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iPhone Dictates Response Time For Enterprise Apps: Plattner
Follow the logic: enterprise apps are surging onto smartphones, particularly Apple's iPhone. iPhone users will not wait more than 15 seconds to get a response from their device. Ergo, all enterprise apps-even down to lowly dunning reports-must be able to perform at or close to real time. For SAP founder Hasso Plattner, that 15-second maximum might as well be confirmed as a new law of physics.
New Management Fad Spotted
Gartner touts hybrid thinking as the answer to the old-style in-bred thinking. For what it's worth, they have a point.
Official Twitter Apps For BlackBerry, iPhone Updated
Twitter recently rolled out some major updates to its official applications for the BlackBerry and iPhone platforms. The BlackBerry Twitter app received a large number of upgrades, including new features requested by users. The new iPhone Twitter app is a rebadged version of Tweetie 2.0.
The HiPPO In The Room
I attended the MIT Sloan Symposium yesterday, which largely focused on the democratization and decentralization of IT. "You're no longer in control," says Frank Moss, former Tivoli CEO and now head of MIT's media lab. "Get over it."
Apple And AT&T's Network
Either the service has gotten better for iPhone users on the AT&T network or people are tired of complaining about it. I tend to think it the former more so than the latter. The iPad 3G has been out now for nearly three weeks and predictions of doom and gloom for the carrier didn't come to pass.
10 Tips For Processing Payments
Getting paid is crucial to success for any SMB and processing payments efficiently and effectively and offering customers appealing payment options can let any smaller business compete with bigger companies.
Hasso Plattner's Six Steps To Real-Time Database Nirvana
In an engaging look at the past and into the future, SAP's founder and chairman laid out the company's development strategy behind "The 'Real' Enterprise 2.0 (powered by in-memory computing)," which he says will give customers phenomenally higher levels of performance and value with absolutely zero risk. Here are his six steps for turning that vision into reality.
SMB Lending Affected By Relationships
Good relationships between business owners and financial institutions affect loan approval and in a growing economy they can mean lower rates for small businesses.
Google's Sergey Brin: We Screwed Up
Following the keynote presentations on Wednesday at Google IO, the company's annual developer conference, Google hosted several press briefings to delve deeper into some of the announcements of the day.
Quick Takes on SAP's 'New DB'
How soon could the SAP Business Analytic Engine, or "New DB," as Hasso Plattner described it, replace data warehouse infrastructure and the databases underlying applications? Hold on there, dreamer. That's something for years down the road...
FonGenie Launches Cloud Call Management With A Guarantee
Now out of private beta and open to all businesses, the FonGenie service lets SMBs establish their own telephone platform, complete with custom menus and caller information, without having to invest in their own infrastructure.
Google Refreshes Calendar, Docs, Wave
Today at the Google I/O developer conference, Google unfurled a number of new initiatives and tweaks to existing products. Some of the existing products that saw updates include Calendar, Documents, and Wave.
The Cloud Does Not Mean Less Work
The word "abdicate" has cropped up in this blog in the last several days, as in "Since when does IT abdicate responsibility for [fill in the blank]…" There seems to be an impression that cloud computing means less work for IT, whether it's pushing security responsibility to end users or business managers, or ceding responsibility for performance to the service providers themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cloud computing means just as much work for IT (or somebody)
SAP and In-Memory: Take Three
It has taken multiple briefings, presentations, and well, time, for SAP to convince me that their just-announced in-memory solutions will be game changing. My 'ah ha' moment came only after seeing a prototype.
Jolicloud Aims To Boot Netbooks (Webbooks?) Directly To The Web
If HTML5 is the Web application platform of the future (as Google and Apple would very much like it to be), then Jolicloud founder Tariq Krim's vision that netbooks should essentially boot straight to the Web (as though the Web was their operating system) could signal a trend for where the operating systems of PCs and smartphones are heading.
HTC HD2 And Sprint Hero Receive Upgrade Treatment
At last. Sprint has made Android 2.1 available to the HTC Hero Android device. Additionally, T-Mobile has made a significant software update available to the HTC HD2. What do these updates offer?
Unified Communications Standard Emerges. . . Sort Of
Unified communications (UC) applications are designed to enable users to work with data, video, and voice information stored in a variety of places. One challenge has been getting different products to work together in a seamless manner. In response, vendors, including Microsoft, Polycom and Hewlett-Packard, formed the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF). However, two of the UC industryï¿¼s largest providers, Avaya and Cisco, are not members.
Latest iPhone OS 4.0 Beta Brings Tethering Option
Late Tuesday Apple made the fourth beta of iPhone OS 4.0 available to developers. The newest software for the iPhone includes mostly minor tweaks here and there, but there's one huge surprise: tethering.
Some Apps Won't Make It To Windows Phone 7
Microsoft isn't getting great publicity on Windows Phone 7 right now when it comes to developers jumping on board. No doubt there are hundreds, if not thousands, of developers getting their apps ready for the fall launch, but some key players have announced that initially, they won't be supporting the mobile platform.
Microsoft's Eating Caviar In The Cloud
One of my favorite terms in Microsoft-speak is "dogfooding", the act of using a product or service internally so that its developers can experience it the same way that customers will. When it comes to cloud computing, though, Microsoft seems to have lost its way. Their cloud efforts reflect an internal diet that's more like caviar than dogfood.
Is Every Application a Cloud Application?
Software-as-a-service is at the forefront of the cloud computing trend. Successful implementations of applications in the SaaS model have blazed a trail to the cloud. But is every application potentially a cloud application? To flip it around, are there certain applications that inherently do not lend themselves to the cloud computing paradigm? If so, maybe we ought to figure those out now before someone gets burned.
Exchange Server SP1 Packs Data Storage Benefits
If your small business runs Microsoft Exchange, you know that it can serve up its fair share of data storage headaches. I can't offer a cure, but maybe I can hand you a couple of virtual aspirin.
iPad Roundup: No Cash, iPod Killer, Keyboard Upgrade
Lots of interesting headlines today concerning the iPad. First, an Apple Store refused to accept cash for an iPad. Second, analysts think the iPad is starting to cut into iPod sales. And last, an interesting piece of software upgrades the iPad's on-screen keyboard.
NTI Offers Bi-Directional, Cross-Platform Syncing
The latest version of the continuous backup and syncing software NTI Shadow, available for both PC and Mac, adds syncing in both directions, encryption, and other new features. And it's on sale through the end of this week.
How To Use Social Lending
If you are having trouble obtaining a loan from your local bank, social lending could provide an alternative way to obtain the funds you seek.
Server Den: CA Seeks IT Automation Sweet Spot
Don Ferguson, chief technology officer of CA Technologies, talks about work to build IT management tools that'll bring transparency to highly virtual and dynamic enterprise architectures.
IBM Is Hiring In Missouri: 800 Jobs Over 30 Months
IBM said it is opening a third services-delivery center in North America, with plans to begin hiring for the Missouri facility this summer. IBM projects that by the end of 2012, it will have up to 800 employees at the center.
Sprint Says Pre Didn't Work Out, Wants iPhone
Sprint's Chief Financial Officer Robert Brust recently assured investors that the nations' third-largest provider of wireless services has seen the worst of its problems and things are looking up. Brust also accidentally ate his foot when he bad-mouthed the Palm Pre and said the company would love to have Apple's iPhone.
Android Versions Now Evenly Fragmented
Google recently published updated data that highlights the fragmentation of the Android platform. Surprisingly, Android 2.1 now makes up for more than one-third of all Android handsets. That's a solid improvement, but shows that two-thirds of users are still being left behind.
EMC Enhances Mozy Business
Cloud computing has quickly gained momentum in the storage space because many small and medium businesses do not want to deal with the hassle of backing up company data. EMC's Mozy has emerged as a popular service, and the company made some enhancements to maintain its market momentum.
iPhone Loss 'Huge' -- Thanks, Gizmodo
Apple has been very aggressive with its prosecution of its case against Gizmodo since the tech site outed the next generation iPhone on its site a few weeks ago. New court documents reveal that according to Apple, it is suffering huge losses in sales as people sit on the sidelines waiting for the next round of hardware.
App Consolidation: Always the Right Time
How many applications are in your company? Too many? Our cover story this week explores application consolidation strategy, and why it's important to keep the app-cutting pressure on, even as companies start putting more emphasis on growth rather than cost cutting.
Mobile Roundup: Palm, RIM, Samsung, HTC
The Palm Pre Plus is now available via AT&T, and Verizon Wireless has dropped the price of the Pixi to $0.00. A new BlackBerry was sighted over the weekend. Samsung has some plans for the enterprise. And HTC dropped yet another Android handset.
Don't Forget To Evaluate Your Cloud Provider's Security Strategy
Security is one of the most fundamental and important functions in IT today. That's why it's surprising (shocking, even) that a significant, in some cases majority, of cloud users don't evaluate their service providers' security strategy before entering into a relationship.
Microsoft Takes Supercomputing To The Cloud
Buried beneath the bland verbiage announcing Microsoft's Technical Computing Initiative on Monday is some really exciting stuff. As Bill Hilf, Redmond's general manager of technical computing, explained it to me, Microsoft is bringing burst- and cluster-computing capability to its Windows Azure platform. The upshot is that anyone will be able to access HPC in the cloud.
E-Health Laggards Need To Start Moving Now
Healthcare providers starting from scratch with projects to implement e-health record systems in hopes of cashing in on the government's $20 billion-plus meaningful use incentive programs had better get going.
SQL Server 2008 R2 Arrives
If you use it, you'll appreciate R2's new features, but you should consider Microsoft's advertisements as science fiction.
Prediction: Apple To Sell 24M Next-Gen iPhones
According to DigiTimes Research out of Taiwan, iPhone-maker Foxconn is prepared to ship 24 million next-generation iPhones by the end of the year. The company expects to ship 4.5 million by June 30. Crazy, or calculated?
Netbooks Hot Now But Future Unclear
Last year was one that most vendors would like to forget. Sales in many markets plummeted as small and medium businesses tightened up their purse strings. One notable exception was netbooks, which saw unprecedented growth and are now a staple in many companies. So how bright is their future?
Do We Expect Too Much from Data?
We all like to believe in "fact-based decision making," but noted author John Allen Paulos makes the case that our increasingly data-driven culture can be easily mislead by numbers.
Dell Invests In iSCSI Servers; Will Anyone Else?
Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, told the Citrix Systems Synergy user group last week that virtualization "will sweep through all IT -- servers, storage and networking." As it does so, he touched on how iSCSI will helping establish efficient virtualized servers. That's a Dell specialty and perhaps Dell's contribution to the low end of converged networking and unified computing.
Changes In Google's Mobile Division
There is no doubt Google's Android had great success in 2009 as it rolled out to a number of devices and carriers and that trend is expected to continue, but news this past week has presented some speed bumps for the mobile platform.


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On Tuesday, Google announced that it has chosen 20 Indian firms for the seventh round of its Google for Startups Accelerator, including the railway ticket booking tool Trainman. The company stated that these Seed to Series A startups, which were picked from more than 1050 applicants, will aim to harness the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI).
The 20 India Startups include ActoFit, AlgoBio, Atsuya Technologies, AyuRythm, Blend, Cloudphysician, DentalDost, Expertia AI, Filo, KarmaLifeAI, Knorish, LimeChat, Mozark, Namaste Business, Neodocs, Qoruz, Rooter, Swasthya AI, Trainman, and Vitra.ai.
“These firms have now been included to the list of 137 startups in India that are part of the Google for Startups Accelerator. We kicked off the programme with a 1-week in-person bootcamp in Bengaluru on June 12 that was heavily focused on AI/ML and Generative AI, as well as training/workshops and office hours around product and design, tech, growth, and people, according to the company,” said Google.
In short, a three-month, equity-free accelerator programme for Seed to Series A software businesses in India is the Google for Startups Accelerator (GFSA) program. Over 130 firms in India have used it to speed up their growth thus far. Google began accepting applications for the seventh iteration of the accelerator programme in March of this year.
The business had then stated that Indian entrepreneurs operating in a variety of industries who were utilizing or planning to employ machine learning or artificial intelligence were eligible to apply and would receive mentoring and help in the areas of cloud, web, product strategy, UX, android, and growth.

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Apple Inc. is cutting orders to vendors in the supply chain for its iPad tablet computer, a move that may result in slower sales for companies including Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co. said in a report.
Several supply-chain vendors indicated in the past two weeks that Apple lowered fourth-quarter iPad orders 25 percent, the first such cut that analysts at JPMorgan’s electronic manufacturing services team in Hong Kong said they have ever seen. The report didn’t list the affected companies, and Gokul Hariharan, one of the report’s authors, said he couldn’t comment when reached by Bloomberg News today.
For a vendor such as Hon Hai, the cut could mean a drop to 13 million units in the fourth quarter from 17 million units in the third quarter, JPMorgan analysts wrote in the Sept. 25 report. The report said JPMorgan U.S. analyst Mark Moskowitz, who covers Apple, does not expect to lower his projection of 10.9 million to 12 million units of iPad shipments in the third and fourth quarters after the supply chain adjustments.
Reduced orders from Apple to iPad suppliers could reflect both weakening demand in Europe due to economic conditions there as well as a strategy by Apple, the world’s biggest company by market value, to operate with reduced inventory, Wanli Wang, a Taipei-based industry analyst at RBS Asia Ltd., said today.
“It’s back to reality,” Wang said. “Now it seems even for Apple, due to the market situation, we need to be conservative.”
So far there is no confirmation from Apple that it has reduced orders to suppliers, Wang said. Carolyn Wu, a Beijing-based spokeswoman for Apple, didn’t respond to calls for comment on the report today.
Edmund Ding, spokesman for Hon Hai, didn’t respond to an e-mail or answer calls to his Taiwan and China mobile phones.
Shares of the Cupertino, California-based iPad maker fell $8.21, or 2 percent, to $396.09 at 9:48 a.m. on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The stock had climbed 25 percent this year before today.
Apple’s iPad may account for 73 percent of tablet computer sales this year, according to research firm Gartner Inc. Products that run on Google Inc.’s Android operating system, including Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy tablets, will probably have about 17 percent of the market, Gartner said in a Sept. 22 note.
Because of its current dominant market position, Apple doesn’t have to rush to introduce its iPad 3 tablet computer as potential rivals have failed to emerge to siphon sales from the current model, JPMorgan’s Moskowitz wrote in a Sept. 16 report.
Amazon.com Inc. may release a product late this year that could become the number-two tablet in the market behind the iPad, Moskowitz wrote in that report.


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Christmas City Biloxi 2020
The proposed $1.2 billion UMUSIC Broadwater hotel and casino in Biloxi became a lot more real Thursday when a timeline for construction and a vision of the amenities were disclosed. . The founder of an organization that has brought Christmas joy to thousands of Massachusetts families for more than three decades has died after battling ALS. Jake Kennedy, who founded Christmas in the . Jake Kennedy, who provided presents to Greater Boston’s poorest children for 30 years through the Christmas in the City charity he and his wife launched, died Tuesday in his Salem, N.H., home of .
Christmas City Gift Show by Ron Meyers | Biloxi, MS
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- Christmas City Gift Show 2020, Mississippi Coast Coliseum and .
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Make sure to see these pop ups that are coming to New York City and beyond this fall season. From jack o’ lanterns to holiday lights, these pop ups are around . Christmas is coming, but in Santa’s home village in northern Finland, the COVID pandemic means that the flocks of tourists who usually start to make merry in Rovaniemi at this time of year are not. .
Christmas City Biloxi 2020 Event | Uvzuve.2020happynewyear.info
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is making moves to further simplify its portfolio, announcing separate deals to sell its Christmas Tree Shops, its institutional Linen Holdings business and a distribution The City of Greenville has canceled the annual Poinsettia Christmas Parade due to COVID-19. City spokesperson Beth Brotherton cited concerns about social distancing, saying due to the number of people .
Christmas City Gift Show Home | Facebook
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- Christmas City Biloxi 2020 Event | Smpvad.happynewyear2020travel.info.
- Christmas City Gift Show by Ron Meyers | Biloxi, MS.


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Google is finally bringing video apps, as well as Chromecast over to Android Automotive. This is where it makes the most sense to have video apps available, as opposed to Android Auto. Because the car that has Android Automotive has Android built-in with its own connection. Providing a much better experience compared to just mirroring it onto the screen in your car.
Google had already mentioned that YouTube would be coming to Android Automotive in the future, but now we’re hearing that more apps like EPIX NOW and Tubi TV are on the way too.
This announcement also means that there will be better browsing of video content on the Android Automotive screen in the car. Google has said that it should also make it easier for developers to make apps for Android Automotive thanks to the new tools that help translate tablet-sized apps to parked car experiences.
Chromecast will be a game-changer
Being able to Cast apps from your mobile phone to your car is going to be a game-changer. You see, most Android Automotive vehicles are electric vehicles. Which means you’re going to be spending some time charging it, though hopefully you can charge at home and that won’t be an issue. But if you’re on a road trip and need to charge, well you’re going to be stuck in the car.
Now, you’ll be able to cast YouTube, Hulu, Netflix or really anything with Chromecast support onto your cars display, instead of holding up your phone for an hour or so.
The number of cars with Android Automotive is pretty small right now, but that will change in the future. Most notably we have the Volvo XC40 series, C40 Recharge, Polestar 2, GMC Hummer EV and soon we’ll have a number of Ford vehicles starting with the F-150 Lightning.


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Induction ovens can get pretty big, which means that if you’re looking to use one in your home, you best make sure your kitchen is big enough to fit one. […]
From today, Australian motorists will for the first time have access to a smartphone app that lets them use crowdsourcing to hunt down cheap fuel.
Watch the video: Newsy Imagine a wearable smartphone that could bend and stretch with your body, all while displaying a glittering array of colors. That’s the eventual goal of this […]
The UK could save up to £8bn a year by using electricity better, the government’s infrastructure advisers say. The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) envisages a smart energy revolution with more […]
Every day at around 6pm, 40 families living in a remote corner of Andhra Pradesh in southeast India – a 6km walk from the nearest road – would be swallowed […]
The Raspberry Pi has become the most popular British computer yet made. The title was formerly held by the Amstrad PCW which is believed to have sold a total of […]
A child-friendly search engine which bears a remarkable resemblance to Google has been launched.
Chinese smartphone company Oppo claims it has invented the world’s fastest phone charger, which can boost a smartphone from zero battery capacity to 100 per cent in just 15 minutes.
Copies of the Magna Carta, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the King James Bible have now been digitally stored on a piece of glass known as a “Superman […]
Bethesda Softworks’ role-playing video saga set in a post-apocalyptic Boston won the game of the year prize at the 19th annual D.I.C.E. Awards. “Fallout 4” was also honored with trophies […]


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The playable characters in the multiplayer component of the game will not be included in the campaign, so they will not be effecting the story whatsoever. “They will never be involved in the actual campaign of the main story,” producer Jess Houston said in an interview on the BioWare blog.
“It’s more like a side mission to the single-player. We don’t want to create situations where multiplayer players have something that single-player players couldn’t otherwise see.”
“At a high level, Shepard is marshalling the troops on behalf of the Earth Alliance so you are technically fighting for the Earth Alliance,” Houston continued, talking about the multiplayer now. “From a story perspective, a lot of these groups have come together as a loose fighting force to stop the reapers therefore they don’t fly the same type of banners that would have existed in pre- reaper invasion days.”
Mass Effect 3 releases on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 6 next year. Stay tuned for more info.


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ANZ has appointed a new managing director of retail distribution in Australia.
Former McDonald's Australia chief executive, Catriona Noble, has joined ANZ as managing director of retail distribution Australia.
ANZ Australia chief executive Mark Whelan said: “Catriona’s energy, her people skills and retail experience will bring a strong focus to improving the way we serve our customers across our retail network."
“I’m confident her experience leading large teams in Australia and in Asia will support the continued outperformance of our retail business.”
Ms Noble will be responsible for ANZ’s retail distribution strategy in addition to the institution’s branches and mobile sales force.
According to an ANZ-issued statement, she will also play a leadership role in attracting new customers, growing the bank’s relationship with existing customers and improving customer satisfaction.
Ms Noble will commence in the role on 1 September 2015.
The global association of investment management professionals has announced the appointment of a new chairman and vice-chair of its board of...


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Nintendo NX Manufacturing in October
Digitimes has reported that recently Nintendo asked its supply chain partners to start pilot production in October, at the latest for the Nintendo NX. The console will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics, and wants the group to begin pilot assembly on the new machine by October “at the latest.”
Nintendo in March announced its plan of releasing Nintendo NX in 2016 and has started visiting its supply chain partners recently. The orders are expected to be finalized in February or March 2016 and mass production will start in May or June 2016, while the console’s official launch may take place around July, the sources said.
“Nintendo reportedly is looking to ship 20 million Nintendo NX in the first year. The shipment volume of Wii U is estimated at two million units in 2015” according to Digitimes Research.
We personally believe this could be true as we have heard about Nintendo making a new console back in December 2014.


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The Easton Main Street Initiative wants to make it easy to do your holiday shopping in the city's downtown this year.
Instead of buying gifts at a few different places, or even buying a few different gift-cards, why not one card that works at 58 different downtown businesses?
That's the idea behind the Downtown Easton Gift Card, launched in September but unveiled for the public for the first time Friday.
"It really is a one size fits all present," Amy Boccadoro, assistant manager of the initiative, said at a news conference Friday. "It gives people a chance to try new businesses or support the ones they love."
The program came about in part through Kerry Harrington of Pearly Baker's, who brought the idea to the initiative. She was under the weather Friday and couldn't speak, so Pearly Baker's co-owner Jonathan Davis did so on her behalf.
The card program, he said, is "a real testament to how we've come" in the downtown. "We couldn't have dreamed to that level of participation 20 years ago."
The cards can take as little as $5 and as much as $500, and are also good at the city's new parking meters. There's a $2 activation fee.
The cards are available at the EMI office at 35 South Third Street, the Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton Street, or inline at www.eastonmainstreet.org. Boccadoro said the initiative will soon update its smartphone app to allow people to look up information about the cards.


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The latest fast-growing strategy game has hit the top of this week’s AppData list of emerging Facebook games, which includes titles still under a million monthly active users. Ikariam – The free browser game exploded upward this week, capturing 651,192 new users.
Top Gainers This Week – Games
|1.||Ikariam – The free browser game||824,980||+651,192||+375%|
|4.||Madden NFL Superstars||404,956||+363,210||+870%|
|5.||CBSSports.com Franchise Football||433,590||+330,230||+319%|
|7.||Chucke la taupe||228,285||+224,890||+6,624%|
|8.||Free Flash Games||918,144||+187,982||+26%|
|10.||Bubble Town: Party Planet||727,378||+143,313||+25%|
|11.||i Like Slots||320,636||+142,689||+80%|
|15.||Robot Unicorn Attack||187,306||+109,214||+140%|
|18.||Ben 10 Omniverse||155,513||+101,048||+186%|
Ikariam contains elements of other games on Facebook, like City of Wonder and Kingdoms of Camelot, but it’s also fairly unique for the platform. There’s a reason for that: Ikariam is a popular web-based MMORPG whose first version was released way back on 2006, pre-dating social gaming entirely.
Critter Island is the second fastest grower, having accelerated significantly from last week, when it led a weaker list as number one. The island management game, by LOLapps, has gotten almost uniformly positive user reviews since its launch.
小小戰爭 is the latest from Chinese developer Five Minutes, but we can’t say much more than that at the moment, as it won’t load. Following it is Madden NFL Superstars, the latest from Electronic Arts. One might expect the fabled Madden franchise to take off on Facebook, but so far it’s only growing at a moderate pace, just edging out its football-themed competitor CBSSports.com Franchise Football.
The sports don’t stop there; FantaBook is an Italian-language soccer game. That’s followed by Chucke la taupe, which involves hitting a mole with Chuck Norris (a man who, in the past, hasn’t appreciated being used on Facebook).
If you’ve got time, check out a few of the apps further down. Candy Shop is the latest from Tall Tree Games, while both Bubble Town: Party Planet and Mahjong Trails use the popular mechanic of putting arcade games in an island-based wrapper. Finally, MTV fans shouldn’t miss out on Jersey Shore, the latest guido atrocity.


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The manufacturer plans to start production of the performance-enhanced solar modules in August. The first customers should then receive the products in October.
Commodity trader Trafigura and Oslo-based ammonia leader Yara International ASA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see supply of clean ammonia as well as joint R&D projects as the two companies look to promote clean ammonia as a shipping fuel and develop its value chain and infrastructure.
International researchers have analysed the potential of sodium-based energy storage and found recent technical advances have arrived faster than those for the lithium-ion batteries which have been studied for three decades. Issues remain, however, before sodium constitutes a complementary option to lithium.
A report by Norwegian energy consultant DNV GL has considered the opportunity for long-term energy storage to play a role in balancing annual supply and demand fluctuations in a renewables-led grid. Using 58 years of Dutch weather and energy consumption data, the study found long-term solutions such as green hydrogen could make a valuable contribution – but perhaps not as much as some analysts believe.
The Norwegian solar manufacturer is planning to debut its Alpha Series heterojunction (HJT) modules at next week’s All-Energy event in Melbourne. Touted as the world’s highest power 60-cell solar panels, the new series promises over 20% more energy production than other modules with the same footprint and added value for home owners.
New Zealand begins negotiations with four other small nations on trade agreement to remove tariffs on environmental goods, such as solar PV, and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. The deal would be a world’s first, and another example of the confidence boost New Zealand enjoys during the Rugby World Cup.
The Norwegian solar panel manufacturer says Hanwha Q Cells did not provide full particulars of its allegations despite REC Group’s requests and went ahead to commence proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia.
The South Korean solar module maker has filed another claim with the Federal Court of Australia against Norwegian solar manufacturer REC Group, as well as PV distributors BayWa r.e. Solar Systems and Sol Distribution, for distributing products that allegedly infringe on its patents.
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For many manufacturers, 2020 proved to be a challenging year of sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For Bentley however, it proved to be a rather successful one with it officially being the British marque’s strongest one in its 101 year history.
With 11 206 models sold, Bentley confirms a two percent increase in sales over 2019. Pre-COVID sales forecast figures were much greater with the new model introductions planned for the year.
The first and second quarter for the year was a challenging one for the brand as its production facility was shut down for seven weeks at the beginning of March and was only running at 50 per cent capacity nine weeks after that due to social distancing measures. Thanks to a comprehensive redesign of the production facility, Bentley was able to meet this global demand while in parallel maintaining social distancing protocols.
Commenting on the global sales results, Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said “Even though we anticipated greater sales before the pandemic struck, when you consider the level of restrictions around the world for the majority of the year, to achieve a record sales performance is a strong measure of our potential.
The key to the company’s success was the introduction of a number of new exciting models together with an increased global availability of other popular models. A key product for 2020 was the all-new Flying Spur. Demand for this model increased even more when the V8 derivative was introduced in October.
Accounting for 39 per cent of sales was the Continental GT of which 24 per cent was owed to the Coupe and 15 per cent to the Convertible. This made it the brand’s strongest selling model. A close second was the Bentayga with 37 per cent of total sales; this in spite of the run out of the previous generation model and delays to market entry of the updated model due to the pandemic.
The USA remained Bentley’s number one region with 3 035 units delivered; a four per cent increase on 2019’s figure of 2 913. Following it with a close second was China, with an increase of 48 per cent; 2 880 units over 2019’s 1 940 figure. Here, the Flying Spur proved to be a key product for the sedan-crazed region while Bentayga sales remained strong.


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U.S. sales of the Chinese-made Envision totaled 41,040 in 2017, its first full year on the market.
Some Buick buyers may be in for some sticker shock after President Donald Trump’s tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports.
The General Motors brand’s Envision small crossover, which starts at $32,990, including shipping, is among the handful of autos imported into the U.S. from China. With the Trump administration planning to impose 25 percent duties on products including motor vehicles, each of the crossovers could be subject to levies of about $8,000.
A GM spokesman confirmed that the Envision will likely be affected by the tariffs and didn’t have immediate comment. The automaker sold 41,040 units in 2017, the Envision’s first full year in the U.S. market. By comparison, Chevrolet delivered seven times more Equinox SUVs.
Other cars potentially subject to U.S. tariff include Volvo S60 sedans, which the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker started importing to the U.S. in 2015. Representatives for the company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. imported only 58,437 passenger vehicles from China last year, a sliver of the 8.27 million shipped to America from the rest of the world, according to the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration.


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PHILADELPHIA, Penn., Feb. 14, 2001 (PRNewswire) Stonepath Group (Amex: STG) announced the signing of a merger agreement between Webmodal, a Stonepath partner company, and Enron Global Markets, LLC, a subsidiary of Enron Corp.
Webmodal, an Illinois-based technology and logistics services business, has been a Stonepath company since October 1999. The closing is anticipated to occur on March 2, 2001.
Upon closing, Stonepath is to receive approximately $6 million in cash from Enron Global Markets for its stake in Webmodal plus a $1 million loan repayment. Closing remains subject to Webmodal shareholder approval, as well as to the satisfaction of customary and standard closing conditions.
“We’re extremely pleased that Enron recognizes Webmodal’s value and potential,” said Andrew Panzo, Chairman and CEO of Stonepath Group.”
About Stonepath Group
Founded in 1998, Stonepath Group (Amex: STG) currently holds interests in nine technology companies in various stages of development. Stonepath Group (https://stonepath.com) is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.


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“We are aiming to bring those who are slacking to full conformity.”
Fingers are being pointed during OPEC production talks. You’ll see what we mean…
- The Dow and S&P closed lower, dragged down by Johnson & Johnson.
- Nasdaq hit a record high during intraday trading ahead of a big week for tech earnings.
- Oil closed higher on Saudi Arabia’s note to cut exports.
- Morgan Stanley surpassed Goldman Sachs in market cap for the first time in ten years.
A Little Bit Gassy
The oil glut among the U.S. and OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) nations has left oil prices hovering around $50/barrel since 2014. Only nine years ago those prices struck highs of $156/barrel.
On Monday, OPEC, a group that has consistently blamed the U.S. shale industry for these low prices, made a rather unusual declaration: “this is partially our fault, it’s time to crack down.”
Haaaaaaave you met OPEC?
OPEC consists of 14 oil-producing nations that contribute roughly 44% of the world’s oil reserves.
Back in May, OPEC announced it would extend oil production cuts of 1.8 million barrels per day to help raise prices. Think about it: the higher oil prices are the more money these oil-dependant economies make.
There’s one, small issue. These supply cuts haven’t boosted prices as intended. And it’s precisely the reason OPEC has been blaming the U.S. shale industry.
U.S. shale companies typically focus on short-term drilling projects that allow them to quickly produce oil when the market is ripe. Here’s why.
As OPEC cut production of oil and raised prices, shale drillers filed in to produce more oil and take advantage of the uptick in pricing.
The result put us right back where we started.
Except OPEC is now taking some of the blame
In order to keep up its end of the bargain, OPEC is starting to hold member nations accountable for more than just oil production. Exhibit A is Saudi Arabia.
Even though Saudi Arabia cut back on overall production, it is still exporting the same 7.2 million barrels per day. Now, rather than just cutting production, the Saudi’s will lower exports by 600,000 barrels per day in an effort to decrease supply and raise prices once and for all.
Let’s just hope the shale industry is willing to meet them halfway.
Out With the Bengay
(-0.94%) knows a thing or two about innovation. 4K TVs? Too easy. Samsung VR? Piece of cake. Time for its latest and greatest (drumroll please): arthritis medication?
That’s right. Samsung is releasing a rheumatoid arthritis medication that will undercut the price of Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade.
After receiving FDA approval in April, Samsung is looking to expand outside of tech and take a piece of the $202 million biologic drug market (different than the drug market—read here).
And “Renflexis” should be the perfect test run. J&J’s Remicade is one of the top-selling drugs in the U.S, roping in $4.5 billion last year. Samsung is hoping to pocket some of that change with a 35% discounted version of the drug.
While this move might feel like a stretch from Samsung’s typical high-tech business model, it’s actually a genius value-add if you ask us: Samsung not only invents the devices that can give you arthritis, but will now sell you the cure for it.
Get That Checked Out
WebMD Health has been waiting pants down in the doctor’s office for far too long. On Monday, the doctor finally paid a visit.
KKR, a private equity firm, agreed to purchase WebMD for $2.8 billion, topping more than 100 bids for the health site.
If you want a clearer picture of the diagnosis, WebMD is the parent company of popular medical websites (like WebMD.com, Medscape.com, etc.) and a hub for searches like, “Should this mole be glowing in the dark?”
WebMD.com alone registers 70 million unique monthly visitors on its site, and together with Medscape.com, the two drive 80% of WebMD’s revenue through advertising. But, more recently, slowing ad revenue has had them on the lookout for buyers.
But that doesn’t seem to be a concern for KKR as it looks to scale its auto and health-care focused media business, Internet Brands.
As for that mole. Refer back to the headline for your answer.
The Good, The Bad, The Googly
(-2.94%) reported earnings Monday. Revenue was up 21%, net income was down 28% and turns out Owen Wilson was never actually an intern.
The second quarter proved to be a mixed bag for Alphabet:
The Good: YouTube’s 1.5 billion monthly viewers helped lift Google’s ad revenue to $22.67 billion.
The Bad: Ads placed next to hateful content on YouTube kept big ad spenders like Wal-Mart and JPMorgan on the sidelines.
The Good: Google said clicks on paid ads were up 52%.
The Bad: However, revenue-per-click fell by 23% (mobile and YouTube ads command lower RPC than desktop).
The Good: Revenue in Google’s “other” business segment grew 42%, led by the cloud.
The Bad: A $2.7 billion E.U. regulatory fine weighed on Alphabet’s profits.
The Takeaway: With more traffic filing into mobile, Alphabet should continue to see clicks rise as revenue-per-click falls. But, if we step back and look at the big googly picture, its cloud business is the rising star.
Ad revenue makes up 88% of Alphabet’s $90 billion in revenue. The cloud business is expected pass that one day…
What Else Is Happening…
- Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, is joining Alphabet’s board.
- Time Inc.
(+2.53%)is looking to sell a majority stake in its monthly African-American women’s lifestyle magazine, Essence.
- Uber’s Southeast Asian rival, Grab, raised $2.5 billion in funding to battle Uber’s global expansion.
(+0.22%)is considering opening a factory in Wisconsin to produce display panels.
- The Tanzanian government slapped gold mine operator Acacia Mining with a $190 billion tax bill (not a typo).
- Earnings: Alphabet (+)
- Economic Events: Existing Home Sales (-)
- Earnings: Chipotle, Domino’s, JetBlue, McDonald’s
- Economic Events: Consumer Confidence, S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index
- Earnings: Anheuser Busch, Boeing, Buffalo Wild Wings, Facebook, Ford, Hyundai, Whole Foods
- Economic Events: FOMC Rate Decision, Crude Inventories, New Home Sales
- Earnings: Airbus, Amazon, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Electronic Arts, Kia Motors, Twitter, Xerox
- Economic Calendar: Natural Gas Inventories, Initial Claims
- Earnings: American Airlines, Chevron, Exxon
- Economic C**alendar: Michigan Sentiment
(Wal-Mart) By The Numbers
Wal-Mart has been thrown some serious shade since Amazon bullied its way into the spotlight. Today, we’re here to give it the credit it deserves.
11,700—Wal-Mart locations worldwide.
260 million—average monthly store visitors.
45 million—average monthly web traffic.
10 million—number of items listed on Wal-Mart.com (2015).
Amazon may be disrupting the retail market space and putting Wal-Mart on the ropes, but let’s not forget that Wal-Mart is still the largest retailer in U.S. If you’re still not convinced at just how big it is, consider this: Wal-Mart’s top line ($486 billion) is still putting Amazon’s ($136 billion) to shame. Try to keep up, Jeff.
Question of the Day
In a village of 100 households, 75 have at least one DVD player, 80 have at least one cell phone, and 55 have at least one MP3 player. If x and y are respectively the greatest and lowest possible number of households that have all three of these devices, x – y is:
Who Am I?
- I was the youngest CEO ever appointed at GE.
- I popularized the quality program, Six Sigma.
- I was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune.
- During my 20-year tenure as CEO, GE’s market value grew by 4,000%.
Stat of the Day
Trucks might only account for 4% of the cars on the highway, but they cause 20% of the traffic. Just some food for thought next time you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper.


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Louis Vuitton has announced their plans to unveil an exhibition during Milan Fashion Week that will pay tribute to their artist director of 14 years, Marc Jacobs. The news of the exhibition comes after rumors that Marc will be leaving Vuitton for Dior. According to WWD, stylist and editor Kate Grand will curate the exhibition. Ms. Grand and Jacobs have work together throughout his tenure at Vuitton-she styled most of the ready-to-wear shows, and curated a mini-retrospective of Marc’s works for the house at the opening of Vuitton’s London flagship last year.
The exhibition will run from September 22 to October 9 at the Triennale. [Fashionista]


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- WHITE PAPERS
Melody and Russell Stein, owners of a pizzeria with an all-deaf staff, are now able to share their story with the world thanks to a new project created by Deluxe Corporation’s Small Business Revolution, a national campaign spotlighting the country's "most compelling small businesses."
A recent panel at Networld Media Group's CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit discussed beacon technology's role with restaurateurs and retailers today.
Millennials will only keep 20 apps on a phone so the challenge is creating one that makes the cut.
The price for cheese increased by 6 cents, but wheat prices dropped 16 cents over the past week.
A recent panel at Networld Media Group's CONNECT Mobile Innovation Summit attempted to clarify today’s mobile payments market, which is becoming an increasingly difficult task when you consider the options available to merchants.
Rachel Schwartz of Crowdtap shares three ways that agile research tools aligned with millennials’ digital consumption habits can help QSR and fast casual brands get (and stay) ahead of the competition.
Three components are necessary for a successful mobile experience.
Some smaller food brands incorrectly assume they cannot take advantage of the growing international food markets.
Beacon and behavioral data can revolutionize how chains do business from the big picture to the day-to-day.
The price for cheese fell by nearly 5 cents, but gasoline has increased 8 cents over the past week.
Tech savvy CEOs and executives consider mobile POS systems as mini Enterprise Resource Planning systems similar to systems that drive food and beverage manufacturing companies.
Considering ways to expand that are off the beaten path can reach a new audience and teach you how to overcome unique challenges to build a more successful future.
Pizza Marketplace.com spoke with founder Chris LaRocca about Crushed Red's eco-friendly culture and how the company achieved its zero waste goal.
Many smaller food companies incorrectly assume they cannot participate in the growing importance of international markets.
After wheat has fallen steadily for several weeks, it is up 2 cents.
Move over wine lovers, craft beers are now in vogue in fast casual and QSR restaurants.
Hungry Howie's CEO chatted about how the Detroit-based chain is competing with fast casual concepts by evolving and sticking to basic principles.
"You can’t make good wine from bad grapes, and the same thing applies to pizza," said CEO John Schnatter.
It may surprise you that the top 10 reasons why many restaurant concepts are stumbling or failing to deliver represent very simple business principles.
Nancy Kruse, a restaurant menu analyst, shared information about restaurant change during the webinar, “Menus 2015: Turning Trends Into Money Makers.”


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Ulster town supervisor James Quigley says that the rumors of Health Quest taking over the former Macy’s at the Hudson Valley Mall are more than just rumors. Quigley said Tuesday that he’d been told by James Hull, owner and principal of the Georgia-based Hull Property Group, the new owners of the Hudson Valley Mall, that the expanding Poughkeepsie-based healthcare provider had signed a letter of intent related to a preliminary site plan to turn the 81,000-square-foot former department store into a medical center offering a wide range of patient-care options.
“When I spoke to Mr. Hull on Sunday, he confirmed for me that they have signed a letter of intent for this project, and that Health Quest will be approaching the town in the near future to discuss the planning and approval process,” Quigley said. “This is not a dream.”
Quigley said the occupancy makes perfect sense in today’s shifting retail climate. “Traffic is the key to retail,” Quigley said. “We’ve had ongoing discussions about the changing form of retailing. We’ve had discussions about how difficult it was going to be to try to replace anchor tenants like Macy’s and Penney’s with like-kind of stores when all the retailers of that size and caliber are facing the same challenges in the marketplace. Hull has written a check and he’s closed on title. So now he’s challenged with fixing the property, and by bringing in an 80,000-square-foot office space to a location that has at this point in time too much retail and converting it to a non-retail use, a serious amount of foot traffic will come to the area. That can only help the retailers that are trying to make a go of it at the mall.”
Almost a year ago, Health Quest consolidated some medical offices in 15,000 square feet at Kingston Plaza in Kingston at a cost of $1.8 million. It provides primary care, obstetrics, gynecology and rheumatology services at that facility. The Hudson Valley-based group of non-profit hospitals and healthcare providers, which already has the largest network of primary-care providers in Ulster County, according to Health Quest senior vice-president of public affairs and government relations Tim Massie, is also planning new medical centers in Poughkeepsie and Lloyd.
Massie said that James Hull talked to Health Quest for the first time in the second half of last year. Hull was aware of Health Quest’s interest before he closed on the mall property early last month.
According to preliminary site plans, considerable construction would be undertaken to convert the former Macy’s into a Health Quest hub. These plans envisage keeping the building separate from the rest of the mall save for a walkway. An opening is anticipated some time in 2019.
On the west side of the Hudson River, Health Quest Medical Practice has primary-care sites in Kingston, Highland, Modena, Woodstock and Boiceville. It also provides specialty care at sites in Kingston, Saugerties, Ellenville, New Paltz and Margaretville. Massie said Health Quest had not yet determined all the specialties that might be offered at the former Macy’s store.
The Hull Property Group completed the purchase of the Hudson Valley Mall, which opened in 1981 and expanded several times, in early January for $8.1 million, around 12 percent of the property’s most recent assessment value. The mall was placed into receivership in June 2016, nearly a year after owner Liverpool, New York-based PCK Development Co. LLC, defaulted on nearly $50 million of debt.
Quigley said he favors the Health Quest plan, in part because it expands the property’s uses and will get more people to the site. “That is a gorgeous piece of real estate,” he said. “It has gorgeous views of the mountains. I think that putting a use as simple as retail up there is underutilizing the real estate.”


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CORDAN, Iowa (AP) – In the 1970s when George Naylor said he wanted to grow organic crops, the idea didn’t go well.
At the time, organic crops were exotic, destined for health food stores or perhaps a few farmers’ markets.
“I told my dad I wanted to become an organic farmer and he said, ‘Ha, ha, ha,’” Naylor said, noting that he couldn’t embrace his dream until 2014 and start making the transition from regular to organic crops.
But over the decades, something unexpected happened – the demand for organic matter began to increase so rapidly that it began to outpace the supply produced in the United States.
Now a new challenge has emerged: It’s not making consumers pay higher prices, it’s convincing enough farmers to bypass their organic hesitation and start taking advantage of the revenue stream.
Instead of growing to meet demand, the number of farmers turning to organic products is already declining. Last month, the USDA committed up to $300 million to recruit and help more farmers make the change.
“It feels good,” said Chris Schreiner, executive director of the organic certification organization Oregon Tilth, referring to the government’s help. “It’s a milestone in the arc of this business.”
Schreiner, who has worked for the Oregon-based organization since 1998, said expanding technical training is important given the vast differences in conventional and organic land cultivation. Schreiner noted that a farmer told him that turning a traditional farmer was like asking “a podiatrist to become a heart surgeon.”
The main difference is the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides as well as genetically modified seeds. Most conventional farms rely on these practices but they are prohibited on organic farms. Instead, organic farmers must control weeds and pests using techniques such as rotating different crops and growing cover crops that compress weeds and add nutrients to the soil.
Crops can only be considered organic if they are grown on land that has not been treated with synthetic materials for three years. During that period, farmers can grow crops, but they will not get the extra premium associated with organic crops.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the number of conventional farms newly converted to organic production fell by about 70% from 2008 to 2019. Organic products make up about 6% of total food sales, but only 1% of the country’s farmland is in organic production, With the presence of foreigners. Producers who make the gap.
“There are a lot of barriers to farmers making that leap to organic,” said Megan DeBates, vice president of government affairs for the US Organic Trade Association.
While farmers seem reluctant, American consumers are not. Annual sales of organic products have nearly doubled in the past decade and now exceed $63 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association. Sales are expected to rise 5.5% this year.
This growth is evident to anyone pushing a cart in an average supermarket, or passing crates of organic apples and bananas, through dairy and egg departments and along shelves filled with organic beef and chicken.
The new USDA effort will include $100 million to help farmers learn new techniques for growing organic crops; $75 million for farmers who meet criteria for new conservation practices; $25 million to expand crop insurance options and reduce costs; and $100 million to help organic supply chains and develop markets for organic materials.
Nick Andrews, an extension agent at Oregon State University who works with organic farmers, described the USDA’s efforts as “game changing.” It should be especially attractive to farmers with small plots of land because the added value of organic crops makes it possible to make big money even from 25 to 100 acres (10 to 40 hectares) farms – much smaller than the commercial operations that provide most of the country’s production.
“I’ve seen organic farmers keep families in businesses that would otherwise be out of business,” Andrews said.
Noah Wendt, who in the past few years has converted 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of land in central Iowa to organic, noted that the transformation has been “rocky” at times for him and his farming partner, Caleb Akin.
But he and Akin recently bought a grain elevator east of Des Moines to use only on organic crops, the kind of project the USDA program could help with. They hope the elevator will not only be a nearby place to store grain, but also provide a one-stop shop for learning about the growing and marketing of organic crops.
Seeing all the organic activity is fun for George and Patti Naylor, who farm near the small Iowa community of Churdan. But they say they still appreciate most of the simple benefits they choose, such as spending evenings watching hundreds of rare monarch butterflies flock to their herbicide-free farm.
As Patti Naylor has expressed, “It really pays to have faith in what you’re doing.”


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Windsor company to make championship rings for Toronto FC
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
A Windsor company has been chosen to create the championship ring for a Canadian sports team.
Baron Championship Rings will design and produce the rings for Toronto FC, the Major League Soccer champions in 2017.
Each ring has 170 diamonds, spread over white and yellow gold.
It took the Windsor company about three months to make these rings.
The locally owned and operated business has also created championship rings for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Hockey Canada.
Officials at Baron's say the Toronto FC rings will soon be available for purchase by fans.


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Woolworths launches Local Food Sourcing Strategy
Woolworths today announced its new Local Food Sourcing Strategy, which will bring more locally produced foods to the shelves of Woolworths supermarkets across Australia.
Tjeerd Jegen, Woolworths Managing Director of Australian Supermarkets and Petrol said: “As a proudly Australian company, Woolworths is at the heart of many local communities – from our capital cities to our country towns, we are committed to supporting local suppliers. Our new Local Food Sourcing Strategy will see us introduce even more delicious Aussie brands and products to our customers.”
Acting Premier of NSW, The Hon Andrew Stoner, today unveiled the first locally sourced products that will arrive on Woolworths shelves in late January – a range of delicious jams and conserves from nine local producers in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
“I am a passionate supporter of the NSW food industry. Our State produces some of the best quality food in the world and now local businesses will have the opportunity to reach more customers and grow their business,” said Mr Stoner.
“It’s great to see Woolworths committing to support more small and medium NSW businesses. This is great news for consumers, great news for local businesses and great news for NSW.”
Mr Jegen added, “We recognise that supplying 890 Woolies stores can be a daunting prospect for small and medium businesses, and may simply be beyond the reach of their production capacity. Woolworths’ Local Sourcing Managers will work with these suppliers to design a plan that suits their business, whether that’s supplying 3 stores, or 300 stores.”
One of the newest local suppliers, Eric Robinson of the Port Macquarie Food Co. said, “This is a very exciting opportunity for a small business like us, and it’s been a great experience – the process is really easy.
“We are passionate about supporting our community – that’s why we source all of our ingredients from local growers. With our products on the shelves of 43 Woolies stores, we will be able to share the flavours of our community with a much wider group of customers.”
“Our customers have told us they want Woolies to support their local communities and source more local foods. This new strategy will enable us to do this more effectively, and allow our stores to further tailor their individual ranges to their local communities,” said Mr Jegen.
Woolworths is in the process of appointing Local Sourcing Managers for each state. Once appointed, these managers will be responsible for identifying great local products, hosting Local Sourcing Road Shows across their state to communicate the new opportunities for local suppliers, and developing individual ranging plans for local suppliers. Expressions of interest can be emailed to email@example.com.
“I am truly passionate about local sourcing. Australians are justifiably proud of their local produce, so we are making it easier for local suppliers to work with our buyers, and we are investing in more direct local sourcing so that our customers can enjoy the unique products their community has to offer,” said Mr Jegen.
The first range of locally sourced products that will arrive on Woolworths shelves in late January are:
- Hank’s Jam from Brookvale in Sydney, NSW will be stocked in 278 stores
- Port Macquarie Food Co. from Port Macquarie, NSW will be stocked in 43 stores
- Blue M Jam form the Blue Mountains, NSW will be stocked in 32 stores
- Hill & River Jam from the Hunter Valley, NSW will be stocked in 17 stores
- Officers’ Mess Conserves from Daylesford, VIC will be stocked in 50 stores
- Yarra Valley Gourmet from the Yarra Valley, VIC will be stocked in 76 stores
- Country Cuisine Jam from Daylesford, VIC will be stocked in 30 stores
- Rhu Bru Jam from Scottsdale, TAS will be stocked in 3 stores
- Tasmanian Gourmet Kitchen from Longford, TAS will be stocked in 3 stores
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Netflix said Thursday it will be increasing its standard monthly price to $9.99 a month, starting Nov. 11.» Read More
The CEO of DoubleLine Capital said he still believes the Fed will probably not raise rates this year, in part because of a lack of wage inflation.
Target will double its share buyback program and boost its quarterly dividend, confirming the contents of a statement it published inadvertently.
Investors have had to quickly get used to the recent spurt of market volatility and, with few assets offering a safe haven from the rout, investors are eyeing the vulnerable bond sector for direction.
Two major American cities are seeking to provide more information about the foods consumers eat.
The jump in interest rates' to their highest level this year caused a surge in mortgage applications. Why? Fear that rates will move even higher.
Netflix shareholders approved a massive increase in the number of shares the company can issue, a step toward a possible stock split.
The stunning leak of intimate celebrity photos may reach far wider than was previously known, involving the breach of almost 600 online accounts.
Police are investigating reports that a copy of author E.L. James's latest novel, "Grey", has been stolen, her British publisher Random House said.
Overseas markets bring in more advertising revenue than the U.S. for Facebook, amounting to 51 percent of global ad sales in the first quarter.
Semiconductor stocks have slid 6 percent in June. Here's what's behind the weakness.
Johnson Controls on Wednesday announced its intention to explore strategic options to spin off its automotive business.
Snoop Dogg is suing American brewer Pabst Blue Ribbon over equity he is owed after its subsidiary Colt 45 was sold.
Spotify has snapped up $115 million in investment valuing the company at around $8.2 billion, as it looks to fight off competition from Apple.
Market corrections in Europe and Asia have traders worrying the U.S. could be next.
Judy Travis, a vlogger and mother of three, has her hands full, so CNBC treated her to a day at a spa.
Many of Europe’s universities and companies are teaming up to bolster research and increase funding. How?
In 2015, the employee's contribution limit is $18,000.
Thanks to a circulating pay stub for Pittsburgh Pirates all-star center fielder Andrew McCutchen, we know more about the taxes they pay.
Where do unicorns hunt executives? Increasingly, they go to Mountain View.
More than 6.4 million Obamacare customers face losing financial aid due to a court challenge.
Get the best of CNBC in your inbox
Jim Cramer says Yellen and company have set you up perfectly to buy these stocks.
The "Fast Money" traders give you 4 plays on IPOs that are now hitting their lows.
Mad Money host Jim Cramer thinks with winter fast approaching, money saved at the gas pump and heating bills will flow directly to this group. It's back!


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The Millennial and Gen Z oriented company will further tap into its target audience thanks to the mobile launch of casino.exenow accessible at Rivalry Mobile iOS app inside Ontario.
Casino.exe is Rivalry’s proprietary casino platform designed to appeal to younger players by evoking a sense of nostalgia and offering products that young people care about. The platform is now included in Rivalry’s recently launched app and will offer a variety of gaming products in addition to Rivalry’s usual online sports and e-sports betting offerings.
Since launching in Ontario in May 2023, the Rivalry mobile app has bolstered parent company total wagering by 15% month-over-month. In addition, the app helped the company drive many new players to its platform.
The addition of Casino.exe also allows Rivalry to appeal to fans of iGaming by engaging them in a variety of products. To celebrate the launch, the company has added eight new games to the Casino.exe family, including new game show style games, table games and instant products.
Rivalry will continue to add more games and features to the Casino.exe platform as it seeks to “add depth and exclusivity” to its product portfolio.
Salz hopes the improved app will generate more interest from players
Co-founder and CEO of Rivalry, Steven Salz, commented on the matter. He said the launch of Casino.exe has been an important development for his team, allowing Rivalry to diversify its revenue mix while increasing its overall reach.
Salz attributed the growth of Rivalry’s products to the company’s emphasis on technology and design innovation. Thanks to this, Rivalry is able to “drive organic interest and activity in casinos with limited marketing spend.”
Talking about the current development, the CEO said that this will improve the accessibility of the Casino.exe platform, allowing the company to reach more people. According to him, Casino.exe is an example of how online gaming and betting can be improved to appeal to certain demographics.
Casino.exe has put a stake in the future of online casinos and how the industry can push the traditional online gambling experience into something much more fun and appealing to a demographic that demands it.
Steven Salz, Co-Founder and CEO of Rivalry
Salz concluded that his team is excited about the opportunity to reach more customers in Ontario. He promised that his team would continue to expand its casino product suite.


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She was also joined by Zhalay Sarhadi, Areeba Habib, Saeeda Laghari and others who stole the event. PappaRoti, an international chain for buns and an array of options for beverages, has now opened at Dolmen Mall Clifton, Karachi with its “versatile assault on the senses”.
The signature buns café extends its success story further after setting up over 400 PappaRoti cafes and kiosks across the globe – an absolute testament to the brand’s appeal.
Exclusive rights to open nationwide chain of PappaRoti in Pakistan are acquired by Zahdan Retail, a company of Zahdan Group (Pvt) Ltd.
PappaRoti is the flagship Café of PappaRoti Trading Sdn Bhd and PappaRoti (M) Sdn Bhd – Malaysia. Launched in 2003, the brand has gone from strength to strength with restaurants in Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Australia and now in Pakistan.
The brand’s success was sealed thanks to the authentic and memorable taste of the coffee-coated buns accompanied with delicious beverages.
Zahdan Group CEO Murtaza Hashwani, said, “We are very excited about the debut launch of the PappaRoti in Karachi and very soon we will be launching it to other parts of the country.
glams up the event when she arrived in a beautiful dress and fashionable accessories. She was looking stunning and glamrous in Fashion Flair & Jewellery Tapulicious.


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The Walt Disney Company has created a monster. I’m sure that’s not what they set out to do. They saw the success the various Comic-Con style conventions were having and decided that all those Disney fans out there would relish the chance to pay admission for the privilege of crowding into a packed convention center to buy overpriced merchandise and have the company’s newest offerings aggressively marketed to them.
However, as is often the case when Disney tries to copy what all the cool kids are doing, they made a critical mistake. One of the main things that makes Comic-Con so popular, besides the Slave Leia cosplayers, is the announcements about various upcoming things. There’s always news about some highly anticipated comics event, genre film, or TV show. People are conditioned to expect Big Announcements at these types of conventions, and therein lies Disney’s problem. You see, the stuff that’s promoted at the annual Comic-Con is generally stuff that will hit the market before the next year’s Con. Studios don’t use Comic-Con to promote projects that are several years from seeing the light of day. That’s exactly what Disney did, though, when they announced the New Fantasyland project for Florida’s Magic Kingdom at the first D23 Expo in 2010. Now we’re conditioned to expect big announcements at every Expo.
So, when the Parks and Resorts presentation at this year’s Expo failed to yield anything new, the online Disney fan community erupted with howls of outrage. The way it sounded, you’d think the Walt Disney Company killed their dog. People I like and respect were comparing the company to an abusive boyfriend, because the plight of abused women is so similar to that of aggrieved Disney parkgoers with a sense of entitlement, isn’t it?
Disney has really painted themselves into a corner with this Expo thing. They’ve pretty much guaranteed that every Parks and Resorts presentation from now until the end of time will have one of the following outcomes:
- Disney makes a big announcement, and the fans immediately take to the Internet to complain about its shortcomings.
- Disney fails to make a big announcement, and the fans immediately take to the Internet to complain about that.
Let’s get real, guys. Disney is in the middle of three large projects: WDW’s New Fantasyland, California’s DCA overhaul, and Shanghai Disneyland. Neither will be finished anytime soon. If you seriously think that Disney has done you wrong by not announcing another E-Ticket attraction this year, then your car has arrived:
Enjoy the ride.


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The next Plug-in NC webinar will be on Thursday, July 14, at 2:00 p.m. EST. This is a 30-minute webinar to discuss electric vehicle ready homes.
There are now close to 470,000 electric vehicles registered in the United States. To help support them, many builders across the country are building their homes to be electric vehicle ready. This means building homes that offer safe access to a dedicated power supply for the purpose of charging a vehicle. Studies have shown that electric vehicle drivers charge their cars around 80 percent of the time at home, so homeowners are thankful to have the option of buying an electric vehicle ready home. Join us for a presentation from Advanced Energy to learn more about electric vehicles and the growing interest in electric vehicle ready homes.


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It will be the hottest marketing promotion of the summer — until it runs out of gas. Companies of all kinds are giving away tankfuls of free gas as long as you buy something: a new car, hotel room, even Calloway golf clubs. With $4 a gallon fuel prices and $50-75 fill-ups becoming part of our auto-oriented lifestyle, gasoline giveaways are a real attention-getting promotional idea.
Expect to see it a lot of them this summer, before they fade away by Labor Day, says a marketing professor at at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
But why bother with gas cards at all? Why not just take $50 off the product price, or give customers the cash as a rebate instead? After all, money is money, right? Shouldn’t consumers be just as excited about a $50 discount as a $50 gas card?
Aha, that’s where the psychology of marketing comes in! Any copywriter worth his thesaurus knows that buying decisions are primarily driven by emotion, not logic, no matter how we try to convince ourselves otherwise. Suzanne Shu, a marketing professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, says:
“The more (a) purchase feels discretionary, like staying at a luxury hotel, the more the gas cards have impact because people can use them to justify something they might not do otherwise.”
So if you’re thinking of going down the “free gas” road for your next promotion, just remember those roads are going to get pretty congested. Link


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A Black Diamond car wash owner who was forced to shut down when the town increased its water restrictions last month would like to see some changes.
Jae Lee, co-owner of Black Diamond Truck & Car Wash, said the Town of Black Diamond gave him two days notice to close his business when the Town increased its water restrictions from level 2 to 3 in early August.
The three-year-old water conservation bylaw, shared by Black Diamond and Turner Valley, prohibits all outdoor and non-essential water use, including the operation of commercial car and truck washes for level 3 restrictions. Black Diamond has two.
“We’re a fairly new business,” said Lee. “I just took over in June. On my second month in I just got a two-day notice from the Town that basically told me to shut the business down.”
The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley, who share water sources, issued the level 3 water restriction on Aug. 4 after the raw water reservoir dropped to almost 70 per cent capacity, the threshold where the Sheep River Regional Utility Corporation (SRRUC) implements the highest level for water restrictions. It was lifted three weeks later.
Lee said he expressed his concerns to Black Diamond chief administrative officer Sharlene Brown and Mayor Glen Fagan.
“I even offered, ‘Let me run it with reduced business hours or we will try not to clean the bay as often,’” he said. “’We will cooperate, but you can’t just tell me to shut the door down on a business that spends so much money on property taxes every month.’ They said, ‘Sorry Jae, that’s what the bylaw says.’
“What’s the future plan here? Is this going to happen again next year?”
Lee wrote a letter to the Town asking that they change the bylaw so it doesn’t impact local businesses.
“Because I’m a car wash I need to shut the door?” he said. “I don’t think that’s fair. Give us some exceptions here so we can still run the business. If sales are going down because people shouldn’t wash their vehicles, that’s a completely different story.”
At its Sept. 6 meeting, Black Diamond Town council gave administration direction to meet with Turner Valley administration and SRRUC to review the bylaw and discuss amendments.
Brown told council she looked at summer water consumption rates among businesses and noticed that use by the town’s two car washes is less than some busy restaurants.
“Only car washes are specified (in the bylaw),” she said. “Their businesses are greatly impacted. Is that fair for that business? That’s basically what it comes down to.”
Brown said the Towns’ water conservation bylaw could be amended to reflect what surrounding municipalities do in the event of a level 3 water restriction.
Since the 2013 flood, about 65 per cent of Black Diamond and Turner Valley’s water supply has been recovered and SRRUC is working on locating more sources to replenish the raw water reservoir. The corporation is currently awaiting approval to pump approximately 6,500 cubic metres of water per day out of the Sheep River.
Lee said he understands the Town hasn’t recovered all of its water sources since the flood, but that he did get a permit to build the car wash despite the water situation.
“Obviously the town is growing,” he said. “What’s the town’s plan to accommodate that so a guy like me is not hurting because of it?”
Lee said he shut his door for two days before deciding to haul water from an external source, which cost him about $10,000 in expenses and lost sales.
“We were like, ‘I don’t know how long this is going to be, we can’t sit and do nothing,’” he said.
Black Diamond Truck & Car Wash sales dropped by about 30 per cent, said Lee. He also lost business on the Heritage Day long weekend, which he said is usually the busiest weekend in August.


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Last week, we covered emerging science and real food success stories. This week, we’ll look at longer reads and interesting articles about food and health, as well as everyone’s favorite, the wall of shame…
Longer reads and interesting articles
- The NYT reports on a new comprehensive scientific review that found optimal protein levels for people over 40 trying to gain muscle mass are roughly twice our federal recommendations. And remember, many women do not even get the recommended level of ~46g/day.
- A concise opinion piece by Ben Greenfield in The Hill on why the dietary guidelines are failing Americans, and why Congress needs to act to change them to align with modern science. Case in point, a retired special ops combat controller asks, in an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News, why so many of our troops struggle with weight? It’s not lack of exercise. His answer? It’s the food… controlled by our dietary guidelines.
- Might this non-invasive continuous blood sugar monitoring wearable help regular people understand that the bagel they are eating is essentially pure glucose after 15 minutes in their digestive tract?
- Why fake meats, like Impossible brand, are not real food and not even proven safe for humans. And why grazing animals on grasslands is better for the environment. Plus, a review of a new study that shows well-managed grazing of cattle on pasture is a net carbon SINK.
- A new study out of Cornell University’s Institute of Health Economics digs into the numbers and documents how obesity’s share of total health care costs has escalated by 29% since 2000. The lead researcher explains, “We have, for the first time, estimated the percentage of health care spending that is devoted to obesity, using microdata for each state.” Separately, a paper published in the Diabetes Care pegs global economic burden of diabetes at $2.1 trillion in 2030, even if global (improvement) targets are met.
Will the FDA’s latest tweaks to the Nutrition Facts Label make a difference? Might the NYT’s new guide (it’s long; keep scrolling) help you cut back on sugar, with helpful reminders like “breakfast shouldn’t taste like dessert”? Do soda taxes work to reduce obesity? (The Cato Institute says probably not.) What is Shape Magazine writing about a vegetarian keto diet and keto-friendly fat bombs? Why are coconut sales falling? Is lard good for you? (Of course!) What is the Pegan diet (hint: if paleo and vegan had a baby…)? Why is fat the best part, according to Deadspin? What does Kourtney Kardashian recommend for keeping up and keeping keto? Can this analysis of health and diet in Victorian England shed any light on healthful dietary patterns? Just how “vintage” is cooking, and did it enable the evolution of our big brains? (“When humans try to eat more like chimpanzees and other primates, we cannot extract enough calories to live healthily.”)
From the wall of shame
- The NYT publishes yet another oblivious-bordering-on-insulting article scolding people to “eat less, exercise more.” When will columnist Jane Brody give up “beating a dead horse” with this failed paradigm?
- BIG FOOD is at it again with illegal behavior in developing nations, marketing formula to new mothers with aggressive stealth tactics that thwart regulations. #shameful
- Kraft enters the breakfast space with a curious new product, Just Crack an Egg. Why don’t we skip this expense and go ahead and, well… just crack an egg.
- Pepsi “health-washes” chips, offering up “chips for the curious.” In spite of upscale, healthy looking packaging, main ingredient is rice flour; be ready for high glycemic response. #whybother
Tune in next week!


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Night markets are all the rage in San Francisco these days. It turns out the Fillmore District already has one of its very own.
The Fillmore has quietly hosted a weekly Friday night market since August, featuring catered soul food, small business vendors and local artists. Held between Fillmore and Steiner streets along O'Farrell Street, the night market includes food vendors and operates in San Francisco's historically Black neighborhood. It runs between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. every week.
"It's so hard for small businesses and restaurants right now—we wanted to create an area and platform where we can pop up consistently," said Joy Williams, owner of On the Ground Catering. "We get about a couple hundred or so visitors every night, and we sell out really quick."
Williams and three other vendors piloted the Fillmore's first night market on Aug. 11, though she and event organizers stress that the event is still in its "beginning stages." Previously, vendors had catered local block parties and holiday events, including the neighborhood's annual Juneteenth celebration.
A flyer for the night market currently promises "smoked BBQ, hibachi soul food, frozen desserts," and other retail and entertainment vendors.
"The demand is there; we just need more marketing," Williams said. "Events in the Fillmore District don’t get a lot of the same acknowledgment that other districts get—and the Fillmore is historically known for its jazz presence and African American culture."
Organizers also hope to bring live music to future night markets, pending a permit from the city. The night market flyer says it will feature performances from local artists and the West Coast Caravan of All Stars, a blues band that has previously performed with musical legends Etta James, Willie Nelson and Chaka Khan.
The news comes just as another night market was hailed as a success when it debuted recently. The Sunset Night Market drew thousands of San Franciscans to the neighborhood last Friday, shutting down three blocks for 80 vendors.
The Fillmore Night Market is funded and supported by community groups, event organizers and city agencies.
The New Community Leadership Foundation and Unknown Promotions committed between $30,000 and $40,000 to back the market, according to NCLF Executive Director Majeid Crawford. These two groups, using funding from the Dream Keeper's Initiative and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, will fund the Fillmore market for eight more weeks starting on Sept. 29. Funding was arranged by Nicola Fleming of OEWD, Crawford said.
Supervisor Dean Preston's office also says it has been "very engaged with the organizers" in supporting the market.
“My office is proud to support the Fillmore Friday Night Market, a fantastic weekly event organized by community leaders that’s activating the neighborhood with amazing food and retail vendors, supporting Black owned businesses, and providing a welcoming space for the community to gather," Preston said in a statement. "The Friday market is bringing people of all ages out to celebrate the rich history of the Fillmore and continue the important work of revitalizing the neighborhood through community-led efforts.”
Questions, comments or concerns about this article may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.org


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It looks like the NBA will be teaming up with Nike next year on the Dunk High for a “Patent Pack” that includes an orange and black colorway.
With the Dunk High gearing up for a huge 2021, it looks like Nike will be receiving some help from the NBA for two new patent leather variations. Based on early looks and detailed mock-ups, fans can expect two fresh iterations that feature white leather panelings on the midfoot, toe, and ankles. Patent leather overlays equip both sneakers on the toe, forefoot, eyestays, Nike Swoosh, and heels while matching laces tie the sneaker down. A white midsole adorns both editions while matching rubber outsoles are placed underneath to keep the tonal look going. To solidify the NBA collaboration, an NBA stamp is set to adorn the lower ankles.
NBA X NIKE DUNK HIGH “PATENT PACK” RELEASE INFORMATION
As of now, a clear release date has not been announced but a drop could very well go down for the NBA All-Star game. Check out a mock-up of both colorways below and make sure to stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for all the updates going forward and more of the latest sneaker news from Nike and your other favorite brands.


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Sheraton readies to host luxury wedding fair
Ethiopia's luxury hotel, Sheraton Addis, is set to host the second annual Luxury Wedding Exhibition, inside the Grand ballroom this weekend, titled 'for the Journey to the Perfect Wedding'.
Chinese, European traders meet local buyers
At the second edition of the international trade fair hosted in Ethiopia from May 3 to May 5, 2018, both Chinese and European businesses have met with local buyers at the Millennium Hall.
SoE costs trade expo, travel cancellations
While the motion for high-level political meetings was in full gear during the week, business meetings were fading away as a trade expo and business travels got canceled.
Flower expo to be held in Addis
As Ethiopia emerges as a noted exporter of fresh cut flowers to the world flower market, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association is set to host its seventh edition of a HotrtiFlora Expo 2018 in the capital on March 14th for three consecutive days. This is to be a strategy to invite more foreign investors to the country as the booming flower industry that is emerging as a source of needed foreign currency to the Ethiopian market.
Tigray schools in ruins, 3,846 students, teachers killed in conflict
The conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region claimed the lives...
Ethiopian $50m E-commerce to deliver global goods to African doorsteps
Ethiopian Airlines Group is set to launch a cutting-edge...
Kenya’s GMO plans disrupted, but Ethiopia pushes forward with testing
The Kenyan government's move to import Genetically Modified Organisms...
Eritrean forces still occupy several woredas and kebeles in Tigray, officials
They demand to ensure the sovereignty of the country...


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Complaining that it is too hard to get a refund for unwanted preinstalled copies of Windows, an Italian consumer group, Associazione per i diritti degli utenti e consumatori (ADUC), has filed a suit against Microsoft. The suit acknowledges that hardware manufacturers share some part of the blame, but claims that the primary problem is Microsoft.
This is not the first time ADUC has taken to the courts over Windows preinstalls. In 2007, the group successfully sued HP after it failed to abide by the terms of the Microsoft End User License Agreement, which explicitly permits a user to refuse to accept the terms and receive a full refund.
The group claims that although the terms of the EULA are clear enough and include a provision for the refund, actually obtaining one is harder than it should be: PC manufacturers are failing to abide by their contractual obligation. These failures are claimed to be a result of Microsoft using its market position to unlawfully promote its products, to the detriment of users.
ADUC is calling on Italian computer buyers who have bought computers with unwanted and unused Microsoft software to join the suit, arguing that said users should be entitled to a refund.
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Coast Distribution System, Morgan Hill, CA, attributed strong Canadian operations for improvements in both sales and gross margin for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.
The company reported net income of $22,000 for the first quarter of 2010, compared against a net loss of $0.9 million for the first quarter of 2009 – a turnaround of nearly nearly $1 million year-over-year (all figures $US). Net sales increased by 3.9 percent to $24.1 million in the first quarter of 2010, while gross margin increased to 20.4 percent, up from 18.6 percent in the same quarter of 2009. “The improvements in both sales and gross margin were attributable to the Company's Canadian operations, and were due primarily to an improving Canadian economy and a strengthening of the Canadian dollar vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar,” notes a company press release dated May 13, 2010. “Sales and gross margin in the United States declined slightly in the first quarter due to the ongoing impact of the economic recession and credit crisis.”
On the company's balance sheet, accounts receivable increased by $1.2 million, to $17.9 million, from $16.7 million at March 31, 2009, as a result of increased sales in Canada. Combined with inventory reductions, this allowed Coast to reduce long-term debt by 37 percent (to $12.8 million at March 31, 2010 from $20.2 million at March 31, 2009).
“The actions we implemented in response to the difficult economic and industry conditions over the last six quarters provided the foundation for the solid financial results we posted to start 2010,” said Coast's Chief Executive Officer Jim Musbach. “The improvement in our results was driven by the strength of margins at our Canadian operations combined with continued control over the Company's SG&A expenses. We achieved our better overall financial results despite the absence of strength in our U.S. operations, which posted slight declines in sales and gross margins in this year's first quarter. Although wholesale shipments of recreational vehicles improved industry-wide in the first quarter, we believe that improvement was driven by inventory rebuilding at the dealer level rather than significantly improved retail sales. As a result, it may take more time for these factors to translate into improved sales and usage of RVs and boats, which would in turn generate better results for Coast.”
With Canadian operations in Langley, BC, Calgary, AB, Orillia, ON and St-Bruno, QC, the Coast Distribution System is among North American's largest wholesale aftermarket suppliers of replacement parts, supplies and accessories for the recreational vehicle, pleasure boat and outdoor recreation markets.


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The administration and sale of LDV last week was "done in indecent haste" and has left suppliers out of pocket and in the dark it was claimed yesterday.
The vanmaker's Drews Lane factory in Washwood Heath was idle again yesterday despite a claim by the new owner that production of the award-winning LDV Maxus van would resume this week. "Nothing was moving at all - there was no production going on whatsoever," one source said.
"The only people to be seen were from suppliers who had gone in to do a stock-take of their property. There were very few LDV people to be seen."
Last Friday's £750 milion refinancing of the ailing company was hailed as good news for LDV and its 1,200-strong workforce.
But it has since emerged that 230 jobs are to be axed following the decision by the new owner to suspend production of the older Pilot and Convoy models.
The company stopped production of al three models at the start of the month in order, it said, to "rebalance stocks", complete special orders and upgrade the skills training of some employees.
About 700 manufacturing staff were sent home and the company said it was negotiating a re-financing package to fund the development of Maxus as a mini-bus and chassis-cab vehicle, both of which are important sources of profit. But it emerged that LDV's cost base had risen significantly following the launch of the more sophisticated Maxus at the start of the year.
But revenues did not rise at the same rate and the company hit a severe cash-flow crisis that resulted in its bank accounts being frozen and suppliers going unpaid.
Last Friday saw the company go through a fast-track administration process followed by the sale of the business to American private equity group Sun Capital Partners.
Sun holds the majority stake of the new company, called LDV Group Limited, with existing backer European Acquisition Capital taking a minority stake.
One LDV supplier, AE Harris, the Hockley engineering company run by Russell Luckcock, has not been paid for two months and is currently owed about £50,000.
"In my 50 years' experience I have never known a deal like this done with such indecent haste," Mr Luck-cock said yesterday.
VM Motori, the Italian supplier of engines to Maxus, and Dana, which provides axles, are believed to be owed large amounts of money but neither company could be contacted for comment.
Another company thought to be affected by events is Stadco, the vehicle pressings specialist which has a joint venture with LDV that supplies body panels for the Maxus.
A spokesman for Stadco said yesterday: "The position is that the company is waiting to see how things settle down and will not comment further until the New Year."
Attempts by business support groups to establish when production will start up again at Drews Lane - some suggested January 2 as a possible date - were believed to have been hampered by the fact that key managers had gone on holiday.
EEF West Midlands, the engineering employers' group, said some of its members have been "left in the dark" and out of pocket by LDV. "Our member companies have been rightly concerned about how and when they will be paid by LDV," EEF regional chief executive Ian Smith said. "Many are substantially out of pocket and concerned that there has been silence on the issue. We fully sympathise with the short-term problems LDV have been facing, but their suppliers will face similar problems unless payment is forthcoming."
Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, which played a big part in mitigating the economic impact of the collapse of MG Rover, was also in the dark last night. "We are pulling out all the stops to find out the situation in terms of the LDV supply chain so we can look at what we can do, if anything, to help," an AWM spokesman said.
No one was available for comment at LDV. ..SUPL:


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SANTA CLARA (AP) - Hewlett-Packard is selling its webOS software to South Korean electronics company LG Electronics, securing a new home for a technological orphan.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - More Americans fell behind on their auto loan payments in the last three months of 2012, a time of the year when some borrowers' financial obligations temporarily take a backseat to spending on holiday shopping.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Mozilla, the non-profit foundation behind the popular Firefox Web browser, is getting into phones. But it's not stopping at Web browsers - it's launching an entire phone operating system.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Huawei, a Chinese company that recently became the world's third-largest maker of smartphones, calls its new flagship product "the fastest smartphone in the world" and wants to use it to expand global awareness of its brand.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Hewlett-Packard Co. is making a tablet computer that uses Google's Android operating system, steering clear of Microsoft's latest tablet-oriented version of Windows, the company said Sunday.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - New figures show U.S. wine exports grew for the third consecutive year in 2012, setting a record of $1.43 billion in revenue, the San Francisco-based Wine Institute said Thursday. Ninety percent of those exports were from California. Volume shipments reached 424.6 million liters or 112.2 million cases. The ...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Power utility PG&E Corp. on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss, weighed down in part by the costs of environmental issues related to historic operations and pipeline-related expenses. For the three months ended Dec. 31, the San Francisco-based company lost $13 million, or 3 cents per share. That compares with a profit of $83 million, or 20 per share, ...
TUSTIN (AP) - A $35 million lighter-than-air dirigible was damaged and leaked helium Monday after part of a hangar roof collapsed at a former military base, authorities said.


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Anyway, Nintendo's looking at a combined total of 10.5 million hardware units moved between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 for the Wii U and Wii. While we can't parse the numbers, we can speculate based on the last fiscal year's Wii hardware sales. So! Nintendo sold 9.84 million Wii units in fiscal 2012, meaning the Japanese console manufacturer either expects a sharp dropoff in Wii sales (likely) or a not-so-hot holiday for the Wii U (less likely).
The same bizarre conflation applies to software sales, with Nintendo predicting approximately 70 million units sold across both the Wii U and Wii consoles. And last year? The Wii moved 102.37 million software units. Not too shabby! So, again, Nintendo either expects a massive dropoff in Wii software sales (likely), or for Wii U software to not do super great between the console's holiday launch and next March.


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According to a Bloomberg report, tech giant Amazon (AMZN) could be in discussions with telecom giants Verizon Communications (VZ), AT&T (T), and Dish Network (DISH) to offer nationwide mobile phone service at a low cost of around $10 per month or possibly free to its Prime subscribers.
This news sent DISH’s stock soaring while Verizon and AT&T were both down in morning trading at the time of writing on Friday. Dish has the most to gain from this deal as it attempts to transform itself into a cloud-based wireless carrier. However, the company is carrying distressed debt and looking at new sources of funding to enable it to launch its Boost Infinite wireless service.
Dish is already working with Amazon as its Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides the cloud computing network to run its wireless service.
An Amazon spokesperson told Reuters following the news, “We are always exploring adding even more benefits for Prime members, but don’t have plans to add wireless at this time.”
Analysts are bullish about AMZN stock with a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 35 Buys and one Hold.