will release the Mac app store 90 days after the “back to Mac” event, and now it seems as if they kept their word, earlier today Apple released an official press release about the Mac App stores release on January 6th.
CUPERTINO, California—December 16, 2010—Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store℠ will open for business on Thursday, January 6. By bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS® X, the Mac App Store makes discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.
We are really looking forward to this release, how about you, drop us a comment.


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Published 4:00 am, Thursday, March 27, 1997
Jobless benefit claims decline Washington The number of Americans lining up to collect unemployment benefits fell by 4,000 to 310,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
California registered the biggest drop in filings - 5,891. It was followed by Pennsylvania, with 2,275; New York, with 1,950; and Ohio, with 1,793.
The four-week moving average of claims, which is considered a better barometer of employment trends because it smoothes out volatility in the weekly numbers, fell to 311,250 from a revised 312,750. (Reuters)
Intel plans to buy back more shares Santa Clara Intel Corp.'s board of directors have approved the repurchase of an additional 30 million shares, increasing its buyback program to 140 million shares.
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In 1990, the world's largest chipmaker announced a program to buy back 110 million shares. As of Thursday, Intel had bought about 92.6 million shares at a cost of $4.6 billion.
Separately, the company said its previously announced 2-for-1 stock split would take place July 13 if shareholders give their approval at the company's annual meeting May 21. (Dow Jones)<


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KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Malaysia Debt Ventures Bhd (MDV) will implement the third phase of moratorium and restructuring of payments for its eligible customers to alleviate the challenges faced due to the implementation of the Full movement control order (FMCO).
In a statement today, it said the relief measures was implemented in keeping with the government’s recent announcement of the People and Economic Strategic Empowerment Programme Plus (Pemerkasa Plus).
“Under Pemerkasa Plus, the government continues to provide incentives that would boost the growth of the nation’s digital economy and ensure business continuity and sustainability for eligible micro small and medium enterprises,” its chairman Khairul Azwan Harun said.
The incentives, he said would subsequently provide them with the means to digitalise their operations by investing in relevant technologies.
“On MDV’s part, the company will further support the initiatives by the government and future growth of the digital economy in line with the Finance Minister’s directive.
“As a technology financier, MDV is proactively playing our part to support corresponding recovery in the technology sector by continuing to implement relief measures for our affected customers during this challenging time,” he said.
In addition, he said, the company has taken other measures to support businesses, including the Liquidity Financing for Technology Start-Ups Facility (LIFTS) in line with the government’s call for the private sector to continue to spur economic activities.
To date, MDV has approved financing totalling RM67.42 million under the LIFTS programme with RM21.26 million being disbursed to 26 companies in various technology sectors. — Bernama


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California's rolling blackouts are beginning to dim the lights at some ad agencies. Executives at FCB Worldwide, San Francisco, received an e-mail March 20 warning them to turn off their computers and prepare for a power outage, which lasted about a hour. An FCB spokeswoman said some employees worked on the phone and others went outside "to enjoy the fresh air for a few minutes." -- Alice Z. Cuneo
Copyright March 2001, Crain Communications Inc.


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- Articles tagged "xq1"
Announced in October, the Fujifilm X-E2 replaces the X-E1 as Fujifilm's more affordable mirrorless system camera option. The XQ1, on the other hand, is Fujifilm's latest advanced point-and-shoot. Read on to find out more details on these two new releases.
- Employee's dedication is the key to Huawei's success today
- Aggressive design the cause of Galaxy Note 7 battery explosions?
- Gigabyte updates its slim Aero 14 notebook with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
- Your solid state drive may get more expensive in the coming months
- LG unleashes new CordZero Handstick and Hom-Bot Square vacuums
- Lonely Planet has a travel app and exclusive watch faces for the Gear S3
- Singtel home broadband customers faced 24 hours of internet outage
- Google is working on a fix for the Pixel's camera freezing issue


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Bromley customer services outsourced to Liberata
Bromley council has given the task of running the department to Liberata, which already runs the council’s revenue and benefits service.
- Source: www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/bromley/10737111.Bromley_Council_s_cust…
- Posted by: False Economy at 1:49pm on 20 November 2013
Does this cut affect you or someone you know?


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“The grocery store — they’ve pretty much stopped work on it,” said Cole Herder, Humboldt city administrator, during Tuesday’s meeting of Allen County Commissioners.
Herder noted that proprietors Scotty and Amy Welch had invested upwards of $20,000 of their own money in the project so far.
One factor, Herder said, was waiting to hear if funding would be available through the Kansas Healthy Food Initiative, an entity that helps, in part, rural areas retain local markets.
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ALSAGER School pupils have been learning about the evils of junk food.
To reinforce the school’s healthy eating programme, visits from the Junk Food Roadshow to Year 7 have underlined just how many dangerous some ingredients are in junk food.
Pupils were shocked to see how much lard they would eat in a month if they had fish and chips three times a week and the amount of sugar, salt and offal there is in a beefburger.
Roadshow presenter Lyndsay Hunter gave positive messages too, showing how important fish is to the diet – it just depends how it’s cooked.
Veronica Whitney, head of food technology said: ‘The problem is that 12-year-olds never think that blocked arteries and heart disease are going to happen to them. The temptation to eat junk food is so powerful that we have to do everything we can to drive the healthy food message home.’


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Leveraged Marketing Corporation of America will now represent Forbes Media as its trademark licensing agency.
LMCA will look to grow the Forbes brand into new categories and geographic markets, and manage and evaluate global licensing opportunities.
"Our licensing initiative is aligned with our overall goal to focus on new brand extensions, business development partnerships and new business models,” says Michael Perlis, president and chief executive officer, Forbes. “As we continue to deliver the quality of the world’s most celebrated financial publishing brand to our readers and enhance our company’s position as the leading voice of the global business community.”
“Forbes is one of the largest and most trusted business media brands in the world,” says Allan Feldman, president and chief executive officer, LMCA. “LMCA is very excited to be working with Forbes. We believe some of the most successful and innovative companies in the world will be interested in partnering with them. With their existing reach of over 40 million business people across print, digital, TV and mobile assets each month, this is a very logical step for Forbes.”


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Katy Perry announced the launch of her new record label, “Metamorphosis Music,” a joint venture with Capitol Records. She Tweeted:
I am so ECSTATIC to finally announce my NEW label Metamorphosis Music & my first signing, the incredibly talented & soulful FERRAS! @ferras
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) June 17, 2014
She went on to call Ferras “a man with a message” and “an important artist” in a press release.
“Her instincts are really on point,” Ferras said about Katy. “She is very blunt and doesn’t sugar-coat things, which I appreciate. Also, she gave me the freedom to do what I wanted musically and was a natural partner.”
Ferras released his five-song, self-titled EP on iTunes today, including the lead single “Legends Never Die” with Katy Perry.
You can listen to that here:
Five bucks says artists fronting their own record label umbrellaed under a bigger record label becomes the new Beyonce album drop.


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An unconfirmed Google update a leap forward in natural language search from Microsoft and a host of other news in this (late again, sorry) week in search
In a shocking announcement of stunning clarity – Google’s statement on update rumours goes as follows:
“We do updates all the time.”
Posted on Monday (but I only spotted it today), Microsoft’s announcement on deep learning and Natural Language Generation is pretty impressive. The efficacy it is reporting is incredibly promising for things such as voice search as well as, obviously, natural language search. While I haven’t had a chance to look in to it yet, it would be interesting to see how/if/when they intend to introduce this to Cortana. The Microsoft digital assistant performs consistently well against competition, but this could potentially make a big difference.
In good news for B2B sales, there’s been an update to LinkedIn to provide better integration with Salesforce. The update, covered by Marketing Land will no doubt please countless dependent on the platforms.
Search Console Update
Search Engine Land featured an article on a new update to Google Search Console. The new features – which include a new performance report for rich results – aim to give webmasters better oversight of rich result performance.
IAB Annual Meeting
A PR features on the IAB site following their 2020 Annual Meeting that details their response to the peculiarities of the current era in data privacy (with similar percentages of surveyed individuals stating that they want a personalised experience and are concerned with data privacy). Seemingly provoked by the news of Google’s imminent third party cookie cull, the IAB seems bullish in the PR, with one of the featured quotations stating:
“The cookie’s death can lead to a better future for digital media globally. It’s an opportunity to change the practices, controls, and value surrounding personal data to favor consumers. IAB and IAB Tech Lab have already been hard at work, engaging our members to define practical solutions,” said Dennis Buchheim, EVP and General Manager, IAB Tech Lab. “In the coming year, Tech Lab will undertake one of its most comprehensive initiatives to create technical standards, guidelines, and potentially a compliance program to support members – and consumers.”
The latest AR purchase by Facebook was reported on TechCrunch. Because Facebook are in no way potentially evil super-villains that will one day force us to mine component minerals to upgrade Mark Zucherberg’s latest giant robotic skeleton over which he will stretch his skin suit, they were happy to provide the following quote to TechCrunch:
“We acquire smaller tech companies from time to time. We don’t always discuss our plans.”
However, despite such an elucidating response, there are questions as to the potential use of the software company Scape Technologies which works on computer vision. While it may be something as simple as the social media Billionaire needing to update his ocular software, there are plenty of potential uses in both AR and (with Occulous Rift in mind) VR that could present themselves which, combined with 5G, could mean that both AR and VR may become a lot more common much sooner than expected.
There were big reports over the weekend of pretty intense fluctuations across virtually all monitoring widgets – covered here on Search Engine Land – which has resulted in a swathe of ‘we lost’, ‘we gained’ posts. While there will obviously be people worried – large scale fluctuations were an inevitable following the introduction of BERT as Google refines its ability to ‘read’ both queries and users. While it may turn out otherwise (there has been no word from Google to confirm or deny as yet), the ever sensible Marie Haynes (quoted in the linked article) has the right approach:
The algo checker tools are mostly showing big spikes over the w/e. Spot checking, we have a few clients with small gains, but most are showing no obvious change from regular traffic levels.
We’ll keep watching, & report in newsletter if it does look like a significant update. pic.twitter.com/gK5V4Hf33K
— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) February 10, 2020
Custom CSS limit increased by 50%
With AMP uptake not what one might have expected from something which has had the full weight of Google hurled behind it, I wonder whether the news featured in SERoundtable that the AMP team is increasing the CSS limit from 50kb to 75kb may be something to ease the concerns of developers unimpressed by the sparse appearance of AMP content. Either way, the change should be in place by the end of February.
AWR have released an analysis of CTR in December 2019 (versus November 2019). As the piece doesn’t state if it’s using relative difference or absolutes, it’s difficult to judge the analysis as to how much they should concern people; however, it does demonstrate that CTRs dropped across most verticals at the end of 2019. It’s also difficult to judge the piece as the data comes before the BERT roll out, and (potentially) two updates. It will certainly be something I’ll keep my eye out for in future, though.
Keep up to date (mostly) with the latest search marketing news by subscribing to our newsletter, or check out our (thankfully less time sensitive) resources for actionable insight. Or contact us to see what we can do for your brand.


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Samsung is struggling under the budget to mid-range smartphone segment from few years due to stiff competition from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Honor etc in India. So now Samsung has already started working on the new mid-range smartphone which was earlier rumored to merge with J-series and On series with the M-series.
Earlier we got the live image showing the front panel of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M20. Further, we also got news about the Galaxy M10 & Galaxy M20 hit mass production in India. Now the same source has further revealed a few more details about the new Galaxy M10 & Galaxy M20.
As per the source, the new Samsung Galaxy M10 is expected to price under Rs.10000/- & Galaxy M20 will be priced under Rs.15,000/- in India. The source also claims that Samsung will price the device aggressively in India to give tough competition to some of the Chinese brands and will plan to sell the devices via online stores.


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Welcome to Lootbox - a weekly newsletter covering the business side of video games.
What's in this Lootbox?
- ⚽ EA Loses FIFA
- 📱 Shoot Your Shot on Mobile
- ✊ That’s So Raven
- 📷 Meme
⚽ EA Loses FIFA
After 30 years EA & FIFA are ending their partnership. Reports suggest FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA branded EA Sports soccer (football?) title released. Future titles will be published under a new brand EA Sports FC.
It’s rumored that FIFA was asking EA to double their $150 million licensing fee.
EA’s FY22 earnings report showed there was more than 150 million EA Sports FIFA accounts, and their FIFA Mobile title saw 80% growth YoY. FIFA 22 was also 1 of 12 EA titles that generated more than $100M in revenue in FY22.
📱 ShootYour Shot on Mobile
A few weeks ago Fortnite sneakily made its way back to mobile devices through a partnership with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
2 weeks ago EA released Apex Legends Mobile, the mobile version of their PC/console mega hit that has generated more than $100M (probably a lot more) in FY22 according to EA’s earnings release (and reportedly more than $2B since launch in 2019).
Riot is currently aggressively hiring for the mobile version of their smash hit competitive FPS VALORANT.
After the massive disappointment of Battlefield 2042 last November, EA’s Battlefield franchise is already prepping the release of a mobile version of Battlefield.
Mobile gaming is huge. $93.2B huge and growing at +7.3% YoY.
Honestly the best part of the chart above is that browser PC games are still going strong at $2.6B.
Mobile gaming has largely been dominated by non-Shooter genres, but with the success of PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile… publishers are ready to expand their IP into a hot medium.
✊ That’s So Raven
Last week Raven Software (Quality Assurance for Call of Duty: Warzone) voted to unionize.
It didn’t take long to count the vote with just a 30 person organization, but guess who owns Raven Software and now gets to negotiate with what is now called the Game Workers Alliance? Activision Blizzard 😂
Why is that funny? Microsoft is currently in the process of closing their $68.7B acquisition, and a new union certainly wouldn’t make it any easier. This is the very first union under Activision Blizzard.
QA is important to any industry, but game development specifically can be extremely demanding.
This could set the stage for a wave of new union efforts in the video game industry.
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Go checkout last week’s Lootbox here
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Thanks for Reading :)
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Shares of Bloomin' Brands (NASDAQ:BLMN) made their public debut on Wednesday. Shares of the restaurant operator ended their first day up 13% at $12.41 per share.
The public offering
Bloomin' Brands, the owner and operator of 1,247 restaurants and 195 franchises and/or joint ventures, sold 16.0 million shares for $11.00 a piece. The firm sold 13 million shares in the offering, with selling shareholders selling another 3 million shares. Bloomin' raised $143 million in gross proceeds in the offering process. Based on the offer price of $11, the firm is valued at $1.29 billion.
The offering is quite a disappointment. Initially the firm and its bankers set an offer price range of $13-$15 per share. Furthermore the firm and selling shareholders planned to sell a total of 21.4 million shares, split equally. In total, the firm sold about 14% of its shares outstanding. At Wednesday's closing price of $12.41, the firm is valued at $1.46 billion. Major banks which brought the company public were Morgan Stanley, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank.
Bloomin' Brands operates in almost all US states and 21 countries in total. It has five concepts: Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill and Wine Bar and Roy's. The company's Fleming's brand is the fourth largest fine dining steakhouse in the US, according to the company's filing.
The company reported annual revenues of $3.8 billion for its annual year of 2011, up 5.8% on the year before. The company reported a net profit of $100.0 million, compared to $53.0 million in 2010. Earnings per share came in at $0.94 per fully diluted share.
For the first three months of 2012 the company generated quarterly revenues of $1.05 billion, up 5.4% compared to 2011. Growth was driven by a solid 5.2% growth in comparable restaurant sales. Profits fell from $54.9 million to $50.0 million, or $0.47 per diluted share. Based on preliminary data, the company estimates second quarter revenues at $980.9 million, up 2.7% compared to last year. Net income is estimated at $15.5-$17.5 million, compared to $14.0 million in the period last year.
The company operates with $335 million in cash and equivalents and roughly $1.82 billion in various kinds of debt, as of March 31. The firm will use cash and its gross proceeds of $143 million from the offering to retire $248.1 million of senior notes outstanding. The notes carry a relatively high interest rate of 10%. Pro forma, the company has a net debt position of roughly $1.4 billion.
Based on a rough annual revenue estimate of $4.0 billion for 2012, the market values Bloomin' at 0.3 times annual revenues. The company might report annual earnings north of $100 million for a valuation of 13 times annual earnings.
Bloomin's public offering was quite a disappointment. The public offering took place at a price of $11, revised downwards from an initial price range of $13-$15 per share. Especially selling shareholders are not excited as they could only sell 3 million shares in the process, down from a planned 10.7 million. The smaller offering at a discount, did however boost demand and shares showed a nice first day gain on Wednesday.
Recently, many restaurant firms have gone public. Del Frisco's Restaurant Group (DFRG) went public almost two weeks ago, trading roughly flat. Mexican restaurant operator Chuy (CHUY) went public the same week in a very successful offering.
Bloomin' Brands seem to trade around a fair value after the offering price got lowered. The firm trades at mere 0.3 times annual revenues and 13 times 2011's annual earnings. Earnings are expected to rise as the company can retire its roughly $250 million senior notes outstanding, which carry an expensive 10% interest rate. Furthermore the firm is reporting small revenue growth compared to 2011, although growth was slowing down in the second quarter.
Investors might be scared off to invest in the restaurant industry. Recently firms like McDonald's (MCD) and Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) warned for disappointing same stores sales growth. Furthermore Bloomin' Brands carries a relatively high level of debt.
Despite the short term headwinds, long term investors can find value in Bloomin' Brands offering at the discount.
Disclosure: I am short CMG.


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Fitness Center’s Boot Camp: Lost pounds add up for charity
By JIM LANARAS / Windsor Correspondent
The regular Saturday “boot camp” at the Structure U fitness center in the Town Green started as usual at 8 a.m. on the first Saturday of the new year. On that day, however, the five members — four of them women–were there to help owner and personal trainer Matt Lesley raise money for the nonprofit, volunteer-staffed Windsor Service Alliance, which has served the needy in Windsor since 1989.
Structure U is donating $10 for every hour its members spend at the boot camps on the four Saturdays in January.
“It’s $40 for four hours of your life. Our goal is to raise $1,500,” Lesley said.
Structure U raised $575 for the Windsor Service Alliance last year and $800 in 2010, its first year in Windsor.
“They are a wonderfully supportive group of loving individuals,” Lesley said. He is quick to credit his wife Dawn for their business’s fundraising endeavors.
“She’s the creative one. I’m here to make them miserable,” he jests as he directs the exercise regimen in the 1,500-square-foot facility at 555 David Clayton Lane.
Structure U, which also has a location in Sonoma, provides one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer. Membership in Windsor ranges between 60 and 90, with boot camp attendance averaging 12.
“We opened the business in a down economy with the aspiration to succeed,” Lesley said. “We were profitable in two months and want to give something back to the community.”
The Alliance provides a weekly food pantry on Fridays, one-time financial aid to help pay a family’s seriously delinquent water bill, Christmas food baskets, a backpack giveaway to elementary school students, a community garden and holds a food collection drive in May in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service.
Barbara Brown, the Alliance board member who runs the food pantry, said 150 families in Windsor currently receive food. She said the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive in May collects 1,800 to 2,500 pounds of food.
The Winter Wine Walk in December, at which participants sampled wine and food at more than two dozen shops and restaurants on the Town Green, again sold 200 tickets at $35 each, donating the money to the local food bank.
“The only issue was it was pouring rain,” Brown said. “But the need doesn’t end with the holidays when we get the majority of our donations.”
At Structure U, this month’s boot camps focus on shedding those Christmas pounds while raising money for a good cause. Personal trainer Tony Madrigal said watching members work to get in shape and keep the weight off is satisfying and empowering. “Everyone has a common goal to be more fit,” he said. “You have to change your frame of mind. Fitness is not just about lifting weights. It’s flexibility and balance.”
Members Tina Felly and her husband Ron of Santa Rosa, were at the Jan. 5 boot camp. “We like to support Windsor. It’s a great community, and we get an extra workout with good friends,” she said. She works out three times a week at Structure U and adheres to what she calls a “paleo or caveman diet” of meat, fruits, vegetables, seeds and eggs.
“I lost 150 pounds in two years,” she said, attributing 60 of those lost pounds to her diet. “I cut out sugars, grains and dairy. I don’t eat anything processed, just whole foods.” Her goal is to weigh 220 pounds.
Her husband Ron has lost 40 pounds.
After the hour-long work out that included pushups, leg lunges, sprints around the parking lot and other body weight work, Lesley was ready for the next group of members who filed in and claimed stationary bicycles. It was clear that combining fitness and fundraising suited him.
“I’m blessed. I get to do what I like to do,” he said.
For more information about Structure U and the fundraiser, visit structureu.com or call 837-5244.


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Nasuni, which this week said its third-quarter bookings grew 250 percent over last year's third quarter and that 100 percent of its enterprise customers renewed contracts, uses a channel-only model to reach customers.
One of its newest channel partners, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Thin Client Computing, is talking to its virtual desktop and thin-client customers about how Nasuni fits in their infrastructure.
Steve Greenberg, founder and principal architect for Thin Client Computing, said his company has yet to sign a Nasuni deal with customers, but he expects such deals to be closed soon.
"The sweet spot is customers with multiple locations," Greenberg said. "They can save a lot of cost in terms of storage footprint and collaboration tools. Just the idea of having a folder via Nasuni where people can share files is big."
Greenberg said Nasuni has made it clear there are two types of storage, including primary storage such as databases, emails and SharePoint, where performance is important, and general-user data, files and folders, which can be replicated to the cloud and made available for sharing and remote access.
As a result, Greenberg said he has overcome his reluctance to embrace cloud storage.
"I'm a server hugger," he said. "I believe a customer should keep control of its assets. But Nasuni is changing my view."


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SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The home appliances industry showed poor performance in the third quarter this year due to a drop in demand. The rental market, which had been seeing exponential growth, has also taken a hit.
Coway Co. reported 968 billion won in sales (US$733 million) and 165 billion won in operating profits, slight increases of 3.8 percent and 0.8 percent from last year.
SK Magic Co. generated 260 billion won in sales and 5.3 billion won in operating profits, decreases of 5.7 percent and 77.1 percent, respectively, from last year.
It is common for rental customers to engage in a yearly subscription, which slows down the rental industry from being exposed to the impact of an economic downturn.
Even so, the rental industry, too, is starting to feel the impacts of the economic slump.
The home appliance market has been stagnating this year. For six consecutive months from March to September, the market has seen poorer performance than last year.
“Home appliances won’t be able to evade the stagnating demand unless it is an absolutely essential product,” an industry source said. “We expect worse in the fourth quarter and next year.”
Ashley Song (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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- Klement and Linda Camaj, two Americans, temporarily moved to Kuwait on March 8.
- In early May, the country announced a 24-hour coronavirus curfew, only allowing residents with identification out to grocery shop by appointment.
- They said flights back home were prohibitively expensive, and the US embassy couldn't help.
- The two are now planning to travel to Europe before figuring out how to get home.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When Kuwait announced earlier this month that it was implementing a 24-hour lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus, residents flocked to grocery stores by the thousands.
People stood in lines — some blocks long — in heat that exceeded 90 degrees, according to Klement and Linda Camaj, two Americans visiting Kuwait.
Because the announcement fell during Ramadan, when Muslims traditionally fast from sunrise to sunset, some people waiting in the heat fainted, Linda Camaj told Business Insider.
"It was by far the most surreal thing I've ever experienced," said Linda, who said she waited in line on May 9 for six hours with her husband.
"I honestly thought the line was for something else," Klement said in the phone interview. "We saw a handful of people pass out, completely passed out ... You have to take into consideration that they are fasting and they can't drink water. They can't eat."
The Camajs traveled to Kuwait City on March 8 as tourists, according to visas viewed by Business Insider. After they had already arrived in the country, they started working for the Berlin-based think tank A Path for Europe, they told Business Insider.
While news of the coronavirus had already been spreading at the time they boarded their flight to Kuwait, the couple thought at the time that the country may be spared from the kind of outbreaks other countries were experiencing.
They were wrong. By the time they realised they were essentially trapped, there were no available flights out. And with no local ID, they were at the back of the line for food.
As the situation got worse and the 24-hour curfew was announced the second week of May, the couple tried to stock up on groceries.
Despite waiting in lines for hours for two days before the lockdown went into effect, the stores closed before they made it inside.
Kuwait now allows residents to go grocery shopping by appointment. Prior to this article first being published on Friday, those without resident IDs — like the Camajs — were unable to make appointments.
Realizing that delivery would be nearly impossible with such high demand, they attempted to book a flight home, but the cheapest tickets they could initially find were for $5,000 each, they said.
In April, the US embassy sent a series of email alerts to US travelers in Kuwait letting them know of options for leaving the country.
The alerts, viewed by Business Insider, included curfew information and possible departing flights available through several airlines.
Unable to pay for the cost for available flights, and feeling out of options, the Camajs reached out to the US embassy in Kuwait by phone and email, hoping that they could provide the couple with documentation so they could leave the house to get food and drinking water.
The embassy representative asked them whether they had running water and internet, which they do, and then told them that they can either stick it out and wait for more delivery times to be added or pay for the flights home, according to an email viewed by Business Insider. Several phone calls went the same way, they told Business Insider.
The couple was shocked by the government's response and the prohibitively expensive direct flights to the US.
"Am I going to fry the WiFi router and eat it?" Klement told Business Insider.
"We would love to be able to go back to New York, we would love to," Linda said. "But we don't have $10,000."
On Monday, May 18, three days after this story was initially published on Friday, the US embassy issued a notice that American citizens in the country on a tourist visa are now able to book appointments online at www.moci.shop by entering their entry visa number in the civil ID fields.
The couple survived on chips and marshmallows for a day before a friend stepped up to help
After arriving home from two grocery stores on May 9 and 10, sweaty and empty-handed, the couple found snacks around the home to eat.
The 20-day total lockdown is planned to last through May 30, according to Reuters.
"On Monday, we shared a bottle of water, and marshmallows, and chips," Klement told Business Insider.
On Tuesday, a friend who lives nearby was able to get an appointment to go shopping and picked up a few items for the couple.
They didn't want to ask their friend to help because, at some grocery stores, shoppers were limited to 30 items per purchase, so anything their friend bought on their behalf would be one less item for his family, Klement said.
People were also only allowed to shop once every six days, according to a US embassy notice.
The Camajs said that they realize that there are people in the world, including the United States and Kuwait, that are in far worse situations than they are during this pandemic.
While they are uncomfortable, they have been able to make it work, they said.
More than anything, the couple is frustrated with the lack of response from the US Department of State.
Klement said that when a friend from Britain, who is also in Kuwait, found herself in a similar situation her embassy sent groceries to the door.
He wasn't expecting that kind of help from the US State Department, but was hoping that he could be provided with a document that allowed them to leave the apartment to buy food.
The US Department of State didn't immediately return a Business Insider message seeking comment.
"I'm not asking for charity, just give me some sort of paper that lets me buy some food," Klement told Business Insider. "I truly believe the role of my government is safeguarding its citizens."
Linda and Klement Camaj are continuing to look for flights home
As the total lockdown continues, the couple is continuing to try to order groceries online.
The Kuwaiti government allows people to leave the house to walk between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., but the streets have been crowded. Many people have been out without masks, which is in violation of the lockdown, Linda said, leaving the couple feeling too unsafe to leave their homes.
Last week Kuwait's Ministry of Health reported that it had registered its first three-digit jump in cases over 24 hours. On Thursday, an additional 947 positive coronavirus cases had been detected over a one day period, bringing the total in the country to 11,975, Al-Monitor reported.
Prior to the lockdown, the cases were in the 7,000 range, Klement said.
The couple feels that the rush to grocery stores over May 9 and 10 are responsible for the uptick.
The couple is beginning to give up trying to go straight home. Instead, they're looking at flights to Sweden or the Netherlands, where they have family. From there, they will look for flights to the US.
The couple said that after unsuccessful talks with the US embassy, they reached out to the Swedish and Dutch embassy. Neither one of them are citizens there, but found the people the reached on the phone to be more helpful to them in terms of offering advice.
"On the other hand, you have the world's greatest superpower that says 'sorry sir there's nothing I can do for you,'" Klement said, referring to the US. "I felt like I was calling Verizon."
This article has been updated.
Clarification: This story initially said that grocery stores were limiting purchases to 30 items. That limit applied to a specific delivery service that the Camajs attempted to place an order with earlier this month, not all grocery stores.