text:
In an effort to better support musicians in Namibia and across Africa, DONLU now offers subscription packages to their fans. DONLU Africa is a platform where one can stream, download and buy Namibian music. Started by Llewelyn Adams in 2015, the platform has seen rapid growth over the years.It now allows fans to not only have access to the free music (singles/songs loaded in the past), but also albums and podcasts under premium subscription packages:
• Weekly – N$ 10
• Monthly – N$ 60
• Annual – N$ 600
Adams said they partnered with a Namibian payments processing company to provide secure payments via PayPal, as well as offer offline payments such as BlueWallet and E-Wallet. “This, we believe, will draw a much larger international audience,” he added. Adams noted that the podcast listenership has also grown substantially over the past decade and their goal at DONLU is clear – help creators monetise their podcasts.
“We do have plans to get more African artists and podcasts onto the platform, thus increasing the exposure that Namibian musicians and podcasters will get as a direct result of the new subscribers from different countries. In this move, we hope to have one central point for podcasts and music alike.”
DONLU recently achieved one of its biggest milestones when it reached 10 million streams on the platform, and as such they believe the time is now to further expand their footprint and services.
“We don’t want to be simply another music streaming service; we want to provide Namibia with a true mix of international and indigenous music and content. The expansion will also make the landscape more competitive for local streaming services.”
DONLU also introduced the payment-per-stream system for musicians and podcasters. Instead of their plays being pooled, income from each listener’s subscription is dispersed among the artists they listen to, supporting growing upcoming musicians with devoted followers.


text:
'Economic package is half way travelled' - Mr Dalmia, CITI
The economic stimulus announced by Government on 7th December 2008 has provided some relief to the textile and clothing industry. However, Government has travelled only half the distance in meeting the urgent requirements of the industry, according to Shri R.K. Dalmia, Chairman of Confederation of Indian Textile Industry.
He stated that the major facilities given for textile and clothing sector are either by way of releasing withheld benefits or by way of restoring withdrawn benefits. In the case of TUFS and CST/TED payments, reimbursements which had been withheld for a long time will now get paid on the basis of the fund allocation provided in the Package. In the case of export credit, subvention of 4% had been withdrawn from October 2008, out of which 2% has been restored now.
Shri R.K. Dalmia added that, there are some new facilities in the case of service tax. Increase in refund of service tax on agency commission from 2% to 10% will help textile and clothing units, among others. Refund of post production service taxes to units availing drawback facility will also help the textile and clothing industry, according to CITI Chairman.
Shri Dalmia stated that some major requirements of textile and clothing industry have not been covered in the package. “Restoration of drawback rates which had been steeply reduced from September 2008 onwards, a moratorium of two years for repayment of principal amounts against term loans in view of the working capital problems of this loss making industry, and the restoration of the remaining 2% of subvention for export credit are the major requirements that need immediate attention.”
He added that the restored subvention should apply from 1st October 2008 – the date from which it had been withdrawn earlier. He also stressed the need for disposing of cotton procured by Government promptly to Indian mills at international prices, in order to avoid an artificial scarcity of cotton in the market.
CITI Chairman pointed out that the package does not address the serious problems of the cotton situation at all. Unreasonably high MSPs announced by Government have increased domestic cotton prices by 20% above international prices and the minimum that can be done at this stage is to enable mills to buy cotton.
"Providing working capital for purchase and storing of cotton at the interest rate of 7% as applicable to agriculture sector, against a margin of 10% as against 25% applicable now and for a period of 9 months as against 3-4 months applicable at present can make a significant difference to the entire cotton economy”, said Shri Dalmia.
He hoped that some of these issues will be addressed in the coming days and requested Government to consider these on top priority in order to ensure that the package can produce the desired results.
Confederation of Indian Textile Industry

domain: news


text:
Video: The enterprise, like everyone else, is going voice-first
Almost a year ago, Microsoft and Amazon announced a deal via which the two would enable their respective virtual assistants to work together. On August 15, the pair are taking the next step in this process, by opening up initial integration between Cortana and Alexa to the public, beginning in the US.
Also: Amazon Echo vs Google Home: The smart speaker battle is heating up
Starting today, U.S.-based users who want "early access to the collaboration" can start talking to Cortana via their Echo devices and to Alexa on Windows 10 devices and Harman Kardon Invoke speakers, which are powered by Cortana.
"This integration will allow Cortana users to ask Alexa to shop on Amazon, manage their Amazon orders and access many of Alexa's third-party skills. Alexa users will have access to Cortana's knowledge and helpful productivity features such as calendar management, day at a glance and rich email integration. Over time, additional skills and features will be integrated," explained a Microsoft spokesperson.
The ability to stream music and set alarms across digital assistants are skills that are not available yet. The plan is to enable more device types and skills over time, Microsoft officials said.
Also: No, I won't use the Amazon Echo to buy things
The pair are calling this integration a "public preview," which will allow Microsoft and Amazon to get feedback so they can improve the integration experience.
Microsoft and Amazon officials have said the goal of integrating Cortana and Alexa is to be able to carry out different tasks both at home and work on whichever device is most convenient. Cortana and Alexa can each be enabled as a skill on the other, Microsoft officials said today.
Microsoft is in the midst of working to reposition Cortana as more of a productivity aide -- something embedded in apps and services that can provide assistance.
As Microsoft and Amazon demonstrated at the Microsoft Build conference in May, the procedure for invoking Cortana on Alexa devices (and vice versa) is rather awkward.
Also: 50 Alexa skills worth using CNET
On a Windows device, users need to say "Hey Cortana, open Alexa," in order to make requests like querying Amazon shopping deals or asking for an Alexa-powered thermostat to set a temperature. On an Alexa-powered Echo, users need to say "Alexa, open Cortana," (or click the microphone button and say "open Alexa") to ask things like "What new emails do I have?"
Microsoft and Amazon originally planned to make Cortana and Alexa integration available before the end of calendar 2017, but decided they needed more time to improve the cross-assistant experience. In recent months, Cortana-Alexa integration has been in testing inside Microsoft and with select Amazon users.
I have to say, I am not sure this integration will be widely used.
Amazon has launched its own Alexa for Business service which seems to be able to do many of the types of tasks which Cortana is being designed to optimize. I asked Microsoft officials if Microsoft and Amazon are integrating Cortana with Alexa for Business and was told no.)
Also: Amazon Alexa: Cheat sheet TechRepublic
I guess Microsoft execs may look at the Cortana-Alexa integration as a way to make up for Cortana's huge skills gap compared to Alexa. Cortana now has just over 250 skills; Alexa has more than 40,000. But I just don't see most people thinking about relying on different digital assistants for different types of tasks.
Ten Alexa skills to celebrate Mom


text:
To start, and in the spirit of online discussion, the Adelaide Hills region wine industry has taken to the net.
Wine 3.0 challenge for Hills
POSSIBLY too thin-skinned when it comes to criticism, the wine industry is about to fully expose itself to the slings and arrows of social media 3.0.
The Adelaide Hills Wine Region tonight launches a virtual Wine Room – an online, interactive forum where fans or critics can engage in live banter with winemakers and with each other.
The Web 3.0 site is a research project by the Adelaide University School of Business to examine how social media is used by the wine industry – the first study of its kind by the wine industry.
“Everybody engaged in this knows the risk,” marketing lecturer Dr Roberta Veale told Indaily. “If somebody posts up a comment and says, I tried so-and-so’s wine and I didn’t like it, that statement will stay there"
“We will moderate it to ensure there is no foul language and those sorts of things, but if somebody goes up there and says, I was up at so-and-so’s winery and thought it was lousy, that will sit there.
“This is kind of the risky side, I guess, of going down this path – you have to be thick-skinned enough to say, well, if somebody is giving us honest criticism, we have to cop it.”
For tonight’s launch, an “online tasting” will be conducted by Hahndorf Hill Winery while the participants remain in the comfort of their own homes. There will be a live streaming of the tastings and instant feedback and questions.
Dr Veale said the Wine Room represented a groundbreaking strategy for the Adelaide Hills wine industry.
“To our knowledge, no other wine region has employed this technology and these types of consumer engagement strategies – combining community building and social media tools – as a marketing device for the region as a whole.
“In time, we expect to see members of the Wine Room hosting their own events and showing their fellow community members what the region and its products mean to them.”
She expected other wine regions to follow the Adelaide Hills lead.
In a sense, the Wine Room could be a virtual focus group of unlimited numbers where the participants became involved in product development, Veale said.
“A wine brand, for example, might go online and say, here’s a concept for a new label; we are thinking about launching this wine and this label; what do you think?
“Certainly some brands like Harley Davidson and Apple use it very effectively for new product development because their own customers make suggestions to them.”
One of the questions that Dr Veale is keen to answer for her own research is the extent to which people will accept a brand owner creating an online space.
“Because traditionally the successful sites are consumer-owned. And also what events and strategies do people enjoy most and lead to the brand attachment that we are looking for?
“Obviously at the end of the day the brands themselves hope that we can engender some loyalty and support.”
Dr Veale, a pinot noir fan, said that negotiating her way through the wine egos and convincing them to participate was all part of the process.
“Those brands that are participating are up for it. Participation is entirely voluntarily. Those that don’t want to, that’s fine, no problem.”
The Wine Room will be launched online at 7pm. Membership is free at http://www.adelaidehillswine.com.au/wineroom/register Funded by the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC), the project is supported by the University of Adelaide’s Wine2030 Research Network and the Business School.


text:
UK mill group DS Smith has warned that European Union proposals to have reuse targets on all materials could lead to more plastic being used.
According to independent, peer-reviewed analysis commissioned by the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, mandatory reuse targets applied to all materials would increase the amount of plastic packaging in circulation and establish a monopoly in some market segments.
DS Smith gave the example of the transport and e-commerce corrugated cardboard packaging categories where reuse targets would lead to 8.1 billion new plastic crates weighing 12 million tonnes would be needed to meet a reuse target of 90% by 2040. This would then require 16 billion litres of water to wash these.
The company warned that this would penalise cardboard packaging, which is currently the most widely recycled packaging material.
DS Smith group head of strategy & innovation Alex Manisty said: “We support the aims of the Green Deal and the new legislation, but amendments that mandate reuse targets for paper & cardboard would compromise the EU corrugated cardboard industry, embed a plastic economy into the market, and hold us back on climate change.
“Recycling and reuse both have a role to play in packaging circularity and should be complementary. Reuse systems should be used where beneficial for the environment, economy and society.
“Imposing mandatory reuse targets would only benefit the plastic industry. The Commission recognised this by deliberately excluding corrugated cardboard from most of the mandatory reuse targets. We call on the European Parliament and member states to do the same.”


text:
Today, many residents take Alexandria’s retail corridors like Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray and King Street in Old Town for granted. But they weren’t always hubs of bustling business and activity.
Two decades ago, Del Ray was not the beloved strip of restaurants and shops it is today, where residents may see a local professional athlete or the occasional president. It took the vision and leadership of a few business owners to spark investment in the corridor now known affectionately as The Avenue.
Nora Partlow was one such business pioneer. In 1996, the local real estate agent opened St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub at 2300 Mount Vernon Ave. with business partner Scott Mitchell and the cafe quickly fostered a local following and sparked more and more restaurants and boutiques to open in the neighborhood.
Partlow not only provided a quality product for Del Ray denizens — she provided a space for residents to interact and congregate. For a long time, it was one of the only places along The Avenue to host community meetings, talks and lectures and even small concerts.
And though some small business owners may be wary of the advent of competition in the form of other cafes and restaurants, Partlow saw the value of investment and competition from other entrepreneurs in creating a destination for both locals and visitors to spend their time and money.
She fostered growth and development in Del Ray, and she was integral in the growth of groups like the Del Ray Business Association, First Night Alexandria and others. She helped organize local business owners in the neighborhood the same way she encouraged residents to coalesce into a true community.
Partlow confirmed this month that, at the age of 66, she is selling her business, which remains a landmark in the neighborhood, to fellow Del Ray entrepreneurs Larry and Christine Ponzi. We are confident that the unassuming coffee house that has become the heart of Del Ray will be in good hands with its new ownership. Larry Ponzi, who also owns Market 2 Market Del Ray and Pizzaiolo, has vowed to add to St. Elmo’s offerings — in his special use permit application he announced plans to apply for a license to sell beer and wine — while keeping the spirit and focus of the cafe in place.
Like Partlow, Ponzi recognizes the promise and the allure of The Avenue and Del Ray writ large. We are confident that the well-established business owner will build upon Partlow’s already strong legacy.
But it is important to remember that little of what residents love about the neighborhood would be possible without her vision, leadership and influence. Del Ray and Alexandria as a whole are a better place because of her efforts.


text:
Nike have axed Lance Armstrong after the doping scandal that has engulfed the company. The US sportswear giant terminated their sponsorship agreement with Armstrong ‘due to the insurmountable evidence’ he ‘participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade’.
Nike had initially stood by by the seven-time Tour De France winner despite his role as ringleader in ‘the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme sport has ever seen’.
But they were forced to cut their ties with Armstrong after it became clear he had ‘misled them for more than a decade’.
A Nike statement said: ‘Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him.
‘Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.’
Armstrong has been a face of Nike since 1996 and was instrumental in the US sportswear company’s expansion into cycling. He has appeared in multiple campaigns for the brand including a 2001 advertisement featuring footage of Armstrong having blood drawn for a drug test and challenging those who accused him of doping.
The 30-second ad featured Mr Armstrong saying, “Everybody wants to know what I’m on. What am I on? I’m on my bike, busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?” he says.
Together with Nike, the Livestrong Foundation raised more than £49.5m million through the sale of yellow Livestrong wristbands since May 2004. The company also has a healthy line of Livestrong-branded products, including shoes and T-shirts.
There were still nearly 100 Livestrong items available for purchase on Nike’s website on Wednesday morning and it is not clear whether the company will stop producing the gear or pull it from shelves.
Nike’s announcement came minutes after Armstrong revealed he was stepping down as chairman of his Lance Armstrong Foundation, which has raised £297m million since its inception in 1997.
Source: UK Mail


text:
There has never been a better time than now to be a fan of big horsepower. With electrification creeping ever closer, automakers have recently allowed their engineers to turn loose and build some seriously powerful engines. None of these modern masterpieces are as well known as the supercharged 6.2L Hellcat V8 however. That is likely the result of FCA’s mission to shove the engine into as many products as possible, including their large SUVs. Shortly after the automaker announced the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, excitement from buyers turned to panic as production details emerged. MC&T was the first to report that production of the Durango Hellcat would only last six months, a claim that is again being backed up by sources close to the Jefferson North Assembly Plant.
According to a recent report from MoparInsiders, production for the Durango SRT Hellcat is about to ramp up. FCA remains on track to finish 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat production in June of this year, matching the short six-month timeframe laid out to MC&T by Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis. That said, it appears that Kuniskis’ estimated production total of less than 2,000 units could be slightly off.
According to the report, Dodge has added an incremental number of Durango Hellcat’s to the production slate based on intense customer demand. While there is no word at this point as to how many more of these super SUVs are on the way, the Durango SRT Hellcat will certainly remain more rare than the Dodge Demon. FCA built a full 3,300 units of the 840 horsepower muscle car during its own single-year production run.
While the short production run has more to do with regulations than anything else, we’re not exactly sure how many buyers want a truck like this. Thanks to 710 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque on tap, this family hauler can rip off a 0-60 run in just 3.5 seconds. For reference, that is about as quick as a Ferrari 458 Italia. The suspension, bodywork and brakes have also been massively upgraded to help this 5,710 lbs SUV dance around a track or backroad. Speaking of the track, every 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat purchase includes a full-day session at the Bondurant High-Performance Driving School in Chandler, Arizona. This isn’t exactly typical of most new SUV purchases, but then again there is nothing typical about an SRT Hellcat product.


text:
The Whistler Medical Marijuana Company (WMMC) has become the first licensed medicinal marijuana producer in Canada to offer patients access to their organic strains through the shipment of live plants.
The company made the announcement last month, building on its lineup of dried marijuana and cannabis oils available to eligible patients under Health Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR).
"We made a commitment to Health Canada... that we would participate in those new regulations and offer live plants and seeds as soon as we had the processes in place to do so," explained WMMC president Chris Pelz.
Now patients have the option to grow and cultivate marijuana from four of WMMC's strains, providing them access to "a potentially infinite supply" of medicinal bud. Each strain is priced at $750 for five mother clones, with the option to purchase clones in bulk for $20 each if the grower no longer wishes to maintain their own mother plant. Mother clones of some of the most sought after strains in the world can cost between $1,000 and $25,000 each, the company said.
Pelz said the mother plants are aimed at experienced medical growers who "understand the value of our genetics and the value in having a plant base from which they can continue to cut clones for an infinite period of time."
He added that there is some concern over the potential for growers selling the strains on the black market, but that is simply "a reality in the current marijuana landscape."
Since launching in 2014, the Whistler Medical Marijuana Company has taken a leading role in Canada's new medicinal pot landscape, becoming the first certified organic marijuana producer in the country.
"We're in the business of advancing medical marijuana development overall, and the people I work with, that's who they are: they are constantly pushing the company forward," said Pelz. "We never envisioned that we would be taking a leadership role but we're very proud to be doing it."
Now the Function Junction-based producer is looking ahead to a legalized marijuana market that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to pushing ahead sometime in the spring 2017 session of parliament.
Pelz thinks 2018 is a more "realistic" timeline.
"I think in the next 12 to 18 months, you can almost take the current regulations and assume they'll be rewritten once again to accommodate legalization," he added.
Based on his experience in the industry working with Health Canada, Pelz believes Canada's legal pot regulation will be divided between federal and provincial legislators.
"I think it's safe to assume that all commercial marijuana will be grown from licensed producers or come from licensed production facilities, and the retailing of marijuana in a legalized structure will be the responsibility of the provincial governments," he said.
For more information, visit www.whistlermedicalmarijuana.com.


text:
Beijing to ban online selling of milk powder
Online purchases of milk powder will be outlawed under Beijing’s revised stricter food safety regulations, the Beijing Evening News reported.
The new regulations will take effect from April 1.
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Industry currently consults five supporting documents through its official website.
The provisions of a draft document require that all food vendors in Beijing must first obtain a food distribution licence. The licence will expire after a period of three years.
Food items will come under three categories, including pre-packaged foods, bulk foods, and dairy products (including infant formula milk powder).
Vendors handling bulk cooked foods will have to apply for a special permit for their businesses.
In addition, food retailers without a storefront will be banned from selling bulk foods or diary products.
These rules apply to businesses such as online shops, vending machines, postal services, telephone and TV shopping operators.
“Online purchases of milk powder are risky and can get out of control,” said a bureau spokesman, “It is especially hard to trace online purchases of overseas infant formula products.”
According to requirements of the draft, online, television or telephone retailers should publish their business names, contact information, food distribution licence numbers, as well as other identifying information.
In the event of violations, the illegal food vendor’s information and details of offence will be released to the public.
Many young people in China are keen Internet purchasers. This is because of the cheap price and great variety of products offered online.
According to the Beijing Evening News report, there are currently over 17,000 items - including sweets, biscuits, crispy rice, chocolates, and nuts - under the category “bulk foods” on Taobao, China’s popular website for online shopping.
Netizens express mixed feelings about the new regulations.“Forget about all these regulations - we need better implementation,” a Weibo user said.
Another said: “Local laws and regulations like these cannot possibly limit online sales of milk powder.”
A third netizen said: “They are cutting our purchasing channels again… are we only allowed to drink tainted milk now?”
A fourth wrote: “Ha ha, [the government is] trying to promote domestic products.”


text:
Cybersecurity Insurance still Requires Cybersecurity
OpenSSL vulnerabilities are sticking around for a while. In fact, recently two new ones were announced: One allows criminals to run an arbitrary code on a vulnerable computer/device, and the other allows man-in-the-middle attacks. A more famous openSSL vulnerability that made headlines earlier this year is the Heartbleed bug.
Might cybersecurity insurance be a viable solution?
As reported in SC Magazine, Yes, says Hunton & Williams LLP. Cybersecurity insurance fixes the problems that these vulnerabilities cause—that technology alone can’t always mitigate.
Hunton & Williams LLP reports that GameOver Zeus malware infiltrated half a million to a million computers, resulting in gargantuan losses to businesses and consumers. The firm says that antivirus software just isn’t enough to prevent mass infection. The fact is, advances in malicious code have rendered antivirus software frightfully weak, continues the firm..While not everyone agrees on this point, Hunton & Williams recommends a proactive approach which includes assessment of risk transfer methods, e.g., insurance.
Laurie Mercer, from the security consulting company Contest Information Security, also believes in cybersecurity insurance. Mercer uses cars as an analogy. A car must stick to safety standards. The car gets serviced every so often. But the car also has various buttons and whatnots inside that can alert the driver of a problem.
Likewise, with cybersecurity, products can be certified with commercial product assurance accreditation. A website can get a regular security audit every so often. And like the interior buttons of a car, a website can have a response strategy to a cyber incident or some kind of detection for an attack. However, the car should still be insured.
At a recent SC Congress London, Sarah Stephens from Aon EMEA pointed out that cyber insurance is rising in popularity. But Andrew Rose, a security analyst with Forrester, noted that many threats can be resolved with adequate plans in place.
Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.


text:
Mars Wrigley announced Thursday it would build a new research and development facility on Goose Island, the site of the company’s global headquarters.
The company, which makes candies including M&Ms, Skittles, Snickers and Twix, said the development will make Chicago its largest innovation hub in the world.
Construction on the research hub is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by summer 2023. It is expected to cost about $40 million, according to spokesperson Jonathan Guerin.
The facility will be built next to the company’s existing global innovation center on Goose Island, which opened in 2005 and where Mars already employs more than 450 people. About 950 people work on the company’s Goose Island campus in total. The company said the facility will bring about 30 jobs to Chicago.
Guerin said in an email the research hub would “expand to inspire the next generation of new products to support the company’s iconic global snacks and treats brands.” Research and development at the existing facility is focused on fruity, gum and mints products, Guerin said.
“Mars has made Chicago home to innovation for nearly 100 years, producing some of the world’s most beloved and iconic snacks and treats,” Chris Rowe, global vice president of research and development, said in a statement. “Creating new jobs and a world-class, multimillion-dollar research and development hub demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the Chicagoland area and accelerates our future for innovation.”
Mars acquired Chicago-based Wrigley in 2008. The company’s U.S. headquarters moved to New Jersey in 2017, though its global headquarters is on Goose Island.
In January, Mars Wrigley announced it was closing a historic chocolate plant in Galewood on the city’s West Side. The plant, which as of January employed about 280 people, will be phased out over the next two years, the company said at the time.
Some of the company’s other Illinois manufacturing locations include an ice cream factory in Burr Ridge, a candy factory in Yorkville and a pet nutrition manufacturing site in Mattoon. Mars employs just under 4,000 people in Illinois.


text:
Big Brother Naija star Kokoby Khloe has sent a strong message to ladies ahead of the much-anticipated valentine’s day as she noted that only the mentally disturbed will gift themselves flower.
Valentine’s day is only a few days from now and the social media world is currently in a frenzied mood as lovers have been showing off themselves ahead of the big day.
Online vendors have also been publicizing the packages available for lovers and the single ones have been forced to lick their wounds.
Kokoby Khloe who has become famous for sharing details about her relationship life has now decided to address some ladies who are single but don’t want to be left behind on the day.
According to the beautiful screen diva, though she feels like a man if she was not sent a flower on Valentine’s day but it’s not as far as sending herself a flower.
She noted that those who send themselves flowers on Valentine’s day are mentally disturbed people and would not be in the bracket of Brother.
See her message to ladies below:
Stay Connected , follow us on: Facebook: @creebhillsdotcom, Twitter: @creebhillsblog, Instagram: @creebhills, Pinterest: @creebhills Telegram: creebhillsTo place an advert/sponsored post on our site, contact us via [email protected]


text:
Apple will be holding the highly anticipated iPhone event today at 10 AM PDT which translates to 10:30 PM IST. There have been various reports pointing towards the fact that the company will be launching a total of three smartphones. One of the smartphones will be the 10th-anniversary edition of the iPhone which is being rumoured to be named the iPhone 8, iPhone X or the iPhone Edition. Here we will be telling you as to how you can watch the live stream from the comfort of your home.
Watch the Apple Special Event – Click Here
How to watch the iPhone Livestream
Apple will be hosting the event today at its Steve Jobs theatre situated in its new Apple Park campus. To livestream the event the company will be using its own HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology, which it has been using to livestream all its events.
Apple iOS users
Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod users can use the Safari browser on their devices to watch the livestream. However, the users will have to use iOS 9.0 devices or above to be able to view the event. The event can be found on the company’s official website under the events tab.
Apple MacOS users
For the users who use a MacBook, iMac, or any other device running on MacOS X 10.11 or above can watch the event live in the Safari web browser on the company’s official website.
Apple TV users
Apple TV users can also watch the livestream, however, they would be required to have either the second, third generation or the fourth generation of the streaming box. The Apple TV users will also need to be on software version 6.2 or higher.
Microsoft Windows users
Windows users don’t need to worry as usual Apple this time also will be supporting the livestream on the Windows operating system. Windows operating system users can watch the livestream on the company’s official website on the events tab through the Microsoft Edge browser.


text:
The San Francisco 49ers are set to take on the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
While most of the Niners faithful are focused on bringing the Bay Area another pro sports championship after the San Francisco Giants' recent World Series win, the mind-boggling amounts of money being spent in New Orleans this weekend could also be a preview of things to come locally: The 49ers' new $1.2 billion Santa Clara stadium is already in the running to host the 2016 or 2017 Super Bowl.
Here's a look at just how much money is being spent for this year's Super Bowl, with the idea we might see similar dollars in 2016:
- $185 million: Local tourism dollars expected to be spent at New Orleans hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues for Super Bowl XLVII, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
- 25,000 hotel rooms: booked by the National Football League and corporate affiliates in New Orleans for the big game.
- $2,007: Cost Friday morning of the cheapest TripAdvisor round-trip flight from San Francisco to New Orleans this weekend (with a layover in Atlanta)
- $1,080: Cheapest ticket on sale Friday morning by 49ers Super Bowl ticket partner PrimeSport
- $60,000: Price for a suite at Sunday's game on sale Friday morning from PrimeSport
- $3.5 million: Average rate per commercial charged by NBC for last year's Super Bowl
- $470 billion: Estimated brand value of the Super Bowl, as calculated by Forbes


text:
Nissan has applied a new repellent technology to the paintwork on cars, which automatically fends off mud and dirt.
The Japanese carmaker, which has promised that the technology would render car washes useless, ran a Note compact edition along mud-streaked tracks. The car stood the test with flying colors bearing no dirt particles on the shiny surfaces.
“It works very well,” said Nissan Germany spokesman Alexander Sellei.
The repellant coating creates a microscopic layer of air between the paint and the environment, ensuring that water-based substances like mud and dirt simply roll off the surface.
Nissan has said the paint has “responded well to common use cases including rain, spray, frost, sleet and standing water.”
“The Nissan Note has been carefully engineered to take the stress out of customer driving, and Nissan’s engineers are constantly thinking of new ways to make families’ lives easier,” Chief Marketing Manager for Nissan Note, Geraldine Ingham has said in a statement. “We are committed to addressing everyday problems our customers face and will always consider testing exciting, cutting edge technology like this incredible coating application.”
German chemical firm Evonik is meanwhile working on a scratch-resistant paint surface which would reduce the micro-scratches which often result from the revolving brushes used in commercial automatic car wash facilities. Several car companies have shown interest, said the Essen-based company.
- South Korea refuses Syria migrants: "Judging by what we see in Europe, we prefer to protect our women"
- US military bases in Japan targeted in missile launch drill: North Korea
- Have Geologists Solved the Mystery of the Earth's Core?
- Apple Supplier Foxconn in Discussions to Expand to US
- Japan approves already dead TPP deal


text:
Motorists facing the most brutal cost of living crisis in recent history are about to be hit hard as the top three UK insurer Direct Line said it would increase premiums by a potential 10% .
CEO Penny James said insurance premiums “should reflect” supply chain problems due to the coronavirus pandemic and conflict in Ukraine, which made parts more difficult to find and repairs had been delayed.
Announcing its first-half results on July 18, the company said its “short-term profitability” was being tested by a number of factors, including heightened claim inflation and macroeconomic uncertainty, but it was still would pay dividend to shareholders “in line with 2021”.
Operating profit fell 47% to £195.5 million from the first half of the year. Pre-tax profit fell 31.8% to £178.1 million.
The insurer also said it was damaged by regulatory changes introduced by the FCA this year, which prevented them from charging long-term customers with a so-called ‘loyalty penalty’.
Penny James, CEO of Direct Line, said: “Uniquely complex automotive market conditions during the first half, due to significant regulatory changes, increased claim inflation and macroeconomic uncertainty, have tested our near-term profitability.
“Through pricing actions, steps taken in our garage repair network, and the deployment of improved pricing capabilities, we have now returned to writing our target margins based on the latest claim assumptions.”
She added: “We are ahead of our long-term return on tangible equity target despite the challenges. We are announcing an interim dividend in line with 2021 and are confident in the sustainability of our regular dividends as we look ahead to the full year and beyond.”


text:
Ford Motor Co’s plan to double its electrified vehicle spending is part of an investment tsunami in batteries and electric cars by global automakers that now totals $90 billion and is still growing, a Reuters analysis shows.
That money is pouring in to a tiny sector that amounts to less than 1 percent of the 90 million vehicles sold each year and where Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc, with sales of only three models totaling just over 100,000 vehicles in 2017, was a dominant player.
With the world’s top automakers poised to introduce dozens of new battery electric and hybrid gasoline-electric models over the next five years – many of them in China – executives continue to ask: Who will buy all those vehicles?
“We’re all in,” Ford Motor Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr said of the company’s $11 billion investment, announced on Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “The only question is, will the customers be there with us?”
“Tesla faces real competition,” said Mike Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation Inc, the largest US auto retailing chain. By 2030, Jackson said he expects electric vehicles could account for 15-20 percent of new vehicle sales in the United States.


text:
There’s excellent news for many who are bored with the identical outdated font decisions in Google Kinds. Beginning right now (for some customers) now you can combine and match font types within the Google Kinds that you simply create.
On Tuesday Google introduced the discharge of recent font choices. These choices embody utilizing completely different fonts for the headings, subheadings, and physique textual content in your Google Kinds. The perfect half is that it seems there are actually extra total font decisions! As a substitute of being restricted to the handful of built-in font decisions, it seems you could now use extra fonts like these that you’d usually discover in Google Docs and Slides.
Functions for Training
This can be a larger improvement for some lecturers than others. Those that wish to customise the look of their Google Kinds now have extra choices. If it seems you could import fonts like these within the Lexend household, that would enhance the accessibility of Google Kinds for some college students.
As is the case with almost all updates to Google Workspace, the brand new font choices in Google Kinds will likely be rolling out over the following couple of weeks. Should you do not see the brand new choices right now, it’s best to see them quickly.


text:
AT&T's HTC One M8 and M9 Get Marshmallow Today
AT&T will begin distributing Android 6.0 Marshmallow to its variants of the HTC One M8 and One M9. HTC's VP of Product, Mo Versi, shared the news via his Twitter account. The update brings the two phones inline with the software seen on the HTC 10. The update will be pushed out over the air, which should be downloaded via WiFi. AT&T customers who own the M8 or M9 can check for the update through the settings menu.
HTC gives Windows Phone fans what they've always wanted: A premium device with Microsoft's operating system. Here are our initial thoughts on HTC's latest device.
May 7, 2015
HTC has made updates available to its Lock Screen and Sense Home apps for the One M9 and other handsets. The Lock Screen gains a significant refresh thanks to Lollipop-style notifications, full-screen album artwork during music playback, and more detailed local weather information.
HTC’s flagship One phones are iconic and well-regarded. The already refined design has been refined further for 2015, representing a relatively modest update.
HTC's 2015 flagship is an evolutionary update to last year's model. While the new hardware is refined with better manufacturing and high-quality materials, not all the changes are for the better.
Mar 1, 2015
HTC today announced the One M9, its latest flagship phone. It retains the 5-inch full-HD screen of last year's One, but upgrades most other features, including a 20-megapixel main camera with a sapphire lens and the ability to shoot 4K video.
5" display 1080 x 1920 pixels
Snapdragon 801 processor 2 GB RAM
2,600 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Headphone Jack (3.5mm), NFC


text:
Update to face mask requirements
Published on 10 May 2021
On Sunday 9 May 2021, NSW Health announced further changes to COVID-19 restrictions that will now be in place until 12.01am Monday 17 May.
The changes remove the requirement for retail customers to wear masks. However, public-facing staff in retail outlets and stores must continue to wear masks.
As a result, visitors to any City of Ryde Library and the City of Ryde Customer Service Centre are no longer required to wear masks.
The City of Ryde still encourages visitors to any Council venue to wear face masks where possible during this period.
For more information on the temporary COVID-19 restrictions for Greater Sydney, visit the NSW Government website.
For the latest COVID-19 news and updates regarding COVID-19, including locations with reported cases and the areas and suburbs with increased testing, visit the NSW Health website.


text:
Problems for Scottish companies ‘multiplying’ in first four weeks.
The scale of the damage caused to Scottish businesses as a result of the UK Government’s Brexit deal has been set out by Europe and External Affairs Secretary Michael Russell.
In a statement to parliament Mr Russell said companies had been left ‘toothless’ following the UK Government’s move to make itself - deliberately and permanently - a third country with a more distant, more expensive and less advantageous trading arrangement with its former EU partners.
Mr Russell said the Scottish Government would continue to do all it could to mitigate the impact of Brexit – including backing a call from the food and drink industry for a six month grace period to allow companies more time to cope with the changes.
He also urged the UK Government to improve the information it shared on emerging issues at ports.
The warnings come just over a month after the UK Government’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union (EU) came into effect on 1 January.
Since then a range of concerns have arisen including:
- exporters facing new customs controls and IT systems failures leading to stock delayed and spoiled at ports in the UK and EU. Estimates suggest as much as £1 million a day is being lost by the seafood industry alone
- significantly reduced freight flows across the Channel with evidence hauliers are avoiding the UK altogether to avoid delays and complicated paperwork
- the UK Government’s own Reasonable Worst Case Scenario which predicts 142,000 tons of perishable goods including food, feed and drink could be wasted over the next six months because of Brexit border disruption
- an estimated £11 million of losses to Scottish seed potato farmers who will no longer be able to export to Europe
Mr Russell said:
“It is an incontrovertible fact that four weeks into the new trading arrangements, the problems for businesses are not diminishing, but multiplying and spreading across different sectors of the economy.
“The disruption to the seafood sector has resulted in the damaging delays, huge costs and devastating losses which we feared would be the outcome of becoming an EU third country and dealing with new and untested processes.
“Unfortunately it is not just the fishing part of the food industry that is being impacted. A whole new category of prohibited and restricted goods has been created meaning Scottish exporters can no longer trade their produce freely with the EU.
“Even the UK Government has now admitted that these are not ‘teething issues’ – they are a permanent exclusion from the single market that leaves many businesses in Scotland toothless in a competitive modern economy.
“What we ended up with was the hardest of Brexit deals, recklessly pursued at the very depths of the pandemic. That was bound to be a disaster, and it has been.
“The Scottish Government will of course continue to do everything in our power to mitigate the impacts of Brexit on this country, its businesses and its communities. Far from being over, the problems created by Brexit are getting worse and we face more difficult times ahead.”
Last week, the CBI, the British Chambers of Commerce, Make UK, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors issued a statement setting out the substantial difficulties faced by firms adapting to the new customs processes, obstacles to moving goods through the Dover-Calais route and the shortage of informed advice.
The Scottish Government has today announced a new £7.75 million funding package offering support to fishermen, seafood businesses and ports and harbours threatened by the ongoing effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) and EU Exit.
The Scottish Government is calling for the UK Government to agree a common set of data with the devolved administrations to provide the clearest evidence of the impact of Brexit.
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback


text:
log in to manage your profile and account
- Create your account
- Receive up-to-date newsletters
- Set up text alerts
Published: Friday, May 04, 2018 @ 6:00 AM
— Local wineries begrudgingly accustomed to being overshadowed by their brethren in the northern half of the state are eagerly anticipating their chance to shine at the first-ever Vintage Ohio South wine festival.
The festival —scheduled for 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 12 inside a facility at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield — will include wineries and wines from all over the state. But it’s designed to showcase those wineries in the southern Ohio, according to organizers with the Ohio Wine Producers Association (OWPA), which is sponsoring the festival.
>> WINERY GUIDE: Where to enjoy local wine in southwest Ohio
Northern Ohio wineries, and especially those in the region northeast of Cleveland, capture most of the attention inside and outside Ohio, and understandably so, since they grow more wine grapes and pack in more wineries into a tourist-friendly region. But southern Ohio has a long winemaking tradition, a solid core of wineries, and a promising future, which might just start May 12. Several have signed up to pour their wines at the event.
“We’ve never had a festival this close to us,” said Kelly Brandeberry, whose family operates Brandeberry Winery in southern Clark County between Enon and Yellow Springs. “A lot of people in this area just don’t go to Ohio wine festivals, so we’re looking forward to this one.”
Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, says she’d like to turn Vintage Ohio South into an annual event.
In northeast Ohio, the OWPA has offered the Vintage Ohio Wine Festival for 23 years. The wine producers association has sponsored a wine festival in the Dayton-Springfield region before, but it’s been a few years.
From 2003-09, the wine producers association brought an annual Ohio wine festival to what was then the National City 2nd Street Market (now the Five Rivers MetroParks 2nd Street Market) in downtown Dayton. After a one-year hiatus, the OWPA brought an outdoor wine festival to the Boonshoft Museum that lasted a couple of years. Bad weather thwarted any chance for success at the outdoor events, but the Clark County Fairgrounds festival will be held indoors, rain or shine, for at least the first year, organizers said.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. The deadline for purchasing tickets online is 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 4. The last chance to purchase tickets in advance (and save $5) is prior to 4:30 p.m. May 9. Phone orders will be accepted at (440) 466-4417. More information (and ticket links) can be found at this ohiowines.org web site.
The entrance fee includes a wine glass to take home, 12 wine sampling tickets, and a six-bottle carrier tote for taking bottles of wines home. Additional wine sampling tickets may be purchased for $5 for three tickets. Designated Driver tickets are available for $10 and includes four complimentary sodas or waters.
RELATED: Clark County plan calls for modern fairgrounds (July 2017)
The event will include local craft artisans, restaurant vendors and food trucks, as well as live music, cooking demonstrations and wine-education events. Parking is free. For more information, call (440) 466-4417.
Participating wineries include:
AR Winery, Arcanum
Brandeberry Winery, Enon
Caesar Creek Vineyard, Xenia
Debonne Vineyards, Madison
Hanover Winery, Hamilton
Heineman's Winery, Put-in-Bay
It's Your Winery, Medina
Maize Valley Winery & Craft Brewery, Hartville
Meier's Wine Cellars, Silverton
Meranda-Nixon Winery, Ripley
O'Bannon Creek Vineyard, Pleasant Plain
Old Mason Winery & Vineyards, West Milton
Olde Schoolhouse Vineyards, Eaton
Plum Run Winery, Grove City
The Winery at Versailles, Versailles
Valley Vineyards, Morrow


text:
The world’s 7th richest man and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg quietly came into Nigeria today to see how Facebook works in Nigeria, how it can be improved and how it can support tech development in Africa.
He was at CC Hub in Yaba, Lagos State and Linda Ikeji posted the exclusive photographs on her blog.
The Facebook CEO’s first stop is the Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) in Yaba.
Zuckerberg is in Nigeria to listen and learn and take ideas on how Facebook can better support tech development and entrepreneurship across Africa.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, met with Pope Francis at The Vatican on Monday.


text:
As per the latest survey, the COVID-19 Pandemic has quickened up a clientele transition in the Digital Banking services within the UAE. The Survey by the YouGov for FinTech provider BackBase stated that, “Eighty-nine percent of respondents stated they are now more likely to opt for digital banking services rather than visit a physical bank branch.” It surveyed 1,005 individuals.
Matthijs Eijpe, regional vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Backbase stated out that; “As the pandemic recedes, banks have the opportunity to provide enhanced customer engagement online, which will pave the way for physical branches to only deliver more complex, high-value activities.”
“To make sure that they can capitalize on varying customer behaviour, banks will need to break free from siloed technology architecture and bring engagement to the forefront of their digital operations.”
The Covid-19 pandemic, which directed to drive boundaries and social distancing around the globe, further accelerated the pivot to digital services across industries. Half of the clients in the Middle East, India and South-East Asia are cooperating with banks via the mobile apps since the Covid-19 outburst, associated with 32 percent in 2018, conferring to a statement in April by Verloop.io, a client provision automation firm in Bengaluru.
Technology like that of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is aiding banks and other financial establishments to automate services swiftly and address client queries more efficiently during the pandemic, Verloop.io said.
The upsurge of FinTech firms, a progressively smartphone-savvy clint base and a sharp intensification in digital services have enforced banks globally to progressively invest in digitization and diminish the number of branches.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which powered to drive boundaries and social distancing around the world, further accelerated the pivot to digital services across industries.
A Boston Consulting Group survey that interrogated more than 2,000 respondents in the UAE the preceding year originated that 87 percent of respondents would be passionate to commence an account with a digital-only bank.
The Backbase research started that 72 percent of respondents in the UAE utilize the digital banking services at least once a week, and 24 percent utilization these services once a day or more.
Those polled stated that they favor digital self-service banking solutions distributed with the same accessibility as their E-commerce, entertainment and transport solutions.
The sudden upsurge in clientele adoption has vividly advanced the digital transformation of numerous banks in the territory. Many financial institutions now apprehend that online banking services are vital for the intensification of the customer retention and nurture revenue streams, Backbase stated out further.
The digitization of services for banks, which would usually take two years, is being accomplished within two weeks as an outcome of the pandemic, JP Morgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon stated the preceding year at Sibos, an annual conference for the global financial services industry.
As per the Backbase, it stated out that “Consumer expectations from digital banking have shifted from just day-to-day banking services and transactions to also include more complex interactions, such as remote account openings or subscriptions to new products or services, such as getting a loan or subscribing to insurance.”
However, 31 percent of UAE respondents well-defined their own bank’s functioning as “weak” in terms of contribution to the seamless access to online banking services, the survey discovered out.
Approximately banks in the UAE have publicized stand-alone submissions to add new roles and services to their online banking offerings, generating fragmented systems that do not deliver a good experience to customers, according to Backbase.
About 44 percent of those polled in the UAE quoted poor client association as a core factor behind their verdict to jump to a different bank, the survey discovered.


text:
Wired writer Mat Honan shared a real-life horror story about how his iCloud account was compromised, giving the hacker access to all of his data, and resulting in his iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air being remotely wiped.
Despite being late to the game (Apps like Byword and iAWriter beat Apple to the punch), Apple has done a great job on Documents in the Cloud. We’ll show you what it can do and how you can take advantage!
It’s been a big day for updates from Apple so far due to the release of OS X Mountain Lion, and I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of it yet! Apple has released updates for their Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps for iOS with full support for Documents in the Cloud.
In a continuation of their ongoing international rollout of iCloud-related services, Apple has launched iTunes Match in both Poland and Hungary, although their have yet to update their official availability list to reflect the launch.
Alongside the release of iOS 6 beta 3 to developers, Apple has now begun rolling out iCloud.com email addresses to iCloud mail users, making a transition away from the “me.com” addresses associated with MobileMe.
Apple has now activated a new iCloud.com beta site for registered iOS developers featuring the two new web apps, as well as new beta versions of other iCloud.com apps.
After Mobile Me was terminated by Apple on June 30th, another legacy cloud service, iWork.com is also going to the grave Apple announced today.
Following the launch of iCloud last year, Apple placed an official expiration date on Mobile – the service that it replaced. That expiration date has now arrived, and as of midnight ET on June 30, MobileMe has officially been shut down.
As we warned back in May, Apple is shutting down MobileMe this Saturday, June 30. After that, it’s an iCloud world. There’s still time to get your stuff migrated over to iCloud or another service.
Apple is currently experiencing a major outage affecting a number of their online services, including iCloud, iMessage, the developer center, and even the iTunes store. The issue appears to be fairly widespread, affecting a large number of users.
Wallpaper Weekends is a post series intended to bring you stunning, high quality wallpapers for your iPad, iPhone, and/or iPod Touch. This week we bring you two excellent wallpapers for iPad and iPhone by Chris Herbert.
If you still use Mobile Me, you need to switch, and fast. Apple has sent a reminder out to all those who haven’t yet made the move to iCloud that the service is ending in thirty days time.
Sometimes criminals demonstrate such a remarkable level of stupidity that it’s almost painful to think about – like the cruise line worker who took personal pictures on a stolen iPhone without disabling Photo Stream…
If you haven’t made the transition from MobileMe to iCloud yet, maybe because one of your iOS devices doesn’t meet the specs, or your Mac is too old to run Lion, this article could help you save your email and calendars.
Taking its push for a “clean” iCloud to Apple’s Cupertino campus this week, Greenpeace projected images onto the main building of Apple’s corporate headquarters.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is planning significant upgrades and improvements to iCloud.


text:
The Important Lesson COVID-19 Has Taught Us
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is how fundamental our local businesses are. One of the effects of the crisis is that we are increasingly becoming a more closed-off society and, as such, it has never been more crucial to take care of our own local resources and businesses. Local businesses are the backbone of many small cities and villages but the shutting down of borders has led to many businesses closing down and people scrambling to find other alternatives to sustain themselves and stay above water. In these trying times, continuing to support local business owners helps the community financially and socially, and this will in turn help the economy in the long run. This is what the Apeldoorn LONKT Project is all about.
An Idea That Became a Premonition
But before dwelling more on the LONKT project, let us digress to the topic of how this project first came about. In 2018, Apeldoorns Business Collectief (ABC) (a do-and-think tank that connects and creates connections between entrepreneurs and organisations in Apeldoorn), noticed that many of their professional members who live in Apeldoorn were working as consultants to businesses outside Apeldoorn. But ironically, many of the businesses in Apeldoorn were getting outside consultants to manage their businesses. As if guided by a premonition of the coming pandemic, ABC then decided to form a partnership with other businesses for the sole purpose of promoting local firms in the Apeldoorn region.
This partnership, the LONKT (Lokaal Ondernemend Naar een Krachtige Toekomst – Locally Enterprising Towards a Powerful Future) project aims to do this by connecting ZZPs (the Dutch acronym for self-employed professionals or freelancers) and SMEs, and widening their entrepreneurial networks and other collaboration. The partners who are actively participating in the LONKT project are Aventus, VNO-NCWMidden, MKB Midden, Owens Corning and WUAS. This partnership, led by ABC chairman Trix Schipper-Hop and funded by the province of Gelderland, was formally launched on March 28, 2018. If the outcome is positive, it will be rolled out to other municipalities in Gelderland including Zutpen and Harderwijk.
Wittenborg Heads the Analysis Team
For this initiative, six work packages will be carried out during a four-year process. Each partner is responsible for a work package or contributes to one or more work packages. Wittenborg is represented by its CEO, Maggie Feng, Dr Nicolet Theunissen, Senior Scientist and former Head of Research at Wittenborg and Sanne De Jong. They are part of the analysis team which is responsible for providing insight into the effects of local collaboration and business on the economic climate in Apeldoorn.
As explained by Theunissen in an interview, the research is carried out in three phases. The first phase was completed in 2019 and a report has already been presented. It involved the administration of questionnaires to a compact sample of target groups, mainly companies, freelancers and umbrella organisations in Apeldoorn. According to Theunissen, the first phase revealed some surprising results. It showed that many participants are keen to increase the share of local business and are open to means that facilitate introduction and findability. Despite a slight delay in the progress of the project due to the corona crisis, the other work packages are gaining momentum and interventions have been developed that will stimulate local businesses. The second phase of the project is in motion and the next set of questionnaires will be administered in late summer and will involve more businesses and participants. The third and final phase is expected to be completed at the end of 2021.
Doing Business Locally Is More Important Now Than Before
When asked what was her opinion on why doing business locally is more important now than before, Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng said, “This pandemic has given us a lot of challenges accompanied with many restrictions. The restrictions on travelling has prevented some of us to carry out business in the old way. We have been spending a lot more time at home, in the direct neighborhood. The advantage of knowing people and businesses locally does provide advantages and sometimes business opportunities. I believe that the past period has made some of us think and re-think.” Her opinion is supported by Theunissen, who said that having local business partners not only saves you the trouble of travelling outside Apeldoorn and far afield, but also, healthwise, it reduces your chance of getting infected or infecting others with this virus. Furthermore, less travelling for business meetings will cut fuel consumption and lower one’s carbon footprint. She added that promoting local businesses could also mean doing business with your own neighbours and this can strengthen friendships as you have a chance of getting to know each other better.
Diversity in Business
While patronage from local businesses creates more local wealth and jobs in that community, the issue of whether there is enough diversity and talent in that community comes into question. To answer this, Theunissen, who has lived in three diffferent parts of the Netherlands (Noord-Brabant, Utrecht and Apeldoorn), said that indeed diversity is very important in businesses, but she believes that even the Dutch have different cultures in different areas in their small country, and thus they get exposed to diverse cultures, which helps them to broaden their views about life and doing business. Furthermore, she believes that Apeldoorn is not lacking in people from different races, cultures and religions, and these help to bring in new ideas, perspectives and innovations in businesses. Feng agreed that there is already quite a lot of diversity in the Apeldoorn business community. However, she feels that there could be more, and doing business locally does not mean internationalisation and globalisation will disappear as there are many business opportunities out there; we just have to keep on searching for relevant and inclusive solutions, services and products. While diverse talents may not be difficult to find, restricting one’s business in one city may not be suitable for every company.
‘Apeldoorn LONKT is by us, for all of us.’ Trix Schipper-Hop
With this pandemic still looming over us, let us start supporting the Apeldoorn LONKT project by buying from and selling to locally owned businesses, and retain the economic wealth within our own community. Keep that sense of camaraderie among friends, relatives and neighbours and strengthen our bond within our community. After all, as mentioned by Schipper-Hop during the kick-off, “Apeldoorn LONKT is by us, for all of us”.
If you would like to be part of this project, you can register at lonkt.nl or contact ABC or any of the partners in the project.


text:
A sign outside Emilio's in downtown Staunton advertises the day's specials.
Hungry for Staunton's mid-March restaurant week promotion? Better find something to nibble on for at least a few months until restauranteurs can cook up a new offering.
City Tourism Director Sheryl Wagner said she's been talking with people behind some of the restaurants involved in previous restaurant week promotions, trying to cook up a lighter version of the event. At issue: a sour taste left by having to pay to promote the event.
"Overall, it has been a good promotion for our restaurants over the last two years, but we'd like to revise it a bit, so that it works better for everyone," she said. ...


text: Move over packaged media, video on demand is gaining ground. According to a report by Informa Telecoms & Media, the global market for VOD will be worth 10 billion dollars by 2012. The UK-based research operation predicts that 909 million homes (a massive 78 per cent of all TV households) will have access to VOD or near-VOD technology, with over 80 per cent of users coming from the US and Europe. Leading the demand for VOD services in Europe will be the UK, where the market is anticipated to be worth approximately 300 million pounds by 2012. Hollywood is seen as a key driver as studios increasingly release material for download day and date with DVD and Blu-ray.


text:
Beyond Meat beats the forecast for earnings and revenue
October 29th -
Competing against the giants like Tyson Foods, Kroger, Kellogg, and Nestle, Beyond Meat was being closely observed by the analysts and investors alike in the stock market. As of Monday, the Q3 earnings report has highlighted that the meat-substitute company...
Tesla shares rise as car maker names Telstra CFO as new company Chairman
November 8th -
Tesla shares closed higher Wednesday, as the electric car maker named a new Chairman, to replace Musk after the SEC ordered him to step down from that role for a period of three years.
Tesla shares open mixed as its Shanghai manufacturing plans aim to cut tariff impact
November 2nd -
Tesla shares have opened a little mixed, Friday, as the electric car maker's latest SEC filing shows it plans to initially manufacture 3,000 Model 3s per week at its new Shanghai Gigafactory 3, to help minimise the impact of higher...
Tesla shares rise after posting ‘historic’ Q3 profit
October 25th -
Tesla shares rise after posting "historic" and unexpected profit in the third quarter.
Tesla shares news: Car maker signs deal for China Gigafactory
October 17th -
Tesla shares are lower Wednesday, as the electric car maker announced it had signed an agreement with the Shanghai Government, to secure an 860,000 square metre site to build its first overseas Gigafactory.


text:
Food prices in the UK’s upscale grocery markets have been pushed up by the Russia-Ukraine war, Brexit and Covid-19
One of the biggest challenges facing households is soaring food prices, with the ONS pointing out that they are a major contributor to the rise in the consumer price index (CPI) and the Bank of England calling them “apocalyptic”.
How much have food prices increased in the most important product categories – and will they continue to increase?
How much have the prices of food and drinks changed?
While this is less than the overall CPI increase of 9%, gains in many key categories have outpaced this increase.
Based on surveys conducted by the ONS, the ONS estimated that 92% of Britons saw their grocery bills increase, while 39% of adults reduced their grocery purchases.
- Pasta: A key staple of British dishes, pasta and couscous saw prices rise 10.4% yoy after already rising 14.9% in January due to the poor wheat harvest in 2021.
- Meat: Meat has risen in price across the board, with lamb (14.3%), beef (10.2%) and poultry (10.1%) all seeing large price increases.
- Dairy: Milk, cheese and eggs (9.5%) and butter (12.5%) have also seen hikes. These increases (along with those for meat) come as farmers have faced rising production costs, with fertilizer, feed and fuel prices rising sharply as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Oils and fats: This category saw a 14.5% increase versus a 22.7% increase in the margarine and vegetable fats subcategory – a change spurred by the war in Ukraine. Shortages have already been identified in supermarkets, as Russia and Ukraine produce around 55% of the world’s sunflower oil and are also major exporters of rapeseed oil. These oils are key ingredients in many foods, so their scarcity is driving prices up across the board (e.g. sauces and condiments prices are up 13.3%).
Other major food categories have not been affected to the same extent since at least April 2022.
Fruit prices are up 6.2% from April 2021 – although this is 0.7% below January 2022 prices.
Vegetables and potatoes are 4.6% more expensive than last year, but 1.4% lower than in December 2021.
And the price of rice, a key subcategory in the breads and cereals space, is 3.4% higher than last April — although prices in March 2021 are down 6.8% year-on-year, meaning consumers are always still not pay what they were doing two years ago.
The ONS has itself conducted an analysis of how the prices of 30 key value foods bought online from supermarkets by the UK’s poorest households have changed.
On May 30, it reported that value pasta prices rose 50% between April 2021 and April 2022.
Chips (17%), bread (16%), ground beef (16%) and rice (15%) also saw significant price increases over the year.
On the other hand, prices fell for potatoes (14%), cheese (7%), pizza (4%), fries (3%), sausages (3%) and apples (1%).
Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents most of the UK’s major supermarket chains, and data analytics firm Nielsen run a store price index using a basket of 250 essential food and drink items and a further 250 essential non-food items.
This gauge suggested that as of April 2022, the price of staple foods rose 3.5% yoy and 0.2% mom – the highest rate of inflation recorded by this metric since March 2013.
While fresh groceries fell 0.1% in price to 3.4% yoy, ambient groceries rose 0.5% to 3.5% mom.
BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said the fall in fresh food prices was the result of “tough competition” between supermarkets.
Will food prices continue to rise this year?
Helen Dickinson has warned that higher food costs would still “filter through the supply chain” to “put further upward pressure on UK food prices in the coming months”.
“Retailers will continue to do everything they can to keep prices down and add value to their customers by limiting price increases and widening their price ranges, but this will put them under pressure to find cost savings elsewhere,” explained Ms Dickinson.
“Unfortunately, customers should brace themselves for further price increases and a bumpy road.”
Although the UK does not depend on Eastern Europe for much of its food supply, global price shocks resulting from the war in Ukraine are likely to push bills further.
Fuel is also an important issue for supply chains that move food from A to B.
While Russia and Ukraine play a major role in driving food prices higher, the UK also has its own specific challenges that are expected to drive up costs further.
Why are these food price hikes a problem?
The big problem with rising food prices is that they don’t happen in isolation.
All of these things will “increase the pressure on families in the coming months,” says Indu Gurung, deputy project manager of the Food Foundation’s Peas Please vegetable campaign.
“The escalating cost of living crisis is making it increasingly difficult for many families in the UK to afford the groceries they need.
“The Chancellor’s spring declaration contained a number of measures intended to ease the pressure on the cost of living. However, these measures are not enough to protect the most vulnerable families from food insecurity and ensure everyone has access to adequate nutritious food.
“Everything indicates that without substantial government intervention, the cost of living will continue to deteriorate.”
However, problems with food costs date back to the current squeeze crisis.
A food industry-led healthy eating campaign, Veg Power, covering the year to February 2022 found that 26% of families and 49% of households with an annual income of less than £30,000 were buying fewer fresh vegetables due to increased food prices.
https://www.nationalworld.com/lifestyle/food-and-drink/uk-inflation-how-much-food-prices-risen-uk-cost-of-living-crisis-3536980 Cost of living crisis: How much have food prices gone up?


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Top Tampa Bay Trust strategist bullish on stocks
Don't pay too much attention to the scary economic trends highlighted on financial media, according to the chief investment strategist for Tampa Bay Trust Co.
"The financial media does not exist to make you money. It exists for ratings," said Pat Dorsey, who leads the investment team at the independent trust company with $1 billion in client assets.
Financial broadcasters highlight fears that lead investors to shy away from stocks - such as worries about the European economy, health care reform, inflation predictions, budget deficits and slow employment growth, Dorsey said. He told clients at an economic forecast that here are five key indicators that show the U.S. economy is experiencing a bull market, but not a bubble:
- Market valuations are in line with long-run averages. There are some "frothy" stocks, such as Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) and Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) in which prices are much higher than actual value, but on average stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 index are valued at about the postwar average, and are trading at about 17 times to earnings, compared to 30 times earnings in 1999.
- Consumer and corporate leverage is low. Consumer debt is back to levels it was in the early 1990s, while companies "awash with liquidity." S&P 500 companies hold more than $1 trillion in cash and can borrow at favorable rates.
- Inflation is modest, with interest rates rising slowly.
- Earnings growth is sold, although not spectacular
- Corporate profit margins are high, but are holding steady as a percentage of the world gross domestic product - a key measure as 40 percent of the profits at S&P 500 companies comes from outside the United States.
Margie Manning is Print Editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She also covers the Money beat.
- Most popular
- Datz/Dough owners launching 'better burger' brand
- Tampa developer buys prime site in Westshore
- Vinik's '$1 billion makeover for Tampa' hits WSJ
- Complaint filed against Starbucks barista for alleged racist remarks
- Derek Jeter bids for restaurant slot in TIA concessions
- Herald-Tribune building in downtown Sarasota on the market
- Publix sued over wrongful death of 11-year-old Alabama boy
- Tampa could leverage success of Seattle flights to win San Fran flight
- Tampa Bay apartment boom lifts region's economy
- Publix 'hopeful' for a store in downtown Tampa
A look at the day's business stories from media outlets around Tampa Bay.
DESIGN/BUILD SALES CONSULTANT Southern Crafted Homes | Land O Lakes, FL
Audience Development Account Executive South Florida Business Journal | Fort Lauderdale, FL
Admissions Director Job HCR ManorCare | Palm Harbor, FL
Addiction Medicine Physician - PHYSICIAN: ADDICTION MEDICINE Parallon Workforce Solutions | Sarasota, FL
Jr Operations Planner RESA Power Solutions | Plant City, FL


text:
The Royal Mail is considering closing its operation in Gloucester and moving it to Bristol.
It would mean the closure and sale of the Gloucester mail centre and the potential loss of jobs.
The plan follows five months of consultation with staff and trade unions.
Royal Mail is also proposing to create two mail processing units at the existing Gloucester North and Stroud delivery offices.
The organisation says its proposed change is in response to the challenges from digital communication, competition and mail volume decline.
A final decision will be made this autumn
More top news
Six people have been arrested after an "enormous" cannabis factory was found in a nuclear bunker. The value is thought to be more than £1m.
Storm Doris reached the South West this morning. There have been reports of fallen trees and strong winds across the region.
The company advised customers to "unplug" their tumble dryers and "do not use it" if they are subject to the recall.


text:
Broccoli takes crown as Britain's favourite veg: Attention on its nutritional qualities help it beat sweetcorn and tomato to top spot
- Broccoli is now Britain’s favourite vegetable an online survey found recently
- 2,000 consumers across UK who were asked to name their favourite vegetable
- 12% voted for broccoli, seeing off competition from sweetcorn and tomatoes
- The same poll says that strawberries were the most favoured fruit with 12% share
Once it would have been considered as healthy but horrible by many diners, particularly children.
Now, however, broccoli has undergone a transformation to be crowned Britain’s favourite vegetable.
Its reinvention as a ‘superfood’ and media attention on its nutritional qualities have won it a legion of fans.
A woman bites into a piece of broccoli. Its reinvention as a ‘superfood’ and media attention on its nutritional qualities have won it a legion of fans
In an online survey of 2,000 consumers across Britain who were asked to name their favourite vegetable, 12 per cent voted for broccoli.
It saw off competition from sweetcorn and tomatoes, which both attracted the support of 10 per cent of those polled.
Surprisingly perhaps, kale emerged as Britain’s least popular vegetable, receiving only 18 votes – less than 1 per cent of the total.
The same poll found that strawberries were the most favoured fruit, chosen by 14 per cent of participants, closely followed by banana, pineapple and mango.
The survey was commissioned by Diabetes UK to promote its Food You Love campaign during Diabetes Week.
Dan Howarth, head of care at Diabetes UK, said: ‘Eating fruit and veg is a great way of getting vital vitamins and fibre and a much healthier snack option than reaching for crisps, cereal bars or even smoothies.
‘They are also low in calories and super filling.’ Regionally there were some differences. Brussels sprouts turned out to be the most popular vegetable in the North-West, while people in the North-East were passionate for pineapple.
In an online survey of 2,000 consumers across Britain who were asked to name their favourite vegetable, 12 per cent voted for broccoli
Eastern England was the only region to champion the garden pea, voted for by 14 per cent, while Londoners appeared to be mad for mangoes. The campaign is aimed at persuading people to eat healthier versions of the food they enjoy.
Broccoli, or brassica oleracea italica, hails from the Mediterranean and was first cultivated from a cabbage relative by the Etruscans, an ancient Italian civilisation. Its name is derived from the Italian word ‘broccolo’ which means ‘the flowering crest of a cabbage’. When it was introduced in England in the mid-18th century, broccoli was known as ‘Italian asparagus’.
Broccoli is a good source of vitamin C and folate. It also contains vitamins A and K, calcium, fibre, beta-carotene and the compounds indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane that are said to combat cancer.
...AND IT'S GOOD FOR DIABETES
Broccoli could be key to treating type 2 diabetes because a compound it contains helps to lower blood sugar levels, research has found.
Diabetes affects 3.9million people and costs the NHS around 10 per cent of its total budget.
The drug most commonly used to treat it, metformin, cannot be taken by around 15 per cent of sufferers because of its effect on their kidneys. But a study by the Lund University Diabetes Centre in Sweden found that a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane, which is already known to have anti-cancer properties, had a ‘significant’ benefit for obese patients whose type 2 diabetes was poorly regulated.
It could be taken by eating the vegetable or drinking it in the form of juice, the journal Science Translational Medicine reports
Most watched News videos
- Instagram user brags about 15-year-old's murder in the Bronx
- Blair Cottrell breaks up street performance in Melbourne's CBD
- Horrifying moment pit bull kills smaller dog in apartment lobby
- Hottest week of the year: Latest scorching forecast by Met Office
- Inside bodega as gang grabs Lesandro Guzman-Feli before stabbing
- Leather-clad fetishists hold erotic S&M party on German lake
- Gabby Logan 'been thrown beer over' during Panama game halftime
- Resham Khan celebrates her first birthday since acid attack
- College girl's arrest spirals into hair-pulling wrestling match
- Nomad bikies arrested in raids across northern NSW
- Want's to be a Socceroo! Kangaroo invades pitch and takes goal
- Algeria is accused to have abandoned African migrants in Sahara


text:
The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are eased up gradually and smartphone brands are readying up a slew of latest products. Motorola just launched its Edge+ flagship in India and if you assumed that it’ll only cater to the expensive tiers, re-evaluate. The corporate is launching another budget smartphone in India tomorrow and it’s getting to be a neighborhood of the Moto G series. It’s the G8 Power Lite from Brazil and therefore the focus is going to be on long battery life.
Motorola is announcing the G8 Power Lite in India on May 21
Motorola will offer the G8 Power Lite as its idea of a budget smartphone with a long-lasting battery. The phone uses a 5000mAh battery that’s claimed to supply up to 2 days of power on one charge. Motorola is additionally saying an excellent deal about versatile triple camera setup and a water-repellant body. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But do you have to anticipate thereto, as long as there are tons of budget smartphones from Realme and Xiaomi with similar batteries?
Since the phone is already on sale in Brazil, we assume Motorola isn’t getting to change much in its specifications. The G8 Power Lite has most specifications almost like what you see on affordable phones from Realme and Xiaomi. You get a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720p and a little notch on the highest. The phone features a plastic unibody with gradient color finishes.
Motorola uses an Helio P35 chipset on the G8 Power Lite
There’s a triple camera setup, with the most camera employing a 16-megapixel sensor and amid a 2-megapixel macro camera and a depth camera. The front camera uses an 8-megapixel sensor. The phone relies on a MediaTek Helio P35 chip and is assisted by 64GB storage also as 4GB RAM.
Motorola could launch the G8 Power Lite at a price of less than Rs 10,000 in India. At this price, the G8 Power Lite has got to face stiff competition from the recently launched Realme Narzo 10A and therefore the Redmi 8. Both the phones from Redmi and Realme have an equivalent 5000mAh battery. Redmi offers an 18W fast charging system with the Redmi 8 and USB-C port. you furthermore may rise up to 4GB RAM with the Redmi phone.
Realme, on the opposite hand, offers a more powerful chipset within the sort of the Helio G70 chipset and therefore the more optimized Realme UI supported Android 10. Compared to those two, the Motorola G8 Power Lite seems to be an enormous disadvantage. Even with Motorola’s near-stock Android UI, the Helio P35 may struggle. Its 10W charging is slower than what Xiaomi offers on the Redmi 8. Moreover, the G8 Power Lite looks dated in comparison to the opposite phones. It now remains to be seen what pricing does Motorola choose with the G8 Power Lite. The G8 Power Lite is going to be made official with its own tag on Flipkart tomorrow.


text:
Current Issue:Browse a digital
copy of our printed
San Jose: Prosecutor tells parents and teens how to avoid the dangers in social media
02/11/2016 06:13 AM PST
San Jose parents and teenagers learned how to better navigate the rapidly changing social media landscape at a well-attended Internet safety meeting in the Rose Garden neighborhood.
( T. Charles Erickson )
Review: 'Satchmo' goes behind Louis Armstrong's happy facade
The solo show 'Satchmo' by Terry Teachout depicts jazz legend Louis Armstrong reflecting on his bittersweet life and music; it plays at American Conservatory Theater through Feb. 7
( JP Yim )
Kanye West's super strict rules for Yeezy show models
Kanye West had some pretty strict rules for how models at his Yeezy Season 3 fashion extravaganza should display his clothes.


text:
By CADE METZ and RAYMOND ZHONG
China is investing in quantum encryption that could be far tougher to crack than today’s security methods. Now the United States is trying to catch up.
Published: December 2, 2018 at 06:00PM
Today's big data breach has been announced by Q&A site Quora, affecting over 100 million registered users. What did the "unauthorized third party" get? According to CEO Adam D'Angelo:
Account information, e.g. name, email address, encrypted (ha…
Police may have used Tesla’s Autopilot feature to stop driver asleep at the wheel
After flashing their lights and sirens in an attempt to pull the car over, the officers deployed a strategy based around their assumption that the Tesla Model 3 was running on Autopilot: two unit cars pulled up in front and behind the Tesla to get the car to gradually come to a stop, after a seven-mile chase.
December 3, 2018 at 09:30PM
via Digg https://ift.tt/2EcKI7F
Three years after arriving along with Windows 10, Microsoft's Edge browser has added features and showed some good statistical results, but it hasn't pulled many users away from the competition. Now, Windows Central reports that Microsoft could start…
The CRISPR Baby Scandal Gets Worse by the Day
The alleged creation of the world’s first gene-edited infants was full of technical errors and ethical blunders.
December 3, 2018 at 08:27PM
via Digg https://ift.tt/2DZnYac
EA DICE is about to release the first of Battlefield V's numerous major updates, and it's clear that the studio wants to start off on a strong note. "Overture" is launching December 4th with an intriguing (and apparently "emotional") single-player s…
Tonight owners of Nest devices are reporting (as show on Down Detector, Twitter and Reddit) that access to their thermostats, cameras and other devices has been cut off by an outage. While that can happen occasionally, this is the third time in as ma…
Deaf children face challenges learning to read. As their parents and teachers often don't know sign language, young ones can't always make the connection between words on the page and their own life experiences. Huawei aims to fix that with its Sto…
Six Years With a Distraction-Free iPhone
In 2012, I realized I had a problem. My iPhone made me twitchy. It called to me from my pocket, the way the Ring called Bilbo Baggins.
December 3, 2018 at 04:48PM
via Digg https://ift.tt/2rjuTUo
Google's initial Pixel 3 software had multiple rough spots, but one of the most common complaints has centered on memory management — users have seen their phones close apps when doing something as simple as taking a picture. That might be less of…


text:
Tag: FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
Final Fantasy is 30 years old and to celebrate, Square Enix threw a big party that included tons of new content! Check it all out below!
The director in charge of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kingdom Hearts III has given an update on two of Square Enix's highly-anticipated games. Check out what Tetsuya Nomura had to say.
Hope you missed us but it's about time for us to do this Recap thing again. Okay we've got rumors about the lead for the Dark Tower series coming to the big screen and I like the rumor. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out Of The Shadows dropped it's trailer and it looks like a return to the turtles that we grew up on. This morning X-Men Apocalypse gave us our first new trailer since San Diego Comic Con and it looks great visually with a clear poltline as well. Who's ready for that Final Fantasy VII remake that we've heard so much about? Well it's looks like it won't be a turn based system but it looks great. And The Witcher 3 off it's VGA win gives us a taste of they're next DLC Blood and Wine.


text:
Veganuary is in full swing and the Greggs vegan range is slowly but surely expanding.
After the successful launch of the brand's Vegan Sausage Rolls last year, the bakery has launched a second vegan take on one of their most loved products - the Steak Bake.
The vegan Steak Bake is designed to mirror some of the original Steak Bake's classics, including 96 layers of puff pastry.
Its steak replacement filling includes Quorn mycoprotein pieces and diced onions in a rich gravy.
While most Greggs stores are selling the new vegan product, there are two Chelmsford branches where customers have not been able to purchase the new product.
Both the Gloucester Avenue branch and the Baddow store have apologised to customers for not having the product in stock.
The nutritional value of the Vegan Steak Bake
Each Vegan Steak Bake, weighing in at approximately 147.2g contains the following:
Energy: 1581KJ / 380 Kcal
"People who ask for them are not even vegan, they just want to taste them"
The manager of the Gloucester Avenue store, said people come into the store asking for the new vegan product at least twice a day.
He said: "Literally everyone wants to try them, I would say 75% of the people who ask for them are not even vegan, they just want to taste them.
"They are people of all ages and backgrounds.
"When we tell them that we don't sell them here they seem okay about it, and I just tell them the stores that do sell them, which are the ones in the city centre.
"I think because our store is smaller we haven't got them in stock yet.
"I didn't even think Steak Bake would become a vegan option, I haven't had one myself but from what I've hard they taste exactly the same as the meat alternative."
He explained how despite the sign on the door, people still ask for the vegan Steak Bake: "People just don't read the sign, which is frustrating".
The sign reads: "We know you're all excited to try our new Vegan Steak Bake... We are sorry but we aren't selling it in this shop just yet.
"Don't worry it'll be here soon."
"People want to try something that's bit different"
The manager at the Baddow store also said customers have been coming in once or twice a day asking for the Vegan Steak Bake.
She said: "I think people want to try something that's bit different even if they are not vegan.
"We were told that we would have them here by January 2, but due to high demand it's obviously been pushed back.
"When people come in and ask for it we just have to direct them to store that do sell it, the vegan range seemed to be really popular before Christmas with the launch of the sausage rolls and then it went a bit quiet, but not its back again with the Steak Bake.
"I think the media and social media have done a good enough job marketing the product for us all to know about it, which is why people want to try it."
A spokesperson for Greggs confirmed that the two Greggs shops in Chelmsford currently stocking the Vegan Steak Bake are at High Chelmer Shopping Centre and Chelmsford Interchange.
They also said: "The launch of our Vegan Steak Bake has been bigger than anticipated. Our team is working hard behind the scenes to meet demand and we’re prioritising supply in the 1,300 shops in which it has already launched.
"We still plan to roll of the Vegan Steak Bake nationwide and will confirm a date for all shops as soon as we can."


text:
Posted on: 04 October 2016 by Mark Howells
Ryanair has launched summer 2017 schedules for both Cologne and Hamburg with new routes and increased frequencies from both airports.
The Cologne schedule features a new summer service to Sofia and 21 routes in total, designed to deliver 2.3 million customers a year at the airport. Meanwhile, the airline’s biggest ever Hamburg summer schedule has two new routes (to Faro and Thessaloniki), seven new summer services to Brussels, Dublin, Gran Canaria, London, Manchester, Milan and Sofia (for 16 routes in total) and extra flights to Palma. These are predicted to deliver 1.7 million customers each year and support around 1,300 jobs at the airport.
Ryanair’s Cologne summer schedule will include sun services to Corfu, Faro and Malaga as part of the 137 weekly flights. The airline’s chief commercial officer, David O’Brien, commented, “We are pleased to launch our Cologne summer 2017 schedule. Ryanair continues to grow strongly in Germany, creating competition amongst German airports, which is good for consumers, driving down the cost of flying and offering more choice.”
Ryanair’s Hamburg summer schedule will see two based aircraft (a $200 million investment) helping to offer 95 weekly flights from the airport. The Hamburg base will actually open on 2 November, as the carrier continues to grow German traffic, tourism and jobs.
“Ryanair customers can look forward to even lower fares when they make advance bookings for summer 2017,” declared chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs. “As our recent guidance confirmed, Ryanair expects average fares to fall by between 10% to 12% in the six months to March 2017.”


text:
Delaware Black Awards highlights business owners
Delaware’s small business community is vital to the economic growth of not only the state, but the country as a whole. Minority-owned businesses are a much-needed piece of the puzzle as well. The number of minority business enterprises increased 39 percent between 2007 and 2012 from 5.8 million to 8.0 million, or more than three times faster than population growth among minorities, according to the Minority Business Development Agency, a federal agency dedicated to helping minority-owned businesses. That amount of growth alone has sparked the need for more advertising of these businesses, but the cost of effective advertising can be steep; especially when some small companies are barely getting by.
Delaware native Leonard Young saw the need for a resource to help these businesses and founded DelawareBlack.com in 2006. When it first was created, the site was a web directory for minority-owned business in the state, but it’s since evolved into much more. The site now offers local news in multiple categories, as well as a large business directory and an up-to-date event calendar. Leonard is now not only the owner of Delaware Black, but he has also created similar sites in seven other cities such as Los Angeles (LABlackPost), Chicago (ChitownBlack), Baltimore (BaltimoreBlack), New York (NYCityBlack), Jacksonville (JacksonvilleBlack), Atlanta (MetroAtlantaBlack) and Philadelphia (AfroPhilly).
In 2009, Young started the Delaware Black Awards, which highlights minority-owned businesses and people in Delaware that may not get recognition otherwise. Categories like Best Barbershop, Best Dentist and Best Videographer are just a few of the many awards up for grabs this Friday at World Cafe Live at the Queen on Market Street in Wilmington. The show will be hosted by SuiteFranchon and music artist Amillion the Poet.
We spoke with Young about why minority-owned business is so important, and what the future will look like for DelawareBlack.com
Q: What is your background and when did you start Delaware Black?
A: Well, I’m originally from Delaware and graduated from A.I. DuPont High School. After I graduated from Florida A&M, I moved around and ended up back in Delaware. When I got back I realized that there weren't any good ways to get information to the black community on events and local black-owned business. It’s important to that we support these businesses in our community so I wanted to create a place everybody could go to.
Q: Was it hard to generate revenue at first?
A: I think it was rough at first because 10 years ago not everybody trusted advertising with local websites. It’s not easy to get people to pay you for advertising when they aren’t sure your website will be up once the money is paid. I held a full-time job when I first started, but after a while, I decided to go full-time into my websites.
Q: How did you come up with the Delaware Black Awards?
A: Well, I was listening to Steve Harvey’s morning radio show, and every year he hosts his own award show called the Hoodie Awards. The show highlights businesses and business people in minority-owned countries all over the country. I really thought that it was a great idea and something I could do for Delaware as a whole. We need to highlight the influential people in our community that are doing positive things.
Q: What do you have planned for the future of Delaware Black and the award show?
A: We are always looking to expand our reach into Kent and Sussex County. We also will be looking to work with more writers to provide updated content. For the awards, we hope to acquire more sponsors so we can provide more for our nominees and attendees. This year we have two local names hosting the show, but in the future, I’d love to possibly bring a celebrity host.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Delaware Black Awards 2016
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30)
WHERE: World Café Live at the Queen (Upstairs), 500 N. Market St., Wilmington
MORE INFO: www.worldcafelive.com/wilmington