text:
WHITTIER – The Boys & Girls Club of Whittier is hosting two Food Truck Summer Festivals where foodies of all ages can spend an evening enjoying a nice meal among family and friends.
After presenting its first food truck event in April in its parking lot at 7905 Greenleaf Ave., the club moved to a bigger site to accommodate the crowds.
From 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, July 26, and Friday, August 23, at the parking lot of JoAnn’s Fabrics, 16055 Whittier Blvd., half a dozen food trucks will be on hand to sell tasty fare.
Proceeds from drink sales by BGCW members of Coca Cola, which were donated by the soft drink company, will pay for a “Leaders in Training Leadership” camp.
Other money raised will go to subsidize summer field trip costs, including tickets for Knotts Berry Farm, movie theaters and other places, as well the cost of transportation and staffing.
Those attending one or both nights are encouraged to bring folding chairs, tailgate style.
Food trucks participating in July are Kogi, Dogtown Dogs, Schmuck with a Truck, Mustache Mikes, Firehouse Chefs and Eat Em Up Truck.
Check twitter.com/BGCofWhittier updates on participating trucks for August.


text:
German business sentiment rises in February
- Business climate index at 91.1 vs expected 91.2
- Unexpected fall in current situation index
- Analyst: No reason to start partying
BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - German business morale improved in February for the fourth consecutive month, adding to signs that Europe's largest economy is recovering despite the energy crisis and high inflation, a survey said on Wednesday.
The Ifo institute said its business climate index stood at 91.1 following a revised reading of 90.1 in January.
A Reuters poll of analysts had pointed to a February reading of 91.2.
"The German economy is gradually working its way out of a period of weakness," said Ifo President Clemens Fuest.
Business sentiment is forecast to continue improving in the coming months, according to Union Investment's chief economist Joerg Zeuner.
"This is because the economy is expected to brighten up towards the summer, as declining inflation and lower energy prices will no longer have such a strong impact on consumers' purchasing power," Zeuner said, adding that this should benefit the retail sector.
LBBW's Jens-Oliver Niklasch forecasts an improvement in the economic situation, although he warns that "minor setbacks are to be expected," particularly in the construction sector and parts of the automotive industry.
Expectations for the next six months improved considerably, rising to 88.5 in February from 86.4 in January. However, the current situation component weakened, falling to 93.9 in February from 94.1 in January, falling short of analysts' expectations of a rise to 95.0.
"The continued slight decline in the assessment of the current business situation makes us pensive" despite the rise in the business climate index, said Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer.
"The second monthly drop in the current assessment component shows that recession risk in the first quarter is still real," ING's global head of macro Carsten Brzeski said.
Germany's economy contracted by 0.2% in the fourth quarter. If it shrinks again in the first quarter, Germany would be in a technical recession, commonly defined as two successive quarters of contraction.
"There is no reason to start partying," Brzeski said.
According to Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe, private consumption will weaken in the coming months, but he also sees some positive signals: The proportion of companies planning to raise their prices in the next three months decreased further in February, and supply bottlenecks are easing.
Slightly fewer companies in Germany - 45.4% - complained about supply chain bottlenecks in February compared to January, when the percentage stood at 48.4%, he said.
"The German economy will not get around a recession, but it will be a mild one," Wohlrabe said on Wednesday.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

domain: news


text:
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. . . Retailers Say Mobile is In, Social Media is Out
It’s August! That means it’s time to start thinking about that most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season is a time of giving, of peace, of ledgers in the black for the first time in nine months – so very exciting.
Baynote sent its minions out into the world to find out how retailers feel about the upcoming holiday buying season and here’s what they found out.
We start with the Holiday 2012 benchmark.
$579.8 billion in sales with a huge rush in the two days leading up to Christmas.
38% of Baynote’s survey respondents said they expected to see an 11-20 percent increase in sales over last year. 22% were expecting to top a 21 percent increase.
Most retailers thought that online and mobile would be huge factors again this year, with online stealing the market share from brick and mortar stores. 53% said they thought mobile transactions would account for a significant part of their holiday revenue. 37% thought mobile would help drive in-store traffic and thus lead to increased revenue.
But get this. 84% of respondents said that social media would have little or no impact on sales.
Social media isn’t the darling it used to be. We’re only a few years in and already retailers are dismissing its power. Very interesting.
Timing and Promotions
Retailers said they planned to use flash sales, buy-one-get-one free offers and the all important free shipping option to help bolster sales from now through the end of the year. But most expect the big push to come closer to Thanksgiving, so they’re planning their biggest promotions for November.
The Online Experience
- Forty-six percent of retailers continue to make significant investments in SEO and SEM technology.
- Nearly all retailers are investing in enhanced home, category and landing pages while 77 percent invest in enhanced site search capabilities.
- Eighty-one percent of retailers have dedicated resources to upgrade eCommerce platforms in anticipation of the season.
It looks to be a good year, but Baynote wants everyone to understand that Christmas isn’t the only holiday for shoppers. They’ve put together an infographic that recaps the holidays of 2012. Here’s a snippet. You can see the full infographic here.
What are you predicting for Holiday 2013? A blockbuster year? A slight increase? Or business as usual?


text:
- Galaxy S20 One UI 3.0 Beta 7 South Korea
- Galaxy S20 FE gets another update
- Galaxy A5 2016 receiving a surprising update
- Galaxy Note 9 display issues after One UI 2.5 update
- Galaxy Z Fold Scroll
- Samsung is planning for a budget 5G smartphone
- Unboxing of the Meanest Monster Ever – Galaxy M51
1. Galaxy S20 One UI 3.0 Beta 7 South Korea
Previously, Samsung rolled out the new One UI 3.0 beta update for the Galaxy S20 series users in Germany and UK.
The latest One UI 3.0 beta for the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra users is available in South Korea. This update will soon be available for other eligible countries including the US, India, UK, Germany, Poland, and China. Check the full changelog here.
2. Galaxy S20 FE gets another update
Samsung has started to rollout a new software update for the Galaxy S20 FE smartphones.
This new firmware update comes with the build version G780FXXU1ATK3 for the Galaxy S20 FE. It weighs 132.91MB and installs the latest Android security patch released in November 2020 for better device security. Read more here.
3. Galaxy A5 2016 receiving a surprising update
Samsung continuously declaring itself as the best ever software updates provider.
Adding to this story, 2016’s Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 is now receiving a new software update. According to the information, it comes with a build version A510SKSS2CTJ1 for the carrier-locked Galaxy A5 2016 devices in South Korea. Check here what’s the new update brings.
4. Galaxy Note 9 display issues after One UI 2.5 update
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is one of the premium smartphones launched at the ‘Unpacked’ event in August 2018.
Suddenly some of the Galaxy Note 9 users are facing issues on their device. According to them, the screen of their device had slowly started turning yellow-green after updating to the latest One UI 2.5 update, which brings new features. If you are also facing these issues, let us know in this article.
5. Galaxy Z Fold Scroll
According to the information, Samsung is developing a scrollable smartphone that could be named as Galaxy Z Fold Scroll. A leakster shared an image of a smartphone that can be folded in and out. It might beat Oppo’s X 2021, read the full article here.
6. Samsung is planning for a budget 5G smartphone
Samsung is working to expand its smartphone range with new devices in the coming days.
A Geekbench score suggests that there is one more budget 5G phone that we may see along with other smartphones. It was spotted on the Geekbench site for the model number SGH-N378. Know more about the device here.
7. Unboxing of the Meanest Monster Ever – Galaxy M51
In this unboxing article, you can check every single aspect of this M series smartphone and will look at what Samsung has packed with it. Check here


text:
Q3 Group sales at $6.8 billion
Syngenta Group announced financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2023.
Sales of the Group for the third quarter were $6.8 billion, down 13 percent (-13% CER) and EBITDA was $0.3 billion, down 68 percent from prior year. The EBITDA was significantly impacted by a softer market in Brazil versus a record high in 2022 and a one-time seed inventory correction in Brazil, in addition to the timing of a royalty receipt, which was advanced to Q2 as noted in the H1 earnings release.
Group sales for the first nine months of 2023 were $24.3 billion, down 6 percent year-on-year (-3% CER) and EBITDA was 22% lower (-20% CER) when compared to an exceptionally strong 2022.
In the first nine months of 2023, the industry-wide channel destocking continued as distributors and retailers further reduced inventories they built up in response to the supply chain disruptions of 2022. Overall farmer income and use of agricultural products, solutions and services remain robust. However, high working capital costs for customers due to sustained higher interest rates prompted many channel partners and farmers to order closer to application. These factors weighed on the comparison with the same period last year, when the Group achieved record sales and profits.
Sales of Syngenta Crop Protection and ADAMA were lower compared to the exceptionally strong first three quarters of the prior year. Crop Protection in China continued to see strong growth in the first nine months of 2023, with sales up 16 percent year-on-year, benefiting from launch of new technologies. Syngenta Group’s biological solutions grew 14 percent in sales compared to the first nine months of the previous year.
The Seeds business grew 3 percent to $3.3 billion sales in the first nine of months of 2023. Year-on-year comparison of Q3 was distorted by an earlier phasing of royalty income, realized in Q2 this year, while being recorded in Q3 last year. The Seeds business in Latin America saw lower sales and profit due to a one-time inventory adjustment.
Syngenta Group China grew by 9 percent in the first nine months of 2023, with total sales of $7.7 billion. MAP, Syngenta Group’s Modern Agriculture Platform grew in the same period by 25 percent to $3.3 billion, while the number of MAP centers further increased by 162 to a total of 727.
Syngenta Group continued its productivity improvements, cost containment and, where applicable, price adjustments to help mitigate the impact of higher cost incurred in 2022. Syngenta Group's EBITDA margin for the first nine months of 2023 was 14.6 percent, which is lower than the record high EBITDA during the same period last year.
Register Now to Attend Agrochem Summit 2023 on Friday, 15th December 2023, The Park Hotel, New Delhi
Subscribe To Our Newsletter & Stay Updated


text:
The New Zealand International Business Forum has released a video series that highlights how trade matters and how it impacts on the everyday lives of all New Zealanders.
The five two-minute videos comprise trade and business experts talking about different aspects of trade.
Klazien Voogt, Fonterra trade strategist, talks about why trade matters for young New Zealanders and why we should all pay attention.
Malcolm Bailey, Chairman of the NZ Dairy Companies Association, talks about why trade matters for every day Kiwis from all over the country and in all sorts of jobs.
Michael Barnett, CEO of Auckland Chamber of Commerce, talks about why trade matters globally for New Zealand businesses.
Sir Graeme Harrison, chairman of Anzco Foods, talks about why trade matters for working New Zealanders and keeping jobs and families thriving.
Catherine Beard, Executive Director of ExportNZ, talks about why trade agreements matter for a small country like New Zealand and the impact it has on all Kiwis.
For further information on the series, go to the TradeWorks website.


text:
Technology for MSMEs: Even as technology has become critical for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and there has been a gradual uptake as well in the adoption of digital solutions particularly after the pandemic, a large chunk of small businesses are still not certain of leveraging technology. During a panel discussion on ‘Easing the Adoption of Digital Solutions for MSMEs’ at the FE MSME Business Conclave organised last week, experts noted that MSMEs have been reluctant to adopt relevant technology tools.
“MSMEs reluctant to technology adoption will not be able to scale up,” said Logesh Velumsay, CEO of software cloud-based management software provider Effitrac.
Lack of awareness has been another challenge, according to experts. Not many small businesses are aware of the right technology solutions required in their operations to scale up production and revenue. In fact, technology is largely seen as a cost to the business.
“Lack of awareness has made MSMEs view technology as a cost and not as a return on investment,” said Bhushan Parekh, Director – SME, CRISIL.
Cost continues to be a strain in adopting digital solutions as many MSMEs are usually not able to define their business objectives clearly or identify the right digital partner for cost-effective growth.
“You cannot be successful if you cannot reach your customers in a cost-effective way. Hence a cost-benefit analysis at every step of digitization is a must as each enterprise has different needs and a one-size-fits-all approach for digital solutions doesn’t work,” said Subhash Goyal, Founder Chairman, STIC Travel & Air Charter Group.
Velusamy also echoed that a cookie-cutter approach to digital solutions is not possible as “SMEs cannot predict their future problems. Hence, they need technology that adapts to their problems.”
Moreover, in contrast to having in-house teams that might add to the cost for small businesses, Low-Code No-Code (LCNC) solutions can be used that allow individuals, without any coding experience, to build and test (business) applications, said Velusamy.
Nonetheless, those willing to adopt technology have been able to leverage affordable solutions with a decline in the cost of adoption. “The advancement of technology over the last two years has caused a ‘tectonic shift’ in the reduction of cost of adoption of digital solutions. Due to this, the percentage of MSMEs adopting digital solutions has increased from 10 per cent before Covid to 50 per cent in 2020,” Parekh added.
For instance, customer relationship management (CRM) software to maintain customer base, accounting and collection software to check the flow of money, operations management tools to manage backends of software systems or manufacturing assembly lines, integration tools to connect with B2B enterprises such as payment gateways, and collaboration tools such as Zoom to connect with teams are some of the critical technology solutions witnessing adoption, he added.
On the other hand, small businesses must also undertake due diligence before digitising sections of the business. “Businesses should not digitise for the sake of it, especially in service-based industries where technologies like artificial intelligence cannot solve customer queries. Ultimately human interface is important and face-to-face interactions with customers generate most business,” added Goyal.
According to a recent survey of around 540 micro and small enterprises by Crisil, over 65 per cent respondents said they had adopted or upgraded their use of digital channels including online aggregators, social media platforms, and company websites for growth amid pandemic-led disruption last year.
“The growing demand for digitalization in operation was visible across segments. The highest transformation was recorded on financial transactions with around 68 per cent extensively adopting payment wallets and net banking, while a mere around 4 per cent were focused on procurement or inventory management,” Parekh had said.


text:
Cities of Lancaster and Palmdale Collaborate on New, Innovative Economic and Safety Initiatives
The Cities of Palmdale and Lancaster are joining forces on two collaborative efforts targeted to boost the local economy and improve safety on local public transit.
To assist Antelope Valley businesses impacted by the COVID-19 closures that began on March 15, 2020, the cities will launch “Operation Jump Start,” an economic stimulus program where purchasers of a new vehicle at the Lancaster and Palmdale Auto Malls as well as Antelope Valley Harley Davidson will receive a $500 gift card. Purchasers of a used vehicle will receive a $250 gift card. The program is tentatively scheduled to begin May 15, subject to Los Angeles County allowing the soft opening of businesses. Cards will be eligible for use at businesses valley wide.


text:
Greenbelt Greenhouse LTD of British Columbia, Canada is recalling all Greenbelt Microgreen products due to Listeria contamination concerns.
Greenbelt Microgreen products with ‘best before’ dates between 4/24/18 and 4/30/18 are included in the recall. Products are identifiable by the Greenbelt Microgreen purple and green label on the lid of the clear plastic clamshell packaging. The ‘best before’ date is located at the bottom left corner of the label above the UPC barcode.
The affected Greenbelt Microgreens brand microgreens were distributed to Whole Foods stores in Washington between 04/11/18 and 04/24/2018. They include 75 and 100 gram packages of
- Arugula Microgreens
- Broccoli Microgreens
- Fresh Microgreen Mix
- Sweet & Crunchy Microgreen Mix
- Spicy Microgreen Mix
- Pea Shoots Microgreens
- Sunflower Microgreens
No illnesses have been reported to date.
According to a company announcement, the recall is the result of sampling program by Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) which revealed that the Broccoli Microgreen contained the bacteria. Due to the potential risk of contamination the company has ceased the production and distribution of all product as Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the company continue their investigation as to what caused the problem.


text:
IT management solutions company Kaseya has published the results of its 2022 MSP Benchmark Survey.
Now in its 11th year, the research includes data about the priorities, challenges and predictions of more than 1200 MSPs worldwide.
Key findings showed that compliance is becoming a bigger pain point for MSPs’ customers, with 74 per cent of MSPs stating that their customers struggle to meet regulatory compliance requirements.
MSPs have been stepping up to help customers navigate this, with 75 per cent of respondents either offering or interested in offering compliance services. 59 per cent had clients that were required to comply with HIPAA guidelines, followed by PCI DSS (41 per cent) and GDPR (27 per cent).
Cybersecurity also remained a key concern — 50 per cent of those surveyed said their business is more at risk to cybercrime compared to one year ago, an 11 per cent increase from 2021’s data.
Almost half of MSPs reported that a significant portion of their clients fell victim to a cyberattack within the last 12 months. Although cybersecurity is a concern, it’s also been a revenue driver for MSPs — the survey found that 50 per cent of MSPs evaluate the threat landscape quarterly to add new service offerings for their organisation.
While the threat of cyber attacks continues to grow, only four per cent of respondents said that 100 per cent of their client base has an active incident response plan. About half of the respondents reported that only 25 per cent of their clients had an active response plan, and eight per cent of MSPs stated that none of their clients had a plan in place.
Most MSPs are testing their disaster recovery capabilities, but frequency was shown to vary. The survey found that 30 per cent of MSPs simulate disaster recovery capabilities quarterly, 25 per cent test annually and nine per cent test monthly — with 15 per cent admitting that they never test.
Nearly a quarter of respondents (22 per cent) said that remote workforce setup as the top service requested by their clients, followed by cloud migration (21 per cent) and business continuity (13 per cent). 36 per cent selected remote work as one of the top three IT problems for clients in 2022.
Supply chain issues and hiring were two major challenges MSPs expected to face in 2022, with 92 per cent saying supply chain issues have impacted their ability to sell solutions while 19 per cent said hiring would be the primary challenge this year — a 15 per cent jump from 2021.
Integration among core applications including RMM, PSA and IT documentation software was described as critical or very important to 64 per cent of MSPs, and 78 per cent said this integration helps to drive bottom-line profits.
In addition to the focus on key services for their SMB clients, many MSPs are assessing the landscape and their readiness to buy or sell, with the research finding that nearly 36 per cent of respondents plan to sell or acquire within the next 24 to 36 months.
“With Covid-19 continuing to affect everything from global logistics to the work environment, it’s no surprise that 76 per cent of MSPs said the pandemic affected their ability to expand services within their customer base,” said Mike Puglia, chief strategy officer at Kaseya.
“There’s an increased need for the security, business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) and remote work support services that are driving revenue growth for MSPs, and we expect the demand for these services to continue in 2022 and beyond.”


text:
29 August , 2019 Fdiindia
Cabinet Likely To Ease FDI Norms In Single-Brand Retail, Insurance Sector
The government of India may take steps to further relax foreign direct investment norms, with the Cabinet expected today to sanction its approval to relax oversea investment norms and policies in single-brand retail and insurance sector.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamman had made it clear in her maiden budget that the government was planning to further relax FDI norms across several sectors.
Earlier, Piyush Goyal, the Commerce and Industry Minister has said that the government was finding ways to permit foreign investors to invest in the single-brand retail sector in order to meet their 30 per cent mandatory local sourcing requirement via other ways. As of now, 100 per cent foreign direct investment is allowed in the sector under the automatic route for approval.
However, according to the current rules, the products should be sold under the same brand internationally. What that means is that products should be sold in one or more countries other than India under the same brand name.
Apart from formulating easier norms, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) may now also count the local sourcing in phases.
In this year’s budget, the Finance Minister also hinted in foreign direct investment reforms taking place in several sector including aviation, animation, digital media, gaming, and information utilities.
As per sources, the insurance sector could be opened up to 74 per cent for overseas investment under the automatic route for approval in order to bring parity with the banking sector. However, officials say that the current 49 per cent foreign investment limit through the approval route is lilely to be maintained.
It is said that for insurance intermediaries like brokers, insurance repositories, and third-party administrators, 100 per cent FDI may be allowed.
For the first time in six years, foreign direct investment equity inflow dipped 1 per cent and came down to 44.4 billion dollars from 44.8 billion in the previous fiscal year.


text:
If you are one of those users who love to play on their devices and install latest popular games then I am very sure you have heard about Angry Birds Space one of the best games that available at the App Store, today Rovio official blog has just announced that their popular iOS game which is called Angry Birds space has just reached 50 million downloads in just 35 days..
For those who don’t know Angry Birds, it is the latest installment in the popular birds vs. pigs videogame series, the game is new at the App Store but that’s didn’t stop it to make this huge success in just 1 month, and Previously, the game zoomed past the ten million mark in less than three days. Rovio largely owes such a successful launch to Angry Birds’s seemingly unstoppable popularity, still rising across the globe.
But that’s not all but also An accompanying post over at the official Rovio blog teases “something even bigger” coming your way:
There’s only one conclusion to draw: something even bigger is on its way! Stay tuned and keep flinging those Birds!
Let’s check out this great video teaser for Angry Birds Space:
So now get your chance to download Angry Birds Space for iPhone/iPad and iPod from the App Store.. Enjoy all
If you found this post useful, hopefully hit the +1 (recommend) button ⇉
You can follow Abdelrahman Mohamed on Twitter, join our Facebook fanpage and add me on Google+ to keep yourself updated on the latest jailbreak and unlock news.


text:
SAN JOSE ( ChipWire) Cypress Semiconductor Corp. is getting into the field-programmable gate array integration game, starting with parts that will combine physical-layer (PHY) ICs with the company's own FPGA architecture.
The move mirrors the FPGA-ASIC hybrids being marketed by other programmable logic vendors, each of which has developed a program for merging fixed-function silicon intellectual property (IP) with a programmable array. Cypress claims to hold an advantage in already owning both the IP and the FPGA, an angle that is also being worked by Lucent Technologies.
Specifically, Cypress' Infiniband PHY, announced this week, is being groomed for integration with an FPGA in its next generation of production, said Kamal Dalmia, Cypress systems technology manager. The second-generation PHY could be one of several such parts introduced during the next several months, a Cypress spokesman said.
"Typically, a PHY would sit next to an FPGA or some other programmable device, for people to do other logic beyond what's in the physical layer," Dalmia said. By integrating that FPGA, Cypress hopes to save its customers some board space.
FPGA vendors have been developing parts like these for more than a year, amassing their own libraries of IP to be implemented in programmable logic.
But the PHY is a particularly difficult case due to the analog circuitry involved, Dalmia said. "When Xilinx or Altera gets their PHY IP from somebody, it's actually analog blocks that they would have to put beside their FPGA gates," he said. "Even if Xilinx goes out and buys a company and buys IP, it's not a software effort. It would take time for them to create new silicon and validate new silicon."
In fact, Xilinx announced an agreement to purchase RocketChips Inc. this month month to turn that company's IP into high-speed I/O cores optimized for Xilinx's Virtex FPGAs (see Oct. 3 story).
Marketing vice president Deborah Vogt of Mysticom Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., a maker of Ethernet PHY cores, acknowledged that the mixed-signal nature of a PHY makes it trickier to integrate. But that hasn't stopped programmable logic vendors, she said.
"It could be an advantage to somebody who has the knowledge in that area. There are a number of FPGA companies that are looking to acquire that knowledge through licensing or other ways," she said. "We are in discussions or have been in discussions with companies that want to do that."
Familiarity with the mixed-signal parts won't always translate into an advantage, Vogt said. That's particularly true if the FPGAs are being used to get a design to production more quickly, she said, because traditional telecom suppliers' design cycles can be too long for the FPGA to have much of an impact.
"Depending on the market that they're targeting, if there's a long development cycle, it's less of an advantage," Vogt said.
Cypress should be ready to begin announcing its plans for FPGA-integrated devices within the next month, a spokesman said, with a "steady stream" of devices to be announced during the first quarter of 2001. Every PHY at Cypress particularly the Sonet OC-48 (2.5-Gbit/second) device is being considered for such treatment, as are the company's I/O devices, Dalmia said.
The size of the FPGA that is to be integrated with these parts would be "something on the order of our Delta 39K family," probably with a maximum of 200,000 gates, Dalmia said. "What we're seeing in the market is that for a lot of backplane types of applications, that's enough."


text:
The Industrial Technology Research Institution of Taiwan says it is working with local manufacturers to develop what it says will be more “affordable” robots for factories and warehouses – in other words, collaborative robots.
This is according to a report in the Taipei Times.
Patrick Yu, acting division director of ITRI’s mechanical and mechatronics systems research labs, is quoted on the website as saying: “Traditional industrial robots are suitable for large-scale production lines. They need a lot of space and cost a lot of money, which small and medium-sized enterprises cannot afford.”
Traditional robots – the large industrial machines which tend to be caged off and require separate computers to run them, called programmable logic controllers – are said to be too big and expensive for a lot of smaller companies, says ITRI.
“We believe that collaborative robots, which are designed to work in relative safety with people on the same factory floor, can have richer features and be applied to more industries,” says Yu.
Among the companies ITRI is working with is Shihlin Electric and Engineering, which has developed servomotors for smart robot arms.
Also, ITRI is working with AutoTek to develop an all-in-one machine and arm joint.
Currently, the largest Taiwanese robot-maker is Foxconn, the main manufacturing partner of Apple.
Foxconn has approximately 40,000 robots in operation at the moment, according to Robotics and Automation News, and says it plans to build many thousands more, to the point where many of its factories will be run almost entirely by robots.
Amazon is another company which has a large number of robots – more than 100,000 according to some estimates, but they are autonomous mobile platforms to move boxes and shelf units.
However, a combination of the two technologies – an autonomous mobile platform and a robotic arm – is said to be a technology that may be in demand going forward.
Several companies have demonstrated such hybrid robots, among them Kuka, Fetch, Robotnik and several others.


text:
|Musk looks over his company's latest creation the Model Y|
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y at an event in Hawthorne tonight and it came with no big surprises but definitely delivered on specs in the higher end of our expectations.
They announced a Model Y range of up to 300 miles for the compact electric SUV based on the Model 3 platform, which is surprisingly going to offer up to 7 seats.
As anticipated, there’s no big surprise when it comes to Model Y’s design since it is based on Model 3 and meant to be a crossover/compact SUV version of the sedan.
The Model Y design is remarkably similar to Model 3’s design.
CEO Elon Musk had warned us about that, but it is still quite shocking when seeing Model Y in person.
Here are the main Specs:
- up to 300 miles of range
- expected 5-star rating
- 3.5 seconds 0-60 mph
- 0.23 drag coefficient
|Interior with seats all folded down|
The starting price is eventually going to be $39,000 in Spring 2021, but that’s for the ‘Standard Range’ pack, which is interestingly listed as having a higher range the Model 3 with standard range.
It leads us to believe they won’t be using the same battery pack, but that version of the vehicle is still about 2 years away.
The more expensive versions of Model Y with a bigger battery pack, dual motor, and higher performance are going to come first in Fall 2020.
It’s unclear where the money to fund a new Model Y assembly line would come from. Musk didn’t discuss such matters Thursday. However, Tesla will allow customers to put down a refundable $2,500 and order a Model Y.
A short promo film that introduced the event showed products such as an electric semi truck, a solar roof and a new roadster announced years ago but not yet on the market; Tesla continues to collect customer deposits on them all.
Assuming the car gets built, a long-range version with a 300-mile range has a starting price of $47,000 with an expected delivery of fall 2020, according to Musk. A standard-range model with a 230-mile range was priced at $39,000 with a promised delivery date of spring 2021.
Musk said the SUV would have the “functionality of an SUV, but it will ride like a sports car."
Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities, said the $39,000 and $47,000 price points for the standard and long-range versions were what investors wanted to see for mass adoption.
“It met expectations," he said.


text:
Coca Cola Nigeria has entered into a partnership with Growing Business Foundation, GBF to empower 3,000 women and youth across Nigeria on plastic waste collection for recycling purposes.
Nigeria is said to generate about 32 million tons of waste per year which includes 200,000 tons of plastic waste and it is estimated that plastic production will rise to 523,000 tons by the end of 2022. If not properly managed, it will pose a greater danger to the environment.
Much of the wastes including plastics are unfortunately indiscriminately disposed of, thereby blocking drainages, polluting water and leading to the loss of aquatic life.
It is therefore expected that the project by Coca Cola will not only take plastics out of the environment but create jobs in a country where 33 percent of the citizens are unemployed.
“We have seen a gap in recycling. Our beverages are bottled in plastic packaging and this is a whole economy on its own. We want therefore to drive people to become environmentally conscious and while they are recycling the bottles, they are also making money”, Amaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability at Coca-Cola company told BusinessDay at the launch of Scaling Nigeria’s Platiconomy in Lagos designed to empower plastic collectors.
Read also: Meyer, Wema, Guinness, two others surpass 100% return
She explained that the project is an initiative of Coca Cola Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of the company. The foundation funds NGOs to be able to intervene in social good in the society and that is why GBF is attractive as they have been in business for 23 years and they have empowered many Nigerians. This programme has pan Nigeria reach, she said.
Also speaking, Ndidi Nnoli Edozien, the founder of GBF said the whole idea of empowering Collectors initiative to grow and scale the plasticonomy and make sure Nigerians are not creating waste but creating wealth and use what is called waste as a resource to create value.
According to her, the target in the 24 months first phase of the initiative is to collect 25,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste, and doing that “we are empowering 10 aggregate companies across 6 different states in Nigeria and empowering 3,000 collectors and a significant number of them will be female”. 1,000 metric tons of bottles is equivalent to 20 million – 50 million of bottles.
On the value of the waste recycling business in Nigeria, Edozien said though there is a different estimation of the value but it is an average $1 billion market.” It is a significant industry and there is a lot of scope across the value and supply chain for businesses to grow and thrive”.
Also speaking at the event, Samuel Egube, Commissioner of economic planning and budget identified that the initiative is ideal for Lagos saying that Nigerians need to move out to minimize plastic waste as it is becoming a pandemic.


text:
A WEEK of healthy activities will be on offer for shoppers.
Staff from businesses including Fitness First, Simply Health and The Dome will be in the Frenchgate Centre offering guidance on how to stay fit and healthy.
It begins on Monday and will run until February 5 with several of the centre’s traders helping to promote the health and wellbeing scheme.
Amanda Phillips, centre manager, said: “Everyone starts to think about getting into shape in the New Year but by the end of January some people find it hard to stick to their New Year’s resolutions.
“That’s why we decided to run our health and wellbeing week at the end of January, to give people a boost and let them know there is support out there to help them stay fit and healthy in 2012.”


text:
What to Eat (and Drink) This Weekend
Sweet summer corn, wine and tiny sandwiches in the Fenway, a beer made for Quincy (and all of us), and more.
Finger Sandwiches in the Fenway
The Fenway neighborhood has welcomed two of the buzziest recent restaurant debuts, and that calls for wine and snacks. Nathálie Wine Bar, the second venture from Haley Fortier and the team behind Downtown Crossing’s Haley.Henry, has been dishing out Mediterranean-ish meze (pictured), montaditos (tiny sandwiches), vegetables and small plates, and glasses of wine made by women since late July. Starting today, Nathálie now serves the same menu starting at 11:30 a.m. every Thursday-Sunday. Also beginning today, Tiffani Faison and her crew behind Fenway staples Sweet Cheeks and Tiger Mama turn on the neon signs and twinkling chandeliers at Fool’s Errand. It, too, is European-ish wine bar-inspired with very personal and fun touches—the finger foods over here also include tiny sandwiches filled with the likes of raclette and truffle, Benton’s ham and butter, and more; plus crudo, croquettes, and more “adult snacks.” (Eater Boston has the debut menu.) Take a day this weekend for a leisurely, wine and sherry-fueled Fenway crawl to welcome these women to their new homes in the ’hood.
Quincy’s Own Beer
John Adams’s hometown-center has, in recent years, welcomed exciting new restaurants including the Townshend tavern, 16C pizzeria, Zef Cicchetti & Raw Bar; a larger Fuji sushi bar; locations of KKatie’s Burger Bar, Pho Pasteur, Shaking Crab, and more. Next week, a retro cocktail bar called Idle Hour will open from a team of Boston ex-pats; and beer-focused ventures Rewild and Belfry are both eyeing September debuts. All of this excitement, of course, calls for a toast. That’s where Widowmaker Brewing comes in: Though his company is Braintree-based, head brewer Ryan Lavery has a lot of love for the City of Presidents, and he jumped at the opportunity to craft some signature suds for Quincy when he was asked by prominent Quincy promoter, Kerry Byrne. Sixteen-ounce cans of City of Presidents American Pale Ale land at local bars and restaurants this Friday. “This beer celebrates the history of a great American city and pays homage to downtown Quincy’s rapid rise as one of the region’s most dynamic new dining destinations,” Lavery said in a press release. “Quincy businesses and residents have supported our brand in great numbers and we’re excited to provide this exclusive offering.” The Widowmaker team heads to the Townshend at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 for an official launch party, then beginning this weekend, find it at bars and restaurants exclusively around Quincy Center.
I think I say this at least once a month regardless of season, but it’s the most wonderful time of the year to eat! The reason this time is because of things like peaches, tomatoes, and sweet, sweet corn. The latter kernels of delight are tempting me all over town, from Mei Mei, where it’s drizzled in carrot-top chimichurri; to Little Donkey, which riffs on hangover curing cheesy corn; to SRV, where it’s rolled in spicy n’duja mayonnaise; to Eventide Fenway, where it adds to a funky surf-and-turf dish with scallops and chorizo; to the brand-new Chickadee, where it’s part of a crab gratin; and many, many more menus. Our native corn season typically lasts through September and sometimes even into October, so now is a good time to stock up on flossers, too.
The Uni Late-Night Burger
James Beard Award-nominated, burger loving Uni chefs Tony Messina and Ken Oringer introduced their own take on a nostalgically inspired, exclusively available patty on Marathon Monday. It was a hit, and since June, it has returned one weekend-late-night-menu per month. The patty itself is comprised of short rib, brisket, sirloin, bone marrow, bacon, and dehydrated miso; and it’s topped with both American and cheddar cheeses, balsamic onions, crunchy lettuce, a burnt ketchup remoulade and a fresh tomato slice, and a house secret sauce—it’s a layered flavor experience that nails the main points of a cheeseburger craving. Pair it with a beer slushie or a tiki drink from Vikram Hegde’s bar menu and wrap your hands around this burger this weekend.
Rap and Rolls at Ruka
Earlier this month, Ruka—the Godfrey Hotel nikkei cuisine experience from the Yvonne’s and Lolita team—instated a new way to Sunday fun-day: Wind down your weekend with ’90s rap and two-for-one sushi specials on sushi menu item except the short rib tataki. Umm, yes, please. Rap and Rolls continues every Sunday night.
Sundays, 5-11 p.m., Ruka, 505 Washington St., Boston, 617-266-0102, rukarestobar.com.


text:
Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) fourth-quarter wireline results may have declined to $10 billion year-over-year, but it saw continued growth in consumer services, particularly FiOS.
Despite the impact of Hurricane Sandy, FiOS continued to dominate Verizon's consumer wireline revenue mix. During the quarter, it added 144,000 net new FiOS Internet connections and 134,000 net new FiOS Video connections.
Interestingly, Hurricane Sandy, as seen in previous reports, sped up the telco's copper-to-fiber migration plans. Lowell McAdam, Verizon's CEO and chairman said during a recent investor conference that it will accelerate the migration of customers on its copper facilities to fiber in 2013.
As reported in FierceIPTV, Fran Shammo, Verizon's CFO, said during the earnings webcast this morning that "net adds were greater than the second and third quarters… in spite of the significant disruption caused by the [Superstorm] Sandy restoral efforts.
The telco's Q4 wireline consumer revenues grew 4.1 percent year-over-year over Q4 2011. From a total year perspective, 2012 consumer revenues were $14 billion, up 3.2 percent compared over 2011.
It said this was highest annual revenue growth rate in the consumer wireline segment it has seen since 2003.
Here's a breakdown of Verizon's key wireline metrics:
Landline Losses: Following the wireline industrywide trend, Verizon's traditional landline voice connections overall declined 6.8 percent year-over-year to 22.5 million down from 24.1 million in Q4 2011.
Broadband and video: As of the end of the quarter, Verizon had a total of 5.4 million FiOS Internet and 4.7 million FiOS video connections, representing year-over-year increases of 12.6 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively. FiOS customer ARPU was more than $150 in the quarter. FiOS Internet penetration was 37.3 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2012, compared with 35.5 percent at the end of fourth-quarter 2011.
As of the end of 2012, the FiOS network passed 17.6 million premises at year-end 2012. At the end of 2012, broadband connections rose 1.4 percent year-over-year to 8.8 million at year-end 2012. Purchases of higher speed FiOS services drove broadband revenue up 3.1 percent to $3.5 billion for full-year 2012.
Another dynamic of FiOS growth is that more customers are purchasing dual and triple play bundles of voice, video and data. Shammo said during the Q4 earnings call that "customers who are deciding to upgrade to additional FiOS services, we are seeing a $45 lift in monthly ARPU." Subscriber ARPU was $105.63, up from $103.86 in Q3 and $9.20 higher than Q4 2011.
Business Services: Due to economic issues in Europe and the United States, global enterprise revenues declined 2.1 percent year-over-year to $3.8 billion in the quarter. Despite the overall decline, the sale of strategic services, including Terremark cloud and data center services, security and IT solutions, and Ethernet, increased 5.3 percent compared with Q4 2011 and represented 54 percent of global enterprise revenues.
From an overall financial perspective, Verizon reported a loss of $1.48 in earnings per share (EPS), compared with a loss of 71 cents per share in Q4 2011. The telco said the results were impacted by "non-cash pension items in both quarters and additional non-operational debt retirement and other restructuring items in 4Q 2012." It also reported a 7-cent-per-share impact due to Superstorm Sandy yielded 38 cents per share in adjusted EPS (non-GAAP), compared with 52 cents in adjusted EPS in Q4 2011.
For the year, Verizon reported 31 cents in 2012 EPS, compared with 85 cents per share in 2011, while adjusted annual EPS (non-GAAP) was $2.24 in 2012, compared with $2.15 in 2011.
- see the earnings release
- FierceIPTV has this article
- and here's FierceWireless' take
Special report: Wireline telecom earnings in the fourth quarter of 2012
AT&T, Verizon to see mixed Q4 wireline results, says Morgan Stanley
AT&T Q3: Consumer, business IP drive up wireline revenues 2%


text:
We do like to be beside the seaside, according to a survey of Huddersfield’s favourite holiday destinations.
The latest annual holiday index from hotel chain Travelodge, which has a hotel at Hillhouse, shows that 72% of people in Huddersfield will take a “staycation” this year – against a national average of 67% – with a holiday beside the seaside the most popular option.
Further research findings reveal that 35% of locals use their holidays as a means to explore the UK, by staying in several locations during their holiday period.
Cornwall tops the list of destinations for local holidaymakers followed by Blackpool, London, Scarborough, Devon, the Lake District, Manchester, the Yorkshire Dales, Whitby and North Wales.
Some 77% of Huddersfield people state that the UK is a perfect holiday destination while 35% report that the Britain is more beautiful than any other destination in the world.
The survey of 3,000 Britons shows that people in Huddersfield will spend £700.66 on UK holiday breaks this year. On average this works out as a one-week holiday and four short breaks throughout 2016. Just 14% of local families are going all out and taking a “traditional” two-week holiday.
The report showed that the UK’s top “staycationers” are – for the second year running – in Wolverhampton with 88% of people there taking a Uk holiday. The other cities making up the top five are Bradford and Liverpool (both 87%), Sheffield and Edinburgh (both 86%).
More than half (58%) of Britons will holiday or take a mini break to the coast this summer, said the report. The figure for 2015 was 56%. That compares with just 31% of people visiting a coastal location in 2013.
Travelodge spokeswoman Shakila Ahmed said: “A new trend we are seeing is more Britons taking a three in one holiday. This includes taking a city, rural and coastal break as part of a one week holiday.
“You need to be clever to plan your route but it is easily achievable as Great Britain has so much to offer.
“It’s also great news that 2016 is going to be a bumper year for our traditional seaside resorts. A jaunt to the seaside is going through a revival as parents yearn for their children to enjoy a traditional British seaside holiday.”


text:
A powerhouse brand like Apple Inc. is often able to push past supply shortfalls in the knowledge that consumers are willing to wait for its hot products. But as Apple deals with significant iPhone shortages fueled by pandemic-related lockdowns in China, some analysts are worried that the company won’t be able to recapture all of the desired holiday demand.
warned in early November that it expected shipments of iPhone 14 Pros to be affected by the COVID restrictions that have limited production at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility. A key debate ever since has been if Apple would merely see demand pushed back into calendar 2023, or if some consumers would look at the long wait times and abandon their planned purchase altogether.
“We see perishable demand stemming from the Zhengzhou Foxconn plant disruption, instead of an outright production deferral” to the March quarter, Barclays analyst Tim Long wrote in a note to clients Sunday.
His industry conversations indicate that utilization at the Zhengzhou plant is now up to 30%, from 20% at the end of November, but his “base case is that utilization won’t return to normal until sometime [in] late January, at the earliest.”
Long rates the stock at equal weight with a $144 price target.
Oppenheimer analyst Martin Yang has an outperform rating on Apple’s stock, but he lowered his price target to $170 from $190 on concerns related to the production constraints. The price-target cut comes in conjunction with a reduction in his fiscal 2023 estimates that stems, he said, from “later-than-expected iPhone production capacity recovery in China.”
“Our reduced outlook also accounts for loss of iPhone demand in [the March quarter] due to supply constraints during the holidays,” Yang wrote. “As a result, we also model more conservative accessories and software and service revenues associated with new phone sales.”
While he’s more cautious on that near-term dynamic, he also noted that with the recent easing of China’s zero-COVID policy, he has “more confidence over accelerated iPhone capacity recovery in Zhengzhou” and doesn’t expect additional pandemic-driven production issues in the new year.
Apple shares are near flat in midday trading Monday. The stock has lost 21% over the past 12 months as the Dow Jones Industrial Average
has shed 6% over the same span.


text:
When restaurants were forced to quickly pivot from regular dining operations to to-go only options at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one necessary logistical issue was the increased use of takeout containers. Containers were the only way restaurants could serve their food and became a critical element in keeping the restaurant open for operation, even if the dining room was closed.
Todd J. Leach, owner of TJ’s Cafe on Central Avenue in Albany, said that pre-pandemic, takeout orders totaled 30 to 35 percent of all business for his restaurant. During the pandemic, that grew to 70 percent. On Tuesday chicken Parmesan special night, he would serve 300 takeout dinners. Including pasta or potato, soup or salad and bread and butter, the container needs to properly transport the food out of the restaurant meant different sizes and types of containers.


text:
See FDA’s Shifting Standards for Chinese Face Masks Fuel Confusion: Some states stop using KN95s to protect workers; agency cites ‘regulatory flexibility’ by Austen Hufford, Liza Lin and Mark Maremont of The WSJ.I use the book The Economics of Public Issues in my micro classes. Chapter 1 is called "Death by Bureaucrat." It discusses how the Food and Drug Administration can make either a Type I error or a Type II error.Type I error: The FDA approves a drug before enough testing is done and when people take it, there are harmful side effects.Type II error: The FDA tests a drug longer than necessary to stay on the safe side. But people might suffer because the drug is not yet available. 80,000 people died waiting for Septra to be approved.The FDA would usually rather make a Type II
[email protected] (Cyril Morong) considers the following as important:
This could be interesting, too:
Global Economic Intersection Analysis Blog Feed writes Stall Speed Economy
Menzie Chinn writes CBO on the Macro Impact of Pandemic Recovery Packages Thus Far
Tyler Cowen writes America fact of the day
Global Economic Intersection Analysis Blog Feed writes Long-Term Trends In Congress Brain Drain
Type I error: The FDA approves a drug before enough testing is done and when people take it, there are harmful side effects.
Type II error: The FDA tests a drug longer than necessary to stay on the safe side. But people might suffer because the drug is not yet available. 80,000 people died waiting for Septra to be approved.
The FDA would usually rather make a Type II error because the public can blame the FDA if a Type I error occurs. But in this case, they wanted to get masks to people quickly. Not enough testing was done. So it looks like a Type I error.
"Facing a severe shortage of N95 respirator masks in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the FDA made an emergency decision to allow importation of millions of Chinese-made masks, generally called KN95s, that were supposed to provide similar levels of virus protection.But the FDA itself created confusion about which Chinese brands could be trusted for medical use, in part by giving—then revoking—its stamp of approval to masks that turned out to be subpar.""The agency also relaxed its rules governing Chinese masks aimed at the general public, allowing hundreds of brands to be sold with little oversight and few quality checks""The FDA said its main goal was to help hospitals obtain quality masks and that it has never told the general public to use KN95s. It relaxed restrictions on masks of many kinds in response to public demand for face coverings during the pandemic, the agency said.""*More than 60% of foreign-made masks, nearly all Chinese made, have failed basic U.S. government quality tests that looked at 220 such brands, according to U.S. regulatory data.""*More than 3,500 Chinese manufacturers that have registered to sell KN95s in the U.S. were never fully vetted by any U.S. agency; some make virus-protection or filtration efficiency claims the FDA explicitly forbade when it relaxed the rules."" “The FDA was in a Catch-22 situation,” said Vernessa Pollard, a former FDA enforcement lawyer now at McDermott Will & Emery. It needed to relax regulations to respond to the shortage of protective gear, but bad actors inevitably take advantage of under-regulation, she said.""Federal officials realized there was a severe shortage of U.S.-certified N95 masks made both domestically and abroad.""It gave essentially unfettered entry to masks intended for use by the general public, as long as the makers labeled them as face masks and didn’t advertise filtration efficiency or claim that the masks could protect against viruses."
Remdesivir and Type I & Type II errors


text:
One in four adults in the developed world suffers from anxiety. Yet, under half receive treatment, according to the World Health Organization. At the same time, consumption of self-medicating stress-relief products, such as cigarettes and alcohol, is declining. The future of socialising will be redrawn. Responsible stimulation and mental wellbeing will be the new normal as consumers seek their “holistic happy.”
Minding Myself is a powerful long-term trend, bringing the mind and mental wellbeing to the forefront of consumer concerns.
Anxiety-relief as a consumer need state
Products positioned for mood enhancement, relaxation, stress- and anxiety-relief and boosting brain function are increasingly prevalent across a range of industries from soft drinks to cosmetics. Legal cannabis is at the forefront of catering to the broad spectrum of mental wellbeing, specifically mood enhancement, using different strains of one ingredient.
Arguably, this dynamic and disruptive industry led the way for other consumer products to position themselves in a similar outcome-based manner. This could be the inclusion of functional botanicals in food and beverage products, such as turmeric, mushrooms, ashwagandha and matcha, or hormone stimulants in neurocosmetics or nature-mimicking scents in beauty products.
Mental wellbeing will shape the future of socialising
In the past, businesses traditionally positioned their brands for consumption at certain times of the day. Now, more products are showcasing how they address a specific consumer need state instead. Alcoholic and soft drinks are prime examples of this crossover seen in the rise of non-alcoholic spirits and hard seltzers. Not to mention, everything wants to be an energy or relaxation drink.
Social isolation in the modern world is growing due to evolving family structures, loss of public space, longer working hours and social media. This is further fuelling anxiety and reducing or ceasing consumption of tobacco and alcohol in social environments.
Players have an opportunity to offer adult consumers responsible stimulation using natural ingredients to deliver a buzz, as well as through the use of molecular alternatives. Further on the trajectory is the potential for controlled micro-dosing, via novel delivery mechanism such as vapour, of entheogens such as LSD, psilocybin and ayahuasca.
The future of stimulants is holistic
Contrary to previous decades, savvy consumers are seeking a more diversified, subtle and targeted approach to the age-old problem of mental wellbeing.
While previously overlooked, active and functional ingredients can enhance the sophistication of an individual’s response to the pressures and complexities of modern life. Through the proliferation of need states, companies are also engaging with consumers in a more direct and meaningful way, providing implicit reassurance that they are willing to travel on this journey with them.
The ultimate goal will be to develop holistic and responsible mental rebalancing solutions that are hyper-customisable and personalised.
To learn more about how the industry is responding and our expert view, download the Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2020.


text:
quick video demonstration of Android 2.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in action, Amazon has realized an amazingly affordable tablet, and more devices continue to emerge before this holiday season. T-Mobile recently announced their version of the Galaxy S II to launch October 10th for $229. Though, more expensive than the Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G on the "Now" network, it hopefully ships without many of the Epic Touch overheating problems.
Tagged: Amazon Kindle Fire
Kindle Fire is selling fast according to recent reports. The hot coals from the Kindle Fire can already be felt as Amazon has stated its flames have reached the top of their best sellers list, and it did on the first day. The high sales have continued and are going strong today suggests Amazon.
Kindle Fire and already we have a flood of comments coming in regarding all sorts of things from price, availability, and accessories. Shipping November 15th for $199 you can pre-order it now, as well as see our hands-on images here. We should see plenty of accessories soon but for now I'll just show you a few cases.
announcement this morning of the Kindle Fire, Amazon also had something else exciting to share with everyone. They've developed a brand new cloud-based accelerated browser specially for the Kindle Fire and future Amazon tablets -- called Amazon Silk Browser. Essentially this is a browser that uses the many cloud based services and technology offered by Amazon and does all the dirty hard work and rendering for you, so users have blazing fast browser performance no matter what the situation. We have a few details and a video demo below.
Kindle Fire overload at the moment, but we have some official hands-on pictures live from the Amazon event for you all. What we have here is a super thin, lightweight, and powerful Android powered tablet coming from Amazon. We already know plenty about this device so I'll just head right into the good stuff -- our hands-on pictures.


text:
Submarine ads don’t run just anywhere. Connecticut ad agency Mintz + Hoke created a campaign to support sub maker Electric Boat’s recruitment efforts specific to trades and engineering positions available in both the Groton, Conn. and Quonset Point, R.I. locations. The campaign is targeted at the 18-34-year-old audience segment looking to build a long-lasting career. The ad will air just before kickoff in the Hartford and Providence markets.Electric Boat | Recruitment | Super Bowl 2023 Regional
Providence-based agency Nail Communications produced the health care spot for health system Lifespan that will air throughout Rhode Island during the game. The spot states that nobody knows what the future holds for our health. By showing the myriad doors of the specialties that Lifespan has, the ad sends the reassuring message that whatever may come, Lifespan is prepared to help.
-Nail Communications partnered with The Preservation Society of Newport County in Rhode Island to promote the famed Newport Mansions. The dramatic lives of the wealthy families who resided in them gets a movie trailer for a film that doesn’t exist. Dubbed “Live the Drama, the unconventional marketing approach was proposed by Nail to engage new audiences with the properties. For The Breakers, the grandest of the Newport Mansions, that meant introducing the inimitable Vanderbilts through a trailer, billboards, landing page—all the trappings of movie marketing. Filmed entirely on the grounds of The Breakers, the campaign trailer alludes to several historic storylines that affected the course of the Vanderbilt legacy.
Animal Focus Groups Lead Brand Refresh For Natural Balance Pet Foods
- by Steve Ellwanger , Yesterday
If you make food for pets, you should also make commercials that appeal to them.
That’s the strategy behind a brand refresh campaign for Natural Balance Pet Foods.
Naturally, that type of marketing approach would require conducting focus groups with cats and dogs—which is what the NAIL Communications agency did in collaboration with animal behavioral experts.
“We were rather new to the category,” creative partner Alec Beckett tells Marketing Daily.
“What surprised us is how much dog food had changed over the last decade or so. But dogs have not changed, so why has dog food changed?”
The answer is that with the entry of D2C pet brands and other trends, the category has become a battleground of sorts—with product attributes more in line with what pet owners consume.
“They’re non-GMO, they’re gluten free, they’re kosher, they’re raw. All of those terms are human food trends and they were mirroring them in pet food,” Beckett says of competing brands.
“That struck us as being in opposition to a brand like Natural Balance, which for 30 years has been following veterinarian nutrition science. They adapt when the science changes, but they’re not chasing trends.”
The agency brought dog and cat owners and their pets to focus groups to gauge which types of video images and sounds most caught the animals’ attention.
“The way we hope it works is that the pet owners are the secondary audience. When an ad shows up on connected TV and their dog suddenly perks up and walks up to the TV—and maybe barks at it—that is the brand proving that it’s putting animals first,” says Beckett.
This spot explains that it’s “for your dog” while an on-screen QR code “is for you.” The QR code takes viewers to the MadeForPetsNotPeople landing page where a behind-the-scenes campaign video resides.
The dog spot starts with the sounds of a squeaky toy, and then a hand is shown throwing a ball up and down. There are also many shots of dogs playing, because “it’s been shown that dogs like watching other dogs on television,” as an animal behavior professor says on the behind-the-scenes video.
One platform chosen for the campaign is Hulu. “We wanted some living room entertainment where the dog or cat are more likely to ambiently be exposed to it in a way we hope will surprise and delight the pet owner,” says Beckett.
And because many people turn to their “second screen” on a smart phone or tablet once commercials appear on the big screen, “Our hope is that the pets pull you off the second screen. You look up and see the ad is for your pet and the QR code is for you.”
The J.M. Smucker Co. acquired Natural Balance in 2015 and sold it in early 2021 to Nexus Capital Management.
New QB, same Joe
Has Joe Berkeley become the go-to guy for ads involving Patriots quarterbacks?
Sure looks that way. Berkeley teamed up with David Gardiner — both of them former Hill Holliday executives, before leaving to go out on their own more than eight years ago — to design the Shields Health Care Group ad featuring Tom Brady a few years back. (Movie director Bobby Farrelly actually directed the spot.)
Now, Berkeley is playing a key role behind another set of football-themed ads, this time featuring current Patriots QB Mac Jones, on behalf of Quincy’s Arbella Insurance.
The ads, which Berkeley created with Tim Foley, have been running throughout the football season. (Berkeley directed the spots, while Foley was the art director and production designer.) One features Jones moving into his new home, only to find out that the moving company accidentally swapped his stuff with an old lady’s belongings. Jones inspects random tchotchkes, fiddles with a rabbit-ears antenna to watch a game, and chills out on a pink sofa, while asking where his stuff went. “Being a rookie homeowner is full of surprises,” the narrator intones. “Insuring your first home with Arbella isn’t.”
Berkeley said Jones and Brady were both naturals in front of the camera.
“Anytime you work with a pro athlete,” Berkeley said, “if you can explain this is a game, what the rules of the game are, and how much time is on the clock, you will have good results.”


text:
Xiaomi Mi 5 coming to play at 2015 CES next month
While it’s not been up to six months since the Beijing-based tech company released their current flagship — Xiaomi Mi4, reports from China has it that the “Apple of China” is prepping to update it’s Mi series as early as January next year.
The story has it that Xiaomi Mi 5 is going to debut at 2015’s CES event which is bound to happen live in Las Vegas, USA starting from January next year.
Rumors circulating in the mobile industry earlier suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 5 will break cover with a 5.5-inch, QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) IPS touchscreen. The device is said to be packing a Snapdragon 805 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM.
Xiaomi’s plan to penetrate 10 markets by the end of this year may have stiffed, but then the phone maker isn’t doing bad in 5 of those countries reached. “It’s been really good so far,” VP Hugo Barra was quoted saying when he was addressing the audience about his company’s venture into Indonesia.
You may also like
Apps developers made a fortune from iPhone users during Black Friday
Samsung’s foldable display been stolen & sold to third party for $14m
The next Samsung Galaxy S10 could be designed exactly like this
Trump asks US allies to ban Huawei after blacklisting Chinese company from US government institutions
Panic at Apple after iPhone Xs didn’t sell quite as much as manufacturer wanted – Source


text:
With their 2016 Season now launched the Port Stanley Festival Theatre is given a
moment to reflect on the past few months and the successes of 2015. One thing is
for certain, the generosity of the local businesses shines bright. From the 23 sponsors
who joined the Festival Theatre during their top attended season of 15,112 patrons
to the more than 75 volunteer ushers, the staff and board express their sincere
gratitude for everyone who contributed.
Director Simon Joynes shares that "community partnerships really are a cornerstone
of the organization. Just knowing that there are people out there willing to lend
a hand when the going gets tough is a huge morale boost."
Local merchants have always played an essential component to the non-profit theatre's
revenue generation, but several clothiers have gone above and beyond this year to
show their support. October 22nd the theatre and Apropos of Port Stanley hosted
their 5th Annual Seasonably Styled Fashion Show. Theatre Manager, Melissa Kempf,
reports "the event was a huge success and we are proud to announce we raised $7,213."
150 ladies and even a few gentlemen enjoyed the hottest fashions at Kettle Creek
Golf & Country Club. Lorraine McElroy is a truly special member of our community
and through her vision, dedication and energy has helped our theatre raise over
$24,904 in the past five years through her fashion shows," says Kempf.
Stepping forward as major supporters of the theatre, both Studio Style Apparel and
Accessories as well as Russell House Apparel created customized campaigns during
2015 tailored to giving back to their customers and the theatre. Through the month
of October Russell House launched their 'Expand the Experience' donation program
whereby any customer who donated $5 or more toward the expansion of the theatre
would receive a no tax benefit on their purchase and a chance to win a Russell House
gift certificate coupled with tickets to a performance at the theatre in 2016. The
funds collected through this campaign were then matched by Russell House and with
great response the owners of this local shop, Elizabeth and Cynthia DeWit, joyfully
presented the theatre's board of directors with a cheque for $1,210 at their recent
annual general meeting.
For the 2nd year in a row Kim Ariesen of Studio Style ran her 'support through sweaters'
campaign during the month of November. For every sweater purchased Ariesen devoted
$5 towards the general operations of the Festival Theatre. "It was wonderful to
hear of the success of this campaign. The customers of Studio Style jumped on board
with the purchase of 183 sweaters," reports Kempf. Christmas has come early for
the local professional theatre with a donation from Studio Style of $935.
In closing Joynes expresses, "thanks to all our supporters from near and far. At
this time of year, it's wonderful to see that the spirit of giving is alive and
well in Port Stanley, Ontario."


text:
Harris Products Group has announced that Brian Henderson has joined its leadership team as national sales manager–wholesale. In this position, Henderson will be instrumental in executing Harris' expansion in the North America HVAC/plumbing wholesale market, and in developing the Harris team to support these growing operations. He will be based in Mason, Ohio.
Henderson most recently served as director of managed inventory solutions for Winsupply, where he was responsible for the launch of a cloud-based inventory solution across 600 U.S. locations. He earlier held the positions of vice president of key accounts and business development for Apex Supply Chain Technologies, and vice president of sales with Vallen.
A graduate of Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and economics, Henderson also holds a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University.


text:
Friday, November 9, 2018
Cable, WI. – Effective November 21st, 2018, the Norvado retail office in Hayward will be closing. Staff and support operations will be moving to the Cable, WI headquarters. The Hayward office has served the community as a resource for Internet, TV, Phone and Security services for over 20 years.
“Due to recent staffing changes and greater opportunities for telecommuting we have made the difficult decision to close our Hayward store front,” said Norvado CEO, Chad Young.
While Norvado will not be maintaining regular retail hours at that store, they will continue to support the many residential and business customers they have in the greater Hayward area.
Customers that paid their bill at the Hayward office can continue to do so until November 21st. After which time they can use any of the existing payment methods currently available. Including:
- PAY NOW (Online payment)
- SmartHUB (Payment and account management app)
- Pay-By-Phone – 855-874-5355
- Auto-Pay (credit card)
- EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer from bank account)
- In-store at the Cable office from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday-Friday
- Cable office drop box available 24/7
For questions or more information on how to pay your bill visit www.norvado.com/support/billing or call 800-250-8927.


text:
Online food community Foodbuzz was gobbled up by Web publisher Federated Media Publishing, giving the latter access to content from more than 4,400 independent food bloggers and the former’s bloggers the potential to reach more than 14 million unique users, Federated announced on its blog.
paidContent also pointed out that current Federated chief operating officer Deanna Brown had been president of the interactive division at Scripps Networks, parent of Food Network.
We’re excited to share news of FM’s acquisition of Foodbuzz, a leading online food community that is the fastest-growing in its space. The combination will make it easier for brands to surround one of the Web’s most popular topics.
Exclusive relationships with more than 4,400 independent food bloggers allow Foodbuzz to reach more than 14 million unique users per month. Combined with FM’s premier food sites, including Serious Eats and Bakerella, the new offering gives marketers increased opportunities to engage with audiences sharing recipes and recommendations.
FM’s purchase of Foodbuzz comes on the heels of three other significant transactions: the acquisition of BigTent, the leading community platform for local groups, especially groups of parents; the acquisition of semantic-search technology from TextDigger; and a partnership with the Clever Girls Collective to reach audiences on more than 1,000 top-quality lifestyle blogs.


text:
Benetton, a father of four, died in his home in the northern Italian city of Treviso.
With his brothers Luciano and Gilberto and his sister Giuliana, Carlo Benetton founded United Colors of Benetton in 1965 in Ponzano Veneto, a village in Italy's north-east.
Their signature soft wool jumpers made in a variety of colours quickly seduced the masses. The company went from strength to strength especially between 1982 and 2000 – its fame fuelled by daring ad campaigns by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani, such as a 1989 poster which featured a black woman breastfeeding a white baby.
Photo: Martin Bureau/AFP
But for over a decade the brand has been hit by dwindling sales. In 2017, following heavy losses, the 83-year-old Luciano Benetton announced he was coming out of retirement to retake the reins of the company.
In an interview in November 2017 with Italian daily La Repubblica, Luciano Benetton said that witnessing the downfall of the United Colors of Benetton was “an intolerable pain”.
He cited straying too far from the company's signature look as one of the reasons for the company's woes and vowed to relaunch the brand to its former glory.
Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP


text:
After delivering a well-received collection of 1969 Premium Denim (without the premium price) for guys, gals, and babies, Gap's (GPS) Patrick Robinson barely had time to turn the page in his sketch book before beginning the next initiative. But the grand poobah of basics couldn't afford to waste a minute given the company's push to keep building on the 10 percent gain in net sales since the beginning of the year. Lazard Capital Markets analyst Todd Slater said same store sales gains could only be achieved by beefing up the rest of the assortment beyond jeans.
Enter Gap's new pants initiative. Robinson and company have created seven trouser styles for women and three for men featuring sharp tailoring and bespoke details, "that look like they cost four to five times the price." The actual retail prices range from $49.50 to $59.50 â€"- on-trend, yet affordable.
Robinson's assertion that "Giving the customer something to wear seven days a week has been the goal for the Gap brand," comes not a moment too soon. The company spent the better part of the last decade trying to rebuild the brand and win back customers after a series of spectacular missteps by former CEOs Millard "Mickey" Drexler (ousted in 2001 and now at the helm of J. Crew) and Paul Pressler who resigned in 2007.
The new trouser collections hearken back to Gap's golden age when casual Friday became part of the corporate vernacular and it was ready with scores of must-have khakis and wovens that were comfortable, professional and well-priced. Taking this former hit to the next level, Robinson's designed a range of fits from skinny to slouchy which are certain to score with a variety of customers.
Perhaps the most appealing part (for women, anyway) is the merchandising. WWD reported that not only with the pants be paired with filmy white blouses, cashmere sweaters, and leather aviator jackets, but there will also be Pierre Hardy for Gap lace-up, peep-toe wedges. Deliciously covetable and infinitely more chic than those Keds for Gap skips.


text:
The revenue of the company went up by 39 per cent to Rs 53.68 crore during the quarter under review as compared to Rs 38.5 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
"During the third quarter of the fiscal year 2021, we have delivered competitive and profitable growth, while continuing to make healthy investments in marketing and creating new capacities. This quarter was our best third quarter ever, and we believe that the worst is behind us. Our comparable sales increased by 39 per cent while EBITDA growth was robust at 38 per cent, in constant currency terms," Bella Casa CEO Saurav Gupta said.
Going forward, he said, as the market conditions improve even further, the company will focus on the new product launches and enhanced distribution to build on the growth momentum.
"Overall, we are relentlessly focused on becoming more agile, increasing the pace of innovations, enhancing our go-to-market approach, and will continue to outperform the market and deliver industry-leading returns," he added.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Adani Enterprises FPO Fully Subscribed on Final Day
The ₹20,000-crore follow-on public offering (FPO) of Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) was fully subscribed on the final day of the offer Tuesday, January 31, thanks to late demand from family offices, corporates, and foreign investors.How Gautam Adani Lost $75b Market Value but Pulled off $2.5b Issue after Short Attack
It was around 5.30 in the morning last Wednesday when senior Adani officials got the breaking news, hours before the anchor book — the institutional pillar of any issuance — of the ₹20,000-crore ($2.5 billion) follow-on offer (FPO) of Adani Enterprises Ltd was to open.Flipkart Esop Sale: Big PeDay for Nigam, Chari
The cofounders of PhonePe, Sameer Nigam and Rahul Chari, are expected to receive individual cash payouts of $20-25 million by completely liquidating their stock options in erstwhile parent company Flipkart, according to people aware of the development.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.


text:
Mobile user base touches 13 cr in Oct
While GSM based cellular subscriber base touched 9.6 crore in October, the CDMA-based mobile user base has swelled to 3.3 crore during the month, according to the data released by trade associations COAI and AUSPI respectively.
The CDMA operators added a little over 19 lakh subscribers in the month, GSM based cellular companies had added 47 lakh new users.
Reliance Communications added over 10 lakh CDMA subscribers in October taking its total subscriber base to 2.4 crore. Tata Teleservices's subscriber base reached over 93 lakh with the addition of 8.8 lakh subscribers in the month of October.
On the GSM front, Bharti Airtel has capturted 29.88 per cent market share.
The month saw the mobile industry achieve another milestone as the total subscriber base in Delhi (both GSM as well as CDMA) crossed the one crore mark with 70 lakh additions in GSM.
In October, the cellular subscriber base of Bharti touched 2.86 crore, followed by BSNL at 2.20 crore with a market share of 23.03 per cent.
Hutch-Essar has 2.12 crore subscribers and Idea has 1.09 crore subscribers.


text:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19
Brian Cashmore, 21, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft. At about 3 p.m., security staff at Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St., reportedly saw Cashmore take a “Fast Five” DVD into a bathroom. A short time later, Cashmore allegedly emerged from the bathroom without the DVD in sight. When confronted by security staff, Cashmore reportedly was found to have the DVD on him, inside a CD case he was carrying. The empty “Fast Five” case was retrieved from a garbage can in the bathroom, police said.
TUESDAY, DEC. 18
Jose Sanchez, 31, of Burbank, was charged with disorderly conduct. Police were told by security staff at Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St., that Sanchez tried to enter the store’s security office after he was told not to. He also reportedly was loud, disruptive and refused to leave the store when asked. Sanchez also allegedly spat on the floor.
MONDAY, DEC. 17
Pea Coat Theft
Jean Lux, 36, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft after she allegedly attempted to steal a $44.96 pea coat from Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St. Store security staff told police that at about 2:35 p.m. they saw Lux take off her own coat, tear off the price tag on the pea coat and put it on. She then reportedly walked to a cash register to pay for other items and attempted to leave the store. Lux reportedly said she had simply forgotten to pay for the pea coat.
Police report information is provided by the Evergreen Park Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.


text:
Yearly Archive for 2007
More money continues to flow into Seattle’s alternative energy sector. The latest to score is Propel Biofuels, which today is announcing a $4.75 million first round of capital from @Ventures and Nth Power. The money will be used to help Propel set up and manage biodiesel fueling stations.
Farecast is expanding its online travel search service with a new hotel offering that will attempt to tell consumers whether they are getting a good or bad deal on more than 5,000 hotel properties in 30 U.S. cities.
Like many sports fans, Scott Decker’s loyalties don’t simply lie with the home town teams covered in the daily newspapers. That’s why the 32-year-old former manager at Blue Nile and Edmunds.com created SportsUltra, a new Web site that allows fans to create a customized news package of their favorite teams, players and sports columnists.
Sen. Barack Obama has been praised for the way he is using technology to gain momentum for his presidential bid.
Citing a regulatory filing, PEHub reports that Seattle social networking startup Ripl has raised $4.25 million from angel investors.
If you missed Bill Virgin’s column this morning in the P-I about Mark Cuban’s recent comments calling the Internet “dead and boring,” make sure to give it a read.
This slipped under my radar earlier this month when I was on vacation, but I have not seen it widely reported.
Bellevue-based Minecode Corp., which provides software development to companies such as AMD, Expedia and SecondSpace, has purchased Seattle’s X6 Technologies for an undisclosed amount.
It’s not quite the rebirth of MyLackey.com, but a new Web site called Domystuff.com has created an online auction service in which people can put their chores out to bid.
It has been a few weeks since I mentioned Avvo, the controversial Seattle online attorney rating service that was promptly sued after its debut in June.


text:
December 12, 2007
Iranian Scientists develop country’s most powerful supercomputer, despite ban on the export of U.S. computer equipment to the Middle Eastern nation
According to an undated posting on Amirkabir University of Technology, the Iranian scientists have managed to build the country’s most powerful supercomputer, despite ban on the export of U.S. computer equipment to the Middle Eastern nation. They claim to have used 216 microprocessors made by Advanced Micro Devices. They used Linux-cluster architecture in building the system of Opteron processors. Apparently the supercomputer has a theoretical peak performance of 860 giga-flops (a giga-flop is a billion calculations per second). However in a response AMD says that it had never authorized shipments of products either directly or indirectly to Iran or any other embargoed country. This new supercomputer will be used for weather forecasting and meteorological research. However this computer falls far behind the world’s fastest computers. In November, the BlueGene/L System, jointly developed by IBM and the U.S. Department of Energy was ranked No. 1 in the world with a benchmark performance of 478.2 teraflops (a teraflop equals a trillion calculations per second).
In a statement issued this is what AMD had to say:
“AMD fully complies with all United States export control laws, and all authorized distributors of AMD products have contractually committed to AMD that they will do the same with respect to their sales and shipments of AMD products,” the company said. “Any shipment of AMD products to Iran by any authorized distributor of AMD would be a breach of the specific provisions of their contracts with AMD.”


text:
New ‘selfie studio’ opens at Northwoods Mall with help of Peoria’s Minority Business Development Center
PEORIA (Heart of Illinois ABC) - A minority-owned business in Peoria is making a splash one photo at a time.
LaToya and Johnny Jorden say they were able to open their doors a few weeks ago with the help of the Minority Business Development Center on Peoria’s southside.
With the help of those resources, they chose Northwoods mall to open a ‘selfie studio’.
The couple says they would love to see more black-owned businesses in the area.
“We are a place to have fun, but it’s also a multi-use space for photographers, content creators, and brand ambassadors so it is a multi-use space for business-to-business transactions as well.”
They’re expecting a busy weekend with prom-goers already asking to come in and take pictures.
Copyright 2022 Heart of Illinois ABC. All rights reserved.