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To enable users an effective way to support mobile consumers of RESTful web services, Vocalocity, the cloud-based phone service for small business has merged with hosted communications provider Aptela.
According to a press release, with this agreement, Vocalocity's customer base has grown more than 30 percent, With the addition of Aptela customers. Now the company has been considered as the fastest-growing hosted communications service today devoted solely to small business needs.
"Aptela is recognized as an innovative leader in cloud communications and we are excited to be part of Vocalocity," said Mahesh Paolini-Subramanya, co-founder and CTO of Aptela. "Once we realized that Aptela and Vocalocity had similar strategies, it was clear that the combination would allow us to accelerate our pace of innovation and simultaneously improve our ability to grow – two key factors in our progression to clear market leadership. I am very pleased to be part of the team."
This joint company now has nearly 100,000 network endpoints and is approaching 15,000 accounts. Vocalocity averages eight phones or terminal devices per account. Financial terms of the deal between the two private companies were not disclosed.
"This merger opens up many new opportunities for Vocalocity," said Wain Kellum, CEO of Vocalocity. "Aptela employs some of the best people in the industry and has great technology. Putting our two companies together benefits both customer bases and gives us additional scale. Our larger scale accelerates our efforts to have the highest quality, most beneficial phone system in the cloud for small businesses. Together, we'll be able to serve our customers better and with increased innovation."
Want to learn more about Session Initiation Protocol? Be sure to attend the SIP Tutorial Conference collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. The SIP Tutorial, co-sponsored by TMC Partner Crossfire Media, is a full day training program that will focus on SIP technology from SIP messaging, though Server types, Security, Firewall and NAT operation, SIP Trunking, Troubleshooting and SIP in Unified Communications. To register, click here.


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Maserati Levante S with 424bhp V6 petrol goes on sale in UK
Maserati adds another string to the Levante's bow with a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 in the new Levante S
Maserati has announced that a new V6 petrol powered version of its Levante SUV – the first SUV from the Italian marque in its 103 year history – is now on sale in the UK, injecting a little extra power and performance into its Porsche Cayenne rival.
It’s a 424bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 designed and built by Ferrari and fitted with this engine, the Levante can do 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and go on to a top speed of 164mph. This car takes on the Levante S moniker, and is on sale now priced from £70,755.
It lines up alongside the £54,335, 271bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel originally offered to buyers as the sole engine choice.
The move goes against Maserati’s original argument that the 275bhp 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel was the only suitable engine for the UK market. Brits – like buyers in most European markets – predominantly choose diesel power for their premium SUVs.
The diesel is the eco choice in the range thanks to it emitting 189g/km of CO2 compared to the petrol’s relatively dirty 253g/km figure.
While the decision will delight many, European markets still get more choice. There’s a smaller output 350bhp version of the Ferrari-built V6 too, as well as a more economical but less powerful diesel.
Maserati Levante hybrid for 2018
Maserati has also confirmed that plug-in hybrid power is for the Italian brand, likely to be appearing in the range in 2018. Although unconfirmed, the Levante will be a prime model for the new powertrain.
“Chrysler has just launched the Pacifica so we have the technology within the group,” Harald Wester, former Maserati boss told us last year. “The technology will be made available for other brands in the group, too.” he added.
The new Pacifica MPV can be ordered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Its V6 engine is joined with a 16kWh lithium-ion battery providing up to 30 miles of electric range, and lives under the floor beneath the second row of seats. It takes just two hours to fully charge.
Maserati Levante design details
First revealed in production guise at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the Maserati's overall shape has more than a few Porsche Cayenne-like proportions to it, but with trademark Italian flair. The large Maserati grille and slim headlights dominate the nose of the car, while creases and flowing lines add some sportiness to the jacked-up shape. At the back there's a roof spoiler and steep windscreen, as well as a sporty bumper and exhaust pipe set-up.
Inside, Maserati is claiming the finest materials will be used for the Levante, including the usual leather but even the option of silk made in the famed Zegna wool mill on the top-spec model with the Luxury Pack Zegna Edition. The latest generation of Maserati's 8.4-inch Touch Control touchscreen infotainment system also debuts, while its claimed to be exceptionally spacious.
All models get an 8-speed automatic gearbox, as well as electronically controlled damping with air springs. Maserati claims 50-50 weight distribution and the lowest centre of gravity in its class.
Engines options will differ for global markets. The Levante has been developed with a pair of twin-turbo V6s producing 345bhp and 424bhp respectively, with the former managing 0-62mph in six seconds and the latter doing the same sprint in just 5.2 seconds. A 270bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel completes the line-up, doing 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and 143mph flat-out.
The diesel emits 189g/km of CO2, a substantial 30g/km more than Jaguar's top diesel V6 F-Pace, whereas the most powerful petrol emits 253g/km, which is nearly as much as the quicker Porsche Cayenne Turbo. All Levantes will get four-wheel drive as standard fitment.
SUV to be '100 per cent' Maserati
We asked former boss Harald Wester in 2016 whether the Levante was the most important car Maserati had ever made, but he strongly opposed this, saying instead: “It is the biggest business opportunity".
"I think when you talk about a brand like Maserati, you have to distinguish between the products that have determined the brand’s business opportunities. If I say the Levante is our most important car, you will have many people who are crying and saying ‘this guy is completely nuts."
He confirmed the manufacture of pre-production models had already started, while customer Levantes would be built from February with delivery shortly after. He revealed that despite having access to the wider Fiat-Chrysler group – including SUV-specialists Jeep – the Levante would be “100 per cent Maserati.”
He also said it would look significantly different to the initial 2011 Kubang concept. Wester refused to elaborate on exactly how it may look, but having reported earlier this year on a set of leaked official drawings, we were already aware the production-ready car was likely to inherit its toned down looks from other models in the range.
Plug-in hybrids will feature heavily in the Maserati line-up before the end of the decade, too, with Wester tell us to expect them “across the entire range – starting at the end of 2017.”
Maserati’s ex-CEO also declared the two-seat Alfieri sports car was in the pipeline, designed to sit alongside the existing GranTurismo and GranCabrio when it goes on sale in 2017. We first saw an Alfieri concept car at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014, but news had subsequently died down – with the brand focussing its efforts elsewhere.
Wester told us the new Jaguar F-Type rival would be the final piece in the puzzle for Maserati’s rejuvenated product range. He ruled out a smaller SUV, though, hinting that might be better suited to sister brand Alfa Romeo.
“You have to consider we are not alone”, he said. “You walk across the corridor and you will meet Alfa Romeo. We will not start everybody doing a bit of everything. It doesn’t make sense.
"The only thing we’re missing is a successor to the sports car. When we’ve realised the Alfieri, from my point of view, we will be done."
Now read more about another Fiat group SUV that's on the horizion from Alfa Romeo.

domain: news


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directv now offers an online movie theater that can play your entire library of movies and shows in one place.
The theater allows you to play your library of your favorite movies, TV shows, and documentaries in one spot, allowing you to watch them from anywhere on the globe.
Directv is the only streaming service that allows you directly to your library.
The service was announced earlier this year with a $99 annual subscription, and it will be available in all of the U.S. states and in Canada and Mexico later this month.
This is not the first time that Netflix has added directv to its service, which was first announced in the U-verse app in 2017.
Netflix recently added directtv in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Directv was previously available in the Philippines, where it is currently available to watch on Netflix.
Netflix has partnered with Hulu in Australia, so you can stream Hulu in the country.
There is a premium tier, which includes unlimited movie rentals and unlimited TV shows and movies, but it’s currently only available in select markets.
In the U.-verse app, you can watch the movies, shows, documentaries, and other content on your device from anywhere in the world, whether you’re in the United States or anywhere else in the planet.
To get the new service, you have to go to directv.com/mobile.


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New Research Reveals People Blame Their Partners For Their Inability To Maintain A Healthy Diet
A survey examining how and why our attempts to eat healthily and lose weight often fail found a surprisingly high number of diets come undone because of a partner leading us into temptation.
From eating irresistible treats and snacks in front of us to ordering take out or willing us to have drinks, responses showed 24 percent of people blame their partner for derailing their diet.
The results emerged from a survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Isopure® which looked into the dieting successes and failures of 2,000 Americans.
With people mindful of their summer bodies, responses showed the top reasons people fail diets are lack of time to meal plan, having treats around the holidays, social gatherings, treating themselves, and stress around work.
And even though many of the reasons behind diet failures are legitimate, there are some that appear to be simply based on temptation.
Responses showed that 38 percent of survey respondents failed on a diet because they couldn’t resist a delicious treat. Another 32 percent claim that healthy food is simply too expensive and so their bank account causes them to reach for a less than healthy snack. Reaching for a feel-good-food also seems to be a common way for 42 percent of survey respondents to deal with their stress.
With all these diet fails, what foods are people choosing to indulge in? Pizza tops the list, followed by ice cream, chips, and chocolate. Cookies came in at number five followed by cake, burgers, candy, and cheese. Saturday is the day that a diet is most likely to come to a crashing halt for survey participants.


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As we know, one of the old bosses of Rockstar Games’ Steve Martin, founded a new company. He has worked in Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 in Rockstar games. The name of his new company is LightSpeed Studio and is being backed by Tencent Games. There are some rumours that a new game from Ex-Rockstar Boss is on the way.
In a press release, Steve Martin said. “We’re ushering a new era of game culture by combining world-class development with a stress-free work environment. From day one, our teams will focus on building the highest calibre games. While promoting integrity, proactivity, collaboration, and creativity.”.
The new company, LightSpeed Studio, includes ex-employees from Respawn Entertainment, Insomniac, 2K Games, and Rockstar. Even there is no information from the new company, there are rumours that they are working on a new game. According to rumours, the game will be an AAA open-world game and it will be for next-gen consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Also last month, Tencent games announced that they will work together with the company called OtherSide Entertainment for the new System Shock 3 game. OtherSide Entertainment said in a press release. “As a smaller indie games studio, it was challenging for us to carry the project on our own. We believe Tencent’s deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.”


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Esteemed social scientist and policy maker Mayer Hillman who has over 60 years of experience predicting the outcomes of macro social behaviors, says, with a beaming smile, ‘We’re doomed. The outcome is death, and it’s the end of most life on the planet because we’re so dependent on the burning of fossil fuels. There are no means of reversing the process which is melting the polar ice caps. And very few appear to be prepared to say so.’
Today with CO2 concentrated in the atmosphere at over 400 parts-per-million we’re beyond ‘the point of no return’.
‘Hillman accuses all kinds of leaders – from religious leaders to scientists to politicians – of failing to honestly discuss what we must do to move to zero-carbon emissions. “I don’t think they can because society isn’t organised to enable them to do so. Political parties’ focus is on jobs and GDP, depending on the burning of fossil fuels.”’
‘Without hope, goes the truism, we will give up. And yet optimism about the future is wishful thinking, says Hillman. He believes that accepting that our civilisation is doomed could make humanity rather like an individual who recognises he is terminally ill. Such people rarely go on a disastrous binge; instead, they do all they can to prolong their lives.’
‘Can civilisation prolong its life until the end of this century? “It depends on what we are prepared to do.” He fears it will be a long time before we take proportionate action to stop climatic calamity. “Standing in the way is capitalism. Can you imagine the global airline industry being dismantled when hundreds of new runways are being built right now all over the world? It’s almost as if we’re deliberately attempting to defy nature. We’re doing the reverse of what we should be doing, with everybody’s silent acquiescence, and nobody’s batting an eyelid.”’
With the high probability that the end is near, it seems that one ought to live without fear nor without holding oneself back from one’s most earnest desires. Of course this doesn’t mean we should stop respecting people and planet— it behooves us to do so even more.
We need to STOP pretending, right now, that large companies that leveraged exploitation of cheap labour and lax environmental regulations for fast fashion 40 years ago (when warnings of environmental destruction were already imminent) will be able to become sustainable and continue ‘business as normal’ by the year 2030 (which is the goal at which all UN Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved by all stakeholders within the fashion industry- a timeline which already seems to be just too late).
As consumers, we have the power to change the fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world, by choosing what kind of clothes we buy. Stop buying new clothes from companies whose mission is to sell you stuff. Stop buying new clothes from companies that continue to use toxic synthetic chemicals in their supply chains. Stop buying clothes from companies that greenwash you into believing that wearing their ‘recycled clothes’ that used more energy and resources to recycle than make virgin fabric from organic cotton are ‘sustainable’, whilst they go burn all the clothes from last season’s collection the didn’t sell. Stoping buy clothes and bags made of plastic: Polyester, polyurethane, acrylic, nylon, spandex, lycra-they release bioaccumulating micro-plastics that are probably in your drinking water and salmon on your plate. Stop buying clothes and bags made of fabric that comes from regenerable wood pulp but is processed using caustic chemicals that are released back into the environment. Think before you buy something, know what you’re buying and why.
Live by your values that you understand to their very roots of origin. Tell that girl/guy/they you like them. Give your parents a kiss. Hug your pet. Finally take that next step to becoming who you want to be, a step into happiness. You might as well do it now, as the world as we know it is probably going to change, very soon. Even if we’re not doomed, you’ll still be glad you did it.


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It’s here. The day Americans can finally say, “Canadians, they’re just like us!” But also, the day we finally get our very own Saks Fifth Avenue. The famed New York department store has officially opened its pearly, designer-laden gates (they’re cutting the ribbon as we type) and, well, it’s pretty spectacular. The 25,000 square foot fashion mecca is home to many Canadian firsts: swanky in-store boutiques like Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Balenciaga and Chloé as well as beauty brands like Trish McEvoy, By Terry and Nest. The store also comes complete with its famed “10222-SHOE” footwear department (a.k.a. the NYC shoe floor that has its own zip code), the private Fifth Avenue Club (a super specialized personal shopping quite), and later in the year, a food hall in partnership with Pusateri’s.
On Tuesday night, Toronto’s moneyed dance fans got a first peek at the store at a special cocktail in honour of The National Ballet of Canada. As guests took in impromptu performances by the corps de ballet, they shopped for a cause (or at least that’s what they told themselves), with all proceeds of the night’s event going to the ballet.
The post Inside the opening of Canada’s first Saks Fifth Avenue in Toronto appeared first on FASHION Magazine.


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TSU Chairman Huang Kuan-huei (黃昆輝) said signing an ECFA with China would be like putting all eggs in one basket by tying Taiwan's economy to a single market — China — instead of expanding its focus to cover the world markets.
Fri, Jul 31, 2009 - Page 1 News List
Ministry distorted ECFA study: DPP
'FABRICATION' A former top economic official said the economics ministry had tweaked the figures in the assessment report to boost support for the trade pact
By Jenny W. hsu / STAFF REPORTER, WITH STAFF WRITER
This story has been viewed 4839 times.
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PORTLAND, Maine — Researchers in a new study hypothesized that students at Maine schools with nearby fast-food restaurants and convenience stores with junk food would be at greater risk of being overweight.
They were wrong.
Instead, the study headed by researchers at the University of Southern Maine did not find a direct link between students’ weights and obesity rates and the proximity of their schools to places that sell unhealthful foods. That’s because junk food and fast food are so pervasive that students don’t need a burger joint or a 7-Eleven to get them, the study concluded.
“These are dietary choices that are so ubiquitous in these kids’ lives that whether or not there’s a store selling soda near the school might not have an impact if they go home and open the refrigerator and there’s a sugared soda in the fridge,” said USM professor David Harris, one of the study’s authors.
With soda and candy sales for the most part banned in Maine schools since 2005, researchers set out to examine the relationship between the obesity risk for students and the proximity of stores selling high-calorie foods. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was published this summer in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
For the study, researchers collected information about the height, weight and fast-food and soda consumption habits of 552 high school students at 11 schools. They asked students where they get their soda, sports drinks and other sweetened beverages anytime during the day and what types of fast-food restaurants they had visited in the previous month. They then looked at which schools were in proximity — within 2 kilometers, or 1.2 miles — of fast-food restaurants and stores that sell junk food.
The study then looked at whether students at schools that were close to those restaurants and stores were more overweight than students at schools that weren’t close to those types of places.
According to the report, a similar study in Los Angeles found a link between students’ weights and obesity rates and the presence of stores with unhealthful foods.
The new study, however, said the results may have differed because most of Maine is suburban or rural and that there are more fast-food restaurants and convenience stores near schools in urban settings, such as Los Angeles.
The findings of the Maine study show that getting students to eat healthful foods needs to be addressed not just at school, but at home and after-school events as well. Putting restrictions on soda and junk food sales in schools is a good start, but students and parents also need further education on the matter, Harris said.
“There’s no single magic bullet,” Harris said.


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The organic market is booming, but consumers are not buying in big numbers.
A recent study showed organic shampoo was only a few percentage points away from becoming the biggest category of sales.
“It’s not that organic is going to make up for the lack of demand, but it’s definitely going to help,” said Chris Pramas, chief marketing officer at Burt’s Bees.
Pramases and his colleagues are doing everything they can to make sure that shampoo doesn’t make a dent in that.
They’re creating new products and selling them in the organic category on Amazon.
They are offering discounts to customers who buy organic shampoo, and are using social media to share coupons and other coupons with their loyal followers.
But they still need to convince consumers that they’re worth it.
That’s where the organic market comes in.
The market is saturated with products that are marketed as organic, and many consumers think organic is the best option.
“There’s this notion that organic shampoo is better than natural shampoo,” Pramase said.
“And there’s also this perception that organic products are less effective, and it’s a perception that people have about their hair.
We’ve seen that that perception is true for consumers in general.
Organic shampoo has been proven to work as well as any other natural product on the market.
Organic shampoo and shampoos are not as expensive as they used to be. “
If people think that organic, natural shampoo is the only shampoo they can use, that’s not going to be a great strategy for their hair.”
Organic shampoo and shampoos are not as expensive as they used to be.
Prams said organic shampoo costs about $5 for a quart of shampoo.
Natural shampoo is usually $1 to $2 a quart.
Pregnant women have less need for natural shampoo than they did, but the costs of using shampoo has skyrocketed.
Organic shampooms, by contrast, cost about $4 a quart for the same product.
Pampers also sells the shampoo on Amazon and at beauty stores.
Pinstripes and Shampoos Pampars sells natural shampos and preps at a discount.
They also sell organic shampes and prepped hair products at a steep discount.
Pumps are also sold at a much lower price, usually $7.99.
Pamps also sells organic shampoo and conditioner at a lower price than the organic shamps.
Pimm’s offers shampoo at a very affordable price.
“We’re selling a product that is not only more effective and more affordable than our own, but we’re selling it at a price that’s also more affordable,” Pimm said.
They offer a variety of shampoo and conditioners for women of all ages, from the beginner to the pro.
“Most women need to use more than one shampoo in their life,” Pampras said.
The cost of a basic shampoo is about $10.
A regular shampoo costs $12.
“A shampoo can be as expensive or less expensive depending on your skin type, where you live, and what type of hair you have,” Pammes said.
Some products can last for months, while other products can only last for a couple of weeks.
Pams shampoo and preppers shampoo is made with ingredients that are more expensive.
Pammas says that the prices are “so low that a lot of women can get their hair done with one shampoo.”
Pimm also sells shampoo, conditioner, conditioners and even shampoo kits online for as little as $4.49.
They have a wide variety of products to choose from, and the price difference is only about $2 per bottle.
“People can buy one shampoo, but they can buy multiple shampoo, they can go from one shampoo to a different shampoo, it’s not so expensive,” Pams said.
Pims shampoo and products are often available at beauty retailers and online.
“For the most part, people use our products at home, they don’t go out of their way to go buy organic,” Pamas said.
Most of the products on the Pimms website come in a variety packs, which are about five or six products in a pack.
Pamis is offering a range of preppers products.
He also offers prepped products at about $1.50 a pack, which is less expensive than organic shams.
Pembs prepped shampoes are more advanced than other preppers shampones, which come in prepped and prewashed varieties.
Pimbs preppers kits come in both natural and organic shames.
Pambans prepper shampoe comes in natural and natural shamps and also comes in prewashed and prepackaged shampoles.
Pems kit comes in both organic and organic.
Pums kits are sold at about a third of the price of the prepped kit.
Pumpers sells shampies at a fraction of the cost of prepped kits.
Pummys shampie comes in two different types


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Microsoft is kicking off its new cloud-based Intune PC management service on March 23.
Designed to help businesses manage and secure their PCs via the cloud, Windows Intune will launch to paying customers and those who want to check out the free 30-day trial, according to a Windows blog posted today. Intune has been since April.
Moving PC administration to a Microsoft-run cloud, Intune aims to keep PCs automatically configured with the newest Windows updates and protected by the latest antivirus security software. Beyond keeping PCs updated, the online service lets business owners maintain security policies, monitor their PCs to make sure they have the right updates, and offer remote assistance to end users, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has already said that it willto use Intune. Though the service can be used by any type of company, it's designed for small and midsize businesses that may not have dedicated IT people or whose workers are scattered across multiple locations.
To set up Intune within a business, the client software must be installed on each individual PC. The software can run on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, including Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, and Professional; Windows Vista Enterprise, Ultimate, and Business; and Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 or 3. Installing the client software requires administrative rights on the PC.
Included in the cost of Intune are free upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise to help businesses that want to standardize on the same version of Windows.
On March 23, Intune will receive an official launch at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas and through its dedicated Web site. The service will be available in more than 35 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, and India.
Users still trying out the beta of Intune will have until April 18 before it expires. Businesses can also learn more about Intune through its own FAQ page.


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Congratulations to the 20 Art Center students and recent alumni who won ADDY® Awards in the 2013 competition! Students received their awards at the ADDY® Gala on March 14 at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.
Many of the Gold and Silver ADDY winners produced their projects in Film/Sell, a 14-week class where Film and Advertising majors collaborate on spec ads for their reels. During the class, students go through tons of ideas before landing a concept they can take into production.
“We help them point out what works and what doesn’t, and how their concept plays into the overall brand identity of the product they’re promoting,” said Chris Gehl, who teaches Film/Sell alongside Clio award-winner Nir Bashan. “Our intention with Film/Sell is to create a class that we would have liked when we were students,” said Gehl. “It’s my favorite class to teach, and it is the first time in 20 years that a class like this has existed.”
Sponsored by the American Advertising Federation, the ADDY® Awards recognize excellence in the art of advertising, graphic design, web design, illustration and photography. The AAF Student ADDY® Awards Competition is designed specifically for college students.


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Things have been relatively quiet on the development front for Legends of Aria for a little while. Citadel Studios, the studio behind the game, entered a possible acquisition deal in December along with an announcement of eventual blockchain integration, but this fell through.
The Legends of Aria Twitter account shared its first updates since October with the announcement that the game will “soon be a play to earn game” and joining the world of crypto. The game is designed to be a full loot, open world MMORPG, so there was already a whole lot of intended player risk and reward involved, but now the transition is in the works.
The #blockchain upgrade to Legends of Aria will allow us to revitalize the game, bringing it back stronger and better than ever. This year, we'll be implementing new features and marketing the game like never before. Stay tuned!#NFT #CryptoGaming #BlockchainGaming #KillToEarn pic.twitter.com/xOFvgM3Off— Legends Of Aria (@LegendsOfAria) February 22, 2022
In another tweet, the team emphasizes that adding a blockchain upgrade will let the team update and continue to develop the game and market it in a whole new way. There are initial details on the intentions and ARIA token systems, which will have a first sale round next week. A new whitepaper on the game's official site outlines their vision and the anticipation of a full transition to "the first mainstream blockchain MMORPG on the market". Their revenue model includes an upcoming NFT marketplace: "players can monetize their time by collecting unique and collectible in-game items, which can then be bought and sold on our upcoming NFT marketplace. This marketplace will take a 5% fee from every transaction".
"Legends of Aria will be the ultimate fantasy metaverse. In this metaverse, gamers can own land, build their own virtual homes, and venture out into a true virtual world in which they can use a variety of skills to earn real money."
They also made sure to state that there would always be two versions of the game. While the play to earn server's model will aim for NFT character creation options, an NFT marketplace, and ways to earn gold that converts to cryptocurrency, the free version will be the usual mix of a cash shop and nothing will convert to crypto. The original proposed takeover was announced with the intent to incorporate NFTs and tokens by way of a “metaversification” of a traditional game. More recently, Citadel has been working on its plans for the game and entered in a partnership with Reaper Games. This, plus the recently unveiled plans, are comng together to bring the transition on track.
Now, several months later, that “metaversification” is beginning to take shape, with the game’s social media getting more updates, there should be more details on the play to earn systems coming to Legends of Aria soon.
UPDATE: We received word from the Legends of Aria team that the original proposed acquisition by Blue Monster Games fell through, and Legends of Aria team is now partnering with the recently-founded (by an original founder of Blue Monster) Reaper Games to make its path towards the blockchain transition.


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Monarch announces a new route from London Gatwick Airport to Lyon as part of its winter ski programme for 2014/15.
Monarch Airlines has announced the launch of its schedule for summer 2015 from Leeds Bradford Airport with flights to 10 sun and city destinations across Europe.
Monarch Airlines has reached a milestone 175,000 downloads on its free smartphone app which is available to both iOS and Android users.
As recently reported in the media, knee defenders are the new must-have accessory on-board to keep ‘recliners’ at bay. Whilst other airlines’ are now banning the gadgets, Monarch Airlines have a simple solution, non-reclining ergonomic aircraft seats.
Monarch has announced the launch of MPlayer - an industry leading, personal inflight entertainment service. MPlayer allows customers to connect to the on-board wireless network via their own iOS or Android smartphone or tablet and access a wide range of free and pay-to-access in-flight entertainment content.
Monarch, the scheduled airline to leisure destinations, has announced the launch of an email and SMS update service for customers and their families to keep them up-to-date with any changes to the departure and arrival times of their Monarch flights.
Monarch, UK scheduled airline to leisure destinations, has announced a new route from Leeds Bradford Airport to Gran Canaria for winter 2014/15. The route will begin on 8th November 2014 operating on a Monday and a Saturday.
Monarch announces two new routes from Birmingham Airport - to Salzburg and Turin - as part of its winter ski programme for 2014/15. Flights will commence on the 13th December 2014 and are on sale from 10th June 2014.
Monarch has announced the arrival of newly designed non-reclining ergonomic aircraft seats. Using modern design principles and light-weight materials, the airline has been able to increase legroom within a seat pitch and reduce fuel emissions.
Monarch, the scheduled airline to leisure destinations will launch new on-board meals from the 1st May 2014. Designed by Alpha LSGs’ Head Development Chef, Carl Jones who used feedback from Monarch customers, the meals take on a “world food” experience with dishes inspired by Italian, Moroccan, Thai and Indian cuisine – as well as the staple full English and sausage and mash!
Monarch has been taking a closer look into holidaymakers’ suitcases to find out what essential items its customers can’t leave at home when jetting off on their holidays.
Monarch, the scheduled leisure airline, is gearing up for its busiest summer get-away ever, carrying more than 1.4 million customers to and from their chosen holiday destinations across Europe, the Mediterranean, Egypt and the Canary Islands during the school summer holidays.
Tuesday 7th May saw Monarch, the leading scheduled leisure airline, launch its first ever scheduled flight to Malta from East Midlands Airport.
Leading scheduled leisure airline, Monarch, has launched a brand new phone app designed to make the customer experience even more enjoyable, particularly at the airport.
Scheduled leisure airline, Monarch has taken delivery of a new Airbus A320 aircraft. The aircraft forms part of the airline’s expansion programme which will see the fleet grow in size from 32 aircraft in 2012, to 38 during this financial year to October 2013.
1 to 15 of 184 for Monarch


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Zhejiang issues measures to support high-quality development of textile industry
Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center of Advanced Textile Technology in Keqiao district, Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]
Authorities in East China's Zhejiang province have issued measures to support the high-quality development of the textile industry in eight major areas.
The textile industry is a traditionally advantageous industry in Zhejiang, with the annual operating income exceeding one trillion yuan ($139.7 billion), making it the largest in the country.
In fact, Zhejiang hosts over 100 textile-related events annually, including the World Textile Merchandising Conference and the Ningbo Fashion Festival, facilitating exchanges in the textile sector.
According to the newly issued measures, Zhejiang will strengthen the core areas and collaborative zones of modern textile and clothing industry clusters, increasing support for the construction of headquarter-type enterprises and encouraging textile companies to engage in cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
These measures are aimed at further encouraging the expansion of the province's textile industry and to increase orders.
More specifically, at least 300 economic and trade delegations and 2,000 companies will be organized annually to participate in overseas exhibitions and business negotiations.
To enhance innovation, Zhejiang will also strive to recognize at least 100 new textile high-tech enterprises and at least 300 science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) each year.
The province also seeks to establish at least one provincial key enterprise research institute, five enterprise research institutes, and 50 high-tech enterprise research and development centers in coming years.


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Previously, we reported that T-Mobile is planning to drop Asurion and migrate Sprint Complete customers to Protection <360>. Part of that report has now been confirmed.
As part of the Sprint migration, T-Mobile is moving Sprint Complete insurance customers over to Protection <360>insurance coverage. They’re also “upgrading” many T-Mobile stores, many of which were likely former Sprint Service & Repair locations, to support same-day repair for all T-Mobile customers.
The newsroom press release states that Assurant will offer repair to Protection <360> customers in over 500 locations on November 1st. This date lines up with our previously leaked document, embedded below for your convenience, indicating when Sprint and T-Mobile customers will have joint access to these repair locations.
In addition, customers will now be able to make up to 5 claims per year, up from 3.


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Slushies, sushi and sandwiches are on offer at Wodonga's first 7-Eleven store, but nothing could have brought James Folkes more joy than his favourite strawberry glazed Krispy Kreme donut.
"I got three," the Eskdale resident said.
The 7-Eleven store on Anzac Parade opened from 6am on Thursday, but by 11am it had already set a new record for the most Krispy Kreme's sold on the opening day of any 7-Eleven in Australia.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Victorian regional lead for 7-Eleven Australia Alex Foley said the store sold about 900 Krispy Kremes in the first five hours of opening.
"We've sold about seven times what a normal store would sell in a normal day," he said.
Mr Foley put the success down to it being a new brand in the area, one which people would no longer have to travel hours to access.
Wodonga mayor Kevin Poulton said he was proud to know the city had claimed the record title.
"I mean that's pretty exciting," he said.
"But on a more serious note this is the sort of thing that's been happening in the background for a city like Wodonga during COVID that you might not necessarily have seen happening because you've been stuck at home at different times and things like that.
"It's exciting to have an investment so big from such a large company in the city of Wodonga."
Mr Poulton said it showed the development and potential growth of the city.
"It's funny once upon a time regional cities, particularly regional towns even, knew that they were going somewhere when they had a brand like McDonald's arrive in the town," he said.
"So in the past you would have seen Echucas, Yarrawongas, Swan Hill's over the last 20 to 30 years get themselves a McDonald's restaurant.
"For us in Wodonga, it does put us on the map, if we can justify a 7-Eleven it just goes to show just what a growing and vibrant community that we are."
Mr Foley said 7-Eleven was looking at opening more sites on the Border in future.
"I don't think anything is locked in at this stage, but it would be in the Albury Wodonga community," he said.
"Regional represents an area of growth for us and we want to invest in that growth by providing convenience opportunities and jobs for the local community."
Mr Foley said the Wodonga 7-Eleven was a big deal because the store had never before gone more than a couple of hours from a metropolitan area.
"This is our first one and this is officially for us the furthest 7-Eleven from any other 7-Eleven in Australia at the moment," he said.
For Border residents like James Folkes, the closeness of the store means "everything".
"I've been waiting years so I don't have to drive down to Melbourne every time I want a Krispy Kreme donut," he said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:


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A new website went live this weekwhich claims to gauge your online experience to work out your 'internet age".
The site – www.myinternetage.com – has been developed by communications company Orange.
It evaluates the amount of time you spend online, what kind of sites you visit – and how often you visit them – plus your exposure and attitude towards online safety. The answers help define a person’s internet age using a scale which runs from 0-16, reflecting the number of years the internet has been around.
Experienced internet users will sit at the higher end of the scale, with newcomers to the internet placed towards the lower end.
The site has been developed to quantify the different generational attitudes to the internet and, for the first time, put hard figures against the way people of different ages use the web.
The information will be used to help Orange create a new internet safety education module which will be used in schools across the UK in the 2008-09 school year.
The website was developed in association with Dr Jo Bryce from the University of Central Lancashire’s Cyberspace Research Unit. The results will form part of a detailed, lengthy study by Orange to encourage safe and responsible use of the internet.
Christele Delbe, Head of CSR for Orange, said: "The site offers people a fun way of working out their internet age and makes sure they understand their own attitude to online safety."
Dr Jo Bryce is the co-ordinator of the UK national awareness node for child safety on the internet and is the project lead for the EU funded research projects ISCA and INSAFE, both funded by the EU Safer Internet Plan.


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Soft-drinks giant Coca-Cola said its profits rose 18% in the second quarter, better than expected, on solid volume growth worldwide.
Income was $2.8 billion, up from $2.4 billion in the year-earlier quarter, and earnings per share was up 18% as well to $1.20.
For the six-month period to June, income and earnings per share also were up 18% from a year ago.
Revenue growth was strongest in North America, up 141%, due to contributions from the North American bottling business of Coca-Cola Enterprises, which the company acquired late last year.
Aside from that, revenues and operating income grew strongest, both 21%, in the company's Pacific group, which includes the region from China and South Korea south to Australia and New Zealand.
Sales volume for Coke itself rose 24% in China and 17% in Russia, and made good gains in other key markets including Mexico, France and Germany, the company said.
"Even as consumers around the world continue to feel the impact of a slow economic recovery, they increasingly choose our brands to refresh themselves at a rate of over 1.7 billion servings each and every day," said chief executive Muhtar Kent.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011


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First-ever locally manufactured Solar Kiosk constructed in Ghana
The first-ever locally manufactured Solar Kiosk has been launched in Ghana to boost the socio-economic activities of people who lack access to power in the country. The solar kiosk has been spearheaded by NGO SolarKiosk Ghana Limited in partnership with Energy Commission and JCS Investment Limited.
The NGO’s robust and multi-functional lightweight unit, which can be easily transported, is tailored for use in rural and semi-urban communities, thus allowing mini businesses, such as small banks, restaurants, barber shops and hair dressing salons, to operate efficiently in the local economy. According to SolarKiosk Ghana MD, Patricia Safo, the initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation and promote sustainable energy alternatives.
A solar kiosk can produce energy for itself, and the excess energy can be sold, while the attached canopy is able to support and supply households and businesses with energy. Andreas Spiess, Solarkiosk CEO, based in Germany, said Africa with its abundant sunshine, derives only about 2% of its energy needs from sunshine, while Germany with less sunshine, produces about 20% solar energy. The company is collaborating with the banks to give an upfront loan to people who want to buy solar products.


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Trucking firm Con-way Freight expects to add 55 jobs in Fond du Lac as it expands to a new, $8 million terminal, the company said Tuesday.
Con-way plans to build a 47,000-square-foot terminal and warehouse on 21 acres in the Fox Ridge Business Park, with construction beginning in June and completed by next March. The expanded operation is expected to employ 100 people. Con-way employs 45 at its current, much-smaller facility in Fond du Lac. »Read Full Article
It's pretty and it smells good, but running a flower shop has become one tough business.
"Let me ask you this," said Jane Pennycuff, owner of a retail floral operation started in 1915 by her grandfather after he lost an arm working as a brakeman on the old Milwaukee Road, "Last time you bought flowers, where'd you buy 'em?" »Read Full Article(2)


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- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined on Friday the second phase of New York's Empire State Digital Initiative, aimed at supporting the state’s restaurants and foodservice industry affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this phase, the state will offer Ritual's commission-free digital ordering platform, Ritual One, to restaurants at no cost for pickup and delivery. The offer is in place through April.
- Restaurants that join Ritual through the initiative will be able to accept contactless payments through PayPal and Venmo apps. Ritual, which will waive setup, monthly subscription and credit card processing fees as part of the program, can customize platforms to match branding. The feature can also be integrated directly with restaurants' point-of-sale systems, as well as with Instagram, Facebook and Google Ordering. Businesses can opt out at any time.
- Ritual launched its One platform in the U.S. in June, in Chicago. It was initially created through a partnership between Ritual and the City of Toronto before expanding to Los Angeles in October.
Waiving fees to support restaurants' digital business could provide a significant lifeline for New York's restaurants while indoor dining is banned again, particularly as many platforms charge 20% to 30% commission. Other than the drive-thru, off-premise channels are facilitated by digital ordering and without such a presence, restaurants will struggle to stay open through another round of dining room shutdowns.
Digital channels have in fact become so critical during this crisis, digital sales are expected to make up more than half of limited-service restaurants' business by 2025, a 70% increase over pre-pandemic estimates. Enabling restaurants to provide ordering directly from their channels is also critical, as it provides the ability to create direct relationships with customers and retain their data for targeted marketing.
Chicago was the first U.S. city to have access to Ritual One's resources and when the e-commerce company announced its plans, it said would later move into additional cities with "free for life" offers. While Chicago doesn't have a partnership with Ritual as New York does, it has a similar program in place with Tock, which offers restaurants a free, six-month subscription for the digital management of reservations, takeout, delivery and events.
While this program could be a lifeline, it may not be a panacea. Though delivery and takeout have grown exponentially, they continue to generate just a fraction of sales for many restaurants. The best chance for restaurants remains a federal stimulus aimed at the industry, though that has yet to transpire in Congress.
New York's vast restaurant industry has struggled plenty through this crisis. There were about 50,000 eating and drinking establishments in New York prior to the pandemic — the second highest in the U.S. behind California — making it particularly vulnerable to the industry's "free fall” of more than 111,000 closures so far this year. According to Upserve's State of the Restaurant Industry 2020 report, New York City restaurants have experienced year-over-year sales losses of more than 65%.
In a statement regarding the Ritual One partnership, Gov. Cuomo said, "It's critical that while restrictions are in place on how bars and restaurants can operate in order to protect the public health, we also open new opportunities to counteract the economic strain they face. This latest piece of New York’s Empire Digital initiative will give these establishments an opportunity to expand their online businesses free of charge, with an added incentive that will encourage customers to continue supporting their favorite restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops."
Still, that doesn’t seem to be enough for New York City Hospitality Alliance Executive Director Andrew Rigie, who said Gov. Cuomo’s decision to shut down indoor dining again was "shameful."


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The Legal Cannabis Industry Goes Through Robust Growth
FinancialBuzz.com News Commentary
15 Aug, 2017, 09:00 ET
NEW YORK, August 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
According to a report by Ameri Research Inc., the global legal cannabis market was valued at $14.3 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 21.1% from 2017 to 2024. During the forecast period, the projected demand of cannabis will continue to rise for both recreational and medical use. Estimated global sales are expected to reach a value of $63.5 billion. The robust growth of the legal cannabis market is partially due to successful legalization and decriminalization campaigns across North America and Europe. Ameri Research also explained that due to the complex regulatory structure at state and federal levels, the full potential of the market is not yet realized. Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE), Terra Tech Corp. (OTC: TRTC), MassRoots, Inc. (OTC: MSRT), General Cannabis Corp (OTC: CANN), American Cannabis Company, Inc. (OTC: AMMJ)
A report by New Frontier Data points out the role of cannabis products for medical use in the pharmaceutical market. "The United States constitutes 35% of the global pharmaceutical market, the largest market in the world, and a major driver of the U.S. economy. It is one of many industries that will be impacted by the growth of the legal cannabis market and we are already starting to see that trend in legal medical states where use of key prescription drugs is down by 11%. If cannabis were to be adopted nationally, we would begin to see a trend of patients turning to medical cannabis as a substitute or complement to pharmaceuticals," said Giadha Aguirre De Carcer, CEO & Founder of New Frontier Data.
Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) announced yesterday that, "it has finalized and fully executed a Licensing Agreement with Cagney Global Logistics for the exclusive white labeling and implementation of the Global Reserve Platform. The Platform will be integrated into Cagney's existing delivery and payment component, the Final Mile solution, to enhance its Fortune 500 customer web sales.
The finalization of this agreement comes on the heels of the Letter of Intent that was executed between the companies on May 1, 2017. Under the LOI, Global Payout and Cagney entered into advanced phases of planning the integration of the Global Reserve Platform into the existing processes and software currently utilized by Cagney for its logistics supply chain.
"Our technical team has been diligently working to address the specific needs and requests that have been presented to us by Cagney," says Global Payout President William Rochfort. "In this time, we have developed a more in-depth understanding as to how the intricate components available in our Global Reserve Platform can be configured to deliver a platform for Cagney that will completely enhance the logistics supply chain process experience for its customers and delivery partners."
Global Payout expects that the finalization of this Licensing Agreement will provide the Company with a revenue stream as early as the beginning of the third quarter of 2017. For Cagney, the agreement will enable improved payment and supply chain efficiency.
Terra Tech Corp. (OTCQX: TRTC) operates through multiple subsidiary businesses and medical cannabis facilities to provide the highest quality medical cannabis to patients who are looking for alternative treatments for their chronic medical conditions as well as premium cannabis to the adult-use market in Nevada. On August 8th, Terra Tech announced its second quarter 2017 financial results for the period ended June 30th, 2017. Derek Peterson, Chief Executive Officer of Terra Tech Corp., commented, "We saw a continued strengthening in demand for cannabis products as sales from both our wholesale IVXX brand and our Blüm dispensaries continued to gain traction.
MassRoots, Inc. (OTCQB: MSRT) is one of the leading technology platforms for the regulated cannabis industry. With over one million registered users, the Company's mobile apps empower consumers to make educated cannabis purchasing decisions through community-driven reviews. On July 14th, the company announced that it has closed the acquisition of Odava, Inc., a leading compliance and point-of-sale system for the cannabis industry, for cash and common stock consideration, as fully detailed in our Current Report on Form 8-K filing, dated July 14, 2017. MassRoots now offers dispensaries a complete suite of software to manage their regulatory compliance, streamline their supply chain, and develop successful consumer loyalty programs.
General Cannabis Corp (OTCQB: CANN) is the comprehensive national resource for the highest quality service providers available to the regulated cannabis industry. On August 7th, the company announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Record revenues in the company's operations segment, Next Big Crop. "With the expanded legalization of medical and recreational cannabis in numerous states, Next Big Crop's services are in high demand to assist companies submitting applications to acquire licenses, and to provide operational consulting and products. Chiefton also hit record revenue levels, as our design consulting team gains traction," said Robert Frichtel, Chief Executive Officer of General Cannabis.
American Cannabis Company, Inc. (OTCQB: AMMJ) offers end-to-end solutions to existing and aspiring participants in the cannabis industry. The company utilizes its industry expertise to provide business planning and market assessment services, assist state licensing procurement, create business infrastructure and operational best practices. On August 2nd, American Cannabis Company announced it has secured its third client in the state of Arkansas. This client has initially retained ACC to provide pre-licensing solutions for their project. ACC will work with the client on robust financial pro-forma modeling, the creation of a custom business plan, facility conceptual design work, and with the completion of the state application. ACC expects to leverage this contract to secure additional revenues through long-term consulting agreements and potential future sales of ancillary products.
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NEW YORK (AP) -- BlackBerry's shares soared Thursday as investors sensed a turnaround at the company, despite one of its former leader selling off his stake in the company.
The stock slipped in early trading but more than made up for it later, adding $1.08, or 7.7 percent, to close at $15.07.
Shares of the company, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd., have more than doubled since September, when they closed at a multi-year low of $6.31, on optimism and favorable reviews of the new BlackBerry smartphone. The software has a fresh interface designed for touchscreens that is expected to give it a fighting chance against competitors like the iPhone and Android smartphones.
The vote of investor confidence followed the disclosure that Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO and co-chairman, sold all of his shares in the company. A regulatory document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday showed that Balsillie held no shares in the company as of the end of December. He previously held a 5.2 percent stake according to a filling in February of 2011. Company founder Mike Lazaridis still holds a 5.7 percent stake in the company, according to another regulatory filing on Thursday.
Lazaridis and Balsillie announced in January of 2011 that they would step down as co-CEOs after an extended decline in earnings and stock price.


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YouTube is putting up some very impressive numbers when it comes to views on mobile devices. At the beginning of the year, YouTube was seeing about 200 million views per day on mobile devices. Now they are seeing about 400 million views per day. This is more than 10% of the total views from the website total.
YouTube has also recently redesigned their website to have a bigger focus on channels. These changes will be reflected on the web version of YouTube and the Xbox version. The changes will be applied to the mobile versions very soon.


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During the past decade we've seen such amazing strides by transgender women unafraid and open in who they are, as they pursue dreams in dozens of different industry sectors. In fashion, can they fit into the preconceived mold of femininity?
In the 1980s and 1990s there were several world-level models, who while they could come out ot the designers, had to maintain low-key status among advertisers. There were those like Terri Toye and Lauren Foster who did runaway and print modeling, including Vogue.
However when Lauren Foster was outed during the Miss South Africa pageant it cost her dearly. In an interview she noted that while she had plenty of runway work, she lost some big print contracts she had had.
In the past few years we've seen the rise of Isis King and the Brazilian Lea T. who shot to global success as an open and out transgender model. But now in a recent article by Doug Barry for Jezebel, he notes that as Rio gains fashion cred, transgender models may get lost in the shuffle, This is based on a documentary that explores the various tensions that currently surround race, gender and body type in Rio de Janeiro's burgeoning fashion industry. As the city sits poised like an extremely fashionable ocelot to become the fifth of the preeminent fashion metropolises, pressure to conform to a more global ideal of beauty could threaten transgender women such as model Leah T who've carved out a pretty large space for themselves in the industry.


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Today, T-Mobile will push an update via the air for the Galaxy Note 2 enabling 4G LTE band already available in Kansas and Las Vegas. T-Mobile will be launching more LTE cities reaching up to 100 million pople by mid -year. By the end of the year, T-Mobile will reach more than 200 million people.
The new T-Mobile’s LTE network reaches up to 55-60 megabits down and 18-20 megabits up besides that T-Mobile only promising 20 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up.
Stay tuned for more options.


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O2-owned UK mobile advertising venture Weve has appointed former sales head Nigel Clarkson as its new Managing Director.
Clarkson, who formerly served as Weve’s Commercial Director, takes up his new role with immediate effect.
He will report to O2 Commerce Managing Director Robert Franks.
Clarkson faces the task of navigating Weve as it becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of O2. The business was acquired by Telefónica’s UK business last month.
This includes leading the restructuring of the company as it turns its focus to mobile advertising under O2.
Clarkson said: “It is a hugely exciting time for Weve – with one agile and ambitious owner, we can now offer business customers the benefit of greater scale, with over 30 million opt-ins across all of O2’s digital disciplines.
“Weve has been a rewarding and challenging experience for all who shared the last three years together.
“We started from scratch and have succeeded in building one of the UK’s leading digital media businesses, covering areas as diverse as mobile marketing, advertising, data, payments, loyalty, and trialling beacon technology.
“While the original blueprint for Weve has now changed, the vision of all the things that could and should be possible through mobile advertising will be accelerated by this deal.”
O2 Commerce’s Franks added: “Weve has built a highly successful and innovative mobile advertising business under Nigel’s leadership as Commercial Director.
“We see huge potential to accelerate the growth of Weve’s business as part of O2’s Digital Commerce portfolio.”


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Retro enthusiasts and cuisine connoisseurs were in for a real treat for the senses on Saturday as the Real Vintage and Good Food Market landed at The Hexagon.
Around 30 stalls selling vintage clothing, accessories and knick-knacks filled the main auditorium and lower foyer, while 20 more food stands filled the upper landings with enough cupcakes, preserves and pies to keep you going for the rest of the year.
Lindsay Campbell, a vintage stylist who runs Campbell Crafts, debuted her stall at this year’s event.
She said: “I’m obsessed with vintage. I’ve been to the fair three times before, and I love Reading.
“I’ve had lots of sales already, it’s been really busy as I’ve got a lot of spring/summer 2014 stuff.”
Dressmaker Georgina Coyle, from Caversham, runs the Reading Vintage Fair at the Purple Turtle once a month and also attends lots of similar events around Reading and Caversham.
She said: “I make a lot of my dresses and have been making a lot of accessories, rings and headbands, but I sell a lot of upcycled things as well as well as a lot of original vintage items.
“I’ve been into vintage since I was little, my parents were really into vintage things like deco so I just fell into it really.
“I just love the way people used to dress, there was a lot more effort made.
“I think there has been a general boom in vintage over the last three or four years, but over the last year it has become even bigger.
"I think with a lot more people getting interested these fairs will get even bigger.”
Julie Lyford, 31, from Tadley, attended the fair for the first time with her friends.
She said: “I think it’s refreshing to be in an environment where individual style and taste is admired.
“It’s given me plenty of ideas on how to wear vintage clothing and accessories with confidence.”


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A dozen new TV spots created by WPP Group's Y&R Advertising, New York and Irvine, Calif., tout three digital platforms -- home entertainment, exemplified by the theme "A place called Sony"; a personal network concept, bearing the "Creative Living" theme; and portable audio, symbolized by "Plato," a small, blue alien who began appearing in advertising last year.
All of Sony's advertising is wrapped under the umbrella theme "Dream On." Y&R, Sony's agency partner for nearly three years, has been instrumental in helping the consumer electronics giant create an emotional bond with people, creating fanciful, provocative and humorous advertising that celebrates unity and eclecticism. See the full story. -- Tobi Elkin
Copyright April 2001, Crain Communications Inc.


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Bookmaker William Hill said it was on track to meet full-year forecasts after the group’s "best ever" World Cup offset a dire horseracing season.
The bookie lost out to punters at the Grand National and Royal Ascot, but a record World Cup helped the group report a one per cent rise in half-year underlying earnings to £135.6m.
William Hill said it made £32.2 million in gross winnings from the football tournament - £19.3 million of which came through in the first half of its year.
Spain's victory generated a profitable return for bookmakers after the European champions' opening defeat to Switzerland deterred many punters.
Bookies also benefited from patriotic bets on a poor England team, as well as Brazil's loss to Holland in the quarter-finals and 2006 finalists France and Italy's exit at the group stage.
In the seven weeks since the half year, net revenues across William Hill rose 26%, up 20% at its 2,350 betting shops thanks to the tail-end of the World Cup and ongoing strength in gaming machine turnover.
Analysts expect the group to deliver full-year underlying earnings of around £258 million.
But William Hill said it was cautious over the outlook for the rest of 2010 and 2011 amid pressures on consumer spending, which could impact the retail estate.
Ralph Topping, chief executive of William Hill, said: "We are on track to deliver against the board's expectations for the full year, but we remain cautious moving into 2011 given the ongoing consumer uncertainty."
It is expanding its burgeoning internet offering William Hill online in the UK and internationally, while also keeping a tight control on costs in the retail arm.
William Hill Online - launched a year ago - delivered a 24% hike in interim revenues and saw earnings rise 43% to £44.9 million.
It contributed more than a third of total group earnings, countering a 1% fall in the retail estate and a 33% plunge in the telephone business.
The online service has continued to see double digit increases in sales since the first half, up 37% to August 17.
Nigel Parson, analyst at Evolution Securities, said while the interim results contained few surprises, the current trading results were "very strong".
Analysts at Numis Securities added that upcoming results should continue to please: "Easy comparatives continue for the third quarter and so the next trading statement is likely to have a positive tone.
"Consumer weakness and persistent risks in relation to UK taxation hold us back from being more positive."


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Nissan Plans To Bring 51 New Vehicles To Market
Within the last two years Nissan has created two incredible new models: Nissan Leaf EV and Nissan Juke. Now that the Japanese automaker is on a roll, they have announced their plan to bring many more vehicles just as fantastic to the market within the next few years.
Over the next six years, Nissan plans to introduce fifty one new models! The plan to bring 51 new models to the market will help the Japanese automaker reach their lofty goal of becoming 15% of the market share in Japan, and a global share of 10%. To put it into perspective, if Nissan attains their goal, 1 out of every 10 vehicles on the road will be a Nissan.
The Japanese automaker is on their way to achieving an 8% share in both the global market and operating profit margin by 2016. Nissan rose from 5.8% and 6.1% in the year ended March 31, 2011. It's pretty evident that the automaker is on the right path.
Hiroto Saikawa, Executive VP, said that Nissan "aims at domestic sales of 600,000 cars and exports of between 400,000 and 600,000. Nissan will introduce 51 models over the next six years as it aims to capture 10 percent of global luxury-car sales. The models will meet demand for eco-friendly and compact cars, with half targeted at the Japanese market." 1
Come on down to Bay Ridge Nissan located at 6501 5th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York to check out the growing line up of Nissan vehicles.


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On January 6, astronomers announced NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft had discovered eight new planets. Two of those, you can now visit in Elite: Dangerous.
Kepler-438b is 475 light-years away and Kepler-442b is 1,100 light-years away, and both are located in the constellation Lyra.
Frontier Developments added both of the potentially habitable exoplanets to the game's servers two days after the announcement with v1.04 update.
Major content updates are also in the works, and beta tests will be run in the weeks ahead. Those with access to beta testing will be provided with more details when available.
Along with the new planets, various bug squashing and exploits were fixed with the patch and you can read the notes over on Inc Gamers.
In other Frontier Developments news, the firm announced in its latest financial results that Elite: Dangerous has sold approximately 300,000 units, which equates to around $21 million in revenue for the six months ending November 2014.
The firm said it expects to earn £2.5 million and project that Elite: Dangerous will sell around 2 million copies by 2017, bringing in £20 million in revenue.
A more bullish projection has Elite: Dangerous 750,000 units by the end of 2015, with earnings coming in at £7.5 million. The more bullish projection also approximate game sales totaling $450 million (£300 million) should the game move 30 million units by 2017.
In order to bring these estimates to fruition, the studio is expanding its team so it can "maintain a regular schedule of updates as well as work on the paid expansions."
Frontier also noted the Mac version of Elite: Dangerous will go in to beta "in about three months."


text: Motorola Mobility Canada recently announced that the RAZR V will be available sometime this Summer through a variety of carriers, such as Bell, Videotron, Virgin and WIND Mobile. We then realized that Bell, possibly Virgin, would be up first with an “early August” release, while WIND is targeting the fall period. If you’re holding out for this Android 4.0 powered device you should mark August 2nd off on your calendars. This is the date that Bell has set for its release. The price should come in just under $400 outright and hasa 4.3-inch display (resolution of 540×960), 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 8.4mm thin with Kevlar backing and an 8MP camera that captures 1080p videos.


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Manchester, United Kingdom, July 23, 2011 --(PR.com
)-- UK consumer goods store Mixwall launched a campaign to win summer festival survival packs on July19.
In cooperation with Loquax and The Prize Finder, Mixwall launched a competition to win summer festival survival packs this Tuesday. Revealed by Rachael Hayes, Public Relations manager for Mixwall, that there will be an alcohol breath tester, card shaped bottle opener, headlamp and video camera in the packs.
The competition is inviting people to share what they always take for their festivals on Facebook or Twitter. Three people will be drawn out to win the survival packs and every participant will get Mixwall coupons.
Mixwall hoped that every person would get what they want from this competition. “It’s festival time again. Some people may not know what to take for festivals. While some experienced people could share their ideas with others, in exchange for the survival packs. The survival packs are the return for their help. As we all know, the purpose of Facebook and Twitter is to help people share something with others. This campaign is just what they are about. Every person will get what they want, which is Mixwall hope to see,” said Mrs. Hayes.
According to Mrs. Hayes, before this competition, there was Angry Birds Confession.
“In May, Mixwall launched Angry Birds Confession to help tens of thousands of Angry Birds addicts get out from the game, back to normal,” said Mrs. Hayes. “In the future, Mixwall will launch more similar campaigns to help people.”
Mixwall.co.uk is an online e-commerce company providing tens of thousands of categories products all over Europe including consumer electronics, computer accessories, video games, iPod & iPhone accessories, flashlight and communications products in stock with unbeatable prices and shipping within 24 hours. All the products have gone through three standard quality control processes before shipping and sold all over the Europe.
Enter the draw to win summer festival survival packs on Mixwall or paste this link into your browser: http://promotion.mixwall.co.uk/Music_Festivals/?utm_source=sm&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=SM_PR_MW07


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British American Tobacco announced Monday that it has acquired a minority stake in Berlin-based marijuana startup Sanity Group GmbH.
Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s chief growth officer, said the transaction was the company’s “continued effort to explore many areas beyond nicotine and position BAT for future portfolio growth across various categories and geographies.” characterizes it as an example of “positioning towards.”
“We continue to transform our business by better understanding our current and future consumers as part of our purpose for a better tomorrow,” Wheaton said in a press release.
This acquisition can also be seen as reflecting a new trend. Cannabis is the future and tobacco, especially tobacco, is increasingly a thing of the past.
A Gallup poll last month found that only 11% of Americans reported smoking, the lowest number ever. In contrast, 16% believe they currently smoke cannabis.
These consumer trends are likely to continue to change as marijuana is legalized in more markets in the United States and abroad.
In Germany, government officials are preparing plans to legalize recreational cannabis. This makes the country the largest legal marijuana market in the world.
The upcoming policy change will almost certainly make Monday’s deal even more attractive for British American Tobacco, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies.
according to bloombergSanity has “secured $37.6 million in a BAT-led Series B funding round,” with “nearly half of the amount going to bolster Sanity’s medical business, and the rest preparing for the potential legalization of recreational marijuana.” is spent on,” he said. Germany. “
Around bloomberg, British American Tobacco invested along with Verde Capital, an investment fund co-founded by Snoop Dogg.
sanity group was founded in 2018 and currently has over 100 employees, with thousands from various business angels and celebrities such as Navy Capital, Redalpine, HV Capital, Calyx, Cherry Ventures, Bitburger Ventures, SOJE Capital, and Will. It has raised $.i.am (The Black Eyed Peas), Scooter Braun, Hollywood actor Alyssa Milano, German footballer Mario Götze, and Verde Capital and now BAT.
Company To tell Its focus is “medicine (medical cannabis, finished medicine) and medical products on the one hand and cannabinoid-based consumer goods on the other.”
Finn Age Hänsel, Founder and CEO of Sanity Group, called the funding from British American Tobacco “an important milestone for us and a strong signal for the future of cannabis in Germany and Europe. It is,” he praised.
“We appreciate the belief shown by both new and existing investors. Our goal is to maximize the potential of the cannabis plant and explore and harness the wide range of cannabinoids. The capital will allow us to accelerate our medical and consumer business sectors while preparing ourselves for the legalization of cannabis in Germany,” the statement said. As quoted by tech funding news.
According to Max NahChief Investment Officer of Sanity Group.
hansel said bloomberg Sanity said there is “strong interest not only from tobacco, but also from other industries such as fast-moving consumer goods companies.”
He also said the German government is “actively working on it. [the new marijuana law] And we hope to complete the bill by the end of this year. ”
“This is really a government priority,” he said.


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In an effort to spur Chinese tourist spending beyond Austria’s major tourism hubs — mainly, Vienna and Salzburg — more of its secondary cities and towns are jumping on the Chinese mobile payment bandwagon. Following reports highlighting increased sales for businesses that that accept mobile payment options like Alipay and WeChat Pay, it’s no wonder that many are taking the logical route to attract and cater to desirable shoppers.
To facilitate this change, Wirecard, a Germany-based digital payment technology provider, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the Tyrol state tourism organization, Tirol Werbung, to offer mobile payment services across the region. Once installed, businesses connected with the initiative will be able to accept Alipay, with 150 businesses slated to join at the initial launch.
The initiative has attracted numerous regional partners, including Innsbruck Tourism, Kitzbühel Tourism, the Kufsteinerland Tourism Association, Ötztal Tourism, the St. Anton Tourism Association and the Swarovski Kristallwelten (a Swarovski-owned crystal museum in Wattens that opened in 1995).
Austria may not be one of the top destinations in Europe for Chinese tourists, but because of its close proximity to more popular countries like Germany and France, it can benefit from Chinese travelers’ desire to visit multiple countries during one trip.
From November 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 (Austria’s winter travel season), the Tyrol region saw 138,000 Chinese tourists, while the total number in Austria for the period was 322,000, according to data provided by Tirol Werbung. During summer 2018 (May 1 to October 31), Tyrol welcomed 200,000 Chinese tourists out of a total 647,000 that visited Austria.
For the first half of 2018, Chinese travel statistics to Austria were strong, reporting an increase of 10.7 percent year-on-year, while Chinese tourist spending in the country grew 28 percent year-on-year for the entire year. Chinese tourists also accounted for 30 percent of all tax-free purchases in the country — the largest proportion for any tourist segment. And as more and more Chinese tourists seek new adventures and destinations, Austria will be ready.


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Adriana Lima Blows a Farewell Kiss to Victoria’s Secret
Last night was the infamous Victoria Secret Fashion Show. It’s one of the most sought after runway shows for models and one of the most expected shows for the public, or used to be. For over two decades, the brand has put on beautiful, lavish and entertaining runways to showcase their sleepwear and sexy lingerie.
You bet. The brand said goodbye to one of their most prominent angels. Adriana Lima has left her angel wings behind people. She walked the VS runway for the last time in a special feathered design replacing the iconic wings receiving a standing ovation as she struggled to hold back her tears.
View this post on Instagram
Lima strutting the VS runway one for the last time.
As emotional as her goodbye walk was, the model showed her happiness and gratitude posting an Instastory celebrating her big night with her family.
So what will she do next? The Brazilian model said in an interview with People magazine that she wants to focus on projects designed for women empowerment. No specifics yet on what these projects are but we can’t wait to see her in this new chapter.
“I’m looking forward to support women and being connected to different projects which support women around the world,” she told People.
On September 7th, Lima shared a pictured on Instagram with investor, business-builder and guest Shark, Matt Higgins, “The start of something new, my business mentor @matthigginsrse?⚡ Will follow your advice….. will burn some ships down.” Something is in the works, get excited everyone!


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TransUnion’s BPO centre makes international moves
Less than year after its Global Capability Centre opened SA operations, TransUnion starts servicing the North American market.
Fraudsters shift from financial services to gambling, leisure
Gambling, travel and leisure industries are most affected by digital fraud, according to TransUnion.
TransUnion, Corporate Insights tech tool fights fraud, corruption
The tech solution helps detect and report signs of employee financial distress, sudden changes in asset ownership and potential collusion.
Financial services are top target for cyber crooks
Cyber fraud attempts targeting local organisations increased 187% in the first four months of 2021, compared to the last four months of 2020, says TransUnion.
TransUnion tech helps protect clients affected by data leak
Ford Credit and Absa deploy TransUnion’s identity theft technology to safeguard the personal data of customers affected by a data leak.
Jobs boost for SA as TransUnion opens BPO centre
The company opens a Global Capability Centre in the country to provide support to clients by offering new skills while boosting job creation.
TransUnion joins forces with start-up Fincheck
By combining the strengths of the two companies, Fincheck says it will provide a comprehensive financial picture of each applicant.
Digital financial fraud predicted to witness rise of up to 80%
Cyber criminals mostly target the telecoms, e-commerce and financial services sectors, with incidents expected to rise sharply, says TransUnion.
Bitventure, TransUnion partner to boost identity management
The partnership aims to enable better-informed decisions when it comes to onboarding new customers.
TransUnion's director of analytics to share ML case study
Frans Potgieter will outline the enablers of an effective machine learning model at ITWeb AI 2019 on 20 August.
Are you prepared for POPIA compliance?
Complete our Data Privacy Survey and you could win a Google Home Hub valued at R2 800.


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At one point, self-driving cars seemed destined to become the future of driving. After all, it feels like an obvious and important step in worldwide transition towards automation in just about every possible industry, particularly given how many lives are lost behind the wheel around the world due to human error. However, the transition has proved far more complex than what might have once seemed like a straightforward switch and recent developments from Tesla might be an indication of how the technology will be employed in the future.
Despite what the name might suggest, Tesla’s Full Self Driving (FSD) system is a far less comprehensive system than the masses might’ve imagined when the concept of self-driving cars was first conceived. When measured by SAE International’s Levels of Driving Automation metric, the features of Tesla’s FSD system only qualifies as a Level 2 of five possible levels, which offers a fairly clear indication that we’re talking about a ‘light-touch’ approach to self-driving. The system doesn’t take the wheel out of the hands of the driver seat occupiers, instead, it offers a collection of features designed to make subtle adjustments that support the driver and ensure a safer driving experience, such as speed control and object detection. It’s important to note that the system requires the driver to remain in full control over the vehicle at all times and in no way operates as a replacement for manual human driving. Tesla had previously declared its intentions to develop and release a software that would fall under SAE’s Level 5 guidelines, making it fully safe-driving program, but it appears that this initial optimism may have been premature.
Tesla’s rollout plan for the current program, FSD beta 10.2, was designed to put the technology to use in the vehicles of its safest drivers, as determined by an in-house Safety Score beta. FSD would first be made available to drivers who had accrued a 100/100 score. These scores are generated by a built-in system which judges drivers on their performance and penalises them for perceived bad driving habits, such as late breaking. The Safety Score Beta has itself been criticises by Tesla drivers, who feel the tech lacks the contextual awareness to effectively and fairly evaluate their driving. This is an issue that critics of the entire concept of self-driving cars have often led with and it would appear that Tesla’s current work will not be doing much to quell those concerns. While putting the new tech in the hands of those who have to strongest track record of safe driving appears on the surface like a logical decision, it does raise the question of who is supervising who in this relationship, if Tesla does not yet trust implementing the technology in the cars that, in theory, are in most need of it. The rollout was scheduled to begin on Saturday, but it was announced in tweets by CEO Elon Musk that it would be pushed back by a few days due to “a few last minute concerns”. The rollout has since begun trickling out, so we now eagerly await the first run of feedback from Tesla drivers.
Whatever version of the Full Self Driving system has made its way into Tesla’s this week, it appears it will be a far cry from the vision of ‘drivers’ being able to kick their feet up on the dash while their automated chauffeur carries them home after a big night. Whether that’s for better or worse will be up to the person behind the wheel to decide, but given the trouble that a massive, groundbreaking company like Tesla have had even getting the software ready for consumer use might be a sign that we still have a ways to go before the technology becomes a mainstream fixture in our lives.


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Meta Verified for Facebook and Instagram will require users to submit a government ID to get a blue verification badge.
Meta has announced it is testing a new subscription service allowing Facebook and Instagram users to pay for a verified account.
Meta Verified will be available for $11.99 (€11.23) a month on the web or $14.99 (€14) a month on Apple and Android operating systems.
The company is taking a page from Twitter's playbook in launching a subscription service. Late last year, Twitter began charging users $8 per month for Twitter Blue, which verifies their account with a blue check.
Announcing Meta Verified on his social media accounts on Sunday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said testing would begin in New Zealand and Australia this week and the service would be rolled out to other countries soon.
Public figures and others who were previously verified won't be affected by the change, Meta said.
Meta Verified is aimed at influencers and others who use social media for their business but aren't notable public figures.
Towards subscription-based social media?
Social media companies have been trying to find new revenue sources as online advertising slows.
Earlier this month, Meta announced its third consecutive quarter of revenue declines despite an increase in users. In November, it announced it was laying off 11,000 workers, or 13 per cent of its workforce.
The drama around Twitter’s own subscription service apparently hasn’t put off Meta, one of its main competitors, from following in its steps.
Twitter Blue has been surrounded by confusion, U-turns, and mocking Internet memes aimed at subscribers.
Twitter caused a further stir around its subscription service on the weekend, announcing that users would lose the ability to secure their accounts with two-factor authentication via text message unless they subscribe to Twitter Blue.
The launch of Twitter Blue was originally paused after it descended into chaos with mass impersonation even impacting the stock prices of major companies.
Subsequent changes attempted to address the issue of impersonation, but Twitter Blue still does not require photo ID to get verified - meaning any account that pays the $8 (€7.48) monthly fee can get a blue tick.
Meta Verified is different in that it will require a government ID. Zuckerberg said those who get verified will get a “blue badge” as well as extra protection against impersonation and direct access to customer support.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” he said in his post on Sunday.


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Donald Trump has raised the stakes in the simmering US-China trade war, imposing higher tariffs on $200bn (£154bn) of Chinese goods. Here are the answers to key questions about the dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
What has Donald Trump done?
The US president has ratcheted up existing import tariffs of 10% on certain Chinese goods sold in the US to 25%.
The increase came into effect on Friday on a long list of products shipped after 12.01am EDT.
There was no breakthrough in talks in Washington between the US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, and the Chinese vice-premier Liu He before the midnight deadline.
Trump has warned 25% tariffs could be imposed on a further $325bn of goods in future, which would mean all Chinese imports being covered by tariffs.
How will China respond?
The short answer is, we do not know. Geng Shuang, at China’s foreign ministry, told reporters to “stay tuned” about any retaliation.
In a statement shortly after the tariff increase came into effect, China’s commerce ministry said it “deeply regrets” the need to take “necessary countermeasures”.
What is clear is that Beijing will not be able to impose reciprocal tariffs, because China’s imports from the US are less than $200bn. But it does have other options, including raising existing tariffs, restricting US companies in China and making it tougher for Americans to qualify for visas.
That said, China has also expressed hope both sides could reach an agreement.
How have markets reacted?
Recent stock market moves had been relatively muted as negotiations continued, but Trump’s escalation of tensions at the start of the week prompted a major selloff. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average had its worst one-day drop since January.
However, there was little reaction in European markets on Friday morning, with all investors firmly focused on the talks.
Investors also took heart from the unofficial grace period offered by Washington, which means goods that set off from China to the US before the midnight deadline will still be taxed at 10%.
What tariffs were in place already?
These are only the latest tariffs imposed in the tit-for-tat dispute. Washington has put tariffs on some Chinese goods sold in the US for about a year. They are on top of broader tariffs used by Trump that have affected China and other trading partners such as the EU, Canada and Mexico, on goods including steel and aluminium.
The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on $50bn of Chinese tech goods in June 2018, covering aerospace, automobiles, communications and robotics, in an attempt to hinder Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” initiative aimed at strengthening its manufacturing and technology base.
The White House then imposed tariffs of 10% on $200bn of goods in September, on a wider range of products including food ingredients, construction materials, bike parts and burglar alarms. These are the tariffs that have been increased to 25%.
China has retaliated to previous measures with $110bn of tariffs on US goods, including agricultural produce such as soya beans, as well as cars, luggage, electronics, housewares and food.
What does Trump hope to achieve?
The roots of the dispute are Trump’s “America first” project to protect the US’s position as the world’s leading economy, while encouraging businesses to hire more workers in the US and to manufacture products there.
Trump complains of a large trade deficit with China, which he views as a symbol of the US’s decline as a manufacturing powerhouse. According to US Census Bureau data, Chinese imports to the US totalled $539.5bn last year, while $120.3bn was sold the other way – a trade deficit of $419.2bn.
The US president has accused Beijing of “unfair” trade policies, including allowing the theft of US companies’ intellectual property. The threat of import tariffs on Chinese goods is being used as leverage in talks in which Trump is seeking changes to Beijing’s trade policy.
What does it mean for consumers?
Trump has sold the tariffs as a boon for US workers (and voters) that will bring back employment to “rust belt” industrial areas that have lost jobs to China. However, the overwhelming economic consensus is that tariffs are mostly passed on via higher prices – ultimately paid by those same workers.
Shipping times between the US and China mean the majority of price increases are likely to be passed on in two to four weeks’ time – enough time for a deal that would avoid higher prices and potentially dodge a significant blow to economic growth.
Is a peace deal still possible?
Trump is well known for ramping up the rhetoric in trade talks and has previously said he can only secure new trade deals by threatening or imposing tariffs on trading partners.
Having said that, the White House has confirmed talks between the two sides would resume on Friday, with hopes a deal could still be reached.
Trump said on Thursday he had received a “beautiful letter” from China’s president, Xi Jinping. He quoted Xi as saying: “Let’s work together, let’s see if we can get something done.”


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Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has welcomed the famed Detroit rapper Eminem as a member.
Apes are Ethereum-based digital tokens that were acquired by the developer on Thursday night for 123.45 ETH ($452,000). He has subsequently made the monkey his Twitter profile image. Nevertheless, he seems to have amassed at least 15 NFTs on OpenSea under the alias Shady Holdings, which he has used to trade them.
In the music industry, Eminem is one of the most successful musicians of all time, despite selling well over 220 million albums worldwide. In addition, he is the first rapper to have ever received an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, of the kind that he received for the song “Lose Yourself” from the film “8 Mile,” respectively. Aside from that, he has received countless American Music Awards including 15 Grammy Awards.
The Creator of Bored Ape NFT
GeeGazza, a fellow BAYC member who offered the Bored ape NFT to Eminem, said today that the transaction becoming such a reality is “madness” and that he is “alive in a fiction.” “I’m living in a simulation,” he said. Eminem has not made any public statements about the transaction at this time.
GeeGazza had been attempting to sell this monkey to Eminem for many months at this point. In November, he said, “I still believe that Eminem is meant to purchase my Bored Ape at some point in the future.” Also, he said, “You have no idea how long I’ve been visualizing that Eminem would purchase my ape.”
Six, a digital agency focusing on creators, has claimed responsibility for the sale of the BAYC NFT to Eminem, claiming on Twitter that their creator-oriented firm assisted in the acquisition of the ape, which they have dubbed “EminApe.” (In fact, the monkey does have a resemblance to the rapper.) Other clients include included rap group Wu-Tang Clan, electronic musicians Tycho and Galantis, and others with whom the firm has collaborated in the past.
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Eminem’s Journey in NFT
Eminem has recently entered the second-largest NFT project on OpenSea in terms of the volume with the release of his new EminApe. As according to CryptoSlam, the BAYC has exchanged 284,765 ETH ($977.6 million) in subsequent transactions so far, and the target rate is now at 60 ETH ($220,000), according to the company.
Aside from NBA star Stephen Curry and talk show presenter Jimmy Fallon, Eminem has joined a long list of other celebrities who have taken part in the prank so far.
Bored Apes has eclipsed CryptoPunks in terms of floor price, which is a significant accomplishment for a prototype that only began operations in April 2021.


text: The consumer preview of Windows 8 is coming soon, and at the same time, the Windows Store is going to open. Microsoft has been reaching out to developers ahead of time to tell them to look at the store submission process now, and they even recommend “reserving” a unique name for any upcoming app. It’s not clear how hard Microsoft will clamp down on app names, but it is clear that confusing names have been a problem for end-users as some developers use logos and names of other brands. Just search for a famous brand in an app store, and you’ll see what I mean.In any case, Microsoft intends to learn from mistakes and shortfalls of others before it launches its own Windows Store. Part of this, says Microsoft, is to make the process more transparent and it will try to provide more feedback to developers when something doesn’t pass the qualification. This is really the continuation of what Microsoft has done with the Windows Phone store, and it will be interesting to see if “reserving” the names will address both developer and end-user concerns. Let’s not that this doesn’t turn into a big “land-grabbing” contest.