text:
The Gerety Awards
aim to redefine advertising and communications by setting a new benchmark in global creative awards.
According to the awards, the 2021 winners will define the standard to which advertising should be held and show clients the best way to target the world's most powerful consumers.
The executive jury sessions will be held in:
- Los Angeles, and
The jury will be defining the overall shortlist and will choose the Agency
and Production Company of the Year
from their country. Gerety co-founder Lucía Ongay says, "We welcome new juries from new cities for our jury sessions for a truly global perspective from the female vision of the best in creative advertising and communications from around the world."
The 2021 grand jury member representing South Africa is Odette van der Haar, CEO of The Exponential Company and presenter of Business Beat South Africa.
The grand jury includes the likes of:
- Karen Blackett OBE, WPP U.K country manager and GroupM U.K CEO
- Jessica Apellaniz, CCO of Mexico and Latam, Ogilvy Mexico, and
- Tara Weeransinghe, group head-creative at Leo Burnett Sri Lanka.
For more information, visit www.geretyawards.com
. You can also follow the Gerety Awards
or on Instagram


text:
Survey Reveals Consumer Demands For Certified Humane®
When we launched Humane Farm Animal Care and the Certified Humane® program in 2003, our mission involved motivating farmers to adopt our Humane Standards of Care – and encouraging consumers to support those farmers by shopping for the Certified Humane® label.
Just 14 years later, we are seeing the impact that educated and ethical shoppers are having on farm animal welfare.
“Animal welfare organizations supported by consumers have been a driving force for change, though the decision to improve animal welfare is ultimately left to the individual company, whose response is often grounded in the desire to be competitive in a changing marketplace and proactively responsive to emerging trends,” says a recent report titled “Animal Welfare: Issues & Opportunities in the Meat, Poultry & Egg Markets in the U.S.”
The report also says more than half of U.S. consumers (58%) are more concerned about food animal welfare now than they were just a few years ago, which includes animal handling, housing, feeding, and slaughter – all concerns covered by Humane Farm Animal Care’s humane standards of care.
While the report revealed that 33% of consumers viewed themselves as well informed about claims such as “hormone/steroid/antibiotic-free, cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised and certified humane,” nearly double that number agree that the “humane treatment of animals raised for food should be a societal concern.”
While more people want farm animals raised Certified Humane®, more than 80% of consumers are still confused about most food labels, which less than ethical companies are betting on to sell their products. Here are three examples of the challenges consumers face in interpreting labels.
- Let’s say you see the term “Happy Hens” printed on an egg carton. These types of terms are marketing gimmicks and mean absolutely nothing in terms of animal care. Cage-free and pasture-raised hens on an egg carton also mean nothing unless the Certified Humane® label is also on the package. The Certified Humane® label is attached to HFAC’s humane standards of care for farm animals (all printed on our website) and, in this example, provides specific standards of care for pasture-raised, free-range and cage-free hens. Third-party inspections assure farmers are meeting HFAC’s standards. That’s what’s behind the Certified Humane® label.
- Another misleading term is “Organics.” Most shoppers assume that organic standards are inherently linked to animal welfare standards, but they about agricultural inputs, not animals. They are an environmental standard, which eliminates the use of pesticides and chemical (unnatural) fertilizers.
- What about grass-fed beef? People who buy “grass-fed” beef because they think the meat will taste better also assume there are some animal welfare standards linked to the term, according to the report. Again, there are no verifiable animal welfare standards associated with the term “grass-fed” unless the Certified Humane® label is also on the package.
That’s why the Certified Humane Raised and Handled® label matters so much for farm animal welfare. It’s the one label that is supported by humane standards of care and backed by third-party inspections — all experts in their field of animal welfare — so you know a certain set of humane standards of care are being met.
And the more consumers shop for and ask for Certified Humane® products, the more farmers, producers, food companies, grocery stores and restaurants will respond to these consumer demands by adopting humane standards of care and becoming Certified Humane®.

domain: news


text:
Send this profile to a friend
News from The Business Journals
Jan 29, 2013, 11:42 am EST
Dallas-based Westmount Realty Capital LLC bought the Apex Tool Group building, a 341,840-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility on Kingsley…
Aug 24, 2012, 6:00 am EDT
Northside Hospital recently acquired three aging medical office buildings on “Pill Hill” that it may redevelop in coming years.
Northside bought buildings…
Jun 8, 2012, 2:18 pm EDT
An industrial warehouse in southwest Phoenix held by a family trust sold for $7.16 million dollars to a Canadian buyer, 67th Phoenix Industrial LP. The…
Dec 27, 2011, 4:01 pm EST
A North Scottsdale shopping center has been sold for $28.8 million to a Houston-based real estate firm.
Whitestone Real Estate Investment Trust acquired…
Dec 27, 2011, 12:47 pm EST
A North Scottsdale shopping center has been sold for $28.8 million.
Whitestone Real Estate Investment Trust acquired the 113,000-square-foot Pinnacle…
Aug 8, 2011, 5:38 pm EDT
Whitestone REIT, a real estate investment trust based in Houston, has made its fifth acquisition in the Phoenix area in less than a year. Whitestone paid…
Oct 11, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
SunTree LLC, a Scottsdale food company, has purchased a West Valley manufacturing facility for $4.5 million from NutraCea, which is going through Chapter…
Sep 20, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
AGL Resources Inc. (NYSE: AGL) has sent requests for proposals to several building owners, as it begins the first stage of seeking a new lease.
Jul 5, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
The largest empty warehouse in North Texas -— at more than 1 million square feet — has a tenant on the hook.
Seattle-based Amazon.com appears headed…
Jun 28, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
A large, near-empty distribution building in southeast Plano that once held clothing and housewares for Mervyn’s may be destined to hold pottery, party…
Jun 21, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
La Familia Distributing is moving its headquarters and warehouse into 158,000 square feet in Carrollton, where the company has signed a seven-year lease.
May 31, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
The shuttered Fleetwood manufacturing plant in Woodland will soon roar back to life as a lumber distribution center.
Allweather Wood LLC and Humboldt Redwood…
Apr 26, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
An empty warehouse in southern Dallas County will soon be packed with toilets, faucets, tubs — even kitchen sinks — when American Standard moves a…
Mar 29, 2010, 12:00 am EDT
Office supply giant Staples Inc. has signed a 10-year lease for 300,000 square feet in Tolleson to expand its distribution and sales operations.
Feb 8, 2010, 12:00 am EST
North Texas’ tumbling industrial real estate market ended last year with signs of stabilization, and the number of tenants in the market for warehouse…


text:
Around the World, Inflation Worsens
Headline Roundup June 23rd, 2022
Inflation is frustrating consumers in the U.S., but also in many other countries around the world.
Many nations, from the U.S. to Sudan to the U.K., are experiencing their highest inflation rates in decades. Prices in the U.K. rose 9.1% in the 12 months ending in May, up from 9% in April and the highest annual rate since 1982. In Africa, Sudan (245.1%), Zimbabwe (86.7%) and Ethiopia (34.5%) have some of the highest current inflation rates anywhere in the world. In Canada, the annual inflation rate rose to 7.7% in May, topping April’s 6.8% for the highest rate since 1983. Venezuela (1198.0%), Lebanon (201.0%) and Syria (139.0%) are among several countries worldwide with current inflation rates above 100%. Citigroup economists released a report on global inflation Wednesday, estimating that "the aggregate probability of recession is now approaching 50 percent."
Global inflation has been more of a focus for left- and center-rated news sources; right-rated outlets focus much more on inflation in the U.S. than in other countries. Reports across the spectrum, particularly on the right, highlight predictions of a global recession and the potential consequences, especially pertaining to food prices and access.
Prices are continuing to rise at their fastest rate for 40 years with food costs, particularly for bread, cereal and meat, climbing.
UK inflation, the rate at which prices rise, edged up to 9.1% in the 12 months to May, from 9% in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Fuel and energy prices are the biggest drivers of inflation, but the ONS said food costs had pushed it up further.
Workers and unions are pushing for pay rises to cope with higher prices.
But the government has warned against...
Citigroup economists have forecast the chance of a global recession nearing 50 percent as central banks hike interest rates and consumer demand for goods drops off.
“The experience of history indicates that disinflation often carries meaningful costs for growth and we see the aggregate probability of recession as now approaching 50 percent,” economists led by Nathan Sheets said in a report on Wednesday.
“Central banks may yet engineer the soft—or ‘softish’—landings embodied in their forecasts (and in ours), but this will require supply shocks to ebb and demand to remain resilient.”
According to the report, Citigroup...
As of 2022, rising inflation has become a shared trend worldwide. The overall inflation rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow to 12.2 per cent, and this is because many countries on the continent lack a sufficient central banking system, which in turn results in the manipulation of currency to achieve short-term economic goals. Furthermore, the global supply disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are also some of the major drivers responsible for inflation. In fact, prices are set to rise even further,...


text:
Foot Locker Inc. has opened a new distribution center in Reno, Nevada.
The 465,000 square foot center will serve more than 300 stores on the West Coast, process more than 20 million units and employ 200 full-time workers. The center, which will be Foot Locker’s second largest in the US, represents a more than $40 million investment and will help cut down shipping times in the region by more than 50%, Foot Locker said.
“The opening of this new distribution center is an important milestone moment for Foot Locker,” said Mary Dillon, president and CEO, Foot Locker, Inc. “As we continue to take important steps to evolve our omnichannel capabilities and provide a more seamless experience for our customers, investments and facilities like these are preparing us for continued success.”
The announcement comes shortly after Foot Locker said it would permanently close a distribution center in Wausau, Wisconsin and lay off 210 employees through April. At the time, a Foot Locker spokesperson said the closure represented the company’s “efforts to optimize our U.S. distribution network to serve our customers nationwide more efficiently and effectively.”
The new center in Reno will utilize LED lighting, reclaimed water and recycled materials as part of Foot Locker’s ongoing ESG committments.
“We have designed this facility from the ground up with the latest technology,” said SVP of global supply chain Todd Greener “This will allow us to respond to the ever-changing needs of our customers while strengthening our larger supply chain network.”
Foot Locker operates about 2,800 stores in 28 countries under its Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Atmos, WSS and Sidestep banners.
The footwear retailer reported better-than-expected earnings results for Q2 in August, with net income of $94 million, or 99 cents per share. Total sales dropped by 9.2% to $2.07 billion. The company cut its fiscal 2022 outlook and now expects total sales to fall between 6% and 7% for the year.
Foot Locker reports Q3 earnings on Friday.


text:
Last week, a vivo VP said to expect an announcement about the S18 series on December 4. Today is the day, and we have learned that the parade will officially begin on December 14. There will be three phones – the affordable S18e, the vanilla S18 with two cameras, and the vivo S18 Pro with the most impressive specs in the lineup.
vivo S18 Pro • S18 • S18e
Jia Jingdong, VP and GM of Brand and Product Strategy at Vivo, revealed that the Pro variant will have the Dimensity 9200+ chipset and a 50 MP camera with the Sony IMX920 sensor, also seen in the recently introduced flagship X100 smartphone.
vivo S18 promotional posters
The executive also said that the basic vivo S18 will have a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, confirming previous rumors. Coming back to the S18 Pro, it also borrows its 50 MP ultra-wide camera from the X100 lineup, the telephoto camera has a 12 MP sensor and f/2.0 lens with 2x optical zoom, seen in the vivo X90s.
Jia has released some camera samples taken by the vivo S18 smartphone. Here are three samples, but keep in mind that they may have some artifacts from being posted on social media.
vivo S18 camera samples
The Vivo S18 Pro will have a 120 Hz screen, a 5,000 mAh battery in a slim body, and an in-house AI generator called BlueLM. We expect to know more about the series in the 10 days leading up to its launch.
Source (in Chinese) | through


text:
Lucent Technologies Inc. reported a narrower loss for its fiscal third quarter but saw its sales drop by a third amid continued weak spending by network operators, the U.S. telecommunications equipment manufacturer said Wednesday.
Lucent reported a net loss of US$254 million for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, or US$0.07 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of US$8.03 billion, or US$2.35 a diluted share, for the same period a year earlier, the Murray Hill, New Jersey, company said in a statement.
Analysts had expected Lucent to report a loss of US$0.06 a share for the third quarter, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson First Call.
The net loss figure includes several charges, which the company said were offset by certain income tax benefits. The net loss for the quarter to common shareholders, including preferred dividend payments, was US$295 million.
Lucent's third-quarter sales fell 33.6 percent to US$1.96 billion, from US$2.95 billion last year, the company said.
Lucent warned last week that it did not expect to return to profitability until 2004, and said it expected third-quarter revenue to be just under $2 billion.


text:
Google Pay Expanding into Crypto as Terra Boast 13,075% Gains Since 2021 & HUH Predicted to Surpass 1000%
Crypto and NFTs are all the rage now, as demonstrated by major firms attempting to access the virtual markets, predominantly via partnerships and acquisitions. However, Google Pay, who are equally as eager to get into the fad, have adopted a different approach by hiring former PayPal executive, Arnold Goldberg.
The Senior Product and Technology Executive announced via LinkedIn yesterday that he will be joining Google as the GM for Payments and Next Billion Users. “Everyone I’ve talked to during the process has such a passion for what they do and the positive impact we collectively can have globally,” Goldberg wrote, “I am very excited to work with the team at Google in its mission to support a global, open payments ecosystem and drive economic opportunity for everyone.”
It comes as no surprise that Google, alongside other corporate giants, are competing in the crypto race. Following crypto bubbles throughout the years, crypto trading and investing have soared in popularity as streams of passive income. Two thirds of Gen Z believe that investing in crypto will make them millionaires, hence the fintech sector rushing to accommodate them. And recent data reveals that they’re not far off.
Had you invested $1000 in Shiba Inu on January 1st 2021, today you’d be a multi-millionaire with a whopping $440,519,480.52 in your wallet. Likewise, if you decided to put that $1000 in Terra, you’d still experience a 13,075% return, bringing your total to $131,753.85. And say you’d gone for Solana instead, you’d have $112,625 – that’s still an immense 11,163% return. So, what would you be spending your wealth on? A car, or perhaps towards that dream house you’d always longed for?
You strike gold when you invest in a new altcoin that ends up exploding later on. Crypto experts and business magnates have been pumping out their 2022 predictions for which altcoin is going to hit the jackpot this year.
Two recurring suggestions have been Cosmos and HUH Token. Cosmos’ goal is to make decentralised apps — anything from NFT markets to decentralised exchanges — quicker and cheaper by allowing them to run on their own dedicated blockchains. Over 250 apps and services are already running on the Cosmos network, which manages over $112 billion in digital assets. Furthermore, the DEX ecosystem within Cosmos is currently expanding at a rapid rate. There is currently access to a number of new and promising tokens, permissionless token listings, possibilities to earn a greater ROI by participating in liquidity pools, and increased liquidity for smooth trading and price stability.
HUH Token is a newcomer to the market, having debuted on December 6th on PancakeSwap. It soared by over 1000% in 48 hours, reaching a high of over 4000% above its initial price. Due to its rapid price jump, HUH was included on the major price aggregate platforms, CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko. Following this listing, on December 14th, HUH again surged by more than 100%.
HUH is striving to hit gold, as long-term holding is a crucial aspect of its plan. HUH takes the virality of a meme coin while maintaining utility and useability for its holders. HUH accomplishes this by redistributing a little portion of each transaction to its community. HUH has the adaptability to blend in with the metaverse, with plans to drop a NFT presale on January 31st and launch a social platform, where “everybody gains from the data they generate”. With high aspirations and a stable model, HUH might just strike gold.
Learn more about HUH Token here:
HUH Official Swap- https://swap.huh.social/


text:
It’s well-known that India and China are the world’s two largest countries in terms of mobile subscribers. Yesterday, I discussed how China is going to surpass the U.S. this year in terms of smartphone shipments. According to a recent report from telecommunication equipment vendor “Ericsson”, India and China (combined) accounted for around 40 per cent of overall estimated 140 million net addition in mobile subscriptions during the quarter ended June 2012.
India added around 20 million new mobile subscriptions during April-June quarter, while China succeeded to add 40 million subscriptions. As on August 2012, India’s mobile penetration reached to 75% , which is quite low compare to the global mobile penetration of 89%. It’s good hearsay that the global mobile subscription touched 6.3 billion figure and it’s on the way to crossover the world’s overall population. However, the actual number of subscribers is estimated around 4.3 billion–it’s due to multi-subscriptions by single subscriber.
Most important point is here that almost 40% of mobile handsets sold in the Q2 (calender) of 2012 were smartphones, up from 30% for the entire last year. In addition to this, the smartphone is expected to account for 67% of entire mobile handset shipments by 2016. In Q2, the mobile subscriptions recorded around 11% year-over-year growth despite of declining feature phone demand.
In Q2 of this year, mobile broadband subscriptions also registered around 60% year-over-year growth– mobile broadband subscription reached to 1.2 billion till the end of June. It’s also considered that smartphones have greater scope in the future and that’s why around 15% of the world installed base of subscriptions have been kept for smartphones.
It’s also clear, as number of smartphone and Tablets are increasing, with similar fashion, mobile data traffic is also augmenting around the world. It’s clear from the report that the mobile data traffic doubled in Q2 of 2012 compare to the same quarter of the last year. However, the mobile data consumption is quite higher in the matured markets and they are now engaged to find out the way to reduce the traffic overburden. Apparently, voice traffic also continues to grow at the steady rate especially in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, where users are still relying on the feature phone.


text:
The retail technology provider has partnered with major companies including Aldi, Verizon, Microsoft, Carrefour and Compass Group.
AiFi claims it has deployed the largest number of camera only, computer vision powered stores across North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
Across the course of 2022, AiFi has increased the speed of deployment to two stores per week.
The company showcased the deployment by opening 50 computer vision powered locations with Żabka, Poland’s largest convenience store chain, in the span of a few months.
“The biggest challenge that tech providers in our space are experiencing is scalability, or in other words, figuring out how to meet the needs of each individual retailer and their respective customer base, while successfully deploying these autonomous stores at a rate that meets the fast growing demand we’re seeing,” AiFi chief technology officer João Diogo Falcão said.
“We are the only company that can deploy an autonomous store in less than a week within a vast range of venues and store formats.”
“We are incredibly proud to share that we now have 80 stores open, more than double the number of Amazon Go stores, which showcases our unique ability to share our computer vision powered solution with retailers looking to be at the forefront of tech innovation.”
So far, AiFi’s autonomous stores have served over 800,000 shoppers and processed the purchase of nearly 2.5 million items worldwide.
When partnering with the tech firm, retailers have three choices: to transform an already existing store, create a new hybrid or fully autonomous store or Delpy a ready to go portable store.


text:
The range of Samsung smartphones is expected to be replenished – the company is preparing to release the Galaxy A13 5G model. The new insider report includes a number of technical details, as well as renders of the yet-to-be-unveiled device.
A series of high-quality renders of the device was posted on the network by an informant under the nickname OnLeaks, known for the high accuracy of publications. He attributes the smartphone to a plastic case with a fingerprint scanner on the side and a 6.48-inch display with a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels and a “drop” for the front camera. On the back of the gadget there is a triple main camera unit with 50 (f / 2.0), 5 (f / 2.2) and 2 megapixel (f / 2.4) sensors.
The “heart” of the smartphone will be the MediaTek Dimensity 700 platform, which is supported by 4/6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal memory. The autonomy of the smartphone will be answered by a 5000 mAh battery with support for fast 25-watt charging.
The announcement of the device in black, red, white and blue cases will take place, according to the source, before the end of the year, and the Galaxy A13 5G will go on sale in early 2022 at a price of about $ 290.


text:
Harbor, a compliance platform for tokenizing private securities such as real estate, company equity, investment funds, fine art, etc. has announced $28 million in new funding to reengineer private securities with blockchain technology.
Ripple, the cross-border payment company powered by blockchain today announced they have invested $25 million in XRP to Blockchain Capital Parallel IV, LP — the first fund to accept capital calls in digital assets — and focus entirely on the development of the blockchain space.
Block.one, the developer behind blockchain software EOSIO, has announced a new partnership with blockchain veterans Michael Cao and Winnie Liu that sees the formation of a new USD $200 million joint venture fund, EOS Global.
CoinList, a technology platform endeavoring to connect accredited investors with deeply-vetted blockchain projects, today announced it has closed $9.2 million in its initial fundraising round. Among its investors is a group of the industry’s most notable cryptocurrency funds: Polychain Capital, Digital Currency Group, FBG Capital, Libertus Capital, Blockchain Capital, CoinFund and Electric Capital.
BitPay, a leading blockchain payments provider, this week closed its $40 million extended Series B funding round, which brings its total raised capital to over $70 million.
Blockchain-based database provider Bluzelle today announced that it had received US$1M from NEO Global Capital, the investment arm of China’s leading blockchain platform – cementing a strategic partnership between the companies.
OPEN, the first blockchain payments infrastructure for applications announced the addition of Tim Draper’s Draper Dragon Digital Asset Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage, high growth companies in Silicon Valley and Asia.
Choice, a new blockchain based payments system in New Zealand, has today announced it has successfully raised 2.6 million XEMS (NZD$1 million) through the NEM blockchain community fund.
Komodo, a blockchain technology group and pioneer of the innovative atomic swap technology, is entering a strategic partnership agreement with ValueNet Capital, a blockchain asset venture capital fund based in Beijing.
Blockchain Capital, the venture capital firm focused exclusively on the blockchain technology sector and crypto ecosystem today announced the closing of Blockchain Capital IV, LP a $150 million fund.
Further to the announcement of back in January 2018, Coinsilium Group, the blockchain venture builder, investor, and advisor that finances and manages the development of early-stage blockchain technology companies today announced that it has exercised its option to acquire a further 3.5% of the share capital of Indorse.
Zichain, a Switzerland-based digital asset management company, is pleased to announce that it has secured a USD 1.2m investment from a syndicate of UHNW Hong-Kong based investors, supporting further development of its unique cryptocurrency products.
OB1, the company behind the crypto enabled e-commerce market OpenBazaar today announced a series A round of $5 million. The funds will help capitalize on the critical growth that OpenBazaar has seen as blockchain and cryptocurrencies have reached wider adoption.
Japanese early-stage venture capital firm IT-Farm Corp. announced it will invest in Emercoin, the blockchain platform for a wide range of distributed trusted services to help the provider expand its activities in Japan, a country friendly to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies.
Today, Verady, a cryptocurrency accounting and audit technology service announced an investment from TTV Capital, an Atlanta-based early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on investing in fintech companies.
Republic Protocol, an anticipated decentralized ‘dark pool’ for cryptocurrency trading that raised 35,000 ETH in its public crowdsale, has been backed by an all-star lineup of cryptocurrency investors, including Polychain Capital, FBG Capital, Signum Capital, Huobi Capital and more.
Token-as-a-Service (TaaS), a tokenized closed-end fund dedicated to blockchain assets, announced today its largest contribution to date into VIMANA Global, a company developing Autonomous Aerial Vehicles for Urban Air Mobility.
Blockchain technology company Harbor launched today to address the regulatory challenges of trading private securities on blockchains, including Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Moreover, Harbor announced a $10 million in Series A financing to build its decentralized compliance protocol for standardizing crypto-securities issuance and trading.
VC investment company Global Brain (GB) today announced they have invested in Ginco, a Japanese startup providing various blockchain technology solutions including “Ginco”, a secure mobile client-side cryptocurrency wallet.
nChain Group, a blockchain research, and development firm announced today they have taken an equity stake in Centbee, a Bitcoin Cash (BCH) wallet provider launching this year that makes it easy for global consumers to acquire, hold and spend BCH with retailers and other merchants.
Fineqia International today announced that it has made a cash investment for an equity stake in Nivaura, which recently demonstrated the world’s first cryptocurrency denominated bond issuance that was cleared, settled and registered entirely on a public blockchain.
Uphold, a multi-purpose digital money platform announced that it has entered into a $57.5 million partnership with Greg Kidd, investor in Ripple, Square, Coinbase, and others, to increase loss assurance for consumers to around 20% of total current cryptocurrency holdings – an industry-leading move where most companies offer little or no consumer coverage.
The XTC Unicorn Fund today announced it will invest in Emercoin, the cryptocurrency, and decentralized blockchain platform to help the provider build community with technology companies around the world.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) recently announced that it closed an early-stage bridging round investment in Electron at the end of 2017. Electron is a London-based technology company harnessing blockchain technology to establish more efficient, flexible, and reliable systems for the energy sector.
Applied Blockchain Ltd, a London-based blockchain start-up, has secured its first funding round with investments from Shell Trading International Ltd (Shell) and Calibrate Partners LLP for minority stakes in the company.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain security company, Ledger, today announced a USD 75 million (EUR 61 million) Series B round, led by Draper Esprit. The investment will enable the company to significantly scale up its operations as demand for their products increases at pace.
The Bitfury Group and First Block Capital today announced they have invested in Emercoin and will support the provider of blockchain solutions and services for customers around the world.
Waltonchain, the business ecosystem platform combining blockchain with IoT (specifically RFID) to create a management system for supply chains announced today an investment in new Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinnest.
Nordic Eye, a Denmark VC firm for global investments with hands-on mentorship and guidance announced its lead in the additional $4.8M bridge round investment in Coinify.


text:
Blu-ray Player Sales Nearing Five Million
While the five millionth Blu-ray Disc player will likely be sold by year’s end, the high-definition format will not reach DVD levels of market share anytime soon. That’s according to a report issued this week by research firm In-Stat.
The report, “Worldwide DVD and Blu-ray Market,” also found that worldwide sales of DVD players, which reached 142 million in 2007, will decline this year, mostly due to market saturation.
For more on the survey, visit www.instat.com


text:
The comedy that has become Nets.com continues as now the invisible owner of the domain is redirecting the nets.com website from the previous newyorkknicks.com site, which it was redirected to last week, to Jayzonline.com today.
Who is this person behind this charade as it is obvious all they want is to make Mikhail Prokhorov pay them big bucks to purchase the domain rights? What does it look like now?
Whoever is behind Nets.com will not stop until Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov goes out and purchases their domain name. Back in October, we thought that Mark Cuban took control of the site just to take shots at Prokhorov but those rumors turned out to be untrue… or so we think. Last month, the website altered its appearance and simply redirected its visitors to the homepage of the New York Knicks. Apparently, the people behind Nets.com are back at it again, but this time, they have taken aim at the most powerful 1/15 of 1 percent owner of any sports franchise, Jay-Z. If their goal is to get Prokhorov to bite the bullet by getting at Hov, think again. Sooner or later, the shenanigans need to end. Please. io & video clips, plus get the latest news, join our community now!
John PaolantonioThis is getting humorous and a tad bit ridiculous. Someone please tell Prokhorov to just purchase the domain name already…


text:
Four of GM’s US-based plants will be affected: Fort Wayne, Indiana; Wentzville, Missouri; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Lansing, Michigan. Four other factories in Mexico and Canada will also go dark for several weeks as GM works to shore up its supply of chips.
Is GM still closing plants?
GM shutting down production at most of its plants in North America.
What vehicles is GM getting rid of?
The automaker is focused on electric vehicles and wants to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040. GM CEO Mary Barra announced a bold plan to phase out gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.
Is GM affected by chip shortage?
21, 2020. General Motors’ vehicle sales and production will be hit harder by the global chip shortage during the second half of the year than it previously expected, its finance chief said Friday. That reduction is double the 100,000 units that was expected when GM reported second-quarter earnings in August.
Is GM moving to China?
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – General Motors Co GM. N plans to sell full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) models in China for the first time, and will import a range of models to beef up its product lineup into the world’s biggest car market, its China chief told Reuters.
How many plants is GM shutting down?
GM is following rival carmakers by shutting down some production lines because of the global semiconductor shortage. General Motors said Thursday that it is cutting production in eight plants across North America.
What plants are closing in GM?
GM announced on Monday that it was closing three North American car plants – in Oshawa , Ontario, Lordstown , Ohio, and the Hamtramck plant in Detroit – and two additional facilities in Warren, Michigan, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Which are GM plants closing?
According to a GM press release, the factories scheduled to be closed are: Oshawa Assembly in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly in Detroit, Michigan. Lordstown Assembly in Warren, Ohio.
Is GM shutting down plants?
General Motors is shutting down a plant as part of a global restructuring, Aston Martin looks to double production by 2025, subprime auto loans and more await you in The Morning Shift for Monday, Nov. 26, 2018.
Why did GM shut down?
GM said on Friday that it expects four of its U.S. assembly plants to be closed for two weeks beginning on April 25 because of parts shortages. The earthquakes damaged factories belonging to key auto-industry suppliers, leading to temporary shortages of a few key parts. Apparently, GM is one of the customers affected.


text:
You have searched for online books
LAST UPDATED : Jul 26, 2017, 02.45PM IST
- Online booking delay mars Mahamana Express maiden run
Train 22163 will be flagged off on Thursday from Bhopal stationat 3 pm from platform no-6. After it was announced that Bhopal-Khajuraho train will be launched on July 13, several passengers were keen to book their berth, but their entire effort turned futile, as there was no information about the train on official portal of the Indian railways.


text:
26 August 2014
Why the UK does not lead in mobile innovation
There is no reason why mobile payments should stick to borders. Think of it, consumers in the US have access to the same online products and services, mobile devices and mobile payment providers as people in China or Brazil do.
Still, it seems to take time for differences between countries to vanish. For example, the pace in which mobile payments are embraced is not the same in the UK as in Poland or Turkey.
On the contrary, both Poland and Turkey seem to be a lot more innovative and eager to develop and use new payments technologies compared to the British. It may be surprising, but according to Financer blogger Chris Skinner both countries are ‘hotbeds for retail bank innovation’.
Skinner’s blog posts discussed two seemingly opposing research studies on mobile payments in the UK. According to the Mobile Payments Index conducted by payments processor Adyen, the UK leads the word in mobile payments. A staggering rate of 39 per cent of UK online transactions come via mobile – the highest rate in the world.
On the other hand, security specialist Intercede found that more than half of all Brits would never use mobile banking services. The main barriers to use mobile banking are login and authentication options; 87 per cent of respondents mentioned identity theft as their biggest concern.
Although the findings seem to contradict, this is not necessarily the case. It is possible that half of the Brits are mCommerce enthusiasts, and the other half is skeptical.
One of the reasons, according to Skinner’s analysis, why the UK cannot compete with the level of innovation in Poland and Turkey, is the structure of its banking industry. In the UK ‘little changes fast and the big five banks can all keep up with innovations … Turkish, Polish and Spanish banks have far more challenges to outwit each other than big banks in big markets that are well established.’
Other reasons why Turkey and Poland are high on the innovation ladder:
- Most of their IT infrastructure has been built in the 1990s, which means that banks don’t have the ‘cemented foundations of old IBM mainframes that reduces their ability to adapt’
- Also, resources to reinvent systems are much cheaper in Poland and Turkey than they are in London
- The biggest driver for innovation, according to Skinner, is that both countries have a young and dynamic population. Turkey’s median age is 29, while it is 40 in the UK. Also, 25 per cent of the Turkish population is under 14 years old.
No matter which of the reasons mentioned above is the most important one, Skinner’s analysis does make it clear that the UK’s leading position as a financial region does not automatically mean that it leads in payment innovation. Western Europe should keep a close eye on emerging, young economies when it comes to the future of mobile payments.


text:
Splatoon 2 has only been in the hands of consumers for one week, yet Nintendo has already been busy with new content and an update that made some balancing adjustments. After previously releasing the Ink brush to players' catalogues, the Japanese Splatoon Twitter account tweeted out images confirming that the "Dualie Squelchers" will be appearing in the game starting from tomorrow.
The "Dual Squelcher" originally appeared in the first Splatoon for Wii U, however this time round they have been rebranded the "Dualie Squelchers" to fit in with the new style. The weapons will be equipped with the Point Sensor for a sub weapon and Tenta Missiles as the special.
The free update is expected to drop at 11am Tokyo time on 29th July; for folks outside of Japan the item will therefore be made available in North America today at 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern, while it's the early hours of 29th June (3am UK / 4am CET) in Europe.
You can check out the new weapon out in the GIF tweet posted by Nintendo:
What do you think to the new weapon? Will it become your main choice?


text:
The announcement that the Zen 3 CPUs would be moved off of the aging 400-series motherboard chipsets was met with a lot of resistance. Two weeks ago AMD announced that that the next-generation of Zen CPU architecture would require a newer 500-series chipset instead. Now, just a short while later, AMD has reversed that decision.
If you’re in the process of prepping a build for the newest Ryzen2 CPUs, or have already bought some of your parts, namely the CPU and motherboard, then you’re in for a bit of good or bad news depending on what your situation is. The launch of the new 3rd gen processors has left a


text:
June 21, 2016
Most Americans consider their homes as safe havens. But according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the primary source of pollution comes from inside our homes. In fact, it can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside and contributes to more than 70 percent of a person’s chemical exposure.
Furnishings and building materials, such as paints, flooring and furniture, can release hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. VOCs are unstable, carbon-containing compounds that readily vaporize into the air. They react with nitrous oxide and sunlight to produce ground-level ozone. With manufacturers introducing ‘No-VOC’ or ‘Low-VOC’ paints into the marketplace, consumers should learn how these paints can affect indoor air quality.
Breathing in VOCs has been associated with an array of health problems, everything from allergies and asthma to cancer, cardiovascular disease and reproductive issues. Armed with this information, consumers have begun to demand safer alternatives, creating significant interest in water-based low-VOC and no-VOC paints instead of traditional oil-based paints.
“But as manufacturers introduce these products, it’s paramount that consumers educate themselves on the risks that still exist,” said Scott Steady, product manager, Indoor Air Quality, UL Environment (ULE). “When it comes to paint, there’s a tremendous amount of misinformation out there, and product labeling often confuses the consumer even more.”
According to the EPA, a latex paint qualifies as Low-VOC if it contains 250 grams or less of VOCs per liter (oil-based paints can have up to 380 grams per liter), while No-VOC paint contains 5 grams or less of VOCs per liter. Some states, such as California, have set stringent limits to minimize ozone damage or increasing smog issues.
“These regulations were designed to reduce outdoor VOC levels to minimize their contribution to ozone and smog,” said Steady. “So while lower VOC products are a good idea, and are making a difference in terms of our overall carbon footprint, they ’re not always an accurate reflection of the dangers paint might pose during its application in the home, as it dries and releases gasses.”
To better understand the relationship between VOC content and emissions from paint, UL Environment scientists conducted multiple dynamic environmental chamber emissions tests on a variety of paint and coating products with stated VOC content levels from 0 to 150 grams per liter.
Products were applied to interior drywall using standard application procedures and placed in environmental chambers. Air emissions were then analyzed for VOCs and low-molecular-weight aldehydes. Results demonstrated that there was no direct correlation between reported VOC content and VOC emissions released into indoor air. It was also demonstrated that a paint product with No-VOC content, according to outdoor air regulations, can still emit VOCs into indoor air.
Why GREENGUARD Certification?
ULE advises that consumers who want to protect their indoor air seek out products with its GREENGUARD Certification mark, which indicates a product meets strict emission limits. From start to finish, the GREENGUARD Certification process ranges from one to six months, depending on the complexity of the product, and representative samples of GREENGUARD Certified products have been screened in UL’s environmental chambers, allowing scientists to look for the presence of more than 10,000 VOCs.
“In addition to VOC content, we’re measuring VOC emissions during the painting process and afterward — that’s what make this certification so unique and important in the industry,” noted Steady.
The U.S. will spend over $300 billion on home improvements in 2016 alone. So it’s important to protect the quality of indoor air when purchasing certain products. To find GREENGUARD Certified products, please visit UL’s Sustainable Product Guide, which includes hundreds paint and coating products.


text:
A new study finds 45% of smartphone owners who plan to use mobile payment apps in the next 90 days will opt for the ...
With revenue up 104% for the first nine months of this year over last, site search provider Endeca Technologies has added 100 positions in the past year, the company reports.
With revenue up 104% for the first nine months of this year over last, site search provider Cambridge, MA-based Endeca Technologies has added 100 new positions in the past year, a 50% growth in staff, the company reports. It plans to increase its staff by another 25% in the first half of 2007.
Endeca also reports that third quarter revenue was up 104% over Q3 a year earlier. Endeca says the growth was the result of the signing of dozens of new customers as well as expanding business with existing customers.
Endeca provides search technology for online retailers as well as for other organizations seeking to provide access to information in databases.


text:
Here’s what’s been happening in the crypto world over the past 7 days.
Community & Adoption News
The popularity of cryptocurrencies, and especially Bitcoin, keeps growing. The fact that the number of Bitcoin ATMs across the world continues to rise supports this claim. According to Coin ATM Radar chart, the number of Bitcoin ATMs has surged by 55% over the last year, 262% over the past two years, and a staggering 647% since 2016.
Another crypto adoption news comes from France. Starting next year, more than 25,000 outlets will start accepting cryptocurrency payments for over 30 brands, including Sephora, Foot Locker
According to a recently-released survey, US Millennials and Generation Z have a growing interest in Bitcoin and
As far as the news in the crypto community goes, competition among miners is intensifying. According to new data, bitcoin mining difficulty will grow by 60% in the third quarter of 2019.
A group of researchers has recently performed a security analysis of Bitcoin’s lightning network. According to them, the lightning network is as secure as Bitcoin. However, one thing to note is that their analysis was based on the formal specification, not an implementation, which may contain some bugs.
Iran’s Crypto Mining Regulation
Back in July, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture authorised bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining. A few days ago, CoinDesk claimed to have acquired a document presenting a draft proposal for new cryptocurrency mining regulations. According to them, it won’t be long before the proposal is officially approved.
Bakkt’s Launch: An Important Event in Crypto History?
On Monday, September 23, after two delays, Bakkt finally launched the first physically-delivered Bitcoin futures contracts.
Since the service is designed for the institutional traders, many believe that Bakkt will encourage more brokers and big investors to enter the markets. However, some believe that it won’t be the “tipping point” for the crypto adoption, though it still doesn’t mean it isn’t a big step forward.
There are bad guys everywhere, in both the physical and digital world, as well as in any industry.
Cybersecurity researches are also warning that malware could be stealing cryptocurrency wallet information. Even though everyone should be wary, Bitcoin and Litecoin wallets
Not all, but fortunately some bad guys do get caught. This has happened recently, and the UK police are now auctioning some criminal’s seized bitcoin, worth around £500,000 (~ US$617,000 / AU$914,000). Confiscated bitcoin is up for online auction for 24 hours – from Wednesday, September 25 at noon GMT, until Thursday, September 26 at noon GMT. Another sale is planned for Thursday at 6 pm GMT and is available to both online and physical bidders.
As far as crypto prices go, this Tuesday was not the best day for neither bitcoin nor some altcoins, such as ethereum. ETH price went down for about 18%. Bitcoin price dipped below US$8,000, which is its lowest point since this June, according to CNBC. However, after a few hours, the bitcoin price managed to recover a bit and go above the $8,000 threshold.
Anyhow, some crypto experts, such as Tyler Winklevoss, saw the dip as another buying opportunity.
His brother, on the other hand, suggests hodling.
All in all, we closed (AEST) the last day of our review, September 25 2019, at a price of US$8705 (~ AU$12900 / £7045).
See you next Thursday!
Tamara is a marketing and PR professional, enthusiastic about crypto, blockchain and technology in general. She’s the editor at Bitcoin Australia.


text:
The Ethiopia-Djibouti electric railway will start transporting containerised goods from next January, official said.
Mr Abdillahi Adaweh Sigad, the CEO of Société de Gestion du Terminal a conteneur de Doraleh (SGTD), said the line will, in three weeks, start transporting 200 containers daily.
“We will start with two trains, which will have a capacity of transporting 100 containers each every day,” Mr Sigad told visiting journalists from Ethiopia.
SGTD took over the administration of the port from DP World.
DP World previously managed the Doraleh Container Terminal with a minority share, but the Dubai firm and the government of Djibouti disagreed, and the latter unexpectedly cancelled the contract.
DP World consequently took the Djibouti government to the London Court of International Arbitration, which reportedly ruled last August that the former's container terminal contract was valid and binding.
The government of Djibouti seized the Doraleh Container Terminal from DP World early this year over their dispute dating back to at least 2012.
Djibouti Ports and Free Zone Authority (DPFZA) said in March that it was willing to buy out DP World's 33 percent stake in the container terminal to end the row with one of the world's largest port operators. However, DP World denied that such an offer had been made.
Mr Sigad said the railway would soon be linked to the Duraleh Container Terminal, which was now administered by SGTD.
“The train is operational since June this year. The volume is increasing. Now the station is finalised.
"From 1st of January, we will be able to manage up to four or five trains and by September we will be handling eight to ten trains."
For many years, failure by importers to collect their goods on time, a shortage of transportation trucks as well as mismanagement of containers destined for Ethiopia, congested the Djibouti port for several months.
That cost Ethiopia huge levies, forcing it to introduce dry ports within the country such as Modjo Dry Port.
Currently, the specialised containers only handling terminal has eight key cranes to discharge containers from ships.


text:
Hyundai Motor Group develop world's first Active Shift Control for hybrid cars to enhance fuel economy
Hyundai Motors has developed the world's first tech to closely monitor gear shift 500 times in a second, called the Active Shift Control (ASC). The ASC will is said to improve the transmission efficiency by 30 per cent and provide quicker shift times. The ASC's command system is the Hybrid control unit (HCU), which means the tech so far is limited to a Hyundai's and Kia's upcoming hybrid cars.
The HCU monitors the rotational speed of transmission with a sensor inside the electric motor at 500 times per second and brings down the shift time from 500ms to 350ms to synchronize the rotational speed with that of the engine.
"The development of world's first ASC technology is a remarkable innovation which incorporates precise motor control to automatic transmission," said KyoungJoon Chang, Vice President and Head of Powertrain Control System Group of Hyundai Motor Group, "It will not only save fuel but also provide a more fun driving experience for our customers."
With the debut of the Hyundai Kona, we can expect mild-hybrid tech for the Indian automobile industry from both Hyundai and Kia is the coming years.
Starts Rs 23.72 Lakhs
Starts Rs 9.95 Lakhs
- Maruti Suzuki expected to launch Swift Cross to rival Tata Punch, as per reports
- Tata Motors experience a 38 percent rise in sales for the month of November 2021
- Upcoming Kia MPV officially named Carens, unveil on December 16
- Mahindra Bolero Neo: Neo World Order
- Supreme Court allows registration of BS4 vehicles sold before April 1, 2020


text:
San Francisco: Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has revealed that the global chip shortage, which had already forced the company to downscale its expected sales for the much-loved Switch device, is also hindering hardware development.
Nintendo executive Ko Shiota said that the semiconductor situation is having some effect on hardware development, reports GizmoChina.
“We are looking at substituting components and tweaking designs to try and reduce the impact,” said Shiota.
The chip shortage has affected various tech-reliant industries across the globe including the automobile, consumer electronics, including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, televisions, home appliances and more.
In a statement given to CNBC last month, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has speculated that the global chip shortage will likely linger for a lot longer.
He said that he expects the shortage to extend at least until 2023.
This announcement comes a day after the company President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the chip shortage shows no sign of easing up, and it has forced the company to cut down on its annual sales forecast of the Nintendo Switch by 6 per cent.
Furukawa also revealed that the company is struggling to meet the increased demand in the year-end holiday shopping season as chip shortages interrupt production.
The gaming giant depends heavily on its console business, all the while deep-pocketed rivals such as Microsoft are expanding subscription and cloud gaming services.
Nintendo further stated that it “plans to continue to expand its business around the core concept of creating unique integrated hardware-software products”.


text:
INDIANAPOLIS — While Halloween is a fun time for parents and kids, veterinarians say we shouldn’t forget how the holiday can affect pets.
The lights, costumes and strangers at the door can make Halloween a stressful experience for our furry friends. The best way to help them, vets say, is to limit their exposure by putting them in a room or kennel where you can lock the door.
“That way, they’re not going to be the ones that bolt, or get super scared and then they might bite someone,” said Dr. Chris Robinette, a vet with the Pet Wellness Clinic. “So, I just put them in a safe space where they’re more confined so that way they won’t run away, hurt someone, or hurt themselves.”
Experts also advised against leaving candy in easy reach of pets, as it can be toxic for the animals in the house. Additionally, Robinette had some things to consider before buying your animal a costume.
“Just be very careful when you get a costume for a pet with things that like to dangle,” Robinette said. “Pets think it might be a toy for them so just be careful when you’re putting it around their head it’s not very tight, it could like choke them or cause them more distress.”
Additionally, Halloween decorations can be an issue for some pets.
“These smaller kinds of decorations like lights and stuff we see, I’ve had plenty of times where cats and dogs have gotten into and ingested these products and required surgery,” Robinette said. “So just be very careful about where you’re placing them or if your pets eat stuff that they shouldn’t definitely be careful.”
Finally, Robinette advised pet owners to get their animals some wearable identification.
“Always make sure your pets have proper identification too, with ID tags on their collars or microchips,” he said. “I typically do both because collars can slip off or break and so that way if they were to slip away you can be contacted appropriately.”


text:
Pune-based John Deere India on Wednesday said it expects the tractor market to remain good going forward amid all the parameters that support the utilisation of tractors in agriculture looking positive.
The company also said that the tractor industry sales volumes are expected to be at around 9,00,000 this fiscal and FY24 may see a similar sales number. John Deere India is the domestic subsidiary of the world's largest manufacturer of tractors and construction equipment vehicles.
It has two manufacturing facilities in the country, one each in Pune and Dewas in Madhya Pradesh with a cumulative production capacity of around 1.32 lakh tractors annually.
“The outlook (on the tractor segment) looks very good. All the factors that support the utilisation of tractors in agriculture are looking positive and we expect the market to remain good,” Sahilendra Jagtap, Managing Director and Country Manager, John Deere Pvt Ltd India said here during an interaction.
John Deere started its operation in India in 1998. The segment volumes are going to be at the same level next fiscal what they are estimated to be this year—around 9 lakh units, Jagtap said, and added,” the market depends on how the Monsoon plays out.”
Though it is difficult to predict but as per information available so far it (the Monsoon) is likely to be normal this year, he added.
“Our journey in India began 25 years ago with the introduction of advanced product features such as power steering, oil-immersed disk brakes, planetary reduction, force feed lubrication, high torque machines and value-add technologies,“ Jagtap said.
“John Deere continues to innovate and introduce these advanced features in India which are now becoming industry standard, " he said and added that “the farmers 'outlook is progressive, and they adapt technologies when they see value and cost benefits.”
Electronics system manufacturing in Pune (Maharashtra). Besides two manufacturing facilities, the company also has an engineering Centre in Pune as well as two Global IT Centres one each in Pune and Bengaluru.
Without disclosing any investment numbers, Jagtap said that the company always works one year ahead of time so if it sees the projections going up, it starts investing.
“We keep that in mind and based on how the market moves, we take a decision how much to invest and how much to expand,” he said emphasising that John Deere has made an additional investment in producing a higher power tractor exclusively for the markets such as the US, Europe and Japan, among others.
It has expanded its parts distribution centre to Indore, in addition to the already existing facility in Nagpur.


text:
Slowdown hits at Homebase
Home Retail warned today it is already seeing a downturn in sales at its Homebase DIY chain and expects 'restricted growth' at Argos stores as consumer spending slides.
It reassured investors that the financial year which ended at the start of this month had produced 'double-digit earnings growth' in line with City forecasts.
That suggest 14% profit growth to around £429m.
Chief executive Terry Duddy said: 'The last year turned out better than we had expected, but in the coming one like-for-like growth is going to be very hard to achieve.'
The scale of the downturn at Homebase - hit by the slowing housing market - is shown by the split between the first half of the year when like-for-like sales fell by 2.5% and the second when they dropped 6%.
Pretty much everything bar kitchens had a tough time, and Duddy said 'the only good news was that it didn't get worse'.
In the final eight weeks of the year Argos's same store sales rose by 1.9%, but Duddy admitted this was partly due to an early Mother's Day and January sales which had pushed profit margins down by around 0.5%.
Most watched Money videos
- Three Minute Money: How hard is it to set up a new bank?
- 2007: Levi Roots pitches his Reggae Reggae Sauce to the Dragons
- Three Minute Money: What will make savings rates rise?
- Rare 1960 crashed Jaguar heading to auction for £10k to £15k
- Mercedes releases footage of new EQS electric vehicle
- Audi showcases electric A6 e-tron concept with 'cinematic' headlights
- Which shares could do well if inflation rises?
- Will investors see a Roaring Twenties on the stock market?
- Three Minute Money: What error are accidental savers making?
- Three Minute Money: Should every parent be saving in a Jisa?
- Three Minute Money: What to look out for when home hunting
- Three Minute Money: Should every saver have Premium Bonds?


text:
Trelleborg’s aquatic systems procedure has actually transferred and also practically increased the dimension of its design and also layout centre of quality in inhabiting a brand-new 1,000 m2 center in Ahmedabad,India Since 2009, the aquatic centre of quality has actually supplied in-depth engineering layout, modelling and also evaluation for tasks throughout a variety of procedures within the Trelleborg team. The brand-new facilities stand for a substantial growth to Trelleborg’s internal design ability, that includes Finite Element Analysis (FEA), while increasing additional Trelleborg’s group of architectural, mechanical and also electric designers.
Amit Madan, local supervisor at Trelleborg’s aquatic systems procedure, claimed: “While many companies outsource their engineering and manufacturing requirements, Trelleborg continues to invest in its market-leading in-house capability. Our previous premises provided fantastic support and extremely quick design turnaround for our marine systems operation. However, the new Indian center of excellence promises to further strengthen our end-to-end service from design through manufacturing and testing, to installation and maintenance.”
Trelleborg’s aquatic procedure department makes and also sets up specialized fender systems, docking and also mooring devices, oil and also gas transfer innovation and also vessel effectiveness innovation for aquatic atmospheres around the globe.


text:
One more feather in the cap.
Forster Angus and Robertson franchisees have escaped the financial ruin of the 125-year-old chain after it was put into voluntary administration last week.
Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between producers and consumers.
NPC International Inc.
Yo quiero Taco Bell?” If you want Taco Bell in the Bluff City, you’re now out of luck.
With six acquisitions under its belt in 2010, most observers thought 2011 would be the year that Famous Brands put its collective shoulder to the wheel and focused on integrating its new businesses into the business and providing them with a sustainable platform for growth.
Noble Roman’s Inc.
Billing itself as the world’s ‘first compact semi submarine’, the ‘ego’ craft by korean company raonhaje is built around a submergible core, permitting the private enclosed underwater excursions of individuals, couples, and families.
Franchise Business Review (FBR 50) announced its rankings for Franchise Satisfaction at the 2011 International Franchise Association conference in Las Vegas.


text:
Supermarket Morrisons has thanked surging sales of its premium range and efforts to keep a lid on prices for better-than-expected Christmas trading.
The Bradford-based chain said group like-for-like sales excluding fuel jumped 2.8% in the 10 weeks to January 7, with retail sales up 2.1% and wholesale 0.7% ahead.
It said it enjoyed an “especially strong” festive season as sales picked up pace in the last seven weeks – up 3.7% across the group after a 2.8% jump in retail and 0.9% wholesale rise.
The UK’s fourth biggest supermarket kicked off the festive trading updates with a stronger-than-forecast set of numbers, after analysts had pencilled in a 1.7% rise in group sales for the 10 weeks.
Shares lifted as much as 4% before paring back to stand 2% higher after its trading update, with gains for retail rivals Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, up 2% and 3% respectively.
Morrisons said it kept the price of a basket of key Christmas items the same as last year, resisting price hikes for squeezed consumers in the face of surging costs.
Shopper spending power has been hit hard by Brexit-fuelled inflation, which has outstripped paltry wage growth throughout most of 2017.
Wider food price inflation rose around 3% at the end of the year, although Morrisons said this was set to pass through in 2018 with the prices of some produce, such as seafood, already coming down.
Online sales at Morrisons.com grew by more than 10%, with the group delivering to more areas of the UK through its partnership with Ocado.
Its update came as Kantar Worldpanel figures showed the group’s share of the supermarket sector slipped to 10.7% over the Christmas quarter from 10.9% a year earlier despite rising sales, with the Big Four chains continuing to come under pressure from German rivals Aldi and Lidl.
Rival Tesco, which reports figures on Thursday, led the major players with a 3.1% surge in sales over the 12 weeks to the end of December, according to Kantar.
David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said: “More and more customers found more things they wanted to buy at competitive prices at Morrisons this Christmas.”
He added that, after three years in a row of sales growth, the group was now “open for business for new stores” and plans to open a “handful” of new supermarkets a year, with around one or two set for 2018.
Morrisons also confirmed its wholesale deal with the McColl’s convenience store chain would begin rolling out this week as part of plans to build a “broader, stronger” group.
It started supplying some tobacco to McColl’s earlier than planned, which helped push up wholesale sales in the 10 weeks to January 7.
Mr Potts has led a recovery of the grocery chain by investing in price cuts and calling time on under-performing stores in attempts to turn the page on the supermarket’s ill-fated era under ousted boss Dalton Philips.
The McColl’s deal – announced in August – is also part of his turnaround efforts and will see the group relaunch the Safeway brand.
The partnership will see the supermarket supply Safeway and branded products to 1,300 convenience shops and 350 newsagents.
Retail expert Clive Black at Shore Capital said the update proved Morrisons is in “good shape”, while Bruno Monteyne at Bernstein said it was a “good start” to the sector’s festive updates.


text:
Another manufacturer is expanding Chromebook lineup as Google and ASUS join once more. According to a report by VR-Zone, ASUS plans to launch two new Chromebooks this year, the C200 and C300. Unfortunately not many details were provided.
As their names suggest, the C200 is a smaller model and will probably feature an 11.6-inch display, while the C300 will be a 13.3-inch Chromebook. We'll keep you posted as new details leak.


text:
According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will spend $2.7 billion on Halloween candy this year. The average family spends $47 on Halloween candy.
During the week of Halloween, 90 million pounds of chocolate is sold. After chocolate, the next most popular Halloween candy is Candy Corn, with 20 million pounds sold.
The average child will eat 7000 calories on Halloween, which will include a total of 3 cups of sugar, or 220 packets of sugar.


text:
The latest Android operating system that is in use is Android 9 Pie. It is yet to be rolled out to numerous Android smartphones. And Google is already looking forward to the next generation mobile platform. Considering the naming series, Google is likely to pick up the next version name to be Android Q. Now, what the Q will be called as, is still a mystery. It is even unsure whether it will be termed as Android Q or Android 10. Google hasn’t released any information yet about the upcoming mobile operating system. But, thanks to the leaks and rumors that give us a hint about the Android Q features. Let us have a look at all those features that we know so far about the Android Q.
Though Google did not specify anything about the Android Q release date, the rumors suggest the preview of Android Q drop in the first quarter of 2019, probably in March. This is the time when the Android Oreo and Android P were introduced. Despite its preview in March, Google will not roll out the update to the consumers until August 2019.
It is like the system-wide dark mode is on its way with the Android Q. This seems to be the actual dark mode as all the supported apps can switch to the dark mode when enabled. Though this was the feature that was rumored to come in with Android Q, thanks to the early leaked build that already confirms its existence. In order to enable dark mode, navigate through display settings and select set dark mode. Also, there is an option to choose automatic which can change the system theme from dark mode to light mode and vice versa depending on the timing. While the Dark mode presence is highly likely, there is even a chance to get a night mode as it is also spotted in the early Android builds. Let us wait and see if this feature will make its way with this official software.
Similar to the Samsung DeX even the stock Android is likely to get the interesting desktop mode feature. Though this is not made official, rumors suggest the presence of a new developer option that is termed as “force desktop mode” for which the description says “ force experimental desktop mode on secondary displays.” Despite its presence in the early builds, XDA developers were unable to enable the feature. However, this suggests that Google is in works to include the desktop mode feature for Android Q. Having this feature on Android Q could definitely be super useful as users can now be able to lot mode with their smartphones.
Also, learn more about Google Contacts Apps v3.2 Dark Mode Theme.
With the Android Marshmallow, we have seen a whole new set of Android permissions making its way. Now, the same system is still continuing even with the upcoming Android Q. The Android Pie also brought in several permission enhancements that allowed users to have control over several app permissions. The permissions are further enhanced now and the users can now restrict the access for certain apps using the background location and more. This is really a great move from Google. Additionally, the permissions page may also receive an overhaul.
Though there is enough range of developer options available in the latest Android OS, still you are ought to get more developer options. According to the Android Q leaks and rumors, the user will now get back the ability to enable freeform Windows and would even get the most awaited feature of the built-in screen recorder. Along with this, there could be several other new options. Game Update Package preference option is another interesting feature to look for.
With the Android Q, Google might introduce the ability to connect to the external monitor. This allows making use of both screens of either phone/tablet or any monitor simultaneously.
Well! It is true that many smartphone users are still awaiting the Android Pie update, but many of us are still eager to find about the upcoming operating system and the devices to which it might be released for. At the moment, it is quite hard to predict. However, if you want to sure that you are one of those getting Android Q, then you must own the premium range smartphone running on Android Oreo. There is every chance for even the mid-range smartphones as well as the budget phones that come preinstalled with Android Oreo to join the high-end models in receiving the Android Q update.


text:
Mansur Ahmed, president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), says it is more expensive to transport goods from Lagos to Kano than from China to Lagos.
Ahmed was speaking at the 2020 edition of the MAN reporter of the year award.
The MAN president said competitiveness cannot be achieved in the absence of infrastructure like roads and electricity.
He advised the government to enact industry-friendly policies as a way of assisting them to grow.
Speaking on the imminent increase in electricity tariff, the MAN president said it could have a negative impact on the gross domestic product and gross national product seeing as electricity constitutes up to 40% of the cost of production.
According to him, uneven pricing across electricity distribution companies (DisCos), if not corrected, will lead to uneven development in certain parts of the country.
Ahmed also said he has been confirmed as the chairman of the Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA), the umbrella body of manufacturers in Africa.
…calls for structured policies over Nigeria/China currency swap
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN) has called for structured fiscal policies to ensure that the Nigeria-China currency swap agreement truly benefits the manufacturing sector and the Nigerian economy.
MAN made the call in an economic report detailing the implications and benefits of the currency swap agreement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
The association, in outlining the benefits of the currency swap to the manufacturing sector, said access to Yuan liquidity at Nigerian banks would make trading transactions smoother and more cost effective.
Reports show that a reduction on the strain on Nigeria’s foreign reserve denominated in Dollars was mentioned among the benefits of the currency swap.
On the other hand, the report detailed that unrestricted access to Yuan at an overvalued Naira exchange rate would encourage importation and stifle local production of goods which negates government import substitution agenda.
This, the association explained would cause de-industralisation and unemployment.
The economic report further reads that, “The Nigeria-China currency swap if implemented without appropriate monetary and fiscal policies would bring about challenges which may affect the attainment of national economic aspirations.
The association recommends that the Central Bank of Nigeria must ensure constant monitoring so that an increase in demand of the Yuan would not result in depreciation of the Naira.
The reports state that a currency swap is designed to protect Central Banks of parties involved from losses owing to fluctuations in currency values.
Also, the Nigeria-China currency swap agreement is expected to aid trade transactions and remove the need to first source for US Dollars in the course of transactions involving the two countries.
The deal is a 3 year tenure which allows to swap a maximum amount of 15 billion Renminbi/Chinese Yuan for 720 billion Naira.


text:
The video games industry has expressed concerns that Britain’s decision to leave the European Union will affect access to development talent.
Games developer network, Tiga, has claimed Brexit will lead to harsher immigration rules.
They could prevent European developers from contributing to the development of games in the UK.
Many blockbuster games such as Grand Theft Auto, pictured, are made on these shores.
Tiga CEO Richard Wilson said: “The UK video games industry is a technology sector that provides high-skilled employment for more than 30,000 people, including approximately 11,000 development staff, and which contributes £1.1bn to UK GDP.
“It is also export-oriented, with at least 95% of studios exporting.
“Following the referendum in favour of ‘Brexit’, it will be more vital than ever to strengthen – and avoid harming – those sectors where the UK has a comparative competitive advantage.”
Research by Tiga found 15 per cent of UK games development staff are from the EU.
It claimed the Government should take responsibility to ensure the games industry, which has produced such classics as Wipeout, still has access to talent and funding.
The UK games industry was said to have grown significantly in 2016, with 70% of employers in the sector planning new hires throughout the year.
Tiga expressed concerns that European programmes such as Creative Europe and Horizon 2020 which support creative industries in the EU may no longer be open to UK applications post-Brexit.


text:
Last seen: 6 days ago
Carlos Tabora is the Editor/Publisher of VirtualEventNews.com and owner of Carlos Tabora Marketing, a digital marketing agency that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with their marketing and web design development needs. He has a passion for music, Internet marketing and online events and is currently producing The Songwriting Expo and The Internet Marketing Expo virtual events. Carlos hopes this site will help those looking for more information about creating an online event and promote the importance of producing quality events for their attendees.
Here's a list of events in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that have been canceled or rescheduled due to COVID-19.
A drop in tourists and visitors to Baldwin County is likely. Sports tourism and beach destinations are also feeling the pinch as the...
A PR professional becomes part of a brand’s front line when an event is cancelled or postponed.
A running list of the New Orleans food events canceled due to coronavirus guidelines
Large-scale event cancellations in Detroit are expected to take a hefty economic toll.The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Center...
A running log of Chicago-area food and hospitality events cancelled over concerns about the new coronavirus


text:
After a three-year closure, the Southern Gold Coast’s much-loved Kirra Beach Hotel has reopened this week.
The opening comes after the announcement back in September that revealed the pub will be part of the new Kirra Point precinct.
The Kirra Beach Hotel is located on the ground floor, corner position on Marine Parade and Miles Street and hosts a beer garden, bistro, public and sports bar, kids area, and boutique bottle shop.
Publican and Licensee Greg Hodge ‘Hodgy’ is leading the new venue, which is open daily with walk-ins only.
On the menu, guests can expect pub favourites such as beef rissoles with mash and schnitzels alongside share plates, grilled meats and fish, plus local raw seafood.
There are also weekly seafood specials from the trawler, including the likes of fresh bugs and prawns; tempura-battered bug tail rolls; natural and Kilpatrick oysters; and a Kirra Beach Hotel seafood platter.
“The Kirra Beach Hotel has always been more than just a pub for our guests and it’s a place where anyone is welcome,” says Hodge.
“It’s a second home, a place where you can relax and be on a first name basis with our staff, a place where you can pop in after a surf and grab a bite to eat, and perch up with a beer in hand and watch the waves and magic of Kirra roll in.”
The opening of the Kirra Beach Hotel marks stage one of the KTQ Group’s Kirra Point Precinct, with the next venue to swing open its doors being the Kirra Beach House slated to open early December.
The Kirra Beach Hotel is now open at 2 Marine Parade, Coolangatta, Queensland.


text:
Digital media is a bugle
I was involved in an online debate about the sale of Re/code, a tech site made prominent by its founders, Wall Street Journal star technology columnists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. The gist of the argument was that if these two big-deal technology columnists had to sell, so soon after GigaOm went out of business, what did it mean for the rest of the big tech verticals?
Maybe nothing. Matthew Ingram, set adrift by GigaOm’s closure then picked up by Fortune, describes online media as a barbell, where the bells are targeted, small sites and very large sites. Sites like Re/code are in the bar, the valley of death, as Ingram called it. It’s an update of the classic ‘crossing the chasm’ argument: they hoped technology’s seeming pervasiveness would attract steep growth in its audience, and it didn’t.
There was much hand-wringing in the debate over what Re/code’s failure meant for journalism. Re/code, of course, was not doing general interest reporting, but journalists like Mossberg and Swisher are exceptionally prominent for technology writers. If they can’t scale, the argument went, who can? It was a bit like watching the journalistic parallel to Alfred Lambert (The Corrections) looking at his railroad, seeing a profession falling apart and looted when it might have been saved. But issues at Re/code and GigaOm look to me more localized.
GigaOm built a large staff over eight years and ultimately appears to have been unable to sustain it through revenues. Re/code looks like it was on the verge of doing the same. It has a staff of 39, 26 of whom are editorial (including Mossberg and Swisher). It had 1.5 million unique visitors, which sounds large, but means little when it is people popping in to read an occasional story. Compare Re/code to its savior, Vox Media, which has 150 million unique visitors across its array of media sites. I have no doubt Mossberg and Swisher could have sustained their business with a smaller staff, though it might have been just the two of them and some support for their conference business.
Maybe they felt they needed to compete in technology news with the Journal, which in the wake of its 2013 split with Mossberg and Swisher went out and hired 20 more reporters to augment its already substantial technology staff. But the Journal has existing administrative support and a very large audience, plus subscription revenues to sustain itself.
Things may work out fine for Mossberg and Swisher and their staff; Vox bought their outfit for stock (pre-IPO, investor-set value), and it is trying to sell itself to Comcast for a rich payday (here’s a look at the weirdly incestuous connections between Vox Media, Re/code, and Comcast).
Comcast must ask itself whether Vox’s 150 million monthly visitors provide a meaningful audience. That sounds on its face naive; how could 150 million monthly visitors not mean something valuable?
Because digital media is not a barbell; it’s a bugle. There’s a very long, convoluted leadpipe filled with niche companies, flaring out into a bell. If you’re going to build an advertising-driven media business, you need to be in the bell. And that probably means getting to the scale of Twitter or Facebook. That didn’t used to be true. In 1999, when I was at ZDNet, we were a top 15 web site, and we weren’t the biggest media site. Now look at the top 15 Web sites: Google, YouTube (owned by Google), Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon.com — the list is all search, social media, software and e-commerce. WordPress, a distribution platform, is 15th. It has 240 million unique monthly visitors. If these top 15 Web sites comprise the bell, it means all traditional media are in the leadpipe. The leadpipe is a niche business. You can be newsletter niche, a small shop like Re/code, or The Wirecutter, or you can be super niche like The New York Times. Either way, you lack the scale to compete in a mass advertising market with the likes of Facebook. Maybe you can get people to pay you for your content, because people will pay for some types of content, among them politics (because government makes up a vast percentage of spending around the globe) and business (the subscription is a business expense). Putting politics into an economic frame is why The Economist can charge so much ($130 a year in the U.S.). Some of the debate I was part of centered on whether Politico was stupid to set up state operations. Going in to state markets is smart; there’s an established business model that supports subscription services like the State House News Service. These can make a tidy profit. As long as Politico doesn’t overspend, if it can dislodge those that exist, it should be able to make money off going local.
We journalists have to recognize that no matter how big we are, on the Web we are in the wrong part of the bugle. If we don’t, it’s Taps for us.


text:
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will launch the second textile city in Badr city on an area of 1 million sqm, according to the Minister Tarek Kabil.
Kabil said that the city includes 198 plots of land including textile, garment and dyeing industries.
Kabil added that the booklet of conditions will be withdrawn from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) during the period from 15 October to 19 October.
The minister noted that procedures of the first Textile City, which was launched in the city of Badr in March on an area of one million sqm had been completed. Further, a public draw on units (lands) will be held on 11October.
Kabil pointed out that the IDA will also launch an industrial cluster for textile industries in Badr city before the end of the current year to meet the needs of small investors.


text:
Consumers looking for a more affordable version of Microsoft’s Surface Laptop can now check its latest version, which was released this week in the United States at a price of $799, or $200 less than the previous entry-level configuration.
According to a report from Windows Central, the new Surface Laptop model was released Friday on the Microsoft Store, where the unit is currently available only to U.S. customers. Basic specifications include an Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage with Windows 10 S as the operating system, while other key features and specs include a 13.5-inch Pixel Sense display with 2256 x 1504 resolution, a 720p front camera, and Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium. The new laptop replaces the original entry-level model, which came with the same amount of RAM, but was powered by a faster Intel Core i5 processor.
While it’s not clear why Microsoft launched a new Surface Laptop at a cheaper price point, The Verge noted that the model appeared on the Microsoft Store mere days after the company announced an unsatisfactory 1 percent year-over-year increase in Surface revenue during the 2017 holiday quarter. The report added that Microsoft’s revamp of the Surface Pro line and introduction of the Surface Laptop in 2017 didn’t seem to do much to increase revenue in the fourth calendar quarter, when holiday shoppers normally gravitate toward newer products.
Although the introduction of a more affordable Microsoft Surface Laptop could potentially help the company improve its Surface line’s sales and revenue figures, Ars Technica opined that the new configuration might not be for everyone, due to the fact that it only comes with 4GB RAM, with no option to add more memory. Nonetheless, the publication added that most users might not notice the slower processor performance in comparison to the original $999 entry-level edition, thus potentially giving it “much better value” for its price tag.
The new entry-level Microsoft Surface Laptop isn’t the only cheaper option the company introduced this week, Ars Technica added. Microsoft also launched a 13.5-inch version of the Surface Book 2, which costs $1,199 and comes with a seventh-generation Intel Core i5 processor paired with 8GB RAM, a 3000 x 2000 display, and 128GB internal storage. But with the configuration lacking the discrete GPU found in higher-end versions of the two-in-one PC, Ars posited that the new Surface Book 2 is “hard to recommend,” adding that there are other similarly-priced options, such as the HP Spectre x360, that offer better specifications.


text:
Furthermore, it uses the BitStamp API for querying the current price of both Bitcoin and Litecoin.
Bitcoin Futures Might Be Coming Soon - WSJGet started with Bitcoin: find a wallet, buy bitcoin, shop with bitcoin, read bitcoin news, and get involved on the forum.
I assume increase in turnover of daily Bitcoin transactions in dollar terms to raise 10 times,.We offer an easy way to compare the price of bitcoin to INR with our charts and currency exchange rate.We provide daily Bitcoin analysis that can help you in following the Bitcoin market and take trading decisions.
Bitcoin - Priced In GoldThe Bitcoin Volatility Index calculates and displays the historical volatility of the Bitcoin price, as well as that of Litecoin, in specific timeframes and more.
Daniel Mark Harrison is a financial journalist and entrepreneur who writes a daily column for The.BTC Valuation Bitcoin Charts and Daily Info Current BTC prices.
Coin Dance - Daily Bitcoin Cash Profitability Against Original Chain Summary.
Bitcoin Daily Price Forecast! — Steemit
Bitcoin Prices - Money Morning
Bitcoin Daily Price Chart Technical Analysis Outlook - Logical Prices to Buy Bitcoin last year.The primary plan is to add a comparison between the Bitcoin volatility and the volatility of a few traditional currencies.Things you need to know on Bitcoin.com. Bitcoin Price. the price of Bitcoin in terms of traditional currency can fluctuate significantly on a daily.Bitcoin Daily is an aggregate of original and top stories from around the world.Bitcoin Daily News Bitcoin News, and How Bitcoin is covered in the News, curated here daily.Maybe yes, experts say, but bitcoin and other digital currencies seem to be moving toward respectability.
Our up to the minute Bitcoin price will help you track the largest digital currency currently available.
Beware Bitcoin - Wall Street DailyA higher volatility means that the price of the asset can change dramatically over a short time period in either direction.
Where can I get a Bitcoin daily price history dump (either
Bitcoin Investment Trust Daily Value at Risk (VaR) 1% (AllBTCS Inc. stock price, stock quotes and financial overviews from MarketWatch.
We make it super easy to securely buy, use and accept bitcoin, following KYC-AML guidelines.
Bitcoin to hit $6,000 by mid-2018, Tom Lee says - Business
We partner with Bitcoin businesses and independent journalists to ensure a unique.Weighted value of bitcoin, 2010 to present: click on the chart to download a pdf.Bitcoin Investment Trust has a Daily Value at Risk (VaR) 1% (All) of 15.00%. Bitcoin Investment Trust Daily Value at Risk (VaR) 1% (All) (GBTC) charts, historical.


text:
Sprint set to turn on 4G networks in Los Angeles, New York and Bay Area
The New York-area network is set to go live Nov. 1, followed by L.A. on Dec. 1, then San Francisco in late December.
The 4G service, Sprint says, will offer data download speeds of 3 megabits to 6 megabits per second -- about 10 times faster than most 3G services, and nearing the average speed for a home broadboand connection. If the network works as advertised those speeds will allow users to easily download and watch data-heavy media such as high-resolution movies, television shows and music.
Sprint already offers two of the first 4G-ready smart phones, the HTC EVO ($199) and the Samsung Epic ($249), both of which require a two-year contract that costs about $80 a month. Sprint has said that, unlike competitors such as AT&T that require some customers to pay extra if they overshoot their monthly data allotment, Sprint will allow 4G customers unlimited data usage.
Sprint's 4G phones will also work on 3G networks -- a necessity because of the smaller size and high cost of the newer 4G mobile infrastructure. The company has set up limited 4G networks in more than 50 other cities, including Las Vegas, Dallas and Atlanta, but customers would not have access to 4G speeds in other areas.
Sprint officials have said that even in high-profile markets like Los Angeles, 4G coverage will initially be limited to the most concentrated areas, and buyers should consult coverage maps -- available when the network launches -- before they purchase a new handset.
In Los Angeles, 4G coverage will be available (to different extents) in the downtown area, Glendale, Pasadena, the Westside, the South Bay, "most" of San Fernando Valley, northern Orange County, and Long Beach, Sprint says.
In New York, the networks will cover all five boroughs, as well as parts of Long Island and Westchester County.
The company gave fewer details about coverage in the Bay Area, but said the networks would reach "from San Francisco to San Jose."
Sprint's competitors Verizon Wireless and AT&T have also announced plans to deploy 4G networks, though they're months behind Sprint. Verizon said it would launch 4G in 25-30 cities by the end of 2010, but will not have 4G handsets available until mid-2011. AT&T plans to deploy its 4G technology next year, but has announced that it will launch a faster and more advanced 3G network, called HSPA+, in the next several months. T-Mobile has launched HSPA+ sites in 65 metropolitan areas -- including Los Angeles -- but has not announced specific 4G plans.
-- David Sarno
Photo: HTC's EVO 4G smart phone. Credit: Sprint


text:
Video sharing platform YouTube has announced that automatic livestream captions will now be available for all creators.
As per The Verge, these were limited to channels with more than 1,000 subscribers, during the feature's initial rollout.
YouTube has its presence in more than 90 countries, and features content in over 80 languages, making it a massive tool to reach out to a global audience. However, there might be language barriers while doing so and people from all regions might not understand a language. To solve this problem, YouTube rolled out automatic livestream captions in English. In near future, the YouTube application for smartphones will receive a lot of features and updates that will be creator-focussed and help the publishers on the platform to include more audience.
The expanded language support for live and auto-translate captions will be coming within the next few months, and YouTube says multiple audio tracks will be more widely available “in the coming quarters”.
YouTube also says that it'll “experiment” with letting users search through video transcripts on mobile devices.
Finally, YouTube says it's still working on the Subtitle Editor permission, and that it'll provide updates on its progress “in the coming months”.


text:
Sarah Jessica Parker is to take a top new job in the the fashion industry, reports say
Sarah Jessica Parker already has some pretty impressive fashion credentials - her Sex and the City alter ego is an international style icon while the actress herself released a line of clothing called Bitten in 2007. However, the 44-year-old could be about to find herself up there with the industry's top dogs if rumours about her new job are true...
According to WWD, SJP is hoping to clinch a role as creative director of American design house Halston Heritage, the very label whose dress she was spotted wearing on the set of the Sex and the City movie sequel last year (pictured).
While the buzz is so far unconfirmed, E! Online has reported:
"We hear that the 'Sex and the City' fashion icon may end up with a much bigger role at the revived design house [Halston Heritage]. A source tells us that Parker may actually land some sort of consulting gig with Halston. Titles being bantered about include creative director and design director."
Well, whether SJP is hand-on or off, the label is going to get a lot of press when Carrie Bradshaw is seen wearing the number in the film this May, so we don't blame them for wanting her onboard.


text:
Burnt out from building a $600 million business, Blake Mycoskie is ready to share what he learned on the path back to health. But is the self-care industrial complex ready to turn off its smartphone?
If you’ve ever downloaded an app to keep track of your well-being, welcome to the club. There are more than 250,000 mobile health and fitness apps on the market. Unfortunately, according to a recent survey out of Bond University, there’s not much evidence that they get results. Past research has found that about one-third of people give up on fitness trackers within six months.
Read the full article here.
This content was originally published by . Original publishers retain all rights. It appears here for a limited time before automated archiving. By


text:
A Utica woman is facing felony charges after she allegedly stole property from several local stores, according to the New Hartford Police Department.
Samantha Litz, 29, is charged with misdemeanor petit larceny and the felonies of third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree grand larceny.
Police say on the night of Sept. 15, they responded to a local beauty supply store for a report that a white female had taken numerous cosmetic items and then left the store without paying for them. When she was confronted by a store employee, she fled the area in a vehicle, according to police.
New Hartford police then put out a “be on the lookout” notice to other local police departments that included the description of the suspect and vehicle, and the Whitestown Police Department stopped the vehicle on Oriskany Boulevard in Yorkville a short time later.
Whitestown police were able to identify the passenger, Litz, as the suspect in the theft, and they also found a large amount of property in the vehicle that turned out to be stolen from several other stores in New Hartford, according to police.
Litz was charged and arraigned in the Town of New Hartford Court, and she’s scheduled to appear in court again at a later date.
- Utica woman accused of stealing from several stores in New Hartford
- New Hartford woman accused of stealing from Kirkland Arts Center
- Utica man accused of attempted burglary in New Hartford
- Utica woman injured in New Hartford two-car crash
- Woman wanted for allegedly stealing iPhone from Rome UPS Store
- Former Utica National Insurance employee accused of stealing from company
- Utica man with crow bar accused of stealing from elderly woman's purse
- Utica woman accused of stabbing female victim
- Utica woman accused of raping teenage boy
- Utica man accused of lewd act inside Herkimer convenience store