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Particularly those with fluctuating work schedules, including employees when you look at the alleged gig economy.
With all the increase of peer-to-peer re re payment apps, such as for example Venmo, Zelle while the Cash App, as well as other quick repayments in the customer globe such as for instance fast ATM deals or money transfers through solutions like PayPal PYPL, +1.40% and Square SQ, +2.11% , numerous People in america have become reliant on quicker payments. (PayPal has Venmo, as the money App is a site of Square; Zelle is owned by a consortium of big banking institutions.)
Businesses have already been slowly presenting instant re re payments for their agreement workers, and full-time employees now anticipate the consideration that is same. Since the jobless price has fallen up to a 49-year low of 3.7per cent and organizations increasingly must compete for talent, workers have actually increased bargaining energy. The way they receive money is component of the.
That may be especially essential for lower-paid workers, that are residing nearer to the side and wish to make certain they will have cash whenever it is needed by them.
вЂњIf i’ve two contending provides, and Company A will pay biweekly and Company B pays weekly or maybe more often, IвЂ™m going to choose Company B everytime,вЂќ Weinstein, at ADP, stated.
ThatвЂ™s precisely what took place with Lyft and Uber, the competing San FranciscoвЂ“based ride-sharing companies that compete for motorists.
Lyft wished to give a real means for the motorists вЂ” there are many more than 1.5 million into the U.S. and Canada вЂ” to cash down every time they wished to. So that it built a platform that is customized Express Pay using the re payment business Stripe, additionally located in san francisco bay area. The solution became for sale in 2015 december.
вЂњHaving instant use of profits really helps to make driversвЂ™ life easier with quick money for a lifetime costs like food, rent and medical emergencies,вЂќ said Chris Nishimura, a Lyft spokesman.
Up to now in 2018, 58% of driversвЂ™ payouts have already been through Express Pay. Motorists can cash away as much as five times just about every day.
Uber implemented suit fleetingly afterwards. It partnered with re payment company Green Dot, located in Pasadena, Calif., to cover its motorists with greater regularity. The ride-sharing company launched a solution called Instant Pay for the motorists in bay area in March 2016. ItвЂ™s available these days to its significantly more than 900,000 motorists when you look at the U.S.
вЂњI speak to motorists constantly who’re stoked up about that fact,вЂќ said Brett Narlinger, main income officer at Green Dot. вЂњIf I realize IвЂ™m quick on money, we currently have the capability to make it up. I donвЂ™t have to inquire about individuals for the money or ask for the loan; We go drive. justвЂќ
Green Dot GDOT, -0.39% has a few alternatives for organizations: they could make use of a account that is completely digital offer pay employees by way of a money card, which functions such as for instance a debit card.
DailyPay, situated in ny, likewise provides workers 100% of these paycheck immediately. Charges are compensated either by workers or by companies if they provide ongoing solution as a perk. Deal costs max out at $3, comparable to an ATM cost, stated DailyPay CEO Jason Lee.
DailyPay now works together about 100 businesses, like the house-cleaning service the Maids, bag manufacturer Vera Bradley, bakery string Sprinkles Cupcakes, flooring business kingdom Today and timeshare-rental company Westgate Resorts.
Besides direct deposit, nвЂ™tвЂњpayroll itself has changed in about two hundreds of years,вЂќ Lee said. вЂњThe fundamental disconnect is we have an expense period for a real-time foundation. that people have pay period for a batch foundation, butвЂќ
Now, technology can вЂњbridge that gap,вЂќ he said.
вЂSave me personally from myselfвЂ™
To be certain, permitting workers to get into their paychecks early can cause its very own dilemmas.
One risk is workers blow through the cash. Whenever ADP interviewed employees about quicker pay rounds, some balked. вЂњTheir feeling ended up being variety of, вЂSave me personally from myself,вЂ™ вЂќ Weinstein stated.
Also, the re payment business, provides cost same day payday loans in Arkansas savings tools and offers workers just 50 % of a paycheck early for that explanation, Schlossberg, the CEO, said. One other half is compensated in the typical period.
Quicker payroll he said by itselfвЂњcan do more harm than good. AвЂњmoney-burning-a-hole-in-your-pocket can be created by it problem.вЂќ
Lisa Harper, an associate supervisor at the restaurant LizardвЂ™s Thicket in Columbia, S.C., utilizes DailyPay. It’s particularly helpful because she previously worked as a server and was used to being paid every day in the form of tips for her, she said.
Now, she stated, she makes use of DailyPay about as soon as a to access her paychecks, which typically come every two weeks week.
That can help her with cash management, but she can observe how it might develop into a nagging issue, she stated. вЂњAnything can snowball into a negative thing if youвЂ™re perhaps not accountable about any of it,вЂќ she said. вЂњFrivolous investing is frivolous investing, in spite of how you appear at it.вЂќ
Optimal pay cycle
ItвЂ™s hard to state just what the pay that is optimal is, Duke UniversityвЂ™s Nelms said.
There was some evidence that a smaller pay period is way better. Recipients of SNAP benefits (food stamps), as an example, tend to go out by the end of this thirty days, in accordance with a 2016 research from scientists during the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Yet, it is hard to anticipate costs weeks or months ahead when anyone have actually instant desires and needs.
ThatвЂ™s why Nelms predicted a hybrid solution will end up being the brand brand new normal.
вЂњIt is not likely, and most likely unwelcome, he said that we will move toward a world where people are getting paid daily or given complete access to their pay at all times. вЂњThat doesnвЂ™t suggest we have now, though that we should stick with what. I might hope that brand brand new technology and payroll providers really push us toward a global globe where individuals are offered more freedom to modify exactly exactly exactly how so when they get paid.вЂќ


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As reported by Reuters, Taiwan desires to cease what it views as “underhand and unlawful actions by Chinese language companies to steal know-how and poach away expertise in what Taipei’s authorities views as a menace to the island’s tech prowess.”
After a year-and-a-half investigation, Taiwanese prosecutors discovered that China’s Luxshare had focused Taiwanese competitor Catcher Know-how “with a purpose to rapidly enter the Apple manufacturing chain to win orders.”
Luxshare “lured” Catcher’s China primarily based analysis and growth staff with guarantees of excessive salaries and stole enterprise secrets and techniques from the Taiwanese agency, inflicting them huge losses, the prosecutors stated in an announcement.
Luxshare was doing this so as to have the ability to “rapidly construct factories and mass produce circumstances for iPhones, iPads and different merchandise,” the assertion stated.
Whereas neither Luxshare nor Apple commented on the story, a few years in the past, 9to5Mac reported that Apple was encouraging the Chinese language firm to develop its enterprise and encroach on Foxconn’s turf. On the time, Luxshare was accountable for solely making AirPods.
Now, the Chinese language firm already makes elements for the iPhone 13 and is about to assist with iPhone 14. As well as, it may quickly make Apple Watches whereas it additionally invests in EV manufacturing for the rumored Apple Automobile.
As famous by 9to5Mac‘s Benjamin Mayo, Apple desires provider diversification because it offers entry to higher high quality parts at higher costs. He famous:
In some circumstances, Apple has even put up its personal cash with a purpose to try to safe a number of suppliers for elements. In 2018, Apple bought ownership in Toshiba Memory with a purpose to retain competitors within the NAND markets. It has additionally committed hundreds of millions in investment in Japan Display to assist the show producer survive and evolve its manufacturing, to attempt to restrict Samsung Show’s dominance of OLED shows.
Again to the Reuters report, Catcher, which makes iPhone and iPad circumstances, stated “it continues to implement and optimize the safety of commerce secrets and techniques and mental property rights, and can examine something that infringes on its rights and pursuits.”
The Taipei prosecutors charged 14 folks in reference to the case for breach of belief and taking industrial secrets and techniques to be used abroad.
“The division will do its finest to research such circumstances to keep up the sound growth of our nation’s enterprises and make sure the competitiveness of nationwide industries,” stated the prosecutors.
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. More.

domain: news


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DANIELS, WV (WVNS) — The COVID-19 pandemic affected every aspect of our lives, but especially how we eat out at local restaurants.
Some places struggled to adjust, but Haley Brouilette, an employee at The Dish Café, said they did not skip a beat.
“We’ve been at full capacity every night for weeks,” Brouilette said.
One of the ways they have adjusted, like many other restaurants, is by offering outdoor dining.
Which was easy during the summer, but now as cold temperatures creep in, how will they continue?
Brouilette said they expect to continue with their busy streak.
“We’re expecting it to be very busy,” Brouilette said.
They will continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines inside their cafe, but they will also keep their outdoor dining options.
“We are going to continue to operate at 50 percent capacity to follow the state guidelines. However, there will be outdoor seating arrangements for people who want to bundle up and enjoy it or for our warmer winter days,” Brouilette said.
Which is something they have not done in year’s past, but the COVID-19 pandemic called for a lot of changes. Brouilette said leaving the patio tables out is just another way they hope to make their customers feel safe.
“I’ve actually had people say that they enjoy coming here because they feel safer because many restaurants haven’t followed the guidelines and we do everything possible,” Brouilette said.
Enjoying the outdoors and a meal, all while staying safe.


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A recent report released by the European parliament entitled “How blockchain technology could change our lives” outlines the capabilities of blockchain technology. The report was presented by European Parliamentary Research Service and notes the following as being of considerable significance:
Digital Property Rights
Blockchain technology has great potential for application in intellectual property rights in digital materials. It could be applied in multi-territorial licensing policies with the effect of improving legal certainty for creators and purchasers of digital content. Moreover, it has the potential to provide a sure way of protecting the patent rights of innovators from infringement by competitors. “Hashing” and “proof of existence” could help improve the patent system and deal with the current state of affairs where there is no unified patent system in EU.
In public administration, the onset of eGovernment services creates a huge potential for application of Blockchain technology. The technology could be applied in land registry management, identity management, distribution of benefits, tax collection among other government records. If applied, blockchain technology could enable faster creation and verification of records.
Supply Chain Management
The report points out that Blockchain technology has the potential to transform supply chain management through the provision of infrastructure for certification, registration, and tracking of goods and services along the supply chain. Tokens can identify goods on the blockchain in a unique way with the transparent stamping of each transaction time.
The report notes that with regard to electronic voting, blockchain technology can provide a participatory social structure that is both secure and cost effective.
According to the report, one of the most promising benefits of Blockchain technology is the application in smart contracts which could be more efficient to enforce. However, the existing law may not properly address issues arising from smart contracts. This includes the laws of evidence and record keeping requirements. It may, therefore, be necessary to find new ways of asserting the primacy of the existing law in case the automation that characterizes smart contracts render the existing law difficult to apply. Further, such laws may need to be modified in order to adequately address the challenges of enforcing smart contracts.
Decentralised Autonomous Organisations
The report observes that bundled smart contracts capable of automatic enforcement and execution via blockchains (decentralized autonomous organisations) have the potential of providing a more autonomous organization. At the moment, it is not possible to predict the level of autonomy that decentralized autonomous organisations will reach. Currently, decentralized autonomous organisations exist in regulatory gray areas where protection, liability and accountability guarantees are sometimes not provided.
Although blockchain applications have a self-regulatory nature and operate in parallel with traditional law, there is often a mix of traditional and novel legal issues that should be considered. The effect of the decentralized nature of blockchain gives rise to jurisdictional issues because it erodes legal responsibility and institutional accountability in an unprecedented manner. Additionally, Blockchain-based systems which assume a decentralized nature may be open to co-option by external powers. Therefore, in absence of sufficient institutional protection, these could evolve into oligarchies.


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Franchisees to open 3 units over the next few years
Newk’s Eatery will debut in the Dallas area with its first restaurant in the Willow Bend Market at 5960 West Parker Road in Plano, which is scheduled to open in April. The restaurant is being brought to the area by Cheek Holdings, LLC, an investment group led by Andrea and Heath Cheek and Corey Cheek. The group signed an agreement to open three Newk’s restaurants in Dallas over the next three years.
Andrea discovered Newk’s when she was working as a traveling consultant in the southeastern United States.
“I came across Newk’s while traveling in Mississippi and Alabama and saw how passionate its customers were about the quality of food and concept,” Andrea said. “The food is fresh and filling and goes well with the health-conscious trend so we think it will fit in perfectly in Dallas. We hope to open 15 additional locations after our first three and really build out the Dallas-Fort Worth market.”
Newk’s Eatery provides an express casual dining experience and features a variety of made-to-order choices including fresh-tossed salads, oven-baked sandwiches, California-style pizzas, made-from-scratch soups and homemade cakes baked by Newk’s Bakery Company. A selection of wines by the glass and beer is also available.
“Newk’s has a devoted following of extremely passionate customers,” Andrea said. “We think Plano and the rest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area is going to fall in love with the food at Newk’s, just like other parts of the country have. Everything is made from scratch, making it uniquely delicious.”
Since opening its first location in Oxford, Miss., in 2004, Newk’s has expanded their presence to 10 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Newk’s has more than 50 restaurants and more than 40 are franchised. Projections call for 10 restaurants to open in 2013.
For Newk’s Eatery franchise information, please visit http://www.newks.com/franchise-information/the-concept.


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October 20 marked the launch of the second Inca Digital Excellence Awards (IDEAS 2012), which celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of its customers around the world. At a press briefing during SGIA Expo 2011 at New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, attended by both journalists and users of Inca digital inkjet flatbed printers, Inca Digital announced the program to acknowledge the extraordinary work produced on Inca Digital printers.
The IDEAS aim to recognize the power of digital print and showcase the stunning effects that are possible using Inca’s state-of-the-art UV inkjet technology. Following the success of the first IDEAS last year, Inca has extended the award categories to reflect the broad array of impressive products that Inca customers are creating today.
The judges are looking for a combination of quality, innovation and creativity across six different categories: Display Graphics, 3D POS, Retail Interiors, Decor and Furniture, Product Decoration, and for the first time, an ‘Interactive Display’ category.
“We are seeing a rapid growth in the use of Interactive Displays where companies are merging digital print with screens, projectors and video, as well as the clever use of QR codes to create powerful installations” says Heather Kendle, Sales & Marketing Director, Inca Digital. “We expect to see some very interesting entries in this section.”
The six category winners will receive an IDEAS Trophy and an expenses-paid, two-night trip to Las Vegas to attend next year’s SGIA Expo (October 18-20, 2012). SGIA Expo offers wall-to-wall exhibitors for every aspect of the specialty imaging industry. Attendees can browse through on-site demonstrations, take part in hard-hitting educational sessions, and establish critical business connections at various networking events. It is a great opportunity for IDEA winners to see the latest techniques and applications.
“We were very impressed with the quality and innovation of the entries submitted for IDEAS 2010, not only printed by our Inca Onset models but also by our Spyder and Columbia Turbo models which are still in action producing great products around the world,” says Linda Bell, Inca Digital CEO. “We are extremely proud of our business as developers and manufacturers of ground-breaking printers, and the IDEAS are a great way to celebrate what makes our global customers proud of their own businesses.”
Closing date for entries is 31st July 2012 and winners will be announced on October 18 during SGIA in Las Vegas.
For full IDEAS competition details and simple online entry, visit www.incadigital.com/ideas2012.


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While Kim Dotcom and his team are preparing their defense in the criminal cause against the US, the domain name Megaupload.net was just auctioned on SEDO.
The auction ended a few days ago and Megaupload.net was sold for $11,099.
The domain in question didn’t belong to Megaupload and wasn’t sold to Megaupload either.
What plans the new owner of the domain has for Megaupload.net is unknown.
The domain currently links to a parked page.This post is from the News Bits section of TorrentFreak where we present stories from around the web in a concise summary format. Full TorrentFreak articles can be found here. If you have a tip please let us know. News Bits have their very own RSS feed


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The cybersecurity market is expected to be worth more than $120 billion in 2017.
That’s a pretty sizeable market, and with an estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9.5% between 2017 and 2021 it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
It’s a massive market, made up of thousands of companies from new startups to multinational corporations worth billions. And the customer base? Basically, anyone with internet access absolutely needs to be a customer.
Spending is forecast to reach $90 billion this year, as the industry is forced to expand in the face of emerging threats from the Internet of Things and increasing global attacks like the Equifax breach.
From the outside, it seems as though the cybersecurity industry is going from strength to strength. That wouldn’t be inaccurate, either; it’s a booming sector with a ridiculously high level of demand.
However, it’s far from perfect.
There are many issues in the world of cybersecurity that need to be addressed, and with the recent wave of ransomware attacks, massive security breaches, and DDoS onslaughtsthere’s an ever more pressing urge to get to work.
What are these weaknesses?
The Achilles heel of cyber security may lie, paradoxically, in its diversity. The industry is made up of lots of competing companies, each with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses and all pretty close together in terms of effectiveness.
It’s always been tough to separate the top flight of cybersecurity providers from each other, with big names like AVG, Symantec, CheckPoint, and Kaspersky regularly proving to be close together.
The trouble is, this group of companies is fragmented.
There’s little co-operation between the big security providers. This is a problem, because each company has its own strong points and its own drawbacks. One provider might be the best in the world at defending against ransomware attacks, but terrible at dealing with IoT issues.
This weak spot could easily be addressed by co-operating with another provider that specializes in IoT, but this kind of teamwork is rare…
Read Full: The Cybersecurity Market is Fragmented – LevelNet Aims to Take Over


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We’re just a few days away from the release of the latest Air Jordan 5 colorway for 2013. The sneakers have earned a “Bel Air” nickname, one that at this point has been associated with an entire collection from the likes of Jordan Brand. With that being said, we’re pretty sure none of the peripheral sneakers have drummed up the same level of excitement as this retro pair. Continue reading to see the colorful release in full detail and remember that they’ll be in stores this Saturday, October 5th at retailers like Nohble.
Air Jordan V “Bel-Air”
Color: Cool Grey/Court Purple-Game Royal-Club Pink
Style Code: 621958-090
Release Date: 10/05/13


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It seems that more young adults embraced online shopping and cashless payment this recent holiday season due to the marketing promos and sales from digital companies.
Based on the data garnered by Voyager Innovation’s digital financial services arm PayMaya, the number of its account holders who made online transactions increased significantly from November to December 2017. Most of which fell to the millennial category and the result was three times higher than last year. Furthermore, unique account holders rose when online marketplaces such as Lazada, Zalora, and Takatack launched its respective online sales where an additional 20% discount were given exclusively for Paymaya users.
This only goes to show that more Filipinos are now getting comfortable with digital commerce since it is an efficient and convenient choice for holiday shopping.
“While mall shopping is still the norm for most Filipinos, we saw a marked increase in online shopping among our mostly millennial user base during the 2017 holiday season,” said Paolo Azzola, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of PayMaya Philippines.
Cashless transactions growing
The steadily growing use of cashless payment methods in online retail sites suggest that there is a noticeable shift of consumers who use alternatives such as PayMaya for their purchases, despite the availability of cash-on-delivery.
“On top of the online promo offerings, convenience and the worsening traffic in major cities are probably compelling more individuals to do their shopping online,” Azzola stated.
Pinoys crazy about gadgets
Aside from patronizing digital commerce, Pinoy shoppers seem to gravitate more toward electronics products, as eight of the top ten products ordered through Voyager’s online shopping marketplace called “Takatack”. Mobile accessories such as power banks, external hard drives, Bluetooth speakers, and smart watches were also their top picks.
“We are seeing encouraging results as more Filipinos go online to shop, especially during special seasons. This trend has translated to record-high transaction volumes at Takatack particularly during the Singles’ Day event in November, and we expect it to continue as we move on to 2018,” explained Marc Concio, Head for Digital Commerce at Voyager Innovations.
Adoption of digital payments and commerce has grown faster over the past two years as prepaid e-wallets regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) such as PayMaya have been introduced. These digital wallets foster financial inclusion as any mobile phone user in the Philippines can create an account and use it for online transactions up to a certain amount limit.
While this figure has most likely grown over the past year, accelerating digital payments adoption remains a top agenda for the nation. The National Retail Payment System initiative led by the BSP and supported by banks and e-money issuers like PayMaya aims to increase cashless transactions to 20% of the total volume of payment transactions by 2020.
Check out other offerings from Paymaya through their official website. Feel free to browse and see the latest products on sale at Takatack.


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Sanyo Canada will supply the Westburne division of Rexel Canada Electrical with solar modules, which will be available at the distributor's locations across the country. The strategic partnership will help facilitate the supply of quality PV components to the growing number of electrical contractors in Canada operating in the solar field, according to the companies.
Westburne has 110 branch locations nationwide, including 50 in Ontario, home to the most lucrative solar feed-in tariffs in the world. The companies believe the alliance will improve their positions to take advantage of the rapidly growing solar market in the province.
“We look forward to offering a one-stop shop for solar contractors,” said Michael Muzyczka, Ontario strategic initiatives manager at Westburne. “It will be a huge benefit for contractors working on job sites farther away from the large municipalities.”
“We wanted an alliance that would provide easy access to Sanyo PV modules for electrical contractors,” added KC Chang, GM of solar system solutions at Sanyo. “Together with Westburne, we should be able to reach an even greater number of contractors, which will help increase the number of solar installations and the focus on renewable energy sources.”
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.


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HTC Sensation Android 2.3.4 European Roll-Out Reportedly Begins
The HTC Sensation (that is sans 4G, as in the unlocked version not the T-Mobile one) is shipping with Android 2.3 Gingerbread out-of-the-box but the manufacturer has started the European roll-out of an official update, according to reports.
After the update notification, download and installation process, the HTC Sensation is now reportedly updated to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. The update is a 41MB file and it bumps the version all the way to 1.45.401.2. The first phone that is purportedly updated to the new version is in Germany but if you live in Europe and already have the update, let us know!
Update: We’ve received info that the update is already available in Romania (thanks @balanionut) and in Slovakia (thanks Tomá).


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NEW: Gas Prices Shoot Up 11 Cents
Monday, April 11, 2011
AAA’s weekly survey of prices found that the average for self-serve regular unleaded is $3.73 per gallon. The last time prices were at that level was August 2008. One year ago the Rhode Island average was $2.77.
The current national average is $3.77.
AAA Fuel Saving Tip of the Week:
Properly inflate tires. Only 17 percent of cars have all four tires properly inflated, though the U.S. Department of Energy reports that proper tire inflation can improve fuel economy by up to three percent. Check the pressure when the tires are cold and have not been driven on recently. Tires should be inflated to pressure levels recommended by the manufacturer, not the pressure levels stamped on the tire sidewall.
If you valued this article, please LIKE GoLocalProv.com on Facebook by clicking HERE.
- NEW: Gas Prices Leap Up Again
- NEW: Gas Prices Up a Penny
- NEW: Gas Prices Continue to Climb
- NEW: Gas Prices Down One Cent


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OMAHA, Neb. - OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha-based grocery store chain has agreed not to violate labor laws as part of a settlement with federal officials.
Documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha show that Bag 'N Save Inc. has agreed not to have minors operate dangerous equipment such as balers, compactors and high-lift pallet jacks.
The U.S. Labor Department had filed a complaint against Bag 'N Save that alleged the company had been violating federal labor laws since September 2007.
Bag 'N Save officials did not immediately respond to a message left Monday afternoon. The company is a family owned company that operates 10 stores in Omaha and one in York.
U.S. District Court, Omaha: http://www.ned.uscourts.gov
Bag 'N Save: http://www.bagnsave.net
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


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Shopify Inc. (SHOP) Research Coverage Started at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. initiated coverage on shares of Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $53.00 price target on the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s price target suggests a potential upside of 19.48% from the company’s previous close.
A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on SHOP. Morgan Stanley lowered Shopify from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $37.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 28th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. CIBC assumed coverage on Shopify in a research note on Thursday, September 29th. They set a “sector outperform” rating for the company. Pacific Crest reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Shopify in a research note on Monday, August 22nd. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price target (up from $40.00) on shares of Shopify in a research note on Monday, August 22nd. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price target (up from $59.00) on shares of Shopify in a research note on Wednesday, August 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $40.84.
Shares of Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) traded up 1.56% during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.36. The stock had a trading volume of 735,420 shares. The firm’s market cap is $3.63 billion. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $42.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.73. Shopify has a 12-month low of $18.48 and a 12-month high of $45.20.
This story is the sole property of American Banking News and it was originally published by American Banking News. If you are reading this story on another website, that means this article was illegally copied and re-published to this website in violation of U.S. and International copyright law. The original version of this article is available at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2016/10/09/shopify-inc-shop-research-coverage-started-at-goldman-sachs-group-inc.html
Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.04. Shopify had a negative return on equity of 14.67% and a negative net margin of 10.03%. The business earned $86.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.03) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 92.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Shopify will post ($0.15) EPS for the current year.
Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Shopify by 32.9% in the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,586,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,892,000 after buying an additional 2,370,708 shares in the last quarter. Insight Holdings Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Shopify by 939.0% in the second quarter. Insight Holdings Group LLC now owns 2,444,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,203,000 after buying an additional 2,209,539 shares in the last quarter. Abdiel Capital Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Shopify by 43.5% in the second quarter. Abdiel Capital Advisors LP now owns 2,407,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,050,000 after buying an additional 730,195 shares in the last quarter. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Shopify by 130.3% in the second quarter. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC now owns 989,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,438,000 after buying an additional 559,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in shares of Shopify by 19.6% in the second quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 737,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,679,000 after buying an additional 121,033 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.80% of the company’s stock.
Shopify Inc is a provider of cloud-based, multi-channel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. The Company’s software is used by merchants to run their business across all of their sales channels, including Web and mobile storefronts, social media storefronts, such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and physical retail locations.
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84% of small business owners believe unique branding is vital to their success, but only 14% will work with a third party to develop it
The demand for a strong, prominent business identity is at an all-time high with 84 per cent of small business owners (SBOs) stating that branding is important to the overall success of their business, according to the quarterly American Express Small Business Monitor survey.
The study of 529 Canadian SBOs found that the vast majority (93 per cent) of them cite having a unique brand that differentiates them from the competition as more important now than ever.
It's also evident that business owners have prioritised branding strategies with 71 per cent saying brand experience is the most important part of their business' overall brand and 51 per cent reporting that branding is critical to attracting new business.
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"Having a powerful brand is vital in today's economy, it can be the difference between a business that blends in with the crowd or stands out from the competition," says Athena Varmazis, vice president and general manager, Small Business Services, American Express Canada. "It's refreshing to see business owners placing an emphasis on branding since it's their platform to tell their business' story with current and future customers."
However, 55 per cent aren't refining their brand annually and are consequently missing the opportunity to assess the evolving trends and remain competitive.
The reason for this could stem from the 36 per cent of SBOs who admitted that they are interested in expanding their brand, but simply don't know where to start, while a full 86 per cent of SBOs still choose not to capitalise on the resources third party experts offer.
"It is surprising to see that the majority of SBOs aren't investing in the necessary third party resources to help them develop and refine their brand, yet they are willing to invest in other areas, such as accounting, legal or payroll," says Varmazis. "Branding plays a significant role in the overall success of their business and shouldn't be taken lightly by business owners."
The American Express study also found that with consumers increasingly embracing social media and leveraging social platforms when making purchase decisions, almost three quarters (73per cent) of SBOs say that they need to constantly monitor their brand's perception.
The study took place between May 13 and May 30 and was conducted by Rogers Connect Market Research via an online survey on behalf of American Express Small Business Services.


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Scotland delays DRS by at least two years
The Scottish Government has delayed the implementation of its deposit return scheme until at least 2025.
The scheme, that would see a 20p deposit will be added to all single use cans and bottles, was initially planned to be launched in 2021.
However, it has faced numerous delays that mean it will not be launched until 2025 at the earliest.
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Greens minister, said the scheme was no longer feasible due to decisions by Westminster to block the inclusion of glass bottles.
Ms Slater said: “It is clear that Scotland’s deposit return scheme, in the scope and form passed by this parliament, cannot go ahead as currently planned.
“Over the last 10 days, and right now, we are urgently establishing to what extent there is a way forward for a modified scheme, its scope, terms and timescales.
“That crucially depends on whether the UK government can provide timely, stable and reliable assurances on basic operational matters, such as trading standards, the 20p deposit and producer fees.
“It also depends on to what extent there is industry support for an alternative scheme.”
The Scottish Government has delayed the implementation of the scheme until when the rest of the UK launch theirs in October 2025.


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Shutterfly shares jump on smaller-than-expected loss
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- Staff Silicon Valley Business Journal
Shares of online photo publisher Shutterfly Inc. posted strong gains Monday after the markets closed when it announced a smaller loss than was expected.
The Redwood City-based company (NASDAQ:SFLY) said its first quarter loss rose to $10 million, or 29 cents a share, compared to a net loss of $7.8 million, or 27 cents a share, last year. Revenue rose nearly 60 percent to $91.3 million.
Analaysts expected a loss of 32 cents a share on revenue of $85 million.
Looking ahead, Shutterfly said revenue in the current quarter should increase by between 19 percent and 21 percent from last year, which would put it between $90 million and $92 million. Analysts were projecting revenue for the quarter to be about $88 million.
Click here to read the press release on Shutterfly's earnings.
Written by Cromwell Schubarth. Contact him at email@example.com or 408.299.1823.
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The budget hotel sector now accounts for 25% of the UK's total supply and will continue to drive the growth of new hotel supply, with a further 11,600 rooms due to open in 2017.
That is according to Knight Frank's UK Hotel Development Opportunities 2017 report. The research says the UK hotel industry saw the opening of 16,000 new rooms in 2016, a 2.7% growth in total hotel supply and a 20% increase in the volume of new hotel rooms opening year-on-year.
The analysis suggests this has been bolstered by the dramatic growth in the budget hotel sector, which now equates to over half of all new hotel supply, with 8,000 new rooms opening in 2016.
Representing 57% of the forecast new bedroom supply and 64% of all new build properties, the budget hotel sector is set to stand at over 165,000 rooms by the end of 2017.
Despite London's hotel supply increasing by over 10,000 new rooms since the start of 2015, scarcity of available sites in the capital, rising land values driven by competitive alternative uses and strong regional trading performance have resulted in the UK regions leading the development in 2016 with 67% of the new hotel supply.
Knight Frank has also launched its inaugural Knight Frank UK Hotel Development Index which identifies the UK cities considered to present the best prospects for hotel investment and development. Bath, Brighton, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Belfast are ranked as the UK's top five most attractive cities for hotel development for 2017.
Julian Evans, head of healthcare and hotels at Knight Frank, said: "We expect to see a further growth and diversification of the budget hotel sector and predict that the brands which adapt to the current market conditions and refine their offer will be the success stories. We also believe that the regions will continue to present good prospects for investors to seek viable hotel development and investment opportunities in the UK."
Videos from The Caterer archives


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Earlier this month, Google celebrated its 10 year anniversary of offering email through Gmail. One of the crazy parts for me is that Google at first was unsure about launching such a product. Why? Because Google was a search engine. With competitors such as Altvista and Lycos trying to build portals to serve users every need, Google was able to offer a clean and easy alternative. It would do one thing only but would do it incredibly well. That thing was search. Over time, Google changed its mission to organizing the world’s information which has taken it on a journey that keeps getting bigger. Let’s just look at how a Google world looks like:
Google has wind plants that makes it possible to generate cheap energy that it uses for its server farms. Thanks to those server farms, Google has been able to not only offer web services but also get into offering actual high speed internet access in an increasing number of cities. It has also ventured to offer free wireless internet access to some parks (Central Park), cities, Starbucks locations. It also is working on expanding its internet offering through Google venture initiatives such as loon (balloons), drones, etc.
Of course, once Google has you connected on the internet, it will nicely invite you to connect to its services. If you are a Google Fiber subscriber, can you get tv and phone. But in any case, Google will offer those services through an upcoming Android tv-set box, its Google Hangouts, etc. If ever you’re using a mobile device, Google would appreciate if you used one of its nexus phones or tablets to do it. But even if you’re not, you’re most likely connecting through an Android-powered device. And in the case where you’re not, Google still offers its different apps such as Gmail, Search, Maps, Youtube, Google music, etc to other ecosystem users. Oh and just in case you’re thinking about going online, you are most likely using the top used browser, Google Chrome, seeing ads through Google Adsense.
In a cloud based-world, Google is also more than happy to help you back up your content with Google Drive, use cloud-based software through its free to-use Google docs. It also has cloud-based computing to offer to startups, developers, etc.
What about if you’re not on one of your devices? That’s also assuming you’re not using a device like a Google watch or Google glasses which are never really “off”. Then you will soon get the opportunity to have a connected home that will feature Google’s (Nest) thermostats and fire detectors or perhaps a through the next generation of cars that will be connected to Android. You might prefer not owning a car and instead use services such as Uber which Google is a part owner of. If you wait a few years, you will perhaps even get a self-driving Google car.
When you end up buying either online or offline, you might end up paying using a Google wallet. Google’s new shipping service will soon be able to ship that stuff directly to your home.
No matter how you’re travelling, chances are that you’re using the world-leading Google maps to get there which are adding all kinds of different content and will likely have access to a lot more when those robots powered by artificial intelligence start travelling the world on behalf of Google. It can also help you book flights and hotels, etc.
Basically, Google is trying to fight off these companies:
-Apple (mobile devices & software)
-Amazon (shipping, digital goods, software services, etc)
-Microsoft (software, devices, search, living room, etc)
-Comcast, Time Warner, etc (broadband access, etc)
-Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, etc (devices)
-eBay (mobile payments, etc)
-TripAdvisor, Priceline, etc (travel reviews)
-Lyft (car ownership & rentals)
-Expedia, Kayak, etc (trip booking)
The list goes on and on and on, especially when you start including smaller, more nimble startups, etc. You could certainly make the case that it is impossible for Google to build a superior product for all of these categories. You could also argue that apart from search, very few of these divisions are actually generating profits or even revenues.
Is Google Spreading itself Too Large?
One of my favorite tech analysts Horace Dediu has argued that Google does not have an actual business plan and it’s becoming harder and harder to believe that Google knows what it’s doing here. That is certainly a big reason why I’ve so far resisted in buying Google stock. It’s growing more and more and the idea that you could get an accurate picture of how much the business is worth is quickly disappearing. That being said, I’m a big believer in the ecosystem play and there is no doubt that Google has been the top player in terms of expanding its horizon. Google has more data than any other player and is likely better at using it as well. In a future world driven by software, Google will be a major force to be reckoned with.
What is Google’s products are (mostly) not the best on the market technically but the integration between them makes it nearly impossible to not use them? How much would that be worth?
Where will Google eventually stop its ecosystem expansion? Will it start producing its own content? Start producing clean energy on a large scale? Start its own bank? Where does all of this end?
I know this brings more questions and few answers but I continue to believe that the ecosystem is incredibly important and as the top way to play it, Google is certainly a worthwhile stock to consider buying. But what its actual value is in a whole other question!


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With Pinterest being one of the most popular curators of content, it’s no surprise that a single pin can pay big dividends to a website over time. Pinterest pins deliver two site visits and six pageviews on average, plus more than 10 re-pins – and this is can continue for several months, according to data from social analytics company Piqora.
“Half of site visits take place 3.5 months after the first pinning, while half of orders take place 2.5 months after the pinning,” TechCrunch reported. Piqora CEO Sharad Verma said this is due to the fact that good pins are “frozen in time” and signify “a product worth buying.”
But can you monetize that? Piqora says yes. In its research, Piqora came to the conclusion that the value of a pin on average amounts to 78 cents in sales. And it’s not just ecommerce that benefits, with value extending to other types of publishers as well, the report said.
But that doesn’t mean all brands are equal when it comes to their share of Pinterest ROI.
“Martha Stewart was getting 10x more traffic last year from Pinterest than from Facebook,” Verma said. “So obviously there are cases where a publisher or retailer in a visual space like food, fashion or home decor is very likely to be getting way over two site visits.”
With new features being released all the time on Pinterest, and its growing quest to monetize its business model, the future looks bright for Pinterest. In fact, if Verma speculated that it’s likely Pinterest will evolve to become the “Google of the visual Web.”


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The Chinese government is continuing its crackdown on the sale of Bibles, a Barnabas contact reports, with further restrictions limiting the availability of Bibles and other Christian books from online retailers and bookshops.
Since early in 2021, Christians in China have noticed that it has become almost impossible to buy Bibles and Christian books via Taobao.com, China’s largest online retailer.
The Chinese government first began blocking the online sales of Bibles in April 2018, and the majority of Bibles and Christian literature were removed from sale on Amazon and JD.com. However, independent merchants using the popular Taobao.com platform are now also being forced to withdraw all Christian books from sale.
“Now it is extremely dangerous for both buyers and sellers to get involved in this business, so you barely find these [Christian] books on Taobao,” said the contact.
In physical bookshops still selling Bibles, the contact reports that customers are now required to provide their names and contact details in order to purchase a Bible, while in others, Bibles have completely vanished from bookshelves.
A group of Christians in southwest China were interrogated by government officials in January this year after purchasing a number of Bibles from a bookshop. Also in January, the Christian owner of a bookshop in northern China was similarly questioned for stocking Christian books that were published in Hong Kong.
Buying Bibles Viewed as “Suspicious Behavior”
The contact explained that authorities view taking an interest in the Bible, and especially buying more than one, as “suspicious behavior.” This is because the government and most Chinese people “perceive Christianity as a foreign religion,” and see limiting access to Bibles as a way to “wipe out Western influence.”
“A Christian is allowed to keep only one Bible. However, religious study scholars are allowed to have several different versions of the Bible. But they need to show their staff ID cards to buy them,” added the contact.
In December 2020, five Christians were prosecuted by Chinese authorities in Shenzhen for selling audio versions of the Bible as part of the Chinese government’s ongoing policy to eradicate “illegal publications.” The clampdown on online Bible sales on Amazon and JD.com in 2018 followed soon after a government white paper on religion launched policies aiming to reinterpret Christianity according to "the core values of socialism,” in a process of “Sinicization” (i.e. making Chinese) within all Christian faith communities and forms of worship.
From Barnabas Fund contacts


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Saturday, November 27, 2004
Wal-Mart Unions in China
How about this? Wal-Mart is allowing unions in their stores in China because of competition according to a radio report I heard. This is big news. Other articles indicate Wal-Mart acted because of pressure from the press or authorities.
Another indication that China is superpower. Maybe the next superpower. Or maybe the economic superpower. (Note: oil price rise was first indicator for me.)permalink ( Saturday, November 27, 2004 ) Ray 1 comments links to this post
I don't understand the connection between oil price increases and China being the economic superpower. Please elaborate.
Links to this post:


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The team behind the upcoming DayZ standalone have been hard at work making sure the game lives up to fans’ lofty expectations, but they’ve still managed to do an excellent job keeping their community up to date with the latest goings on with the game. They’ve discussed some of the new features that have been added to the standalone, and now we can see some of those in action in the first of what will hopefully become a series of video updates posted on their dev blog. Check it out after the jump.
It gets a little too fashion centric near the middle, but other than that the game looks to be shaping up nicely. What do you think?
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Dozens of young adults, some munching Ohio-shaped sugar cookies and vegan hot dogs, milled about the urban parking lot - the location of a botched luxury-condominium project in the Short North.
The site, which on Saturday played host to a daylong music festival featuring Columbus-area bands, couldn't have been more fitting for the event organizer and sole beverage provider: Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Long considered a workingman's beer - cheap and frills-free - the low-rent label has been enjoying a hipster-fueled renaissance for several years, thanks to its adoption by coastal bike messengers and underground taste-makers.
Capitalizing on the cachet have been Pabst field-marketing representatives spread among 20 cities from New York to San Francisco to ensure a locally minded brand presence at independent art, music and recreational gatherings.
The strategy reflects a grass-roots, cultural approach for the 166-year-old brewer, which, according to Advertising Age, occupies a mere 0.7percent of the U.S. beer market.
Instead of buying TV commercials, the Chicago-area company hires area artists to create billboards, including several pieces magnified as giant wall murals on a condo complex at Spring and N. 3rd streets.
A traveling "PBR Art Tour" in 2008 held a residency at the Ravari Room bar near the Ohio State University campus. A Pabst-sponsored Rock Potluck, at which bands swap members to create original tunes, will return for a sixth round in December at Skully's Music-Diner.
"We don't have a ton of money, but we're very creative in how we use it in making cool stuff happen," said Bobby Miller, the brand's Columbus representative, who on Saturday staged the second annual Pabst Blue Rendezvous. "We're really encouraged to think outside the box."
In other words, Budweiser and Coors aren't likely to clamor to feature their beers at an outdoor graffiti art show in Franklinton, a Day of the Dead costume ball or an Ohio Roller Girls match.
But Miller, a 36-year-old from the Clintonville neighborhood, will probably oblige.
The former concert promoter who plays guitar in the Columbus folk-pop band Super Desserts now communicates events via Facebook and Twitter, taking requests for contributions while seeking out events of his own to bolster.
One such beneficiary was Awesomefest, a yearly triathlon of sorts featuring a long-distance bike ride, a movie marathon and a commemorative tattooing. Organizers of the event, which concluded July 31 at the Gateway Film Center, were offered beer plus specially designed water bottles - swag tailored to the arty, inked clientele.
"It wasn't like: 'We'll give you beer, but you have to give out this coupon,'" said Awesomefest founder Nick Fancher, 29. "They just really want to be true partners."
Donations might range from a few cases of beer to Pabst-branded merchandise such as skateboards, bicycle bells and sleeping bags shaped like the beer's popular "tallboy" cans.
Because Bobby Miller cannot legally give away beer intended for resale, smaller events receiving a case or two cannot charge for the product.
Larger affairs, such as the semiannual Agora art and music show at Junctionview Studios near Grandview Heights, have enlisted Pabst as a sponsor - displaying its logo on posters and promotional materials among those of small businesses in exchange for a monetary donation and an agreement to sell only Pabst beer.
"Being able to build a loyalty among people by collaborating and cooperation is a pretty good testament to their marketing capability," said Adam Brouillette, who oversees the event.
In other situations, such as the Rendezvous party, proceeds will go straight to a predetermined set of arts groups, including the Columbus Music Co-op - a nonprofit organization that raises money to defray health-care costs of uninsured musicians.
Such efforts haven't gone unnoticed.
"I think a lot of people just assume PBR is going to be there now" at hip festivals, said Erin Moore, 34, the co-op's co-founder - and a presenting sponsor of Independents' Day, which will take place Downtown on Saturday and feature Pabst exclusively.
"It's nice to see their commitment to music and art."
Alexandra Kelley, who organizes the quarterly Pecha Kucha mini-lecture series, appreciates the fact that Bobby Miller is based in Columbus and was already associated with the communities his employer supports.
"It's genius how they support culture and creativity," said Kelley, 33. "And there's no PBR girls in low-cut tank tops walking around."
Miller, who wouldn't disclose his marketing budget, said he hasn't had a request he couldn't accommodate in some way and that Pabst executives don't micromanage his efforts.
"Our strategy is to support people who are loyal to us," Pabst associate brand manager David Gallagher said in an e-mail. "Field reps are our primary way of identifying those people and supporting what they do."
Potentially damaging to the beer's anti-corporate reputation, though, is the brewer's May acquisition by food-industry scion Dean Metropoulos for a reported $250 million.
Pabst's Milwaukee factory workers had been laid off in 2004 and beer production outsourced to Miller Brewing Co. - now the property of a British beverage conglomerate.
The deal left a bitter taste with some drinkers.
"I'm on the search for another readily available beer that's cheap and does the job," Brett Payne, 26, of Grandview Heights, said, sipping a Pabst at Rendezvous.
He has yet to find a substitute.
"I enjoy their support of this, anyway. They always put on good events."
The Pabst strategy, it seems, can influence consumers without seeming hollow, said Gary Hemphill, managing director of the New York research firm Beverage Marketing Corp.
Sales of Pabst Blue Ribbon rose 25percent last year, even though a case of the budget beer costs more than rivals Keystone Light, Miller High Life and Natural Light.
"The hope is that you can cultivate a following with that arts audience," Hemphill said. "These are potential opinion leaders."
Those sentiments aren't lost on Cole Carnevale, a Columbus painter who was recruited to create artwork inspired by Pabst Blue Ribbon during the Saturday festival.
As he sketched out a portrait of a woman plucking glowing beer cans from a tree, a design the 27-year-old plans to submit for consideration as a Columbus billboard, Carnevale didn't mind using the beer as inspiration.
"It makes you feel like you're not selling out as much," he said. "There's something slightly less manufactured about Pabst than, say, Coors Light."


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We know that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with “thousands of PS4 games”, but are there any plans for PS4 versions of the next-generation’s most exciting releases? Don’t count on it, PS4 diehards.
That’s what we’re taking from an interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan, who said that the company wants to offer things “that can really only be enjoyed on PS5.”
- All of the PS5 games we know about
- Xbox Series X is making all the right moves - and PS5 isn't
- Breaking: PS5 event postponed amidst nationwide protests
“We have always said that we believe in generations,” Ryan told Gamesindustry.biz. “We believe that when you go to all the trouble of creating a next-gen console, that it should include features and benefits that the previous generation does not include. And that, in our view, people should make games that can make the most of those features.
“We do believe in generations, and whether it's the DualSense controller, whether it's the 3D audio, whether it's the multiple ways that the SSD can be used... we are thinking that it is time to give the PlayStation community something new, something different, that can really only be enjoyed on PS5,” Ryan continued.
From a business point of view, it’s hard to argue that this is a sensible approach. After all, who’s going to drop hundreds of dollars on a new console just to play the same games they can already try on their older machine? Anybody who upgraded to a PS4 in 2013 just to play a slightly shinier version of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag will likely feel quite strongly on this point.
Still, this is the opposite approach to that of Microsoft, with the company pledging that there won’t be any first-party Xbox Series X-exclusive titles for the first couple of years of the console’s life.
But Ryan is keen to point out that this doesn’t mean that the hundred-million strong PS4 player base has been forgotten. “We have always felt that we had a responsibility to serve that community for several years after the launch of PS5 and that it represented a huge business opportunity for us,” he continued, adding that said community has shown “amazing stickiness” to the brand.
It’s a balancing act, in other words: trying to nudge players towards the new and shiny without making them feel forgotten for sticking with current hardware. Perhaps Sony will be relying on third parties to continue making PS4 software in the years ahead. And given that EA churned out its last PS2 FIFA game in 2014, 14 years after the console made its debut, that sounds like a reasonable bet to make.


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Covering Every Angle of TechnologyIf you’re tired of the complicated and drawn-out explanations when it comes to technology, this is the podcast for you! Join us as we discuss and analyze the industry focusing on how it relates to you and influences your daily life. We cover the entire spectrum of technology – business, media, healthcare, government, space, security, education, social media, privacy, e-commerce, aeronautics, and more.
Over the past 30 years, consumers and businesses have forgotten about a number of tech products ranging from portable music and video technology to mobile tech and connectivity means. Google is having its day in front of the United States Congress as it heads to Washington D.C. to answer questions from congressional leaders. In another major cyber attack, Marriott announces an incident in where 500 million customers’ information was stolen. And in bizarre news, dial up internet still services nearly 9 million people in rural and remote areas.
We learned this week that Amazon now has a deal with Apple to sell most of the Apple products on the online retailer’s marketplace. Absent from that is the HomePod and for good reason. InSight landed on Mars this week as it is set to explore and teach us more about what’s going on beneath the surface of the red planet. In more Apple news, the Silicon Valley giant is battling with iPhone users over the 30% commission earned from app store purchases and app developers. Lastly, we share a few stories related to customer service, cancelling accounts, and strange mapping directions.
We are joined with a good friend of the show and gadget guru Rick Limpert to talk about Black Friday deals, holiday hacks, and hot holiday items with special. We talk about a wide range of items for the holidays from online Christmas card ordering, noise cancelling headphones, DSLR cameras, vintage video games, and portable gym bags. And what about some holiday hacks such as finding places that price match, doing your homework online prior to shopping, using apps to find the best deals around, and finding out what benefits credit card companies offer for shoppers.
We learned this week that the person named after Nintendo’s famous Super Mario franchise, Mario Segale, has died at 84. Apple reported to investors last week that the hardware giant would no longer be reporting on unit sales for their line of products, raising many concerns and questions along the way. When it comes to daylight savings, let’s not just focus on the housework. Let’s add some items to our tech to do list such as updating systems, security, and passwords and backing up our data. Lastly, bitcoin turns 10 this week and changed the manner in which many envision financial transactions in the future.
In California, the senator that authored the gold standard of net neutrality laws has delayed the implementation of that law after agreeing with the FCC to wait for judicial review. In random news, CompUSA is back online after 11 years as the site is now a bargain affiliate based site for discounts products and tech gadgets. Google is now handing over some more privacy controls to users with the ability to clear their entire search history from their servers. Finally, IBM is set to acquire Red Hat by end of 2019 in an attempt to compete in the cloud services industry and provide more offerings to their clients.
We are chatting about micro-mobility, using technology during disasters, concerns over health monitoring apps, and contrasting customer service. E-scooters have disrupted the transportation business around the globes and caught many off guard as to the grand success of these services. To assist with connectivity during disaster relief, a new tethered drone called a Flying COW (cell on wings), has been deployed on the beaches of Florida. There is growing concern in the health provider and medical profession of the dangers of users relying too heavily on their health monitoring apps due to their inability to provide accurate, reliable, and consistent data.
Paul Allen, founder of Microsoft, sadly passed away on Monday evening. A notable figure in the growth of software, home computing, and enterprise business, Allen altered the course of technological history. Snapchat has produced a series of original programming aimed at targeting the young adult and youth using and not using their app. The three giant tech companies – Amazon, Google, and Microsoft – are in a battle of words as they compete for a USA military contract valued at around $10 billion. At the center of controversy is the use of artificial intelligence in US military war drones.
Verizon promised and has began delivering in-home 5G internet service to 4 select cities as the next development in home and mobile delivery is set to take center stage. Microsoft is looking to revolutionize the gaming industry with Project xCloud, a new concept that will be bringing the XBox gaming ecosystem to the mobile and tablet industries in 2019. The federal government is suing the State of California over their recent open internet protection bill (net neutrality) in what will become an epic court battle. And finally, we discuss the roles we have to play in today’s world in order to protect our data and information.
Stratolaunch, based at the Mojave Air & Spaceport, are using unique launching ideas and uniquely designed aircraft to send satellites into orbit. SpaceX announced plans to send the first private passenger to the moon in 2023, a stride that was promised by the company and is becoming a reality. Deadly body camera footage continues to appear on social media on the demand of users, but the trend is becoming a bit more troubling. The EU is scheduled to enforce an interesting set of regulations aimed at diminishing Google’s power and empowering creators and publishers.


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Qualcomm will begin sampling LTE chipsets in Q4 2012, the company has announced. The chips will be the first to support both HSPA+ Release 10 and the next-generation of the LTE mobile broadband standard, LTE Advanced, says the company.
"Our newest generation of Gobi modem chipsets will allow mobile device OEMs to design products that can operate on nearly any mobile broadband network worldwide," says Cristiano Amon, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm. "In addition to supporting the latest mobile broadband technologies, these chipsets improve over Qualcomm's previous 7-mode 28nm LTE chipsets (MDM9x15) by offering a reduction in power consumption and overall board area, enabling OEMs to design smaller, sleeker devices with longer battery life."
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Qualcomm is also demonstrating LTE Broadcast - its evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) platform. LTE Broadcast is a solution for delivering high-bandwidth, high-demand live premium and software content.
"Qualcomm is dedicated to the success and adoption of LTE networks worldwide," says Peggy Johnson, executive vice president and president, global market development at Qualcomm. "With an increasing number of LTE network rollouts, we are continuously working to produce efficient technology solutions focused on optimizing and maximising the consumer experience on these mobile networks."


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Join gaming leaders, alongside GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming, for their 2nd Annual GamesBeat & Facebook Gaming Summit | GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2 this upcoming January 25-27, 2022. Learn more about the event.
Has Electronic Arts gotten over the worst of its slump?
It’s a big question, since EA is one of the biggest independent video game companies. Wither EA goes, so goes the industry. And EA chief executive John Riccitiello dropped some interesting tidbits about where the company is going during today’s earnings conference call.
For the past four months, the console video game industry has been sinking, as the recession bites gamers and free games take their toll. EA did better than analysts expected in its first fiscal quarter, which ended on June 30. As for the overall industry, Riccitiello said, “The industry is weaker than originally expected and we remain cautious on macro events.”
But EA saw good results from its Sims 3 title, and it should see good sales in the second fiscal quarter ending September as a result of sales of its Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince game, timed with the Warner Bros. movie. Harry Potter already sold more than 1 million in the June quarter, but the bulk of sales are likely to be in the second half of the year. EA stock is up slightly at $21.98 a share in after-hours trading, but it remains far below its $50.17 a share peak over the past 52 weeks.
The 2nd Annual GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming Summit and GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2
January 25 – 27, 2022
EA still expects to lose money in the fiscal year ending in March 2010, but Riccitiello was optimistic about the second half of the calendar year. While other game companies have been delaying big titles in recent weeks, EA stood by its major release schedule for the rest of the year, which includes titles such as Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, Left 4 Dead 2 and Brutal Legend. Early next year, EA expects to launch Dante’s Inferno.
All of those titles got a lot of praise when previewed at the recent E3 trade show in June. Riccitiello said EA would put a lot more marketing effort behind each title and pay attention to the crowded release schedule in the holiday season. So far, it’s good for EA that competitors such as Take-Two Interactive have delayed game launches such as BioShock 2 until next year. If EA keeps its games on schedule, it could benefit from the fact there will be less competition in the fall.
The music sales category was down 52 percent for EA, thanks to tough comparisons for its Rock Band titles from a year ago. It should get a shot in the arm when the The Beatles Rock Band launches in September.
But the casual sports sector had a surprise: EA Sports Active sold 1.8 million units so far, the strongest launch of a brand new game that EA has had on Nintendo’s Wii console. EA sold that game in new stores, such as Sam’s Club, Costco and sporting goods stores. It also marketed the game on places such as QVC, the TV shopping channel.
As a result of the success of EA Sports Active, Peter Moore, head of EA Sports, announced that the company would shift resources from its tennis game team and pump out a new EA Sports Active expansion pack this fall. Moore said Fight Night Round 4 sold well, but initial sales of EA’s NCAA football game, launched in mid-July, has been weaker than expected. The college football season hasn’t started yet and game sales could pick up once it does, Moore said.
EA’s flagship sports game, Madden NFL 10, is launching Aug. 14. Fifa 10 soccer launches Oct. 2 in Europe and Oct. 20 in North America. The football game has a new feature, Madden Online Franchise, which could generate additional revenues through online transactions.
EA and other software makers would love to see price cuts coming this year for the hardware platforms. To date, next-generation consoles — Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 — have sold 75 million units in Western markets. In the last generation, more than 125 million units were sold. This time around, more hardware units have been sold at higher prices. Riccitiello said that hardware price cuts would be welcome and would likely have good effects.
Riccitiello said that many observers believe that micro-transactions where players buy virtual goods for real money will become the predominant business model. That model has done well in Asia, but not as much in North America. Riccitiello said he wasn’t so sure about that and believes that subscription revenues from online games will also play a big role. He said the company is seeing good virtual transactions on Pogo.com, EA’s casual online game site, but he said that Asian players might be bigger fans of virtual goods than U.S. players. (He didn’t explain why).
It’s worth noting that digital business models (downloadable games, virtual goods/micro transaction models, online game subscriptions) are still generating only about 14 percent of EA’s revenue. Fifa Online has launched as an online-only game in Asia and has more than 10 million users. EA is adding new sports titles such as NBA Street and a Tiger Woods online title as well. EA also sold 600,000 copies of its Battlefield 1943 title, which was released as a downloadable game on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
Thanks to such success, the digital business grew fast, with sales growing 38 percent from a year ago to $124 million. And while EA is a leader in iPhone games and is very excited about the category, all of EA Mobile’s revenue is only about $50 million, or 6 percent of revenue.
As excited as some startups get about these business models and new platforms, they are still small in the grand perspective of the video game industry’s overall revenues. EA itself is targeting 25 percent growth per year in its digital businesses. Although EA grew faster than that in the first fiscal quarter, it is not banking that the 38 percent growth rate will continue.
As for game prices, Riccitiello said that prices for good games are holding up well. EA’s big focus remains on getting better profit margins. But it isn’t predicting how it will do in its fiscal year 2011 yet. As for the far future, Riccitiello said that EA is still doing something with its neglected Medal of Honor franchise, but isn’t ready to talk about it yet.
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Microsoft says that it is working hard to figure out what is causing problems for iPad users trying to run Hotmail on the popular Apple tablet.
"Unfortunately, we've seen some issues with using Hotmail on the new Apple iPad," Mike Schackwitz said in a blog posting on Friday. "Specifically, composing and replying to an e-mail is not working for some of our users."
Posters on various Apple forums have been noting problems since last month, such as the device freezing up when trying to reply to an e-mail.
Microsoft said that it is "working with Apple to understand the issues."
"In the meantime, we have directed all iPad traffic to our mobile Hotmail web site," Microsoft said. "Alternatively, you can set up the iPad e-mail client to use POP to download your Hotmail."
Apple - USE TAG
reading•Microsoft working on Hotmail's iPad issue
Oct 15•Apple's Jony Ive says he still has a lot to do at Apple
Oct 15•Palm looks like the smallest iPhone you've ever seen, but it's not a phone
Oct 15•August adds new color, connect bridge bundle to smart lock options
Oct 15•A big phone with a fantastic camera and a big notch


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Lucara Secures $220M in Financing to Take Mine Underground
The company has received credit-approved commitments from five financial institutions for the expansion of its Karowe Diamond Mine.
Karowe is responsible for producing some of the most significant diamonds recovered in recent years, including the 1,109-carat “Lesedi La Rona,” which Graff bought for $53 million, and a 1,758-carat diamond that Louis Vuitton is turning into jewelry.
The credit-approved senior debt facilities include two tranches: $170 million to go toward the development of the underground mine and $50 million to support the ongoing operation of the open pit.
The underground expansion has an estimated capital cost of $514 million and is expected to take five years. The balance of development capital for the project is expected to come from cash flow from the mine’s ongoing open-pit operations.
In a statement announcing the financing, Lucara President and CEO Eira Thomas called securing the financing “an important achievement for Lucara and a strong endorsement of our underground expansion plans.”
The five lenders on the $220 million financing facility for Lucara are: ING Bank N.V., Natixis, the London branch of Societe Generale, Africa Finance Corp., and Afreximbank. Thomas described them as having “significant mining and metals track records and experience in Africa.”
Closing on the facilities is subject to completion of definitive documentation and the satisfaction of certain terms and conditions, including Know Your Customer (KYC) checks.
The target closing date for the financing package is mid-2021, with financing expected to be in place by the second half of the year.
Lucara made the financing announcement the day before it released its first-quarter 2021 results.
Revenues totaled $53.1 million, or $579 per carat sold, for the miner in Q1. Net income was $3.4 million.
That is a significant improvement over Q1 2020, when the onset of the pandemic limited sales to $34.1 million and caused Lucara to record a loss of $3.2 million.
First-quarter 2021 results also are up when compared with 2019, when Lucara reported revenues of $48.7 million, or $512 per carat sold. Net income for the latter, however, was higher at $7.4 million.
The company said overall, the diamond market started 2021 in its healthiest position in five years following strong holiday seasons in the United States and China, and careful rough supply management by producers, which has helped to recalibrate polished inventories.
“Lucara has bounced back in the first quarter of the year, demonstrating its resiliency at a time of continued uncertainty in respect to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Thomas said.
“Our outlook for the diamond market remains strong, and with close to 20 years of future mining now ahead of us at Karowe, Lucara is highly levered to an improving diamond price environment, particularly in respect to large, high-value gem diamonds.”
During the quarter, Lucara announced the recovery of two top white, gem-quality diamonds weighing 341 and 378 carats from the mine’s South Lobe. Both stones were completely intact.
In April, the miner announced it was extending its agreement with HB Antwerp to cut and polish all the larger (10.8 carats and up) diamond recovered from Karowe. The extension takes the agreement through December 2022.
Karowe’s large, high-value diamonds account for 60-70 percent of Lucara’s annual revenues.
The lab-grown diamond brand also collaborated with the website The Future Rocks on a collection launching today.
It’s the hero piece of the newest "Green Jewel" collection, a collaborative offering from the two mines.
With holiday proposals right around the corner, encourage your customers to go for platinum when making the big purchase.
Chris Cramer, who also spent time at Gen Z intimates brand Parade, will take on the dual role.
In a world where the sparkle of a gemstone is only as brilliant as the trust behind it, IGI's purpose is truly invaluable.
The retail offering lets customers track their diamond’s journey.
From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, 200.4 million consumers shopped online and in stores.
The growing company also plans to open more of its own boutiques.
The best quotes from the Oracle of Omaha and his right-hand man Charlie Munger from the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting.
Next year’s milestone show will be full of educational programming and collaborations.
The Albany Business Review recently honored the 100-year-old company.
To honor his legacy, GIA has set up a scholarship in his name.
There have been eight attacks in the last month, spanning from a jewelry store parking lot in Rhode Island to highways in California.
The organization recognized outstanding industry players at its celebratory event.
Emmanuel Raheb outlines three reasons why Hulu advertising and football can be a game changer for your jewelry store’s marketing.


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Many tech experts think that Microsoft's plans to expand its augmented and virtual reality projects will lead to a new era of computing.
Microsoft's AR/VR Projects
In June, Microsoft announced that it will made available for third-party hardware, both AR and VR, the variant used on the HoloLens augmented reality headset, Windows Holographic. The company went a step further in August, announcing that its 2017 Windows 10 update would make available all these 3D features into the standard desktop system.
Microsoft will release for free next year the Creators Update to Windows 10. The upcoming update will include support for virtual reality. Users will be able to plug a cheap virtual reality (VR) headset into their PCs. The headset prices are starting at $299, the gadgets coming from all the top PC brands like Asus, Lenovo and Dell.
According to Business Insider, the next generation of headsets will be more than just affordable. They will also come with features that are still not available in high-end virtual reality headsets like the $599 Oculus Rift from Facebook. Without any external camera tracking the user, the upcoming VR gadgets will provide free range of motion. It is expected that the new portfolio of VR headsets, while coming at the most affordable price, will be the most powerful and immersive.
While the new headsets from Lenovo, Dell, Asus and the rest may not match the display quality of Facebook's Oculus Rift, they will be in some ways more capable and definitely more accessible. And for virtual reality to become mainstream, affordability is of major importance.
Microsoft's VR Advantage
Microsoft's Windows 10 Creators Update is pushing 3D creation to the foreground. At its presentation on Thursday, Oct. 27, Microsoft demonstrated creating 3D scenes in a new Paint 3D application, scanning physical objects on a phone, 3D printing them, and projecting them on AR and VR headsets.
At the moment, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift require very powerful PCs that can cost over $1,000. But the upcoming Windows 10 headsets will require machines that cost only around $500. In most of the cases, to have a computer able to run Windows 10 will be equivalent to have a VR-ready computer.
Nowadays, VR is still not accessible to many people, being in its very early stages. But Microsoft's plan to update its Windows OS ecosystem with VR support will provide a huge advantage. The next generation of affordable headsets could give VR a major boost.
Another major advantage for the new headsets will be their tracking capabilities. Microsoft will allow VR headset makers to implement similar built-in tracking technology found in the HoloLens. This is completely independent from a PC's processing power and can "scan" user surroundings to allow free movement in VR.
In order to achieve a similar feature, the Oculus Rift and Vive require installing a camera or laser emitters in user's room. The Windows headsets will be several hundred dollars cheaper and will allow the feature without any external accessories. It is expected that Microsoft will have its "inside out" tracking ready by next spring.
Microsoft will immediately take lead over much of its VR competition with just one update to Windows. Its platform is going to provide the most affordable and the easiest way to experience high-end VR. This will certainly position Microsoft in a position to dominate the niche.
According to Ars Technica, at the moment Microsoft already owns the PC platform used by the high-end VR headsets such as HTC's Vice and Facebook's Oculus Rift. Microsoft's Xbox One is a major gaming platform as well. This positions Microsoft in the right spot for claiming bigger ambitions in the VR space. The company will offer a way by which VR might become much simpler to boot and more widespread.
Performance, visual quality, and GPU requirements, visual quality and performance are still major unknowns about Microsoft's plans. But it looks like the company could become being a major VR platform owner with this combination of software and third-party hardware.


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A court case demanding Asda to give £225m of backdated pay to staff could set a precedent for wholesalers with symbol groups to set equal wages for employees.
An investigation by RN and its sister title Retail Express found wholesalers on average are paying female staff in centrally owned shops £1.11 less per hour than male warehouse operators. Equal pay legislation states wages for…
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Brussels, 10 May 2019 – EDAA is pleased to present its 2018 Activity Report, which offers but a glimpse of EDAA’s work undertaken in 2018 to pave the way to addressing crucial issues as we move forward. As the OBA programme continues to grow in strength and reputation each year, EDAA continues to provide invaluable services to all its participating companies and offer credible evidence of what effective self-regulation can achieve, when done right and with widespread industry adoption. With the GDPR now in effect and ePrivacy on the horizon, EDAA will continue to deliver industry-critical, consumer-facing self-regulatory solutions for data-driven advertising.
2018 was a pivotal year for data privacy in the European Union. While the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) dominated 2018 since it came into effect on 25 May, the regulatory context is far from over. In this climate, EDAA and its governing associations representing the entire advertising ecosystem continue to provide meaningful self-regulatory solutions towards enhancing consumer trust over data-driven advertising.
Consumers see billions of EDAA’s OBA Icon delivered across European campaigns every year, linked to a Consumer Choice Platform, which sees an average of nearly 2 million monthly visitors.
2018 certainly set the tone and the pace for change – not only is the digital advertising industry founded on innovation, but Europe itself is in the midst of a course of change, and regulation in this space is rapidly evolving. But it is in times of change and flux that harmonised industry standards can provide their greatest value and be adapted to ever new and more challenging environments. Most importantly, it is through the proven value and track record of delivering credible and accountable transparency and control solutions on a Europe-wide scale, that EDAA will further develop across 2019, whilst continuing to engage in cross-industry discussions with all players about putting consumers first, and aligning the consumer-centric objectives of both business and regulators alike.
The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity. We hope this report both informs and inspires you!


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Soaraway success for Hardy
LLOYD'S of London insurer Hardy Underwriting saw its profits soar by 250% to £6.5m in the first half of this year.
Chief executive Barbara Merry said: 'These results have been achieved through our strategy of focusing on profits, not volume.' She said the group benefited from firmer premium rates.
The figures reflect results relating back to 2001. Hardy's losses from the World Trade Centre are estimated at a modest £1.6m.
Hardy, best known for insuring helicopters, plans to expand in commercial property insurance for small firms and cover against employee fraud.
Merry, one of the few women to achieve a senior position in the industry, was recently elected to the board of the Lloyd's Market Association.
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STOREFRONT: LemonPop opens in Cherry Hill
There's yet another new shop at Ellisburg Shopping Center on Route 70 in Cherry Hill.LemonPop is hosting a grand opening celebration all weekend with deals on clothing, accessories and shoes for the whole family.
A new concept from fashion retailer Charlotte Russe, LemonPop also is opening in New York and California. It offers apparel for men, women, kids and babies and promises to be "fashionable and affordable," according to a news release. This is the only New Jersey location; more stores are to come, the company says.
This weekend, shoppers will find free balloons, treats and giveaways, plus discounted shopping from $5 to $25. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Sunday.
Call (856) 616-2980 or visit www.lemonpop.com for more information.
A South Jersey legislator has introduced a bill to help small businesses navigate regulations, state tax requirements, assistance programs and more.
Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo's proposal would create the Small Business Action Center (SBAC) within the state Economic Development Authority to serve as a resource for businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
"Successful businesses deserve a state resource that will help them navigate business ownership in New Jersey," the Atlantic County Democrat said in a statement. "A small business action center is an opportunity to support small businesses, strengthen the economy and create jobs and revenue."
ShopRite of Brooklawn wants to help its customers eat healthy — and it's added an in-store dietitian who can give them the information they need to do just that.
Anne Harrison, a registered dietitian, will offer advice on healthy food choices, food preparation and proper nutrition for specific dietary needs and health conditions. She'll host cooking classes and offer tips for shopping lists, recipes and help in deciphering food labels — all free of charge.
ShopRite is at Route 130 and Browning Road. Hours are 7 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday; and 6 a.m. to midnight Friday to Sunday. To make an appointment with Harrison, customers may call (856) 742-8700.
When Carnetta McDuffie, a pastor with Soul Out Ministries in Sicklerville, saw a young mother trying to pull baby clothes out of a donation bin outside a ShopRite, she knew she had to help her community.
Her partner, Dionne Carver, says that's what spurred her and McDuffie to start The King's Closet, a for-profit thrift store in Sicklerville that's been open since April 11. With 2,000 square feet of space, they have to be selective about their inventory — which means clothing, furniture, toys, housewares and appliances that will sell.
But Carver says it's not about making money; it's about pouring it back into the community. To that end, The King's Closet promises to donate a portion of its proceeds to the Food Bank of Southern New Jersey.
The King's Closet is at 520 Sicklerville Road; hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (856) 404-9904 or visit www.thekingscloset.biz.
Phaedra Trethan: (856) 486-2417; email@example.com


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Samsung is just a few weeks shy of launching the Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagship smartphones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2018. As the trend has been for the past few years, multiple details about the S9 and S9+ have leaked online thanks to popular tipsters, patent leaks and more. This time, however, an official Samsung company-made user manual may have possibly leaked a new, redesigned Fast Wireless Charger for the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Samsung manual shows off the new EP-N5100 wireless charger and reveals that it is thinner than its predecessor. Samsung’s EP-N5100 fast wireless charger is expected to feature two internal charging coils as opposed to three found on the Galaxy S8’s wireless charger. Just like before, users will be able to place their Galaxy S9, S9+ smartphones both horizontally and vertically on the new wireless charger. The new Samsung wireless charger also looks to be foldable, similar to its predecessor and Samsung will continue to utilize the Qi standard for fast wireless charging.
Further, a diagram of the new fast wireless charger from Samsung shows that the device will feature a charging indicator light which will turn Red while charging and Green when the smartphone is fully charged. A flashing Red light will appear when not charging properly due to a general error.
In terms of power, the leaked Samsung fast wireless charger allegedly developed for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones will support 9V/2A, 9V/1.67A and 12V/2.1A charging, which should provide 18 watts of power on paper, compared to 15 watts delivered by the S8’s EP-PG950 wireless charger. However, an FCC document discovered by WinFuture found that the output of the EP-N5100 fast wireless charger remains below 15 watts. The device will feature a USB Type-C port to connect to a power outlet and an integrated fan at the back to keep the smartphones cool while charging.
As per WinFuture, the new Samsung wireless fast charger will cost approximately 75 euros or Rs 5932, directly converted. Leaked battery details of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ suggest that the phones could pack 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh cells, respectively.
In terms of specs, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will reportedly sport 5.65-inch, 6.1-inch displays respectively with an 18.5:9 display aspect ratio. They will most likely be powered by the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC in the US and China, and will be running on the company’s own Exynos 9810 SoC in other regions, including India. The smartphones will most likely be launched running on Android 8.0 Oreo and previously leaked renders and images of the smartphones reveal a thin-bezel design.