text:
To increase focus on the direct-to-consumer channels, Levi Strauss & Co. has announced several changes in its leadership. Chief marketing officer Jen Sev is now being promoted as brand President effective from November 30. In this new position, Sey will lead the Levi Strauss’s marketing, design, merchandizing and brand experience operations and bring them all in one place.
Levi Strauss has also decided to promote Liz O’Neill as the chief operations officer. She will oversee the ongoing rollout of the company’s F.L.X. technology, while driving digitization, sustainability and agility in its global supply chain. Similarly, Seth Ellison, previously executive vice president and president, Europe will be promoted to chief commercial officer (CCO), where he will lead the company’s global commercial operations.
Finally, Marc Rosen, Executive Vice President and President, Americas, will take on additional responsibility of the new Digital Enterprise Office. Earlier this month, Levi Strauss announced a surprise profit thanks to a surge in online sales. The company also benefited from important wholesale partnerships and the success of new product categories.


text:
Aristocrat Brings Player-Favorite Games, Cutting-Edge Cabinets to Juegos Miami
Aristocrat Exhibiting in Booth #21
LAS VEGAS (May 21, 2018) – Aristocrat’s products are popular with casino operators and their players across Latin America and the Caribbean, and now Aristocrat is bringing player-favorite links and cabinets to Juegos Miami 2018.
Aristocrat will be located in booth #21 at the tradeshow and will exhibit several links and games on its Arc™ Single and Helix+™ cabinets.
Aristocrat’s new Mighty Cash Link™ is on the Helix+ and features exciting proprietary themes with a distinctive Asian flair, including Dragon Flies™, Tiger Roars™, Red Blade Nuxia™, and Green Blade Nuxia™.
Aristocrat has some of the most popular and sought-after licensed titles in the industry, and at Juegos Miami, Aristocrat will show the dashingly daring Zorro™, the hilarious Ted™, the high-flying PanAm™, and the seductive Elvira™ game themes.
Aristocrat’s Vice President of Latin America Alvaro Nores said, “Juegos Miami is different than other tradeshows in that it concentrates on networking and learning sessions. Aristocrat has been a sponsor of this event since its inception, and we are excited to welcome our customers to this exciting event and to show them our latest products for Latin America and the Caribbean.”

domain: news


text:
French telecommunications service provider Orange is illuminating its ever-growing
presence in South Africa with a new TV commercial to kick off the New Year.
After successfully launching a local online store in 2014, Orange’s 2015 plans
include opening a number of branded retail stores nationwide beginning in Cape
Town, and launching as an internet service provider. The spot was conceptualised
by creative agency Publicis Conseil in Paris.
The ad, which was produced by Cape-Town based Bird Films with producer Alan
Lawson at the helm, portrays a build-up to the 2015 New Year’s Eve countdown. In
a colourful parade of culture and diversity, masses of people are drawn together
from dusty rural roads, the stairwells of apartment blocks and the corners of the
city to sing, dance and usher in a New Year.
Moments before the clock strikes midnight a power outage casts a gloomy shadow
on their celebrations until, one after another, their phone’s light up with New Year’s
text messages. The once still and dark crown begins to twinkle with spots of light,
and the party rages on. As Lawson explains: “This spot was more about emotions of
people coming together and the drama of celebration.’
Shot in July 2014 in Durban and surrounds, the commercial includes approximately
200 extras which form the massive crowd that fills the town square and spills out
into tributary alleys and side streets.
According to Lawson, this effect was created using crowd replication and plate shots
– techniques applied in post-production by the visual effects team which entail
layering and replicating footage of a small group of people onto background shots of
a scene’s location to create the illusion of a larger crowd. The grade was done in
Cape Town at BlackGinger using Baselight, but all VFX work and post-production
was executed by Prodigious Post-Production in Paris.
Lawson adds that director of photography Eugenio Galli chose to shoot the
commercial using an Alexa XT camera with a Cooke Xtal Anamorphic lens as it
offered RAW capabilities for plate shots and (using its 4:3 sensor) was able to give
a cinematic widescreen look to the footage.
Additional key crew members who worked on the production included director Grant
de Sousa, first assistant director Neil Uys, steadicam operator Michael Carstensen,
first assistant cameraman Garth Scholtz, grip Thomas Wahl, gaffer Bruce Thomas,
art director Margaux du Preez, stylist Allison Basset and editor Christiaan
By Carly Barnes


text:
UPDATE, 8:39 p.m. – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” didn’t just break pre-sales records, it eviscerated them.
The seventh film in the science-fiction franchise has sold more than $100 million worth of tickets, sources confirmed Tuesday to Variety. Those include showtimes through the New Year, but it is reasonable to assume that many of those tickets are for opening weekend showtimes.
This kind of numbers has box office tracking suggesting that “The Force Awakens” will do more than $200 million worth of business on its opening weekend domestically and could even surpass “Jurassic World’s” $208.4 million debut to establish a new record. Screenings start at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Despite the heady numbers, exhibitors and Disney, the studio behind the film series, stress there are still seats available and note that theaters are adding extra showtimes to meet demand.
“The Force Awakens” currently ranks as Fandango’s top advance ticket-seller of all time, while MovieTickets.com reports that the film has sold more than double the number of advance tickets to “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” 33% more than “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” and 20% more than “Jurassic World.”
The previous record holder for pre-sales, “The Dark Knight Rises,” did $25 million worth of business in the lead up to its release.
MovieTickets.com also said Tuesday that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” had comprised 91% of all sales on the site over the previous 24 hours and that total Monday sales had tripled the entire site total from three days earlier.
Disney distribution executive Dave Hollis issued a statement Tuesday night in response to the reports of more than $100 million in advance sales for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”: “The advance ticket sales for ‘Star Wars: The Force’ Awakens’ are beyond what anyone could’ve anticipated, let alone for a December release, but with that said, theaters not only have millions of tickets available for this weekend, but they also in most cases have the ability to add shows and screens according to demand.”


text:
Last year, Prowein opened its doors on May 15th, less than 12 weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among the exhibitors was the Shabo winery, one of Ukraine’s biggest, which was uncertain until the last moment whether its wines or anybody to pour them would be able to get to Dusseldorf. The journey proved worthwhile for the Ukrainians who reported having had some very good meetings at the fair.
Joint stand in hall 12 (A03)
Ten months later, Shabo is back at Prowein – on stand G38 in Hall 12 – but this time, they will be accompanied by 11 other producers on a Wines of Ukraine stand - A03 – in the same hall. Behind this initiative is the two-year-old Ukrainian Association of Craft Winemakers with support from the USAID Competitive Economy Program. The two-year-old, 72-member, association was originally created, in the words of its director Svitlana Tsybak, to “actively develop the Wines of Ukraine brand” and to coordinate and develop the national winemaking industry. Today, however, it finds itself helping to remove mines from vineyards recaptured from the Russian occupiers and rebuild wineries after devastating attacks.
Meininger’s recently published news of the impact of the war on the Ukrainian wine fraternity, including Svetlana Tsybak, director of the Beykush winery who, at the end of last year, despite the conflict, opened a wine bar in the heart of Kyiv, focused on small artisan wines.
New realities: mines, bombardment, destruction...
Among the other exhibitors at ProWein are the Prince Trubetskoy Winery whose whose vineyards have yet to be fully de-mined and whose facility is in part of Kherson that is still subject to daily shelling. As the Ukrainian Association of Craft Winemakers states in a press release “even now, after the expulsion of the Russians from Kherson, “it is not clear what happened to the production facilities, ancient wine cellars, restaurant and hotel complex.”
It is sadly all too clear from aerial photographs what has happened to the Artwine winery in the currently besieged city of Bakhmut. The buildings, home of Ukraine’s leading sparkling wine producer, with an annual potential output of 25m bottles, have been destroyed. Fortunately, the business and most of the 500 employees relocated to Odessa in the south, early in the war.
We have to spread the word that, despite the war, life goes on here, we continue to grow grapes and produce our wines.
Looking forward to ProWein, Svitlana Tsybak says “The attention that Ukraine is getting all over the world these days is extraordinary. We have to spread the word that, despite the war, life goes on here, we continue to grow grapes and produce our wines that have already been recognized by the world. We are happy to do our job, to work for our Victory.”
- 46 Parallel Wine Group (Odessa region).
- Artwinery ( Mykolayiv, Kherson and Odessa regions)
- Beykush Winery (Mykolaiv region)
- Biologist Craft Winery (Kyiv region)
- Chateau Chizay (Transcarpathian region)
- Father’s Wine VB (Ternopil region)
- Kolonist Winery (Odesa region / Southern Bessarabia)
- My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky (Odessa region)
- Prince Trubetskoy Winery (Kherson region)
- Stakhovsky Wines (Transcarpathian region)
- Tiras Winery (Khmelnytskyi Region)
- Vinhol Oksamitnoe/Villa Tinta (Odesa region / Southern Bessarabia)


text:
One of the most popular features of Microsoft’s Xbox One console is undoubtedly backwards compatibility, which allows players to replay their old Xbox 360 games on their Xbox One console. And since Microsoft announced the feature to a shocked crowd back at the 2015 E3 show, the company’s list of backward compatible games has been growing, and it now includes classics like Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, amongst others.
This year we’ve seen the addition of much-requested games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Red Dead Redemption, and now Microsoft has announced that Jurassic Park: The Game can now be played on the Xbox One.
Jurassic Park: The Game is one of Telltale’s episodic adventure games based on Spielberg’s legendary 1993 movie, and was fun to play despite the great number of characters players had to control in the game, and some tedious puzzles and quick time events. The game clearly wasn’t up to the standard of The Walking Dead which is arguably Telltale Games finest adventure to date, but can still provide good entertainment to fans of the Jurassic Park movies.
Microsoft also announced that three other games had joined the backwards compatibility list, namely Dragon’s Lair, Battlestations Midway and Tour de France 2011, with Dragon’s Lair, which was created by well-known former Disney animator Don Bluth, being the highlight of the three.
It is clear, though, that being able to replay good old games from the Xbox 360 era is a boon for most Xbox One owners, and the console’s backwards compatibility feature has certainly been a big success, with Microsoft reporting that gamers have spent more than 145 million hours playing Xbox 360 games on their Xbox One consoles to date according to company executive Aaron Greenberg. And it’s certainly great that players are spending quality time playing the old classics on their Xbox One, and hopefully Microsoft’s backwards compatibility list will keep growing to add more great Xbox 360 games in the future.
Note: Those who own Jurassic Park: The Game, Dragon’s Lair, Battlestations Midway and Tour de France 2011 on Xbox 360 will see the game show up in the Xbox One’s game library (note that Tour de France 2011 is not backwards compatible in the US).


text:
West Coast-based Foster Farms Reaffirms Commitment to Never Injecting Its Fresh Chicken with Saltwater
LIVINGSTON, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As leaders from the medical, health and food industries gather today at an Institute of Medicine meeting to explore strategies to reduce sodium in the American diet, West Coast poultry company Foster Farms readies an awareness campaign highlighting its natural, fresh chicken and reassuring consumers that the family-owned poultry company has never, and will never, inject its fresh chicken with saltwater.
Beginning in April, the company will launch a consumer awareness campaign to inform shoppers of the little known practice of some producers "plumping" - or injecting - fresh chicken with unusable saltwater. "Plumping" costs consumers in their health and their bottom line. The average serving of plumped chicken contains more sodium than a large order of French fries or more than 25% of the daily recommended allowance. Research shows that high sodium intake is linked to many diseases, including high blood pressure and heart disease(1). Consumers who purchase plumped chicken could pay up to $1.50 per package, or more than $100 per year per household(2), on saltwater, alone.
Some chicken companies have been plumping chicken for years and labeling the product "Natural." "There's nothing 'natural' about saltwater that consumers are unknowingly paying for at chicken prices," said Ira Brill, Director of Marketing and Advertising Services for Foster Farms. "We believe consumers who purchase fresh chicken should get what they expect to pay for, particularly in these tough economic times. We feel it's important to continue our 70-year commitment to producing premium, all natural, fresh poultry."
Foster Farms' new program, which involves television advertising, events, online and out-of-home components, begins April 13 and will focus on uncovering the p
|SOURCE Foster Farms|
Copyright©2009 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


text:
PHILADELPHIA -- Target has announced that it will temporarily stop selling trading cards -- of both the sports and Pokemon variety -- in stores following a recent violent dispute at one of its locations.
Last week, a Target in Wisconsin was locked down after a man was physically assaulted by four others over sports trading cards.
"The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority," Target said in a statement to CNN. "Out of an abundance of caution, we've decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14."
The cards will still be available online, the company said.
The value of trading cards has skyrocketed in recent months during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In December 2020, a rare Charizard Pokémon card -- with minimum bid set at $50,000 -- sold for $360,000 through Goldin Auctions. Another sold for almost $400,000 earlier this year, and the auction house told CNN they've seen an increase in value over the course of the pandemic.
Sports cards have seen a similar rise.
In early February, a Michael Jordan rookie basketball card in pristine condition sold for a record $738,000 at an auction run by Goldin Auctions. The exact same item went for nearly $215,000 just weeks before.
"There's never been a time like this in the history of the business," Ken Goldin, founder and executive chairman of Goldin Auctions, told CNN in February.
Walmart said it continues to sell trading cards in stores, and a spokesperson told CNN that the retailer has seen an increase in customer demand for them.
"We are determining what, if any, changes are needed to meet customer demand while ensuring a safe and enjoyable shopping experience," a spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
Prior to Target's latest move, the store limited card purchases to just one item a day, saying that guests were lining up overnight to get their hands on trading cards, CNN affiliate WISN reported.
Target did not say when it would begin selling the cards in stores again.
The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.


text:
Some use ice cream to mend a broken heart. Others just love chocolate. And Ina Garten swears by the healing powers of lasagna.
But for one Australian woman, it was Pizza Hut that answered her lovelorn call with the promise of something delicious to ring in the weekend.
In the aftermath of a recent breakup, Australian writer Rosie Waterland vented to Twitter about her coldhearted ex.
Waterland, author of the bestselling book "The Anti-Cool Girl," spared no details when she decided to recount what happened to her nearly 20,000 followers. On Monday, she ousted her ex-boyfriend for his cruel breakup attempt, which she claims he did via messenger and then reportedly blocked her from all of his social media accounts.
Waterland received an array of compassionate remarks and girl power camaraderie from her followers.
But one big food brand decided that the best way to a woman's (broken) heart is through her stomach and gave Waterland something to look forward to.
After connecting with the writer through Twitter's direct messaging, Pizza Hut proclaimed they would be offering her an unspecified number of "her favorite pies" on Friday night.
Waterland was elated and posted that she is fine with accepting "any and all" free stuff with #noshame.
Of course, Pizza Hut is no stranger to special offers. The chain has offered free pizza and promotions for holidays like National Pizza Day, as well as National Pi Day last month. They also made a deal with football fans to provide free pies if the record for the fastest touchdown ever scored was broken during Super Bowl LII.
While the pizza empire's corporate headquarters has yet to confirm whether free food for a broken heart might actually be a new thing, others — who may or may not have been recently dumped — have been hoping to capitalize on Waterland's free pizza deal.


text:
It doesn’t take an auto repair shop in an old Circuit City building or a "for lease" sign over the QuickDrop slot in an old Blockbuster storefront to remind consumers that even the strongest companies can be bowed by bankruptcy.
Blockbuster’s video empire and A&P’s nearly 150-year-old food retail business were among the businesses that declared bankruptcy this year, but were far from the only ones in financial peril. The Street took a look at some companies’ recent struggles and identified 10 for whom bankruptcy may be beckoning, either next year or the not-so-distant future. Some balance sheets and share prices hide the pain better than others, but all of the following have fundamental flaws in either their business plan or management that lead to situations like A&P and Blockbuster’s where what was unthinkable even five years ago seems inevitable soon enough.
AOL went out and bought itself TechCrunch and blew out its Patch network of hyperlocal news sites. Google watched monthly sales of smartphones with its Android OS soar past Apple and Research In Motion and acquired 25 companies this year alone. Yahoo? Well, CEO Carol Bartz told a TechCrunch editor to "f— off" when he questioned her progress since replacing Jerry Yang last year. And they’ve got Associated Content now. That’s something.
Forget just for a moment about Yang’s egomaniacal gaffe two years ago when he got a huge offer from Microsoft and told the folks in Redmond, Washington, to take it walking. Forget that Yahoo has lost more than 55% of its share value in five years. Yahoo’s every move this year making only four acquisitions; launching a Local Offers service with Groupon and other services long after the launch of competitors such as AOL’s Patch and Facebook’s Deals; and entering into an IM deal with smartphone market share-losing Nokia is several steps behind everyone else. Yahoo has some great holdings, such as Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba, but it’s shown no desire or ability to do anything with them. A sale of the entire company still isn’t out of the question, as shareholders have to be weary of Yahoo being unable to adequately monetize its best commodities and mismanaging its company into the grave.
So let us get this straight: Your company’s trading at just over a dollar a share on a good day, former CEO Ron Marshall found a gig at bankrupt A&P more promising and Borders as a whole has struggled through recent rounds of layoffs and at least 180 Waldenbooks store closures and shareholder William Ackman still thinks it would be a great idea to buy Barnes & Noble? That kind of ink-sniffing logic, and Borders’ management’s support of it, makes even the most patient reader want to flip to the end of this sad chapter. In multimillion-dollar debt, facing increasing e-book competition from Amazon, Apple and Google and watching its Kobo e-reader mire itself in fourth place or worse among competitors such as the iPad and Kindle, Borders and its shareholders can’t honestly expect this literary mega-merger to reach a promising conclusion when their company can’t even read the writing on the wall.
Walgreens just took over Duane Reade and grabbed a huge foothold in New York, ever-expanding CVS Caremark sits at No. 18 on the Fortune 500 and Walmart and its discount prescriptions continue to elbow their way into traditional health, beauty and pharmacy strongholds. How does primarily East Coast Rite-Aid respond? By cutting guidance, continuing losses that extend back to its 2007 purchase of Brooks Eckerd, giving up South Carolina locations to SuperValu’s Sav-A-Lot stores and shuffling the deck chairs by moving Chief Operating Officer John Standey to chief executive and keeping former CEO Mary Sammons on as chairman. Though stock prices have rebounded from last year’s low of 20 cents, Rite-Aid is still trading under a dollar as the company deals with crushing debt. Rite-Aid says it will fill fewer prescriptions than previously expected in fiscal 2011, which is just as well there doesn’t seem to be any cure for what’s ailing this company.
There are three words you never want to hear from your cable company: "Buy an antenna." At the height of its standoff with News Corp’s Fox holdings this October, that’s exactly the advice Cablevision gave customers who wanted to watch the World Series. It was just the latest in a series of spats that pit the Cablevision-owning Dolan family against the world, yet Cablevision’s share price just hit a 52-week-high this month after climbing more than 34% this year. It matters little that Cablevision’s Optimum Lightpath communication services are adding subscribers and revenue, though, while the cable service loses subscribers and squeezes the ones that remain for more money. With the mercurial Dolans at the helm, shareholders can expect more of the erratic conditions that dropped stock prices like disgruntled subscribers last year when shares cratered at just above $10 after peaking just above $38 two years before. Stability isn’t something Cablevision’s known for, either in its service or on its books, and investors saddled with such loose-cannon ownership should have bankruptcy in the back of their heads at all times.
Time Warner may finally be atoning for the past after its split with AOL last year, but AOL’s upward trajectory compared with Time Warner’s uncertain and somewhat stagnant path has to be troubling for even the staunchest supporters of this media titan. DVD sales continue to suffer, streaming is cutting into Time Warner’s take and while viewers wait for that HBO streaming venture, properties such as General Electric-owned NBC, Fox and Disney-owned ABC’s Hulu joint venture, and Netflix continue to take turkey off Time Warner’s plate. Regardless of the might of current holdings such as HBO, Turner Broadcasting and Warner Entertainment, Time Warner still has billions worth of debt and that little Time portion that’s turning into a big, paper-weighted drain. Bankruptcy? Improbable, but not out of the question.
December 18, 2010


text:
I’m just going to drop this here and leave, because it makes me sick. This NYT article shows the National Rifle Association, facing budgetary constraints and increasing calls for more gun controls, fighting to get gun stores classified as “essential services” that must stay open during the pandemic. Why? Because the NRA sees “the government’s coronavirus response as a threat to Second Amendment rights.” But why the threat, then? Because the NRA is fear-mongering: touting apocalyptic scenarios in which people need guns to defend their stuff against their neighbors—or against the government.
And so the organization is suing New York State, which has ordered gun stores closed as “nonessential services.”
Click to read:
. . . demand for firearms has been surging as lines form at some gun stores during the pandemic, with background checks rising more than 40 percent in March from a year earlier, developments seen as an opportunity by the N.R.A.
“This has brought new people into the gun rights movement,” Mr. Arulanandam said. The surge in sales, he said, would “end up strengthening us.”
The group has been retooling its strategy. Many on the right played down the virus, including at the N.R.A. — Willes Lee, the board’s second vice president, called it an “election ploy.” But the organization itself has focused on the ramifications of the sweeping response in many states, sending out messages to its supporters with headlines like “COVID-19: Threat to Second Amendment” and “Pandemic Exposes Dangers of So-Called ‘Universal’ Background Checks.”
On Wednesday, the N.R.A. tweeted about the sharp rise in gun sales: “what do they expect when they are releasing inmates while closing gun shops during a pandemic.” The group has also circulated a video in which a disabled woman holding an assault weapon issues a warning to people buying extra food: “If you aren’t preparing to defend your property when everything goes wrong, you’re really just stockpiling for somebody else.”
Yes, this is just what we need: people shooting each other over their stocks of toilet paper. I would think that the NRA’s self-aggrandizing behavior would turn people off, but look at the growing demand for guns mentioned above.
What a country!


text: C.P. Lotus Corporation reported unaudited consolidated earnings results for the six months ended June 30, 2019. For the period, the companys revenue was approximately RMB 5,265,497,000 compared to RMB 5,256,860,000 a year ago. Profit from operations was RMB 267,156,000 compared to RMB 214,700,000 a year ago. Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the company was RMB 40,065,000 compared to RMB 137,690,000 a year ago. Basic and diluted earnings per share was 0.18 cents per share compared to 0.62 cents per share a year ago.


text:
U.S. Recession Likely to End Late 2020 or 2021, NABE Survey Says
“The U.S. economy will emerge from the recession in the second half of this year or at some point in 2021, and a majority of economists said Congress needs to extend supplemental aid, according to a National Association for Business Economics survey. Two-thirds of panelists said the economy is still in the recession that started in February, while nearly 80% indicated that there is at least a one-in-four chance of a double-dip recession. The NABE survey summarizes the responses of 235 members and was conducted between late July and early August.”
U.K.’s Sunak Faces Tough Choices on Job Furlough Program
“Rishi Sunak’s tenure as U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer is reaching a defining moment as he decides whether millions of workers living off government aid should soon begin fending for themselves in a crippled economy. In just over two months, his furlough plan that pays up to 80% of an employee’s salary will finish. Sunak has dismissed mounting pressure to extend the program, whose cost is about 35 billion pounds ($46 billion), albeit rising more slowly than before.”
Chinese Premier Says Economy Can Grow in 2020 If Jobs Target Met
“China’s economy can grow this year if the nation achieves its target of adding 9 million jobs, Premier Li Keqiang said in a visit to the western city of Chongqing. Li called on the nation to step up its efforts and prepare for uncertainties after the economy achieved positive results in recent months, according to a statement posted on the central government website on Sunday. China also targets that smaller companies and business operators could survive this year from the coronavirus outbreak and economic downturn.”
Analyst Certification -The views expressed in this research report accurately reflect the personal views of Mayberry Investments Limited Research Department about those issuer (s) or securities as at the date of this report. Each research analyst (s) also certify that no part of their compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendation (s) or view (s) expressed by that research analyst in this research report.
Company Disclosure -The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however its accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. You are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Mayberry may effect transactions or have positions in securities mentioned herein. In addition, employees of Mayberry may have positions and effect transactions in the securities mentioned herein.


text:
Radiator manufacturer Stelrad has confirmed its intention to float on the Stock Market in a deal that could value the company at around £350m.
The flotation, which will raise £25m for the company to lower its debts, comes after the firm said it had received strong interest from investors after announcing the possibility of a public offer last week.
Read more: go here for more economic news
Stelrad said the final offer price will be determined following a book-building process. It is working with financial services company Investec on the process.
Chief executive Trevor Harvey said: “The interest we’ve received from potential investors in our business has been significant and I’m delighted to confirm our intention to float on the London Stock Exchange.
“We are well placed to pursue both organic and inorganic growth opportunities. Our extensive product offering, strong relationships with all major distributors and specifiers and the supportive market backdrop will enable us to continue to play a central role in keeping Europe warm.
“In addition, given the increasing focus on energy efficiency and desire for more environmentally friendly homes, I am tremendously excited about how our products will form a central component of the wider decarbonisation journey.”
Stelrad can trace its history back to the 1930s and operates in six core geographies: UK, Benelux, Germany, France, Turkey and Poland.
In its most recent accounts, the company reported revenues of £196.6m and an operating profit of £19.5m, but it has said that group revenue in the 12 months ending June 30 grew 23.4% to £242.5m, with operating profit at nearly £32m.
As well as its sites in the UK, it also has manufacturing sites in Holland and Turkey, and distribution facilities in Denmark and Poland.


text:
The ongoing war in Ukraine and the unprecedented supply disruption has brought the world economy to the brink of a food crisis, warned the International Monetary Fund boss on the first day of the Economic Forum in Davos.
Global prices of wheat, maize and vegetable oils have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the production and shipping of crops from the region – known as the breadbasket of Europe.
Please sign in now if you have a subscription or are already registered with us.
Retail-Week.com provides premium, in-depth intelligence that helps retailers judge risks, spot opportunities and identify what they need to do to win in the digital economy.
Register today for a taste of our high-quality intelligence and enjoy:
Discover Retail Week register now
Please note, if you have recently purchased a subscription, it may take a few minutes before your account is updated.


text:
The winning Pakistani team, RZX x Legacy, received PKR 1 million from Jazz’s online eSports platform, Game Now, in association with FreeFire, a well-known mobile multiplayer battle royale game from Garena. They bested 1,152 local teams during the month-long qualification rounds to win a spot among the 18 teams who will participate internationally in the FreeFire SEA Invitational (FFSI) 2023.
RZX x Legacy will depart for Thailand later this week. The upcoming competition will take place there from May 12 to May 28. This collaboration between Game Now and FreeFire aims to strengthen and advance Pakistan’s regional gaming industry.
Pakistan’s revenue from the online gaming business is anticipated to exceed $46 million in 2023 alone, with the global online gaming market likely to reach a value of over $32.5 billion by 2027. Jazz’s chief commercial officer, Kazim Mujtaba, emphasised the potential of this digital market by declaring: “Jazz is determined to help materialise this through Game Now.”
Jazz Game Now’s initiative supports SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Syed Arsalan Qamar, Stream Head Gaming, and eSports at Jazz, expressed the company’s excitement to play a pioneering role in achieving this digital feat.
This collaboration between Game Now and FreeFire honours Pakistan’s outstanding gaming talent and paves the road for the nation’s future gamers. The event serves as a show of support for the regional gaming industry and strives to promote a vibrant gaming scene where regional artists may be seen on a global scale.


text:
PETALING JAYA: “We are losing the battle.” These are the grim thoughts of a cybersecurity expert on the country’s fight against online fraud.
LGMS Bhd Chairman CF Fong, who is well versed in tracking online scams, believed that the scale of losses due to online fraud was far greater than had been reported.
He said most of the online scams exposed involved larger sums.
“But we have many who have lost small sums who are too shy to report it,” said Fong, whose company offers freelance professional cybersecurity services.
It was reported that a total of 71,833 commercial crime cases involving losses amounting to RM5.2 billion were recorded from 2020 to May this year.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said of the total, some 48,850 cases, or 68%, involved online fraud.
Fong said his team of forensic experts scoured the internet and found countless scenarios used by various types of scammers to lure the unsuspecting.
These storylines have continued to adapt to the latest trends, he said.
“Our goal is to get their (scammers) bank details so we can report them to the banks.
“In this way, we hope to at least help prevent some people from becoming victims,” he said, adding that his company had so far shared more than 100 scammer accounts with banks.
Within months, Fong and his team managed to uncover 10 different types of scammers from their encounters on social media.
These include porn chat scams, mystery romance scams, Nigerian inheritance scams, KLIA collection scams, forex, gambling, fake investment guru, Ah Long, employment scams and various online sales.
Fong said there are two common ways for scammers to siphon money – using an Android Package Kit (APK) file to “hack” mobile phones and stealing the transaction activation code number. (TAC) and attract someone using emotions.
He said social media’s susceptibility to being abused by scammers was one of the many reasons he believed social media was not a workable “market”.
“Unlike shopping platforms, social media platforms do not function as a mediator, so consumers buying on social media buy at their own risk.
“Many cases of leaks or disputes occur, but sellers are held accountable.
“As for sellers, they also face similar risks when goods have been sold without receipt of payment,” he said.
“However, their risks can be greatly reduced by imposing certain rules.”
Fong said he sees the government’s plan to regulate online businesses with a special license for sellers as counterintuitive.
“What we need is to focus on strengthening our online transactions application.
“Authorities must also crack down on inappropriate advertising,” he said.
“Just compare these ads to those in newspapers and TV…social media ads are totally out of control.”


text:
When someone buys a pack of cigarettes in some countries, the consumer doesn’t see the brand’s logo plastered across the front. Instead, he or she sees something called “plain packaging” that is meant to deter people from the buying the product.
It’s controversial because companies say it infringes on their rights to brand products and intellectual property. But governments say it’s a necessary step for public health.
The World Trade Organization is expected to rule soon on whether plain packaging contravenes agreements to protect intellectual property.
If plain packaging is ruled to infringe on intellectual property, it could lead to appeals in the UK, Ireland and France to overturn the recent laws which came into force, says Christopher Snowdon, director of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). And that could lead to a domino effect of other countries across Europe adopting similar laws.
It’s time for food and beverage companies to start paying attention, because if it can be done to cigarettes, then it’s only a matter of time until it can be used on alcohol and even confectionery.
“It’s a complicated issue,” Snowdon says. “There is an exception for anything to do with public health. In the normal course of events, it’s a question of whether it will actually provide some public health benefits, so it could extend to other products. If the WTO rules that this is legal, candy and alcohol and gambling could be next.”
Last year, the International Trademark Association (INTA) passed a resolution calling for the rejection of plain packaging laws, saying they violate various international treaties and national laws.
INTA’s resolution warned that plain packaging could lead to a domino effect. They say that encouraging similar restrictions in other countries could lead to “an expanding list of categories of products,” e.g., alcohol, pharmaceuticals, confectionery, foods and beverages.
Examples of such can already be seen in Indonesia, which has proposed extending plain packaging on alcohol.
However, it creates a sticky situation for candy companies, who may see the possible domino effects but also probably don’t want to be lumped in with products like tobacco and alcohol, Snowdon explains.
“Mars made a comment about this about a year or two ago,” he says. “[But] they don’t want to be considered akin to tobacco. I doubt they would ever stand shoulder to shoulder with the tobacco industry.”
In the end, Snowdon hopes the WTO won’t allow plain packaging.
“It degrades branding,” he says. “Branding, at the end of the day, is the consumer’s guarantee, and there is a slippery slope.”
For more information:
Institute of Economic Affairs, 020 7799 8900, www.iea.org.uk


text:
i gave mi my netflix password when she first got her.
i changed that shit as soon as she started showing her true colors.
well i’m glad i did because netflix is trying to put us all in jail!
this is what refinery29 has to say…
A court ruling handed down on Tuesday could make sharing passwords to subscription-based services like Netflix, HBO GO, and Amazon Prime a federal crime, The Guardian reports.
The decision, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, rules that using a password that isn’t yours without permission from the company is a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The case, United States v. Nosal, technically revolved around a man who, in 2004, allegedly used a former coworker’s password to access a work computer after he had left the company. He was charged with hacking.
A dissenting judge in the case, Stephen Reinhardt, pointed out that the decision could have ramifications far beyond the case at hand— i.e., your habit of using your best friend’s aunt’s HBO GO password. “People frequently share their passwords, notwithstanding the fact that websites and employers have policies prohibiting it. In my view, the CFAA does not make the millions of people who engage in this ubiquitous, useful, and generally harmless conduct into unwitting federal criminals,” he wrote.
Don’t worry yet. It’s pretty unlikely that HBO GO or Netflix is going to come after you and demand that you and your roommate sign up for separate accounts, as the CEOs of both companies have spoken positively of password-sharing. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings called password-sharing “positive” in January, according to tech site CNET.
since everything is “ip” based,
it would be easy to track who is using another’s password.
imagine going to prison for using your friend’s netflix password?
i’m sure that would make for an interesting story on cell block “d”.


text:
A petition signed by over 40,000 called for its removal, but other R-rated DVDs and games still remain on the retailer’s shelves. A move that’s one step forward and another back.
Target Australia released a press release today announcing that the retailer will be pulling Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V from their shelves following massive negative feedback regarding the depictions of violence against women.
Target Australia’s corporate affairs executive Jim Cooper explained that the decision to remove the game from the retailer’s shelves was what the majority of their customers wanted. It’s highly probable that the petition created on Change.org a few days before the announcement influenced this outcome especially since more than 40,000 people have supported it as of this writing.
While the petition generally advocates to women survivors of violence, it specifically highlights the violence towards sex workers in the game: “This game means that after various sex acts, players are given options to kill women by punching her unconscious, killing with a machete, bat or guns to get their money returned,” the petition reads.
If you’ve never played any of the Grand Theft Auto games before, the page linked this video as an example:
I think it’s quite interesting how this whole activity started in earlier games. The game didn’t specifically instruct players to kill sex workers after the deed to get your money back. I don’t think players even knew that they could get their money back. Perhaps, someone realized that you could have a freebie and it grew into a thing. I encountered this when I was seven years old and I was more fascinated in getting something for free in general than the act of killing a sex worker. Heck, I would do the same thing if that worked in Cluckin’ Bell.
Anyway, I commend Target at the very least for listening to the complaints and treating it as a valid concern. The problem is that it probably is only a concern for them because a majority of their consumers said so. They wouldn’t be pulling it if only a select group of people complained regardless of the validity of the complaints.
I also think that the solution is quite problematic. The retailer is pulling one game with misogynistic elements from their shelves, but will still continue to sell other Rated-R games and films? There are countless other titles that are exclusively for treating women like crap. While former GameSpot writer Carolyn Petit drew ire for calling out the game’s misogyny, she still thought the game was worth playing and gave it a high grade of 9/10.
It’s not far-fetched to assume that most of the petition’s supporters backed the campaign without playing the game themselves. Yes, it’s really horrendous that we can mistreat women in the game but there’s a lot more to the game that needs to be taken into consideration before making a decision like this. It’s like basing your vote on merely one YouTube video of a presidential candidate’s speech on a singular matter.
I’m not undervaluing the experiences of women survivors of violence. I’m sure that seeing videos like the one above triggered unpleasant memories that they’d rather forget and they fear that the pleasure gamers take out of it will translate in real life. However, cutting one bad tree in a forest of misogyny won’t solve the problem. It would stop people from being exposed to it, but it won’t help them understand why it shouldn’t be there in the first place. They’ll just move on to the next tree which could probably be Drive Angry or Saints Row. Cutting everything won’t help either because people will just plant new trees to replace what they’ve lost.
Removing Grand Theft Auto V was an easy yet ineffective solution for both parties involved. If they want real change and progress, why not campaign towards promoting dialogue and reforming companies’ attitude toward women. Both sides has its problems. Target could have been more careful in advertising the game. It’s no surprise since this road requires more time, money, and effort, but that’s what’s needed to enact real change instead of temporary band-aids.
Rockstar Games isn’t without blame, but that doesn’t mean they should stop making games altogether. Gamemoir’s own LGBT & Gender columnist Philip Wythe shared his two cents on the matter: “We should be pressuring Rockstar to create better female characters and a woman player character, and identifying the games’ problems. That’s what most feminists really want; very few gaming feminists want Rockstar’s series pulled from shelves.”
Everyone and everything has its own faults and strengths. Grand Theft Auto V is a great game, but it can be better. It can’t be that if we take it away for good.


text:
An Post Christmas stamp sales up 4%
An Post has reported that Christmas stamp sales are running 4% ahead of last year’s figures, with Christmas stamp revenue already up 5% year-on year.
This is the first increase in Christmas stamp sales that An Post has seen in more than 10 years.
At the busiest time of the year for stamp sales, this early success comes as the Company continues to reposition its mails business with new products and improved distribution and increased marketing activity through more post offices and a new online shop at anpost.com/Christmas
An Post say that while it’s still relatively early in the Christmas season, the 4% sales increase so far this year contrasts strongly with previous years which have typically seen falls of 8% – 10% in sales volumes.
According to Fiona Heffernan, Commercial Director of Mail at An Post: “We’ve taken a new approach to Christmas this year, welcomed our customers’ involvement in designing stamps around their favourite Christmas traditions and we’ve added a new Elf on the Shelf product which has been selling strongly since early November.
“Our new Christmas ads features real Irish people who won’t be spending Christmas with family this year, sending personal messages to their loved ones, and reinforcing the importance of sending personal cards and parcels to loved ones near and far”, she added.
“We’ve brought energy and fun to Christmas this year underpinned by the transformation of the An Post mail business. Recent reports say overall Irish consumer spend will be up 3% this Christmas so we’re delighted that stamp sales are outpacing this, with three weeks still to go,” Heffernan concluded.


text:
Lazada, Southeast Asia’s leading online shopping and selling destination, kicks off its Effortless Shopping campaign(http://www.lazada.com.ph/effortless-shopping/) in the Philippines from 21-26 July highlighting the benefits of effortless online shopping to Filipino consumers.
“We are committed to providing an effortless online shopping experience to approximately 550 million consumers in the Southeast Asian region. While our customer satisfaction survey reveals that respondents are satisfied with their online shopping experience, there is an untapped opportunity to reach out to non-online shoppers by highlighting the benefits of online shopping and thus changing their perceptions,” said InancBalci, CEO of Lazada Philippines.
As an eCommerce leader in the Philippines, Lazada provides consumers with an effortless shopping experience with its user-friendly sites and mobile apps accessible at their fingertips anytime, any day. It offers a wide selection of international, local and exclusive products; and multiple secure payment options including cash-on-delivery.
Consumers can shop with peace of mind on Lazada as all items purchased are covered by Lazada's Buyer Protection Program. This provides a guarantee that products are genuine, new and not defective; and for customers to return the items within seven days for a full refund, otherwise. Consumers can also shop with assurance knowing that they can reach out to Lazada’s customer service seven days a week by phone and email.
We can experience the benefits of online shopping during The Effortless Shopping Sale on Lazada happening on July 21-23 on Desktop and Mobile and on July 24-26 exclusively on Mobile App.


text:
The shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) fell the strongest on Friday for more than two years, after the world's largest technology company made better-than-expected gains in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. Slowing growth in emerging markets and a stronger US dollar would probably mean that holiday sales would fall short of Wall Street forecasts.
The group also unsettled investors when they said they would no longer provide detailed figures for selling individual products such as iPhones and Mac computers. This means that investors can no longer calculate their average selling price, an important measure of the company's profitability. The decision to delete these guidelines, as well as forecasts for the December quarter of approximately $ 91 billion in the three months ended December, overshadowed a stronger than expected September quarter, exceeding the expected $ 2.91 earnings per share and group revenues of $ 62.9 billion.
"From the December quarter, we will no longer provide sales for iPhone, iPad and Mac," said CFO Luca Maestri on Thursday in a conference call. "As we've said many times before, our goal is to create great products and services that enrich people's lives and provide an unparalleled customer experience so our users are highly satisfied, loyal and dedicated."
"Achieving these goals will result in strong financial results," he added. "As our financial results have shown in recent years, the number of units sold over a 90-day period is not necessarily representative of the underlying strength of our business."
Apple shares fell 5.7% at the opening bell, and changed ownership for $ 209.45 each. This is the lowest level since August 1, and a move that is below the market value of the group based in Cupertino, California, for the first time in less than $ 1 trillion. It was the first company to exceed this rating on August 2.
Apple said it had moved 46.9 million iPhones in the three months to the end of September, a figure broadly in line with analysts' forecasts, but flattered by a much higher than expected average selling price of $ 793, which surpassed the consensus of $ 751 by 28.3% over the same period last year.
Services revenue, which includes App Store, Apple Music, iCloud Storage, and Apple Pay, increased 27% to $ 10 billion, down from 31% in the June quarter. This weakening may have been influenced by the slower sales of the iPhone, which reduces the so-called installed base.
"We believe the new iPhones will boost ASPs well, but unit growth is still lacking," said Tim Long of BMO Capital Markets. "We are skeptical about ASP's sustainability as a growth driver, management will stop reporting volumes, and some investors may be disappointed by the lower levels of disclosure."


text:
KeyBank to promote global e-commerce via BlueSnap’s array of payment gateway options
KeyBank's US gateway has selected BlueSnap, a worldwide payment management platform, to assist the bank’s middle market and institutional clients in the e-commerce landscape by providing them more sophisticated payment alternatives and capabilities.
Businesses can expect to sell in more than two hundred regions using a single integration and contract. Reports indicate that they can have access to local card acquiring in forty-seven countries, over one hundred currencies, and over one hundred worldwide payment types. Some of the payment options include well-known digital wallets, automated accounts receivable, top-notch fraud protection and chargeback management, established regulation and tax compliance solutions, as well as a globally integrated reporting system.
Ralph Dangelmaier, CEO, BlueSnap, commented that their scalable payments solution will enable payments for millions of merchants and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) in the United States and around the world.
Open finance agreement by Wise and Plaid to empower secure financial networking
Wise, a global technology firm, and Plaid, an API-first data network that powers the digital ecosystem, have entered into an open finance agreement to provide users with a secure and simple method to transfer funds across various financial institutions, enabling access to thousands of apps for its thirteen million customers. Wise is reportedly the first fintech to use Plaid's latest Core Exchange API. Customers can now expect to connect their US Wise accounts to over 6000 apps, including Venmo, Robinhood, Truebill and Chime, using Plaid's open finance tool, Core Exchange.
Reports indicate that Wise customers are already benefiting from the collaboration with peer-to-peer payments and investment platforms. Additionally, the services made available by Plaid are reportedly being used by business customers in the US to pay taxes and credit card bills as well as to link to neobanks and connect to payroll companies.
Reports indicate that Plaid offers a simple, cost-free method for data partners to implement the financial data exchange API specification. It is also said to expand Plaid’s Exchange by assisting businesses in facilitating data connectivity on behalf of their clients.
SBS becomes the primary distributor of Modex's blockchain-based solutions in MENA
Modex, blockchain-based solutions provider, has named Superior Business Solutions Inc. (SBS) as the principal distributor for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and across Africa. SBS is a US-based IT solutions provider with operations in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt.
The new partnership between SBS and Modex will enable both parties to provide sophisticated services that they claim will redefine how data and digital assets are saved, exchanged and maintained, resulting in greater transparency and data integrity.
Reports indicate that SBS intends to provide blockchain-powered solutions in multiple industries, including healthcare, business and finance, through its collaboration with Modex. The two companies plan to integrate blockchain solutions with their customers' existing data systems in a seamless manner, resulting in increased operational efficiency, security and transparency.
According to Adel Youssef, CEO, SBS, the MENA blockchain market is expected to grow from US $199 million in 2021 to US $7.6 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 68.3%. Reports indicate that the government requires rapid growth in sectors such as healthcare, banking, telecommunications, logistics and many others, and the use of blockchain-based solutions can help accelerate development in these areas.
Fortune Business Insights reported that the global Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) market was worth US $1.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to be worth US $24.9 billion by 2027, growing at a 39.5% CAGR. Growing adoption of BaaS tools and services by small and medium-sized businesses to create their own blockchain applications, smart contracts and payment systems is expected to fuel market expansion over the projected period, claims the report. The benefits of BaaS services, such as smart decentralization, data immutability and integrity, high efficiency, cost-effectiveness and robust security, are being investigated by companies of all sizes in this regard.
Ripple Labs shows interest in insolvent cryptocurrency lender Celsius's assets
Ripple Labs Inc, US-CA based blockchain firm, is considering purchasing assets from US-NJ based crypto lender Celsius Network, which froze withdrawals in June 2022 and filed for bankruptcy in July 2022, declaring a US $1.19 billion deficit on its balance sheet. Ripple has reportedly grown despite the crypto market volatility and is said to be actively seeking M&A opportunities to strategically scale.
Ripple's legal representatives filed petitions with the bankruptcy court to be represented in the proceedings last week, and the filing was approved by the court earlier this week. According to Celsius's bankruptcy filings, Ripple is not one of the company's major creditors.
Celsius's assets, according to the bankruptcy filings, include digital assets held in custody accounts, loans, a bitcoin mining business, the company's own CEL token, and bank cash and cryptocurrencies on hand.
Ripple, which is privately held, has not previously completed any significant transactions. Despite the market values drastically declining as a result of the recent collapse in cryptocurrency prices, which helped bring down Celsius and other cryptocurrency enterprises, the company stated that it was valued at about $15 billion after a private stock buyback in January 2022. According to a report released by Ripple in July 2022, the firm's total sales of its cryptocurrency XRP, net of acquisitions, were $408.9 million in the second quarter compared to $273.27 million in the first quarter.
Morgan Stanley intends to launch a direct lending fund in Europe
Morgan Stanley’s asset management division is reportedly planning a direct lending strategy in Europe and expects to raise between €2 billion and €3 billion in its initial plan. According to reports, the firm expects to deploy the capital in early 2023.
The private alternatives division is said to manage US $115 billion in assets across a variety of strategies such as opportunistic private credit, European real estate secured private credit, and private real estate credit. Additionally, the firm acquired Eaton Vance in 2021, contributing numerous private market funds to its portfolio.
In recent years, an increasing number of asset managers have expanded their private markets divisions, specifically in private credit.
TreviPay expands business payments via small business network solution
TreviPay, a B2B payments and invoicing network provider, has expanded its Small Business Supplier Network (SBSN) across the United States in order to meet businesses’ needs following the launch of its specialized networks for large enterprises and midmarket businesses.
The SBSN is said to operate as a fully integrated, end-to-end payments network that will run in parallel with card payments. Additionally, banks can expect to deliver a white-labelled, structured financial service to small business suppliers who sell to businesses and governments on invoice payment terms.
TreviPay will reportedly collaborate with banks to offer flexible payment terms to clients of small business suppliers, while helping to ensure that the vendor is paid virtually debt-free. With the new small business product offerings, TreviPay's SBSN enables member banks to enter the small business B2B trade credit and business banking market. Additionally, members will have the ability to tailor their solutions and go-to-market strategies, as well as monitor their risk policies and establish supplier fees. Banks can expect to launch this new product without incurring capital costs or integrating new technology.
Business customers frequently receive trade credit, which is customary and frequently viewed as important to maintain competitiveness, draw in new or larger clients, strengthen existing relationships, and promote customer retention. Small business suppliers, however, continue to use their own working capital to cover the majority of the trade credit they extend. This lengthy, ineffective utilization of their scarce cash flow ultimately hinders their ability to grow and bounce back, added reports.
Rissi Lovern, Head of Small Business Markets, TreviPay, commented that the SBSN expects to build an infrastructure and technology framework to help eliminate small business trade credit, similar to credit card networks eliminating B2C trade credit for retailers.
Like this item? Get our Weekly Update newsletter. Subscribe today


text:
3rd September 2021
vivo has unveiled a new in-house designed imaging chip - the V1 - during a press event held in Shenzhen, China. As part of the company's commitment to enable consumers to take their perfect shot, the V1 was developed over 24 months, involving 300 R&D team members and imaging lab experts at vivo.
Hu Baishan, Executive Vice President & COO at vivo, speaking at the press event
In 2019, with the evolving demands of users, vivo began incorporating design-driven and user-oriented innovation, taking the lead on developing their own chips as they focus their resources on simulating the known needs of consumers through IP design and developing key innovative image processing algorithms. Subsequently, vivo has been recruiting talents from all around the world to implement this vigorous development strategy and will continue to take the lead on developing their own chips without undertaking chip manufacturing.
Commenting on the new product, Hu Baishan, Executive Vice President & COO at vivo said, "The V1 is a fully-customised integrated circuit chip dedicated for imaging and video applications with cutting edge visual quality, marking a key milestone as vivo's inaugural breakthrough in independent R&D and chip design. In line with vivo's imaging system design, the Imaging Chip V1 can better serve user needs by optimising smartphone application scenarios such as viewfinder look and video recording."
Based on consumer insights, vivo will strike a balance between products and technology by harmonising their focus on ethical pre-research along with product & technical planning. The vivo Central Research Institute will be responsible for planning up-and-coming technologies, which will be closely aligned with consumer demands, industry trends and user scenarios.
vivo has invested heavily in imaging systems over the last five years, achieving many industry-leading breakthroughs such as Gimbal Stabilisation technology and Selfie Spotlight. In December 2020, vivo and ZEISS announced a long-term strategic partnership in mobile imaging innovation. Both partners share the ambition to anticipate and meet most demanding consumer requirements, as well as the will to challenge the limits of mobile imaging through joint research and development at the vivo ZEISS Imaging Lab. Moving forward, vivo's approach towards spearheading innovative image processing (IP) technology at the chip level will mainly revolve around four strategic tracks: image system, operating system, industrial design, and performance.
The vivo and ZEISS partnership has two dimensions of collaboration, the first of which is the product R&D line. The results of joint R&D and combination of ZEISS technologies for mobile imaging with vivo's leading smartphone technology, algorithms, and manufacturing capabilities – such as ZEISS T* Coating and Biotar Portrait Style – can be experienced first in vivo's X60 series. The second dimension is the mutual exploration of shaping the future through mobile imaging, spearheading the advancement of next-level professional photography and videography technologies.
"Aside from enhancing the visual aesthetics and imaging effects of vivo products, the Imaging Chip V1 also aims to bring unparalleled experiences to users by channelling emotional resonance through visual expression. vivo is committed to long-term investment in the four strategic tracks to create industry-leading technology and innovation, which will undoubtedly satisfy even the most demanding high-end smartphone users," Hu added.
The goal for vivo over the next 10 to 20 years is to create products based on a design-driven value, building a bridge between humans and the digital world by providing users with an increasingly convenient mobile and digital experience.


text:
Castleford to hold its first Preloved Market
Traders are being urged to snap up a stall at Castleford's first Preloved Market on next week.
The event, on Thursday September 1 from 9am-4pm, will run alongside the town’s already established second-hand market and aims to extend the type of goods and items which are available.
It’s a chance to sell good quality older items such as clothes, china, books and unusual objects.
Coun Denise Jeffery, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Skills at Wakefield Council, said: “I’d like to encourage traders to get in touch, book a stall and support this exciting new venture.
“We have a successful Preloved Market in South Elmsall and we’d like to see the same happening at Castleford. Our friendly staff at the market office are happy to give advice and help.”
The cost is £10 per stall, with a limit of one stall per trader.
To book a stall, call at the Market Office, at Carlton Street, or ring 01977 727196, from Monday to Saturday.
For more information visit www.wakefield.gov.uk/markets


text:
Article by Joanna Sarah-Freedman
Head to your local supermarket right now and you might notice there’s a fruit and veg shortage in the UK. That’s because supermarket rationing is in full swing ATM, with shops introducing a cap on how much of your five-a-day you can buy.
Yep, customers are finding themselves limited to three pieces of fruit and veg maximum in several supermarket chains across the UK – but why?
It turns out there are several reasons your local’s shelves are bare. Let us explain…
Why is there a fruit and veg shortage in the UK?
The fruit and veg shortage in the UK is down to a “perfect storm” of rising energy costs over here and bad weather abroad, where a lot of our foreign produce comes from.
Explaining the impact of energy costs, Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, told i News: “Not only did we not plant [due to rising energy costs], but great swathes of the Netherlands did not plant for exactly the same reason. So we’ve become overly dependent on Spain and Morocco and probably there was never enough capacity in those countries to do what they were already doing, let alone make up for the shortfall in Northern Europe.”
Then, there’s the fact that in winter, 90 percent of our crops are imported (compared to summer, when we are much more self sufficient) – and mostly from places where the weather has been really bad, recently.
For one, cooler weather in Morocco has caused tomatoes to take longer to grow. However, Dan Fulgoni, the managing director at Eurofrutta, a London fruit and vegetable distributor, told The National: “The problem is much more widespread than just tomatoes.
“It is affecting a lot of produce, so, it’s going to be a bit of a roller coaster with regards availability on all those products for the next few weeks.”
Not only are the temperatures to blame for these limited supplies, but flash floods and rain have also seen ferries cancelled and caused transport delays which have stopped these ingredients arriving in the UK at their usual rate.
Tim O’Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, added to ITV News: “It’s the perfect storm of terrible growing weather and, of course, inflation”.
On top of delays, “all this has led to a major reduction in yields, reduction in size [of vegetables], quality issues, viruses,” he said.
Is Brexit to blame for the fruit and veg shortage in the UK?
Brexit may also be a contributing factor impacting supplies of fruit and veg in the UK, although there are many other causes at play, too.
This is the kind of scene we saw during the worst of the pandemic. Only this time it is due to Brexit pic.twitter.com/UswDZsjcpo
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) February 20, 2023
Indeed, since Brexit, Morocco has become one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of fruit and veg, with food exports from there to the UK rising by 40 percent since January 2021. Alongside energy costs, this has also slowed the trade fruit and veg grown in Europe.
With Brexit resulting in a growing dependence on produce from certain countries, it’s fair to say that it has played some part in the issues we are facing now.
What groceries are in short supply in the UK?
The reasons above have impacted the supply of several groceries we depend upon here in the UK.
The items currently in short supply include:
How will supermarket rationing work?
Asda has announced it will be rationing customers to a maximum of three items of certain fruit and veg, including tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. Meanwhile, restrictions will also cover other items including cucumbers, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflowers, and raspberries.
Morrisons is also rationing fruit and veg supplies, with customers only allowed two items including tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers.
Whilst other supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Tesco are yet to follow suit, it is being reported that they are considering similar measures.
The British Retail Consortium, which represents major supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury’s, has noted the supply issues are present at their stores, too.
How long will fruit and veg rationing last?
The supply issues are expected to last weeks, as fruit and veg shortages aren’t an easy issue to fix overnight.
However, Andrew Opie, the British Retail Consortium’s director of food & sustainability, said that supermarkets will already be doing all they can to replenish stock where possible.
READ MORE: Try Twisted’s Vegan Miso Lemon Udon recipe
“While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce,” he said.
James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, also told LBC Radio: “Give it about a fortnight and the other growing seasons in other parts of the world will have caught up and we should be able to get that supply back in.”
Why does the UK import so much food instead of growing it?
The UK relies heavily on food imports in winter, and whilst this has always been the case it is even more prevalent at the moment thanks to energy prices and inflation.
Supermarkets ultimately aren’t going to pay local suppliers when they can buy the produce cheaper from abroad, where it’s in season. Rising costs here in the UK mean that sellers would have to punt their fruit and veg at a premium to make a profit.
“Growers simply didn’t put [veg] in the ground. They’d rather wait on warmer weather when they don’t have to rely on heating”, British Growers Association’s Ward told i News.
What’s more, Olly Harrison, owner of Water Lane Farm in Merseyside in North West England, told the Daily Mail that shoppers shouldn’t expect the UK to be offering up much of this produce any time soon.
“People are going to have to start eating some items like tomatoes seasonally again, because at the moment, without help, they just can’t be produced in this way,” he said.
“It’s that simple: if something requires energy to be produced, and the cost of energy is getting higher and higher, no one is going to grow it.”
What diseases are caused by a lack of vegetables?
A lack of fruit and vegetables can cause a manner of health issues, but the good news is you’ll need to go without for much longer than a few weeks if any of these are to be a genuine concern.
Diseases caused by lack of vegetables that can impact you in the long term include:
- Scurvy – this is caused by vitamin C deficiency for long periods (around three months). Symptoms include weakness, fatigue and sore arms and legs.
- Night blindness – this is an inability to see well when its dark, and is caused by vitamin A deficiency, among other factors. Vitamin A is in veg like carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers, so lack of fruit and vegetables can play a part, but again, this has to be over an extended period of time.
- Hemorrhagic disease or bleeding disorder – this is caused by vitamin K deficiency (vitamin K is found in lots of green veg). Most common in babies severely deficient of the vitamin, this can mean they can’t stop bleeding because their blood can’t form clots.
- Heart disease – this affects the blood vessels that supply the heart, and it’s another long term issue caused, in part, by not eating enough fruit. A study by Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts in 2003 found vitamin C and a decreased risk of heart disease in women.
As we say, none of these are a concern when it comes to the current rations, so don’t panic. You can still enjoy a perfectly healthy diet right now if you shop wisely and eat seasonally where possible.
You’re more at risk of having to fight off frantic shoppers in the salad aisles!


text:
By Christian Smith
The social broadcasting platform Caffeine is launching a new way to get paid.
Caffeine's users will be able to purchase digital items that they can use to interact with live broadcasts. The more users who participate in a live broadcast on the platform, the more money that show's producer makes.
The company's founder and CEO, Ben Keighran, said he hopes this new monetization system will create a more exciting and interactive experience.
"We're trying to build something that is really additive to the experience, really additive to the engagement, and hopefully makes broadcasters more money and makes the whole experience for everyone more fun," Keighran said Thursday on Cheddar.
Live streaming platforms traditionally make money through advertisements and subscriptions. Caffeine will make money through the sale of what Keighran calls "digital concessions."
The new system uses an internal currency called Caffeine gold, which viewers can buy through an iPhone app and through Caffeine's website. The gold, which starts at 99 cents, is to purchase the various concessions.
Caffeine is not expecting everyone to buy the gold. Users can broadcast their own content to earn credits, which can be turned back into Caffeine gold.
The new system separates Caffeine from competitors, like Twitch, because it enables any social broadcaster, no matter their following or concurrent viewership, to make money. Caffeine is still figuring out exactly what percent of the money spent on concessions within a broadcast will go to the content creator.
Twitch gives preferential treatment to members of its affiliate and partner programs. Streamers with more than 50 followers and an average of three concurrent viewers are invited to be affiliates, and the most popular streamers on the platform can apply to become Twitch partners.
Caffeine has a bit of catching up to do. Twitch reports it has more than 1.7 million broadcasters a month live streaming on its platform. It can make up ground with some of the $46 million it raised in January 2018.
The company said it was is using the capital to grow its engineering and content teams, as well as building out its data system infrastructure, which is what allows Caffeine broadcasters to stream live without the delays other social broadcasting platforms have.
For the full interview, click here.


text:
Circular Plastics Alliance aims to Boost Recycling in the Plastics Value Chain
To boost the EU market for recycled plastics, the European Commission launched the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA).
More than 275 organisations representing industry, academia and public authorities covering the entire plastics value chain have signed the declaration of the alliance. By joining the CPA, organisations and businesses confirm their intentions to work collectively with the other signatories towards the ambitious aim that by 2025, 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics will find their way into new products on the EU market.
To reach the target, over 80% of the increase in recycled plastics should come from packaging, the remainder from the other sectors such as:
The Alliance calls for a shift to zero plastic waste in nature and zero landfilling, and it builds on several concrete actions:
Improving the design of plastics to make them more recyclable
Identifying solutions to facilitate recycling
Setting a research-and-development agenda for circular plastics
Establishing a transparent and reliable monitoring system
Discussing the Alliance, Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: “With the Circular Plastics Alliance, the plastics value chain is showing great cooperation towards the transition to circular plastics. The mobilisation of all actors, public and private, along the value chain and across key plastics-using sectors, is also improving Europe’s resilience by maximising the use of plastic waste as a valuable resource. I welcome these efforts and count on the alliance’s continued engagement.”
The first voluntary pledges for recycled plastics made by industry showed that the supply of recycled plastics could reach and exceed the target, however, more work was needed to ensure the use of recycled plastics. In this regard, the Alliance is preparing a report on the requirements and solutions to increase the integration of recycled plastics in products.
The CPA will also regularly update its roadmap through an open process of dialogue and exchange with national and local authorities and all other interested stakeholders.
New stakeholders can join the alliance by signing a declaration.
Watch the ‘Circular Plastics Alliance: Work done in 2020’ video at the bottom of this page to find out more about joining.
Find out more here.


text:
Maldives national bureau of statistics states that the inflation rate rose to 1.38% during August while it was 0.54% in July. Besides, the rate in
Regarding the rise in the price level of goods and services, National Bureau of statistics outlined that the majority of the prices rose from varieties of vegetables where the prices rose to a great extent by 60.81%.
The prices of tuna also increased by 1.58% while the rate increased by 1.47% from milk, cheese and eggs. Added to that, the price level of food commodities rose by 1.75% while cafe’ and restaurant prices increased by 0.18%. Moreover, the price level of phone and fax accessories also increased by 7.61% when the rates of clothes and accessories also rose by 0.24% along with the rent of houses which increased by 0.26%.
However, the prices of some varieties have also decreased. Such as the prices of fruits decreased by 1.89% while the price of motorbikes also declined by 1.03% along with a 0.87% decrease in the prices of motors used in households.


text:
New water park planned in south Wichita
Earlier this month, Have You Heard? reported that Camping World Holdings chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis is still bringing RVs to Wichita, but it won’t be under the Camping World name as planned.
We reported that Gander RV is how the store will be branded here, and it will be within a new Gander Outdoors store. That’s the updated version of the former Gander Mountain that used to be in the WaterWalk development downtown.
According to a news release this week, the two stores will share the single name of Gander RV & Outdoors.
Grand opening festivities will be Thursday through Monday.
At 1 p.m. Saturday, there will be the chain’s signature flag-raising ceremony in which a 3,200-square-foot flag — that’s bigger than the average Wichita house — is raised to honor first responders and current and former members of the military.
At 2 p.m., there will be a ribbon cutting. There also will be food, music, prizes and activities.
Lemonis, who is known for the reality show “The Profit,” often attends grand openings for his stores. A spokeswoman says he has a conflict and won’t be able to come to Wichita.


text:
Astrologers claim that each creature portends different fortunes for the months to come. In the world’s major fashion houses, however, the exercise remains the same every year: releasing animal-themed collections in search of the most important Chinese buyers.
For 2022, Burberry returned its signature monogram in beige and orange, giving trench coats, pleated skirts and woven jackets an elegant tiger look. Kenzo’s capsule collection meanwhile includes a $565 windbreaker featuring a fearsome tiger graphic. Even brands that traditionally eschew fleeting trends in the name of sustainability have joined us, with Stella McCartney launching a pair of luxe striped bags.
A promotional image from Burberry’s Lunar New Year 2022 campaign. Credit: Feng Li/© Courtesy of Burberry
The annual shopping spree
This year’s collections, on the other hand, could enjoy surprising longevity.
After a succession of decidedly unglamorous animals – the pig, the rat and, last year, the ox – the revolving zodiac has finally landed on a more familiar muse. Big cat designs were popular among fashion designers long before executives started chasing Chinese money, and brands seem quite comfortable with this year’s theme.
Take Italian brand Valentino, which drew on its own history of tiger prints to produce a tasteful range based on one of its late 1960s collections (pictured top). Or Balenciaga, who stuck to classic items like track jackets and twist dresses but simply reinvented them with black-on-orange-and-taupe stripes.
Moschino celebrates the Year of the Tiger with a capsule collection featuring Tony the Tiger. Credit: Moschino
A promotional image from Gucci’s festive Lunar New Year campaign. Credit: Angelo Pennetta/Gucci
Others, however, took a more subtle approach approach. Salvatore Ferragamo, for example, invited Beijing artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu to create a striking bag inspired by traditional Chinese paintings. Meanwhile, Prada – showing how far it’s strayed from 2010’s basic accessories – is using its low-key campaign to raise awareness of the plight of real-life tigers, promising to donate money to conservation efforts at the China Green Foundation .
Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo invited artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu to create a unique print inspired by the zodiac tiger. Credit: Salvatore Ferragamo
Whether or not these designs are timeless enough to wear when the tiger rises again in 2034 remains to be seen. But the position of animals in Chinese folklore may help.
Admired for its prowess and strength, the tiger is considered one of China’s favorite zodiac animals (possibly behind the dragon). The stripes on the creatures’ foreheads are said to resemble the written character “wang”, which means “king”, and therefore were often associated with power and royalty in ancient times. They have also been a common motif in Chinese historical art, design and even clothing, with “tiger head” shoes – with toecaps decorated to look like tigers – once widely worn by children to ward off evil spirits and protection from illness or misfortune.
As such, there’s a good chance that this year’s holiday gifts will live a little longer in the wardrobe than recent efforts. The question, then, may be: will the bunny theme of 2023 prompt a return to the cheesy, wasteful methods of yesteryear?
A tiger may not be able to change its stripes, but maybe fashion can.
Top image: A promotional image of the Lunar New Year collection from Maison Valentino.


text:
The banking and finance industry continues to evolve in 2023, with new trends and innovations emerging. Here are some of the latest developments in the field:
Increased Adoption of Cryptocurrency – With the rise of digital currencies such as Bitcoin, banks are starting to integrate cryptocurrency into their offerings and explore the potential benefits and risks.
Regtech – Regulatory technology is becoming a critical area of focus for financial institutions as they aim to comply with the ever-evolving regulatory landscape while streamlining their operations.
Digital-Only Banks – The trend of digital-only banks is growing, with more consumers opting for online banking services over traditional brick-and-mortar institutions.
Sustainable Investing – The trend of ESG investing continues to gain traction, as investors are becoming increasingly concerned with the social and environmental impact of their investments.
AI and Automation – Artificial intelligence and automation are becoming more prevalent in the financial industry, helping institutions to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and provide better customer experiences.
Emerging Payment Technologies – New payment technologies such as contactless payments, mobile wallets, and digital wallets are becoming increasingly popular and changing the way consumers manage their finances.
Cybersecurity and Data Privacy – Cybersecurity and data privacy are critical concerns in the financial industry, with banks and other institutions investing in new technologies to protect their systems and customer data.
These are some of the latest developments and trends shaping the banking and finance industry in 2023.


text:
A Fleet Owner’s Guide to NEC Article 625: Electric Vehicle Charging Systems
December 19, 2022| Posted in Articles| 470
In 2019, Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs). The next year, UPS bought 10,000 delivery EVs. And in 2021, FedEx announced a plan to switch its entire fleet to electric power by 2040.
5 Forklift Alternatives for Handling a Forklift Shortage
December 12, 2022| Posted in Blog| 339
Forklift manufacturers weren’t immune to the supply chain woes that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2021, Forklift Action was reporting that parts and materials weren’t flowing fast enough to keep up with demand.
How to Clean Trash Cans (Without Hiring a Trash Can Cleaning Service)
December 5, 2022| Posted in Blog| 356
To run an efficient and hygienic facility, you need clean trash cans — and while outsourcing the job seems like an obvious step, it’s not always the most cost-effective approach.
Show per page


text:
Shares of PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) stayed in green territory on Tuesday after the company delivered solid results for the first quarter of 2022. Both revenue and earnings beat expectations and the beverage giant raised its guidance for the full year. The stock has gained 22% over the past 12 months.
PepsiCo reported net revenues of $16.2 billion for the first quarter of 2022, which was up 9.3% from the year-ago period and ahead of analysts’ projections. On an organic basis, revenues grew 13.7%. The company saw broad-based growth across its categories and geographies which reflected the strength of its diversified portfolio. Core EPS grew 6% to $1.29, surpassing estimates. Core gross margin increased 5 basis points despite inflationary pressures.
PepsiCo managed to hold or gain share across many of its key global markets and saw strong gains in the US convenient foods business. Its global convenient foods business saw organic revenue growth of 14% while its global beverage business delivered organic revenue growth of 13%.
The company’s North America divisions witnessed double-digit organic revenue growth in Q1. The Frito-Lay segment gained market share in the macro-snack and savory snack categories during the quarter with many of the large brands like Doritos and Cheetos delivering strong growth.
PepsiCo continues to see strong consumer demand for variety, convenience and portion control as evidenced by double-digit revenue growth in its nutritious snacking brands such as PopCorners and Smartfood as well as its variety pack offerings. The company also launched its first product from its joint venture with Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND), a plant-based jerky named Beyond Meat Jerky.
Within the Quaker Foods division, the company saw strong growth in rice and pasta, lite snacks, ready-to-eat cereal and oatmeal. The beverages segment benefited from strong performances by brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Gatorade. PepsiCo saw strong organic revenue growth across each of its international divisions.
Looking ahead into 2022, PepsiCo expects its North American convenient foods and beverages business to remain resilient in general despite the inflationary pressures. Most of the international markets are also expected to perform well despite the geopolitical and economic challenges. The company raised its FY2022 outlook for organic revenue growth to 8% from the previously stated 6%. Core EPS is expected to increase 6% YoY to $6.63.
On Monday, PepsiCo’s rival Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) reported its first quarter 2022 earnings results. Revenues increased 16% YoY to $10.5 billion while adjusted EPS rose 16% to $0.64. Both the top and bottom line numbers beat expectations.
Looking for more insights on the earnings results? Click here to access the full transcripts of the latest earnings conference calls!
Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Net sales increased 5% year-over-year to $4.62 billion. Organic sales growth was 8.5%. Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company was
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results today. Total revenues and other income were $56.4 billion compared to $48.1 billion in the year-ago period. Net income attributable
American Express Company (NYSE: AXP) reported fourth quarter 2022 earnings results. Consolidated total revenues net of interest expense were $14.2 billion, up 17% from a year ago. Net income was


text:
Family Christian Stores announced this week that it will close all of its stores nationwide.
The Christian retailing company announced Thursday that it had faced declining sales ever since it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015 and therefore will have to shut down. According to USA Today, the non-profit company employed more than 3,000 people in 240 stores nationwide.
"We have had two very difficult years, and after prayerfully looking at all possible options, and trusting God’s plan for our organization, we have made the difficult decision to close our stores. Family Christian will begin the closing process soon," Family Christian President and CEO Chuck Bengochea said in a letter to customers.
Bengochea added in a statement that the company — which bills itself as the "world's largest retailer of Christian-themed merchandise" — was not able to attain "the pricing and terms" needed from vendors to "successfully compete in the market."
"We have prayerfully looked at all possible options, trusting God's plan for our organization and the difficult decision to liquidate is our only recourse," he said.
Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the company did not offer a specific timetable for its store closures.
An employee at the store's flagship store in Grand Rapids tearfully told MLive.com that employees were not authorized to speak to the media about Family Christian's announcement and instead referred the reporter to the news release.
"We just lost our jobs right now, and we can't talk," an employee said.
Following its bankruptcy reorganization, Family Christian gave $127 million of its debt to suppliers, creditors and consignment vendors, MLive.com reported. It was also sold for $55 million to a group that said it would continue the company's non-profit status.
Family Christian began in 1931 in a farmhouse in Grandville, Michigan by brothers Bernie and Pat Zondervan, its website says.
Zondervan Corp. became one of the nation's largest Christian publishing house. Zondervan is an imprint of Harper Collins.
And while the Family Christian's website includes a link to Bengochea's letter, it does not include the store closings on its timeline of events.
The latest event was in 2014, when Family Christian said customers were able to help the retailer raise $166,556 for Destiny Rescue, a nonprofit that helps sex trafficking victims in the Dominican Republic.


text:
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is hardly a few hours away, and the developer community along with hardcore Apple enthusiasts are undoubtedly waiting keenly for the event to unfold.
Fortunately, for those who cannot possibly make it to the Bill Grahams Civic Auditorium in San Francisco where the event is going to happen, those can still catch up with the proceedings live from anywhere in the world.
Watch Apple WWDC 2016 event live on Mac, iPhone:
Apple will be hosting the live stream of the keynote address that begins at 10 am PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) on June 13. In addition to it, there’s also the WWDC app that Apple has made available at no cost for iPhone and iPad users. Click here to watch the Apple WWDC 2016 event live.
However, there are certain minimum hardware requirements to be met in order to watch Apple WWDC 2016 live. For instance, users should be running at least iOS 7 on their i-devices – iPhone, iPad, and iPod while for Mac, users should be having OS X 10.8.5 or later versions running.
Watch Apple WWDC 2016 event live on Windows:
For the first time, Windows users can also be part of the fun as the event will be live-streamed in the Edge browser. Thanks to the web browser being compliant with HTTP Live Streaming or HLS, the technology that Apple uses to stream its event. Unfortunately, none of the other leading browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or IE supports HLS technology. Click here to watch the Apple WWDC 2016 event live.
Watch Apple WWDC 2016 event live on Android or without Microsoft Edge browser:
If you want to watch the Apple WWDC 2016 event live on your Android, download the VLC for Android from Google Play. Once the app gets installed on the device, open the app > Stream (Open network stream) > Add the following URL:
It’s also possible on VLC for desktop. Go to VLC Media Player > Media > Open Network Stream > Open Media > Network > Add the same above URL.
Those who prefer the big screen experience are also in for luck as the event can also be watched live on the Apple TVs. However, that applies to only the 2nd and 3rd gen Apple TVs running tvOS version 6.2 or later. Things are a lot simpler with the 4th gen TV that qualifies for the event right away.
As we have already reported, the new iOS 10 is much-anticipated during the event. Additionally, the biggest change here could be a revamped Apple Music and Apple News apps. Apart from these developments, the OS itself might undergo a few tweaks to make it look and feel pleasing to its users.
Another significant announcement expected at the event could be the launch of the Siri SDK, which will enable developers to integrate the Apple’s digital assistant into more apps or services. It will lead to a far bigger role for the assistant that so far was localized to only the iOS platform. However, Siri is also expected to debut on the Mac platform.
There’s a rumor that Apple might contemplate renaming its operating system from OS X to simply MacOS. There could also be updates announced for the tvOS and watchOS. However, there aren’t any hardware launches expected except iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.


text:
In a speech today, TSMC's CEO hinted that their new plant in Japan will assist Sony provide chips to Apple
It's being reported today that a speech at an industry event in Taipei today, TSMC's CEO CC Wei warned of the dangers of excessive government export controls, which can erode mutual trust between countries. Wei stated that “Export controls and banning products from other foreign countries destroy productivity and efficiency gained under globalization, or at least they reduce benefits offered by a free market.”
Wei further noted that "the scariest thing is that mutual trust and cooperation among countries is beginning to weaken,” he added, saying that a distorted market leads to higher costs as he urged politicians to come up with an alternative solution..
The US blacklisted more Chinese companies and escalated trade tensions earlier this week. It included dozens of Chinese technology companies on its so-called Entity List, making it almost impossible for them to procure critical foreign components and ratcheting up a trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies.
On December 6, Tim Cook briefly spoke at TSMC's plant construction event attended by industry leaders and President Biden. Cook stated that Apple silicon unlocks a new level of performance for our users. And soon, many of the chips can be stamped "Made in America." And although the Arizona plant will initially provide 4nm chips by 2024 and 3nm chips by 2026, the fact is that TSMC will be making 2nm and even 1nm chips in the 2026-2027 time frame at their Taiwanese chip plants.
Wei went on to state that TSMC is constructing new fabs to satisfy its customers’ demand rather than fulfil requests from foreign governments. For instance, the plant that's being built in Kumamoto prefecture in Japan is aimed at helping Sony Group Corp supply enough chips to TSMC’s biggest customer, a reference to Apple Inc. For more on this, read the full Bloomberg report.
The TSMC-Sony Kumamoto plant will produce in-camera image sensors for Apple and chips for the automotive industry. Apple's CEO Tim Cook was in Kumamoto last week at Sony's camera sensor facility during his extensive tour of Japanese suppliers.
We’ve been partnering with Sony for over a decade to create the world’s leading camera sensors for iPhone. Thanks to Ken and everyone on the team for showing me around the cutting-edge facility in Kumamoto today. pic.twitter.com/462SEkUbhi— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 13, 2022


text:
Western tourists were cleaning up a filthy stretch of beach outside of their resort and the managers of the resort repaid their eco-friendly good deeds by rewarding them with a 70% discount.
The group of tourists were getting up early each morning to clean up rubbish washed ashore by the monsoon at a beach in Ranong.
Pictures of their clean-up efforts surfaced online along with comments from the resort where they were staying calling them “absolutely loveable.”
The management at the resort were so happy with their efforts the rewarded them with a hefty discount.
The tourists have been praised online as well as the resort for kindly giving them a discount.
Great work guys, perhaps their efforts will inspire others to keep local areas trash free.
Source : Siamstation
Content : LovePattayaThailand