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According to Apple Insider (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/11/non_exclusive_apple_verizon_deal_could_allow_iphone_on_sprint_t_mobile.html), because Apple has a non-restrictive agreement with Verizon, it is possible that similar agreements could be struck with Sprint and T-Mobile. The Verizon iPhone uses the CDMA network, which is popular all around the world, making this a potential boon for an already successful Apple.
Verizon iPhone can act as mobile wi-fi hotspot
Unlike AT&T iPhones, Verizon iPhones can act as mobile WiFi hotspots like Sprint’s EVO 4G. And if Sprint does that now, bets are good it will work on the Sprint iPhone as well.


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On Tuesday, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that Croatia will adopt the euro at an exchange rate of 1 euro for 7.53450 Croatian kunas from January 1, 2023.
Russia Expands Its 'Unfriendly Nations' List
"The prices of goods and services will be indicated in euros and kunas until Dec. 31, 2023", ECB warned, recalling that Croatia has been a member of the European Union (EU) since 2013.
The European monetary authorities recommended that the exchange rate appear clearly and visibly on price tags because "this measure is essential for consumer protection."
Both euro banknotes and coins and kuna banknotes and coins will be accepted as a means of payment for a period of two weeks after the introduction of the euro.
Kuna bills and coins can be exchanged free of charge until Dec. 31, 2023, up to a maximum of 100 kuna bills and 100 coins per transaction.
"Banks will be able to charge a commission for exchanging a larger number of banknotes or coins," the ECB said, adding that currency exchange can be done at post offices, commercial banks and the Finance Agency (FINA).
Kuna banknotes can also be exchanged free of charge at other national central banks in the euro area up to Feb. 28, 2023 at the fixed conversion rate and for a maximum amount of 8,000 kuna per person, transaction, and day.
"Price increases linked to currency exchange are prohibited," the ECB said, warning that "if a company violates this prohibition, consumers can report the unjustified price increase to the authorities."

domain: news


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Meet Jon Olsson’s new RS6 for Gumball 2015, an engine producing over 900 HP with 18 karat gold anodized turbo chargers on a DTM widebody Audi RS6 has set the new standard. Team Betsafe’s Swedish freeskiing legend Jon Olsson is famous for owning some of the most extravagant cars in the world. This time around Jon has built a machine that takes a strong claim to the title of the world’s meanest station wagon, the Audi RS6 DTM.
“I have always loved the crazy widebody style of DTM cars and it’s been a dream to build a similar car for the road, but I also need a car that has enough space to carry all my ski gear to the slopes, so the decision was made to see what we could do with an Audi RS6″, says Jon Olsson.
Special 4X4 carbon fibre was not spared when building the car body, designed together with former Koenigsegg Chief Engineer Leif Tufvesson. Stertman Motorsport built up the extreme performance with only the best components from STM, Intrax, Movit and Milltek Sport.
The engine is now equipped with custom 18 karat gold anodized TTE9XX turbo chargers from The Turbo Engineers and the car is expected to reach up to 950 HP, possibly even break the 1000 HP mark with some race fuel! Jon will drive this car for Team Betsafe in the Gumball 3000 Rally 2015 starting from Stockholm on Saturday 23rd of May, 2015.
Follow Betsafe on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more Gumball 3000 updates including the first look of the Audi RS6 DTM in action!


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Don't get us wrong, we love the iconic highlighting technique, but if you're looking to shake things up a little this summer (without going as far as rose gold or rainbow hair), the 'mallen streak' could satisfy your sunkissed hair cravings.
The new highlighting trend has been inspired by people with a condition called poliosis and is all about celebrating individuality.
Sam Burnett, Owner & Creative Director of Hare & Bone, gives us the low down...
What is a mallen streak?
"It is when melanin (pigment) is not produced in a cluster of the hair, and therefore appears as a white or lighter streak," says Sam. "This can also be found in eyebrows, eyelashes and facial hair."
From hair condition to highlighting trend
Those with natural mallen streaks have a condition called poliosis, which while harmless in itself, can be a signal of other health disorders (such as thyroid disorders or inflammation conditions).
Mallen streaks can be dyed over if desired, but lately many are choosing to keep the look or even enhance it further with highlighting.
"We've seen a celebration of individuality in fashion of late, with models like Winnie Harlow not only celebrated for her modelling talent but also for her individual look, which in Winnie's case is caused by the skin condition vitiligo", says Sam.
"I feel this has started to also impact people in terms of the individuality of their hair. Instead of people covering up something like a mallen streak to conform with trends of old, people feel they can be braver and show off their individuality, and in turn, empower people to embrace what they have been gifted with."
How people are wearing the mallen streak
Natural mallen streaks can appear anywhere in the hair, and the same unique placement is now being produced in salon for those who want a bespoke look.
"It’s a similar concept to highlighting, but instead of a small localised area it’s a bigger section of hair", says Sam. "It will also be toned similar to a highlight but this toner will help to remove and mask any unwanted pigment leaving the hair white similar to a mallen streak."
We've so far spotted the colour trend in pairs (with two streaks framing either side of the face), a solo side-fringe streak, and even the full-on Cruella De Vil half 'n' half.
Whether it's God-given or bleached, we love that this unique hair condition is being celebrated by all.


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NEW DELHI: The country's largest two wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp plans to deliver two-wheelers to its customers at their doorstep, at a nominal charge.
The company has already initiated the service in three cities -- Mumbai, Bengaluru and Noida -- and now plans to expand this programme in 25 cities over the next few months in a phased manner.
"We continuously invest in developing innovative processes and business models to ensure our customers get the best in class experience. Our new initiative will raise the bar for customer experience in the two-wheeler category," Hero MotoCorp Head of Sales, Aftersales & Parts Business Sanjay Bhan told PTI.
As the youth of today increasingly look for value-added services in every purchase that they make, brands have to step-up their strategic thinking to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving market environment, he added.
"We have been the first-mover in the e-commerce space and we are continuing this trend by commencing this new service. The motorcycle or scooter can be delivered at any address of customer choice, not just at your home," Bhan said.
Hero MotoCorp, which sells one out of every two motorcycles sold in the country, has come up with a portal where customers can go and book home delivery of their vehicle at a nominal charge of Rs 349.
As part of the plan, called the "Big Leap" internally, the maker of the Innova and Fortuner has shut its India facility for over a month starting Christmas to recast it for higher output and make way for the production of a mainstream SUV (codenamed D22) to challenge Hyundai Creta and a multipurpose vehicle (codenamed 560B).


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A collection of news and information related to Staten Island (New York City) published by this site and its partners.
Displaying items 1-12 of 272 » View centralkynews.com items only1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11-23 Next >
Catherine Heika Springstead, of Barnegat, N.J. passed away on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013. Mrs. Springstead was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and lived in Staten Island, N.Y., before moving to Manahawkin in 1960. She was a very proud pharmacy technician for 33 years...
Tags: Brooklyn (New York City)
Lehigh County's Board of Commissioners is expected to vote next week on whether to allow tax increment financing for a Costco-anchored shopping center in Lower Macungie Township. The commissioners will be considering the TIF-related bill at their 7:30...
East Penn school directors have agreed to give up future property tax dollars from a proposed $140 million Costco-anchored shopping center in Lower Macungie Township to help make the tax- and job-generating development happen. The school board, with a...
East Penn school directors will discuss the tax increment financing proposal for the Hamilton Crossings shopping center in Lower Macungie during their 7:30 p.m. meeting on Monday, May 13. The proposed shopping center calls for a Costco, Target and...
NEW YORK — It has been six months since Donna Graziano packed a barbecue into her car, drove 15 miles from her Brooklyn home to Staten Island, and began cooking for residents of a neighborhood ravaged by Superstorm Sandy. Her one-woman effort in a...
Mark Tercek had some horribly awkward moments after he left Goldman Sachs to run a U.S. environmental charity, the Nature Conservancy. At one of his first big staff meetings, he committed a total eco no-no by drinking from a plastic water bottle. When...
Channel Guide MagazineJersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino hosts MTV's The Show With Vinny (premiering Thursday, May 2, at 10pm ET/PT), a new conversational interview show from his family home in Staten Island, N.Y. With no studio or audience, celebrity guests enjoy...
NEW YORK -- There are many things to protest against in the world, and people rallying against a fair number of them took to one of New York’s iconic squares on May Day as part of nationwide rallies in celebration of the traditional workers holiday....
Newspaper circulation numbers released Tuesday show The Morning Call, the Lehigh Valley's largest news organization, had a sharp drop in daily circulation, which the newspaper attributes to subscription price increases in 2012 and a decrease in e-editions...
A developer who wants to bring a $140 million Costco-anchored shopping center to Lower Macungie Township suggested Wednesday night that 63 acres between Hamilton Boulevard and the Route 222 Bypass may present the only opportunity for the Lehigh Valley...
For the first time since before the Civil War era, a daily newspaper will no longer be printed in Easton. The Express-Times is eliminating its production department and will move its printing operations to Staten Island, N.Y., the Easton newspaper...
Developers looking to bring a Costco-anchored shopping center to Lower Macungie would be able to put half of the center's property taxes over 20 years toward the project's costs as part of a tax increment financing plan. The Lehigh County Industrial...
Jan 14, 2013 |Story| Winchester Sun
May 15, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
May 13, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
May 7, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
May 6, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2013 | Zap2It
May 1, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
Apr 30, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
Apr 25, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
Apr 24, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
Apr 23, 2013 |Story| Allentown Morning Call
Original site for Staten Island (New York City) topic gallery.


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The Wareham, Massachusetts fire department was called to battle an electric vehicle fire on August 5th, at about 4:15 A.M. According to reports from the fire department and owner, it looks as if the fire started spontaneously. The owner and fire department say the vehicle was not running and was not being charged when the fire began. It was parked outside.
Wareham FD reports, “The first arriving crews encountered an electric car on fire in the driveway with multiple exposure issues. After knocking down the initial fire, firefighters continued to wet the vehicle down, and approximately 30 minutes later, the fire again flared up. Firefighters remained on the scene for about three hours using over 11,000 gallons of water to ensure the fire was extinguished.”
Incident Commander Chief John Kelley of Wareham FD said, "If this vehicle had been parked in a garage, the results could have been disastrous. Additionally, electric vehicle fires are difficult to fight and present unique challenges.” Chief Kelly told WCVB News, “We had to control the hazard we had there and try to cool off the batteries…we did use (that) that morning."
The owner of the vehicle told reporters, “It sounded like a big poof. And he looked to the window, and he saw the smoke.” The owner reports that she had been leasing the 2021 Bolt for three years and that she had taken the vehicle to have the battery-fire recall work performed, however, she reports "...they had no batteries to give us. So, we were waiting."
Electric vehicle advocacy publication Elektrek recently reported that GM has stopped doing battery swaps. Instead, a software fix would be used in place of the full battery replacement performed on thousands of other Bolts.
By all appearances, the Chevrolet Bolt is still suffering from a battery issue at this time. In related news, GM’s GMC Hummer EV, as well as the Cadillac Lyric, have also been recalled due to battery problems. Unless we missed an EV, it seems that every General Motors electric vehicle on sale today has batteries with defects necessitating a recall.
For images of the Bolt mentioned in this story on fire, please try this link which takes you directly to the Wareham FD Facebook page. Torque News has opted not to sensationalize this story by showing images of the fire, or offering any personal opinions on the facts as we know them. Image of Gen 1 Bolt courtesy of GM media support. You can read the WCVB news story at this link.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.


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American rapper, Kanye West’s wife, Bianca Censori, has caused a buzz on the internet after she modeled a new Yeezy fashion line which left very little to the imagination.
Bianca, an Australian entrepreneur and architect, was originally hired as Yeezy’s architectural designer in 2020 before she tied the knot with Yeezy founder, Kanye West, in a private ceremony in January 2023.
In the photos posted on Instagram by the Nigerian-born designer of the outfit, Bianca wore a daring and revealing outfit which literally showed off all her assets.
She used a black square fabric to cover her boobs while a black cross was used to cover her butt crack, and a black landing strip was used to cover her vagina. Bianca also wore a thigh-high black boots/leggings to complement the outfit.
The bold and revealing outfit may not appeal to everyone, but Bianca’s decision to go almost naked to model it showcases her confidence.
In 2020, Mowalola Ogunlesi joined Kanye West’s Yeezy Gap brand as the design director and has previously styled outfits for the rapper, his former wife Kim Kardashian, and their eldest daughter North.
Although West ended his contract with Gap in 2022, it appears that the two designers have resumed their collaboration once again.
See more photos below,


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It has been revealed in a recent report that with the use of an all new anti-blindness mode of treatment, the NHS might soon be able to save a lot of money. Avastin is the name of the drug and it is a cost effective mode of treatment that can help people in staving off the risk of the disease in the time to come. This might be able to save about £84m a year for the NHS.
For now the drug Lucentis is being used by the NHS for preventing blindness in people, and this costs £700 per shot which is must costlier than the £60 per shot. This is why there is need for a more ideal mode of treatment to be developed for the prevention of blindness in the time to come.
This shall work for the benefit of the patients as well as the NHS. There is need for efforts to be made for the effective cost cutting as well as treating the disease effectively.
“The trials cannot provide definitive safety information and the overall question of the safety of Avastin is, unfortunately, not answered to everyone’s satisfaction by these trials”, said a spokesman for the Macular Disease Society.
- Pressure Mounts to Introduce Meningitis Jabs for Irish Babies
- Sony confirms ‘KitKat’ update for Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact and Xperia Z Ultra; more devices to follow soon
- Samsung announces its first curved Ultra HD displays
- Zuckerberg, Musk, and Kutcher investing $400 million in AI startup Vicarious
- Amazon reportedly set to launch its own video-streaming device in April


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Honda Rebel 500
Kia Sonet Kia QYI
2020 Hyundai i20
Royal Enfield Meteor 350
More Than 77,000 Honda City, Amaze, WR-V & Others to Get New Fuel Pumps
19/04/2021 - 15:00
Honda Cars India have issued a preventive recall for nearly 78,000 cars in India in order to change a faulty fuel pump. The Japanese carmaker has launched a service campaign to replace fuel pumps in..
2023 Honda CR-V Rendered on Basis of Recent Spy Shots – Check Here
05/03/2021 - 19:30
Honda CR-V is currently on sale in its fifth-generation rendition across the globe. Sadly, the SUV has started to show off its age now, but interestingly, the Japanese carmaker is on its toes to..
Honda Civic and CR-V Discontinued In India With Greater Noida Plant Closure
23/12/2020 - 19:00
The Honda Civic and the CR-V have been discontinued from the Japanese carmaker's lineup in India. This development comes about due to Honda 's decision to shut manufacturing operations at their plant..
Honda CR-V Special Edition launched, features several cosmetic updates
28/10/2020 - 12:00
To celebrate the festive season in the country, Honda Cars India has launched the CR-V Special Edition. The new model of the Japanese company’s flagship SUV in India has been priced at INR 29.49..
Honda Virtual Showroom initiative to enhance online car buying experience
24/09/2020 - 12:45
Honda Cars India has introduced the new Virtual Showroom for its customers in India. It is an innovative and interactive digital space which has been designed and developed to enhance the overall..
Honda CR-V loses 7-seat, diesel engine and AWD system options permanently - Report
19/05/2020 - 15:03
Honda discontinued the 5-seat, diesel engine and AWD system options for the CR-V in India recently. According to a media report, it does not plan to re-introduce these options in the compact..
Honda launches 10 year/1,20,000km special ‘Anytime Warranty' plan
10/12/2019 - 14:36
In an attempt to improve customer's ownership experience and increase trust on the brand, Honda Cars India has introduced a special warranty package dubbed 'Anytime Warranty' for its entire product..
2020 Honda CR-V (facelift) vs. 2017 Honda CR-V - Old vs. New
19/09/2019 - 16:18
The CR-V has been one of the most desirable products from Honda ever its introduction in 1995. The fact that it has been the best-selling crossover SUV in the American market for the past two..
All-New Mitsubishi Compact SUV to be Unveiled in August
Renault India Announces New Sales Milestone, Achieves 9 Lakh Mark
Cadillac GT4 Revealed, Features Massive 33-inch Screen
3-Cylinder Toyota Yaris GR Tuned From 268 to 740 HP
Ford EV Customers to Gain Access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers
Porsche Makes Minute Changes in its Badge: See it on Cars From Late 2023


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Tyson Foods, the US meat processor, has announced it has reached a deal to take a 40% stake in Brazilian poultry firm Grupo Vibra for an undisclosed sum.
Describing the deal as “part of its global growth strategy”, Tyson Foods said its stake in Grupo Vibra would give it more flexibility in serving customers in key global markets, noting that nearly 98% of protein consumption growth is expected to come from outside the USA in the next five years.
Headquartered in the town of Montenegro, in Rio Grande do Sul, Grupo Vibra also has operations in Parana and Minas Gerais, as well as a business unit in Dubai, and employs more than 4,000 staff. In the retail sphere, it markets a broad range of raw chicken products under the brand name Nat.
Commenting on the deal, Donnie King, group president, international & chief administration officer for Tyson Foods, said: “This investment will enable us to access poultry supplies in Brazil to meet the growing needs of Brazilian customers and of priority demand markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It’s part of our strategy to develop a more flexible supply chain and mitigate the volatility of our previous model, which relied primarily on U.S. exports”.
Source: Tyson Foods / Grupo Vibra


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Hundreds queue for the chance to buy a white iPhone 4 on the first day of sale at the Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing, April 28, 2011. Apple stores in China have had trouble keeping the white iPhone 4 in stock.
Scalpers look for customers as hundreds queue for the chance to buy a white iPhone 4 on the first day of sale at the Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing. Markups by resellers of as much as 100 percent have resulted in rationing of the iPhone 4 to one per customer and smuggling on a vast scale.
In this photo taken Saturday May 7, 2011, a Chinese policeman takes photos of the broken glass door in the aftermath of a scuffle at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing.
A picture made available on May 8, 2011 of Ding Wencheng laying on the ground after being beaten by a man coming out of the Sanlitun Apple Store in Beijing on Saturday. Four people were hospitalized in China after a glass door at Apple‘s flagship store in Beijing smashed to pieces as scores rushed to buy the recently re-stocked white iPhone 4.
Injured Chinese men are seen in the aftermath of the May 7th scuffle at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing.
Chinese police interview employees at the Sanlitun Apple store in Beijing after the fight.


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Candy Crush needs Tetris Effect
Cantillon: Tetris is prime example of simplicity being the best approach in gaming
Despite the millions of euro being poured into games development these days, Tetris endures.
Candy Crush may have millions of users, but it still has a thing or two to learn about longevity. While millions of people play King’s creation every day, the popular mobile game has a long way to go before it comes even close to the grandad of them all: Tetris.
Tetris, which turned 30 yesterday, has sold more than 170 million copies since its launch in 1984, and converted many more players.
Who would have thought when Russian developer Alexey Pajitnov created the game that it would be translated to 65 different platforms – making it the most ported game in history – and become known as one of the best video games in the world? It was deceptively simple: clear lines of tiles by fitting the falling shapes, known as Tetriminos, together to make a continuous horizontal line.
There was no storyline, and no ultimate goal to work towards, apart from staying in the game as long as possible and bumping up your high score. But you could easily lose hours of your time to the game, trying to fit the awkward geometric shapes together as they rained down on your screen with increasing speed. It’s hard to describe the mounting anxiety as you watched the blocks creep closer to the top of the screen – and the end of the game. Despite the pointless nature of Tetris, it has made it on to practically every games platform and system available, and has spawned numerous puzzle games trying to emulate its success.
It even has its own term – the Tetris Effect – which was coined to describe the phenomenon where people continue to “see” the Tetronimo shapes falling even when not playing the game.
It’s hard to see Candy Crush or any of its ilk having a similar cultural impact.
Tetris is the prime example of keeping things simple being the best approach. Despite the millions of euro being poured into games development these days, it endures. Alongside the big name franchises, a new version will be showcased at the E3 games exhibition in Los Angeles next week for the next generation of games consoles – the Xbox One and the Playstation 4 – bringing the game to a new players. Pajitnov will attend E3 this year to show off the Tetris Ultimate game to players.
Simple to learn, hard to master: you get the feeling in 20 years’ time, regardless of how the industry develops, we will still be playing Tetris, hopelessly addicted to its simplicity.


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It is early days for mobile banking and adoption is
still low. M-banking use does not exceed 1 percent of banking
customers in most markets. Nevertheless, the channel is now growing
strongly in both developed and emerging economies, according to a
new report on the industry from VRL KnowledgeBank*.
The move towards self-service banking channels – from the
branch, to the ATM, to the call centre and then to the internet –
has seen customer choice and convenience steadily enhanced. With
the promise of banking anywhere and any time, mobile banking is
viewed as the next natural step in this evolution.
Short messaging service (SMS) banking first appeared in Finland in
1992. As online banking was gathering momentum in the late 1990s,
browser-based m-banking was also rolled out on a large scale. The
initiatives were ill-fated, however. The technology and
infrastructure were underdeveloped and consumers were not yet
accustomed to using their mobile phones for anything other than
making calls. Consultancy Celent estimated in 2002 that financial
institutions in North America had spent $250 million on m-banking
initiatives, yet had signed up fewer than 250,000 users.
The majority of banks that had launched m-banking around the turn
of the century discontinued the service within a few years. Many
observers believed that mobile banking was finished for good. Since
then a great deal has changed. Mobile devices have become more
powerful and network speeds have improved. Mobile phones have gone
from being a luxury to being a utility and are now commonly used
for a wide range of non-voice applications.
Extensive experience with online banking has also familiarised
consumers with banking through electronic channels. Banks,
investors and industry observers have once again begun to see
m-banking as a compelling business opportunity. Mercator Advisory
Group forecasts that m-banking fee revenues available to banks,
mobile operators and vendors will exceed $1 billion in 2011.
It is difficult to overstate the phenomenal growth of mobile phone
use worldwide over the past decade. There are now more mobile
subscribers than fixed line subscribers and mobile is bigger than
the internet by every measure – number of devices, number of users
and global annual spend.
At the end of March 2007 there were just over 2.83 billion mobile
phone subscribers worldwide (source: GSM Association) and the
number is growing at around 40 million new connections per month –
some 15 new connections per second (source: Wireless
Intelligence). Mobile networks now cover 80 percent of the
world’s population, which is double the level in 2000. In over 30
countries mobile phone penetration has already exceeded 100 percent
of the population and the rest of the world is catching up
The majority of growth is taking place in emerging markets. For the
year to 30 June 2006, 37 percent of the growth took place in
Asia-Pacific, 19 percent in Eastern Europe, 12 percent in Latin
America and the Caribbean, 12 percent in Africa, 8 percent in North
America, 7 percent in the Middle East and 5 percent in Western
Europe (source: Wireless Intelligence).
Figures from the GSM Association, an industry body, show that China
and India added over 30 million subscribers in the first quarter of
2007. Last year, the mobile phone became the first communications
technology to have more users in developing countries than in the
developed world. Over half the world’s population now uses a mobile
Early days and adoption is still low
However, it is early days for m-banking and adoption is still low.
M-banking use does not exceed 1 percent of banking customers in
Many theories surround the business case for m-banking but with the
industry so young there is precious little empirical evidence. The
business case is commonly predicated on cost reduction through
channel substitution. This promise is often made with self-service
channels – an automated electronic process removes the need for
human involvement in a transaction and thus the bank saves on staff
The primary channel banks are hoping to migrate use from is the
call centre. Estimates put the cost of a typical bank call centre
transaction in the US at between $0.5 and $1.50. Over half of these
calls, up to two-thirds by some estimates, are for balance
checking. These enquiries can be handled much more efficiently
through mobile banking. Already a significant percentage of calls
to the call centre are made from mobile phones. In the US this is
estimated to be around 40 percent. Celent projects that by 2010,
over 70 percent of bank call centre volume will come from mobile
phones. Half of those calls will be basic balance enquiries. HSBC’s
UK subsidiary first direct says that 60 percent of calls to its own
call centres are from mobile phones.
Richard Crone of California-based Crone Consulting cites consumer
research in the US showing that these ‘balance checkers’ are the
principal consumers interested in mobile banking. These are
typically younger debit card users who regularly check their
account balances before making purchases.
If insufficient funds are available when they try to buy something,
the transaction may be declined, causing them embarrassment, or may
trigger a stiff overdraft fee which can be substantially higher
than the cost of the item being paid for. If these customers can
check their balances on their mobile phone instead of calling the
call centre, it is more convenient for them as well as a cost saver
Potential cost savings are substantial
While the potential cost savings are substantial, they may not be
as high as is commonly supposed, for the simple reason that most
basic queries and transactions are already handled by automated
(Interactive Voice Response – IVR) technology, rather than by
expensive customer services representatives. Crone Consulting says
that 40 to 75 percent of bank call centre calls in the US are
handled by IVR, depending on the bank and business division. Mobile
banking solution provider ClairMail puts this figure at 80 percent.
Crone estimates that 90 percent of IVR calls are balance checking.
By migrating these enquiries to mobile banking, banks can still
realise significant savings on telecommunications costs.
Reducing demand on the call centre
With scant data available at this early stage, there is little
evidence that m-banking is reducing demand on the call centre.
Early evidence points not to a migration of transactions to the
mobile channel from other channels, but to an increase in the
overall number of transactions.
Research carried out between 2003 and 2005 in Japan, Germany and
New Zealand by researchers Eusebio Scornavacca and Stuart Barnes
found no evidence of cost reductions for banks that had implemented
mobile banking. They did acknowledge, however, that such reductions
could manifest once a critical mass of customers had been achieved.
Crone Consulting says that its clients are “making excellent
progress” towards a goal of reducing call centre use by 20 to 40
percent through m-banking.
Many market commentators believe that channel substitution is an
outright myth. ATMs, call centres and online banking were all
expected to replace the branch when they were introduced, but this
never happened. Experience has shown that when consumers start
using a new channel they do not abandon the old ones.
They continue to use multiple channels, taking advantage of each
for their particular strengths. With each new channel comes an
increase in total transactions. If this is true, then it is
difficult to argue a business case based on cost reduction.
For the majority of banks, the primary business case for mobile
banking is not channel substitution but channel extension. At the
most basic level, this is about making banking services available
wherever and whenever the customer needs them. The added
convenience the channel brings will enhance customer satisfaction
and increase customer retention. It is well known that the more
channels consumers employ in their banking relationship, the more
likely they are to stay with their bank. Online banking has
confirmed this recently.
Bank of America, for instance, reports that consumers who use
online banking have an 80 percent lower attrition rate than those
who do not. Recent research from Deutsche Bank demonstrates that
consumers who regularly use online banking are 14 percent more
likely than others to purchase their next financial product from
their existing bank.
Although it is still early days for m-banking, a similar effect is
likely. South Africa’s First National Bank already claims a 15
percent increase in retention amongst customers who have adopted
the mobile channel.
*This article is an edited
extract from a new report from VRL KnowledgeBank called The
Business Case for Mobile Banking. Written by Ray Cain, the
report looks in comprehensive detail at the fast-developing global


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randallm at fidmail.com
Sat Feb 11 18:48:37 CST 2006
Bank Card Reissues May Be Linked to Wal-Mart Breach
By Paul F. Roberts and Matt Hines <mailto:matt_hines at ziffdavis.com>
February 10, 2006
In what appears to be a widening incident, Bank of America, MasterCard and
Visa all announced this week that they have been informed of a potential
security breach at a U.S.-based retailer.
The companies refused to name the retailer involved, but at least one bank
said that systems belonging to Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest
retailer, may be to blame.
"You too can have your very own Computer!"
Note: Side effects include:
Blue screens; interrupt violation;
illegal operations; remote code
exploitations; virus and malware infestations;
and other unknown vulnerabilities.
More information about the funsec


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Google’s first Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks from consumers finally became available today after months of testing through a pilot program with the Cr-48 model Google introduced when it first unveiled the operating system.
Available models come from Samsung and Acer, and can be ordered from Amazon and BestBuy.com. In other launch countries, consumers can visit google.com/chromebook to find local retailers. Best Buy is offering the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 in white and Titan Silver. Amazon has the Samsung Series 5 and the Acer Cromia.
The way devices come with Wi-Fi +3G, as well as an interesting “It just works.” slogan, also heavily used by Apple to describe its products.
“Chromebooks were built and optimized for the web to give you a faster, simpler and more secure experience without the headaches of traditional computers,” says Director of Product Management Felix Lin on the Chrome blog.
#Chromebooks now on sale @Amazon & @BestBuy in the US. More countries: http://goo.gl/pWMMj via @googlechromeBuilt for the web:
Rajen Sheth, Group Product Manager, Chrome for Business, says:
Users like the easy, instant access to all of their computing needs without the complexity of traditional PCs. And if you’re a business or school, they’re extremely cost-effective.
With today’s announcement that the new Google Chromebooks are available from our partners, we’re officially open for business. For businesses and schools, we’re offering a subscription that includes the Chromebook, a web-based management console and 24/7 support from Google starting at $28 per month/user for businesses and $20 per month/student for schools.
He also shares the following video from a pilot customer- Jason’s Deli, discussing Chromebooks:
After Chrome OS was revealed, we asked readers if they thought it would succeed. Suffice it to say, many have been skeptical. Personally, I’ve had few complaints. You have to take it for what it is. It’s not ready to replace all other PCs, but the Chromebooks are pretty handy and are good on battery life for basic web browsing needs. It will probably compete more with the tablet market than the PC market, at least at this point.
For our previous coverage on the Chrome books and Chrome OS, read the articles here.


text: If you were to launch a mobile app or game today, what markets would you go after? Common sense would say US, Japan, China, UK, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan and Australia as these are the countries at the top of revenue charts for mobile developers. However, going by this list leaves out the elephant in the room: India. If India is not at the top of the revenue charts, why should it matter for developers? Let’s look at the facts. For starters, India will have more smartphone owners by the end of 2014 than there are people living in Australia, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and UK combined. The latest estimates – admittedly, perhaps too optimistic – say India will overtake the US in smartphone ownership this year as well. So there will be a lot of smartphone users, but if China is leading in revenue and smartphones, why not focus there instead?


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If there ever was a luminous object which was like a crystal ball, it is an internet connected device. I don’t claim to be a seer, however, there are signs that datacenters in 2021 will evolve significantly. The facilities will likely change most in terms of:
- Cooling methods
- Power and telecommunications infrastructure
- The use of recycled materials for the facility structure
- Increased use of software-defined data center technology
- Security methods
Managed services delivery models are evolving, and many cloud services providers are leasing their infrastructure from enterprise hosting providers like:
- Amazon Web Services
- Microsoft Azure
- Google Cloud Services
Wholesale Data Centers
As cloud services and virtual server hosting expands, the need for even managed services providers to own their own data center lessens in importance. For wholesale data centers leasing pods of servers can be a lucrative business to be in. These services are certain to thrive while smaller vendors will get acquired or transfer hardware and utility ownership to upstream service providers.
Underwater Data Centers
Data centers in 2021 will adopt innovative ways of cooling servers and keeping them running to manage rising demand. Microsoft has already tested submarine data centers, which use sea water for cooling and could potentially use tidal energy to power servers and storage devices.
Deep-sea data centers could solve many physical security issues. It gives new meaning to the term “deep computing”. Remote monitoring of these data centers will prevail as submerged data centers may be difficult to access on a regular basis.
Alternative Power, Telecommunications, and Cooling Delivery
Environmentally friendly power sources like solar panels and wind turbines are already being used by a number of providers, and certain regions like Arizona and sub-Saharan Africa lend themselves to solar panel farms.
Wind turbines have incited much debate in terms of safety for birds, noise pollution and other “NIMBY” protests. Data centers need a great deal of power as well as telecommunications cabling, so it can be challenging to build data centers in remote locations.
There are many experiments being conducted to use lasers, balloons, drones and even satellites to deliver internet content to underserved areas of the world. Imagine data being delivered across many miles by using high powered lasers.
Wireless laptops, tablets, and smartphones have evolved exponentially over the past five years. In five more years, will wireless data transfer scale far enough to deliver data to and from servers?
Air cooling using large fans and water-powered turbines is one way that data centers are leveraging low-cost ways to moderate temperature. In certain regions, cooler climates regulate server room conditions. Besides water, liquids like glycol and dielectric liquid are being tested in cooling racks and towers.
Prefabricated Modular Data Centers
In areas where enterprise data centers are not practical, modular data centers are increasing in popularity. Retrofitted train and shipping containers are a portable and efficient way to quickly provision a data center in a location like Iceland, Denmark, or Haiti.
Server racks, cabling sockets, and servers can be preconfigured before the container is installed at a designated location.
Schneider Electric acquired a Spanish company called AST Modular in 2014. Containerized data centers may someday account for as much as 20 percent of the market. Even if the actual number is much lower, it is an indicator of the innovative possibilities of the future of the xSP industry.
There are many wholesale data center providers that already have been using modular data center pods, so it isn’t too big a stretch of the imagination to see how they could be used:
- As subterranean computing containers
- As fully managed, plug and play xSP boxes
- To provide cloud services to companies or public sector organizations
The Bottom Line on Data Centers in 2021
Predicting what data centers will look like five years from now is really a shot in the dark. These are some possible scenarios, based on some current trends. The only way to really discover what the future holds is to arrive there.
What do you think the future of the data center industry holds? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
If you're in the data center, mission critical or cloud services industries, or you sell to the data center industry, don't miss our weekly update newsletter -- Data Center Sales & Marketing Institute (DCSMI) Update Newsletter. Get notified about new reports, events, podcasts, and blog posts.


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Android and openness is something we talk about all the time, but the recent developments in the industry point towards inherent flaws with this very premise. Be it from bloggers, political institutions or corporations, Android is seemingly not open enough. The “War on Openness” is ironically becoming an open war, where many players are increasing their stakes and scope to try and land a bigger hold - or at the very least, restrict Google’s - on what is the world’s...
Jelly Bean on Droid Eris, Galaxy Note 2 System Dump, 720p Video on Nexus 7 – XDA Developer TV
This has been another great weekend at the XDA Portal. XDA Developer TV Producer Jordan covers all the news you need to know to keep up to date in the world of mobile phone development. Jordan talks about the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 system dump. Jordan mentions 720p video recording on the Google Nexus 7. And finally Jordan talks about the article about the XDA developments in Windows 8.
In Jelly Bean news Jordan mentions the HTC Droid Eris getting a version. And in CyanogenMod news, Jordan mentions the updates to CyanogenMod 10 messaging. Also, Jordan mentions the new XDA Forum sections and the ability to get XDA News on Google Currents. Pull up a chair and check out this video.
Links to stories mentioned:
- HTC Droid Eris Receives Jelly Bean
- New CM10 Messaging Brings Message Popups, Revamped Notifications
- Samsung Galaxy Note 2 System Dump
- 720p Video Recording on the Google Nexus 7
- Brief Primer on File Permissions for New Users
- A Tour Through Current XDA Development on Windows 8
- Forums Added for the RAZR M, Galaxy Note 2, Kindle Fire HD7, and Kindle Fire 2
- Use Google Currents? So Do We!
Check out Jordan’s YouTube Channel
Want something on the XDA Portal? Send us a tip!
Smartphone cameras have advanced so tremendously over the past few years that they have almost completely replaced point and shoot digital cameras for the most of us. Furthermore, since our smartphones are always with us, the majority of us end up taking tons of photos throughout the lifespan of our devices. But what happens to all the old photos you take? Do you store them on an external hard-drive or keep them backed up to an online cloud service like Flickr? Let us know what your favorite way of storing old photos is and why.
Before the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Holo Design guidelines served as the official reference for Android design, right from IceCream Sandwich to KitKat. However, updates to the guidelines were few and far between, leading to a lack of synchronization between Android design and current UI/UX trends. Google seems to have learned from their mistake the last time around, and earlier this week, a significant update was released for the Material Design guidelines, marking the second revision in less...


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SCREAMER: Pier 1 Imports PIR, -4.39% sank 33 percent after the company said second-quarter earnings would fall short ofexpectations and announced that its chief financial officer resigned. The company said it expects to earn 12 to 14 cents a share in the quarter, compared with the consensus estimate from First Call of 18 cents a share. The retailer blamed low July sales for the shortfall. Shares fell 2 7/8 to close at 5 7/8. See Screamers.
U.S. stocks to watch
After the market closed, Amkor Technology AMKR, +0.41% recorded wider-than-expected net income of $11.5 million, or 10 cents a share in the second quarter, 2 cents ahead of the average estimate. according to analysts surveyed by First Call. In the year-ago quarter, net income came in at $20.8 million, or 19 cents, on a pro forma basis. The company said in a press release the strong quarterly results represent a "springboard" for what is expected for the second half of the year. Amkor provides contract semiconductor packaging and test services. Shares closed up 7/8, or 6 percent, at 14 7/8.
Aviron avir reported a narrower-than-expected second-quarter net loss of $15.1 million, or 96 cents a share. Analysts estimated a loss of $1.02 per share in the quarter. Revenue for the quarter totaled $2.9 million. In the year-ago quarter, the biopharmaceutical company posted a net loss of $13.1 million, or 84 cents a share. Shares traded down 7/16 at 27 15/16.
CDNow cdnw incurred a narrower-than-expected net loss of $22.9 million, excluding goodwill, or 76 cents a share in the second quarter. On average, analysts projected a loss of 78 cents a share according to figures compiled by First Call. Revenue in the quarter surged 198 percent to $34.6 million from $11.6 million in the same quarter last year. CDNow is an online retailer of CDs and other music products. Shares closed down 3/8 to 15 7/8.
Creative Technology CREAF, +2.92% reported net income of $14.7 million, or 17 cents a share, directly in line with analysts' estimates compared to $4.8 million, or 5 cents in the same period a year earlier. The company noted that consolidation in the graphics market and drastic price reductions on certain graphic products led to earnings being reduced by 11 cents a share, in the quarter. Shares closed up at 3/8 at 10 7/16.
CyberCash cych announced after the market closed that the company knew no reason for the stock's decline in the past few days. The company said in a press release that CyberCash's payment business remains strong. The company offers secure payment transaction services that encrypt credit card information. Shares closed up 5/8 at 8 3/4.
Esco Electronics Corp.'s ESE, +0.57% net income for the fiscal third quarter quarter rose to $4 million, or 32 cents a share from $3.8 million, or 31 cents in the year-ago quarter. Analysts consensus estimates came in at 28 cents a share, according to figures compiled by First Call. The commercial and defense system manufacturers' sales increased 16 percent to $114 million from $98.2 million from the same period a year ago. The company cited strong results in the defense segment due primarily to increased sales from the company's aircraft loader program. Shares closed down 3/8 at 12 3/4.
SCI Systems SCI, +0.15% posted fourth-quarter net income of $42.8 million, or 63 cents a share compared to $36.9 million, or 60 cents in the year-ago quarter. Analysts' estimates came in at 57 cents a share. The Huntsville, Alabama-based company is the world's No. 2 contract manufacturer of electronic components, behind Solectron. Shares closed up 7/8 at 53 3/8.
Sterling Commerce SE, -3.05% posted net income of 36 cents a share, excluding one-time benefits in the fiscal third quarter. According to figures compiled by First Call, analysts projected a consensus estimate of 38 cents. The company also said it expects to incur a one-time charge of between $25 to $30 million in the fourth quarter due to 200 job cuts. Sterling expects fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $150 million to $155 million and per-share earnings between 40 to 42 cents a share, excluding charges. Shares closed up 15/16 at 24 1/4.
Verio, Inc. vrio said after the market closed that it lost $45.7 million, or $1.22 a share in the second quarter, 8 cents better than the First Call projection and 22 cents narrower than the year-ago loss. Shares closed up 3 7/8 at 67 7/8. Verio is an Internet service provider for small and medium sized businesses.
U.S. decliners for Thursday
$rlx fell 1.2 percent, led by Circuit City Stores CC, +0.13%, which dropped 2 9/16 to 44 7/16 as same-store sales at major retail outlets moderated for July. Home Depot HD, +0.49% shares fell 1 5/16 to 57 9/16. See Screaming Sector.
The Buckle BKE, +1.35% shares slumped 9 15/16, or 35 percent, to 18 1/4 after same-store sales dropped 4.5 percent and the retailer warned that second-quarter profits would fall short of Wall Street projections. The retailer of casual apparel said profits will miss estimates by 3 cents to 4 cents a share. The company was expected to earn 31 cents, according to the consensus survey of analysts by First Call Corp.
$btk sank 2.5 percent, led by Protein Design Labs ", which dropped 4 3/16, or 16 percent, to 22 7/8 after the firm posted a wider-than-expected loss of $2.7 million, or 14 cents a share. Analysts were expecting a loss of 9 cents compared to the 5 cent loss. Cephalon ceph shares lost 13/16 to 17 1/16.
America Online AOL, -1.75% shares fell 3 9/16, or 5 percent, to 83 15/16 after trading as low as 76 15/16 earlier. The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft may hasten the trend toward low-price, or even free, Internet access, which threatens AOL's position. Microsoft MSFT, -1.63% shares advanced 13/16 to 85 3/4. See full story.
Aronex Pharmaceuticals arnx shares fell 2 7/16, or 35 percent, to 4 1/2, after the Food & Drug Administration slowed down the company's application for market approval of an anti-leukemia drug. See full story.
GoTo.com goto shares fell 4 13/16 to 24 13/16. The company posted a net loss of $7 million in the second quarter, or 20 cents a share, on a pro forma basis. Analysts' estimates called for a 22-cent loss, according to figures compiled by First Call. However, a year ago, the company recorded a net loss of $1.7 million for the quarter, or 11 cents a share. GoTo.com operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with advertisers. Thomas Weisel cut the stock's rating to "market perform" from "buy."
ICN Pharmaceuticals ICN, -7.69% shares retreated 4 1/16 to 20 3/4 after the company reported net income for the quarter of $26 million, or 32 cents a share, on revenue of $177 million. The per-share figure was 7 cents short of the consensus estimate. In the year-ago period, the company posted a loss of $97 million, or $1.34 a share, on revenue of $233 million. ICN manufactures prescription and non-prescription pharmaceutical and biotechnology research products.
Neiman-Marcus Group NMG, +21.43% shares fell 2 1/16, or 9 percent, to 21 3/4 after the company said fourth-quarter earnings would be lower than the consensus estimate due to lower-than-expected summer sales. Earnings will be about 5 cents lower than the current 10 to 12 cents analysts expect, it said. Full-year earnings will also fall about 5 cents short of the consensus estimate of a $1.95 a share.
Shares of Reed Elsevier NV ruk slumped 1 3/4 to 28 1/4 after the Anglo-Dutch publisher posted a 10 percent fall in six-month adjusted pretax profits and warned profits wouldn't improve in the second half. See full story.
Teleglobe TGO, +0.25% shares fell 1 5/8 to 19 3/4 after the Canadian-based provider of international phone service said it earned a nickel a share in the second quarter, 2 cents leaner than the First Call consensus and 17 cents worse than in the same period of 1998.
Vishay Intertechnology VSH, -1.75% shares sank 1 3/4, or 8 percent, to 19 1/8 after investors were disappointed over revenue, which came in a bit light of expectations. Vishay posted second-quarter net income of $20.2 million, or 24 cents a share, directly in line with First Call estimates. A year ago, the company posted $16.8 million, or 20 cents in the second quarter. See full story.
U.S. advancers for Thursday
Internet Capital icge rose 12 5/16 to 24 7/16 after opening at 12 1/8, just above its price of 12. Its $200 million IPO had been set to go at the top of an upwardly-revised price range. The company also increased its number of shares to 14.9 million from 13.3 million. See IPO Report.
Jabil Circuit, Inc. JBL, -0.58% shares gained 4 7/8 to 41 1/2 on news the company plans to acquire GET Manufacturing, a privately held, China-based electronics manufacturing services provider for $250 million in stock.
Mission Critical mcsw shares closed up at 25 7/16 after offering 3.7 million shares at $16 a piece, the top of its $14 to $16 range. It opened at 16 1/16. The Houston-based company provides systems administration and operations management software for corporate and Internet-based Windows NT networks. See IPO Report.
Saks Inc. SKS, +2.96% shares added 2 11/16 to 23 1/2 after the department store retailer said same-store sales rose 5 percent in July from the same month last year. Total sales came in at $405.6 million from $358.2 million last year. In the second quarter, sales increased 11 percent, year-to-year, to $1.4 million.
Tekelec tklc shares jumped 2 1/8 to 11 1/4 after the company posted second-quarter net income of $4.7 million, or 8 cents a share, on a pro forma basis compared to net income of $8.4 million, or 14 cents. Analysts' estimates came in at 7 cents a share. The signaling and control systems supplier announced that product orders rose 57 percent in the quarter to $66.3 million from $42.9 million in the same quarter last year.
Ultimate Electronics ulte shares climbed 3 1/2 to 17 1/2 after the specialty retailer said it expected to report better-than-expected second-quarter results of at least 12 cents a share, well above of expectations.The company recorded same-store sales up 21 percent from the same period a year ago.
UnitedHealth UNH, +0.69% shares rose 7 3/8 to 62 15/16 after the company said it earned $135 million, or 76 cents per share, vs. $139 million, or 66 cents per share, in the year-ago period. That beat the Wall Street estimate of 74 cents, according to a First Call survey of 21 analysts. See full story.
Wit Capital witc shares jumped 4 1/8, or 24 percent, to 21 1/4 after the online investment banking firm inked a deal with America Online AOL, -1.75% to provide after-hours information on AOL's new After Hours Center. AOL shares fell 4 to 82 3/4.


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Social media is an important channel for brands and developers to reach and acquire customers and users. Yet social commerce revenue tends to be underreported by 245%. That’s according to the latest State of Social Commerce report from mCommerce shopping experts SimplicityDX.
Why social commerce reporting falls through the cracks
Social media has been touted as one of the top advertising trends for 2023. That’s because 64% of consumers learn about new products and services on apps such as Instagram and TikTok. Another 58% consider social influencers best for product discovery and recommendations. However, just 16% think it’s a great place for shopping.
Shoppers use social media apps to…
Instead, consumers tend to head directly to a brand’s app or website to make a purchase rather than clicking through and purchasing on social media. 71% of shoppers who used social media for a recent purchase went straight to the brand app or website rather than clicking through.
Shoppers discover products on social apps and…
The result is that brand site revenues from social are underreported by approximately 2.45x or 245%.
What’s the issue with social commerce?
A whopping 77% of consumers prefer to shop on a brand website or app. Livestream fares a little better with 36% of consumers saying they would buy from an influencer on a livestream. However, that leaves almost two-thirds who would prefer not to shop from influencers. So what exactly is holding them back from checking out their products on social apps?
Livestream purchases grew in Q4
The vast majority (86%) complain of bad experiences on social sites and 77% aren’t sure how they would return a product. Trust in dealing with personal data is another major factor that keeps shoppers from using social checkouts and inventory issues can leave shoppers disappointed.
Issues with social commerce by quarter
How do you succeed on social commerce?
The report highlights that brands should focus on driving discovery on socials and redirecting shoppers to their mCommerce stores or apps. Building and maintaining trust should be at the forefront of the customer journey given that 67% of respondents don’t trust social platforms with their personal data.
Consumers are worried about privacy on social apps
To avoid disappointment, businesses must ensure their product inventories are synced between their social and online platforms. It’s best to upload the entire product catalogue to socials to enable easy checkouts on social apps.
Brands can also benefit from asking shoppers to subscribe and then retargeting them later.
- Social commerce revenue is underreported by 245%
- 64% of consumers learn about new products and services on socials but 71% of shoppers go to the brand website to make purchase
- 86% complain of bad experiences on social sites and 77% aren’t sure how they would return a product


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So sure of himself, Steve Jobs always knew this day would come. Adobe has announced that it’s to stop development on Flash Player for phones, deciding instead to change its focus and work more on HTML5 video and wider app development for all platforms, including iOS.
Bloated, awkward and never a joy to use, Flash on smartphones was always going to go the way of the dodo as soon as Jobs revealed that the iPhone would not be using the tech and then spent the rest of his days doing it down at every opportunity.
When the iPhone was unveiled sans Flash there was uproar among the tech community. But Jobs was really onto something.
He knew that Flash videos would be cripplingly slow on his handset, and so decided to ditch them altogether and hang the consequences.
BlackBerry and Google have since espoused the joys of Flash on their phones, but with little joy.
The original BlackBerry Storm was marketed on the back of its support for ‘the full web’ but was one of the most disappointing of an array of below par ‘iPhone killers’.
Apple and Jobs saw the writing on the wall for Flash years ago. In fact, the turtle-necked one predicted that Adobe would make the same move as today in his ‘Thoughts on Flash’ open letter, released in April 2010.
When he said that “new open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices,” he wasn’t just offering bluster. Adobe’s Flash was never going to succeed without Apple’s backing.
So, what did for it? Apart from its sluggish performance, there were the security niggles highlighted in Jobs’ letter, as well as its failure to materialise in decent form on devices until earlier this year.
As Jobs said: “We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it.”
As soon as the iPhone came out and slated Flash, a proper mobile version should have been primed and ready to prove Jobs and Apple wrong.
Instead, the dilly-dallying simply proved Jobs’ point that it was not for purpose. You’ll struggle to find anyone who actually enjoys using Flash for mobile, because it’s such a pain to get to grips with.
Yes, Apple’s belligerence was annoying when it came to Flash. But it’s hard to argue against the fact that it’s right in this regard.
Android phones using it are poorer for the experience and BlackBerry’s insistence on its inclusion has hardly covered it in glory. The passing of Flash for phones will not be mourned by many.


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FreshBooks, the North American small business accounting software company, has announced that JPMorgan Chase has made a strategic investment in the company.
Since 2004, FreshBooks says it has helped more than 20 million people and established itself as an accounting software platform for small businesses and self-employed professionals.
Mike McDerment, CEO and co-founder at FreshBooks, commented: “We see a significant opportunity to combine the strength and scale of JPMorgan Chase’s banking and payments capabilities with FreshBooks’ expertise in software design to create mass adoption for small businesses, and propel us closer to achieving that world.”
Bill Clerico, head of SMB Product for Chase Merchant Services and CEO of WePay, the integrated payments business of JPMorgan Chase, added: "Helping software companies like FreshBooks grow by serving our small business customer base is a key differentiator for us in the fast-growing integrated payments market.”
The investment from JPMorgan Chase follows two previous institutional funding rounds for FreshBooks, including a US$30m Series A funding round in July 2014, and a US$43m Series B funding round in July 2017.
As part of the investment, a JPMorgan Chase representative will be joining FreshBooks’ board of directors.
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RENO, NV (KOLO) - Detectives from the Washoe County Sheriff's office want help identifying the person seen in surveillance photos.
On Thursday, June 20, someone broke into a parked car near Flanders Drive and Barnwood Court in South Reno.
The burglar went through the victim's purse and stole several credit cards. Detectives say the suspect used the stolen cards at two local stores and a casino.
Pictures taken from surveillance video show a man wearing a white shirt and a backwards hat.
The Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information to contact them at (775) 328-4900 or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.
Copyright KOLO-TV 2019


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“I choose to go to the moon, with artists.”
Anyone keeping a close eye on Yusaku Maezawa’s Twitter account recently may have guessed that something was up. Over the past week or so, the Japanese entrepreneur has started tweeting in English, as opposed to his native tongue, and has been posting increasingly expansive statements such as “there are no limits”, “it always seems it’s impossible until it’s done” and “logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere”.
And then yesterday, the big reveal. In a conference at the SpaceX headquarters and rocket factory in Los Angeles, Elon Musk announced that Maezawa will become the first private passenger to fly around the moon aboard SpaceX’s Lunar Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) Mission, which could take place as early as 2023.
He will take six to eight artists on the five day trip
Notably, Maezawa didn’t only secure a spot for himself on the BFR, but bought every available seat, as part of a new project that he has dubbed Dear Moon.
“Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the moon,” he said. “Staring at the moon fuelled my imagination. It is always there and has continued to inspire humanity. That is why I could not pass up this opportunity to see the moon up close. At the same time, I did not want to have such a fantastic experience myself. That would be a little lonely.”
In an attempt to share the journey with as many people as possible, Maezawa has chosen to take between six and eight artists with him on his five-day trip – upon their return, they will be tasked with creating masterpieces that capture their experience. He has yet to decide who will join him, but says he will be reaching out to top creatives in various artistic fields, including painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, film directors, fashion designers and architects. A dedicated website for the project, https://dearmoon.earth/ has already gone live.
So, who is he?
But who is this self-deprecating, artistically inclined entrepreneur who kept apologising for his English and talking about world peace? The 42-year-old Maezawa is the 18th richest person in Japan, with a fortune of $3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He is a renowned art collector, having amassed a number valuable works of modern art, including a Jean-Michel Basquiat masterpiece worth $110.5 million, last year.
Maezawa started out selling CDs and records of his favourite bands by mail from his home and is now chief executive of Zozotown, an online e- platform that dominates Japan’s e-tail scene, selling international brands as well as its own private label, ZoZo. One of the brand’s most recent innovations is the ZoZo Suit, a body-measurement system that is being presented as an answer to the fashion industry’s sizing problem. “At ZoZo, you will never see the option to select a size on our website or find a size tag in your clothing. At ZoZo, we are building a size-free world,” says the company’s website.
The ZoZo suit has already been has sent off to more than one million Japanese customers, free of charge, in the past three months. The skin-tight, full-body suit is covered in about 350 white dots, which act as fiducial markers - a point of reference for precise measurements. Shoppers slip on the suit and slowly rotate as their smartphone takes photos. The ZoZo app will take a series of photographs of the wearer and capture where each unique dot is in located. A proprietary algorithm then processes this data and triangulates a 3-D rendering of the body.
“ZoZo was created to be adaptable to each and every person. You don’t have to adapt to ZoZo. ZoZo adapts to you. People are unique, but they also want to be treated and accepted as equal. This concept is reflected in the ZoZo logo. The circle, square and triangles are all different colors and shapes, yet they have the same surface area. They are all unique but still equal,” says the ever-philosophical Maezawa, who, in terms of travel experiences and accumulated air miles, will have few equals once 2023 rolls around.


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The 24-year-old Co.op Mart supermarket located on Cong Quynh Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City is likely to be shut down as the premises are due to be returned to the landlord next year.
Known as Co.op Mart Cong Quynh, the supermarket might have to close its doors in the first quarter of 2021, a representative of retailer Saigon Co.op — which operates the Co.op Mart supermarket chain — said on Thursday.
The reason for the potential closure is that the Border Guard High Command, which owns the land plot on which the supermarket sits, has requested to take back its estate.
According to the Saigon Co.op representative, the cooperative is negotiating with the landowner on the premises to ensure the shopping needs and interests of customers.
Previously, the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee had sent a written request to the Border Guard High Command, asking it to allow Co.op Mart Cong Quynh to operate there until the end of March 2021.
Established in 1996, Co.op Mart Cong Quynh was the first-ever supermarket under the Co.op Mart chain.
It remains in the brand's top ten highest-grossing stores.
Saigon Co.op is Vietnam’s leading retailer with an estimated revenue of US$1.3 billion a year, according to a 2020 list compiled by British market research firm Euromonitor International.
In June, Big C Mien Dong, a major supermarket run by Thailand’s Central Group in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10, was also rumored to be suspending its operations due to a rental disagreement with the landlord.
However, the store remains in operation as usual as of August.


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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Thank you for keeping in touch. Your correspondence and feedback has helped guide our food coverage and I’d like to share a few of the discussions that have come up recently in the course of our shared pandemic food conversations.
As more customers return to restaurants and eating in the great outdoors, they’ve rediscovered their old favorites and tasting things with a “fresh” palate. Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn earned a flurry of compliments from readers who took to time to express their delight. Patrons are liking the outdoor beer garden. And they’re really loving the sauerkraut.
Saloonkeeper Ken Tirado said a switch happened around the New Year. He reports, “We were buying a German sauerkraut from our German product importer. This was 2019. We decided to save money by going for an American, local product and doctoring it like we did the imported stuff. We add bacon wine, juniper berries, rye seeds, etc.”
Well, Danke Schoen, Ken, from your loyal fans. They’ve noticed.
DOWN ON THIRD-PARTY DELIVERY
Don from West Brighton recently wrote, “I realize Cuomo is putting most restaurants out but it doesn’t help by forgetting restaurateurs are in the hospitality business. The delivery services compound the restaurant’s dilemma by extracting all profits with UberEats, et al. service charges (concealed from the purchaser).” Don recently had a “miserable” experience from an East Shore eatery that brought the wrong food via UberEats to his doorstep. Part of the issue is that the restaurant’s third-party online ordering system was not up to date and some items, it turned out, were unavailable.
“Perhaps the restaurants set up restaurant owned service to replace [third-party companies]” plus stage a boycott of the big three companies, suggested our North Shore food friend.
Interesting points there, Don. There was a program put into place by several restaurants that came together along the Bay Street Corridor. It was a product of the pandemic, a posse of owners that pooled resources to hire a shared driver. The brainchild of the effort was Massimo Felici of VINUM, The Richmond, both Stapleton, and Casa Belvedere of Grymes Hill. As deliveries have dropped off since the quarantine stage of the pandemic ended, the endeavor fizzled out.
But there’s hope! A Great Kills resident, Alex Dushkin, started a service called Whereyoueat.com. He said, “We guarantee no menu mark-ups, no third party delivery fees. That’s how we market to users — to try to stay relevant.” It’s a handy tool onto which over 400 local restaurants have signed on. This is an article we will continue to work on so look for more chatter on the topic this week.
After a recent story about fall cooking, we heard from several readers on their autumn kitchen inspirations and interesting cooking questions. For instance, Santina asked on pumpkin bread: “Why does one can of pure pumpkin make two loaves? All my recipes say the same thing. Can I make a bundt cake with all the ingredients instead of two loaves?”
Good question. Traditionally bread is made into loaves which is why recipes usually call for that style of serving and baking, as two separate creations. Yes, you can use a bundt cake form. Just remember the batter does rise so if you have too much to fit into the bundt just bake it into a smaller form, like cupcakes or a small loaf pan. Santina made the bread over the weekend and said, “It came out delicious.” And for those who like to look at recipes and say “I don’t cook” Santina encourages, “If you can read you can cook.”
If you’re in the mood for pumpkin and don’t feel like baking, Jordan Berber of Rossville Delivery points to two of his customers for some festive fall foods. Moretti Bakery in West Brighton, he said, turned their signature dream cake over to the season with a pumpkin version. There’s also the occasional pumpkin-cheese and pumpkin-cinnamon muffin variety. Sal’s Bakery in Richmond Valley deep fries donuts to the tune of apple cider and pumpkin cream flavors this month. It’s enough to leave us all thinking, “Oh, my gourd.”
Followers of this column have asked about our baby chickens. Well, they are no longer babies and now laying. Our older guy, Andrew, has named them all “Linda" for some reason he cannot explain. Our younger guy, James, has taken a great interest in harvesting their eggs. He was even motivated to bake brownies with them, picking out two brown ones from a recent batch.
There is no difference in taste among the yolk and whites in different colored shells, he has learned. But it’s certainly fun to see what the chickens can produce, little gifts of nature.
Keep in touch.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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After a December of hardcore wining and dining, you might be thinking about swearing off restaurants for a time (we can’t blame you). But, for the most resilient of you out there already excited for next year’s best dinners, we’re doing the hard work for you and looking ahead to the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2024.
Following an understandable Covid-19-related blip, the restaurant world is firmly back (although maybe not better than ever; the food might still be great, but the industry faces challenges like never before – from ever-hiking overhead costs and staffing issues to guest no-shows), with many great chefs investing in new cities, cuisines and concepts.
While restaurant openings work on a far shorter lead time than hotels (so plenty more announcements are sure to pop up as the year goes on), 2024 already has plenty on its plate – from bougie hotel restaurants to intimate ingredient-led destinations.
Palais Royal, Venice
Paris’s elegant (and two-Michelin-starred) Palais Royal restaurant is expanding into Italian territory with the opening of a second outpost in Venice. Palais Royal Restaurant Venezia (pictured above) is slated to open in the new Noliski hotel in April 2024, bringing with it a dose of French refinement.
Like the original, the culinary offering will be artfully imagined by executive chef Philip Chronopoulos, with a menu that will merge the cuisine of his native Greece with Italy and France. Expect fancy interiors, elaborate dishes and super elevated service.
Taking over the space previously occupied by Roux at The Laundau, celebrated Parisian restaurant Mimosa will open its doors in London’s celebrated Langham hotel in early 2024. Like the original, Mimosa London will offer a menu of Mediterranean dishes, with a particular focus on the French Riviera, once again dreamed up by chef Jean-François Piège.
Mimosa joins the Langham’s several established culinary outlets, including award-winning bar Artesian and upmarket pub, The Wigmore, with the celebrated Michel Roux retaining oversight across the hotel’s F&B program.
The Garden Cobham, Surrey
In the English countryside, just over an hour from central London, ex-Fat Duck head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts is cooking up a treat in the form of a new restaurant with rooms on the former The Garden Cobham site.
Palmer-Watts climbed through the ranks at Heston Blumenthal’s flagship Bray restaurant to become head chef and successfully earned it its third Michelin star. He was tasked with the opening of Dinner by Heston at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park – a restaurant that received two Michelin stars under his leadership. Palmer-Watts’ new solo project is set to open in spring and will encompass a fine dining restaurant, a wine bar, a café and a bakery.
Jara by Martín Berasategui, Dubai
In 2024, The Dorchester Collection will open The Lana in Dubai – marking its first foray into the Middle East – and with it will come a set of star-studded restaurants. The hotel group has called upon some big hospitality names including Jean Imbert, who heads up the flagship restaurant at Paris’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Martín Berasategui, who currently holds 12 Michelin stars across his restaurant empire.
Jara by Martín Berasategui, which will be up on the 18th floor of the hotel, is set to be the first restaurant of its kind in Dubai, offering up Basque-inspired dishes with an elegant flair. While the City of Gold is known for its flash lifestyle, it sounds like Berasategui will be bringing a little more of a modest identity – Jara is sweetly named after his granddaughter.
Bar Kada, Florida
Slated to open alongside Soseki – Michael Collantes’ Michelin-starred omakase restaurant in Winter Park, Florida – in February, Bar Kada has already got local foodies’ tongues wagging. The beverage program is the bar-restaurant’s leading lady, with a carefully curated list of ancient-method sakes and rare wines, as well as a few more entry-level labels.
Although wine and sake are the main focus, Collantes has also created an elevated small plates menu that highlights central Florida’s finest farmers and purveyors. And, even better, while Soseki is highly exclusive with just ten seats per sitting, Bar Kada will seat up to 30.
Back over in the States, chef Nicholas Bazik is preparing to open Provenance in Philadelphia’s upmarket Society Hill neighborhood. Bazik clearly has high hopes – with help from Stokes Architecture & Design and Yui Design, he has transformed what was previously a 90-seat restaurant into one that just sits 18.
Previously at city favorites including Kensington Quarters, The Good King Tavern, Fork, and Lacroix at The Rittenhouse, Bazik’s signature cuisine is seafood-heavy and draws in influence from both Korea and France.
Sushi Namba, Miami
This year has been a big one for new Miami restaurants and 2024 looks to be much the same. One of the biggest openings on the cards comes from first-time restaurateur brothers Samuel and Jose Tcherassi and Hidefumi Namba – the brains behind Tokyo’s revered eight-seat omakase counter, Sushi Namba.
As the chef’s first US opening, expectations are high – and even higher considering the $10,000 membership fee hopeful diners will have to pay to even make a reservation. This fee will give guests once-monthly access to the sushi counter (as well as its adjoining jazz lounge), where they can expect to pay up to another $500 for Namba’s multi-course tasting menu. Expect it to become one of the hottest tickets in town.


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- Indonesia has lifted a ban on exporting baby lobsters, previously put in place to conserve the wild population of the animal.
- The fisheries ministry has issued new requirements to regulate exports, including setting an annual quota and limiting the sites from where the lobsters can be harvested.
- But the decision has been widely criticized by conservationists and the former fisheries minister, Susi Pudjiastuti, who warn the resumption of exports threatens to deplete the wild population.
- Experts have called on the government to instead prioritize sustainable lobster aquaculture in the country, involving small-scale and traditional fishermen.
JAKARTA — Indonesia will start exporting baby lobsters after a previous ban aimed at conserving the wild population of the crustacean was lifted by the fisheries ministry.
Minister Edhy Prabowo on May 4 signed a decree allowing the resumption of exports of non-pigmented post-larval lobsters of the genus Puerulus (commonly known as whip lobsters) and of baby lobsters of the genus Panulirus. Edhy’s predecessor, Susi Pudjiastuti, had imposed the export ban in 2016 in an effort to replenish Indonesia’s lobster stocks.
Edhy, who has feuded publicly with Susi on several issues since taking office last year, first touted the plan to end the ban last December, saying he wanted to cater to small fishermen who depended on export markets. He also said Susi’s ban had failed to tackle the illegal lobster market.
Between January and October 2016, authorities reported smuggling cases involving 800,000 lobster larvae valued at 124.8 billion rupiah ($8.3 million). The larvae are typically sold to buyers in Vietnam, Singapore and China, where they can be raised and sold at much higher prices.
Experts and observers, including Susi, have criticized Edhy’s decision, saying the lack of monitoring and law enforcement in the export chain, coupled with inadequate infrastructure to develop a viable lobster aquaculture in an aquaculture industry domestically, threatens to deplete the wild population.
A key topic of debate is the survival rate of these wild baby lobsters which, according to the fisheries ministry, is less than 1%. Proponents of resuming exports say harvesting these larvae may increase their odds of survival. But opponents say it’s important to keep the lobsters in the wild to prevent them from going extinct.
Some observers suggest the decision to resume exports was influenced by business interests affiliated with foreign enterprises looking for a massive supply of lobster larvae.
To address those concerns, the fisheries ministry says it has laid out requirements for exports, including setting an annual quota and limiting the sites from where the lobsters can be harvested by small-scale and traditional fishermen using “passive” gear. Juvenile lobsters that are either spawning or smaller than 8 centimeters (3 inches) or weigh less than 200 grams (7 ounces) may not be exported.
Exporting companies will have to develop the infrastructure to raise lobsters and release at least 2% of the captive-born population back into the wild, and will only be allowed to export them through selected airports.
But despite these new requirements and the economic argument for resuming exports, experts say the new decision appears to abandon the conservation aspect of the issue. They also say that resuming exports will not contribute much to the economy as long as the illegal market for lobster exports persists.
“The new decree has shifted from what used to be aiming for the conservation of the commodity of lobsters and crabs, to something that’s emphasizing the business development of exporting and farming lobster larva,” Dani Setiawan, the managing director of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen’s Union (KNTI), told Mongabay in an interview.
Dani said the new decree failed to address the lack of domestic infrastructure for lobster aquaculture. If done properly, he said, such an industry would employ small-scale and traditional fishermen and have direct economic benefits for these communities.
The northern coasts of Indonesia’s Java and Lombok islands are the heart of the country’s lobster larvae production. In Lombok, sand lobsters make up 90% of the annual catch, according to a study. The lobsters are grown in floating cages and fed small fish until harvested after six months, as they near maturity. In 2012, the industry was valued at $2 million.
A major obstacle to economically viable lobster aquaculture is the high mortality rate during the nursery stage, more than 50%, which has been widely reported in Vietnam and Indonesia.
Dani said small fishermen had the potential and technical skills to build up the lobster aquaculture industry, but lacked the financial capital and access to both local and international markets.
“This should have been seen as an opportunity for the government to prioritize the use of lobster larvae for aquaculture in the country rather than for exports,” he said.
Conservationists say the government should prioritize environmentally sustainable economic activities.
“Otherwise, only the big businesses will get the benefits from this opportunity,” Dani said.
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- Financial Services
- 3 min read
$3.5-billion dent! FII dollars pulled out from these 8 sectors in Oct; will the exodus continue?
The selling in Indian equities by foreign portfolio investors intensified in October as a sharp spike in the US bond yields amid concerns that interest will stay higher for longer triggered a risk-off mood on Dalal Street.Data shared by the National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), showed that eight major sectors saw high selling by FPIs, with financial services bearing most of the brunt of it.
The selling in Indian equities by foreign portfolio investors intensified in October as a sharp spike in the US bond yields amid concerns that interest will stay higher for longer triggered a risk-off mood on Dalal Street.
Data shared by the National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), showed that eight major sectors saw high selling by FPIs, with financial services bearing most of the brunt of it.
FPIs net sold shares worth Rs 28,933 crore or $3.5 billion across eight sectors, namely financial services, information technology, oil & gas, power, fast moving consumer goods, construction, consumer durables, and healthcare.
Financial services saw the highest selling by FPIs to the tune of Rs 11,804 crore in October. This is against a net purchase of over Rs 2,800 crore done in September. The Nifty Financial Services index shed 3% in the last month.
The second major sector that saw heavy selling was information technology to the tune of Rs 3,262 crore. This was against the net buying worth Rs 1,886 crore done by FPIs in September. The Nifty IT index slumped nearly 4% in the last month.
Volatile crude oil prices amid the geopolitical tensions in Israel weighed on the oil and gas sector, with FPIs selling shares worth over Rs 3,000 crore. This was, however, slightly lower than the over Rs 5,000 crore worth of selling in September.
The power sector witnessed selling by FPIs for the second consecutive month in October, though the pace reduced considerably. They net sold shares worth Rs 2,869 crore last month, compared to over Rs 9,700 crore in September.
Meanwhile, fast moving consumer goods remained out of favour for the big bulls, as they dumped stocks in this sector for the third consecutive month in October. FPIs net sold shares worth Rs 2,792 crore, compared to Rs 1,791 crore in September.
After seeing minor buying in September, both healthcare and consumer durable sectors saw selling of more than Rs 1,000 crore each in October by FPIs.
Will the exodus continue?
The rise in the US bond yield to multi-year highs past the 5% mark had turned foreign investors towards haven assets.
While the geopolitical tensions remain and pose some risks, some market experts believe that the pace of selling by FPIs may slow down in the near term.
The selling trend is unlikely to continue, going forward, since the main trigger for the same was rising bond yields, which has reversed, said V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Financial Services.
FII selling is likely to be subdued, and they may even turn buyers, not to miss the rally in the Indian market, Vijayakumar said, adding that frontline banking, automobiles, capital goods, and mid-caps in IT and real estate are poised to do well.
While the recent rally in the midcap and smallcap stocks have turned valuations a bit expensive, most money managers recommend using corrections to accumulate stocks as the long-term growth story of India remains intact.
“A breather in the market would be a better opportunity for investors to re-engage with Indian equities,” said Manraj S Sekhon, chief investment officer of Templeton Global Equity Investments.
(You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)


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Well. maybe not such a surprise when you think it through . . . According to a recent article in Wired magazine, Manhattan residents have the lowest carbon footprint nationwide. Why? Rather than personal automobiles, these New Yorkers, (even the wealthy), use mass transit, bicycles and good old fashioned foot travel. In addition, larger, more compact housing units […]
Home Depot’s motto states : ” You can do it, we can help”. In keeping with that philosophy, the company’s 1,973 locations are offering free recycling of compact florescent light bulbs. These lights are far more energy efficient than their standard counterparts, but do contain trace amounts of mercury, which causes disposal risks. Home Depot estimates […]
We recently read an article in Dwell magazine that states this newsworthy fact:
Plasma TVs use more energy than your refrigerator.
In addition, it is estimated that the average U.S household produces twice the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as the average automobile.
Here’s some tips from SMWD to save water. Again, small steps can really add up!
Shortening your showers by 1-2 minutes can save 5 gallons of water per day.
Fixing leaky faucets can save up to 20 gallons of water per day.
Turning off the water while brushing your teeth can save up to 3 gallons of water per minute.


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Recent Study On Cashmere Sweaters for Men and Women Gifts
Last Minute Christmas Gift of Cashmere Sweaters For Men and Women – There was this recent study conducted which confirm that the recipient of a gift of cashmere sweaters with a gift card will appreciate more the Cashmere Sweaters Gift, The Reason behind this can be obtain from this write up, you will sure enjoy it and found it very informative
By: Beverly Amsler, Virginia Public Radio // December 23, 2011 WAMU 88 5 American University Radio
If you’re still working on a last-minute gift to impress a special someone this year, researchers at Virginia Tech say less is actually more. It’s a gift-giving strategy that could be applied into the new year.
The researchers have discovered something they call the ”Presenter’s Paradox.” Let’s say you’re feeling generous and give two gifts — a cashmere sweater and a $5 gift card in the same box. Researcher Stephen Garcia says the recipient would prefer to get only the sweater.
”They average the units of information in the package,” says Garcia. “So, for a cashmere sweater, the average of that is high. But in the case where you have the cashmere sweater and the $5 gift card, that $5 gift card dilutes the great generosity of that cashmere sweater.” Read More….
Read More latest News On Cashmere Sweaters For Men and Women
Cashmere is comfy for baby
We’ve chosen a precious fibre (certain to please the knitter’s smooth and tender fingers), a blend of oh-so-soft cashmere, merino wool and silk to make this luxurious shawl collar sweater and matching tuque. Knit with Sublime’s “Baby Cash-mere Merino …
Rabbi wears her family’s embrace with prayer shawl
By Claire Martin Rabbi Debra Rappaport’s mother made this ceremonial tallit from cashmere sweaters worn by family members. (Courtesy of Debra Rappaport) When Rabbi Debra Rappaport, the spiritual leader of B’nai Vail Congregation in Vail, …
Wall Street Journal,
Now, chains are selling cashmere sweaters for less than $100. According to Mr. Bain, “cashmere is generic, like a jockey short.” Many manufacturers today employ cost-saving methods that impoverish the product: using fibers of varying length, …
Now get intothe mood of winter and give the perfect gift for the season,


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Six business chambers in Cambodia have formed the Cambodia Confederation of Investors Association (CCIA) with the aim of promoting economic growth and investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
The launch of the CCIA took place in Phnom Penh and the event was attended by Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, Malaysia Ambassador to Cambodia; Cherdkiat Atthakor, Thailand Ambassador to Cambodia; Kasmirhan Pengiran Tahir, Brunei Ambassador to Cambodia; Teo Lay Cheng, Singapore Ambassador to Cambodia; Buakeo Phumvongsay, Lao Ambassador to Cambodia; Norodom Naritihipong, Ambassador with the Secretariat of His Majesty the King; Kha Leng, Secretary of State of Ministry of Commerce; Salah Essa, Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers; and Chhin Lieng, Secretary of State of Ministry of Information.
There are already dozens of business chambers in the country, some are country and region-specific, but most have the same ambitions – to increase business ties and drive investment in Cambodia and the CCIA has yet to clarify what their point of difference will be.
The CCIA said it aims to establish a resource platform among the different chambers, support investors by facilitating communication and collaboration, provide information and resources, and offer training and consulting services.
The CCIA founder and Chairman is Neak Oknha Ly Kun Thai and comprises the following chambers:
- Cambodia Chinese Commerce Association (CCCA)
- Cambodia Footwear Association (CFA)
- Cambodia Travel Goods and Leather Association (CTLA)
- China Sichuan & Chongqing Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (CYZSH)
- Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia (MBCC)
- Singapore Club Cambodia (SCC)
Chairman Neak Oknha Ly Kun Thai said at the soft launch “The joint cooperation is expected to bring new achievements to the country and bring success to each other.”
The Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia said the soft opening launch of the CCIA “was a huge success…with over 500 guests from various chambers in Phnom Penh attending”.
The Khmer Times added that Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia President Oknha Tan Khee Meng said, “The CCIA aims to protect and assist foreign investors in Cambodia, while also uniting and integrating their needs. We understand the challenges that investors face in a foreign country, and we strive to provide them with the necessary support and resources to succeed.”
Business Chambers in Cambodia
- Find out more about the CCCA Opening Up Cambodia To Investors.
- Indian Chamber of Commerce Cambodia discusses Cambodia & India Business Opportunities.
- Changes In Cambodia Business Chambers 2023


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...A new women’s consignment clothing boutique called Editor Consignment is opening this Saturday at 6706 15th Ave NW. “Editor brings together contemporary recycled fashion and a rotating selection of essays and prose,” explains...
1471 NW 67thSt.This article has 6 other Seattle locations (Show)
7201 E Green Lake Dr. N
13401 Meridian Ave. N
10515 35th Ave. NE
1920 1st Ave. W
8825 Rainier Ave. S
2801 SW Thistle St.
As scheduled, the vegan ice cream shop Frankie & Jo’s is now open on NW 70th St. near 14th Ave. in Ballard. If you venture out the back of the small shop, you’ll find this outdoor cactus garden to enjoy your plant-based ice cream.
The new Frankie and Jo's will open on Northwest 70th Street near 14th Avenue, according to My Ballard. It will join a strip of hot spots like Delancey, Essex and Fat Hen.
The small shop is located right next door to Rosellini’s along NW 70th St. near 14th Ave., joining other Ballard hot spots Delancey, Essex, Rosellini’s and Brunswick & Hunt.
EveryBlock collects 17 types of news in Seattle — including articles, real estate listings, meetups and conversations neighbors are having — and organizes it by location. Here is all the recent news and discussion near 7000-7299 Alonzo Ave. N.W.


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Intel unveiled its first generation BonanzaMine chip in January, threatening to undermine the dominance of Chinese manufacturers Bitmain and MicroBT.
Bitcoin Private Coin Market Cap Bitcoin (BTC) Market Capitalization Tops $714.52 Billion – Bitcoin (BTC) Market Capitalization Tops $714.52 Billion January 29, 2022 ETF Daily News Team Bitcoin (CURRENCY:BTC) traded up 3.2% against the U.S. dollar during the 1 day period ending at 7:00. Bitcoin Private. (BTCP) Price Live Statistics. Bitcoin Private price today is £1.34 , which is Down
And 49% of influencers would prefer to be paid in bitcoin for their work in the metaverse, according to the marketing.
Small Cities Chase Remote Workers With Bikes, Bitcoin and Cash – Across America, smaller cities and less-populated states have been offering cash and perks to lure remote workers away from.