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iPhone MMS now available: How is it going?
As you will probably know by now, as promised, AT&T has pushed out MMS for the iPhone as of late morning on Friday the 25th of September, and iPhone users across the states received a text message which stated “Picture and Video messaging (MMS) is now available for iPhone,” reports zdnet.
To get that long awaited MMS working on your iPhone 3GS you’ll need to connect your iPhone to iTunes and check for update whereby you should receive notification that an update to the carrier settings is available, just download, update and restart after the update is finished.
So MMS has finally hit the iPhone and as it’s been available for a couple of days we’re wondering how iPhoners are finding it? Is MMS working fine on your iPhone, or have you had any problems?


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Now Cousins has another target in first round pick Josh
Zombieland is the second highest grossing zombie movie ever, right behind Hotel Transylvania, which barely qualifies as a zombie movie. It’s got fans, and it made an impact on pop culture. There has to be someone out there who could throw money at this thing so it can be done properly..
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NEW CASTLE TOWNSHIP -- A major retailer announced Tuesday that it's leaving a mall in Schuylkill County.
Kmart employees at the store near Frackville were told the place will close before the end of the year.
The announcement of Kmart's closing comes just a few weeks after another anchor store closed at the Schuylkill Mall. Now shoppers don't know how the mall is going to survive.
"I thought Kmart would have made it. I really did."
The retail store at the Schuylkill Mall announced it will be closing its location near Frackville in mid-October.
"It opened in 1980, guess it ran its course," said George Breame of Frackville.
A Kmart employee tells Newswatch 16 that management at the store held a meeting to let employees know the store will soon shut down.
Just a few months ago, employees at the Sears in the mall got the same news. That anchor store closed earlier this year.
Sears and Kmart are owned by the same company.
"Everything cleaned out of here, how many times? It's unbelievable."
People who shop at the mall near Frackville say they're afraid that Kmart space will end up the same way Sears did: another empty store in the mall with nothing left to show.
"I'm not sure what they're going to do. There's one anchor store left after Kmart goes and that will be BonTon," said Tammy Norwich of Frackville.
Many shoppers say it's not a shock that Kmart will be closing. They say it's been a long time since the Schuylkill Mall had its heyday.
"I visited the place once a week, all the stores."
Now people in Schuylkill County don't know if any other business will want to move in.
"I don't know if they can get anybody in here or not!"
"I hope somebody comes in and takes over the mall, does the renovations and fixes it up so it can get to back where people want to come back," Norwich added.
Kmart's corporate office says the liquidation sale at the store will start in July.
As for the 80 Kmart employees, they were told they can apply at other Kmart or Sears stores.


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AICC Members Gather for an Xperience Like No Other
AICC Members Gather for an Xperience Like No Other
By AICC Staff
May 17, 2022
Over 100 AICC members and speakers came together for in-depth discussions during the Packaging Xperience. (Photos courtesy of AICC.)
AICC’s Packaging Xperience drew 85 members and presenters March 1–3 in Kansas City, Missouri. The three-day event highlighted post-COVID-19 trends in company leadership and market challenges, sales management, brand-owner demands, and technological innovation to help members better serve a consumer-focused packaging marketplace.
AICC President Michael D’Angelo opened the meeting by noting the dramatic growth in demand for corrugated packaging in the past two years and the industry’s continuing strain to meet it. Working smarter, understanding customers’ responses to changing consumer behavior, and leveraging technology will help members maintain their standards of service and long-term customer loyalty, he said.
Gene Marino, AICC Chair and executive vice president of Akers Packaging Service Group, set the tone for the program by discussing the challenges facing box plant personnel at the current pace of demand. His presentation described a “Strategy for Success,” rewarding knowledge, experience, and consistency in processes across all business operations—in other words, to have everyone in the right seat. Marino was followed by Mark Roberts, CEO of OTB Solutions, who asked attendees, “How do you make your company more data-driven?” Citing surveys of buyers in different industries as well as those who purchase corrugated and paperboard products, Roberts made the case that increasing sales will rely on understanding how and why your customer makes purchasing decisions and understanding their challenges in their markets.
A four-member panel of AICC member boxmakers followed, featuring Chris Stoler, CEO of Vanguard Cos.; Jana Harris, president of Harris Packaging; Ed Nusslein, general manager of McLean Packaging; and Mark McNay, senior vice president and general manager at SMC Packaging Group. Panelists answered questions posed by D’Angelo and the audience, particularly around hiring practices, employee engagement, paper supply, lead-time challenges, and capital equipment purchasing plans.
Adam Peek, senior vice president of Meyers Printing, presented the subject of blockchain and cryptocurrency and their potential for business operations. He explained why this technology is important for the corrugated and folding carton industries to watch, and he outlined several areas of the business process where it could be useful, namely on receiving timely price estimates based on real-time production factors, order tracking, and proofing and quality control.
AICC members connected during numerous networking opportunities.
The continuing raw material supply issue was the subject of a three-speaker segment on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 2. Pete Butier, president of Evergreen Fibres, reported on the North American containerboard market. Joe Cali, global business development and sales at Price & Pierce, offered a global perspective. Ryan Fox, corrugated packaging analyst at Green Markets, a Bloomberg Co. publication, presented a retrospective and analysis of box demand over the past two years.
The program also featured several representatives from corrugated end users, namely, those in the direct-to-consumer market. Blake Brown, vice president of brand and creative for the Kizik shoe company, discussed his company’s experience in finding packaging suppliers as a startup. Stephan Ango, vice president, product, for the online packaging design marketplace Lumi, offered ways that boxmakers can promote themselves to smaller startup internet sellers.
On Thursday, March 3, the program continued with the end-user viewpoint, with Evelio Mattos, founder and host of Package Design Unboxd, who recommended ways that boxmakers can evaluate smaller startups for their potential success.
Turning to the production process and ensuring the quality of the packaging that members are providing their customers, Les Pickering, principal of Quadrant 5, took an in-depth look at factory maintenance procedures, showing best-in-class examples of organized and structured maintenance departments from box plants in the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan. John Kelley, CEO of Dusobox Creative Packaging Group, then presented an overview of hybrid flexographic and digital printing presses now coming to the market. These presses can offer boxmakers and their customers versatility in addressing graphics and printing solutions, especially for the growing e-commerce segment.
Closing out the speaking portion of the program was Kim Alexis Newton, founder of Alexis Enterprises LLC, a manufacturer of custom-made quilts. She recounted the start of her company and how she has successfully worked with AICC member Vanguard Packaging in creating their online packaging solutions.
After the program closed, members traveled to tour Lawrence Paper Company in Lawrence, Kansas, followed by SMC Packaging Group’s Arrowhead Containers division in Kansas City. Justin Hill, president, and Russ Packard, vice president, of Lawrence Paper welcomed the group to their plant. SMC Packaging Group CEO Kevin Ausburn and Arrowhead Containers General Manager Vern Bennett hosted members at Arrowhead.
Attendees were welcomed on tours of Lawrence Paper Co. and Arrowhead Containers.
Sponsors of the Packaging Xperience were Equipment Finance Corp.; SUN Automation Group; Pamarco; Poteet Printing Systems; and tour hosts Lawrence Paper Co. and Arrowhead Containers. For more information about AICC’s Packaging Xperience or any other AICC educational programs, contact Taryn Pyle at email@example.com or Chelsea May at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Norway based Opera has announced that it will soon launch a dedicated app for news and videos. As per the company, they have crossed 100 million active news readers as of November 2017. So, the company is planning to launch a dedicated news and video app, which will offer relevant content to its users.
Opera browser uses Artificial Intelligence which is aimed at providing users with relevant content in a smart way. The AI engine observes user’s news-reading behavior in real time and learns from it to provide them with the personalized news feed. The company will now use the same AI tech for its separate app which has been codenamed Opera Habari.
The company has said that it has witnessed 50% growth since Opera Mini Browser’s introduction back in January 2017. The data from November 2017 shows that the average user on Opera Mini browser spends 40 minutes every day and engages with about 65 to 81 news stories per day.
The Opera browser is an access point for exploring news and video content from the internet, as per the company. The Opera Mini app is used for activities like online shopping, looking up information and mobile payments etc. Now, Opera is planning to launch a dedicated news and content app, codenamed Opera Habari, which will be offering relevant news and videos.
“Building on the success of Opera Mini, we will continue developing our AI-service to make it one of the leading content discovery platforms in the world. The unique combination of a large user base with our deep technology skills gives Opera a unique position to achieve this goal. We are looking forward to releasing the new app in the near future,” said Jan Standal, VP Product Marketing, and Communication- Opera.
Opera Habari will use the same AI-engine that is used in Opera browsers, because of which, the users will get their news faster and they will get easy access to news and videos that interest them. Opera has partnered with over 800 websites and publishers for providing the news and relevant content.
Users can experience the AI-powered newsreader on Opera Mini and Opera for Android browser from here.


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Current, powered by GE, is helping the retailer cut energy consumption by well over half
Sainsbury’s supermarkets have become the first in the UK to switch to 100 per cent LED lighting. It is partnering with Current, powered by GE, on the lighting upgrade which will cover more than 450 stores by 2020. It claims the move will cut energy consumption by 58 per cent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.4 percent annually.
The project will support Sainsbury’s on its journey to achieve commitments set out in the supermarket’s sustainability plan, which calls for Sainsbury’s to reduce absolute carbon emissions by 30 per cent compared to 2005 baseline levels.
The target has spurred numerous energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives across its many UK stores, from LED retrofits to solar panels, biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps. To date, Sainsbury’s has already cut absolute carbon emissions by more than 20 per cent and is on track to achieve its 2020 target.
“We’re always looking for new ways of achieving our sustainability goals, and switching to LED lighting is a big step in the right direction,” said Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of sustainability, energy, engineering and environment. “We’ve almost halved the carbon emissions of our stores since 2005, and in the last 12 months reduced our electricity use by 11.6 per cent despite growing our operation by 54.2 per cent.
“This step will enable us to make significant reductions in carbon emissions. Our customers expect us to do the right thing on their behalf, and they can be reassured that, day or night, when they visit a Sainsbury’s supermarket, we’ve made a significant in-road into creating a greener supermarket for them.”
James Fleet, head of retail specification, GE Lighting, told SmartCitiesWorld that other retailers are likely to follow Sainsbury’s lead. “Whether grocery, fashion, cosmetics or one of the other sub-verticals, many of these retailers have published big sustainability commitments, typically seven or 10 years ago and they tended to be based around 2020 vision,” he says. “So I think we will see others follow and the commercial accessibility of LED allows them to drive forward with these plans.”
The part played by major retailers is key when it comes to reducing the country and cities’ overall emissions. Fleet added: “To put it in perspective, Sainsbury’s consumes one per cent of all electricity consumed in the UK so clearly retailers have an absolute duty to be doing what they can to cut emissions as it has an impact on the UK in its entirety.”
Current is delivering the lighting retrofit as a turnkey service, embedding financing with lighting design, product supply, installation and project management services. The full LED conversion across all Sainsbury’s stores is scheduled to be completed by 2020. The retrofit, which has been more than a year in the planning, also opens the door to future digital collaborations between the two companies.
Central to the project is Predix, Current’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform. Pete Lau, CEO of Current’s European operations, told SmartCitiesWorld that Current likes to think of itself as the "digital engine" for intelligent environments. “We have a really strong platform in Predix which helps gain insight into businesses, cities or manufacturing facilities, and even shopper experience, and that platform is open so organisations can build IIoT apps that help deliver savings to the bottom line.”
Speaking generally, he added that the demonstrable savings that LED lighting or other energy-efficiency programmes brings is also helping to pave the way for funding for other smart infrastructure projects such as the aggregation of energy management or buildings management across several stores or intelligent environments.
Current’s ability to offer finance for such projects via GE Capital is also helping organisations to progress their broader smart aspirations. “We’re able to offer embedded finance structures at attractive rates which makes installation of energy efficiency technology a little bit easier,” he says. “And because you can get cashflow positive, often on the first day, it opens up the ability to say, ‘OK, we’ll use the rest of our money to take a chance on the intelligent environment’.”
“What is interesting right now is that energy-efficiency is a proven concept that adds money to the bottom line and can be measured through meters. People understand there’s value to be had in the IoT and smart world but actually dollarising that because it’s so new can be difficult. So, using energy efficient products to fund tests and pilots and entry into the smart world is a big trend and the financing plays a huge part in that.”
If you like this, you might be interested in reading the following:
AT&T and Current strike deal to connect US cities to the Internet of Things
Utilising the AT&T smart cities framework, Current brings end-to-end software and hardware solutions to connect cities to the Industrial Internet
Connecting intelligent environments
Connecthings is partnering with GE’s Current as a key smart city partner to foster urban and economic development
IKEA complete 1.21MW rooftop solar array in Columbus
Roof-mounted solar panel array represents the 46th solar project for IKEA in the US


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One of the biggest movies set to release in 2022 is the big new action movie starring Brad Pitt called Bullet Train. The movie is set to release exclusively in theaters this summer but will also be headed to Netflix, at least in the US, as part of the new first-window deal between Sony and Netflix.
Directed by David Leitch, the new action-comedy movie is set to release on July 15th this year (it was at one point due to release in April 2022). It’s based on a Japanese novel and features a huge ensemble cast.
Starring alongside Pitt in the movie is Joey King (who works with Netflix under a deal), Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Andrew Koji.
Now the best way to watch Bullet Train is on the big screen but if you are going to wait, Bullet Train will be among the first major rivals from a new Sony deal with Netflix in the US.
When will Bullet Train be on Netflix?
Details around the first window with Sony haven’t been fully fleshed out. We can use their previous deal with Starz to provide a rough estimation as to when Bullet Train will be on Netflix, however.
Based on our research, Sony movies came to Starz between 150 to 223 days after its theatrical release.
Based on this that’d mean that Bullet Train will be on Netflix at some point between December 2022 and late February 2023.
Again, that assumes we’ll see a similar time frame heading into this new deal.
It’ll then be available on Netflix for a total of 18-months before moving to Disney and in this instance, it’d likely head to Hulu. As a rough estimation, this will be around Summer 2024.
For a full breakdown of all the Sony movies coming to Netflix as part of this first-window deal, we’re keeping track of those additions here. Uncharted and Morbius will be among the first wave of Sony movies coming to Netflix with other titles like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also confirmed to eventually come to Netflix US.
Will other regions of Netflix receive Bullet Train?
The likely answer to this is yes although we don’t have specifics. Netflix in multiple regions receives new Sony movies in a timely manner although Netflix nor Sony promote any deal.
Netflix Canada and the United Kingdom receive Sony movies 2 years after their theatrical release. Case in point, Fantasy Island which was released in February 2020 touched down on Netflix CA and the UK recently in January 2022. That also applies to regions such as Belgium, Greece, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and South Africa.
That’d mean Netflix in these regions will see Bullet Train added sometime in 2024.
We’ll keep you posted over time as and when we learn more on the Bullet Train release date on Netflix.


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You know Wargaming is doing well when they even get featured in the RollingStone Magazine.
RollingStone Magazine said that “Victor Kislyi was a young boy in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus, his father took him to see a theatrical revival of the Kirk Douglas epic Spartacus.” that managed to “built an empire from historically accurate battle sims.”
Wargaming.net’s line of “freemium” PC titles – World of Tanks, World of Warplanes and World of Warships – have 150 million registered players who purchase over four million in-game items every day. The most expensive are authentic recreations of vintage military hardware: A rocket-powered Japanese J8M interceptor aircraft for $54.99, a 1930s Leningrad-class Soviet destroyer for $25.99 or a WWII-era British Black Prince tank that never made it past the prototype phase for $10.49.
It’s an interesting article,
but some information I believe they either got it wrong, or really don’t know why the Black Prince costs $10.49… Turns out it’s the Matilda Black Prince… If you want to read the article in full, just visit the RollingStone Magazine website.


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When uniqlo, a Japanese clothing brand, opened its first Canadian site in Toronto last fall, it announced giant billboards in unexpected places. The wall of the subway platform was blocked by advertising. On social media, models wear the brand’s simple logo. But the difference in this movement is its banality, from random and identifiable locations to models of race, age and height. Some men have long, bushy beards; One has a perfect binding headband. A woman wears a headscarf and folds it into a single package.
What helped drive this activity was Lorde Inc., a street modeling company that deliberately showed color models. Kaptownwala, who runs the Toronto office, said the company was founded in 2014 by artist Isaac Kariuki, Christopher Whitfield and Nafisa Kaptownwala in London.
“At that time, there were models of color,” she says. “your beauty was always negotiated through a white lens. “We want to have a platform and we can be arrogant. At first, I never thought of it as a business, but more like a platform to celebrate our beauty. ”
Since then, the agency has booked models for Kenzo, VICE, Milk Makeup and singer Frank Ocean (his “Nikes” video). Actors and directors can be a powerful creative bridge to narrow the gap between everyday people and fashion.
The relationship between fashion and tolerance is still full of mistakes. Think of Marc Jacobs and his response to criticism when he used pigtails in his spring 2017 show. However, in January, the popular Gucci launched a series of full-black model auditions. And, on the corporate side, the fabled house promises to work with Liberi e Uguali, an Italian non-profit group, to help the company diversify.
This progress is good, but there is one risk: “since we started, ‘diversity’ has become more and more fashionable, and I have never predicted it,” said Kaptownwala. “I just want to make room for myself and my friends in an industry that basically ignores us. And now I feel that our work is being swept away from under us. “
Ryerson University of Toronto, Ryerson University), associate professor of diversity and inclusion is Ben Barry (Ben Barry) said, if the creator of the industry and business diversification, the diversity of fashion will be sustainable. “The conversation needs to get out of the runway and into the people who make the model decisions,” he said.
Before being named the first black female editor of Teen Vogue, Elaine Welteroth filmed “cultural appreciation” in the magazine’s May 2016 issue. The story features young women talking about the special properties of culture: baby hair in temples, Africa, nostrils. At the time, waitrose said, it was thought that it would be impossible to find a woman with a real feather in her hair, but the Zan Casting of the Zan Ludlum in New York did.
Like Lorde, Zan helps use the “real” model in commercials, movies and runway shows, but says there are limits. “I just went through the data packets and looked at a group of designers I knew who couldn’t run to the curved girl on the runway because of their sample size,” she says. Still, she is optimistic that the shift in fashion is the start of a new definition of beauty. “Most of the clients we work with have a responsibility to push the boundaries and recognize that we are leading the visual media. We have a responsibility to talk to a lot of people. ”
Kaptownwala wants to be positive, but can’t speak. “I think the only thing that makes it sustainable is what if the brand wants self-reflection to make it important,” she said. “If these brands are just trying to seize the moment, because it’s fashionable, that doesn’t solve the root of the problem and it’s not conducive to social change.”


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Hang on … are fats now considered good for you and carbohydrates bad? Or is it the other way around?
Health experts have shifted recently in their theories about sugar, fat, and the root cause of obesity and heart disease, so much so that Dr. Jerry Gore, co-founder of the Center for Holistic Medicine in Riverwoods, and his associate, Katie Bogaard, a naturopathic practitioner, attempted to set the record straight at a free presentation entitled “Choosing the Right Sugars and Fats,” held at the Northbrook Public Library on September 7.
“Fat was demonized in the 1990s, but we now know the sugar industry paid researchers to say fat was to blame,” said Gore. “Sugar makes you gain weight. It’s not fat, it’s sugar.”
During the course of their one-hour lecture, delivered to an audience of approximately 70 people, the pair set out to debunk outdated nutrition myths about good versus bad fats, and shed light on the long-term health risks of excessive sugar consumption.
“We want you to educate yourselves so you can use sugar and fat as friends, not enemies,” said Gore. “Our goal is for you to be healthy and avoid some of the illnesses that are plaguing the United States right now, many of which are due to sugar and bad fat intake.”
Using a series of lists, graphs, and charts projected overhead, Gore and Bogaard explained that many ailments are the results of sugar-induced inflammation inside the body. Hypertension, asthma, acne, acid reflux, and memory loss are all medical conditions linked to what Gore terms “silent” inflammation. When left untreated, inflammation leads to insulin resistance, which causes metabolic syndrome, which in turn, precipitates illness. According to Gore, 1/3 of the U.S. population has metabolic syndrome, putting millions of people on the cusp of multiple diseases.
“Don’t worry about what might happen with North Korea,” joked Gore. “This crisis is happening right now.”
Gore said Americans consume an average of 160 lbs. of sugar per year today, compared with just 5lbs. of sugar per annum back in 1890.
“One can of Coke has 11 teaspoons of sugar in it,” said Gore. “Can you imagine, sitting there, putting 11 teaspoons of sugar in your mouth? We need to start thinking about how this is affecting our children and grandchildren.”
Gore and Bogaard outlined the differences between simple sugars, which are found in foods like candy, cakes, syrups, fruit juices, and regular carbonated beverages, and highly preferable complex sugars, found in quinoa, millet and barley.
“In addition to putting us on a blood sugar rollercoaster, simple sugars also stimulate the pleasure centers in our brain which triggers overeating,” said Bogaard.
Even natural sugar substitutes like stevia can set up the brain for cravings throughout the day, said Bogaard. She and Gore recommend sweeteners with health benefits like honey, molasses and dates, but only in moderation.
The pair also explained technical terms like Glycemic Index, which measures the extent to which a food increases a person’s blood glucose level, versus Glycemic Load, which also takes into account the amount of carbohydrate in a food. Glycemic Load, say Gore and Borgaard, is the more accurate indicator of how a food will affect blood sugar levels.
“Low Glycemic Load foods, like kidney beans, green peas and watermelon, contain a good balance of sugar, protein, good fats and fiber,” said Bogaard.
Gore and Bogaard also worked to clear up confusion about good versus bad fats. Contrary to popular belief, they say it’s polyunsaturated fats like safflower oil and soybean oil, as well as trans fats such as hydrogenated palm, soybean and cottonseed oil that should be avoided. Saturated fats like coconut oil, palm kernel oil, beef fat, and butter are actually good if consumed in moderation.
“If you’re going to eat a French fry,” said Gore, “you’d be much better cooking it in coconut oil than vegetable oil.”
The pair explained that polyunsaturated fats are unstable and therefore vulnerable to oxidation – whereby oxygen present in other food molecules, the air, or the cooking process renders the fat rancid. Scientists believe this oxidation is linked to heart disease, cancer, and aging.
“Oxidized fats are bad fats,” said Gore.
Meanwhile, saturated fats, once thought to be unhealthy, have been linked to weight loss, cancer prevention, and inflammation reduction.
Both Gore and Bogaard see patients regularly at The Center for Holistic Medicine, where Gore is a co-founder and medical director. There, Dr. Gore practices both general medicine and psychiatry from a holistic perspective, leading a team of doctors that blend traditional and alternative medicine. Gore is also the author of Holistic Medicine: Physical Health, Peace of Mind & Clarity of Consciousness.


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A popular Hamilton lounge is moving to Brampton.
Avlyn’s Lounge is a marquee Indian restaurant. Originally located at 627 King Street East in Hamilton, in April, the joint took to Facebook to announce that they have sold the restaurant and will be re-opening in Brampton.
The lounge has recently revamped their menu to have more unique dishes including Tandoori Chicken Salad, Western Sandwich, Cauliflower Bites, Tandoori Paneer, Tandoori Shrimp, Samosa Fusion, Mango Lassi and Rice Pudding.
- Tim Hortons giving away free coffee
- Ontario distillery unveils two limited-edition whiskeys
- Pet owners can now get delivery… for their pets
“Our vegetables are sourced from our associated local organic farm and meat is butchered locally and fresh from our local farm. Our food is made with your health in mind. By using organic food, we ensure that no harmful antibiotics, pesticides, hormones or artificial flavours are used,” says the joint on their website.
According to Avlyn’s Lounge, their food is inexpensive since they get their food from a farm, which means they save a lot.
“Whether you are craving fresh samosas, salads topped with delicious dressings, or authentic tasting vegetable and meat curry dishes, Avlyn’s Lounge is your premium destination,” says the lounge.
The lounge has yet to state when and where they will be opening.
Avlyn’s Lounge will also be offering their food on SkipTheDishes!
Will you be visiting Avlyn’s Lounge once it opens?


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The Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry is currently developing partnerships to explore the potential of bamboo and other non-wood forest products.
Minister Kalaveti Ravu highlighted this in parliament, stating they are also assisting resource owners to effectively participate in the Ministry’s efforts towards value addition.
Ravu says they are working closely with resource owners through cottage industries, small enterprises, and cooperatives by providing them training and infrastructure to manufacture their products and market access.
He adds that the Ministry is supporting three cottage industries, the Gaunavou Cooperative from Vugalei, Kalabu Youths, and Sawakasa Youths.
The Minister says they are also supporting woodcarvers from Fulaga and Kabara through training on product development and marketing their products, and eventually resourcing them with equipment through subsidies.


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Beef, mutton prices fixed for Ramadan
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSSC) yesterday fixed the price of one kg of quality beef at Tk 420 and mutton at Tk 570 for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
The price of buffalo meat per kg has been set at Tk 400 and lamb at Tk 470.
DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon in a meeting with the leaders of different business organisations at Nagar Bhaban fixed the rate and said the traders would have to sell only quality beef for Tk 420 a kg.
The rate will remain unchanged from the first day of Ramadan to the 26th day of Ramadan, he said.
Mobile courts would conduct drives against food adulteration in the south city during the Ramadan.
The city corporation would take action if anybody was found involved in food adulteration and the use of pesticides on fruits, the mayor warned. The shopkeepers would have to keep a price chart fixed by the DSCC authorities.
“The DSCC authorities are working to build two slaughterhouses where at least 4,000 cows, goats and other animals can be slaughtered safely a day," Sayeed said this when the meat traders demanded more slaughterhouses.
Khokon also asked the bakery traders to mention the manufacturing and expiry dates on their products.
Rabiul Alam, general secretary of Bangladesh Meat Traders Association, said there are four slaughterhouses in the city, but their condition is very bad.
He also requested Khokon to increase the facility of the slaughterhouses and the number of veterinary surgeons to monitor the animals' slaughtering properly.


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Education looks set to be focus of Microsoft May event
Redmond sends out invites for event held in New York on 2 May
Microsoft has sent out invites to the press for an event to be held next month.
Titled "Learn What's Next", the event will take place in New York on 2 May, just eight days befor the company kicks off its Build 2017 developer conference. The event begins at 9.30am ET (2.30pm BST).
The only clue to what the event is about is a hashtag, #MicrosoftEDU, which points to the event being focused around education. The image is also of a city skyline. Some in the media have speculated that the event may also be about the launch of Windows 10 Cloud.
It has been reported that the codename for the event is Bespin, which is the famous cloud city that appeared in 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'.
Windows 10 Cloud may be Microsoft's answer to Google's cheap, cheerful and somewhat popular Chrome OS, which powers the Chromebooks that have been selling well in educational establishments and institutions. In the same way that Chrome OS runs Google apps, Windows 10 Cloud is a version of the Windows 10 operating system that runs apps only from Microsoft's Windows Store.
In January, Microsoft went into detail about Intune for Education, its a cloud-based management tool aimed at allowing IT departments in schools and colleges to configure and control many devices at once.
There are also rumours that a slightly upgraded version of the Surface Pro 4 will be unveiled. However, there has been no news of a launch of the Surface Book 2 or even a Surface Phone. The launch of those two devices seems unlikely, according to ZDNet's keen Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley.
It also seems unlikely that Microsoft will show off any more detail on its Xbox Project Scorpio, its next-generation successor to the Xbox One, at an event dedicated to education.
Main image credit: Microsoft
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Alfred appointed as UK social media agency for Westfield
9th May 2023
London, April 2023: Westfield has appointed Alfred as its retained social media agency for Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City, following a competitive six-way pitch process.
Alfred has been briefed to deliver social media content and campaigns that amplify the brand’s values and objectives, focusing on connecting people and communities through extraordinary, meaningful, shared experiences.
The agency will develop and execute social media content (focusing on TikTok) and campaigns for both Westfield destinations in London to drive engagement, increase brand awareness, and ultimately help drive footfall and sales for both destinations, which offer over 700 retail and leisure concepts and over 180 places to eat and drink, combined.
Westfield joins a growing portfolio of digital and content clients at Alfred, including Amazon UK and Tours, Highland Park Whiskey, and Sainsbury’s Tu. Alfred’s Digital business has seen significant growth over the last three years, bolstered by several key appointments allowing the agency to deliver bigger, more powerful integrated campaigns. The agency’s social team is led by Richard Langrish, who brings a wealth of experience creating engaging and effective campaigns across various social media platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Alfred’s Head of Social, Richard Langrish said, “Alfred is thrilled to join forces with Westfield as its social media and content partner. Collaborating closely with the in-house social team, we aim to develop captivating, attention-grabbing social content that not only raises the profile of the Westfield brand but also contributes towards sales and foot traffic.”
Sarah Fearon, Head of Marketing UK at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said: “Social media is one of our many digital touchpoints for building engagement and having conversations with our customers, and we are excited by Alfred’s creativity, experience and expertise and look forward to a collaborative journey with Alfred to deliver best in class social campaigns.”
- Social media


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Banning Balloon Releases? Up, Up, Away and a $500 Fine, Please
ASBURY PARK — This Monmouth County city could become the latest along the Jersey Shore to ban the intentional release of balloons into the air — noting the practice is a threat to the environment and wildlife.
An ordinance introduced by the city council in August, and to be voted on in September, would impose a fine of up to $500 on any person or entity responsible for the intentional release of balloons within the city's limits.
"Balloons continue to be a source of litter on New Jersey’s beaches as well as a real threat to wildlife, especially at the Jersey Shore," said Surfrider Foundation's Jersey Shore chapter in a news release. "Balloons and their attachments also contribute to the growing issue of marine plastic pollution."
According to Surfrider, 14 other New Jersey municipalities have a similar ban on the books, including Atlantic City, Bradley Beach and Long Beach Township.
Asbury Park's proposal makes exceptions for balloon releases related to scientific or meteorological purposes.
Lorna O'Hara, executive director of The Balloon Council, based in Trenton, said protecting the environment is an idea everyone supports. But instead of bans, the Council would like to see the implementation of education programs related to balloon releases.
"The industry supports weighting balloons and them not being released; we're discouraging that," O'Hara said. "What they don't want to see is negative words surrounding balloon bans, and then they're not used for other occasions."
The Council's "Smart Balloon Practices" campaign advises consumers to keep their balloons secured to a weight, and not to release foil balloons into the air.
O'Hara claims latex balloons are biodegradable, but Surfrider doesn't agree.
"I would simply dispute that by saying we don't label any other latex product you can buy in the store as biodegradable — latex gloves, condoms," said John Weber, the Foundation's Mid-Atlantic regional manager.


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Getting Down to Business with Bitcoin
Price College offers a new course to prepare its students for the evolving world of FinTech and cryptocurrency.
Not that long ago people wrote checks, made purchases with cash and went to a bank to manage their accounts. Now, we click a button to make an online purchase, use peer-to-peer smartphone technology to reimburse friends for dinner, and use an app to make a bank deposit.
While we conduct these seemingly simple transactions without much thought, behind these functions is a host of complex algorithms and broadband networks. Financial technology, or FinTech, is everywhere and it has transformed the way we live our lives and do business. Broadly defined, FinTech can be any innovation used in financial transactions.
The advent of mobile internet and smartphones has propelled FinTech into new realms, including the classroom. To prepare its students for this continuously growing and evolving world, the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma is offering a first-of-its-kind class this spring. Housed in the Department of Finance, the senior-level course will provide an overview of the many components of FinTech, including applications of cryptocurrency, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, crowdfunding, investing and blockchain.
Finance doctoral candidate Peter Mueller developed and teaches the course. He believes in the continuing proliferation and acceptance of FinTech and cryptocurrency so much that he is staking his academic career on it. He wants his students to learn how technology is being applied and how it is changing the world of finance.
“We will take a broad, surface-level approach to FinTech and how technology is impacting and disrupting traditional finance and institutions,” Mueller says of the class. “Students will come away with a better understanding of how technologies are going to continue to change the way we do business.”
Chitru Fernando, Rainbolt Chair and Professor of Finance at Price College, says students must be prepared for this new, rapidly developing reality. He expects the course taught by Mueller to do just that.
“Financial technology is proliferating at an unprecedented pace, disrupting the traditional delivery of financial services in many areas,” he says. “I wanted to offer a FinTech course because our students need to gain a good understanding of these changes so they can be at the cutting edge of finance when they enter the workforce.”
Pre-med major Caleb Cochell is one of those students. He wants to learn more about what he thinks will be the future of financial management and investment.
“My understanding of FinTech and cryptocurrency is pretty basic, and I am taking this new class to develop a higher level of thinking about it,” he says. “I have a long-term investment in cryptocurrency and it has doubled since last February. It will be interesting to learn about how this technology works, along with understanding blockchain.”
While FinTech is the umbrella term for a host of innovations and applications to conducting business, a headline-grabbing component of the sector is the development and use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Crypto is an old technology, originating in the 1950s as cryptography, and refers to a secure validator. Messages were encrypted with characters rather than letters, which then needed to be decoded for secure communications. While this technology is not new, its application with cryptocurrency is.
Cryptocurrency is digital money or an electronic cash system that is exchanged virtually and operates independently of government regulation. Bitcoin, perhaps the most well-known, was first introduced in a 2008 white paper by Santoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for a person, or persons, who created and deployed the first Bitcoin and blockchain in 2009. This action is often believed to be a response to the distrust of banking institutions in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Anyone can now buy or sell Bitcoin online. Financial technology has enabled a proliferation of cryptocurrencies and has been described as the “Wild West,” largely because it is not overseen by a centralized institution, bank or government. Checking the daily value of a Bitcoin can look more like an EKG reading than a safe financial statement.
Underlying cryptocurrencies is the blockchain.
“The blockchain is a record of all transactions,” explains Mueller. “If I send someone $35, it goes on the blockchain and that transaction is verified. It is a recursive ledger which means if someone were to tamper with a transaction in the past, it would be immediately apparent in all the blocks, or entries of transactions. You would know immediately.”
John Paul Broussard, OU professor and assistant director of finance, predicts a continuation of the democratization of finance where consumers will be in control of all their financial decisions and assets.
“Two things are already in place in the world of FinTech, which is nothing other than technology allowing for transactions to happen more efficiently and effectively,” he says. “Those are: Being able to use technology to manage your finances and using FinTech tools to achieve financial goals. The third component is the use of cryptocurrency.”
To understand how the cryptocurrency blockchain works, Broussard began mining the cryptocurrency Ethereum in 2017. Miners use computer software to solve complex mathematical problems and uncover small, leftover units of digital currency, which will appear on the blockchain or ledger and are awarded to miners as a finder’s fee.
“I can follow the transactions as they happen,” he says. “It is the coolest thing ever.”
Most of us will not create a new digital currency, but we can buy Bitcoin or fractions of a Bitcoin easily, and for as little as one dollar. A central exchange, such as the peer-to-peer smartphone payment application Venmo, sells Bitcoin. A single Bitcoin recently was valued at $47,031, and anyone can own a portion of Bitcoin by going to a central exchange, opening an account, and buying Bitcoin from someone who has already mined it.
Cryptocurrencies are stored in digital wallets with private keys. Rather than handing someone actual paper money or a plastic credit card, spending takes place from one virtual wallet to another with the exchange of the security keys. This exchange is not tied to a bank or under monetary oversight, often resulting in the wild, daily value fluctuations.
Both Mueller and Broussard say that it is unclear what kind of asset Bitcoin is right now, and what kind of classification it would hold in one’s financial portfolio. Is it a long-term capital gain or a short-term profitmaking mechanism? They do agree that cryptocurrencies are becoming an acceptable medium of exchange.
In perhaps a sign of that acceptability, Staples Center, the famed Los Angeles sports and entertainment venue, recently changed its name to the Crypto.com Arena. The naming rights are for 20 years. Headquartered in Singapore, this cryptocurrency app has offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The deal makes Crypto.com an official cryptocurrency platform partner of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings.
Broussard predicts that FinTech will keep growing and expanding, allowing consumers to be in more control of their financial transactions without traditional intermediaries.
“Finance will continue to become democratized and I think we will see a lot of consolidation among traditional financial institutions,” he says. “They are using FinTech to increase their efficiency, spending a lot of time, effort and money to be able to understand and incorporate cryptocurrency into their daily activities.
“When it moves from a unique niche to mainstream, FinTech will have made it. We are providing our students with the tools they are going to use once they graduate, start their careers and contribute to this shift.”
Susan Grossman is Senior Program Officer for the Kirkpatrick Foundation in Oklahoma City and a freelance writer who lives in Norman, Okla.
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The festive season in India sees a rise of sales in the car market. Most manufacturers take the opportunity to further push the sales by offering discounts. Here are ten biggest Diwali discount offers on SUVs in India.
The flagship SUV of Hyundai in India is currently facing stiff competition from recently launched Jeep Compass. Hyundai is currently offering up to Rs. 1 lakh discount on the SUV at select dealerships. Hyundai recently launched the 4WD variant of the SUV in India too.
You can also get an additional Rs. 1 lakh discount if you can find the Make Year 2016 Tucson at any Hyundai dealership. The Korean manufacturer earlier announced the price cut of Rs. 1 lakh on older make vehicles.
Mahindra XUV 500
Mahindra XUV 500 remains the king of the D-Segment. Mahindra is currently offering a maximum discount of Rs. 65,000. The discount is applicable at most of the Mahindra dealerships across India. Mahindra recently launched the W9 variant that sits just below the W10 and offers similar features with less number of airbags.
The Scorpio is one of the most loved vehicles in the Indian market. The sturdy SUV currently gets up to Rs. 50,000 discount across all the variants. The Scorpio is expected to get a new facelift model soon with revised engine output.
The EcoSport will soon be replaced with a facelift version. The current version of the vehicle is offered with a discount of Rs. 65,000. To attract the festive season buyers, Ford is offering Rs. 55,000 benefits on the vehicle while gifts worth Rs. 10,000 can be claimed after buying the vehicle during the festive season.
The Renault Duster is one of the best sellers from Renault in India. The compact SUV is being offered with a discount of Rs. 77,000. The benefits include insurance, accessories and a cash discount. The limited-edition Sandstorm Edition and the petrol CVT variant of the vehicle are not being offered with the discount. All other variants of the vehicle get the discount.
The Terrano is a rebadged version of the Duster. The car gets a discount of up to Rs. 87,000. The benefits include various cash discounts and free accessories offered by various Renault dealerships across India.
Mahindra NuvoSport is a spiced up Quanto and is currently being offered with Rs. 85,000 discount. The NuvoSport is offered in only 1.5-litre diesel engine option and gets manual and automatic AMT gearbox too. The NuvoSport takes on the vehicles like Ford EcoSport and Vitara Brezza.
Honda BR-V is being offered with a discount of Rs. 1 lakh in the market. The discount is applicable across all the variants of the vehicle. BR-V is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The BR-V competes with the Hyundai Creta and Maruti S-Cross in the market.
The entry-level Audi SUV in India is currently being offered with a Rs. 50,000 discount. The Q3 was recently launched with a new petrol engine in the market too. Audi is currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary and is offering Rs. 50,000 discount on the vehicle. It goes against the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA in the market.
The Volvo XC60 is the entry-level SUV offered by Volvo in India. Volvo dealerships are currently offering a discount of Rs. 8 lakh on the vehicle. The benefit includes cash discount, extended warranty and complimentary insurance.


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The company plans to completely decarbonize its delivery fleet in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam and Shanghai by 2020
The big companies that will have a winning business model will be those that will adapt to the challenge of respect for nature and the Ingka Group – the parent company of Ikea – in 2018 is committed to a major project. According to this project, by 2025, the company will deliver every object worldwide with an electric vehicle.
The project started with a narrower target, trying to achieve the complete transition to electric vehicles in five cities – New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam and Shanghai – by 2020.
Among these cities, there is one that has more easily managed to welcome the goal of Ikea. In fact, since January 23, Ingka has reached that goal in Shanghai. The company has indeed announced that in the center of the Chinese city, all home deliveries are now made with electric vehicles.
Angela Hultberg, who oversees sustainable mobility at the Ingka Group, said: “We wanted to challenge ourselves and others, and Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world. A city that fights against air pollution, the same problem that we are trying to deal with it. A perfect place to start. ”
It will be important for Ikea to forge local partnerships
To get to this point, Ikea has followed its plan to build local partnerships to find vehicles and sufficient charging infrastructure. In fact, in Shanghai, Ikea works with a local storage and distribution company, Beiye New Brother Logistics Co., “which was willing to change with us,” says Hultberg.
Fundamental part of the project, obviously, are the electric vehicles. And to have helped Ikea was the partnership with DST, a company based in Shenzen that rents electric vehicles and vans. DST manages over 16,000 logistics vehicles and has thousands of charging stations in major cities like Shanghai. New Brother, Ikea’s logistics partner in China, also bought a handful of electric delivery trucks.
Ikea is also trying to change customer behavior to encourage low-emission transport
In Shanghai, says Hultberg, access to the shared DST fleet “allowed us to change vehicles faster”. But Ikea works to achieve 100% zero-emission deliveries in other cities, such as New York, which do not yet have a solid EV sharing network. Here, of course, the delivery of cars and trucks will be crucial, but Ikea is also exploring some delivery possibilities with an electric cargo bike or tricycle.
During this process, Ikea is also trying to change customer behavior to encourage low-emission transport. A turning point on the part of the Swedish giant is that of placing smaller shops in urban centers, rather than locating huge shops on the margins, to encourage customers to reach them through transit, on foot or by bicycle.
In Shanghai, a new Ikea store, scheduled to open in 2020, will connect directly with the city’s metropolitan system.
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by Bedah Mengo NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
Nairobi looked different and cleaner as citizens largely complied
with a ban on plastic bags, which took effect on Monday.
The plastic bags, initially common on the streets, retail outlets
and open air markets, were nowhere to be seen as citizens went about
It was a breath of fresh air, a sudden change of habit and a
seemingly less struggle to comply with the government ban, with many
satisfied with the move.
On the streets of the central business district, a survey showed
that citizens had complied with the move to kick out plastic bags.
Women, who initially would be spotted with plastic bags with some
carrying more than one, had replaced them with canvas bags of
Some had pink, other blue, orange and black canvas bags that
signified the change with times and the love for the environment.
Along the busy Tom Mboya Street, in shops that stocked the
plastic bags that went for between 0.05 U.S. dollars and 0.20
dollars, the change was evident.
On the shelves that once hosted the plastic bags now lay canvas
bags each going from 0.10 dollars to 0.30 dollars depending on the
"Buy canvas bags, buy canvas bag at 0.10 dollars.
"Don’t be caught on the wrong side of the law," shouted a hawker
carrying dozens of the canvas bags along the street.
Several pedestrians rushing to work bought the bags as the man,
who had an assistant, did booming business early morning.
Away from the hawker at Muthurwa market, which was once described
as the bastion of plastic bags, change was in the air.
The flea market is home to hundreds of traders and before the
ban, they generated tonnes of plastic bags garbage.
The plastics, as at many other markets across Kenya, were used
for packing cooked food, fresh produce, clothes, shoes and other
merchandise sold at the busy facility.
But on Monday things were different, the dozens of traders who
normally sell the bags to customers, had replaced their wares with
"10 dollars, 10 dollars....canvas bags at 10 dollars, 10
dollars," shouted one of the hawkers as he sought to attract
However, as the hawkers sold the bags, traders selling produce
like tomatoes, onions and potatoes had changed tactic.
Before the ban, they would offer customers plastic bags for free
after buying their commodities, but on Monday, the traders asked
buyers to buy the canvas bags.
"If it was my wish, I would offer you for free something to carry
in your purchase as it was before but things have changed," said
Mary Wanjiku, a trader.
"We have to comply with the law because we don’t want to be
Other traders packed their produce, especially the bulky ones in
gunny bags doing away with the practice of stuffing them in several
However, not everyone at the market and the nearby Gikomba, the
biggest second-hand items market in Kenya, had complied with the
law, some traders could be seen packing their wares and those for
customers in plastic bags.
But it is at the supermarkets that the ban on plastics had
totally been complied with as the retail outlets replaced plastic
bags with reusable canvas bags.
At a branch of Eastmatt Supermarket along Tom Mboya Street, the
outlets branded plastic bags had been replaced with canvas bags,
with each going from 0.05 dollars.
On the other hand at a branch of Naivas on the opposite street,
their new mantra "use me, re-use me and try not to lose me" rent the
air as customers left the stores with branded canvas bags.
"Our last day to use plastic bags was yesterday, we tried as much
as possible to clear them.
"From now on, we will use a variety of canvas bags depending on
the items bought," said an attendant.
Kenya notified citizens on the move to ban the use, manufacturer
or importation of plastic bags six months ago in bid to have a
cleaner environment and protect its natural resources including
Kenya used up to 24 million plastic bags monthly, with half
ending up in the environment due to poor disposal.
Transition to alternative packing material has been slower with
many waiting for the last minute.
A case to challenge the ban in
court was thrown out last Friday paving way for implementation of
the law on Monday.
Anyone found with plastics will now be arrested and charged, with
the offence attracting a fine of between 19,417 dollars and 38,834
dollars, a jail term of between one and two years, or both.
"To avoid plastic bags, invest in reusable containers, look for
alternative packing materials, use paper, steel or bamboo straws,
buy unpackaged food, use degradable or reusable shopping bags made
from starch, corn or potatoes," the National Environment Management
Authority informed citizens.
However, not all plastic bags have been banned in Kenya.
bags used for industrial primary packaging where the product is in
direct contact with the plastic and is done at the source have been
exempted from the sanctions.
The environment agency on Monday said it would send out its
inspectors and environment police to inspect whether manufacturers
and citizens had complied with the ban.
Kenyan retailers take up plastic ban with cautious optimism
by Ben Ochieng’ and Christine Lagat NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
landmark plastic ban that took effect on Monday received cautious
welcome from retailers who expressed concern over its impact on
their businesses despite its much touted environmental benefits.
The small scale retailers who spoke to Xinhua said that they were
not opposed to the ban since it would reduce environmental pollution
but urged authorities to provide them with alternative packaging
materials to stave off losses.
"A transition from plastic bags to eco-friendly alternatives is a
"s small business owners, we welcome this decision but hope the
government has put in place solid measures to cushion us from
financial losses," George Wamba, a grocery store owner at a Nairobi
Cabinet Secretary for environment and natural resources Judi
Wakhungu on Feb. 28 announced that the plastic ban will be
implemented at the end of August in a bid to boost the country’s
Wakhungu’s directive was however opposed by manufacturers who
cited loss of jobs and revenue to the exchequer.
The high court briefly suspended the plastic ban and directed
parties to resolve the issue amicably.
However, the State clarified it will not backtrack on the
decision to phase out plastic carrier bags and urged manufacturers
and retailers to settle for eco-friendly alternatives.
Judges at the High Court on Aug. 26 ruled that the plastic ban
was still on paving the way for retailers to discard their
stockpiles or pay astronomical fines.
Kenyans from all walks of life expressed mixed feelings over the
plastic ban that was hailed by conservationists as a giant step
towards safeguarding the country’s green future.
"I think people should be more conscious of the negative impact
plastic bags are having on the environment.
"At the same time, we need to be mindful of small scale traders
who rely on plastic bags for packaging.
"They should not suffer unnecessary losses," said Elvin Obure, a
Retail chains were racing against time on the eve of the plastic
ban to discard the remaining stock and order biodegradable packaging
Ordinary citizens are worried the plastic ban and the punitive
fines to be meted on any individuals and businesses that do not
comply might boomerang.
"I have no problem if the ban will help save the environment from
harm but I think the authorities should have implemented it in
phases and educate the public on the alternatives," said Peninah
Karugi, a hair dresser.
Kenya joined Rwanda and other East African countries that have
declared a ban on plastic bags citing their profound negative impact
on ecosystems and human health.
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in its
latest assessment disclosed that plastic carrier bags contribute 9
per cent of total solid waste and are to blame for 90 per cent of
environmental degradation in the country.
Kenya has over thirty licensed plastic bag manufacturers with a
combined capital investment estimated at 80 million dollars.
These plastic manufacturers employ 9,000 people who are currently
staring at job losses once the ban is implemented in full.


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Dave Capps, owner of Capps Van and Truck Rental in Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona, monitors all 15 locations 24/7 in this control room. He was able to tap into his own workforce to install and maintain the systems.
Catalytic converter thefts, stolen airbags, tires and extra parts can run a car rental company a pretty penny every year in swallowed costs.
But through security measures such as installing better lighting to hiring a not-so-traditional night watchmen, four companies say that preventing thefts is possible. While initial investments into a good security system must be made to achieve these security goals, the amount saved in stolen parts and other — sometimes unexpected — benefits can make for a quick return.
The First Upgrades
For Midway, the major difference in camera visibility came after installing Kandu Lighting, an inductive and eco-friendly lighting system.
Security cameras can be a hit or miss, with several car rental companies reporting that many times the footage can be useless. The first step, they contend, is making sure the cameras are digital. “Analog is pretty much dead,” says Caroline Kim, director of loss control and claims recovery for Midway Automotive Group in Los Angeles.
Midway Automotive Group in Los Angeles has noticed a significant difference since switching out analog cameras for ADT’s digital security cameras. Caroline Kim, director of loss control and claims recovery for Midway, says that digital, as well as a computer-based system, is a must.
Switching to digital can mean all new wiring. But as Kim points out, digital camera technology will continue to expand, so by rewiring now, a system can easily grow with any changes to the technology.
Midway has had digital cameras on all its lots for almost two years. After the upgrades, though, Midway experienced several break-ins, which included the theft of third row seats out of large SUVs. “It got ugly,” Kim says, “and the cameras couldn’t capture anything because it was way too dark, so we had to come up with a different solution.”
ADT handles Midway’s camera system and its burglary alarm. While the switch to digital was a definite improvement in image resolution, Kim says the real solution came after a system from Kandu Lighting was installed less than a year ago. “You’re able to actually see the car and the person — not just the form of the person — so the lighting has really helped us out a lot,” she says.
Kandu Lighting is an inductive lighting system that uses less wattage than a regular bulb. Kim reports several positives to the reduction in energy use: The bulbs don’t have to be changed as often and customers are responding well to the energy savings. She expects to see a noticeable difference in the electricity bill and ROI at the full-year mark. Midway has also been able to expand its hours.
According to Dave Capps, owner of Capps Van and Truck Rental in Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona, getting the camera system up and running isn’t as difficult as one would think. He uses GeoVision, a digital surveillance security system, and had staff members, who expressed an interest, install the equipment. He says that it’s worth checking for an internal appetite on installation, since professional installation can make the system twice as expensive.
According to Capps, a 16-camera system can cost $8,000 to $15,000 if you do your own installation, or $10,000 to $20,000 for professional installation. Low-resolution camera systems, on the other hand, can cost as low as $100 to $1,000.
Capps says he “made the mistake” of first purchasing eight-camera systems for his locations, but the systems didn’t cover the space as well as he thought. Now he’s going back and retrofitting most of his locations to 16-camera systems. “My recommendation is to go ahead and pay for the 16-camera system and get the highest resolution that you can,” he says. “Don’t get cheap on that.”
Capps says he has easily spent $100,000 on his security system for all 15 of his locations, which are monitored 24/7, but through preventing thefts — namely catalytic converters — his system has paid for itself at least once. For each location he has also invested in at least one automatic tracking camera that detects motion and will follow a vehicle as it moves across the lot.
Click to enlarge.


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Steve Jobs and Alternative Medicine
His friends wanted him to get an operation. His wife wanted him to get an operation. But the Apple CEO, so used to swimming against the tide of popular opinion, insisted on trying alternative therapies for nine crucial months. Before he died, Jobs resolved to let the world know he deeply regretted the critical decision, biographer Walter Isaacson has told 60 Minutes.


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Italian coffee roaster and quick-service restaurant group, Yum China, announce plans to significantly scale Lavazza's premium coffee shop concept across China and extend existing partnership to include product distribution
Lavazza and Yum China aim for 1,000 Lavazza Cafés in China by 2025 | Photo credit: Lavazza
Lavazza and China’s largest restaurant company, Yum China, say they will accelerate plans to open Lavazza Cafés in China.
According to a press release, the two companies will invest $200m to grow Lavazza’s premium coffee shop concept to 1,000 stores by 2025 via a joint venture first announced in May 2020.
The partnership, in which Yum China holds a 65% stake, with Lavazza controlling a minority 35% stake, will also involve the exclusive distribution of Lavazza's retail products in mainland China, including coffee beans, ground coffee and coffee capsules.
According to Yum China CEO, Joey Wat, the partnership will leverage the restaurant group’s world-class supply chain, digital capabilities and in-depth knowledge of Chinese consumers to introduce a wider range of products from Lavazza’s global portfolio.
"The recent progress of Lavazza cafés in China has been encouraging and reaffirms our belief that our partnership is well positioned to capture the significant coffee opportunity in China with accelerated store network development. We are excited about what the future holds for this iconic Italian brand," said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China.
Yum China currently operates more than 10,000 restaurants, in over 1,500 cities and towns, covering every province and region across mainland China. The restaurant giant also holds the license for prominent international brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.
Lavazza launched its first flagship store in Shanghai in April 2020. The company has opened more than 20 stores across China in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou.
China is rapidly developing into one of the most opportune coffee markets in the world. As such, the country presents lucrative opportunities for international brands seeking to grow their footprint in East Asia.
World Coffee Portal data shows that despite pandemic disruption, China’s branded coffee shop market grew 2.9% to exceed 21,400 outlets in 2020.
Highlighting Lavazza’s ambitions in the premium coffee shop market, the company is also launching a new flagship store in central London. Scheduled to open late September 2021, the site comprises three floors and is located opposite the prestigious department store Liberty.


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QFC facing suit over mad-cow response
Quality Food Centers has been named in a lawsuit that contends the grocery chain should have warned customers who bought meat in late December that might have been tainted with mad-cow disease.
The suit argues that QFC could have used its customer-loyalty program to identify consumers who may have purchased the meat.
The suit was filed by Jill Crowson and her family, which purchased beef at a local QFC store on Dec. 22 and 23. The family used a QFC Advantage Card, which allows the grocery chain to track purchases made by its customers.
The suit, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks class-action status to represent all Washington residents who purchased the potentially tainted meat. The suit asks the court to establish a medical monitoring fund, according to a press release by Hagens Berman LLP, the Seattle law firm representing the Crowson family.
The first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad-cow disease, was discovered at an Eastern Washington dairy farm in December. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 23 ordered the recall of more than 10,000 pounds of beef that may have been contaminated.
According to the complaint, QFC did not remove meat from its shelves until Dec. 24, believing at first that the company did not have any of the affected beef.
Attorney Steve Berman said in his statement that the Crowsons contacted QFC when they suspected they had purchased the potentially tainted meat, but QFC would not confirm their suspicions for two weeks.
Berman asserts that since the company tracks purchases in a central database using the loyalty cards, it should have warned the Crowsons and many other customers who purchased the beef at 40 QFC stores in Washington.
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A high-powered delegation from the Sierra Leone National Revenue Authority (SLNRA) on Thursday February 11, 2016 visited Ghanaian beverage maker Kasapreko Company Limited in Accra.
The visit to Kasapreko was to enable the officials gain a deeper understanding of the success story of the company established over two decades ago.
The officials, who are on a week-long working visit to Ghana, were led by Sulaiman Kabba Koroma (Esq), Board Chairman of Sierra Leone National Revenue Authority and were received by Kasapreko’s Founder Dr Kwabena Adjei and the company’s Senior Management Team.
Mr Koroma lauded Kasapreko especially the Founder for putting his ideas into reality to build such a state of the art company that is generating more revenue for the Ghanaian economy.
“We are highly impressed because this is a local company in Ghana whose operations are bringing in huge revenue for the Ghanaian government.
It is an idea that we will take back home to tell our own entrepreneurs to develop this kind of ideas and have a local company as this nature financed solely by local people so that our country can develop,” Mr Sulaiman Koroma told reporters in an interview.
According to him, it is good for governments to develop “their local people to build this kind of thing which are paying huge revenue to the country”.
Mr Koroma hoped that one day Kasapreko will enter the Sierra Leonean market by building such a facility to serve as a motivation to young entrepreneurs in that country.
Speaking on behalf of the company the Director of Finance at Kasapreko, Mr Emmanuel Teiko thanked the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for recommending Kasapreko to the Governing Board of the SLNRA to visit to help tell the success story of Kasapreko.
“We believe that what they have seen here, they will go back home to tell the good story. We have the state of the art machines that can produce large quantities of authentic products that can supply the whole West African sub-region of which Sierra Leone is part,” Mr Teiko noted.
He said Kasapreko is a tax-compliant company and does not encourage or advise any company to invade tax because government collect taxes to provide social amenities for Ghanaians. He advised fellow manufacturers to be tax compliant as well.
The delegation were taking around the newly installed $70 million factory plants which was commissioned by President John Mahama in December last year.
Kasapreko manufactures over 21 products cutting across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories of drinks.
|Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.|


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Freevee to Launch Music Series ‘Monumental: An Artists Den Experience,’ Ellie Goulding to Lead Premiere
Amazon Freevee announced on Monday that it will officially launch “Monumental: An Artists Den Experience,” an intimate music series that weaves performance, thoughtful venue selection, and exclusive artist interviews. The series will debut on the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service March 31 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany With “Monumental: Ellie Goulding at Kew Gardens.”
“Monumental” hopes to be much more than simply a live concert streaming series. With its intimate interviews and well-thought and unique concert venues, the show hopes to provide viewers with a fully-realized concept filled with much more than a live performance.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Artists Den on Monumental. Featuring fan-favorite musicians performing in their favorite places,” Amazon’s AVOD head Lauren Anderson said, “we’re delivering our customers an exclusive musical escape to beautiful locations around the globe.”
Each hour-long episode will intertwine live performances with intimate interviews and will feature a specifically chosen venue, all with the goal of creating a narrative that lives uptown its “Monumental” name.
The first episode will feature Goulding, a Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated artist, and will include songs from her upcoming album, “Higher Than Heaven.” Goulding is also known for her global activism and has received the U.N.’s New Voices award. The premiere episode will take place at the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, Kew Gardens. The location features some of the world’s rarest and most threatened plants, allowing “Monumental” to tie together the art and what is most important to Goulding.
This new series is an extension of “The Artists Den,” which is a critically acclaimed performance series that showcases artists in non-traditional venues.
“In partnership with Amazon Studios, we are thrilled to push the envelope even further with Monumental, and expand what’s possible on a grander scale in the most epic locations,” Artists Den Entertainment Amber Mundinger said.
“Monumental: An Artists Den Experience” is the latest addition of original music programming on Amazon Freevee, which already includes series like “Post Malone: Runaway,” and the scripted series “High School.” Amazon Freevee (formally IMDB TV) is a streaming service with TV shows, original series like “Bosch: Legacy” and “Judy Justice”, movies, free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, and more, all available for free.
Freevee is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to thousands of movies and TV shows. The service also offers virtual live streaming channels like Dove Channel, CON TV, Docurama, Tastemade, and AMC Presents. Freevee was previously known as IMDb TV.
Users will experience commercial breaks roughly every 15 minutes in the course of a film.
On a computer, you may find the Freevee library as a subsection within the Amazon Prime Video app. Most streaming devices have the Freevee app as a standalone option.


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The Export Support Service (ESS) is offering its services to businesses with trade enquiries relating to Ukraine and Russia.
The ESS helpline and online service acts as a first point of contact for UK businesses with questions about exporting to customers in Europe. This free service is led by the Department for International Trade, and can help businesses to navigate government services related to selling overseas, as well as providing comprehensive advice to those with general trade related queries.
The ESS currently assists businesses with queries about exporting to Europe, but the Government plans to extend the initiative to cover more global markets later this year.
Considering the current events in Ukraine and Russia, some businesses may have concerns about how exporting may be affected – the ESS are on hand to help.
If you currently trade with Ukraine or Russia and are unsure about how this could affect your business, call 0300 303 8955 or visit the ESS website here.


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Over two million users have already signed up for Worldcoin, the crypto platform launched by OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The new digital identity and financial network was designed so that technical prosperity can be shared among all humans worldwide.
The open-source global economic project has been three years in the making for OpenAIs CEO Sam Altman and his Worldcoin co-founder Alex Bania.
Labeled by the mainstream media as simply a cryptocurrency project, the new Worldcoin is a bit more complex (and controversial) than just another crypto coin and digital wallet for the masses.
“If successful, we believe Worldcoin could drastically increase economic opportunity, scale a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable global democratic processes, and eventually show a potential path to AI-funded UBI,” Altman and Bania's introductory launch post said.
For those not familiar with the term, UBI stands for universal basic income, where governments provide all citizens with monetary payments similar to a social benefits program.
Altman told Reuters news agency that Worldcoin can help address how the economy will be reshaped by generative AI.
"People will be supercharged by AI, which will have massive economic implications,” Altman said.
As AI begins to replace and “do more and more of the work that people now do," Altman believes that UBI can be used to help combat income inequality.
Altman believes Worldcoin can help lay the groundwork for a universal income, even if it is still "very far in the future" from becoming a reality.
"We think that we need to start experimenting with things so we can figure out what to do," he said.
Meet the Orb
Worldcoin's most innovative feature is the WorldID, a “privacy-preserving” digital identity passport that will use biometric iris recognition scanning to digitally authenticate a human being from artificial intelligence.
The open image scanning device is called the “Orb” and was developed by the San Francisco and Berlin-based firm Tools for Humanity (TFH) – formed specifically by Altman and Bania to build the technology for the Worldcoin project.
The WorldID, using blockchain technology, is engineered to protect privacy and will not be tied to any currently used personal identifiers, such as biometrics, phone number, crypto wallets, and even a person’s name, the site claims.
For a person to obtain a World ID, they must undergo an in-person iris scan using the “Orb” biometric verification device, which is described as a silver ball, approximately the size of a bowling ball.
According to the Worldcoin website, Orb centers will be popping up in 35 cities and 20 countries around the world. Eyeball scans are now taking place in Britain, Japan and India.
“As the global distribution of Orbs is ramping up, you can find the closest one and book a time to be verified with World App,” the website states.
Pros and Cons
World IDs can be used to tell the difference between real people and AI generative chatbots like ChatGPT, which can easily mimic humanlike language, the site says.
Worldcoin states that the global proof of personhood is expected to unlock a new generation of products and services, including:
- Social networks. Bot protection, community moderation, content attribution.
- Voting. DAO governance, government elections, online polls, census.
- Financial services. Undercollateralized lending, card fraud, compliance.
- Customer incentives. Loyalty programs, coupons, referrals, free trials.
- Marketplaces. Reputation, fake reviews, fake transactions, scalper prevention.
- Money distribution. Government welfare, non-profit aid, scholarships, crypto airdrops, UBI.
Still, privacy advocates have expressed concerns about the Orb device – designed to operate in untrusted environments – such as how the millions of biometric data files will be stored, how protected the data will be against cybercriminals, and how the data could possibly be used in the future.
Following Monday's launch Bania tweeted, “This is the beginning of a long journey. Especially early on, things will not be perfect.”
As of this report, there are over two million people that have signed up for the WorldID service (the Worldcoin platform itself already had two million users from its beta period).
As an incentive to register for the WorldID service, those who sign up in certain countries will receive Worldcoin's cryptocurrency token “WLD.”
The two tech heavyweights say the idea is for Worldcoin to serve as a public utility, giving ownership to everyone.
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Overall consumer sales decrease in Europe
A report from market research company IDC said that sales of Samsung tablets exceeded Apple machines during the third calendar quarter of 2017.
GCHQ is on the case
The chief executive of Britain's GCHQ cyber security centre said today that its spooks are aware of attempts to disrupt the UK's energy, telecomms and media by attempted hacks.
Morgan Stanley dishes the dirt
Analysts at Morgan Stanley think that the stock price of AMD is too high and have issued a warning that it could fall as far as $8 per share.
Goes ahead of PUBG on Steam top sellers
Larian Studios' Divinity: Original Sin II has launched today with quite a bang and even managed to beat PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as a top seller on Steam.
Launches today for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4
Bethesda has released the launch trailer for Dishonored: Death of the Outsider title which is out today for PCs, the Xbox One and the Playstation 4.
Shipping in October
Dell has unveiled its Visor Windows Mixed Reality headset back in August at IFA 2017 and finally the device is available for pre-order directly from Dell.
Could come with 4,000mAh battery
Nokia, or to be precise HMD Global, is gearing up to launch its affordable Nokia 2 smartphone and today, press renders as well as some specification details have emerged online.
High-end motherboard with plenty of features
A picture of MSI's flagship Z370 Godlike Gaming motherboard has found it way online showing what to expect from this flagship motherboard.
The famous trackball is here to stay
Logitech has unveiled its newest wireless MX Ergo mouse which brings back the trackball.


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What Wall Street expects from Yifeng Pharmacy Chain's earnings
- Yifeng Pharmacy Chain will be reporting Q1 earnings on April 30.
- Wall Street analysts expect Yifeng Pharmacy Chain will report earnings per share of CNY 0.510.
- Track Yifeng Pharmacy Chain stock price in real-time on Markets Insider here.
Yifeng Pharmacy Chain presents their latest quarterly figures on April 30.
Forecasts of 1 analyst expects earnings of CNY 0.510 per share as opposed to earnings of CNY 0.364 per share from the same quarter last year.
Wall Street analysts are expecting the company to report CNY 3.98 billion, an increase of 30.52% over the prior year quarter.
For the current fiscal year, analysts expect earnings per share of CNY 1.77 compared to CNY 1.46 per share in the previous year. On average, analysts are expecting revenue of CNY 15.91 billion, compared to CNY 13.14 billion last year.
This story was written by Markets Insider's RoboEddy, which automatically writes these stories based on data provided by our partners.
Yifeng Pharmacy Chain NewsMORE
|No news available.


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Now that the new Developer Economics survey is coming to a close (make sure you participate by clicking the link at the bottom of the article!), it is a good time to reflect on some of the key messages from the previous survey. Developer Economics 6th edition was the largest ever research conducted on the app economy, with over 7000 developers participating.
The report goes in lengthy details on developer’s choice of platform. This is of course typically lead by the revenue potential of each platform, which paints a quite dismal picture:
The poverty line, defined as making less than $500/app per month, dominates for most platforms, except for iOS where the majority is above the line. We do believe the data is skewed here, given the vast number of app developers out there, but either way it paints a picture of non-iOS developers having to put more effort into the marketing to make money. Then again, this could be that there simply are a lot more Android devices and developers out there, and as Vision Mobile put it, could be a reflection of that iOS is the upmarket store and Android the outlet. But for platforms like Microsoft, the explanation could be that simply the developers on the platform are more hobbyists than professionals, thus there are less quality apps available.
But somehow we don’t think the answer always lie in the mix of developers on the platform or the quality of the apps for that manner. While normally quite brilliant in their analysis, Vision Mobile goes to say in a follow up article on which app store to choose that “if reaching an audience is an important part of your hobby creation then building an Android app and publishing on Google Play is the obvious option.” Not quite so with 1 million apps available. In fact, the only obvious reason for publishing on Google Play is that you kind of have to be there to appear in searches + it helps your publishing in other stores. But there is nothing obvious about Google Play as your only choice – unless you don’t mind being below the poverty line. The only example of an alternative app store they give is with Amazon, where they point out that developers who also include Amazon make higher revenues. Pardon us for stating the obvious. If Coca Cola only distributed in Safeway they would clearly make less than Pepsi. But with a consumer product, reach does not always equate to being in the biggest stores, but being in the most stores.
So besides reach, what else can you focus on to get above the poverty line? Well, games are a good start. In 2013, according to Vision Mobile, mobile games accounted for 40% of downloads but 75% of revenues. Vision Mobile estimates the market for games on Google and iTunes to be around $10bn, while AppAnnie and IHS puts the number at $16bn, a tripling from the year before. Given the lack of market coverage for Google and poor payment options available in iTunes, it is likely that the market is significantly larger than this. But signs are also showing that games may no longer keep it’s dominance, with non games expected to be 51% of revenues in 2017. So the good news for those below the poverty line? This market is going to get a whole lot bigger!
p.s. An interesting digression. $500/month would:
– Put you 1/4th of the way to be above the poverty line in the US
– In India, would put you above the official poverty line by a factor of 41!
– Would earn you 6.7 times more than half the world’s population on average
Take the new Developer Economics 10-minute survey and win cool prizes! VisionMobile has launched a new app developer survey and is looking into opportunities and challenges in the app market. The results of the survey will be available as a free research report in July, while respondents can win great prizes, including an iPhone 5s, a Galaxy S5, a Sphero, a Lego Mindstorm robot, a Raspberry Pi Ultimate Starter Ki, a Das Keyboard – and more!
What’s your take on the latest trends in app development? Which platform(s) should a developer choose to make money in today’s competitive market? Which is the right revenue model for your apps? Are you using any dev tools? Take the developer survey and have your say on the top app developer issues – contribute to the research and find out how your opinion stacks against other developers’.


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Mystery Dungeon 3 out in Japan April 18
Players can now choose partner's gender
According to more pictures of March's issue of CoroCoro, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky will be released in Japan on April 18. Players will now have the option of choosing their partner Pokémon's gender.
- blue skY (Japanese)