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Inside Coin World: Collecting Proof sets, odd sports
- Published: Sep 14, 2018, 8 AM
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Collecting Proof sets: A Mint staple since 1858
In 1858, the director of the Mint ordered that the Philadelphia facility begin formally offering special coins to collectors at a premium — the beginning of the Mint’s long experience with issuing Proof coins singly and in sets. In our cover feature in the Oct. 1 issue of Coin World, we look at the development of Proof set sales over the decades.
In 1858, collectors could buy several different sets: base-metal and silver sets, gold sets, and complete sets of all of the coins being struck. However, Mint officials suddenly stopped the practice of issuing Proof coins in 1916 and would note resume the practice until 1936.
The modern era of Proof set production began in 1968, but the Mint has expanded its offerings so much that a collector from 50 years ago would not recgonize the modern programs.
To read more, see the article found exclusively in the print and digital editions of Coin World.
Outside the Lines: Odd sports on world coins
Forget football and soccer, and baseball. Some coins feature sports that most of us have never played. While a lot people view auto racing of all sorts, other sports are either less familiar to most outside of the regions where they are played or are not seen as competitive sports.
Take tug-of-war, which is featured on coins of Russia. Russia also has depicted stick throwing on other issues. Other nations celebrate sports with goals that many viewers would find unusual, such as using a goat carcass instead of a ball.
Collectors can find all kinds of these unusual sports on coins of the world. To learn more, see Jeff Starck’s feature in the Oct. 1 Coin World.
Notes with zero value, but still collectible
German correspondent Sebastian Wieschowski examines a new collecting craze in Europe: zero-euro notes, or privately issued “bank notes” with a face value of zero.
The notes are issued throughout the European continent, and are found at tourist and historical attractions in many countries. The field has even moved to the United States, with sites here beginning to commission their own issues.
Sebastian looks at the beginning of the this collecting craze and asks whether collecting something with no “value” says something more about the future of money. To learn more, read his feature article in the Oct. 1 issue of Coin World.
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Young developers make video games in 48 hours at the Phoenix Global Game Jam
The anxious crowd waited and listened, eager to fast-forward the presentation to the end so they could begin their grueling task: to make a working video game in just 48 hours.
Participants at the Phoenix Global Game Jam, some as young as 15, formed teams, working long hours to collaborate and create.
This year’s event, or jam, at the University of Advancing Technology campus in Tempe, was part of a worldwide endeavor encouraging technological innovation, creativity and teamwork.
“I thought it would be easy,” said Joshua Perez, 15, a student at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa. “I thought it was going to be a piece of cake."
Perez’s casual attitude quickly changed as the weekend continued.
“It’s a lot harder than you actually think it is,” he said with a smile. “The one thing that I realized was that I really appreciate the programming and all of the hard work that goes into making the game functional.”
Perez’s team created a game in which the player must feed a demon by sacrificing a peasant.
The jammers, as they were called, formed 16 teams. Some came to the event together; some met for the first time at the site. Some had never made a video game in their life but joined nearly 100 other participants to see what they could do.
Arizona State freshman Vatricia Edgar, 18, was one of those jammers. She was told about the jam at a club meeting at ASU's Polytechnic campus only one week before.
“Some people who had done game jam last year invited me,” Edgar said. “We were in the robotics club together. They announced it to the whole club, then I walked up to them and said I wanted to do this also.”
She expected it to be difficult and tiresome and that she wouldn’t get to do much because she lacked the experience. But Edgar was surprised and ended up doing a lot of work.
Her team made a game called “Morning Ritual” in which the player is a woman who expects to drink her morning coffee only to find that she has none. Her morning ritual is broken and she rampages through the streets, knocking down anyone in her way to find the nearest coffee shop.
“It wasn’t actually that difficult because a lot of it was learn as you go,” she said. “There were tutorials online, a lot of help online and I was able to do a large portion of the coding and animation without stumbling too much.”
Why organize a game jam?
The Phoenix jam was organized by Ben Reichert, CEO of Game CoLab, a game developer advocate who leads an incubation hub assisting independent developers around metro Phoenix.
“The game jam is really instrumental in bringing developers together,” Reichert said. “The nice thing about the Global Game Jam in particular … is that you build constraints around your creativity and really focus.”
There have been past game jams organized by a different group, but Reichert has grown the number of participants since he started organizing it in 2013.
The event also offered sponsorship opportunities for companies, local and global, to show off new technology and services. GoDaddy pitched its cloud service.
The Swedish company Tobii handed out its Eye Tracker device to any team that created a game based around its product. The tracker senses a user's eye motions, which translates into an action within the game.
Tristan Parrish Moore, co-founder of Broken Window Studios in Tempe, promoted the Eye Tracker on Tobii’s behalf. He also participated in the game jam.
“I’m trying to come up with a game that inverts the idea of looking at something and instead tells you not to look at something,” Moore said. “It’s meant to be really comical, so I’m hoping people will have fun failing at the game.”
Moore said all the new technology being developed makes it an exciting time to be in the video game industry.
“We’re doing virtual reality games, eye-tracking games, we’re doing console and PC games,” he said. “I think that more than ever there are tons of ways for people who want to be game developers, to actually find a niche that works for them and do something that’s unique, … (something) most people couldn’t even imagine doing 10 years ago.”
Making games is getting easier (kind of)
Making a video game is a daunting task, but it has been made easier because of software development kits such as Unity, one of the global sponsors. What the kit does is provide developers with prewritten design tools so they can skip directly to making a game rather than typing a thousand lines of code.
It’s like a furnished apartment: You don’t have to buy any furniture because it's provided, but you can rearrange everything however you like.
Because of development kits, jammers like Edgar and Perez can work alongside experienced programmers.
Edgar had such a great time at the jam that she wants to take along her 10-year-old brother next year. With her mother’s permission, of course.
“If you are new to gaming, never made any game ever in your life, never worked with the languages you plan on using, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “You don’t need to know anything. You can come in completely blank.”
Perez, in his team, did mostly design work, including the menu screen and part of the game’s map.
“The best thing about it is, not the fact that you win,” he said. “But you get to enjoy yourself with people and you get to experience and learn all these things you didn’t know.”
The parent organization expected 5,000 games to be developed by 30,000 jammers in more than 600 locations worldwide during Global Game Jam weekend Jan. 29-31.
Prizes and recognition
Participants in the Phoenix game jam could win a cash prize; a free download of “Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)” courtesy of E-line Media; a copy of Axosoft, a project management software; and a copy of “Game Loading: Rise of the Indies,” a documentary about independent game developers. The companies and documentary were among the sponsors.
Phoenix Vice Mayor Daniel Valenzuela handed out awards alongside Reichert.
First ($300), second ($100) and third ($50) place went to “Deco Racing,” “Space Diplomat” and “Foxfire,” respectively.
Reichert said he has a genuine passion for game jams. He transitioned from a background in international relations to the gaming industry during his first game jam overseas in Belgium. He said he “literally came in to just help bring coffee to the table so that the developers could keep going.”
“In the end, I wrote a little bit of the story,” he said. “I did a little bit of the art. I did a lot of the organizational aspects of it.”
Game development was demystified for Reichert right then and he wanted to let others experience the same thing he felt.
“I guess that’s why I like hosting them,” he said.

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The trade war between the U.S. and China has affected many agricultural growers, and the hazelnut industry is no exception.
Garry Rodakowski is Chair of the Oregon Hazelnut Commission, and runs a 60-acre hazelnut farm. He says after President Trump first imposed tariffs against the Chinese, that nation retaliated against American farmers.
Rodakowski says many in his industry are still rebounding from a harsh winter.
“Four years ago I was getting $1.80 a pound, and this year I’m got 62 cents a pound, and it takes me a dollar to break even," Rodakowski tells KLCC.
"And so the disaster and the snow were one thing, but the fact that the crop was severely impacted by the tariffs that China put on our product, was kind of a double-whammy if you will.”
President Trump has defended tariffs as a way to penalize China for its trade practices, and says “patriot farmers” will ultimately benefit.
Copyright 2019, KLCC.


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Bringing home the bacon: Pork is seeing a surge across India
In East UP, Dalit butchers are turning cooks, selling prepared pork items by the roadside. Hyderabad has taken to bacon. In Delhi and Mumbai, bacon fries, bacon jam and pork chops sell well.
Pork is finally hitting its stride in India. In East UP, Dalit butchers are turning cooks, selling prepared pork items by their roadside huts. In Hyderabad, 10 years ago sausages were hard to find; now supermarkets stock several varieties of bacon for the discerning pork-lover. In Delhi and Mumbai, bacon fries, bacon jam and pork chops sell well.
How did we get hooked to what was once seen as unclean meat?
“The internet food culture has played an important role in this, with a lot more people being aware of all the food options out there and more willing to try them out,” says Mumbai-based food researcher and entrepreneur Rhea Mitra-Dalal.
Dalal founded The Porkaholics on Facebook, a community group dedicated to pork, with members from across India. For a year now, the group has been posting recipes, but before the pandemic, they also had regular meet-ups and potlucks, and shared tips on pork-related news and events.
“As more people are trying pork, they’re discovering that it is a more delicious and cheaper meat option, and they are localising it with dishes usually associated with chicken or mutton,” says Harish Kathuria, a Hyderabad-based real estate consultant who is co-admin of a Facebook group called The Pork Affair – Hyderabad.
He started the group about seven months ago, with six members. “This was an exclusive group as not everyone appreciates this meat. We shared which places we ate at and what dishes we liked. But now, with over 180 members, it really does not feel that exclusive anymore,” Kathuria says, laughing.
Deepak Kumar, another co-admin, named the group after the home kitchen he has run with his wife for three years. “We’re selling twice as much pork biryani now as when we launched,” he says. “And we get orders for a range of other dishes, like pork fry, pork kebabs and pork 65, which people have warmed up to slowly.”
Kumar launched the home kitchen when he saw how much friends who had never tried pork appreciated it when he served it at home. The pork dum biryani remains the most-sought-after dish out of his kitchen, he says.
It helps, Dalal adds, that people are also exploring the food cultures of different parts of India. So in Delhi the Assamese-style pork with lai xaak (mustard greens) is increasingly popular; in Mumbai, Naga chilli pork is catching on at eateries and pop-ups focused on this cuisine; and where Goan dishes such as pork sorpotel and vindaloo were once hard to find outside Mumbai and their home state, you now see them on menus across cities such as Kolkata and Bengaluru.
That doesn’t mean the inhibitions are gone completely. “In India there is no visible concept of clean pig farming and the animal is usually associated with unclean spaces,” says Dalal. “So even now, when people enquire about pork on these social media groups, they ask where they can get ‘safe’ pork.” In such cases, groups can help by pointing out places to trust.


text: Santa Maria Fire investigators say the fire that swept through a popular restaurant and furniture store was the work of an arsonist. Santa Maria Fire officials announced yesterday that the blaze that destroyed Shaw’s Steakhouse and Sergio’s Furniture and Mattress was intentionally set. The fire burned for hours. When firefighters got the flames put out, only the exterior walls standing. Sergio’s Furniture relocated to the Santa Maria Town Center and Shaw’s Steakhouse is in the process of rebuilding. The investigation is ongoing.


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Greece expects economy to grow by 4.5% next year- 2022 draft budget
ATHENS, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Greece’s economy is projected to grow by 4.5% next year after a strong rebound this year on stronger tourism, pent-up demand and a boost from state support measures, the government’s draft 2022 budget projected on Monday.
The government recently revised upwards this year’s projected economic growth rate to 6.1% from 5.9%.
“The economy has already recovered more than two-thirds of the lost gross domestic product in one year, even though economic activity still faced restrictive measures in the first half,” Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said.
On Friday Fitch Ratings said Greece’s stronger-than-expected economic performance in the first half led it to upwardly revise its full-year 2021 GDP growth forecast to 6.0%.
Greece’s economy roared back in the second…


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Kroger is citing the chain's ability to keep stores stocked during tough weather conditions as one of the reasons its fourth quarter numbers looked so good.
The Associated Press -
Will Kate Spade become the next Ralph Lauren? It's certainly possible, but the climb will be difficult.
Bloomberg News -
Old Navy's commercials have featured Melissa McCarthy, Debra Wilson and, now, Amy Poehler.
The British online fashion retailer, which makes and sells private brands for 16-24 year-old consumers in the U.K. and beyond, will open with a valuation of $936 million on the London AIM market next week.
John Lewis has launched JLAB to find start-ups that will help the chain achieve breakthroughs in retail technology.
Advertising Age (tiered sub.) -
Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace, which operates stores on Long Island in New York, has informed customers its credit card system was breached by a party or parties outside the U.S.
The Associated Press/CBS New York -
Customers of Wegmans can now head over to one of the chain's pharmacies to get a prescription filled for their four-legged family members.
The Post-Standard -
Some have suggested that e-cigarettes may have a role to play in smoking cessation programs for adults. A new study says they provide a gateway to tobacco usage among teens.
HealthDay News/WebMD -


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The new normal of China’s economy can be a “better normal” in achieving more balanced and stable growth, the OECD secretary-general said.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development proposes the country further strengthens market mechanism, addresses the labor market imbalance by enhancing skill provision and grants farmers greater land-use rights in its newly-released China Economic Survey.
“Seven percent is a very important and dynamic growth. The key is sustainable and we believe it can,” said Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the OECD, in an exclusive interview with chinadaily.com.cn.
The report projects China avoiding an abrupt economic slowdown as risks are manageable and urbanization and service sector development will be key drivers of growth.
New normal in economic growth
“A 10-percent growth is not sound and creates distortions and bubbles,” said Gurria, stressing that a “better normal” achieves balanced development.
A growth of 7-percent means the economy will double every 10 years, and can still generate enough spillover for the rest of the world, he said.
The Chinese government vowed to achieve the dual objectives of maintaining a medium-high growth rate and moving toward a medium-high level of development during the National People’s Congress earlier this month.
Mass entrepreneurship and innovation, together with increased public goods and services will serve as twin engines of the country’s economic development, said Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli at the China Development Forum 2015 on March 22.
“Chinese are very entrepreneurial. They have faith in themselves and are willing to take risks to start their own companies,” said Gurria, adding that creating the right environment for entrepreneurs, such as friendly registration and legal facilities, intellectual property rights protection and angel funds for startups, is critical.
“China is a huge manufacturing center of the world and it’s very important that China continues to move up the value chain and to reinforce its technological leadership,” said Alvaro Pereira, director of country economic studies at the OECD.
Recommendations from the OECD
The OECD China Economic Survey encourages the country to further strengthen market mechanism, enhance skill provision and boost agricultural productivity.
The Chinese labor market is unbalanced to the extent that there are not enough workers at the lower-skilled end and not enough jobs at higher-educated end, said Gurria.
However, it’s inevitable that China has to follow in increasing sophistication and knowledge, he continued, suggesting that the country should map skills needed by the market while “upskilling” its labor force.
“It means communication with the market and companies to be able to identify the needs. You have to be very specific and modify the curriculum in vocational schools and training.”
China also needs to continue its land reform, encourage market consolidation and grant farmers better access to finance and skills to improve productivity, added Pereira.
“Agriculture in general is primary. The issue is real [in China too] because there are hundreds of millions of people living there. Their standard of living is very important,” said Gurria.
He affirmed the effectiveness of e-commerce in improving the agricultural industry, saying that products in rural areas today can be sold in cities because of good communication, transportation and network.
Among migrant workers, there are people who are competent and aggressive and can stay in rural regions to start businesses and do well, added Gurria. “China should be more urbanized than it is.”
According to an OECD report on economic inclusiveness, income inequality in China began to fall in recent years after rising rapidly in the period following its market drive. By last year the national Gini coefficient had fallen to slightly below 0.47, still above developed countries but similar to the levels in other emerging-market economies.


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Odessa Brewfest is the best in the State of Delaware
Eat This, Not That!, the world's #1 nutrition website, has chosen the Historic Odessa Brewfest as the #1 brewfest in the State of Delaware. Criteria considered are the rarity of the beers being poured, the quality of the breweries attending, entertainment like live music and beer-friendly food. Eat This, Not That!, has done the research to find the best beer festival in every state and our very own #OdessaBrewfest scored at the top on every category.
Plus, don't miss The Best Brewery in Every State to read about Delaware's winner and #OdessaBrewfest regular Dogfish Head of Milton.
Eat This, Not That!
Inspired by The New York Times best-selling book series, Eat This, Not That! is a brand that's comprised of an award-winning team of journalists and board-certified experts, doctors, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and dietitians who work together to bring you accurate, timely, informative, and actionable content on food, nutrition, dieting, weight loss, health, wellness, and more.
As the leading health and wellness brand—with their breaking food and restaurant news coverage, healthy eating guides, and proven "no-diet" weight loss strategies—Eat This, Not That! is now the world's #1 nutrition website and one of the top five food outlets in the U.S.


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For some years now, a decade and more, we have heard about the case against snack and junk food for children. There is now well-established evidence of the root causes of childhood obesity - poor food choices and inactivity.
Over time it has become less acceptable to give kids a bag of potato chips and a soda pop to eat while watching TV in order for the parents to have a bit of breathing room.
Gradually, we have seen greater awareness on the parts of parents, schools, purveyors of fast food, and marketers of food to kids in the choices offered. It took some time, but it is a start, at least, to addressing the nutritional aspect of the obesity issue.


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L&T Technology Services has been chosen as a Consulting and Professional Services (CPS) provider to support Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) integration in various connected devices spanning multiple domains and industries.
“We are delighted to see LTTS use their expertise in the consumer and industrial market, product development, device testing and certification, and innovation to transform their clients’ customer experience,” said Eric King, General Manager, Amazon Alexa Europe. “We welcome LTTS as our newest Alexa Voice Service Consulting and Professional Services provider and look forward to seeing them apply their capabilities to develop innovative voice solutions for enterprises, global device makers and brands”.
Seema Ghanekar, Global Head – Industrial & Consumer Products, L&T Technology Services said, “With the growing demand for digital voice recognition-enabled devices, the technological disruptions brought about by engineering services in the embedded devices space are ever rising. The suggested approach is to engineer experiences for end-users rather ...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to bisinfotech.com . To see the full text click HERE


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To all the cross border eCommerce retailers in China, the new tax policies for cross-border eCommerce retail imports announced last month brought mixed feelings since it raised import tariffs and set a limitation on imported goods via eCommerce. On May 20th, good news came in, finally: parts of the new regulation will be postponed for a year.
To be more specific, customs clearance certificates for imported goods can be exempted until many 10th, 2017. This 1-year delay policy will affect 10 cross-border eCommerce pilot cities, including Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Fuzhou, and Pingtan.
Customs clearance certificate is delayed.
Among all the new tax policies for cross-border eCommerce retail imports, the most controversial one is that for every imported good, the clearance certificate is essential to enter the bonded zones in China.
Customs clearance certificate, or “Customs Clearance of Entry Commodities”, requires documents like Original invoice, quarantine inspection report, guarantee slip, etc. Most cross-border retailers stock goods from distributors overseas, making it impossible to prepare for this clearance certificate. The new policy addressed that one cannot sell their goods without the certificate, even though they’re already stocked in the bonded zone. With that being said, this sudden policy will put many cross border eCommerce out of business.
Example of Customs clearance Certificate
Luckily, China government has now put 1-year probation on this rule. Cross border eCommerce can still sell their products, and now they have more time to prepare for the documents needed and make adjustments according to the new policies.
No change on tax yet
Nothing related to taxation policy has been mentioned in the adjustments. The biggest change in the tax policies will still stay valid, such as imported value-added tax & consumption tax instead of the parcel tax.
Data shows that after the new cross border eCommerce tax policy was announced, the cross-border eCommerce orders in Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen have dropped 62%, 65%, and 61%, respectively.
China is discovering the best approach
In fact, it’s the third adjustment for the new restrictions on cross-border imports in the past month. Earlier, authorities did some fine-tuning in importing goods for the first time, then the second batch of “positive list” was unveiled to cover more commodities.
All the signs are pointing to the fact: China government supports crossing border eCommerce, and the authority is still discovering the best approach to tax reform with cross-border eCommerce retailers. A new policy for cross border eCommerce was adopted too hastily. The country realized it, and it is taking a soft method to let enterprise adapt it.
What could be the next? It is estimated that the new version of the “positive list” will come up soon, which deliver a more clear description of all the imported products.
Overall, the government is trying to minimize the new tax policies’ damage and make sure every business can have a smooth transition.


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While the truth Samsung consisted of a 3D render is unusual, it doesn’t mean the company is anymore likely to release the pictured device than with any other patent application we’ve seen in the past. Still, the timing is fascinating. After years of trying to position mobile VR as the next huge thing, most smartphone companies, including Samsung and Google, have provided up on the medium Just this past summertime, the Note 10 ended up being the very first Samsung flagship to not support the company’s Gear VR headset. The business likewise hasn’t launched a brand-new Gear VR headset considering that 2017.
Notably, Samsung isn’t the only company that appears like its dealing with an AR headset. In a report from earlier in the month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple prepares to launch an augmented reality gadget at some point in the 2nd quarter of2020 However, we’ll need to wait and see if AR gadgets fare any much better than their VR equivalents.
Presenter: Cherlynn Low
Script: Cherlynn Low
Editor: Chris Schodt
Producer/Camera: Michael Morris
All items recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial group, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories consist of affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we might make an affiliate commission.


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A trend for budget makeovers has boosted sales figures for B&Q, according to DIY retail giant Kingfisher.
The retail group said that a growing demand for gardening products and the demise of rival firms such as MFI had helped B&Q’s sales increase by 1.5 per cent in the 10 weeks to July 11.
B&Q’s like-for-like figure is lower than the 3.2 per cent rise in the previous quarter, but Kingfisher said that the results were distorted by unusually warm spring weather, which caused a rush in sales on outdoor products.
Kingfisher is benefiting from the housing market slump, which is causing more homeowners to do up their homes and gardens as opposed to moving. Kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms from B&Q all sold well during the quarter with a number of new ranges and the withdrawal of competitors contributing to their success.
Kingfisher chief executive Ian Cheshire said: “B&Q in the UK was again stronger than anticipated as it continued to capitalise on the growing trend for home and garden DIY, low cost room makeovers and competitor withdrawal in the bigger ticket categories


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Sign up for — a new online service that provides dealerships leads on purchasing used-cars for trade-ins — is currently free of charge to dealers and requires no obligation.
The new service was designed to give car shoppers a quick way to trade in their vehicle without having to leave home, the company said.
Additionally, independent used-car dealers can save by avoiding auction fees, drive fees and any other costs acquired when going to auction.
“You can trade your car from your couch with BidOnMyTrade.com. Finding leads on used-vehicle purchases is also just as easy for dealers that use BidOnMyTrade.com,” the company said in a news release.
On BidOnMyTrade.com, car shoppers who want to trade in or sell can upload up to 16 pictures of their current vehicles for local dealers to examine.
The submitted vehicle photos are emailed directly dealers who will appraise the vehicles.
Car shoppers can currently submit trade-in value requests to up to five dealerships, according to BidOnMyTrade.com.
BidOnMyTrade.com is owned and operated by United Incentive Corp and based out of the Tampa Bay, Fla. area.


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December 11, 2013
Heckyl Technologies Pvt. Ltd has raised over $3.5 million in Series B investment led by IDG Ventures India. Existing investors Seedfund Advisors also participated in the round. Seedfund Advisors had invested $1mn in the start-up in the first round. Rajiv Dalal, angel investor in the company also participated in this round. Venkatesh Peddi from IDG Ventures will join the existing board of directors of the company. Existing board consists of Paula Mariwala from Seedfund Advisors and two co-founders.
Coined itself as a disruptive news and data analytics platform for financial community, the company has seen strong growth over the last year. Heckyl now claims to be India’s largest non-broking company that has the largest number of traders using its deep integrated news and derivative analysis platform, with more than 20 broking houses on-board.
“We are very pleased to have IDG Ventures India on board,” said Mukund Mudras CEO Heckyl Technologies. “IDG Ventures India has a successful track record in India and Heckyl is proud to be in such good company. We are committed to making investing and research a great experience with our proprietary news and data analysis platform. With the support of IDG Ventures and Seedfund Advisors we have the requisite capital and strong partners to continue to lead and fuel our explosive growth and expansion into new regions.”
By combining the capabilities of Real time analysis of unstructured data from millions of sources along with exchange data into a simple, intuitive and actionable platform Heckyl is uniquely positioned to lead the next generation financial analytics platform. Heckyl proprietary technology – discovers, analyzes and presents the information in real time and thus influences the market dynamics.
The global financial space in terms of News and Data Analytics is approximately around $ 50 Bn. Heckyl started by first tapping into the brokerage market. Heckyl is now poised to release big data mining platform for Financial Institutions and the Hedge fund industry. “We at Heckyl are very excited about the new capabilities that our big data platform will deliver to our clients.” said Som Sagar COO Heckyl Technologies, who oversees product development.
Heckyl Technologies was founded in Dec 2010 by Abhijit Vedak, Jaison Mathews, Mukund Mudras and Som Sagar. Within 16 months of launching the product, it has top brokerages like Angel Broking, Sharekhan, Motilal Oswal, IndiaInfoline, Religare etc as its clients.
Said Pravin Gandhi, Founding Partner, Seedfund Advisors,“ Our second round of funding to Heckyl reiterates our belief in the team and the product they have created. In the last two years, Heckyl has proved the usefulness of product offering in the Indian markets. It has a strong technological base and has robust systems in place to adapt the product for the global market. We are happy to be a part of the global growth story of an Indian product company serving the financial sector.”
Said Venkatesh Peddi, Vice President, IDG Ventures India, “We are very impressed with the significant revenue lift and customer traction of Heckyl. They have built a sophisticated platform which according to our research has a large global potential. In Heckyl, we have found a very passionate team with strong business acumen and we are very excited to be part of the company“
Heckyl Technologies Pvt. Ltd is founded by four ex Merrill Lynch Execs having over 45 years techno-functional experience in the capital markets. It has top 20 brokerages as its customers in one year of marketing operations and two years of inception.
Heckyl provides real time news and data analytic platform for traders and brokerages. Its integrated solution with trading terminals provide high quality Information, Visuals, Heat Maps of Sentiments and Market Data to help traders to find the trading opportunity is this fast moving market.
Heckyl helps you explore new ideas and keep pulse on the current business events. Whether you are a short term trader, investor, or fund manager, and whether you prefer equities, forex, or commodities, you will find a wealth of information that matters to “you” streaming at your fingertips.
About IDG Ventures India (www.idgvcindia.com)
IDG Ventures India is a leading technology venture capital fund in India. The fund is part of IDG Ventures, a global network of technology venture funds with over $5.5 billion under management with over 220 investee companies and 10 offices across Asia and North America. By combining the IDG platform — an unparalleled combination of global publishing, market research (IDC), and conferences and exhibition resources — with years of hands-on experience in early-stage company building, IDG Ventures India helps its investee companies understand their markets better and achieve leadership position ahead of competition. The IDG Ventures India portfolio companies include, Apalya, Aujas Networks, eShakti, Forus Health, iCreate, iProf, Manthan Systems, Myntra, Ozone Media, Perfint, Sourcebits, Unbxd, Valyoo Technologies, Vserv and Zivame.
About Seedfund Advisors:
Founded in 2006, Seedfund Advisors, is India’s most active and best-known early-stage venture capital fund, with operations in Bombay, Bangalore and New Delhi.
Seedfund’s investment strategy is to mentor and invest in seed/early stage businesses based in India that have the potential to become leaders in new market nichesSeedfund has an investment portfolio of over 25 companies across two funds. These include online auto classifieds startup CarWale, online bus ticketing company redBus,affordable hospitals chain Vaatsalya, education companies Edusports and Thinklabs in Fund1 and AxisRooms, AFAQ, DoneByNone, Frontier Markets, Heckyl, Jeevanti Healthcare, Mydentist, Sportskeeda, Chumbak and Jeeves in Fund2.
For any further information or clarification, please contact, Sangeeta Irani, Partner, Cubic Communication at + 91 96194 60014 or contact via email email@example.com


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Nielsen is going private.
On Tuesday, the 99-year-old TV ratings giant announced an agreement to sell itself to a private equity consortium led by Brookfield Business Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital Corporation.
The PE consortium is buying a stake in Nielsen for 28, bringing the total value of the deal to 16 billion.
But the dance to get Nielsen out of the public market was already underway.
Nielsen and the consortium began their deal-or-no-deal negotiations earlier this month, after which Nielsen rejected the group’s $ 9 billion purchase offer. $ 16 billion bid bumping deal completed.
With the new owners, Nielsen’s future is no longer his own, and it is not yet clear what the consortium plans to do. In this case, however, there may be past propositions.
Elliott Investment Management, an active investor and affiliate of Evergreen Coast Capital Corporation, has already held a seat on Nielsen’s board for several years. Elliott pressured Nielsen in 2018 to sell its data analysis division NielsenIQ, splitting the two into separate companies.
Industry experts say history could repeat itself.
A private equity group is not rushing to save Nielsen with a bunch of capital as a “white knight,” Brian Hendrigan, CEO of cross-media DMP Advocado, told AdExchange.
Although Nielsen will have to invest in the innovation, it will have to make money behind the acquisition in order to return the stockholders at a premium of 60% of Nielsen’s share price before the talks are leaked. Not to mention the debt incurred.
The consortium could pull a page out of the PE playbook and move away from Nielsen’s core to create a “risky, Nielsen”, Hendrigan said, with the goal of creating a more streamlined entity, focusing on its existing specialties. Based TV ratings.
But that plan will require a lot of extra investment that may not be worth it in the end.
For example, new owners could invest in Nielsen One, Nielsen’s continuing to create cross-platform measurement solutions, or perhaps double to regain recognition from the Media Rating Council, says Bharad Ramesh, executive director of research and investment analysis at GroupM.
But the clock is ticking. Publishers are already “diversifying time and resources away from Nielsen,” Ramesh says. “Nilson One is great on paper – but it’s too late.”
For that reason, Nielsen’s re-emergence at this last stage is a dubious proposition, says John Hamilton, CEO of TVDataNow, a provider of CTV performance measurements.
Hamilton said a PE consortium “is unlikely to embrace the investment and sort of approach needed to develop a new currency in streaming.”
To make money on the deal, the new owners are likely to climb into Nielsen’s “Cash Cattle Business” (see panel rating) and “Sell Off”. [whatever] Technology they can, ”he said.
Not to mention that this year’s advances are just around the corner, and many big programmers, including NBCU, are already allowing marketers for the first time to deal with alternative measure providers. To stay competitive, Nielsen needs to have a “clear message” about the status and capabilities of its unified platform up front – and that may not happen in a few weeks, Hendrigan said.
Even if Nielsen is “sitting on a magic bean” with the answer to the cross-screen currency challenge, he added, it remains to be seen whether a spiffed-up Nielsen One will do the trick.
At the moment, when Nielsen claims that his cross-platform audience measurement capabilities are almost ready for prime time, it seems like “the boy that wolf cried.”
And when pushed, “quickly lost faith comes back very slowly,” he said. “I’m not sure it can be turned around with just one announcement.”
A “speed increase”
Nielsen’s future may be uncertain, but media experts agree that its acquisition is good news for the industry as it will create more competition.
Publishers and content providers are already signing agreements with alternative measurement providers to give marketers what they want, a faster, more transparent cross-platform currency.
Sean Cunningham, CEO of the Video Advertising Bureau and a longtime Nielsen critic, said Nielsen’s purchase was a “speed up” in that direction.
The deal makes it a “symbol of measurement and value placed on currency” among performance-oriented marketers, making it the “refuge of full-funnel metrics in front and center of TV advertising,” Cunningham told the AdExchange.


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1.Sector ETF Changes Since 2/19 Highs.
This morning, we highlighted the recent performance of sector ETFs noting how Health Care has led the way higher rising the furthest above its 50-DMA. Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Technology (XLK), Materials (XLB), Communication Services (XLC), and Consumer Staples (XLP) each had also risen above their 50-DMAs. Given their outperformance, as shown in the table below, headed into today these were the sectors closest to their levels on the S&P 500’s last all time high on February 19th. The Health Care ETF (XLV) actually headed into today less than 2% away from its 2/19 levels and XLP was also under 10% away.
2.Americans Expect the Job Market to Improve in Next 6 Mos. But Not Planning Vacations or Car Buying.
A substantial percentage of Americans now expect an improvement in the job market in six months.
• Very few households are planning a vacation.
There was a record decline in the percentage of Americans planning to buy a car.
The Daily Shot
3.Small Cap Joining the Rally.
Last 5 days small cap IWM +12% vs. S&P +5%….Remember small cap had its worst quarter ever Q1 2020.
4. TikTok Crosses 2 Billion Downloads After Best Quarter For Any App Ever
The latest milestone comes just five months after TikTok surpassed 1.5 billion downloads. In Q1 2020, it generated the most downloads for any app ever in a quarter, accumulating more than 315 million installs across the App Store and Google Play.
While the app was already popular and backed by a large user acquisition campaign, TikTok’s latest surge comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen consumers drawn to their mobile devices more than ever as they look for new ways to shop, work, and connect with others.
5.Morgan Stanley Most Hated Rally Ever
From Dave Lutz at Jones Trading
6.Re-Fi Applications Hit Highest Levels Since 2003.
This adds to “pent up demand” bulls thesis…Now add lower monthly mortgage payments
Applications for refi mortgages in the week ended April 24 ticked down from the prior two weeks and were down 39% from early March, but were still triple the volume of the same week last year. Refis accounted for 72% of all mortgage applications.
7.Why a decades-old TB vaccine is getting attention in the fight against Covid-19
APRIL 14, 2020
A health care worker administers a dose of BCG vaccine to a newborn in Madagascar. REBECCA MARTIN/CDC
· In the desperate search for ammunition to fend off the Covid-19 pandemic, a decades-old tuberculosis vaccine, given in huge numbers around the world, is gaining newfound attention.
Researchers in Australia and the Netherlands are testing the idea that the vaccine, known as BCG — short for bacille Calmette-Guérin — could have broad power to boost the immune system against the novel coronavirus. In the United States, a research group in Boston hopes to test the vaccine in frontline health workers for the same purpose.
The interest stems from multiple studies over a number of years that point to the vaccine as having what are known as “off-target” benefits.
While the vaccine, used in many low- and middle-income countries, isn’t considered to be highly effective against its primary goal, TB, it seems to help the immune system fend off various pathogens, including one that causes leprosy. The question is whether the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 is among them.
Not everyone is convinced.
A leading TB researcher, Madhukar Pai, has warned that the BCG vaccine is unlikely to be the magic bullet some people seem to think it may be. Pai, director of McGill University’s International TB Center, wrote a blog post over the weekend arguing that people may be ascribing almost magical powers to the vaccine.
“I think the idea is 100% worth investigating,” Pai said in an interview with STAT. “That’s why my piece was not against further research. My piece was saying: Right now we’re nowhere close to anything for a policy based on ecological studies that are full of holes.”
The World Health Organization seems to agree. On Sunday it published a scientific brief examining the evidence surrounding BCG. It concludes that there currently is no proof the vaccine protects against the new coronavirus. “In the absence of evidence, WHO does not recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19,” it stated.
Still, some researchers are hopeful.
Denise Faustman, director of immunobiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been studying BCG for years as a therapy for type 1 diabetes. She has a stash of the vaccine — which is not used in the United States for tuberculosis prevention — and wants to see if it could benefit frontline health workers. She is seeking institutional permission to quickly mount a trial at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“The goal is to enroll rapidly over a two-month period, about 4,000 high-risk health care workers. And then the goal will be to watch them … to see if we can get a signal,” Faustman said.
The word has gotten around among health workers in Boston. Faustman’s phone is ringing off the hook. “Certainly the people who want in the trial are calling every five minutes [to ask], ‘How do I get in this trial?’” she said. “We have hundreds of phone calls right now of ‘Why can’t I get this?’”
In some respects, the notion of using a vaccine designed to prevent infection with one pathogen to protect people from another, unrelated bug seems counterintuitive. You wouldn’t expect a flu shot to offer any protection against Covid-19, for instance.
But years of research has suggested the immune system boost that BCG confers applies far more broadly than to just Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB. Children vaccinated with it in low- and middle-income countries around the world have been seen to have lower death rates from other respiratory infections, for instance.
8.Korn Ferry and Fortune Rank 10 Most Admired Companies.
Fortune collaborated with management consulting firm Korn Ferry to survey 3,750 executives, analysts, and directors. They asked the survey participants to rank companies in their own industry on nine criteria: Innovation, people management, social responsibility, quality of management, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, long-term investment value, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.
These, out of 1,500 companies, made it to the top 10 most admired companies list:
Salesforce is not just among the most admired, but also one of the best companies to work for. It provides customer relationship management software as well as tools for analytics, marketing automation, and application development. Salesforce has spent a little over $10 million to close the gender pay gap.
9- Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale has entered the top ten this year. It operates more than 800 warehouses across the United States, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Australia. It’s a members-only chain of warehouse clubs. Costco offers its members low prices on a wide range of products. Recently, Costco also became one of America’s ten largest e-commerce players.
8- JPMorgan Chase
The US banking and financial services juggernaut has once again earned a place among the world’s most admired companies. JPMorgan is one of the world’s largest banks with over $2.7 trillion in assets. It was formed in 2000 after JPMorgan’s merger with Chase Manhattan. The company provides investment banking, asset management, credit cards, and other financial services.
Alphabet is the seventh most admired company on the planet. It’s the parent company of Google, Android, YouTube, Waymo, and many other products and services. It is one of the world’s most innovative companies. But Google has been targeted in recent years by antitrust regulators and politicians who have accused it of using its might to kill the competition.
Starbucks has slipped from 5th to 6th position. Seattle-based Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain with more than 30,000 locations. It represents the second wave of coffee culture in the United States and many other countries. Starbucks works directly with farmers to control the coffee production and distribution process.
5- Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway is one of the world’s largest conglomerates. It owns companies like Dairy Queen, GEICO, Duracell, and others. Warren Buffet’s Berkshire also holds large stakes in Coca Cola, Wells Fargo, Apple, and American Express. The holding company’s book value has grown at an annualized rate of 19% since 1965 compared to 9.7% for the S&P 500.
4- Walt Disney
Founded nearly a century ago, Walt Disney is by far the most powerful media and entertainment company in the United States. It owns Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel Entertainment, Hulu, and 20th Century Studios. Its Disney+ streaming service gained more than 10 million new subscribers in just a day after launch. It owns some of the best and most popular content in the world.
Microsoft has jumped three spots from last year to become the third most admired company on the planet. Microsoft’s Office suite, Surface laptops, Xbox consoles, cloud services, and other innovative products have made it a favorite of consumers, industry experts, as well as investors. Microsoft might have missed the bus on smartphones, but it is as relevant as ever in the age of smartphones.
Amazon controls nearly 40% of the US e-commerce market. It’s also the leading cloud service provider on the planet. It also has a fast-growing online media streaming and smart speaker business. Amazon has seen explosive growth in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Great Lockdown to contain the virus has forced people to stay indoors and order goods online. However, it has also been criticized time and again over the treatment of its employees and contract workers.
Apple has held the crown of the world’s most admired company for the 13th consecutive year, according to Fortune magazine. The Cupertino-based tech giant is also one of the most profitable companies on the planet. While Apple continues to innovate with iPhones, Apple Watch, iPads, and Macs, it’s diversifying into services. Over the last few years, it has launched a bunch of services including Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. Apple is also a vocal proponent of user privacy.
9. 14 Things Every Wine Student Should Know
These lists tend to get a little silly, I admit. I recently saw a list in a wine article published by GQ which I found not just appalling, but outright offensive. And I’m usually the one who’s doing the offending. Anyway. I thought I could do better. I actually know I can do better. Let’s go.
14 Things Every Wine Student Should Know
1. The answer to every question you have starts with “it depends”.
2. There are no definitive lists.
3. Get comfortable with your ignorance.
4. Forget about what you “like”. It will not help you learn about or understand a wine.
5. Points do not matter. This is one thing about wine I will say definitively.
6. The best wine app you have is your camera roll. Take a picture of every bottle you drink.
7. If your goal is to serve wine and educate others, spend as much time talking to non-wine people about non-wine things as you do tasting and reading. The more you know about the world outside of wine, the more easily you can relate wine to other things that people actually are familiar with.
People like things that they are familiar with, and they will listen to you.
8. Do not for a second believe that being talked down to by a wine person who you think knows a lot is appropriate or normal. The best people in any field do not do this.
9. Nothing smells and tastes more like the wine than the wine itself.
10. Don’t get carried away or too focused on tasting notes. Sure, they’re fun. But see #9.
11. Your goal should not exclusively be to be a great blind taster. Blind tasting is effective because it can tell you a lot about yourself. It can let you know when your perception has been influenced by a label, a trend, or by other people, and it can be a barometer for your familiarity with certain wines and regions. Keep in mind, however, that many great wine people are not great blind tasters, and that the opposite is also true. There’s a lot more to it.
12. Always consider whom a wine is made by, by whom the wine producer is owned, for whom the wine is made, and what the economic motives of the producer might be.
13. Popular wines are not always good wines. This does not mean they are always bad either. Flies are attracted to honey, but they are also attracted to shit.
14. No one list about wine will ever be sufficient. Learn from as many sources as you possibly can.
Keep on learning. If you try hard, drink, read, drink, read, and seek to understand,
you will be great.


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The NFT (non-fungible token) craze is coming to social media, with video-sharing app TikTok announcing TikTok Top Moments.
In the same week it surpassed one billion users, TikTok has revealed it will be partnering with some of its top creators to allow users to “own a moment on TikTok that broke the internet”.
TikTok Top Moments, as the series is to be named, will be based on six “culturally signifcant” videos and will be auctioned off weekly over the next month or so.
While NFTs have become commonly associated with sky-high prices, TikTok says it aims to sell these ones at “accesible price points”.
“Inspired by the creativity and innovation of the TikTok creator community, TikTok is exploring the world of NFTs as a new creator empowerment tool. NFTs are a new way for creators to be recognized and rewarded for their content and for fans to own culturally-significant moments on TikTok,” TikTok said in a statement.
“The creation that happens on TikTok helps drive culture and start trends that impact society. TikTok will bring something unique and groundbreaking to the NFT landscape by curating some of these cultural milestones and pairing them with prominent NFT artists.”
Creators involved with TikTok Top Moments include Lil Nas X, Grimes, Bella Poarch, Rudy Willingham and Gary Vaynerchuk.
Lil Nas X’s drop is up first, scheduled for 6 October.
TikTok Top Moments will be powered by Immutable X, a new Layer 2 for NFTs which allow businesses to create and trade NFTs in a gas-free, carbon-neutral manner.
Twitter has also recently announced its own plans for NFTs in a move that will allow users to display digital tokens they have purchased as their profile picture.
Here’s a sneak peek👀 on what we’re working on for NFT profile verification.
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/Z8c6tH3BBy
— Justin Taylor (@TheSmarmyBum) September 29, 2021
Australia’s largest independent family-owned brewery, Coopers, has unveiled a brand-new look for its portfolio of naturally conditioned ales and stouts. The first major update to core packaging in 20 years, the iconic Coopers roundel has been refreshed with a modern and clear design showcasing the brand’s heritage and brewing process. The updated packaging follows Coopers’ […]
Domino’s has released an ad campaign announcing its move into burger delivery via It’s Friday. The ad is centralised around the phrase “Finally, burgers made to be delivered”, a reference to Domino’s self-proclaimed title as the experts in food delivery. Adam Ballesty, chief marketing officer of Domino’s ANZ, said: “We’re excited to be able to […]
Michael Hill Jeweller has launched a new campaign promoting its bridal range by celebrating the love story at the heart of the brand. Developed in partnership with CHEP Brisbane, the campaign leads with a film that explores the story of Sir Michael and Lady Christine Hill, from their first meeting in 1964 through to their […]
Australian media personality Russel Howcroft has re-signed a multi-year deal as co-host of 3AW’s Breakfast show, which will see him continue to partner Ross Stevenson on Breakfast for another four years. “’We are delighted Russ is committing to 3AW for the long term”, said 3AW station manager, Stephen Beers. “Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft have […]
10’s Masked Singer is gearing up to return, and what it lacks in seriousness, it makes up for in silliness and usually ratings. Masked Singer will be airing from Sunday 7th of August, and it is racing onto the scene after the success of 10’s Hunted. EP Tamara Simoneau chatted with B&T, about why 10’s […]
Integrated communications firm Icon Agency has been ranked the fourth fastest growing agency in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, according to the 2022 PRovoke PR Agency ‘Fast Movers’ rankings. Icon’s fee income for calendar 2021 grew 84.3 per cent, making it the fastest-growing and largest independent agency in Australia. The Melbourne-based indy was ranked […]
Tiger Brokers, an online broker for millennials and Gen Z, is offering fans the chance to win sideline seats to Melbourne Storm’s Round 21 clash against the Titans at AAMI Park (Friday 5 August 2022). The campaign has reached its peak, and now every Australian can also have the chance to win a Melbourne Storm […]
Australian independent insight consultancy Fiftyfive5 has continued its expansion in the APAC region with the appointment of Phil Steggals (pictured) as head of consulting – APAC region. Phil was the ex-managing director of Kadence in Singapore where he built a team of 35 and delivered insight solutions for a wide range of clients, including Bloomberg, […]


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ALBUQUERQUE ― Walmart’s Fifth Annual Open Call was Wednesday and New Mexico was well-represented. Two New Mexico companies, a sustainable pencil box manufacturer and a hemp-based product line, were given deals to sell through Walmart.
Albuquerque’s Stride Inc. expects their 100 percent recycled, U.S. made pencil box to be on Walmart shelves by the 2019 school shopping season. The company has been women-owned since 1988, and nearly 50 percent of Stride’s workforce has some form of developmental delay. Not only does Stride create environmentally-friendly products, but they create a work environment for special needs adults to gain skills, confidence and self-esteem.
“At Stride, we’ve been changing the lives of adults with Special Needs through integrated employment,” Stride Inc. CEO Kerry Brennan Bertram said. “Now that Walmart is interested in adding more of our products we can look forward to increasing job opportunities for people with developmental delays.”
Stride also is a finalist in the American Small Business Championship, funded by Sam’s Club. The award honors small businesses nationwide.
SW Therapy and Rehab founder, Star Ridsdale created her first product, a pain-relieving hemp-oil cream, in order to help her mother cope with debilitating arthritis. Today, her company is proud to sell five hemp-based products. Ridsdale received a deal to sell her products on Walmart.com and the Walmart owned website, Jet.com. Star’s products will be available online in the next few weeks.
“I have to start focusing on upping the inventory and getting my products ready for distribution,” said Star Ridsdale, product creator and owner of SW Therapy and Rehab. “Walmart has given me the opportunity of a lifetime. I want to show them that my business and products are capable of going far.”
Walmart’s Annual Open Call is one way in which Walmart continues to invest in American jobs. Wednesday, over 450 small U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs participated in one-on-one meetings with buyers, hoping to get their product in the hands of millions of Walmart customers. The event, now in its fifth year, continues to empower and encourage all who attend while providing a great networking opportunity for local entrepreneurs.
“Walmart’s annual Open Call is a special opportunity to connect our buyers with companies that are manufacturing products in the U.S. and to identify new and unique product solutions,” said Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart VP for U.S. Sourcing and Manufacturing.
In January 2013, Walmart announced it intends to help boost job creation and U.S. manufacturing through buying an additional $250 billion in products that support American jobs over 10 years. Based on data from Boston Consulting Group, it’s estimated that 1 million new U.S. jobs will be created through this initiative. Last year, Walmart spent $81.9 million with New Mexico suppliers, supporting 7,359 local jobs.
Businesses with U.S-made products are encouraged to apply for next year’s Walmart Open Call event. “We are thrilled that entrepreneurs from across the country, including many diverse-owned businesses, continue to respond so strongly to participate in Walmart’s annual Open Call,” said Marsiglio. New Mexico companies wishing to consider applying for next year should go to http://engage.walmart-jump.com/.
About Walmart in New Mexico
In New Mexico we serve customers at 53 retail units and online through Walmart Grocery Pickup, Walmart.com and Jet.com. We are proud to employ 14,201associates in New Mexico. Walmart supports local businesses, spending $81.9 million with New Mexico suppliers in FYE17, which supported 7,359 New Mexico supplier jobs. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are active in the communities where we live and work and invest in communities through local grants, customer engagement and associate volunteer efforts. In FYE17, we contributed $16.45 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in New Mexico. Learn more at the Walmart Today blog, and our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram channels.


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The Wi-Fi Alliance certified 25 percent more products during 2012 than 2011, led by 64 percent year-over-year growth in certifications for devices in the consumer electronics (CE) category. The handset category drew a 34 percent year-over-year jump in certifications.
"We have set forth a vision of 'seamless connectivity,' and our members continue to deliver the technologies and products that achieve that vision," said Wi-Fi Alliance President and CEO Edgar Figueroa.
The alliance's Wi-Fi Certified program tests products for compliance with 802.11 industry standards for interoperability, security, ease of installation and reliability. As Wi-Fi works its way into new devices and applications, the Wi-Fi Alliance has been expanding its certification program.
For example, Wi-Fi certification for Miracast technology, which enables wireless sharing of audio and video content, became available in September 2012. Since then, more than 60 devices have completed certification, said the group.
The alliance said it will begin certifying Gigabit Wi-Fi products, based on 802.11ac, later this year under the moniker Wi-Fi Certified ac. The group said most 802.11ac devices are expected to be dual-band and interoperable with Wi-Fi Certified n devices. While 802.11ac only works in the 5 GHz band, 802.11n works in both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands.
In addition, multi-gigabit point-to-point wireless based on the WiGig 60 GHz specification will soon appear in products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently announced plans to absorb the Wireless Gigabit (WiGig) Alliance and initiate an interoperability certification program for WiGig products late this year.
Wi-Fi device shipments are expected to reach almost 3 billion in 2016, nearly doubling 2012's count of about 1.5 billion, according to ABI Research. The firm said the total number of Wi-Fi shipments in 2012 increased 29 percent over shipments in 2011. The CE category led Wi-Fi year-over-year sales growth at nearly 42 percent, while sales of Wi-Fi enabled handsets grew 32 percent.
- see this Wi-Fi Alliance release
Wi-Fi Alliance taking over WiGig development
Wi-Fi forecasts highlight differentiation, monetization
In-car Wi-Fi to grow eightfold over seven years
Wi-Fi expands to connected TVs as WiGig targets docking, syncing
Wi-Fi Alliance readies Miracast certification for audio-video connections


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
GM is recalling 10,000 trucks and SUVs that have been impacted by two safety issues worldwide. The majority of the recalls are for the 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon (9,215 combined) that could roll away when shifted into park due to a faulty part manufactured in China. The recall will be officially issued out on July 19th, and GM will install new automatic transmission adjustment clips. This recall impacts 6,700 vehicles sold in the United States.
Fortunately this recall (and the other one) doesn’t involve any crashes. The Colorado and Canyon recall was discovered when a vehicle failed to start while at a GM assembly plant. The other recall is being issued out to 891 SUVs and trucks for steering problems. 739 of the vehicles impacted are in the United States. Those impacted will have their intermediate steering shaft bolts properly tightened to ensure no loss of steering can occur. Those letters will be sent out on July 13th.
The 891 SUVs and trucks affected by that recall include the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Sierra all from the 2011 model year.
General Motors has just announced a safety recall of 3,996 2010 Cadillac SRX crossovers due to possible damage that may have occurred to the power steering lines. Out of the 3,996 vehicles that have been recalled, GM only believes that only two or three are actually affected by this issue. If the power steering line has been damaged, the steering fluid could leak, potentially spraying onto hot engine parts where an engine compartment fire could result. As of now, GM is aware of only one such fire in an SRX.
Vehicles that are being recall were built in December 2009 and most of these affected vehicles are in the United States. Owners will be notified by mail and the inspection and any necessary repair will be performed free of charge.


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‘We’re letting Facebook grade their own homework’: Here’s how advertisers’ desired changes differ from overall boycott
As the advertiser boycott of Facebook continues to gather steam, the pressure for the platform to respond in earnest to the desires of those boycotting continues to mount. While everyone wants hate speech to be purged from the platform, advertisers also want a lot more control of their relationship with the social giant.
On Tuesday, civil rights advocates from groups behind the Stop Hate for Profit campaign like Color for Change and the Anti-Defamation League reportedly left a meeting with top Facebook executives including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg disappointed by the platform’s response to the boycott. Early Wednesday, results of a two-year audit by lawyers, including former director of the American Civil Liberties Union Laura Murphy, of the platform’s handling of hate speech and other problematic content on the platform found that “Facebook’s approach to civil rights remains too reactive and piecemeal,” according to the 89-page report.
The pressure isn’t likely to let up anytime soon as just over a week into the Stop Hate for Profit (SHFP) boycott there are over 1,000 advertisers participating. “Every meeting right now with Facebook is about this and only this,” said an executive for a digital agency with clients participating in the boycott. “There’s no escaping it — and that’s where change happens.”
That said, the overall goals of civil rights advocates organizing the boycott differ slightly from those of advertisers, according to agency executives. The SHFP campaign has laid out ten recommended steps, including adding an executive with expertise in civil rights issues to the C-Suite as well as submitting to regular third-party audits, for Facebook to take to address the spread of hate speech and disinformation on the platform.
While participating advertisers generally support the ten recommended steps, the changes desired by advertisers, per agency executives in talks with both advertisers and Facebook, are more streamlined.
Overall, advertisers want Facebook to clean up the content that appears on the platform, to have more control over where their ads appear and have the ability to opt out of ads appearing next to content that’s “questionable,” according to agency executives who say adding that type of control would be similar to what Google put in place with Google Preferred or YouTube Select. Per agency executives, doing so would in a sense “demonetize” that content and help quell some advertisers’ worries; fear of the screenshot of brand cohabitation with hate or misinformation has long driven advertisers to push platforms to do more to squash the spread of questionable or hateful content on their platforms.
Advertisers also want Facebook to enact stronger policies against hate speech, however, advertisers “don’t want to be the arbiters of what hate speech is,” as one agency executive who requested anonymity put it, as that’s for civil rights groups to make clear to Facebook. Agency executives and media buyers also said that advertisers are lobbying Facebook for more transparency and third-party audits of Facebook’s own protocols for weeding out hate speech and bad content on the platform.
Facebook has said that 89% of hate speech or problematic content is detected by its systems and removed before it is reported, up from 23% just three years ago. But without third-party audits, “we’re letting Facebook grade their own home work,” said the agency executive. “What a third-party audit will help us understand is the true strength of Facebook’s protocols. Right now we can only take Facebook on their word. On YouTube, I can rely on Open Slate, Double Verify and MOAT.”
Amid the pressure from the boycott, the platform has already said it will work with the Media Ratings Council and undergo an audit of its platform.
While Facebook has posted blog posts (updates on brand safety and racial justice initiatives) in response to calls for action from the platform, it’s unclear how it will respond to the other asks from advertisers or if those advertisers will remain off the platform come August 1 if Facebook fails to meet any of the other asks.
One agency executive said that it would be surprising if advertisers return en masse in early August without commitments to address advertisers’ desired changes. That said, returning to the platform will be a “brand-by- brand” decision, according to the exec.
As conversations continue between advertisers, agency executives and Facebook, there’s a sense that the pressure could force the platform to bend to the demands of advertisers.
“If history is any indicator, this will linger and there won’t be a definitive resolution,” said Brendan Gahan, chief social officer at Mekanism, adding that, “to this day, YouTube is still dealing with fallout” following its demonetization of some creators.
More in Marketing
TikTok has officially launched its new e-commerce platform, TikTok Shop, earlier this month on August 1. Using the new e-commerce platform, brands and creators can sell products directly on the platform, potentially creating new revenue streams, and tap into the short-form video platform’s growing popularity.
‘The influencer industry can be really vile’: Confessions of an influencer marketer on the industry’s unfair hiring practices
While the influencer industry might sound exciting and like it’s full of opportunities, one marketer can vouch for the horrific scenarios that still take place behind the scenes.
After a tumultuous 12 months, marketers are getting a clear picture of how they really did during a time of true uncertainty. And, as it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad.
Ad position: web_bfu


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Apple’s iPhone X — its most anticipated new phone in a very long time — goes on sale this Friday, Nov. 3.
So sometime this week, as usual, you’ll be able to read and watch a bunch of serious-sounding reviews, as Professional Gadget Reviewers critique everything from bezels to battery life.
But Apple did something different this year. It invited a handful of YouTubers you probably haven’t heard of to its fancy penthouse in New York, gave them some early hands-on time with the iPhone X, and let them publish their videos a day or more in advance of the official reviews. (It also let Wired/Backchannel’s Steven Levy write a “first first impression of the iPhone X” post because Steven Levy. It also gave one to Axios co-founder Mike Allen, who had his nephew play with it. And Mindy Kaling for Glamour. And The Ellen Show.)
These videos, published by channels including Booredatwork.com, UrAvgConsumer, Soldier Knows Best, and sneaker/streetwear blog Highsnobiety, are a little braggy, mostly positive (“man, it’s pretty good!”) and don’t feel like gadget reviews at all. For many of us, they won’t replace the utility of more sophisticated reviews, which are supposed to tell us whether the iPhone X is worth our $1,000. They’re not great videos, frankly.
But that they exist at all is worth noting — and it’s the latest example of how Apple follows predictable annual patterns, only until it doesn’t.
When the first iPhone launched a decade ago, only four Professional Gadget Reviewers from big, old print-media brands were blessed by Steve Jobs to review it: Former Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg (who later co-founded Recode), former New York Times reviewer David Pogue, Ed Baig from USA Today and Steven Levy, then writing for Newsweek. Those were The Guys.
The iPad, which launched in 2010, met a broader stable of reviewers, including the Chicago Sun-Times, PC Mag, the Houston Chronicle, Boing Boing, The Root and Time magazine, whose piece was written by British humorist Stephen Fry.
Since then, Apple has gradually opened up to more digital-native publications, including Daring Fireball, TechCrunch, The Verge and BuzzFeed, often providing review units under the same embargo timing as their old-media counterparts. It has also gradually warmed up to YouTube publishers and “influencer” types.
But this is entirely different — Apple is front-running the Real Reviews with Early Looks, right before the Real Reviews, while the Real Reviews are still under way.
So why did Apple do it? Trying to hedge tepid reviews? (If so, it may not have worked: Levy sounds a little bored.) To excite the youngs?
This isn’t just an iPhone launch — it’s the biggest in years. The phone game is getting tired, and Apple needs to re-accelerate its momentum. Some of its status as a design innovator is at stake. It could really use a massive hit.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment. But it’s not tough to guess. We know the company obsessively plots its media relations strategy.
So perhaps the thinking is that these teaser videos will give Apple a push that it wouldn’t get the old-fashioned way. But they also haven’t broken the internet. The most popular, from Booredatwork, has about 340,000 views so far today — not millions.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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Most businesses are having to adopt some form of an online presence to remain competitive during the Covid-19 pandemic. Developing a website is quite easy these days due to the presence of website builders and many online tools that allow you to complete the task in minutes. Egypt website builder Wuilt is planning to capitalize on the adoption of digital and internet technologies by focussing on the vast number of Arabic speakers and Arabic businesses online.
Wuilt is founded by Ahmed Rostom, Mahmoud Metwaly, and Mohamed Hegazy to help those with little building knowledge create and manage their Arabic websites. The startup operates an online website builder launched in 2019 and runs as a SaaS platform. According to their website, you can build a site in 5 minutes. The company announced a $535,000 raise in seed funding from UK’s MENA Technology Fund, Saudi Arabia Daal VC, angel investors, and Flat6Labs Cairo who provided follow-on funding.
According to Menabytes, Wuilt will begin at $5 a month then slowly rise to $15. All platform users get a 14-day trial use period. The platform serves 30,000 free and paying users across Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The funding will power its plans of launching an e-commerce enablement platform that helps users create online stores, and expand its Saudi Arabian presence – which accounts for 30% of its customers.
It’s not easy coming up with an Arabic website builder. First, converging the technologies in both the developer and spoken languages is very complex. At conception, the programming world needed the right language standards when developing code, meaning the default settings are in English. Secondly, the internet is sort of tailored in a manner that favors those speaking English. Most markets during the early adoption of the internet were English speaking, hence the content and web tools created. Arabic is now the world’s fourth most spoken language, hence the need for website development to tailor content to the local Arabic language.


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The main purpose of antimicrobial packaging materials is to prevent packaged food or drink from spoilage and contamination. The rising concerns about food-related infections have driven the demand for antimicrobial packaging in recent years. The research report showed that the efforts to reduce food wastage in times of food scarcity are also likely to fuel the rise of antimicrobial packaging in the global market.
The global antimicrobial packaging market is expected to rise to US$11.9 billion by the end of 2024, after expanding at a CAGR of 5.6 percent within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The market was valued at US$7.65 billion at the end of 2015.
The global antimicrobial packaging market is predicted to be shaped by consumers’ awareness on health issues that come with improper storage, the use of wrong packaging for materials, as well as safe packaging which is capable of storing food and drink with an extended shelf life. The overall demand for antimicrobial packaging has also risen due to increasing consumption rate of processed foods worldwide.
The global antimicrobial packaging market was led by Asia Pacific in 2015, with a share of 33.3 percent in its value. This resulted from its densely populated urban areas that are displaying a high demand for plastic packaging. The changing and increasingly hectic lifestyles of the working class in Asia Pacific are driving more consumers towards convenience and packaged foods and beverages.
Based on materials, the global antimicrobial packaging market can be segmented into tin, paperboards, biopolymers, plastics, and other minority materials. Plastics are easily mouldable, can provide sufficient levels of elasticity, protection against tears, multiple layered packaging; all at a very low cost as compared to other packaging materials.
The use of plastics comes at the cost of complicated disposal and waste management, as plastics are largely non-biodegradable. Recycling of plastics at a large scale is still a difficult process to carry out, especially in developing economies. This has resulted in the popularity and growth of biopolymers for food packaging, due to their ability of being easier to dispose and being less harmful to nature. The segment of biopolymers in the global antimicrobial packaging market is expected to expand within 2016 and 2024.


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Gunning for search engines
By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY
SEATTLE Google, the ingenious Internet search service with a silly name, is front-running a three-way race in the red-hot Web search arena.
Its biggest customer, Yahoo, is about to become its biggest competitor in the wake of Yahoo's acquisition of search engines Inktomi and Overture. And rival Microsoft MSN has been injected with a dose of competitive urgency. (Background: About search engines)
Analysts say the software giant has been backed into a corner and must weigh whether acquiring Google or Yahoo might be the surest way to remain a contender in the crucial Web search space.
"Google has the cake, Yahoo at least is able to open up the instant cake mix and start putting the ingredients together, and Microsoft is just opening up the cookbook," says Danny Sullivan, industry analyst for Web site SearchEngine.com.
The stakes are lofty. Search has emerged as a promising Web business. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft each wants to make search more intelligent and useful.
The goal: Produce more germane results and thereby boost user loyalty. And each is exploring how to combine Web searching with new tools to scour not just Web pages, but word documents, spreadsheets, e-mail and other desktop files.
The first to popularize such a service — and make finding something on a PC hard drive as easy as finding something on the Web — could command the loyalty of a vast clientele of users and, thus, advertisers.
Contenders stack up
With Google as the king of Web searches and Microsoft dominant on the desktop, Yahoo is about to jump into the fray against both.
"The question boils down to who can move into the other's territory first," says Chris LeTocq, tech industry strategist at Guernsey Research. Here's how the competition stacks up:
•The one to catch. A practitioner of minimalist marketing, Google boasts fans ranging from former president Jimmy Carter to Gwyneth Paltrow. In one recent survey, Google was named the world's highest impact brand, ahead of Apple and Coca-Cola. It continually refreshes an index of some 3 billion Web pages, responding to most search queries in one second, and consistently delivering relevant results in a simple text format.
But Google isn't standing pat.
Having recently added digital images and news story searches, as well as an Amazon.com-like shopping page, called Froogle, Google's secret weapon may be its add-on toolbar, analysts say. By downloading a small bit of free code, users embed a narrow window at the top of a Web browser, enabling Google searches without going to Google's home page. This saves time and promotes more frequent use of Google.
Last month, Google added a pop-up ad blocker and a feature that lets users easily post "blog" entries to Web journals. Google could equip its toolbar to run queries against a user's desktop applications, elbowing into Microsoft's jealously guarded turf. A user could Google search across Word, PowerPoint and Outlook for a keyword or phrase.
"If there was a Google search for my desktop today, I'd use it in a heartbeat," says LeTocq. Google declined interview requests.
"Google's very useful toolbar add-on is a perfect medium to deliver desktop search," says David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer. "The fact that it's already out there, and the fact that people tend to trust Google more than they trust Microsoft, gives Google a definite lead in the integrated search race."
•Returning to its roots. Yahoo was among the first to assign editors to compile directories of popular Web pages, then let users query its directories. But search engines such as Inktomi and Google took the lead by using "spider" programs to crawl the Web and pull down page links automatically. Yahoo still maintains directories, but prominently features Google's search engine on its Web pages.
Yahoo has since branched into news, e-mail, shopping and personal ads. By acquiring Inktomi and Overture, it is returning to its search roots, and company watchers expect it to stop using Google. CEO Terry Semel recently said in a conference call he plans to "vertically integrate" search functions throughout Yahoo.
"Yahoo will now own all the crucial elements of an end-to-end search offering," noted Semel.
"We'll be better equipped to create customized and innovative solutions for advertisers and enhance the consumer experience to increase relevancy and ease of use."
Synergies from its acquisitions could take a year or more. "They face a big task absorbing all that technology in house," says analyst Sullivan.
Pressure on Microsoft
•To build or buy. Shortly after Yahoo announced its acquisitions, Microsoft quietly released its own spiders to crawl the Web and began building its own searchable index of Web pages. The software giant passed up the chance to buy Inktomi and Overture, from whom it contracts search services. With the two now under rival Yahoo's wing, Microsoft is forced to build or buy its own search services.
MSN product manager Lisa Gurry says the company plans to move aggressively to develop its in-house search expertise while continuing to rely on Yahoo as a supplier. "We will make the right investments to stay competitive in this space," says Gurry.
Meanwhile, there's not much left to buy. Microsoft could grab a smaller search engine, such as Ask Jeeves, which two years ago bought Teoma, but it would still lag years behind the first-tier players, says Bruce Clay, president of search engine consultancy Bruce Clay LLC.
Microsoft could make a play for Yahoo or Google. But with Yahoo anticipating big growth from its acquisitions, and Google widely anticipated to go public in 2004, neither may want to be bought.
For the record, Gurry says Microsoft is not considering buying Yahoo or Google "at this time."
"Two years from now Microsoft will still be two years behind, because Yahoo and Google are not going to stand still and, in fact, you can expect that they will be moving forward fast," Clay says.


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Ragweed allergies high across nation; St. Louis med center offers steps toward relief
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis University Medical Center on Tuesday issued a step-by-step guide in tackling allergies, timely considering the recent uptick in ragweed allergies. According to Weather.com, weed allergens are particularly high right now across much of the continental United States.
Avoid allergens by closing windows, changing air conditioning filters and limiting outdoor activities. If you feel better, you have a good clue that allergies are at work, rather than a cold or sinus infection;
Try over-the-counter medicines, such as Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec;
If over-the-counter medicines don’t do the trick or if you find yourself missing out on outdoor activities, visit an allergist. Prescription nasal sprays containing either steroids or antihistamines may be in order. Your allergist may do a skin prick test to zero in on your precise allergens if the source of your symptoms isn’t clear; and
If you continue to suffer, your allergist may recommend immunotherapy. While the series of shots must be administered over the course of a few years to increase your body’s tolerance to the allergen, the good news is that recipients reported improvements in symptoms within a few months after beginning treatment.
Alacer launches new for-kids SKU; pledges its support for Vitamin Angels
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — Alacer last week launched Emergen-C Kidz, a new vitamin drink mix specially formulated for children. A portion of the proceeds from the new SKU will be donated to Vitamin Angels, the company added.
For every box of Emergen-C Kidz sold, 25 cents will be donated to Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing childhood mortality through supplementation. "Essential nutrients enable young immune systems to fight infectious diseases, helping children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives," stated Howard Schiffer, president Vitamin Angels.
Alacer hopes to raise additional funds for Vitamin Angels through the My Emergen-C Kidz Pledge. For every family that takes the pledge, Alacer will donate an additional 25 cents to Vitamin Angels with the hope of raising $5,000. Parents can take the My Emergen-C Kidz Pledge at Facebook.com/EmergenC, where they can find tools and resources to help them track, celebrate and share their progress.
Each packet of Emergen-C Kidz fizzes in water to provide 250 mg of vitamin C, plus zinc, quercetin and other antioxidants, for immune support; five B vitamins that play a key role in metabolism for energy; and essential minerals and electrolytes to help kids stay healthy.
The Emergen-C Kidz vitamin drink mixes are available in three fruit flavors: fruit punch, orange and grape. Fruit punch and orange flavors are available where vitamin C products are sold, and grape is available exclusively at natural food retailers, including Whole Foods Market. The retail price for a 30-packet box averages $10.99. Free samples of Emergen-C Kidz will be available on the Emergen-C Facebook page, beginning Sept. 6.
For more information about Emergen-C Kidz vitamin drink mixes, Vitamin Angels and the My Emergen-C Kidz Pledge, visit Facebook.com/EmergenC. You can also follow Emergen-C and Vitamin Angels on Twitter via @EmergenC and @VitaminAngels.
Whole Foods commences test run of Wellness Clubs
AUSTIN — Retailer Whole Foods is continuing its foray into the health-and-wellness realm.
The retailer, which doesn’t shy from health-and-wellness initiatives — including a healthy eating mobile application, "cooking coaches" and the recently-launched charity aimed to provide children with access to healthy food choices through partnerships with schools, educators and organizations — has commenced a pilot of membership-only Wellness Clubs in five cities, including Dedham, Mass., Chicago, Oakland, Calif., New York and Princeton, N.J. Chicago and Oakland Wellness Clubs will open next month, while the New York and Princeton Wellness Clubs will launch in October. It is speculated that if the pilot program proves successful, the Wellness Club offering will be taken nationwide.
Whole Foods Market Wellness Clubs provide an inviting environment where members are empowered to make educated and positive lifestyle choices that promote their long-term health and well-being through coaching, delicious food and a supportive community," the Whole Foods Wellness Club page reads.


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Posted on May 29, 2013 AT 10:29am
Third-party peripheral designer Performance Designed Products has announced they’ll release a series of Mario-inspired iPhone 5 cases in June.
Made of plastic and polycarbonate, the cases feature images of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Bullet Bill in a style that’s best described as ’70s wallpaper-esque (and that’s “wallpaper” as in real walls, not your computer’s desktop image, for those of you who weren’t alive in the ’70s).
The cases will retail for $19.99 each.
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Doing business with Bitcoin
Things are still not that easy when trying to do business in Bitcoin.
What I am looking for is a platform like Clickfunnels where I can spend and receive payments in Bitcoin.
There's nothing like that out there at the moment.
Something that will allow me to accept recurring (streaming) bitcoin payments to my wallet for content that I provide.
I have been wanting for something like this for a couple of years at this stage. Alas, nothing seems to be stirring at the moment.
When something like this does come on the market, you'll be the first to know right here at mcquinnreport.com. Guaranteed.
Bitcoin now accepted as legal tender in El Salvador
The most significant news out this week came from the small, impoverished central American country known as El Salvador.
We hear very little if anything about this country here in Ireland from one end of the year to the next.
But El Salvador is on everybody's lips this week, and for all the right reasons this time.
For El Salvador's Prime Minister, Mr. Nayib Bukele on Tuesday night pushed through parliament a law recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender in the country.
What does that mean, you may ask.
What does 'legal tender' mean?
Legal tender means that Bitcoin can be used to pay taxes in the country.
This bill will allow businesses and companies in the country to do business in Bitcoin.
Over the past few months, Bitcoin has taken off in the province of El Zonte, El Salvador. This was due to the fact that Jack Maller's Strike started offered its remittance services in the country.
The way Strike operates is as follows. You go to Strike.me and purchase Bitcoin with your debit/credit card. You then input your family member's Lightning network address and send the Bitcoin to them. And hey presto, that is your remittance sent and you have nothing more to do.
Many small businesses in El Zonte, a part of the country popular with surfers travelling from the developed world in search of warm-water winter waves, have been accepting Bitcoin as payment for goods and services.
This new law will have politicians the length and breadth of the globe standing up and paying attention.
Because the first leg to drop is always the most difficult one and takes the longest amount of time to happen.
Expect politicians from other countries to follow in the footsteps of El Salvador's Mr. Bukele and adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.
Basically, the rationale behind El Salvador's backing of Bitcoin is that they simply felt that they had no alternative and that in particular they had nothing to lose from adopting Bitcoin as legal tender.
I am starting to wonder how I can do something similar in Lao PDR when I return there this year or next, whenever Covid-19 regulations permit.
There is an Lao expat community in the US, just like in El Salvador's case. At present, most Lao expats in the US use Western Union to remit money back to family in Lao PDR.
Jack Mallers was quite smart in how he started Strike.
Mallers started small, with El Salvador.
And he knew that if he got one country, just one, to accept Bitcoin, then the other larger countries would follow.
I am sure Western Union are watching on with interest.
It wouldn't take Western Union much to adopt Bitcoin and do business in Bitcoin, similar to Strike.
How Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIP) work
If you want to make changes to Bitcoin then you must go through a formal process.
You can't just download the blockchain and start editing the code right away.
Well, in theory you can, but not many of the other nodes would agree with your changes to Bitcoin core and so there would be no changes to the Bitcoin core software.
Changes to Bitcoin core software only happen when I majority of the nodes on the blockchain want to see the change made to Bitcoin core and so push it through to the Bitcoin core software, which can be downloaded at bitcoincore.org.
A gentleman and known freedom warrior Amir Taaki created the BIP process by creating the first BIP, known as BIP 1. Amir is no longer active in the Bitcoin development community and last I heard he was trying to raise funding for some sort of a school in Barcelona.
BIPs are the primary mechanism for:
- proposing new features
- collecting community input on an issue
- documenting the design decisions that have gone into Bitcoin
The BIP champion should research whether the idea is BIP-able. This can be done by submitting the idea to the bitcoin-dev mailing list at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The Nigerian Government has said it is targeting Cashew exports from $252 million to $500 million in 2023.
This was disclosed by the Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Dr. Ezra Yakusak said this at the organic cashew certification program in Nigeria for export reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
He added that Nigeria exported 315,677 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts worth in 2022.
The report stated that Dr. Ezra Yakusak said FG is committed to increasing Nigeria’s cashew export500 million dollars in 2023.
They added that the five-year program between NEPC, Nicert, Valency Limited, and PRO-Cashew is designed to accelerate growth in the non-oil export sector by supporting the Nigeria cashew sector and also facilitate a gradual shift from conventional cashew to organic ones which export guarantees niche market and premium pricing, the report said:
. “According to Yakusak the aim of the project is to support the Nigeria cashew sector and increase cashew productivity and efficiency, improve crop quality, and improve harvest and post-harvest techniques.
. “While noting that Nigeria exported 315,677 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts worth 252 million dollars, which accounts for 5.24 percent of Nigeria’s non-oil export portfolio in 2022, Yakusak said there was the need for value-addition.
The export promotion chief also hinted that cashew was the 5th leading non–oil exportable product in Nigeria, he said:
. “In 2022, our non-oil performance export performance indicated that cashew was the 5thleading non–oil exportable product in Nigeria.
. “We felt that we need to encourage this product and ensure that the potential from cashew is better harnessed.
. “We exported cashew worth about 252 million dollars in 2022 and with the launch of the project we hope to double it this year.’’
He urged that Nigeria has not yet reached its full potential with cashew exports, addingNigeria’s cashew export trade was largely hampered by non-adherence to food safety standards, lack of traceability, low yield per hectare, poor practices, and aging trees among others.
On her part, Ms. Annabel Kamuche, Group Managing Director, Nicert, a private organization providing international certification for export products, said that Nigeria could reduce reliance on harmful and toxic chemicals by choosing organic farming methods.
. “As we continue to face challenges related to climate change and environmental degradation, it is critical that we adopt sustainable practices that minimize harm to the planet and support local communities.
. “It is a thing of pride for Nigeria that it has started making a mark in the usage of organic products where apart from cashew, crops like turmeric, honey sesame, soybean, and hibiscus are gaining substantial grounds.
What you should know
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest Foreign Trade Statistics Report that superior-quality cocoa beans topped Nigeria’s agricultural exports in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The report stated that the export of agricultural products was dominated by superior quality cocoa beans valued at N74.65 billion, followed by sesamum seeds valued at N38.56 billion and standard quality cocoa beans valued at N14.16 billion.
Total trade in agricultural products
According to the report, the value of total trade in agricultural goods in Q4 2022 stood at N615.42 billion. Meanwhile, exports were valued at N170.59 billion during the period highlighted.
Agricultural product exports increased by 102.59% from the Q3 2022 value of ₦84.21 billion and by 28.54% from the Q4 2021 value of ₦132.71 billion.
The total imports of agricultural goods in the fourth quarter of 2022 stood at N444.82 billion, which is 8.29% of total imports in the period highlighted. The major agriculture goods imported in Q4 2022, were;
. Durum wheat (not in seeds) from Latvia is worth N46.28 billion and the same commodity from Lithuania is worth N41.54 billion.
. Fractions of palm oil (not for human consumption) from Malaysia valued at N43.27 billion.