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Brexit could hike clothes prices says fashion magnate James Brent
The cost of clothing could rise due to Brexit but the UK could still sort out a successful “divorce” from Europe, says leading Plymouth businessman and fashion chain boss James Brent.
Shoppers have already seen clothing prices increase by 0.1 per cent in September 2016, as the falling value of sterling makes imports more expensive.
And Mr Brent (below) is concerned about future hikes as Prime Minister Theresa May’s Tory Government figures out whether to opt for a “hard” Brexit from the European Union, or one that retains benefits of the single market.
He said access to that market would be “helpful” but is more concerned about what impact a reduction on foreign labour would have on the UK.
Nevertheless, he is convinced the UK can negotiate its way to a suitable settlement and that business will cope with changes.
Mr Brent is Plymouth Argyle chairman and director of Natatomisam Ltd, the holding company which owns the Pavilions and the Saltrock fashion chain.
He said Saltrock only sells in the UK market, but imports yarn and some man-made materials from abroad, making it vulnerable to currency fluctuations.
READ NEXT: Plan to redevelop Pavilions by 2020
“Saltrock imports from China and India, and the cost of yarn and raw materials are US dollar denominated, that impacts on the cost,” he said.
Aside from rising costs, there is the potential impact on tariffs from a “hard” Brexit.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that if the UK does not reach a post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU by 2019, the nation could be forced to use World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
This, it says, would mean tariffs on food and clothing rising sharply, with clothing and footwear prices going up by 16 per cent.
Mr Brent said Brexit could also effect consumer behaviour, and said: “There is a question mark over the impact of Brexit on consumer sentiment. We will have to see how that plays through.”
Mr Brent said he voted to remain in the EU in the June 23 referendum, and said: “I was concerned about the risks that would be associated with exit, not because I though we couldn’t have a better Britain outside the EU.”
But he stressed that successful businesses will be able to handle whatever issues Brexit throws up.
“We are embracing it,” he said. “The discussion is how we can improve out business in the context of Brexit.
“We are physically located in Europe and very established with partners in Europe, I don’t think any of that changes.
“I have a high degree of confidence there is a mutuality of interest between ourselves and partners in Europe to have an efficient, thoughtful divorce, rather than an inefficient one.
“Trade relationships will be maintained and new trade relationships will be found.”
He stressed continued single market membership would be “helpful”, but added: “Not to be forgotten, and critical to this country, is immigration.
“This country’s success is dependent on immigration.”
He said by all means “manage” the amount of immigration but stressed: “But not no immigration.”
He added: “That relationship needs to be built on with Europe.”
READ NEXT: ‘Hard Brexit’ threat to Princess Yachts


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Google is reportedly finishing up the development of a new Google Maps app for the iPhone, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The firm has begun distributing test versions of the app to people outside of the company, the report said, and is getting ready to submit it to Apple’s App Store.
For its latest operating system, Apple rewrote the pre-installed maps app to use its own data instead of Google’s. The switch did not sit will with many customers, especially as problems with Apple’s mapping program began to pop up. The number of errors in the program even prompted an apology from chief executive Tim Cook and may have contributed to the ouster of iOS leader Scott Forstall.
Apple Maps stands to improve as the company collects more data, but it will have to move quickly to compete with Google’s years of research into geolocation data.
According to the report, Google will include features that weren’t a part of the old, pre-installed app, including turn-by-turn directions — a key feature that Apple Maps added to the iPhone.
Google has several apps in Apple’s App Store, including a YouTube app that replaced another one that Apple booted from its pre-install catalog. Other apps, too, directly compete with Apple services, including Gmail and Google Play Books.
Google is also the default search engine on iPhones, though the Journal report floats the idea that Apple is working to make Google less relevant by having its Siri voice-assistant program use other sources to answer queries.

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Ever since our first issue of Quench, we've continued the hunt for the best in food and drink. Below are our newest finds, as well as some gems from our archives. Keep an eye on our website this month for more.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the world’s travel industry has come to a halt. Even though you might have to wait... The post 3 Portuguese drinks you can make at home appeared first on Quench Magazine.
2020 would have been the 26th year for the Ontario Wine Awards. Unfortunately, COVID-19 put the usual rigorous judging of... The post 2020 Ontario Wine Awards: Winemaker of the Year is Philip Dowell appeared first on Quench Magazine.
Ed. Note: We appreciate that Quench readers will likely not be in a position to visit California anytime soon. Realizing... The post Series Finale! Excellent edible adventures in California appeared first on Quench Magazine.
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and… the world is still socially distancing. We all know very well... The post Solo picnics are in now that social gatherings are out appeared first on Quench Magazine.
To some, it’s a kitchen staple. To others, yet another confusing food trend. Whichever category you may fall into, you... The post Chia seeds explained: know your ingredients appeared first on Quench Magazine.
Synonymous with great wines, Spain’s Rioja region is home to some of the world’s most illustrious wineries. Of those, Marqués... The post Rioja, Rueda & Marqués de Riscal appeared first on Quench Magazine.
Are mushroom-infused alcohols any good? Mushroom-haters won’t think so, but Christine Sismondo certainly does.
Canadian winemakers use the ancient technique of air-drying grapes called appassimento to improve their red wines.
Starting out with beer and food pairing can be daunting. Jordan St. John put together our ultimate pairing guide so we can all enjoy our brew and food this fall.
One way to pay homage to ancestral diets is to reintegrate complex grains and cereals into our modern fare. An easy way to do this is with Ancient grains - the nutrient-dense staples our ancestors ate.
Expert contributors offer the top food and wine trends, in an easy-to-understand language for those who savour the world.
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Amazon is a state-of-the-art service for embracing music podcasts. The company announced this morning that it is launching support for podcasts on Amazon Music in the United States, the United States, Germany and Japan at no extra cost, and is developing its own original programming. The first slate of originals on Amazon Music will feature shows hosted by creators such as DJ Khalid, Becky G, Will Smith, Dan Patrick, and others.
At launch, Amazon says consumers will search for millions of episodes of Top Shows, and many of their favorite shows are available, such as “Crime Junky,” “What a Day,” “Radio Lab,” “Revised.” History, “” Planet Money, “” Air Stir, “” Why Won’t You Make My History? With Nicole Byrne, “and” Things You Should Know. “
Amazon Music will also serve as a special house for the true crime podcast, “Disgrace Land,” from Music, which will search for various criminals in the music industry. The show will air on Amazon Music in February 2021. Desgrassland host Jack Brennan says the Amazon Music partnership will provide more consistency to fans and create more episodes and releases on a weekly basis.
Originally from Amazon Music, DJ Khalid will host “First One”, where he will interview his favorite artists about the successes that made them famous. Meanwhile, Bucky G will host “En la Sala”, in which the star will talk to big names in music and entertainment to discuss social issues, relationships, politics, sports and more.
Broadcaster Dan Patrick has teamed up with Amazon-owned IMDB for “Scene with Dan Patrick”, which will separate popular scenes from movies and TV shows.
And Jada Panket Smith and Will Smith’s untitled Westbrook Audio project will be released on both Amazon Music and Amazon-owned Audible.
Amazon Music did not specify how much of its total podcast catalog was at launch, but its website is asking for creators’ submissions. In total, Amazon Music reaches more than 55 million users. This means that for any advanced podcast creator, Amazon Music must be distributed.
The new podcasts will be available on Amazon Music apps for mobile and web, and are organized for browsing by category, such as Curated Recommendations, High Charts, and more. The show’s pages will feature trailers, if available, and podcasts can be played on other Alexa devices, including Echo Auto.
Podcasting has grown as a major industry in recent years. In the United States, for example, it is predicted that the number of podcast listeners will reach 100 million by 2020, and that podcast advertising revenue will increase by 14.7% despite epidemics, making total ad revenue 1 It will be close to a billion dollars. General streaming services have been pursuing their original content to attract users to their platform. Even Apple has been immersing itself in podcasts in recent months.
The news follows the recent addition of Twitch Live Streams to Amazon Music by Amazon. The move distinguished Amazon from other top music services, such as Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music.
“Our customers’ listening habits are constantly evolving, and we know they’re looking to provide us with a full-fledged music and entertainment experience,” said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music. Said in a statement about the release of the podcast. . “With this launch, we’re bringing more and more types of entertainment to consumers, while enabling creators to reach new audiences globally, as we have done with music.” “Podcasts, along with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming to the app, make Amazon Music a starting point for creators,” he added.


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Who's investigating fake Chinese goods? Fake investigators
Multinational corporations doing business in China face a losing battle when it comes to keeping copies of their products off the market: The anti-counterfeiting industry they rely on is plagued with fraud, making it that much easier for potentially dangerous fake goods, from air bags to Christmas lights, to reach consumers, an Associated Press (AP) investigation has found.
Most Western companies subcontract anti-counterfeiting work to private investigators paid on commission. More seizures mean higher fees, creating powerful incentives to cheat in an industry with little oversight. As a result, money spent fighting counterfeiting often doesn't make things better, and sometimes makes them worse.
The AP found instances of investigative fraud involving products that could be hazardous: counterfeit auto parts, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and electrical components.
The wrongdoing took many forms:
- Western firms paid investigators who were themselves manufacturing or selling counterfeit versions of their clients' own goods.
- Investigators doctored documents, fabricating raids that never took place.
- Investigators colluded with factories to make counterfeit goods they could "seize" and present to their Western bosses for payment.
As counterfeiting has flourished in China over decades, a lucrative, parallel industry has blossomed to fight it. Counterfeiting today is a multibillion-dollar business in China, which produces nearly nine of every 10 fake items seized at US borders.
Chinese authorities have been getting better at fining counterfeiters and sending them to jail. But the momentum of reform has yet to reach the front lines of the fight against fakes, according to previously undisclosed material from legal cases and internal corporate investigations in China reviewed by the AP, lawsuits, and interviews with 16 private investigators, lawyers and law-enforcement officials.


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For the quarter, StitchFix (ticker: SFIX) reported revenue of $490.4 million, up 10% from a year ago, and above the Street consensus forecast of $480.2 million. The company had not provided specific guidance for the quarter, but projected growth in the mid-to-high single digits. Earnings were 9 cents a share, well ahead of the Street consensus forecast for a loss of 2 cents a share.
For the January quarter, the company sees revenue of $506 million to $515 million, with an adjusted Ebitda loss (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of between $3 million and $6 million. For the full year, StitchFix sees revenue of $2.05 billion to $2.14 billion, up between 20% and 25%, above the Street consensus at $2.01 billion.
“Our robust demand trends along with our improved supply-side position give us greater visibility and confidence to reinstate our quarterly guidance and share our full-year outlook,” the company said in a letter to shareholders. “While we have planned for a wide range of scenarios, one note of caution, our guidance today does reflect that our fulfillment centers will continue to remain fully operational and will not face any significant disruption from potential government-related Covid mandates.”
StitchFix also said that it expects active client growth to drive January quarter revenue growth. “In past [January quarter] periods, we have traditionally pulled back on advertising during the holiday season given that clients tend to be focused more on intent-based purchases and gifting to others and, as a result, we saw lower marketing efficiencies,” the company said in the letter.
“However, with our direct buy offering, we now can play a greater role with clients’ intent-based shopping during the holiday season,” the company added. “As such, we plan to lean in and anticipate that advertising as a percent of revenue will be between 11% and 13% in the quarter.”
CEO Katrina Lake said in a statement that the company hit “several multi-year highs” in the quarter, “including our highest sequential client addition on record.”
StitchFix also announced that it had hired Dan Jedda, who had been the CFO for Amazon’s digital video, digital music, advertising and corporate development groups.
StitchFix shares in late trading have jumped 35.4%, to $48.58.
Write to Eric J. Savitz at email@example.com


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Huawei mobile phones are popular in many countries, and Pakistan is one of them. Its flagships from P and Mate series are always pricier, at least it started from the days of P10.
The P series belongs to young people who are photo enthusiasts and always looking for a device that is bold and beautiful, whereas the Mates are always the powerhouse incorporating newer chipset every year. Even in this year, Mate 30 Pro features the latest and fastest Kirin 990 chipset.
It’s not unusual to drop the price of previous year’s flagship when a new one comes, but in 2019, everything looks shaky after Google stopped working with Huawei in compliance with the directives from US government. Although P40 is far from getting the broad daylight, Huawei has reduced the price of its latest P30 series, even though, it runs Google services and there is no such pressure like incompatibility.
P30, the standard version was priced at PKR 125,000 a few days ago, but the latest retail price has come down to PKR 90,000. This looks interesting because here, it might give competition to its own family member Honor 20 Pro, which already stands at under PKR 100K price bracket and both use similar chipset, Kirin 980 and a quad-camera setup.
The photography giant P30 Pro also had a price fall. It dropped from PKR 175,000 to PKR 157,600 which becomes an almost 10% price adjustment.
Mate 20 Pro, our previous year’s favorite is also among the Huawei mobile phones that are now being offered at a very cool price. It was nearly PKR 150,000, but now the retail price in the local market is PKR 120,000, making it a 20% decline.
Huawei has recently introduced its Mate 30 series in Germany which is expected to land soon in Pakistan. We don’t expect Mate RS Porche Edition to hit the stores but Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will surely be available on select places.
Huawei mobile phones might also suffer another price drop in the coming days on account of high dollar exchange rate, taxes and growing competition from rival phone makers who are eating Huawei’s share in the mid-range category.
Huawei mobile phones have experienced a significant price drop in Pakistan. The company reduced the prices of P30 Pro, P30 and Mate 30 Pro in the local market


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For a new home, just Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop customers will soon be able to buy or sell a home at checkout.
The Quincy-based grocer yesterday announced a five-year deal with Re/Max of New England to open real estate offices in 15 of its Massachusetts supermarkets.
“It’s something innovative that we thought we’d try and we’ll see how it plays out,” said Faith Weiner, a Stop & Shop spokeswoman. “We’re optimistic that customers will appreciate it.”
The concept appears to be a first to link a supermarket with a real estate company.
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Airbnb Dubs 2021 The Year Of Meaningful Travel
Airbnb surprised many since the onset of the pandemic. Early on, fears grew that it could quickly succumb to a lack of travel and not live up to its lofty private valuation.
"I don't think I'm going to worry much more than in April and May when we saw our business drop 80% in eight weeks in the middle of a pandemic," Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said following last month's IPO.
Airbnb's offering attracted strong demand, finishing its first day of trading with a market capitalization of about $86 billion, more than double the valuation anticipated in the days leading up to the IPO.
Shares of Airbnb have continued to surprise doubters, gaining more than 25% since the close of its first day of trading and giving it a market capitalization of nearly $115 billion.
Airbnb is now trying to prove doubters wrong again, this time by saying that 2021 will see a rebound in travel, but there's a catch. In a report titled "2021 Will Be the Year of Meaningful Travel," Airbnb says survey data shows the majority of Americans miss traveling the most since the pandemic began and are ready to travel again this year.
However, the type of travel Airbnb is predicting to pick up this year is "meaningful" travel to see loved ones as their survey data shows Americans are most eager to reconnect and be in familiar settings.
"When travel returns in 2021, it will be about connecting with loved ones through more personal trips, with mass tourism unlikely to return at any scale this year," the report says. "In the report, US consumers say their near-term travel priority is to spend time with family and friends in comfortable, familiar and secure settings."
Airbnb's survey found that Americans are increasingly feeling isolated and lonely as 53% feel less connected to their extended family and friends. 54% of the survey's respondents said they have either already booked or are currently planning to travel in 2021.
Airbnb also predicts "business travel as we knew it is not coming back" as it was the type of travel people miss the least. More than a third of those surveyed believe they'll travel less for business after the pandemic passes.
"Once people feel safe to travel, they will. Travel will be viewed as an antidote to isolation and disconnection," Chesky wrote in the report. "People don't generally miss landmarks, crowded shuttles, and lines and lobbies packed with tourists. What people want from travel now is what they've been deprived of—spending meaningful time with their family and friends."
As for Airbnb, the company saw the number of bookings for stays of more than 28 nights grow year-over-year for third quarter. The most popular searches on Airbnb for 2021 bookings include Derbyshire, UK, Rodanthe, North Carolina, Forks, Washington and the Muskoka Lakes outside of Toronto, Canada.
As Airbnb proved it was not dead as a result of the pandemic, the company is looking to prove those who believe travel won't rebound in 2021 wrong as well.
Roblox IPO delayed for a second time. Roblox has once again delayed its IPO as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has concerns about the way it recognizes revenues from the sale of its currency, Robux. According to Reuters, the SEC wants Roblox to recognize revenue on consumable products as they are consumed. "By adopting that accounting position, our revenue will actually be a bit higher, while bookings, DAUs (daily active users), hours of engagement, and cash flow will not change," Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki said in a memo to employees. "It will, however, take us some time to update this change in our financial statements."
Tesla begins offering collision repairs. Tesla notified customers it will now offer collision repairs as the company looks to improve the customer service experience. "Fix minor dents, scuffs, scratches and more now at your local Tesla Service Center as an alternative option to a body shop," Tesla said. "Our optimized repair flow enables a fast and seamless experience when you need it most." Tesla owners can schedule an appointment from the service menu in the Tesla app as it moves all customer communications regarding service to the app. Tesla operates 140 service centers in North America and hopes to open nearly 50 more this year.
Dr. Martens IPO draws heavy interest. Shares of iconic boot maker Dr. Martens jumped 16% in its market debut in London on Friday as the offering was eight times oversubscribed. Dr. Martens' market capitalization now stands at more than $5 billion after private equity firm Permira, which remains the majority shareholder, bought the company in 2014 for less than $500 million. "We have been delighted by the strong levels of interest, engagement and support from such a high quality selection of institutional investors," Dr. Martens CEO Kenny Wilson.
SpaceX draws FAA scrutiny. SpaceX's StarShip rocket launch that ended in an explosion in December has drawn the interest of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration after violating the terms of its test license. The FAA was prompted to open an investigation as a result of the explosion and the license violation, according to The Verge. "While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety," FAA spokesperson Steve Kulm said. "We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements."
India eyes cryptocurrency ban. The Indian government is planning to introduce the "Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill" which would ban private cryptocurrencies in order to create a digital currency to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India. The bill would allow for certain exceptions to "promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses." India has previously tried to ban the use of cryptocurrencies but ultimately had the ban overturned by the country's Supreme Court.


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CVG: "Featuring discounts on the likes of FIFA 13, Assassin's Creed 3, Halo 4, Forza Horizon and the 12 GB PS3 console, the retailer's "biggest ever sale" starts online today and in-store on December 26."
Most of the games are poorly priced. GAME should've gone under earlier this year.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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- HBO debuted an interactive quiz that matches fans with a Pandora playlist inspired by a character from hit show "Big Little Lies," per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The show's second season premieres on June 9.
- The web-based quiz asks people three questions to determine their personality and appropriate music stations on Pandora. The quiz ask users multiple-choice questions about their friendships and their behavior in different scenarios.
- To support the quiz's debut, HBO is taking over the audio and display ads on each Pandora station. Music is a key part of "Big Little Lies," whose characters are shown singing in the car, talking about song recommendations or connecting to earbuds, according to the announcement.
HBO's gamified campaign with Pandora aims to engage fans of the show with music while promoting the network through display ads and audio inserts. The quiz resembles personality tests that are popular on social media, and it gives people a chance to share their results with friends, family and followers on social media. By urging people to listen to personalized playlists, HBO can prolong brand exposure among the show's fans and possibly drum up interest among potential new viewers.
Music playlists have become a more popular feature in marketing campaigns to promote everything from packaged goods to TV shows. Sparkling water brand Spindrift last month updated its nationwide summer campaign with digital audio activations, and Pandora featured a mixtape curated by actress and brand "superfan" Kristen Bell. Musical branding strategies have recently surged in popularity to capture on-the-go audiences that are increasingly tuned in to streaming audio and podcasting.
HBO is active in digital promotions for its shows, especially on social media. The network in April unveiled a branded Snapchat augmented reality (AR) lens to promote the premiere of the final season of hit series "Game of Thrones." HBO also worked with AT&T to transform the carrier's flagship stores in major cities into AR and virtual reality experiences.


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Nokia and Yahoo announced a partnership today that will meld the companies' e-mail, chat and mapping services across their respective platforms. In addition to sharing services with one another, Nokia and Yahoo will be working on making the login process more seamless.
Nokia currently offers mapping and navigation tools for its phones under its Ovi brand; with the new partnership, Yahoo Maps will now be "powered by Ovi." In exchange, Yahoo will become the exclusive provider for Nokia's Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services, which will be branded with a "powered by Yahoo" message.
In the login space, Nokia and Yahoo are working to make Ovi user IDs usable across select Yahoo properties. We presume these will include maps, e-mail and chat, although it isn't clear if the Ovi login will extend to other Yahoo services like Flickr.
Strategically, this makes a lot of sense. Although Nokia is the largest mobile device maker in the world, its marketshare — especially in next-generation smartphones — lags behind companies like Google, Apple and RIM. Likewise, while Yahoo still has a significant share of the online mail market, its services are in decline and its search deal with Microsoft won't be complete on a global scale until 2012.
Since Nokia already has strong investments in mapping and navigation, and Yahoo has a handle on chat and e-mail, it makes sense for the two companies to partner together instead of trying to build out their own services.
What do you think of this arrangement?


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ServNet has announced the appointment of industry veterans John Brasher and Robert Sullivan to head ServNet's executive team. ServNet's president, Eric Autenrieth, reports that they assume leadership of the auction group on January 1 of 2020. Brasher has been named Executive Director, while Sullivan will serve as Administrative Director. "We are delighted to welcome two individuals of such caliber and standing in the auction industry to ServNet's executive team," said Autenrieth. "Both John and Bob have years of experience in the industry and are champions of the independent auction. Both former owners of ServNet auctions themselves, they bring unique and valuable perspectives to their new leadership positions."
ServNet auctions are known for holding the industry's biggest and most inventive promotions, and this summer's auction calendar is full of blockbuster events, ranging from patriotic tributes and anniversary commemorations to summer celebrations and high energy rock concerts, reports ServNet's President Eric Autenrieth.
"High-impact promotional sales are part of a long-held tradition at ServNet auctions across the country," says Autenrieth. "These events bring a level of excitement and participation to the auction that is unmatched in the remarketing world. A look at this summer's calendar shows that the industry's most innovative and exciting events are happening at ServNet auctions."
ServNet auctions continue their tradition of superior performance, receiving accolades from the remarketing community for exemplary service and industry leadership. In assessing auction results for 2018, national remarketers have recognized ServNet auctions in both national and regional standings, with scores based on operations, customer service and retentions.
ServNet Auctions have joined with remarketing partner Flexco Fleet Services in support of The Hourglass Foundation. ServNet's President Eric Autenrieth explains that the group's efforts will center on raising funds for the foundation's scholarship program, which benefits students pursuing their education in mechanical fields at community colleges and technical schools.
Autenrieth reports that ServNet's participation will be two-fold. ServNet auction locations across the U.S. will make cash donations to the scholarship program for every Flexco vehicle sold at auction. In addition, representatives from the local auctions will reach out to area high schools, two-year colleges and trade schools in their communities to make students aware of the scholarship program along with opportunities for workplace experience at the auction.
ServNet has announced the 2019 recipients of the group's scholarship program during its Spring Owners' Meeting, held in April. Now in its fourth year, the scholarship program was established in 2016 as an ongoing initiative to help ServNet auction employees and their families pursue the dream of higher education. The ServNet Scholarship program assists full-time ServNet auction employees, their children, stepchildren and grandchildren who plan to pursue education in college or vocational school programs.
"As the leaders of of family-owned businesses ourselves, we ServNet owners take a deep personal interest in our employees," explained Ryan Clark, owner of Greater Rockford Auto Auction and a member of ServNet's Board of Directors, overseeing the Scholarship Program. "ServNet's scholarship program is a great way for us to encourage the members of our auction families and to help lay the groundwork for the next generation that follows."
Ryan reports that the group awarded a total of $18,000 in scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year. The awards will be given in increments of six awards of $2,500 to students attending a four-year college or university, and two awards of $1,500 for students attending a two-year college.
Thousands of auto dealers all over the country attend ServNet auctions each week to buy the best inventory available in the wholesale marketplace. Having established strong relationships with their local ServNet auctions that go back years, even generations, franchise and independent auto dealers rely on the personal attention and superior services that have made ServNet auctions consistent leaders in the marketplace.
In today's remarketing world, however, dealers are looking farther afield for the right vehicles to buy, making use of the many digital tools available to them to search for and purchase inventory from areas far beyond their geographic base. The number of vehicles selling online continues to grow at a rapid pace, with some in the industry projecting that upwards of 50% of vehicles at auction will sell in a digital environment in the near future. As dealers add online buying to their arsenal of purchasing tools, they are realizing more than ever before the benefits of doing business with ServNet auctions.
ServNet auctions continue to develop and implement new technologies to enhance the vehicle remarketing process for both dealers and commercial accounts, reports ServNet's President Eric Autenrieth. The most recent is the launch of Turn Auctions, a mobile-based auction platform with enhanced buyer protections. Developed by Ryan Clark, owner of Greater Rockford Auto Auction, Turn Auctions was launched at Rockford Auto Auction last fall, and is due to roll out this spring at other ServNet auctions, including Akron Auto Auction, Dealers Auto Auction of Oklahoma City, Greenville Auto Auction and Louisiana's 1st Choice Auto Auction.
In an increasingly competitive business environment, ServNet auctions remain steadfastly committed to the core values that have been the hallmarks of their operations since the beginning -- a beginning that spans decades, and in many cases, multi-generations of ownership. Years of collective experience, skill, solid relationships and the flexibility to meet the demands of the market have marked ServNet auctions as leaders and continue to produce superior results for their customers.
"ServNet's continued success and strength lies in the group's commitment to maintain consistency through transition," says Pierre Pons, ServNet's CEO who has led ServNet's corporate staff for the past decade. "ServNet was founded in 1988 by a group of strong, visionary leaders who knew that their independently-owned auctions offered a level of service to their customers that was unmatched in the industry. The values and focus of those founding auctions have been part of ServNet's culture ever since and continues to set ServNet auctions apart from the competition, as that culture has been passed along to next generation owners who continue the pattern set by their parents in building the family business."
ServNet has announced the opening of its 2019 Scholarship Program, designed to help ServNet auction employees and their families pursue the dream of higher education. The ServNet Scholarship program assists full-time ServNet auction employees, their children, stepchildren and grandchildren who plan to pursue education in college or vocational school programs.
Up to 10 awards totaling $20,000 are available for aspiring undergraduate students in 2019. The awards will be given in increments of five awards of $2,500 to students attending a four-year college or university, and five awards of $1,500 for students attending a two-year college or are pursuing an auto-related degree at a vocational-technical school.
In his year-end message to the auction industry, Eric Autenrieth, ServNet's President, surveys the group's 30th anniversary year, highlighted by the addition of its 23rd auction location and business solutions that will carry forward into 2019.
Another year draws to a close. As we all pause to take stock of the past 12 months, to straighten our desks in preparation for a break from the flow of traffic through our auction lanes to enjoy the holidays, I look back on a great year in business, topped by 30 years of growth and success among our group of ServNet auctions.
As I reported earlier this year, the market has continued to be interesting, though positive. Tax time took hold early and never really stopped, with the dip we generally expect to see following the arrival of refund checks not really materializing until late in the fall. While dealer inventory was lighter than in years past, our auctions made up for that in institutional business: repossessions, off-lease units and rental returns. Dealers who reported shortages in inventory looked for cars on all platforms, which has resulted in strong pricing and strong conversions.
Along with a dynamic market, customers enjoyed an exceptional customer exeperience at ServNet auctions across the country in 2018.


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Tag / morrisons
News • Mar 14, 2018 14:36 GMT
We add our view on the recent news that Morrison's have reported an 11% rise in profits.
News • Mar 14, 2018 14:21 GMT
Danielle Pinnington, managing director, Shoppercentric, observes: “Morrisons has been working hard to understand what today’s shoppers need from their stores, and putting those learnings into practice. Keeping an ear to the ground is so important as shopping habits, household spending pressures and the competitive context change so quickly.


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You drive into the city for dinner at one of your favorite restaurants but what if there's no place to park the car? Audi now solves the problem; they've got an app for that. It's called
According to engadget.com, Audi is tapping Inrix's parking spot data so you can find a car-friendly space from within its dashboard navigation platform. After telling the car where you want to go, you'll have the option to see parking info at the journey's end, including the nearest locations, operating hours, prices and real-time space availability, depending on what data is available from each garage. The app will also direct you straight to the entrance of the lot, and for additional peace of mind, you can even see what the street entrance of the parking facility looks like because Google Street View will show you. The app even lets you pay for it too.
It's already working in Europe, says John Challen, of AutomotiveDesign.eu.com. He says: "The new offering, which is being rolled out to Audi Connect users at no added cost, provides detailed analysis of the best off-street parking options at 34,000 parking garages and structures across Europe.
Audi drivers who use the service can get turn-by-turn directions to the parking structures, as well as rates and hours. In some cases, the service will even show the number of parking spots available in the garage.
Finding a parking garage can be especially challenging in urban areas where a garage may be located on a one-way street opposite from the building's entrance.
Audi is the first auto maker to roll out the new offering from INRIX, which historically has provided its traffic navigation service to device makers and auto manufacturers. Parking information represents a major move in a new area.
"With drivers looking for parking accounting for up to a third of all traffic in our cities, INRIX Park demonstrates how new data driven services can help drivers save time and frustration on the road," says Bryan Mistele, president and CEO of INRIX.
The service is available immediately on more than 100,000 Audi vehicles on the road. Sounds like something that could become a standard feature for many vehicles... would you want this in your car? I sure would!


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On Tuesday, Yulin’s annual dog and cat meat
“festival” began, but because of action takers like you,
lives were saved.
Dog and cat meat markets were
significantly weaker than during the pandemic in 2020
and 2021. Restaurants that used to be full were slow.
This is the direct result of the momentum
building across China and around the world to confront
the dog meat trade—momentum that wouldn’t be possible
without your support.
week, police and local activists intercepted a truck of
386 dogs heading on the highway to Yulin.
They’re now receiving the desperate care they
need at local shelters, including HSI's partner shelter
in northern China, getting immediate veterinary
treatment for critical injuries and a lot of love and
There was also a rescue of a dog
Before he was Lucky, he was a nameless dog
chained outside a shop in Yulin, China. The sign in
front of him advertised dog meat. His friendly demeanor
suggested that he may have once been someone’s pet,
likely stolen and sold into the meat trade.
activists spotted Lucky and convinced the shop owner to
give him up. Moments away from death, Lucky was sparred
a horrible fate and is now safe in the hands of our
local partner, VShine, getting all the love and care he
deserves before he finds a loving
The tide is turning for animals
across the globe and it started with animal advocates
like you. We wouldn’t be able to take on big
fights like this without you, and we won’t stop until
cruelty for all animals ends for
President of Humane Society
P.S. Thank you for
caring and speaking up for animals. If you would like to
do even more to help, consider donating today to help us
care for these rescued dogs, support our campaign to end
the dog meat trade and protect all the world’s animals
from cruelty and neglect.


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This has been popping up in my news feed a lot. Is it true?
"...two policies that bear primary blame (for the downturn in th economy that is about to occur) are ObamaCare and the fiscal cliff. Markets and business owners are struggling to prepare for these two gut punches. With the fiscal cliff, of course, higher taxes could have a crippling effect, particularly small businesses' ability to hire or expand. But ObamaCare is doing much the same thing in a way that will only worsen as tentacles of regulation extend ever further.
There are many more MANDATES in the law besides the infamous individual mandate to buy health insurance. For example, businesses of 50 or more employees face the crushing burden of providing full, (approved) benefits to employees that work more than 30 hours -- considered "full-time" employees per the decree of the new law -- or fines of $2,000 per employee if they don't comply. The response is entirely predictable: Businesses avoid hiring that 50th employee and reduce hours for their current employees or pay the penalty, which is often cheaper than insurance, leaving employees on government exchanges.
Darden Restaurants, the chain that owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and others, falls into the latter category. The chain announced in October that it would begin limiting employee hours. McDonald's, White Castle and Denny's, among others, are expected to do likewise... John Schnatter, CEO of Papa John's, estimates that ObamaCare will cost the company between $5 million to $8 million annually, translating to reduced employee hours and of course higher prices.
all growth oriented businesses are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. ObamaCare will cost them a fortune, but cutting employee hours and benefits and raising prices to account for it leaves them serving as the lightning rod -- by design. Businesses skirting the law by restructuring their workforce will face retribution from the White House. Washington DC, employment law attorney Robert B. Fitzpatrick said as much when he noted that if businesses are "just playing with the numbers to avoid compliance... there are going to be consequences."


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HDR has been an embarrassment for PC gaming for years. The state of affairs isn’t much better in 2022 than it was five years ago, but to really understand what has gone wrong, I needed to speak to an authority on the game development side of the story.
So, I spoke with a technical developer over at Ubisoft to get their take on the matter. It’s an issue that large developers like Ubisoft are well aware of, and have even developed tools to combat — but they also say we’re making progress, even if we have a long way to go.
Not a ‘first-class citizen’
Nicolas Lopez is a rendering technical lead working on Ubisoft Anvil — the engine behind Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Rainbow Six Extraction, and the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, among others. Lopez leads the charge on getting all of the art, mechanics, and code into a final image, and he didn’t mince words about HDR: “HDR is not treated as the first class-citizen it should be in the game industry.”
A big reason why is adoption, according to Lopez. HDR on PC monitors hasn’t been a focal point like it has on consumer TVs, and for a multiplatform studio like Ubisoft, that means focusing much of the effort on the SDR result. Lopez says that the teams at Ubisoft “are very confident about our SDR workflows and outputs, but we know that the mileage may vary when working with HDR on PC.”
The vast majority of HDRmonitors available today only meet the lowest DisplayHDR 400 level.
The mileage on PC varies so much because PC monitors have unstable standards for what constitutes HDR (even among the best HDR monitors). The DisplayHDR standard from VESA attempts to standardize the appearance of HDR on gaming monitors, but it has some major loopholes. Take the Samsung Odyssey G7 and MSI MPG32-QD as two examples. Both have DisplayHDR 600 certification, but the MSI monitor has twice as many local dimming zones. That leads to a much more natural HDR image despite the fact that both monitors have the same certification.
To make matters worse, the vast majority of HDRmonitors available today only meet the lowest DisplayHDR 400 level — a certification that doesn’t even come close to the requirements of HDR. TVs, on the other hand, have much better HDR at a much lower price. The Hisense U8G, for example, gets much brighter than a gaming monitor and comes with full array local dimming (a feature you can only find on gaming monitors north of $1,200).
Lopez says developers are acutely aware of the difference between gaming monitors and TVs, and the teams at Ubisoft prioritize accordingly: “We assume the vast majority of players who are going to play our games on a HDR display will do so on a console plugged to a HDR TV, so it’s our main target. However we make sure all platforms look good in the end.”
With the vast differences between HDRgaming monitors in mind, Lopez says the teams as Ubisoft “try to make the process as transparent and platform-agnostic as possible” to avoid duplicating work and speed up production pipelines. For that, Ubisoft uses the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), which is a device-independent color space developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (yes, the Oscars people).
The main benefit of ACES is that it takes in all of the data and processes it down to the color space of the display you’re using. “Thanks to ACES, you can technically grade your game on an SDR display, and it will still be valid in HDR,” Lopez says. However, he also clarified that “it’s still better to master on an HDR display.”
Although a generalist approach is good for a multiplatform studio like Ubisoft, it can’t solve the issues that HDR gaming monitors have today. “HDR support on PC monitors has been lagging behind for quite a while compared to consumer TVs,” Lopez says.
Outside of the panels themselves, a key feature missing from all but a few gaming expensive gaming monitors is dynamic metadata. HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision are widely supported on TVs like the LG C2 OLED and consoles, which both offer dynamic metadata to adjust the color and brightness on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis.
With static metadata, Lopez says that games set the minimum and maximum brightness values once at the start, essentially covering the entire spectrum of color possible for every possible lighting situation. “With dynamic metadata, we can determine the optimal range of min/max brightness per frame … and produce more accurate colors.”
Ubisoft, and likely most AAA studios, color games to look great on as many display as possible. But all of the effort still can’t reproduce the exact same image on every display, an issue that’s compounded by the fact that HDR gaming monitors are behind TVs in terms of panel technology and dynamic metadata. The result: Wildly different HDR experiences despite the developer’s intentions and effort.
HDR is a premium, even for developers
It’s easy to assume that a multibillion-dollar company like Ubisoft has a fleet of high-quality HDR displays to calibrate games with, but I still posed the question to Lopez. He says the vast majority of work still happens on SDR displays, while HDR is “usually assigned to a few key people equipped with consumer HDR TVs, or very specific calibrated HDRmonitors.”
Lopez even shared a story about running game builds across the street to a different company to test HDR performance. “At some point, we had a deal with a high-end electronic product review company on the other side of the street. Some teams would take their game builds over there and have the opportunity to test on a wide range of consumer displays.”
“I’m confident we’re getting there.”
Although a large developer like Ubisoft has access to high-quality HDR displays, it’s safe to assume that smaller developers don’t have the same luxuries (especially given some of the hoops a developer like Ubisoft has needed to jump through). Lopez said this gap became all the more apparent during the pandemic, when the team had to lean on ACES as developers remotely connected to their SDR work desktops.
At the end of my Q&A, Lopez reiterated that HDR is not treated like the first-class citizen it should be. Much more development time and effort goes toward making a high-quality SDR version that, hopefully, offers a solid HDR experience on consumer TVs. Lopez seemed confident that HDR is improving, though: “It’s been a slow transition and adoption, but with the new generation of HDR consoles and vendors ramping up their production lines, I’m confident we’re getting there.”
AI is coming for your PC games, but you should be excited, not worried
The tech community has been oversaturated with AI this past week, from ChatGPT to Google Bard, but not without reason. We see fads like NFTs and web3 come and go, but AI is here to stay -- even in your PC games.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. AI and machine learning has already proven itself wildly useful in PC gaming, and it has far-reaching implications for how games are made and experienced. I'm not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole here -- and if you stick with me, you'll see why.
How it's being used now
I’m sick of waiting for Apple to fix this glaring problem with Mac gaming
Every so often, Apple will come out and tell people how deeply committed it is to the world of Mac gaming. And just as regularly, many of us Mac gamers roll our eyes. It’s not that I don’t trust Apple or don’t think the company is trying. It’s just that I’ve heard it all so many times before, yet macOS still lags far behind Windows gaming. Why would this time be any different?
Well, if a new TechCrunch interview with a couple of Apple execs is to be believed, the company is actually putting measures in place to convince developers to bring their games to the Mac instead of letting the platform languish in loneliness. That’s important because the dearth of quality Mac games is a massive and ongoing frustration.
Apple has a plan to fix Mac gaming — but will it work?
If you’re a gamer, there’s one truth that appears to be self-evident: Macs are not good gaming machines. A new interview, however, suggests Apple wants to turn that received wisdom on its head.
When TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino sat down with Apple’s vice president of Platform Architecture and Hardware Technologies Tim Millet and the company’s VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Bob Borchers, he asked what Apple was doing to improve the situation for Mac gamers. Their answers shed plenty of light on the ways Apple sees the future of gaming on its platforms.


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Today we've got a small update in honor of the 10th anniversary of Half-Life 2's release on November 16th, 2004. It's hard to believe that the game has been out for this long, as its popularity definitely masks its age to a certain extent. Now, on to the show!
First off is a piece of concept art that Beren "SirEgon" Rogers has put together for us, showing off the Antlion King and a rough concept of what his chamber will be like.
Also, we've got a few screenshots of our new construction site map that Boker's been working on, here's one:
On top of all that, we've been experimenting with animations for one version of the Consulcast machine that can be found in a piece of Valve's concept art. You can find it in the "videos" tab of our mod page.
Thanks for supporting us this far guys, and there will definitely be more to come in the future!
- The RTB Development Team


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Forgive us if you have heard this before— but rumor has it that Facebook is all set to introduce its all-new smartphone at a special event sometime this week. According to MG Siegler of TechCrunch, it is unknown if the new smartphone is custom built or an operating system built to run on another manufacturer’s hardware (probably HTC), but he does have a significant hunch on what consumers could probably see in this smartphone. The most obvious likelihood is that the new Facebook phone would likely feature a customized version of Android similar to what Amazon has done with its Kindle Fire tablet probably because it would take too much development time to develop a new OS from scratch, plus having a customized version of Android means that it would have access to the vast library of apps and titles that already exist out there for the Android platform. Having an Android-based OS would make sense too since well you know… Facebook already has an affinity for the platform already.
While news of a Facebook phone is indeed exciting, the timing is a little unusual to say the least considering we just ended CES 2013 and all. Then again— maybe Facebook wanted to take some time and have the stage all to itself in the hopes of unveiling the next, great smartphone. One thing is for sure though: expectations will certainly be high among the millions and millions of mobile users out there. All eyes are now on you Facebook (and HTC!!!).


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New Dunlop Trailmax Meridian motorcycle tire
Dunlop launches the new Trailmax Meridian motorcycle tire to meet the growing performance needs of the latest generations of road trail bikes, without neglecting longevity. Presentation.
With this new Trailmax Meridian, Dunlop (Goodyear group) adapts its range of motorcycle tires to the success of the trail segment, with motorcycles that now frequently exceed 130 hp with state-of-the-art suspensions, brakes and electronics..
- MNC special file :
- MNC special file :
Result: yet intimidating trails like BMW, KTM and other Triumphs allow a very dynamic driving which puts their tires to the test. In another register, the Honda and Yamaha also allow to tease the drumming virolo, despite – thanks to? – their reasonable power (95 hp and 74 hp).
Dunlop, aware of this phenomenon and the new needs aroused, essentially focused on efficiency and confidence in curves: the Trailmax Meridian – located above the Trailsmart Max – notably uses a new compound at the rear which would offer "sporty handling and increased traction".
According to Dunlop, these benefits would not be at the expense of the longevity of the rear tire: thanks to its dual-compound design, the Trailmax Meridian would have a "6%" longer life in a straight line on "the best performing tire of competition "and up to" 15% "with an average angle of" 40 degrees ".
The high silica content would promote grip on wet and cold surfaces, while reducing the time needed to bring the tire to its ideal operating temperature. Both tires use technologies proven at Dunlop, such as the "JLB" (Jointless Belt).
At ease on all terrains
The ice ax-shaped sculptures of the Trailmax Meridian would do wonders in off-road use, according to the manufacturer, which internally measured better traction than on the "three closest competitors and the Trailsmart Max on soft mud terrain. ".
The novelty would also be on par with the Trailsmart Max on dry terrain and gravel, proving according to its designers that "Dunlop’s attention to outstanding performance and handling has not detracted from versatility. off road".
However, this type of tire is intended for a "light" off-road practice, for lack of real studs to maintain grip and steering capacities on soft ground like on the more radical D606. Versatile, the Trailmax Meridian remains a tire dedicated to primarily road use … just like the motorcycles it plans to fit. !
Trailmax Meridian tire is available in "four front and three rear sizes" to cover "wide range of models," says sole supplier of Grand Prix motorcycles Moto3 and Moto2.
Dunlop notably cites the Honda Africa Twin and BMW R1250GS in its list of compatible motorcycles, which implies that its novelty will be at least available in 90 / 90-21 and 120/70/19 at the front, the two formats common in the category.
Tires – Everything you need to know about the new Dunlop Meridian and Mutant motorcycle tires –
Everything you need to know about the new Dunlop Meridian and Mutant motorcycle tires Confinement requires, MNC cannot travel to test the 2020 novelties…
Tires – Motorcycle tires: the new 2018 Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli and Michelin –
Motorcycle tires: the new 2018 Bridgestone, Dunlop , Pirelli and Michelin Motorcycle and scooter manufacturers were not the only ones to exhibit their…
Tires – New Dunlop Trailmax Mission and Sportsmart TT Trail motorcycle tires –
New Dunlop Trailmax Mission and Sportsmart TT Trail motorcycle tires Dunlop continues the impressive overhaul of its range of motorcycle tires for trails…
Tires – Metzeler M7 RR puts rubber on the roads – Metzeler presents its new M7 RR motorcycle tire
The Metzeler M7 RR puts the rubber on the roads Metzeler offers a new Supersport motorcycle tire: the M7 RR, designed to offer optimal performance to…
Tires – Dunlop launches TT100GP Radial tire for neo-retro motorcycles –
Dunlop launches TT100GP Radial tire for neo-retro motorcycles To support the success of neo-retro motorcycles , Dunlop is launching a new tire called…
Tires – Visit of the Dunlop two-wheeler factory in Montluçon – The manufacturing of a Dunlop motorcycle tire in pictures
Visit of Dunlop’s two-wheeler factory in Montluçon Where can you find a motorcycle and scooter tire manufacturer in France? In Clermont-Ferrand, at…
Tires – Testing of the new Dunlop SportSmart TT motorcycle tire: first sensations in the rain … –
Test of the new Dunlop SportSmart TT motorcycle tire: first sensations in the rain… Le Journal moto du Net is currently in Seville, southern Spain, to…
Tires – Motorcycle tires: Metzeler refines its Roadtec Z8 Interact –
Motorcycle tires: Metzeler refines its Roadtec Z8 Interact The tire manufacturer Metzeler (Pirelli group) has made several changes to its Roadtec Z8…
Tires – Michelin presents its new hypersport motorcycle tires – Michelin Power Cup and Power Slick
Michelin presents its new hypersport motorcycle tires The Michelin Power Cup is a tire approved for the road, but the replacement for the Power One is…
Tires – New Pirelli Angel ST motorcycle tire with two-face tread –
New Pirelli Angel ST motorcycle tire with two-face tread Unveiled during the press conference presenting the 2009 Superbike World Championship, the Angel…


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Hotel occupancy rates have been depressed for a full year, but there are reasons to be optimistic, with rates ticking up in March, particularly in Northern Colorado cities.
Statewide, the March 2021 occupancy rate was 51.3%, up from 38.8% in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, according to the latest Rocky Mountain Lodging Report as released Monday by the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association.
Despite this improvement, last month’s statewide figure was still well below March 2019’s rate of 69.3%.
Loveland’s hotels were the fullest in the region at 59.5% occupied last month. The average night’s stay cost $95.46.
Greeley was right on Loveland’s heels with a 58.5% occupancy rate in March and average prices of $80.18.
Fort Collins hotels were a little less than half-full at 49.7% occupied. A night’s stay cost an average of $92.41 in March.
Occupancy of hotel rooms in Boulder Valley area hotels last month was lower.
In Boulder, hotels were 46.5% full and rooms cost an average of $106.01.
U.S. 36 corridor hotels were 37.9% occupied and rooms could be booked for an average of $84.86 per night.
Longmont hotels posted an occupancy rate of 37.1% and an average nightly cost of $74.50.
Estes Park hotels were the emptiest in the region last month, but also the most expensive. The mountain town saw occupancy rates of 34.2% and average prices of $153.56.
© 2021 BizWest Media LLC


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Cereal, drinks companies often overlook risk of forced labor in sugarcane: study
Author: Reuters, Published on: 30 August 2017
Food and beverage companies face the risk of forced labor in countries where they obtain sugarcane but most fall short in efforts to tackle the problem that threatens millions of workers, according to a study [by KnowTheChain (KTC)]...Sugarcane...can be found in a list of household foods and beverages...and is often harvested by rural migrant workers with machetes who work long hours for low wages in hazardous conditions...
The companies studied were Coca-Cola Co., Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B de C.V (FEMSA), Monster Beverage Corp., PepsiCo Inc., The Hershey Co., Mondelēz International Inc., Nestlé S.A., Archer Daniels Midland Co., Associated British Foods plc plc (ABF) and Wilmar International Ltd. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and ABF were the only four companies to undertake forced labor risk assessments of sugarcane supply chains in specific countries, the study said.


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Nokia the leader in mobile phones is going to launch its new model N-Gage QD in India in mid June 2004.
N-Gage QD, which is equipped with a Multimedia slot (MMC) and offers a better gaming experience, longer battery life, better gaming controls and powerful smartphone features with the new N-Gage Arena launcher app. Through this phone, gamers can play multiplayer games via Bluetooth.
Nokia N-Gage QD supports most of the famous games like The Sims Bustin’ Out and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. Apart from gaming it supports XHTML browser, email and other smartphone features.
Nokia India said that N-Gage QD would be available across the country by mid June and it will be priced around 10k.


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It’s that time of year again where the Orange football team has fans desperately looking forward to basketball season. With the completion and announcement of the Syracuse men’s basketball schedule on Monday, the Syracuse Athletics Department followed up today with the SU men’s basketball ticket sale schedule.
Prior to single-game tickets being available to the general public, there will be staggered pre-sales to those who qualify. On September 20, single-game tickets will be available to Orange Club members. Season ticket holders will be able to purchase additional single-game seats on October 4, and on October 11, there will be a pre-sale for SU alumni.
On October 18, single-game tickets will finally be available to the general public.
The University also mentions that they will be using a dynamic pricing plan for two games this season. The games that will be affected by this are the Georgetown game on Saturday, December 17 and the Duke game on Wednesday, February 22. The prices of these games will change daily throughout the season based on demand.
Also as a reminder, if you do not want to deal with buying single-game tickets, you can always buy season tickets, which are on sale now and include a new $250 section.
This year’s Orange squad has been getting all kinds of hype leading up to the season, so you will not want to miss the action. For more information about tickets and pricing, you can check out cuse.com/mbbtixpricing.


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Kodak to launch a photography focused smartphone at CES 2015
Smartphones may have made the point-and-click camera virtually obsolete, but Kodak is now looking to embrace mobile technology in order to make a comeback. At next month’s CES, Kodak and Bullit, a contractor for Caterpillar, Ted Baker, and JCB, unveiling the first smartphone in a range of Android mobile devices aimed at photography enthusiasts.
Little is known about the various products in Kodak’s pipeline, but we have been informed that the range will include two smartphones, a tablet, and a connected camera. One of these smartphones will be shown off at CES in January, while another 4G handset, a tablet and camera will be announced throughout the second half of 2015.
To differentiate its products from the range of capable smartphone camera choices out there, Kodak and Bullit will be offering bespoke image capture and sharing features, along with some remote management software, to help budding photographers keep on top of all their snaps. There is also a quick mention of easy photo printing, which could be useful.
The press release states that Kodak’s smartphone will offer “the latest Android OS and features found on high-end smartphones”, suggesting that a flagship Lollipop handset could be on the cards.
Are you excited to see what Kodak has to offer the smartphone market, or has the company waited too long?
LONDON, December 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/
Iconic imaging brand Kodak and leading mobile device manufacturer Bullitt Group, have today announced that they will launch a range of Android-powered mobile devices offering best-in-class image management software and features along with great design and UI.
Aimed at – but not exclusively for – consumers who want a high-end experience but aren’t always as comfortable using increasingly complicated mobile devices as they would like to be, the range of smartphones and tablets will come pre-loaded with bespoke image capture, management and sharing features to offer a rich user experience.
In addition, advanced remote management software will be pre-installed, allowing family members and friends to provide help and support if needed.
“Kodak is one of the world’s most recognisable brands. It is trusted by consumers as a marque of quality and innovation,” says Oliver Schulte, CEO Bullitt Mobile. “We’ve taken that heritage and used it to inspire a range of beautifully designed devices that will let users take great pictures and edit, share, store and print them in an instant.”
Unlike other phones aimed at this target audience, the KODAK Mobile Device range will not compromise on design and user experience. With as much focus on design as well as usability, the range will stand out in a market segment that is currently under-served.
Adds Schulte: “Delivering simplicity without compromise, these devices will address a segment of the mobile device market that has been poorly served to date. By giving customers easy access to printing and sharing services while still offering the latest Android OS and features found on high-end smartphones, we will appeal to a large audience of users who value ease of use and stylish design as highly as they value functionality.”
Eileen Murphy, VP Brand Licensing, Kodak is excited to be entering the mobile handset market with the Bullitt Group. “We are impressed with Bullitt Group’s commitment to delivering a portfolio of products that embrace the quality and innovation that our brand is known for around the world.”
The first handset will be launched at CES 2015 on the Kodak stand in South Hall 1, Booth 21818. There will be further product announcements across the second half of 2015 including a 4G handset, a tablet and a connected camera.
The Kodak trademark is used under license by Bullitt Group, Ltd from Kodak.


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Grocery store workers in Gatineau, Cantley test positive for COVID-19
Three employees at two IGA grocery stores in western Quebec have tested positive for COVID-19, parent company Sobeys said Tuesday.
Two employees of the IGA on montée de la Source in Cantley, Que., tested positive. Their last day at work was March 30.
Another employee who works at the IGA at 1248 boul. la Vérendrye E. tested positive. The employee's last day in the store was March 22.
Sobeys is logging when employees across the country test positive for the coronavirus.
Each time an employee tests positive, Sobeys says its stores will do a "deep clean" and "sanitize" the store.
"Where required, we will communicate with customers who have shopped in the impacted location, with store signage, outlining our steps to manage the situation," Sobeys said.
"We will continue to update the COVID-19 tracker below to be transparent with you where we have been notified of cases of COVID-19 in our stores."


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The central theses
- Lithuanian Ministry of Finance plans to ban non-custodial crypto wallets.
- The brand new regulation additionally imposes strict guidelines on crypto service suppliers working throughout the nation.
- The announcement comes after the European Union’s latest choice to push anti-anonymity guidelines within the crypto house.
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The Lithuanian Ministry of Finance has banned nameless wallets and imposed strict laws on crypto exchanges to fight cash laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions evasion. The ministry stated it took the step in anticipation of future selections by the European Union.
Lithuania bans self-hosted wallets
The Lithuanian authorities desires to go a brand new regulation to tighten crypto laws and ban nameless wallets.
In keeping with the Ministry of Finance, the federal government on Wednesday accepted amendments to the “Act on the Prevention of Cash Laundering and Terrorist Financing” aimed toward growing the transparency of the cryptocurrency sector whereas guaranteeing its “sustainable development”. The modifications have to be accepted by the Seimas, Lithuania’s legislature, earlier than they arrive into impact.
Amongst different issues, the regulation goals to ban the creation of “nameless accounts”, tighten know-your-customer (KYC) laws for crypto exchanges, and require executives of Lithuania-based exchanges to be everlasting residents of Lithuania. The Registrar of Authorized Entities will even publish the names of crypto alternate operators.
The Ministry of Finance justified these measures with the combat towards cash laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions circumvention from Russia and Belarus in addition to reputational dangers for Lithuanian market individuals and the Lithuanian state.
Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė additionally acknowledged that the federal government is “taking proactive steps to strengthen regulation on the nationwide stage in preparation for subsequent selections [European Union] even.”
The European Parliament not too long ago voted to push ahead anti-anonymity guidelines for the cryptocurrency business, which might make transactions between non-custodial wallets and crypto service suppliers far harder. The laws has drawn criticism from many cryptocurrency advocates, together with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
The variety of crypto firms has soared in Lithuania following a tightening of restrictions in neighboring Estonia. Whereas solely 8 crypto firms have been based in 2020, the Ministry of Finance states that greater than 220 new firms have been based since then.
Disclosure: On the time of writing, the writer of this text owned ETH and a number of other different cryptocurrencies.
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Have you noticed that when you check into flights these days you are invariably asked whether you have e-cigarettes in your checked bags? There’s a good reason for this: e-cigs in the cargo hold are a serious fire risk. A Hawaiian Airlines flights recently had to make an emergency landing due to a fire in the cargo hold caused by an errant e-cigarette. If you’re bringing e-cigs or extra lithium batteries with you on your next flight, pack them in your carry-on instead of your checked luggage.
Read the full article here: E-Cigarette Causes Fire on Hawaiian Airlines Flight


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Monique Dominguez and her mother Teresa Dominguez opened 2 Busy Bees LLC, a home-based concierge business, in September 2021 after moving to Zionsville in May of last year from Orange County in California.
The mother-daughter duo has more than 20 combined years of administrative experience.
“We just really wanted to take our administrative background and transfer it into our own home business,” Monique said. “The inspiration to create 2 Busy Bees was to use that skill set and help out more than executive businesses … really just the masses or regular people.”
2 Busy Bees’ services include dry-cleaning, post office trips, shipping items, grocery shopping, item returns, shopping for gifts and contractor/vendor management.
“Let’s say a homeowner has a busy schedule,” Monique said. “Their spouse is working, their managing the kids and they’re not going to be home while a technician comes to their home to repair something on their house. They’ll give us a call, and we’ll actually wait during that time frame for the technician to come out and complete the work order.”
The business also offers home organizing services, including closet, kitchen, garage and entire house organizations. 2 Busy Bees only serves Zionsville residents, but Monique and Teresa said they are interested in expanding their service area to surrounding municipalities, such as Carmel, Westfield, Fishers and Noblesville.
“Our goal is to branch out but stay on the north side of Indianapolis,” Monique said.
While living in California “had its pros and cons,” Monique and Teresa felt the central Indiana area would be a “natural progression” for their careers and a chance to be closer to family. And they thought Zionsville was the perfect place to start a concierge business.
According to F.C. Tucker Co., an Indianapolis-based real estate firm, the average sale price of a Zionsville home is the highest in central Indiana at $543,585. Zionsville has a median household income of $137,377, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, compared to Carmel’s $112,765 and Indianapolis’ $47,873.
“Doing research, the north side of Indy seemed like the place in Indiana that I wanted to land,” Monique said. “It’s quaint, cute, has historic charm off of Main Street. That’s something that attracted us to the town.”
Teresa said their experiences have affirmed their first impressions of the town.
“So far, a lot of the customers and people we have spoken to have been super receptive and have been very warm and welcoming,” Teresa said. “It has made this very easy for us. At the beginning, when you start a business, it is very daunting. But the community has been really great.”
For more, visit 2 Busy Bees’ Instagram profile at @2busybeesin, email [email protected] or call Monique at 317-447-3394.


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July Systems: Shaking It up with Real-Time Mobile Experiences
Date: Friday , November 02, 2012
Soon, traditional mobile application development—the kind that relies on high-priced agencies or in-house software engineers and takes months to implement—will go the way of the dinosaur.
This is the seismic shake-up that July Systems, a leader in developing cloud-based mobile applications, foresees in mobile.
The marketplace is demanding a much more rapid, accessible, and lower cost model, with more companies developing their own mobile apps, launching campaigns on the fly, and deploying great mobile experiences in minutes to millions of their users. And these companies like the other benefits too: much lower development costs, inventory that’s quickly monetized, promotions that are revamped and refined without losing a beat, and—at long last—true control over ROI.
July Systems sees itself as excellently positioned to capitalize on this “new world order,” as July’s CEO Rajesh Reddy puts it. “Mobile apps development and management is truly becoming a do-it-yourself-or-die proposition,” says Reddy. “Companies just can’t afford the time and money it takes to do it the same old way. But, offering a radically new solution isn’t easy either. It requires a paradigm shift in the way mobile apps are created. You need a combination of powerful, proven, easy-to-use tools based on real customer use cases.
These tools need to work together to enable non-technical people to create sophisticated mobile experiences in real time across mobile platforms, deploy immediately to millions of users, and adjust instantly as new realities emerge. No other company offers such potent capabilities in this space as July does.”
With offices in the U.S., the U.K., and India and a service footprint in more than 150 countries, July’s platform powers the mobile businesses of such brands as CNN, Intel, ESPN, the NFL, the NBA, NBC Universal, CBS, and Toys R Us. Before founding July Systems, Reddy was the founder and CEO of Unimobile, Inc. He has also been named one of MIT Technology Review’s Global TR 100 innovators.


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When Apple originally unveiled the iPhone 14 series of models last year it used part of the announcement to go over one of the headlining features being added, which was Emergency SOS via satellite. This feature would allow the phones to connect to satellites to be able to send messages to emergency services, and update locations on Find My.
The feature was originally planned to be made free for two years following the launch of the device, later moving to a paid subscription. However, today Apple has announced that it will be extending its free access to the service for an additional year for existing iPhone 14 users. This applies to any iPhone 14 device that has been activated in a country that supports the feature prior to 12 a.m. PT today. Currently, 16 countries and regions support the service, the latest of which were Australia and New Zealand in May this year.
Kevin Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing said that “Emergency SOS via satellite has helped save lives around the world. From a man who was rescued after his car plummeted over a 400-foot cliff in Los Angeles, to lost hikers found in the Apennine Mountains in Italy, we continue to hear stories of our customers being able to connect with emergency responders when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to,” and that “we are so happy iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users can take advantage of this groundbreaking service for two more years for free.”
Apple has also recently introduced the ability to make use of this feature to get Roadside Assistance in the U.S. which connects users to the American Automobile Association (AAA) if they have car trouble while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, further building on the satellite infrastructure originally introduced with the iPhone 14.


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R.O.X., iLOVE empower rural communities through Lako Lokal
Outdoor apparel brand Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X.) partners with Investments in Loving Organizations for Village Economies (iLOVE) Foundation to bring “Lako Lokal,” promoting village economies through ecotourism opportunities.
The event kicked off with a contact signing between R.O.X. and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya-Bantay Kalikasan to formalize the partnership between R.O.X. and iLOVE Foundation. A turn-over ceremony of donations from R.O.X. happened right after.
Lako Lokal also presented R.O.X.’s new local section which drew inspiration from a sari-sari store. The new section featured local brands such as G Stuff, Gouache, Siklo, and more.
iLOVE Foundation founder, Gina Lopez, gave an insightful speech staying healthy in the Philippine setting. A volunteer booth for the foundation was set up to raise awareness about their cause.
The newly formed partnership’s donations gave assistance to small-scale village economies in their plight for sustainable economic growth.
Lako Lokal’s benificiaries included 100 Badjao fisher folks and households from Barangay Maruwa, Tonggosong, and Mongkay in TawiTawi Island as well as the Mindanao State University College of Technology and Oceanography; approximately 200 members of AGAP or the Aggrupation of Advocates for Environmental Protection from Bulusan, Sorsogan; 500 students from the University of the Cordilleras; 85 T’boli members of the LASIWWAI or the Lake Sebu Indigenous Women Weavers Association, Inc.; 80 families from the HAKILAWA or HagdanKinatarcanLangub Workers Association as well as the Southern Partners Fair Trade Corporation; 47 members of SINAGAN or the SamahangIisangLayuningNabuklodBilangAgapay Sa Pangangalaga ng Ganda ng Kalikasan in Lobo, Batangas; 145 members of the NLUWWTAFA or the New La Union White Water Tubing Adventure and Farmer’s Association; and 30 members of the G2 Traverse Porters and Guides Association from Sibuyan Island in Romblon.
These communities received P1.6 million to P2 million worth of R.O.X. merchandise from brands as Poler, Herschel, Black Diamond, Fox Racing, Hi-Tec, Montbell, Coghlan’s, Roxy, Eureka, Keen, 360 Degrees, and Mountain Safety Research. Heschel donated over 150 assorted bags and R.O.X. turned over three new bikes, one of which came from a R.O.X. customer from Cagayan De Oro.


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The music industry may not have changed much over the years but the way we listen to music has changed a lot. Thanks to subscription services like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora, your playlists are now just an internet connection away.
In the world of music subscription, there is Spotify and Apple Music and then there is the rest. Their dominance is increasing with every passing month and together they now count more than 125 million users worldwide.
Spotify is the crowned champion right now with +70 million users, while Apple is closely following them with +40 million users.
But isn’t this a race that only Apple can win, considering the amount of money they have at their disposal and the hundreds of millions of Apple users around the world.
Nope. It’s Spotify’s game to lose from now on. Here is why I think Apple may never beat Spotify.
Yes, Apple user base is quite large, but Android is much bigger. Google’s Android holds nearly 75% of the Mobile Operating System market and that number is just not going to come down, thanks to Apple’s premium positioning.
Apple knows this weakness and they also know that if they keep their services exclusive for Apple users then they will be leaving plenty of money on the table. There are only a handful of apps Apple has ever built for Android users and Apple Music is one among them.
But on Android, Apple Music is just another app, like Spotify. A level playing field. And you also need an Apple id to start using it.
There are plenty of users around the world who have their own reasons for not using Apple products and a major portion of them are going to embrace Spotify.
Spotify did have head start over Apple. Apple Music was launched on June 30, 2015. Spotify had nearly 20 million paying customers at that point. A good head start indeed.
But it has been nearly three long years and Apple Music is still playing catch up.
In its IPO filing Spotify said that it has nearly 71 million paying customers, double the number of Apple music subscribers. The gap between the two has actually widened instead of shrinking as many would have expected it to.
In any field, getting to the number one spot is never easy. In the world of technology, the number one player stays put for a very long time. Windows, Android and Google Chrome are just a few examples of tech products that competition was never able to catch up-to.
Spotify may not be a technology product like Windows but they are the number one player and there is one advantage they have.
They do only one thing, streaming music.
Unlike Apple which has so many other things to worry about like iPhone X sales, new product launches, regular travel to China and so on.
Spotify will remain laser focused on streaming, allowing the company to pour all its time, money and effort in expanding its customer base. And that’s a liberty that Apple doesn’t have.


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The Jersey Financial Services Commission has issued a warning to local businesses and members of the public to be on their guard, following a series of targeted attempts to defraud Jersey companies and their clients by means of the Internet.
In a statement, the JFSC said it was “aware of at least three cases where locally-registered businesses have been the subject of an attempted ‘impersonation attack’, whereby fraudsters have registered a domain name that is almost identical to the organisation’s domain, and then sent bogus emails to the firm’s customers requesting large sums of money”.
One of the cases reported to the JFSC involved an attempt to extort more than £450,000 by attempting to impersonate a local company. The attempt failed, the JFSC said.
JFSC Director General John Harris said the commission was asking local companies and islanders “to be extra vigilant”.
“We are aware that this is not an isolated incident, and that cyber-criminals have purchased several domain names that are similar to
local companies’ domain names, with the intention of conducting
fraudulent activities,” Harris added.
“Verifying the authenticity of any unexpected emails requesting funds is key to avoid falling victim to this type of cyber-crime.”
The JFSC said it urged anyone who believed they may have been targeted by cyber-criminals operating in Jersey to contact the States of Jersey Police, or to email the Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum, at


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Cafe wars begin in Kettering today in a David v Goliath battle for coffee drinkers.
Kettering town centre is proving that it is full of beans with 13 cafes now open.
Independent coffee house Bewiched started business in the High Street on Wednesday, August 29, and today will see hot drinks chain Costa Coffee open up next door.
Matt Fountain, owner of Bewiched, said: “People have said we are mad opening up a shop next door to Costa but I’m looking forward to them opening.
“We will offer a quality alternative to Costa in terms of quality, ambience and seating.
“I think it will drive a lot of people down to this side of town for coffee and we can offer them a good alternative.
“We’ve had two years in ironing out the details in making the perfect cup of coffee.
“Ultimately the cream will rise to the top and I feel our products will shine through.”
Bewiched, which only opened its sister store in Wellingborough 18 months ago, also serves hot food such as paninis as well as sandwiches.
Costa Coffee announced plans to open up its second outlet in Kettering several months ago.
The chain’s new unit in High Street complements another Costa in Gold Street.
Hussain Dadabohy, who will be running the shop as a franchise partner of Costa, said: “The existing shop in town is very busy and at peak periods we have people walking out because there is no room for them to sit down.
“We feel there is demand for another Costa and it will attract a slightly different customer base as it’s the other end of town.
“We don’t see Bewiched next door as competition.
“We offer different products and ultimately it’s down to the customer what they prefer.”
Mr Dadabohy said that an agreement is in place to have outdoor seating at the High Street Costa.
This year has also seen the opening of two other coffee shops in town – JavaJava next to the library and Cransley Hospice’s cafe in Horsemarket.
Mr Fountain said business has been good so far at his Kettering branch of Bewiched, which employs five people.
He said: “Perhaps it is because we’re on the High Street, but we’re seeing on average about 200 people through our doors in Kettering – we only get about 80 a day in Wellingborough.”


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Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko: Mongolian cashmere could replace brands leaving Russia
MOSCOW, November 15 – RIA Novosti. Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko told reporters after the meeting of the Russian-Mongolian intergovernmental trade, economic, scientific and technical commission that Russia expects the Mongolian cashmere supply to be able to replace Western brands leaving the country. partnership.
Answering a question about the possibility of a possible reduction in tariffs and taxes on traditional Mongolian exports imported into Russia, Abramchenko said, “And the second direction is traditional Mongolian cashmere. These goods can replace Western brands leaving the Russian Federation.”
“Today we heard such a demand from the Mongolian side that this is an obstacle to eliminating the mutual distortion in trade. We agreed that we will find a solution to this problem in 2023,” Abramchenko said.
He explained that this is two groups of goods – agricultural products in general and, first of all, the meat group, for which it is very important to pay attention to the state of veterinary safety.
“I will give a simple example: There is a border region – there is a demand for the supply of breeding cattle, breeding yaks and breeding sheep from the Republic of Buryatia and Mongolia. As for the risks associated with veterinary dangerous diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, for example, that such an agreement has already taken place. We can’t say. First of all, we need to make sure these products are safe.”
I am Emma Sickels, a highly experienced journalist specializing in news and economy. As an author at News Unrolled, I cover the latest trends in the economic sector and provide readers with valuable insights into its complexities. My work has been featured in various media outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Bloomberg Businessweek and many more.


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The settlement of Yahoo’s shareholder lawsuit over the 2014 loss of millions of customers’ private data establishes a new precedent for lawsuits against companies that fail to be transparent about data breaches. The $80 million to be paid in damages and legal fees, announced in March, reflects the loss suffered by the company’s shareholders based on the reduction in the price paid by Verizon for Yahoo’s operations from $4.83 billion to $4.48 billion.
The settlement figure makes it likely that there will be more lawsuits of this type, according to an analysis by international law firm Gowling WLG.
“The Yahoo class action is the first significant settlement in a US securities class action where the basis for the claim was a failure to disclose cyber breaches and/or cyber risk,” the firm says. “It’s the $80 million payout that is raising eyebrows; the (amount) dwarfs payouts in most recent cyber breach-based class and derivative action settlements.”
Damage to Investors
Several similar lawsuits against companies for data breaches have been filed on the basis of the case, including one against Facebook.
The Yahoo action was not about damage to its customers but, rather, to investors who lost more than $350 million, or $1.55 per customer, when the breach was made public.
The data was stolen in 2014, when allegedly Russian agents hacked into records relating to essentially all the company’s customers, including their user names, passwords and any other personal information they had shared with Yahoo.
Yahoo did not acknowledge the data theft until it became public in July 2016, when data relating to some 200 million accounts was offered for sale on TheRealDeal Market, a now-defunct darknet site, according to the US Securities & Exchange Commission.
In 2017, Yahoo revealed that the data breach was much larger than previously admitted, and that essentially all of its three billion accounts had been compromised.
SEC’s Scathing Criticism
The shareholder lawsuit claimed that Yahoo had a duty to reveal the problems because they had a material impact on the stock price. The claimants also argued that Yahoo had failed to take reasonable security measures, including adequately encrypting passwords and other private data.
To compound the problem, when the data theft was discovered Yahoo took no action to remedy the situation, such as asking customers to choose new passwords.
The settlement will not become final until September, but the shareholders’ case was boosted considerably by a $35 million Securities and Exchange Commission fine against Yahoo on April 24, accompanied by scathing criticism of the service for not protecting customers.
“Yahoo’s failure to have controls and procedures in place to assess its cyber-disclosure obligations ended up leaving its investors totally in the dark about a massive data breach,” says Jina Choi, director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “Public companies should have controls and procedures in place to properly evaluate cyber-incidents and disclose material information to investors.”
“Pocket Change” for Corporates
In pure number of individuals affected, the Yahoo data loss involved far more people than the hacking of consumer credit reporting agency Equifax. That theft affected 145 million Americans, roughly the country’s entire working population, plus tens of millions more in the UK and Canada, and cost Equifax’s CEO Richard Smith and other executives their jobs
However, it is unclear whether Yahoo’s $80 million penalty or $35 million fine will ensure any lessons are learned since the Yahoo executives behind the decision to conceal the data breach will not be personally liable, according to Zack Whittacker of ZDNet.
“The math is fairly simple,” Whittacker says. “The cost of data breaches is usually pocket change to the companies – and it’s an easier sell at the executive board compared with burgeoning costs of security improvements.”
Meanwhile, Yahoo’s internal review of the incident and its aftermath found that then-CEO Marissa Mayer and other top executives were aware of the breaches in 2014 but failed to inform investors or take steps to prevent further data loss.
Mayer, who made the decision to do nothing about the hacking and theft of customer data, lost her equity compensation bonus for 2016 and 2017, but kept bonuses for 2012 to 2015, the period when the damage was done.
The shareholders’ successful pursuit of Yahoo may help customers pursue a case against the company. Federal judge Lucy Koh has already ruled that customer lawsuits can move forward, rejecting the company’s argument that contract terms limit their liability and prohibit any kind of damages.
In summary judgement in August last year, Koh wrote that the data breach victims suffered the “risk of future identity theft” and affirmed their right to sue.


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HOUSTON – It's something every restaurant in Houston has to do -- maintain stored food in the cooler at 41 degrees or lower.
The reason is simple: to keep that food safe from bacteria and to protect the consumer from getting sick.
Forty-one or below is the rule.
But at Jack In The Box located at 9602 Mesa Drive, health inspectors found food not safe for human consumption because it was not stored cold enough.
In fact, the cooler was quarantined for not working properly and health inspectors ordered that the restaurant would have to be re-inspected.
Next up, Bawarchi Byrani Indian Cuisine at 2922 Hillcroft, where inspectors discovered slime in the ice machine. Restaurant owners were ordered to clean and sanitize the ice maker.
At La Pupusa Loca on Hillcroft, health inspectors found evidence of insects and rodents. Specifically, they found rodent droppings on the shelves in the kitchen.
When Channel 2 Investigates went to ask managers about the problem, we were told they would not talk to us.
This week the restaurant Quan Binh Minh on Bellaire Boulevard was in hot water for allowing employees to hang their clothing on the cooking utensil's shelf. The place was also written up for storing food containers on the floor of the kitchen. The containers are supposed to be stored at least six inches above the floor.
And we are wrapping this week up at Elsys Restaurant on Airline. Inspectors found shredded chicken, beef fajitas and cooked yucca not safe for human consumption because of temperature.
All of that food was condemned and thrown away.