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The economy grew at a record pace in the third quarter, increasing 7.4 percent over the prior quarter and at a 33.1 percent annual rate, recovering about two-thirds of the ground it lost earlier in the coronavirus pandemic.
Gross domestic product is the value of all goods and services produced across the economy and it jumped following a record decline from earlier in the pandemic when the virus and related shutdowns disrupted business activity across the country. That puts the economy about 3.5 percent smaller than at the end of last year, adjusted for inflation and seasonal fluctuations.
The third-quarter increase followed a 9 percent quarter-to-quarter decline in the second quarter, or a 31.4 percent annualized drop.
The catch: The economy is still smaller than it was before the pandemic. Output is down 3.5 percent since the end of 2019. And economists don’t think the third quarter’s torrid pace of growth will continue. That means it could take some time for the economy to recoup all of its pandemic-related losses.
Consumers are spending
The Commerce Department said personal-consumption expenditures (a measure of household spending on goods and services) rose 1.4 percent last month. Consumers have increased spending since the summer, although the pace of gains slowed into early fall.
Personal income, which is a measure of what households receive from wages and salaries, government aid and investments, was up last 0.9 percent month, after a sharp decline in August, rising on higher pay and remaining pandemic-related aid.
Consumers last month doled out more on autos, clothing and footwear, continuing a trend of robust outlays on goods due to pent-up demand from pandemic-related economic disruptions.
Goods spending rose 2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis. Spending on services was up 1.1 percent over the month, with higher outlays on health care, fitness and entertainment. Services businesses were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and service-sector spending remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Durable goods are in demand
The Commerce Department reports that new orders for durable goods, products designed to last at least three years, rose 1.9 percent in September compared with August.
A closely watched proxy for business investment, new orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, increased by 1 percent last month. The measure had recovered all of its pandemic-related losses by August, suggesting that businesses have ramped up capacity in anticipation of growing demand.
A closely watched proxy for business investment is new orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft. This measure recouped all its pandemic-related losses by August.
Orders for transportation equipment helped drive overall gains in September, while military orders were a big drag. Excluding transportation, orders were up 0.8 percent. Excluding defense, they were 3.4 percent higher than the previous month.
Demand has been especially high for autos, electronics and communications equipment, a category that includes telephones, suggesting U.S. consumer demand is also helping lift factories. Households have responded to the pandemic by cutting spending on services such as travel and in-person entertainment and increasing purchases of goods such as cars and computers.
Home sales take a breather
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) say the pending sales of existing homes fell 2.2 percent in September which is the first monthly contraction of that figure in four months.
The report is the latest indicator that showed the housing market cooled in September after being strong throughout the summer. Sales of existing homes fell in September as well, NAR reported earlier this month, and the Commerce Department said sales of newly constructed homes fell in September, too.
Despite the modest decline, contract signings are still up 20.5 percent from a year earlier, the industry trade group said. Three out of the four regions tracked by NAR saw monthly declines. Only the Northeast reported a month-over-month gain.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, which measures average home prices in major metropolitan areas across the nation, rose 5.7 percent in the year that ended in August, up from a 4.8 percent annual rate the prior month.
The Institute for Supply Management said its purchasing managers index for manufacturing rose to the highest level in more than two years in October. U.S. factories reported a surge in new orders as customer inventories shrank. Manufacturers also reported increased hiring for the first time in 14 months.
The October Manufacturing PMI® registered 59.3 percent, up 3.9 percentage points from the September reading of 55.4 percent and the highest since September 2018 (59.3 percent). This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy for the sixth month in a row after a contraction in April, which ended a period of 131 consecutive months of growth.
The New Orders Index registered 67.9 percent, an increase of 7.7 percentage points from the September reading of 60.2 percent. The Production Index registered 63 percent; an increase of 2 percentage points compared to the September reading of 61 percent. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 55.7 percent, 0.5 percentage point higher compared to the September reading of 55.2 percent.
Logistics Manager’s Index climbs
The recently released October 2020 Logistics Manager's Index (LMI) suggests that the logistics industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. The LMI is at 71.6, up over 20 points from six months ago when it reached an all-time low of 51.3 in April 2020.
The score of 71.6 is the highest score the overall index has reached since June of 2018. October’s growth is being driven by logistics metrics across the board. Firms are reporting increasing levels of inventory, contracting capacity, and increasing levels of both utilization and price.
Ecommerce is predicted to be up by 50 percent year-over-year in Q4, a sharp jump from the 13 percent increase that was predicted pre-pandemic. Ecommerce tends to be more logistics-intensive, requiring firms to carry more inventory and utilize more trucks and warehouses. Because e-commerce is growing at quadruple the predicted rate, it has been difficult for firms to procure the infrastructure necessary to fulfill consumer demand. This reflected in the plummeting rates of available Warehousing Capacity, which this month read in at their lowest-ever level in the history of the LMI®. Transportation Capacity is dropping even more rapidly and this month we observe subsequent increases in the cost of each.
Amazon continues growth
Amazon, which accounts for more than a third of online sales in the U.S., has recorded record profits during the pandemic. The company posted a record $88.91 billion in sales during its second quarter, and profit doubled to $5.24 billion from the same period last year.
Amazon plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers in the U.S. and Canada heading into the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays ahead of an expected surge in online orders.
Amazon says the seasonal workers would pack and deliver items, among other roles, during the holiday shopping rush. The additions build on the company’s hiring spree this year to meet soaring demand during the coronavirus pandemic, even as companies across a range of industries have cut their workforces and filed for bankruptcy.
They have promoted more than 35,000 operations employees, including fulfillment-center workers, across North America this year. Amazon said it pays its workers at least $15 an hour.
The race to hire is on
In addition to Amazon’s hiring binge, warehouse operators across the U.S. are rushing to hire workers amid a boom in online sales, a bright spot for a labor market that faces mounting challenges.
With purchases set to hit a holiday record, companies that order, pack and ship goods are moving up seasonal hiring earlier in the year and converting gig positions to full-time roles at a faster clip than before, according to employers and staffing agencies. Many are also raising wages and lowering the bar on education and experience requirements to get people in the door.
While overall employment across the U.S. is still nearly 11 million below pre-virus levels, the warehousing and storage industry is one of the few sectors where employment is actually higher than before the pandemic: 1.25 million people were on payrolls in September, about 46,000 more than in February.
UPS Inc. is adding more than 100,000 seasonal workers, a slight increase from last year, after already hiring tens of thousands earlier this year. FedEx plans to hire 75,000, 27 percent higher than last year.
Retailers like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., as well as e-commerce companies such as Instacart Inc., have also seen immense growth online and hired hundreds of thousands of workers.
Insurance woes for truckers
One key factor contributing to trucking’s increasingly challenging insurance market is the proliferation of “nuclear” verdicts which are defined as judgments of $10 million or higher awarded in cases involving truck crashes.
In practice, plaintiffs’ attorneys are trying to reach jurors who instinctively want to protect family and community from danger and punish through their verdict. The strategy does not necessarily focus on fault or facts. Its calling card is fear and revulsion, and convincing juries to hand down verdicts intended to punish the defendant trucking firm and send a message to the industry.
As part of this trend, attorneys are conducting deep research into trucking company history, operations, practices, procedures and documentation, seeking evidence to support claims of institutional negligence or bad practices that could allegedly contribute to poor safety and cause accidents.
Trucking has become a target for attorneys, hit a truck & get a large check. The resulting insurance premiums put many smaller carriers out of business.
Current freight market
According to DAT Solutions, the average per-mile price, including fuel, to book truckload transport on the U.S. spot market in October hit a record high at $2.41.
In the week ending November 1st this record rate topped the previous record that was set in September, as disrupted supply chains see more and more freight moved on the spot market. Load-to-truck ratios rose at month's end after falling in recent weeks.
After hitting $2.41 per mile in October, the national average rate per mile for dry van freight so far in November is trending at $2.39 per mile.
Most publicly held truckload companies are posting solid numbers as a result of the pricing strength they have. LTL companies likewise and are experiencing strong freight and good operating ratios.
Railroads see intermodal growth
Third-quarter 2020 intermodal volumes rose 1.2 percent to 4,719,462 units compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) Intermodal Quarterly report.
Year over year, international intermodal volume fell 6.5 percent to 2,290,299 containers, while domestic volume rose 9.8 percent to 2,103,361 containers. Trailers climbed 9.8 percent to 325,802 units during the quarter.
The truckload constraints in capacity are clearly driving shippers to use intermodal to keep the freight flowing.
In the week ending October 24th, this trend is confirmed according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.
U.S. railroads logged 522,653 carloads and intermodal units; a 1.9 percent percent increase compared with the same week in 2019. Total carloads for the week were 227,543 units, down 6.5 percent, while intermodal volume was 295,110 containers and trailers, up 9.4 percent.
At Wagner Logistics
Wagner continues to operate well through the pandemic. While focused on onboarding new clients, the team continues to serve our existing customers while planning for the holidays and the surge of business that comes with it.
Our transportation group is handling an increase in freight as well balancing the need for customers to control costs while working with carriers to get them the dollars they need.
As we reach the halfway point in November I couldn’t be more proud of this organization.
What may Wagner Logistics do for you? We have an extensive history of 74 years of service to our customers and would love the opportunity to collaborate with you.
As we say every day, Bring it!
Have a great day!
John Wagner Jr.
About Wagner Logistics
Wagner Logistics was founded in 1946 on the principle that every customer is a big deal and that continues to pervade our mentality, producing a superior customer experience. The company began in trucking and remains dynamic offering top-notch transportation, dedicated warehousing and robust fulfillment services. We strive to produce innovative solutions, in addition to our superior onboarding process which makes transitions seamless, and have been honored 20 years in a row by Inbound Logistics as a Top 100 3PL. Our customers drive our entry into new geographic markets, technological advances and ever-changing distribution challenges. Where do you want to be? Wagner says, Bring It!


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Google reportedly is consolidating its various hardware projects into a new business division championed by former Motorola boss Rick Osterloh. Osterloh, who ran Lenovo's Motorola business for the last...
Company officials want to help partners keep up to date on their products through their new Elevate channel events
Daily tech news and analysis channel partners need to know now, including SafeBreach's platform upgrade, Emerging tech's top five, Cisco's Bahr and more
The vendor's OneXafe and ShadowXafe designed to aid midsize enterprises with managing, storing and protecting data
Spiceworks study shows customers only replacing ageing tech when it fails

domain: news


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Donald Trump says no big summit with Xi Jinping just yet, wants China trade deal first
President Trump said Thursday he’s not ready to announce a trade summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying he’d like to strike a deal first.
Mr. Trump, seated with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, said he should know within four weeks whether they can reach a pact.
“If we have a deal, we’ll have a summit,” he told White House reporters.
Striking a trade deal with the Asian superpower is a key priority for Mr. Trump.
Warring tariffs between the nations have disrupted markets and U.S. sectors such as agriculture, though Mr. Trump says they’re a point of leverage that will work in the end.
“They very much want to make a deal. We’ll see what happens,” Mr. Trump said of China during an earlier event Thursday. “We’ve been losing for many years four-, five-, 600 billion dollars a year, we’re losing. It’s got to be a great deal.”
The president has suggested he will leave tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods even after a deal is struck, to ensure China complies with the terms.
“We’re going to make a very good deal or we’re not going to make a deal at all,” Mr. Trump said. “But it looks like it is moving along very nicely.”


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When Reddit user sickleshwam posted the above image, we were provided with the perfect illustration of why you should always wash your fruit before eating it.
The title of Sickleshwam's post explains it all: "So, I was eating grapes in the dark and noticed a lot of the grapes had a web like substance on them."
It's unclear what type of spider is pictured, but it's known that black widow spiders can be a problem in California vineyards producing table grapes. The Central Valley Business Times explains that new, less toxic miticides and insecticides, which are used to eradicate pests like mites, leafhoppers and mealybugs, often fail to kill black widow spiders.
In 2008, Fresnostatenews.com wrote that reports of black widow spiders found in supermarket grapes were cropping up in New Zealand and Massachusetts. Fresno State plant science professor Dr. Andrew Lawson told the publication that the “movement of any black widow from the vineyard to the market place presents an immediate concern to the table grape industry,” Lawson said.
For the record, here are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendations about washing fruit:
Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. This includes produce grown conventionally or organically at home, or purchased from a grocery store or farmer's market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap or detergent or using commercial produce washes is not recommended.
11. Blue Plastic Chips Found In Ground Beef
This was by no means one of the most dangerous food safety incidents of the year, but it was one of the strangest.
10. Metal Fragments Found In Craisins
Metal fragments seem worse than blue plastic chips, right? This one also was non-lethal.
9. Listeria Found In Keebler's Factory
Kellogg's shut down production at its Keebler and Famous Amos factory after listeria was found on the cookies in June.
8. Norovirus Found In Oysters
A shocking three-quarters of oysters in UK were found to contain food poisoning agent norovirus in a November food safety investigation.
7. Salmonella Found In Pine Nuts
42 people fell sick after eating salmonella-tainted pine nuts bought at Wegman's Supermarkets in October. Two-and-a-half tons of the nuts were then recalled from stores.
6. Radiation Found In Fish
Compared to the human tragedy that ensued after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan early this year, this seems small. But discovering that many fish in the Pacific had been contaminated with nuclear radiation sent a jolt throughout the entire fishing industry -- and may still have effects on cancer rates down the line.
5. Salmonella Found In Ground Turkey
Dozens of Americans got salmonella after eating ground turkey from a tainted batch this August.
4. All Sorts Of Food Safety Crazy In China
Multiple deadly food safety incidents cropped up in China this year -- including one, in February, that affected over 100 schoolchildren, some of whom are pictured above. But the Chinese government struck back against food poisoning in a big way: it ruled that the punishment for serious infractions would be death.
3. E. Coli Found In Sprouts
When it comes to food safety, early summer and late spring were dominated by one story: Europe's gigantic E. coli outbreak, in which over 1000 were sickened. Part of the fascination was tied up in the mystery of the outbreak's source... people couldn't figure out the vector of the poisoning until finally scientists isolated one German farm's sprouts as the likely culprit.
2. More Than 150 Die Of Adulterated Alcohol
In what appears to be the deadliest food poisoning outbreak of the year, more than 170 people died after drinking adulterated alcohol in one district in eastern India.
1. Listeria Found In Cantaloupes
The deadliest food poisoning outbreak in a century of American history brought the country to its knees, with dozens dead after ingesting listeria along with cantaloupes from Jensen Farms outside Denver.


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Mark Zuckerberg says that Meta has “major updates” planned for its VR graphics after previously sharing an image of his own VR avatar that was widely mocked. He said the company would share more details about the changes at its upcoming Connect conference.
Zuckerberg’s update comes several days after a screenshot from Horizon Worlds, the company’s social VR environment, went viral on Twitter.
The images were originally shared last week alongside an announcement that Horizon Worlds was launching in France and Spain. The screenshot showed a nearly featureless Zuckerberg avatar in front of a VR Eiffel Tower and Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia. The image quickly took on a life of its own on Twitter as people mocked the low-res and amateur-looking graphics. In particular, many questioned why Zuckerberg’s avatar was so flat and lifeless when the company has spent billions of dollars and staked its future on the success of the metaverse.
Come work for Meta, where the most brilliant technologists of the day have achieved 1995 level graphics https://t.co/mHJJohZo1i
— Emily G (@EmilyGorcenski) August 17, 2022
Though Zuckerberg didn’t directly address the critiques, he acknowledged the image he had previously shared was “pretty basic,” and promised improvements. His latest post included two new, much more detailed and lifelike renders: his avatar and an outdoor scene depicting ancient ruins.
Mark Zuckerberg's Horizon Worlds avatar is getting a glow up pic.twitter.com/9Dr4fzdiBo
— Karissa Bell (@karissabe) August 19, 2022
“I know the photo I posted earlier this week was pretty basic — it was taken very quickly to celebrate a launch,” Zuckerberg wrote. “The graphics in Horizon are capable of much more — even on headsets — and Horizon is improving very quickly.”Continue Reading


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Budweiser Forgoes Annual Super Bowl Commercial, Will Use Marketing Funds Towards COVID Vaccine Awareness
Budweiser has aired a Super Bowl commercial every year since 1983
For the first time in nearly four decades, Budweiser will not be running a commercial during the Super Bowl.
On Monday, the beer brand announced that it will be forgoing its annual Super Bowl commercial slot after 37 years of iconic advertisements, such as the Budweiser Frogs, the Bud Bowl and the "Puppy Love" and "Lost Dogs" commercials.
Instead, the company, owned by Anheuser-Busch, will be allocating marketing funds towards COVID-19 vaccine awareness and access in partnership with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative.
"Like everyone else, we are eager to get people back together, reopen restaurants and bars, and be able to gather to cheers with friends and family," Budweiser vice president of marketing Monica Rustgi said in a statement, per USA Today. "To do this, and to bring consumers back into neighborhood bars and restaurants that were hit exceptionally hard by the pandemic, we're stepping in to support critical awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine."
Budweiser still plans to run a Super Bowl ad digitally, which was shared on Twitter Monday. Narrated by actress Rashida Jones, the 90-second clip, titled "Bigger Picture," focuses on the resilience of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a group of healthcare workers who receive the vaccine.
"For the first time in 37 years, Budweiser will not air a Super Bowl ad," a message near the end of the clip reads. "Instead, we are redirecting our advertising dollars to raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccines."
"See you at the games next year," the message adds at the conclusion of the video.
Other big-time brand companies like Coke, Hyundai and Pepsi have also opted out of running Super Bowl commercials this year amid the pandemic.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola told CNBC earlier this month that the company's decision to forgo a Super Bowl commercial was "a difficult choice" but that they are "investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times." Meanwhile, a Hyndai spokesperon told Ad Age that "this was a decision based on marketing priorities and where we felt it was best to allocate our marketing resources," but promised "we will certainly be back."
According to CNBC, a commercial for last year's Super Bowl — which drew around 100 million viewers — costed $5.6 million. This year, it will cost $5.5 million to run an ad during the CBS telecast.
Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida will feature a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams punched their Super Bowl tickets by winning their respective championship games on Sunday.
Several companies have shared teasers of their Super Bowl commercials, including Doritos, which will feature Mindy Kaling, Jimmy Kimmel and Matthew McConaughey, and Cheetos, which stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.
Super Bowl LV will air on CBS at 6:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 7.


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Food chain needs stronger powers to protect producers – McGuinness
Legislation at EU level may be the way forward to combat market imbalances and producer powerlessness in the food chain, according to Mairead McGuinness (MEP).
The MEP for Midlands North West said that the ‘hands-off, softly-softly’ approach on the issue of market imbalances and producer powerlessness in the food chain needs to come to an end.
McGuinness said it should be replaced with a far more assertive system, most likely a legislative one.
“The EU is currently relying on the main players, the multiples and others, to do the right thing in terms of the treatment of suppliers, yet unfair commercial practices persist.”
McGuinness said this is reflected in the actions taken by the EU Commission to establish a Forum on the Food Supply chain, which has led to a voluntary code of conduct aimed at addressing problems in the chain.
“This development is welcome but weak because it relies on voluntary codes. In several member states legislation has been passed to address this issue, leading to unequal situations in the internal market.
“I believe that legislation at EU level would achieve a level playing field for all – farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and consumers – with clear rules around acceptable market behavior and unacceptable unfair commercial practices.
“That way the law applies equally across the EU and not just on a member state by member state basis.”


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CEBU CITY, Philippines – wedding anniversary.
A simple line that makes our hearts beat a little faster.
Why? Because it is on that day, we can say our selves to the person we will cherish forever.
For this reason, a group of wedding providers in Cebu decided to give couples in Cordova a special wedding gift.
Gie Cane, together with Cebu Weddings and Events Planner and several other wedding providers, gave five fishermen and trisikad drivers a free wedding with that certain something.
Instead of the usual photos of bridal cars, the team decided to use “Trisikads” as bridal cars to make it funnier and more unique for the couples.
“We just decided to host a free wedding for her to return the blessings we have received since the wedding industry began. We love your touch and your life, we love to inspire despite pandemic events, “said Cane.
(We just decided to have a free wedding for her to return the graces we’ve received since the wedding industry began. We just want to touch lives, inspire, despite everything that’s happening during this pandemic.)
Read: Wedding planners pay it up, giving 5 couples a wedding to remember
Cane was the wedding coordinator. He was assisted by Jacky Tecson Acebes, the wedding planner.
But not only the two made this project possible. A whole team of wedding providers gave all of their services for free to help make this wedding a dream come true.
Cane said they screened the couples.
“They had to be with children for 10 years or more and not yet married,” she said.
This civil mass wedding took place on April 19, 2021. It was headed by the Mayoress of Cordova, Therese Sitoy Cho.
Congratulations to the bride and groom!
For the wedding suppliers team, your kind hearts made their wedding day a first day for the books.


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Released almost a year ago, the HTC Desire is still a very popular Android phone in the market. HTC has brought this phone into the spotlight again, announcing the Gingerbread update for HTC Desire. But the consumers are already confused – after initially saying there would be a Gingerbread update, HTC recently backtracked, saying there would not be a Gingerbread update for the Desire.
Just yesterday HTC announced on their Facebook page that “Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you.”
This news really disappointed the users and the web communities cried out. Apparently that was enough to push HTC to the edge and they turned around again. Their Facebook page changed, saying they are going to bring Gingerbread to HTC Desire contrary to what they had said earlier. It is really weird that the problem which could not be solved after “working hard for the past few months” was solved in only one day due to the public reaction. Publicity trick or poor decision making? Whichever, the end result is good for the HTC Desire users. Sooner or later they are going to get Gingerbread update for HTC Desire.


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The International Logistics and Material Handling trade show in Spain (SIL) has honoured Dematic with the SIL Logistics Award.
Dematic Europe GmbH was named “Best international logistics company” at the start of June during the official launch celebrations for the 13th International Logistics and Material Handling trade fair “Salón International de la Logística” (SIL) in Barcelona. This award represents the panel’s recognition of the commitment and level of success of the intralogistics specialist in the Spanish market. The prize was accepted at the award ceremony by Mike Gonzalez, CEO of Dematic Europe, and Manuel Munoz, Country Manager, Spain. “Dematic has had a presence in Europe since 1930 and is able to cite a number of heavyweight references in this important market, in all key sectors”, was Gonzalez’ comment on the award. “We view this award as the incentive to continue expanding our scope of many already well-known reference customers in the Mediterranean region thanks to tried and trusted quality and innovative solutions.”
With over 50,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors from almost 70 countries around the world, Spain’s International Logistics and Material Handling trade fair is the logistics sector’s top event in the entire Mediterranean region. The renowned SIL Logistics Award is one of the country’s most important logistics awards. This year is the seventh time that the prize has been awarded.
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Philips Temporarily Stops Selling New Sleep Apnea Devices in the US The company agreed to this in a settlement with the US regulatory agency FDA.
The healthcare technology group announced this while releasing its quarterly and annual figures. Agreements with the FDA still have to go through a US court.
These agreements, among others, require Philips to first meet several conditions before the company can sell new sleep apnea devices in the United States. It may take years.
Philips has not admitted any fault or liability in this settlement with the FDA. The company expects these contracts to result in an additional burden of 363 million euros.
The company had to recall millions of sleep apnea devices starting in 2021 because the insulation foam could loosen, harming patients' health. The issue has already cost Philips hundreds of millions in compensation for the defective machines.
The loss is lower than the previous year
Last November, the FDA again warned of problems with Philips sleep apnea devices. This time it's about the DreamStation 2 sleep apnea device overheating. Reports were received of fire, smoke, burns and other signs of overheating, the regulator wrote.
The healthcare technology company's woes haven't hindered revenue growth. Turnover was 18.2 billion euros, up 7 percent compared to the previous year. It is not enough to make a profit. Philips wrote off a full-year loss of 463 million euros. That's also an improvement on 2022, when the loss is 1.6 billion euros.
“Passionate analyst. Thinker. Devoted twitter evangelist. Wannabe music specialist.”


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Total deliveries from the Volvo Group’s truck operations in November amounted to 18,454 vehicles, an increase of 52% compared with the year-earlier period.
Volvo Trucks’ global deliveries in November were 96% higher than in the corresponding month last year. The deliveries to Europe amounted to 3,265 trucks, 113% up compared to the year earlier period. The year-to-date deliveries in Europe are up 45% from last year, with Germany noting strong deliveries.
In North America, the deliveries were 11,090 trucks year-to-date, with 1,602 trucks delivered during November. This is an increase by 127% compared to the same month 2009.
In South America the deliveries are up 60%, totalling 1,741 trucks for November. The majority, 1,439 trucks, were delivered to Brazil, which shows an increase in deliveries by 49% compared to the year earlier period. Deliveries in Asia are up 77% year-to-date, and 92% up for the isolated month.
Mack’s deliveries in November totaled 1,348 vehicles, up 32% compared with the year-earlier period. Increased demand for Class 8 highway and refuse truck sales has largely offset ongoing weakness in the construction truck market. Customer response to the company’s EPA2010 trucks featuring Mack ClearTech SCR technology continues to grow increasingly positive.
Deliveries from Renault Trucks in November increased by 51% compared with the year-earlier period, mainly due to heavy-duty trucks. Market situations are much contrasted between Southern Europe, where the recovery has yet to come, and Northern Europe where the market is more dynamic.
Deliveries of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks increased by 57% and light-duty by 40%.


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CALIFORNIA / Restaurants to warn diners about mercury / Lawsuits say public must be informed of risk of some fish
Published 4:00 am, Saturday, February 5, 2005
Major restaurant chains in California have agreed to warn their customers about the dangers of mercury in fish as part of a settlement of lawsuits by the state, Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Friday.
The warning will advise pregnant and nursing women, women who may become pregnant and young children not to eat swordfish, shark, king mackerel or tilefish, and to limit their consumption of tuna and other fish.
"We're not trying to discourage people from eating fish, which is an important source of protein and an important part of a balanced, healthy diet, " Lockyer said in a statement announcing the settlement. "But people have a right to know when they are being exposed to substances that cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm, and businesses have a legal duty to provide that notice."
Lockyer filed the suits in April 2003, accusing the restaurants of violating Proposition 65, a California law that requires warnings about public exposure to chemicals at levels that may cause cancer or birth defects.
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- GrubHub and Yelp Expand Reach to Offer Delivery to Over 80,000 Restaurants Wibbitz
Another suit in 2003 resulted in an agreement by major supermarkets to post warnings at fish counters. It was the first time that warnings had been applied to food products since voters approved Prop. 65 in 1986.
In June, Lockyer filed a suit seeking similar warnings on cans of albacore and chunk light tuna, drawing an indignant response from canners, who said their products were safe.
Mercury can damage the nervous system, affecting intelligence, memory and behavior. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children are particularly vulnerable. Compounds of methyl mercury, an organic form of the metal, are listed by the state as cancer-causing substances.
Mercury enters water or air as waste from mines, power plants and solid- waste incinerators and works its way up the food chain. The highest concentrations are found in large predatory ocean fish, including ahi tuna, albacore tuna, swordfish and shark.
Besides posting warning signs in a prominent area of each restaurant, the companies agreed to share a payment of $132,000 to finance programs to educate consumers about mercury and fish, and an equal amount in civil penalties.
The companies are Benihana, Bennigans, Brinker International, Cheesecake Factory, Claim Jumper Restaurants, Darden Restaurants, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Landry's Restaurants, McCormick & Schmick Management Group, Morton's Restaurant Group, Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, TS Restaurants and Yard House Restaurants.


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SHELTON, Conn. — Chef Brian Stockbridge is carving out a familiar niche under a new name on Howe Avenue in Shelton.
After his signature Stockbridge’s Cheesecakes closed in late 2014, fans of the decadent treat were bereft.
After all, this was no run-of-the-mill cheesecake: Connecticut Magazine crowned Stockbridge’s version as the Best Cheesecake in Connecticut for 11 of the 15 years he owned the unassuming Howe Avenue storefront.
Worry no more: Stockbridge is back in action — just under a different name.
Dee’s Kitchen has been open at the same location since August. One of the first things the new owners did was to woo Stockbridge back into the kitchen.
“Most of the people coming in are repeat customers who used to come in to Stockbridge’s,” said Stockbridge, who had closed the bakery for personal reasons. “It’s been good.”
A longtime California resident, Stockbridge came East to train at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in the 1980s. He didn’t set out to specialize in cheesecake, but as part of an early hotel job he had to churn out the confections. Soon, he began perfecting his style.
“I like making cheesecake. It’s my favorite thing to make because people really enjoy it,” said the Ansonia resident, who declined to reveal his recipe. “It’s a secret.”
Stockbridge and his team bake about 54 cheesecakes a day.
Variety is king in their kitchen. Cheesecake flavors run from regular New York style to pineapple, chocolate chip, cherry, Oreo and tiramisu.
Their cheesecakes can be made with a light graham cracker crust or with no crust, which makes them gluten free.
Dee’s Kitchen, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, also has a full range of breakfast and lunch options, including omelets, French toast, quiches, Philly cheesesteaks, salads and wraps.
Stockbridge and the restaurant’s new owners hope to branch out and offer the cheesecakes in other locations. “Ideas are out there,” he said.
Even if they don’t decide on wider distribution, Stockbridge said he’s happy making other people happy on Howe Avenue.
“We eat food because we have to,” he said. “We eat dessert because we want to.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice Shelton and receive free news updates.


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Out of the woods and Blackberry are a phrase and a word that should not be in one sentence, except this one. Blackberry recently announced that they were open to a sale. This is after the OS overhaul and new devices into the market running the new OS BB OS10 failing to hit the right spot with consumers.
Even with the new features, Blackberry has still failed to reinvent the business and regain the glory days. New reports now indicate that Blackberry could be facing a breakup, and that it’s inevitable.
Brian Huen of Red Sky Capital Management attributed this drop in value by the announcement that they were open for sale, even before anyone shows interest in you.
“Nobody is interested in buying the entire entity. I think they are now in the phase of saying, ‘We will do anything to maximize value, including breaking up the company”,” added Brian.
Bloomberg’s Hugo Miller reports that Blackberry’s main money maker, the handset business would have zero value in-case of a breakup.
“If a buyer closed the hardware unit in favor of its own technology, it would cost about $800 million, said BMO Capital Markets. BlackBerry’s patents, software and a secure network are each worth more than $1 billion, BMO said, and the company has about $2.8 billion in cash.” says Hugo.
Blackberry market-share is currently at 2.9% and things seem not to be improving. Business-wise, the value of Blackberry stock went down upon the announcement that they were open to sale.


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The Brandt Group of Companies has announced it will acquire Nortrax in Canada, solidifying its position as the largest privately-held John Deere dealership worldwide.
On Friday, Sept. 6, Brandt announced it has reached an agreement to acquire the Deere-owned businesses of Nortrax Canada Inc. and Nortrax Quebec Inc.
The deal will merge all John Deere Construction & Forestry dealerships in Canada under the Brandt banner and deliver unprecedented access to Deere products, parts and support services to Canadian contractors.
“The addition of Nortrax’s impressive branch and distribution network gives us an unprecedented opportunity to offer customers anywhere in Canada a consistent customer support experience, no matter where their projects take them.” said Shaun Semple, president and CEO of Brandt. “We are very proud to deliver the quality products and support services that Canadian customers rely on for their success, every single day.”
Nortrax Canada was created in 2008 after John Deere had acquired Ontrac four years earlier. The company recently opened a new branch in Val-d’Or, Québec this summer.
Nortrax operates 13 locations in Ontario, 12 in Quebec and four locations in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Outside of Canada, Nortrax owns 9 locations in the United States, throughout Maine, New Hampshire, New York State and Vermont.
Brandt in Canada
With the acquisition of the Nortrax locations in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, Brandt will own and operate 56 John Deere Construction & Forestry dealerships across Canada as well as more than 30 service points and will employ more than 3,400 people.
The acquisition will give Brandt a comprehensive retail footprint to supply construction and forestry equipment to Canadian contractors and will further establish the firm’s position as a premier privately-held Canadian company and the largest privately-owned John Deere Construction & Forestry dealership in the world.
“Having a strong, privately-held, Atlantic-to-Pacific-to-Arctic dealer will be a huge benefit to John Deere, guaranteeing stable leadership and unrivalled value for our customers,” said Chris Holmes, Nortrax president and CEO.
The agreement is expected to close on October 25.
The Brandt Group of Companies is headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan. The company has more than 50 locations in Canada and the United States, more than 2,500 employees and a growing international audience.
Brandt is also one of Canada’s largest privately-owned companies and a Platinum Member of Canada’s 50 Best-Managed Companies.


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Jeff Kloster has struck again. Back in January we told you about Dublin Bottling Work's move to bolster the Dublin soda industry. Maple and Motor still serves their sodas, and they're becoming more available by the day.
Now Velvet Taco plans to add more of Kloster's offerings. They've been carrying his Black Cherry Soda for the last two months, they're adding Dublin's Triple XXX root beer soon, and a third, yet to be determined soda, will follow in about a month.
Customers will get to decide which soda occupies that last fountain head. From 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. Thursday, Velvet Taco will be sampling six sodas for customers and tallying votes. The favorite will join their line up of craft sodas including Oogave and Main Root.
Meanwhile, Kloster marches on. A representative for his company just told me that Dublin Bottling works sodas are now available at more DFW restaurants than before the legal agreement ended Kloster's ties with soda giant Dr Pepper Snapple Group. They're also a featured sponsor for the Big Texas Beer fest in Fair Park this April. Craft beer, as you know, has seen a massive resurgence over the last decade. Kloster is hoping craft soda is next.
Keep the Dallas Observer Free... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Dallas with no paywalls.


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"This is an ultra-rare opportunity to secure a flagship Melbourne CBD premises in the heart of the city."
As we explored earlier this morning, the demand for inner-city commercial real estate in Melbourne is proving near-overwhelming, with reserve prices being consistently outdone, and generated yields sitting tighter than usual.
97 Elizabeth Street expects to echo these sentiments. The Fitzroys team of Chris James, Shawn Luo and David Bourke are presenting the property with price expectations in excess of $8 million.
“This is an ultra-rare opportunity to secure a flagship Melbourne CBD premises in the heart of the city,” Mr. James stated. “It’s rarer still to be able to own such a high exposure CBD asset.”
97 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
He’s right in that regard. The property is occupied by the national food operator Betty’s Burgers. The Retail Zoo-owned chain reportedly boosted its sales by approximately 20 per cent in 2021, and this CBD outlet is one of the brand’s most reputable and eminent stores. Situated on Elizabeth Street specifically, the property is located as centrally as a fast food restaurant can get.
“The property’s in one of the busiest parts of the CBD in terms of pedestrian traffic, on the ant trail to Flinders Street station and right at the Collins and Elizabeth Street intersection,” commented Mr. Luo.
According to the Melbourne City Council’s pedestrian traffic data, night-time activity is up across the CBD’s dining precincts, and weekend foot traffic is averaging above pre-pandemic levels. The city has opened its doors and is as active as ever, and that naturally leads to a wider range of customers making their way into convenient eateries like Betty’s Burgers.
Betty’s Burgers has a secure 10+10-year lease from December 2016 for the site, and currently returns $438,035 per annum plus outgoings and GST. For investors who are interested in owning a significant parcel of land in one of the highest density catchments in Australia, 97 Elizabeth Street might be worth a look.


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Germany Officially Recognized Bitcoin as a Legal Tender
The German Federal Ministry of Finances considers Bitcoin as tax-exempt so long as it is used as a means of payment, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported Thursday, March 1.
The German federal authority published its decision to not subject purchases with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency to taxes on Feb. 27, citing the European Court’s 2015 decision, which set a precedent for all members of the European Union.
The Court justified its taxing decision by stating that it considers cryptocurrency as a legal means of payment:
“So-called virtual currencies (cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin) are considered equal to the legal means of payment, as long as these so-called virtual currencies have been accepted as alternative and contractual means of payment by the parties involved in the transaction and have no other purpose than being used as a means of payment.”
According to the decision, a conversion from crypto to fiat or vice versa is classified as “other ...
March 2, 2018
PSA Peugeot Citroen drives to record profits in 2017
French carmaker PSA Group says it made record profits and sales last year despite the costs of buying long-struggling Opel.
PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, reported Thursday an 11.5 percent rise in net income to 1.9 billion euros ($2.3 billion). Sales grew over 20 percent to 65.2 billion euros, partly thanks to the addition of Opel.
CEO Carlos Tavares gave an upbeat forecast for the year and said the group will keep focusing on turning Opel around after years of losses. PSA bought General Motors' Germany-based Opel and Britain-based Vauxhall brands last year.
PSA is also taking advantage of new French labor rules championed by President Emmanuel Macron, planning 1,300 voluntary job cuts this year and restructuring its workforce to boost production of electric and autonomous vehicles.
PSA said it will pay an increased dividend of 0.53 euros per share for 2017, compared with 0.48 euros for 2016.
Source: Business Insider UK
March 1, 2018
Cities around the world increase the consumption of renewable energy
As nations drag their feet on even modest climate change commitments, cities continue to take up the slack, particularly in taking up clean energy. More than 40 cities worldwide, including several in the U.S., now get all their electricity from renewable sources, while at least 100 get at least 70% of their power from renewables. Many more have made commitments to go that way in the future.
The figures come from the CDP, which tracks the carbon disclosures of organizations in the public and private sectors. Since the signing of the Paris climate accord in 2015, it has seen the number of cities reporting their climate impacts shoot from 308 to 572. More cities, it says, are taking their climate roles seriously.
“There’s been a sharp rise in environmental reporting since the last time we did this,” says Kyra Appleby, head of CDP’s cities program. “There has been a lot of momentum ...
Feb. 27, 2018
HP Inc reports three-fold jump in profit
HP Inc reported a more than three-fold rise in first-quarter profit on Thursday as the company, formed out of the 2015 split of Hewlett-Packard Co, benefited from changes in the U.S. tax law and sold more personal computers and printers.
Net earnings rose to $1.94 billion, or $ 1.16 per share, in the quarter ended Jan. 31, from $611 million, or 36 cents per share, a year earlier.
The company reported a one-time tax gain of $1.03 billion in the quarter.
Revenue rose to $14.52 billion from $12.68 billion.
/Source: Business Insider UK/
Feb. 23, 2018
World’s largest solar park under development in Egypt
The Benban Solar Park aims to reach somewhere between 1.6-2.0GW of solar power by the middle of 2019.
The projects will receive no incentives, however, it will be given a 25 year contract to sell its electricity at 7.8¢/kWh to the the state-owned Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) and pegged to the value of the US dollar.
Currently, 29 projects have received financing – representing at least $1.8 billion. These 29 projects represent almost 1.5GW of solar power.
The land was initially laid out with 41 unique plots ranging from 0.12mi2 to 0.39mi2. The total land area of the park is approximately 14.4mi2.
This eastern region of the Sahara Desert has some of the best solar power resources – sunlight – on the planet. Better than the US/Mexico western desert, but maybe just behind the world’s best spot in the Chilean desert highlands.
The park represents some of the complex financial models – partially backed ...
Feb. 22, 2018
Walmart to enter Indian market
Walmart Inc (WMT.N) is in talks to buy a stake of more than 40 percent in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart, a direct challenge to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in Asia’s third-largest economy.
Terms under discussion were not immediately available, but Flipkart would be valued at more than the $12 billion figure given when Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp’s (9984.T) Vision Fund took roughly a fifth of the firm last year for $2.5 billion, they added.
A deal with Walmart would give Flipkart much-needed muscle in its fight against Amazon, which has committed to investing $5 billion in India as it expands aggressively, including into online grocery deliveries, which analysts tip as the next big battleground for the country’s e-commerce sector.
Besides its own e-commerce site, Flipkart owns fashion portals Myntra and Jabong, and controls nearly 40 percent of India’s online retail, ahead of Amazon, according to estimates by research firm Forrester. It is also looking ...
Feb. 16, 2018
Trump's Soaring Budget Deficit Risks Intensifying Market Frenzy
A growing budget deficit will force the US to borrow $ 1 trillion, which could exacerbate the condition on the US stock markets.
The Senate budget deal will add $ 300 billion to public spending and increase the deficit.
According to the economist of Bank of America, by 2019 the deficit will exceed 5% of the gross domestic product, which will be the highest rate since the Second World War.
In the short term, tax cuts and increased government spending will fuel the economy, stimulating growth, employment and wages. The deal concluded by the Senate could add up to 4.2% to economic growth in 2018 and 0.2% in 2019, raising the forecast for growth to 3.1% in 2018 and 2.3% in 2019.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1000 points on Thursday, while the S & P 500 fell 3.75%, as a result of which the decline from the peak of January ...
Feb. 8, 2018
Microsoft's financial results exceeded forecasts
Microsoft in the second quarter of 2018 financial year received adjusted revenue and profit more than forecasted by the market.
For the 10th consecutive quarter Azura cloud services revenue growth rates exceeded 90%. Sales of the service grew by 98%.
In connection with the tax reform of the United States, Microsoft made a one-time write-off of $13.8 billion, after which it recorded a net loss. For three months, the figure was $6.30 billion (82 cents per share), compared to a net profit of $6.27 billion (80 cents per share) for the same period last fiscal year.
The company's revenue increased by 12% from $25.83 billion to $28.92 billion.
On average, according to analysts' forecasts, the profit should have been 87 cents per share with Microsoft's revenue of $28.41 billion.
Over the past 12 months, the company's capitalization has increased by 50% to $730 billion.
Feb. 1, 2018
These Are 2018’s Most (And Least) Attractive Emerging Markets
By some measures, Mexico and Turkey come out as the most attractive emerging markets for 2018.
In a Bloomberg analysis based on a range of metrics including growth, yields, current-account position and asset valuations, the two countries score highest among 20 developing economies. Asian economies occupy the five lowest-scoring positions.
Mexico and Turkey scored higher because their real effective exchange rates are more competitive than the average of the past 10 years, according to the analysis. India and China’s valuations are relatively expensive in historical terms. Their economic growth is unlikely to be as fast as it has been in the past decade, estimates show.
Turkey’s five-year government bond yields about 13 percent, while Mexico’s yields 7.5 percent. Both exceed India’s equivalent rate of about 7.3 percent, which is the highest among Asian nations covered by the analysis. China’s yields about 3.9 percent.
The study covers 20 of the 24 markets making up MSCI ...
Jan. 22, 2018
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Wants to Invest $1 Billion in Auto Tech Startups
The world’s largest automotive alliance will invest as much as $1 billion to fund mobility startups over the next five years as it looks to make inroads with new technology at a time of rapid upheaval for the transportation sector.
Carmaking partners Renault (RNSDF, +0.25%), Nissan Motor (NSANY, +0.38%) and Mitsubishi Motors (MMTOF, -0.07%) will invest as much as $200 million during the venture capital fund’s first year, the alliance said in a statement Tuesday. The fund, called Alliance Ventures, will finance new developments in electrification, autonomy, connectivity and artificial intelligence.
The fund’s first strategic investment is in Ionic Materials, a Woburn, Massachusetts-based company developing cobalt-free solid-state battery materials that can be used in electric vehicles.
In September, the Franco-Japanese alliance announced plans to introduce 12 new purely electric vehicles by 2022 while extending the models’ range and cutting battery costs. It also plans to bring to market 40 vehicles with autonomous-drive technology. ...
Jan. 11, 2018


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February 2016, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By HDT Staff
These are the top 20 products from the past year which demonstrated innovation, significance to the industry and potential to improve a trucking operations bottom line.
Tags: Technology, Innovative Equipment, Awards, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine, Top 20 Products
February 2015, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
Tags: Technology, Innovative Equipment, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine, Top 20 Products
February 2014, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Deborah Lockridge
Each year, Heavy Duty Trucking’s editors spend a lot of time going to press conferences and combing through news releases on the latest new products for trucking to determine the very best of the past year’s introductions for our Top 20 Products.
Tags: Top 20 Products
We offer e-newsletters that deliver targeted news and information for the entire fleet industry.
The expert, Steve Carlson from Xantrex, will answer your questions
The expert, Brian Fletcher from Eaton, will answer your questions
Maxion Unveils MaxSmart Wheel-Mounted Sensor
Gates Expands Heavy-Duty Belt Line
Peterbilt Expands Sleeper Heater Availability
OWL Detects Overhead Obstacles for Oversize Loads


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By Dewi Kurniawati
JAKARTA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures closed higher on Friday for the seventh straight session, supported by gains in rival oils and lower palm production.
The benchmark palm oil contract FCPOc3 for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was up 60 ringgit, or 1.58%, at 3,854 ringgit ($829.71) a metric ton on the closing.
The benchmark logged a 4.67% weekly gain, the highest since Dec. 8.
"The benchmark trades in positive note for the seventh straight day amid lower palm production data coupled with continuous strength in rival oils," a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said.
Data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) on Wednesday showed inventories fell 4.64% month-on-month to 2.29 million metric tons as of December-end, the lowest since August.
Crude palm oil production plunged 13.31% from November to 1.55 million tons in December, while palm oil exports declined 5.12% to 1.33 million tons, MPOB said.
Dalian's most-active soyoil contract DBYcv1 fell 0.29% and its palm oil contract DCPcv1 increased 1.44%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade BOcv1 rose 1.46%.
Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market.
India's palm oil imports surged to their highest in four months in December, driven by increased purchases of refined palmolein due to competitive prices, a leading trade body said on Friday.
Oil prices rose more than 2% on Friday as the United States and Britain carried out strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen. O/R
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock.
Palm oil prices are likely to rise to 4,000 ringgit per metric ton by the third quarter of this year, an executive from consultancy Glenauk Economics said on Thursday.
Malaysian palm oil output is set to improve this year as a labour shortages ease, although challenges remain as planters seek to comply with European and U.S. regulations targeting the sector's alleged links to deforestation and forced labour, industry officials said at a seminar on Thursday.
Meanwhile, exports of Malaysian palm oil products for Jan. 1-10 fell 9.8% to 349,075 tons from a month earlier, independent inspection company AmSpec Agri Malaysia said on Wednesday.
Cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services estimated exports of Malaysian palm oil products fell 3.9% to 354,465 metric tons.
($1 = 4.6450 ringgit)
(Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati; Editing by Sohini Goswami, Sonia Cheema and Mrigank Dhaniwala)


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DENTAID has a new distributor: Dominican Republic DENTAID continues to pursue its strong international expansion project. As of January 2017 the company has a new distributor in the Dominican Republic: Pharmatech.
Pharmatech is a leading healthcare products marketing company within the Dominican Republic and will be the sole distributor of the DENTAID products in this Latin American country.
DENTAID has participated in several dental conferences sharing its latest advances in this field. National and international scientific events are always an interesting meeting point with the scientific community and an opportunity to share and discover the latest launches of products aimed at treating different oral conditions.
DENTAID, sponsor of scientific societies including SEPES, SEPA and SECIB has participated in the most recent meetings hosted by each of them. All these meetings have had the same common denominator: to share the latest innovations in Oral Health with the dental community. [Leer más]
More than 900 dental professionals participated in the 3rd SEPA-DENTAID Symposium: Science-Based Prevention
Striving for progress in the fields of Periodontology and Oral Health, the Spanish Society of Periodontology and Osseointegration (SEPA) and DENTAID joined forces to host the third SEPA-DENTAID Symposium. More than 900 dentists and dental hygienists congregated in the legendary Capitol cinema, situated on the emblematic Gran Vía of Madrid, to update their knowledge on how scientific evidence can help in their day-to-day dental practice.
In a novel format, expert speakers, Dr. Agustín Casas, Dr. Xavier Calvo, Dr. Vanessa Blanc, Dr. Gerardo Gómez, Dr. Andrés Pascual and Dr. Silvia Roldán, addressed the factors influencing periodontal and peri-implant disease relapse, as well as the role of each team member of the dental clinic in maintenance and the control of recurrence. [Leer más]
DENTAID’s trade booth at the Fórum Dental
At the 9th Fórum Dental, DENTAID presented its new VITIS® anticaries product line, the first next generation anticaries product containing the innovative DENTAID nanorepair® technology. This launch is the company’s latest novelty, which captured the interest of those attending the FDM, totalling over 10,000 professionals, according to Fira de Barcelona. [Leer más]


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Apple is recalling a batch of three-prong AC wall plug adapters in the wake of 6 incidents around the world in which the adapters broke, creating a risk of electric shock. As a precaution, Apple is letting users exchange the potentially faulty plugs for new versions. Although it is not clear just how many devices that could be.
The adapters that Apple is recalling were designed for use primarily in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK and came bundled with Mac and certain iOS devices shipped between 2003 to 2010. They were also included in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit. Those adapters were completely white and devoid of any text or marking on them. The newer versions of these adapters were white with gray on the inside portion where there are some texts as well.
Meanwhile, Apple is apparently working on an updated version of MagSafe, one of the best power connectors invented by the company, according to a new patent application published by the USPTO on Friday.
In the patent listing, Apple details how power cords can cause damage to laptops, tablets, and smartphones if they are still plugged in during a “jolting” motions, like if the device is dropped.
Interestingly, Apple’s new patent acknowledges how “magnetic connectors” were introduced to solve this problem of unsafe cable disconnections. To put things in perspective, Apple acknowledged the downside of its own MagSafe power connector, hinting that it is working on an improved version of the connector.
According to Apple’s patent application, magnetic connectors like MagSafe “still have a high likelihood of suffering physical damage when experiencing a jolting event because the magnetic connectors maintain attracting force throughout the entire jolting event.”
Apple also notes that solutions like MagSafe proved to be inefficient. MagSafe used to have a tiny light on the plug which would turn orange if the computer was charging and green if the computer was fully charged. “This visual indicator is constantly on, thereby wasting power and decreasing the efficiency at which the portable electronic device receives power,” according to Apple.
The last computer Apple made with support for MagSafe was MacBook Air 2017. Apple has been criticized for retiring MagSafe in favor of USB-C and with the latest development, it looks like the company is looking forward to blending the best of the two worlds by offering a connector that can also offer data transfer but with the security of MagSafe.


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Globalization - a Paradigm Shift
Globalization – How it’s defining today’s world.
After having a steady growth in US stock market for quite a long time, recently there was a big downward swing in US stock market which resulted in panic in other international stock market as well and other international stock market also reported a heavy dip in their stock index. It’s just not the stock market alone, if anything happens in any part of the world, it causes domino effect across the whole world. During late last year, the Bitcoin mania took the whole world by surprise and any favorable news about crypto-currency in any country was only giving more momentum to already high priced crypto-currencies. Recently, the momentum for crypto-currencies’ prices seemed to be heavily dented by the crackdown by government of many countries, including China, South Korea, India and many other countries. These two examples show that today’s world is heavily interdependent on each other. The concept that best describes these kind of interdependencies of countries on each other is referred as globalization. Globalization is not a new concept. It is being followed since the ancient times. In addition to different government’s globalization friendly policies, modern day infrastructure in transportation and communication has only helped globalization to expand more rapidly.
Globalization has brought drastic changes not only in individual countries’ economy but also has given a big boost to the world economy. For instance, India, the 7th biggest economy in the world, can attribute its current economic growth to the major economic reforms taken during the early 1990s as the government of that time focused on liberalization, privatization, and globalization, commonly referred as LPG of economy. Prior to economic reforms of the early 1990s, Indian economy had more of an isolated approach, holding traditional values such as self-reliance and socialistic policies of economic development, which is mainly attributed to restrictive form of governance, resulted in inefficiencies of the economy. Before the reforms of the early 1990s, economy was heavily regulated, major industries were mostly nationalized, and there were very few private contributors at the highest level. There were hardly any foreign cars seen on roads as government was trying to promote cars built in India by imposing heavy import duty on foreign made cars (almost 200% - 300%). Fast forward to current time, now there are plenty of foreign made cars running on the roads of India. Many international MNC’s (multinational companies) which are now operating in India, have their manufacturing as well as distribution centers in India. Many of the major industries are privatized and Indian government is making favorable economic policies to encourage FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). This has brought a new prosperity in India making many new Billionaires in India and providing economic growth opportunity to many.
It’s not that globalization has only brought prosperity to everyone in the countries that embraced this concept. Globalization has its own downsides too. Many of the businesses were shut down and many people lost their jobs as many of the goods that are being imported from other countries are much cheaper and widely available, making it preferred by the local consumer, and hence adversely impacting the local business and people associated with that business. Even here in USA, President Trump is making a big case for reviewing trade deals of USA like NAFTA, TPP etch with other countries. Mr. Trump is considering these trade deals unfair for USA and stating that other countries are taking much more benefit from these deals than USA. He even go on to the length to state that USA will terminate these deals if terms of these deals are not re-negotiated. Mr. Trump’s argument is that because of these deals, many of the manufacturing industries are either shutdown or moved oversees, resulting in hampering local jobs and economy. This case is true for other countries too where there was influx of cheap imported goods resulting in badly impacting the local manufacturing industries and hence impacting manufacturing jobs and the local economy, resulting in people getting angry with government and showing their frustration in election by voting to candidates who promises about working to bring back local jobs. This is very much what has happened in recent US presidential election and a strong reason why Mr. Donald Trump was elected as president. Mr. Trump’s recent signing of proclamation that will impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports into the US is a step towards fulfilling his election promises to help the local industries by shielding the local industries from adverse impacts on globalization.
In a nutshell, in today’s economic world, an individual country’s economy cannot survive in its own bubble. It has to be reliant on other countries for its own economic growth and same is true for other countries of the world. The effort of economic development should be a collaborative effort put on by the whole world. Rather than trying to exploit weaknesses, the effort should be to do a joint venture having mutual benefits to all involved parties. If this can be attained then globalization in a true sense can be considered as a global success.
© 2018 Aastha Gurung


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Auto Expo 2020
Honda Activa 6G
2020 Hyundai i20
2020 Honda City
Volvo launches XC90 Excellence Lounge in India at INR 1.42 crore
04/09/2019 - 12:18
Volvo India has launched the limited edition of the XC90 flagship SUV, the XC90 Excellence Lounge, at INR 1.42 crore (ex-showroom, India). India is one the select markets worldwide to get this..
Volvo to launch XC90 Excellence Lounge in India on 3 September
29/08/2019 - 13:12
Volvo India is all set to launch a the range-topping trim of the XC90 on 3 September 2019. This trim is sold in select markets across the world, and now India will be one of them. Christened as the..
New Volvo XC90 (facelift) confirmed to be launched in India this year
09/03/2019 - 11:45
Last month, Volvo gave the second generation XC90 a facelift. IAB has learnt that while the all-new S60 from last year will arrive only in 2020, the new XC90 is slated for launch this year. ew 'B'..
Volvo to assemble XC90 T8 PHEV in India, launch more PHEVs
23/11/2018 - 17:00
With an aim to make the XC90 T8 PHEV more affordable in India, Volvo will start local assembly next year. This way, the executive SUV will become the country’s first locally assembled PHEV. ve
Volvo XC60 to enter local in 2018, followed by Volvo XC90 Excellence in 2019 - Report
05/07/2018 - 16:49
Volvo has announced plans to expand its locally assembled portfolio in India by 2019. After the Volvo XC90 and Volvo S90, the company will start assembling the Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC90 Excellence..
Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription launched in India, priced at INR 96.65 lakh
29/06/2018 - 09:23
The Volvo XC90 T8 is now available in India in the Inscription grade for a price of INR 96.65 lakh (ex-showroom). Until now, it was sold exclusively in the range-topping Excellence variant. he
India-assembled Volvo XC90 rolls out from Bengaluru plant
10/10/2017 - 15:28
Volvo Cars has rolled out its first vehicle assembled in India, the Volvo XC90, from its plant in Bengaluru, Karnataka. ] Volvo
Volvo Cars announces local assembly plans of its portfolio in India
18/05/2017 - 14:12
The Volvo XC90 will become a CKD this year. Volvo Cars has formally announced local assembly plans of its portfolio in India from this year. The company has formed a strategic alliance with Volvo..
Volvo XC90 Excellence PHEV launched at INR 1.25 crores in India (Updated)
14/09/2016 - 17:14
Powered by the T8 Petrol-Electric Hybrid system. Volvo Auto India has launched the range-topping Volvo XC90 Excellence PHEV in India at INR 1.25 crores, ex-Showroom, New Delhi. Like the XC90 D5..
Volvo Auto India releases revised price list
29/04/2016 - 13:20
Prices increased by up to 3 percent. Volvo Auto India has released a revised price list of its product range, in which the ex-showroom prices of most models have increased by up to 3 percent. The..
Volvo XC90 Excellence - Geneva Motor Show Live
03/03/2016 - 10:58
New range topping grade of the XC90. The Volvo XC90 Excellence has made its European debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show today, which will serve as the new range-topping grade of the XC90. It made..
2015 Volvo XC90 D5 Inscription - Review
10/10/2015 - 19:28
Heralds a new beginning for Volvo Cars. When Volvo introduced the first XC90 in 2002, it was, oddly, a successful product for the Swedish company that found interest among middle-aged customers...
2015 Volvo XC90 bags 266 bookings in India - IAB Report
05/09/2015 - 14:08
All bookings are for the top-end Inscription variant. The all-new Volvo XC90 has received 266 pre-orders in India. Order books officially opened in the country on May 12, the day when the prices..
Volvo will not further downsize XC90, S90 and V90 engine lineup - Report
07/08/2015 - 12:17
The next generation S60 and V60 will get smaller engines. In a bid to downsize its entire engine lineup for better fuel economy and stringent emissions regulations, Volvo introduced a new range of..
16 major car and bike launches in May 2015 - IAB Picks [Updated]
22/05/2015 - 17:39
May of 2015 sees a host of new car and bike introductions in India, and across the world. In this story, we list out the major Indian launches, and a few international ones which are important for the..
Volvo to double new XC90's allocation for India next year - Report
15/05/2015 - 10:28
New variants will also be launched next year. Volvo Auto India launched the new 2015 XC90 this week, and plans to import 350 units of the SUV this year. However, reports predict that orders for..
Volvo India will introduce XC90 Excellence, T8 Hybrid and R-Design in 2016 - IAB Report
14/05/2015 - 17:00
Will launch in the second half of 2016. On May 12th, Volvo launched the XC90 in two variants, Momentum Luxury and Inscription Luxury, which are powered by a 225 hp 2.0-liter D5 engine. In 2016,..
2015 Volvo XC90 launched in India at INR 64.9 lakhs - IAB Report [Gallery Updated]
12/05/2015 - 16:57
Will be available in Momentum Luxury and Inscription Luxury variants. Volvo Auto India launched the second generation XC90 SUV in the Indian market today. It will be available in two tech-brimming..


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The Australian division of News Corp has demanded an obligatory disintegration of Alphabet Inc’s Google Inc.
The Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp Australia admitted the involvement of global coordination for doing so but called it necessary to protect the news and advertising media industry.
In a governmental inquiry, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) while disagreeing with Google requested to form a new regulator specifically to supervise the practices of global technology companies, but the News Corp Australia’s call, which published on Tuesday, go beyond the ACCC’s recommendation to even break up the company.
In its 80-page Google-centric submission, News Corp Australia claimed that the U.S. company has created a controlling environment on its search platform which could direct the results of internet searches made by the users and then it charges the advertiser according to the number of time their advertisement have been viewed by those users.
Because of the its practices of avoiding and discouraging the proposals made by the regulators and of disregarding private contractual measures, efforts to hold Google’s market dominance back around the world had remain failed.
Whenever Google, to comply with new regulations or responding to any investigation in other countries, agreed to change its practices of conducting business, it usually replaced the business behavior with new methods but to get the same competition-hurting effects of controlling traffic and sales and then directing them to its own sites.
News Corp Australia in its submission not only accused the Google of hurting revenue generation ability of publishers by calling its behavior as anti-competitive but also described it to be damaging for news industry’s sustainability.
In order to avoid the requirement of ongoing regulatory supervision, it is necessary rather to force Google to sell its units of advertising sales or its parent company Alphabet should be forced to sell its core internet search engine business, News Corp said.


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ANA - Japan’s Largest Airline Launches NFT Marketplace
Jun 05, 2023
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is also working on a metaverse travel experience that will integrate passengers' flight histories into their digital avatars.
Japan's largest airline group holding company All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace featuring aviation photography, digital collectibles and more on the Ethereum blockchain. At launch, the marketplace supports the MetaMask wallet as well as payments with fiat currency via credit card.
The marketplace, called ANA GranWhale NFT Marketplace, was released through its subsidiary ANA NEO, which focuses on creating immersive digital experiences across the ANA ecosystem. The first NFT collection on the site will feature work from aviation photographer Luke Ozawa, who has been taking photographs of planes for half a century.
Other collections include NFTs of two digital 3D airplanes, including a customized Boeing 787 that the airline introduced in 2011 and a generative art collection called Airbits, which features pixelated airline pilots.
"The ANA Group will apply NFT to the aviation industry and promote the business to develop new connections with customers," the company said in a press release.
ANA Holdings was established in 2013 and touts itself as the largest airline group holding company in Japan comprised of 69 companies including ANA and Peach Aviation. ANA NEO is also working on a metaverse travel experience called ANA Gran Whale, which will integrate passengers' flight histories into their digital avatars.
ANA joins other airlines looking to integrate crypto concepts into their business offerings. In March, low-cost Argentinian airline expanded its partnership with NFT ticketing company TravelX to offer all e-tickets as NFTs on the Algorand blockchain.
TravelX also partnered with Spanish airline Air Europa in April 2022 to launch a series of NFT tickets linked to special perks and events, while Latin American crypto exchange Lemon integrated TravelX onto its platform in October 2022, allowing users to buy and sell airline tickets.


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Cofound.it – Blockchain Funding For Startups, Experts & investors?
Cofound.it is a distributed VC ecosystem “for the distributed future”. Find out how the global platform plans to connect startups and investors today.
What Is Cofound.it?
Cofound is a platform that promises to connect exceptional startups, experts, and investors around the world. It’s a distributed global VC ecosystem “built by the blockchain community for the blockchain community”. The company can be found online at Cofound.it.
Basically, it’s a startup accelerator based around a token system. Cofound.It tokens are called “CFI tokens”.
Cofound has been in headlines this past week after it broke records for the biggest presale ever. The company raised $14.8 million in its presale, during which all CFI tokens were snapped up by investors. As a result, the company canceled their ICO. All coins had been sold within 60 hours of the presale’s launch.
The presale was exclusively available to users holding the Priority Pass. Those users included the company’s “most engaged supporters”. Many are praising Cofound.it for their innovative Priority Pass system, which could change the nature of ICOs in the future.
The Cofound.it ICO was initially scheduled for later in June. The goal of the ICO was to raise $12.5 million. Thanks to the wildly successful pre-sale, the ICO is no longer required.
The next step for Cofound.it is to continue developing its distributed venture capital platform that connects exceptional startups with world-leading experts and investors, explained CEO Jan Isakovic in a press release.
“As Cofound.it moves into the next phase of developing its distributed venture capital platform that connects exceptional startups with world-leading experts and investors, we would like to humbly thank our supporters and investors for helping us close out our pre-sale in such grand fashion. Together, we have set a new benchmark and set of best practices for startups to launch high-volume crowdsales.”
Cofound’s Goals For 2017 & 2018
With the funding from the presale, Cofound plans to achieve the following goals in 2017:
- Launch 10 projects
- Develop the core foundation for the platform and define the included processes
- Define the initial elements of the platform to crowdsource
- Prepare a foundation to onboard project supporters that are new to the crypto space
For 2018, the company wants to launch 30 projects, continue developing and testing the functionalities introduced in 2017, and enable simple fund collection from project supporters new to the crypto space.
What Is The CFI Token?
The Cofound.it token (CFI token) will primarily be used to pay for services on the platform – like project submission. Each project submission requires expert evaluation. The application will be paid for with a certain number of Cofound.it tokens that will be distributed among the evaluation team.
In order to register and be active on Cofound.it, experts and service providers need to hold a certain number of CFI tokens. When applying to perform a certain task, a certain number of CFI tokens will be put in escrow.
Those tokens will not be released until the task has been performed. This guarantees the delivery and completion of the task. Some of the tasks include:
- Evaluation and project evaluators
- Specific task contributions, like video production, design, or content creation
- Promotion and expert assistance
- Domain experts and expert assistance
- Team project management and coordination
Cofound Plans To Solve Crucial Problems In The Current Token Sale Industry
The over-arching goal of Cofound.it is to solve big problems in the world of token sales. Obviously, token sales have become a popular new way for companies to raise money. We’ve seen an explosion in the number of token sales taking place worldwide.
Many startups recognize the benefits of a token sale – but are clueless on how to actually implement that token sale – or manage investor expectations after the token sale. With that in mind, here are some of the key problems that Cofound.it hopes to solve in the industry:
Lack Of Business Knowledge Among Projects
According to Cofound.it, lots of startups have a solid technical foundation, but lack the business experience to accelerate growth. Cofound.it will offer business experience to those who already have in-depth technical knowledge, helping to grow successful businesses.
Participants Have Trouble Separating Good Tokens From Bad Ones
Identifying quality products in the token sale marketplace can be difficult. Cofound.it will act as a trusted filter of projects. Participants might see that Cofound.it has backed a project, for example, which gives the project additional perceived value and quality.
It’s Difficult To Manage Token Markets After The ICO
Managing post-token sale investor relations can be difficult. It’s a new, highly liquid token market out there, all of which can be unfamiliar to tokenized startups. Investors who participate in token sales often have different expectations than, say, a traditional angel investor. Cofound.it wants to help startups navigate these complicated waters.
Who’s Behind Cofound?
Cofound is led by Jan Isakovic (Co-Founder, Platform and Operations). Prior to co-founding Cofound, Jan spent 20 years working in the world of computer science and startups. He holds twin degrees in Economics and Computer Science.
Other members of the team include Daniel Zakrisson (Co-Founder, Evaluations and Mentoring), an entrepreneur and technologist specializing in software and business development. Daniel has also played a crucial role in a number of different crowdsales, and is a frequent advisor to crowdsale teams.
Cofound.it is an ambitious accelerator platform catered towards startups interested in tokenization. Cofound.it recently made headlines for selling out its total supply of CFI tokens during its pre-sale. As a result, the company’s coin sale never made it to the ICO phase.
Clearly, investors are excited about the future of Cofound.it. Look for the platform to continue growing over the coming months.


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Time: January 18, 2015 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: Lake Mirror Center
Street: 121 S. Lake Ave.
Website or Map: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/…
Event Type: fashion show, fundraiser
Organized By: Lorrie Delk Walker
Latest Activity: Nov 20, 2014
Urban Reflections and Walk This Way Productions will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Ultimate Fashion Experience Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 at the Lake Mirror Center, 121 S. Lake Ave.
The doors open at 5:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 for individual tickets to $250 for VIP tables that seat four, and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
In honor of the 15th anniversary, organizers will debut a short film about Urban Reflections that features the founders and Urban Reflections participants.
This fashion show is far from what is seen on high-profile runways in New York and Paris. It is an experience that features music, artistic dance and theatrics in addition to fashion, says Angela Bailey, cofounder of Urban Reflections, a nonprofit organization that offers personal development to at-risk youth through modeling training.
“This show features all ages, shapes and sizes,” says Bailey, who also cofounded Walk This Way Productions, a fashion show production company. “The goal is to accurately reflect our community.”
The show pairs professional runway models with aspiring models and participants from Urban Reflections and from throughout the Southeast. Proceeds from the fashion show benefit Urban Reflections, which teaches job preparedness and provides academic tutoring, in addition to modeling classes/training workshops.
“Graduating from high school, getting a college education, and becoming professional models helped my sister (LaWanda Bailey) and I create better lives for ourselves,” Bailey says. “We are grateful for our opportunities, and we want to give back.”
Urban Reflections is the Bailey sisters’ tool for helping create opportunities for the young men and women growing up in the community in which they were raised.
The organization has mentored more than 3,500 participants in Lakeland, Miami and Tallahassee since its founding in 2000. More than 85 percent have obtained high school diplomas. Of those, 45 percent percent have gone on to obtain college degrees. About 10 percent of participants have gone on to work in the fashion industry.


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The grand opening for La Bikequerie is coming up as they recently moved to the former Southeast Veterinary Clinic at the east edge of Steinbach.
La Bikequerie is a community bicycle repair shop where people from the community can come and fix up their bikes.
Wade and Jacinthe Wiebe started up La Bikequerie just last year, and the reason for the move is because the space they were in has been repurposed.
Their grand opening celebration is at their new location on Saturday, May 27, and Wade Wiebe hopes to see lots of people come out to enjoy the day.
“We really want to see families and kids come out and get on their bikes. I think we'll set up a bicycle obstacle course, have some hot dogs and BBQ.”
He says they will also have games for kids, affordable refurbished bikes for sale, and they will be giving away a limited number of used toddler bikes.
Wiebe says the whole point of La Bikequerie is to make bike maintenance easily accessible to the public.
“Not everybody can afford to take it to a bike shop to change a chain or change the cables,” he says. “Bikes require maintenance like anything else, and we're not necessarily taught those skills and we don't know them intuitively, so you gotta learn them.”
He says everybody can learn these skills at La Bikequerie.
“If people don't have the tools or the skills to work on their own bikes, La Bikequerie is the place they can get their bikes fixed.”
Wiebe notes that most of the people who have been to their shop have been women and people with kids.
“And those are the people who actually really have an interest in mechanics and how things work, and just really have never had a place to go to figure it out.”
They take donations of used bikes, so if you have bikes that you don’t want anymore, you can drop them off at La Bikequerie.
“We sell them to people in the community who can't afford them, at as low of a price as we can manage, and also provide the support for fixing the bikes afterward and maintaining them.”
Wiebe says people have told him they are glad to have a place to donate their old bikes.
“Because they don't like the idea of just throwing it out, which is obviously the only other option if there's nobody who's willing to take it.”
He says people also love being able to just fix a minor thing without it being a big deal.
“Like having to take it to a bike shop and leave it there for a week, or have somebody else do it.”
He’s very thankful for all the support and funding they have received.
“And a big thank you to Ron Hamilton, who actually owns the Southeast Veterinary Clinic. He's made the space available to us, we really wouldn't be able to do it without him.”
Wiebe says they really liked being in La Broquerie, but they are excited for what awaits.
“There's no doubt we're going to be able to have an opportunity to serve more people now that we're right next door.”
La Bikequerie’s grand opening celebration is at their new location, 36016 PTH 52, in the old Southeast Veterinary Clinic, on the east of edge of Steinbach next to the Frantz Inn.
Stop by on Saturday, May 27 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
With files from Carly Koop


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As supply chains face pressure to be faster, cleaner, and more efficient, an unusual collaboration is emerging – between railroads and trucking companies. Leaders from rail giant Union Pacific recently shared how teaming up with truckers can aid sustainability and boost service.
Leveraging the Intermodal Strengths
Union Pacific’s Matt Gloeb explains how intermodal transport – the movement of shipping containers by both rail and truck – is integral to supply chains. While railroads excel at long-haul transport between terminals, trucks are essential for short-range pick-up and delivery. By working together, Gloeb said, “there’s opportunity for motor carriers and for railroads” to enhance intermodal and sustainability.
One major new project highlighting the truck-rail collaboration is Union Pacific’s upcoming Phoenix intermodal terminal, developed after partnering with a trucker serving the booming Phoenix area from the San Pedro port. Gloeb said the trucker’s insights helped them site and develop “our brand new Phoenix intermodal terminal” opening in 2024 to better serve the surging Arizona markets.
Partners in Sustainable Supply Chains
Gloeb noted skepticism around railroads’ sustainability claims as they shift freight from truck to rail. However, he argued railroads and truckers are actually “partners in this supply chain initiative,” with intermodal relying on both modes.
“I think there’s an opportunity there for motor carriers and for railroads to work collaboratively together on sustainability initiatives and drive further growth in partnership,” Gloeb said. Teaming up allows them to combine railroads’ long-haul emissions advantages with trucks’ short-range efficiency strengths for green benefits across supply chains.
Tech is Driving Quicker Collaborations
Gloeb also revealed how modern technology enables tighter truck-rail collaboration. From iPhone apps like UPGo to real-time tracking of containers, Union Pacific is using tech so “we can continue to evolve and grow” operational coordination with trucking partners.
For instance, UPGo provides drayage truckers instant access to container availability at intermodal terminals, helping orchestrate faster pick-ups and drop-offs. “We do that to help create efficiency in that whole supply chain,” Gloeb explained, allowing data sharing to smooth interchange points between the two modes.
As railroads and truckers leverage each other’s advantages, shippers and consumers stand to benefit from faster, cleaner supply chains. The Phoenix project and apps like UPGo illustrate the innovations emerging from this truck-rail collaboration. And collectively pursuing sustainability goals through partnerships lays the groundwork for long-term, win-win solutions across transportation.
By leveraging their expertise and resources, Lading Logistics aims to provide efficient and reliable international shipping and logistics solutions for their clients.


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Mexico is set to position itself as the capital of Fintech in Latin America. More and more Fintech start-ups are being created in Mexico to promote financial inclusion and bring new solutions to pay, transfer, manage or access capital.
To give you a better understanding of the market size, Techfoliance LATAM is showcasing key figures that you must know regarding Fintech in Mexico:
Key FinTech Figures Mexico
According to EY Fintech Adoption Index 2017, Mexico is the 7th country worldwide with the highest adoption rate in Fintech estimated at 36%, and is 2nd in LATAM behind Brazil (40%).
According to Finnovista, the biggest Fintech segments in Mexico are: Payments & Remittances (30%), Lending (22%), Enterprise Financial Management (13%), Crowdfunding (10%) and PFM (9%).
The potential savings for Mexico if fraud in the banking system is stabilized to acceptable levels would save around 3% of GDP.
In 2014, the e-commerce market was valued at a record high of 162,100 million pesos.
In 2016 alone, more than 80 million pesos were invested in Fintech start-ups and the amount is expected to double in 2017.
According to the Mexican Fintech Association, there were 160 Fintech companies in 2016 in Mexico and the number should increase to 200 by the end of 2017.
Feel free to add more figures related to the Mexican Fintech Landscape in the comments below!


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This 23-inch all-in-one is built for entertainment, offering great speakers and a striking look. But the glossy, reflective display throws a wrench in the works.
Pricing not available
Security concerns reportedly may prompt Apple to step up its in-store vigilance to safeguard expensive new gear like the gold Apple Watch.
The Nokia Lumia 930 Gold and 830 Gold are finished with anodized gold coloring for extra shine -- a swan song for the Nokia phone brand as we know it.
The BBC has just released a trailer for the upcoming "Doctor Who" Christmas special, which brings our favorite timey-wimey Time Lord to the North Pole.
This special edition HP Envy all-in-one desktop packs powerful speakers and slick styling; let's check it out.
Beefy speakers and a bright red paint job ensure that the HP Envy 23XT Beats Special Edition all-in-one PC stands out.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman don vintage clothes and hairstyles for a sneak peek at the upcoming "Sherlock" special. Will the lads be time-traveling or attending a costume party?
The festive episode will be titled "Last Christmas". And when season 9 returns, it'll include an episode written by only the fifth female writer in the show's history.
Firefox got its first boost when Web programmers flocked to it a decade ago. Now Mozilla is trying that strategy afresh with a coder-focused version of the browser.
See who'll star in Danny Boyle's upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, and whom they'll be portraying.