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August 18, 2013, 7am PDT
Chicago has good news to report in its battle to improve access to fresh healthy food. Since Rahm Emanuel became mayor more than two years ago, the number of residents living in food deserts has declined by 21 percent.
July 12, 2013, 5am PDT
Access to affordable healthy food is a problem in poor communities throughout the U.S. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and a local non-profit have developed one way to quickly boost the healthy food infrastructure in food deserts.
May 19, 2013, 1pm PDT
The replacement of retail establishments with restaurants in America’s urban centers has a demographic slant.
April 18, 2013, 12pm PDT
After four years of banning the construction of new stand-alone fast food restaurants in South L.A., the city's planning department is considering raising the ban amid increasing questions about the impact of food deserts on obesity.
April 5, 2013, 11am PDT
The role of access to fresh food in contributing to people's eating habits has been at the heart of efforts to identify and eliminate 'food deserts.' However, a new study questions the connection between obesity and the food environment.
March 14, 2013, 12pm PDT
The USDA's new Food Access Research Atlas provides a handy guide for assisting policymakers and planners in finding the urban and rural areas with the most formidable obstacles to accessing fresh healthy food, reports Nancy Shute.
January 12, 2013, 9am PST
What does the impending demise of the Fresh & Easy grocery chain mean for food deserts? Hannah Burton Laurison and Christine Fry look at how small-format grocery stores can still succeed where Fresh & Easy failed.
July 8, 2012, 9am PDT
New Orleans has only one supermarket for every 350,000 residents, and they are often in locations that are more than a mile from where low-income residents live, writes Rosa Ramirez.
June 20, 2012, 1pm PDT
Efforts to alleviate urban food deserts has focused on the proximity of healthy food choices as a correlating factor for obesity. However, a new study concludes that price, rather than proximity, has a stronger correlation to rates of obesity.
June 9, 2012, 5am PDT
With the highest obesity rate and poorest population of America’s big cities, Philadelphia is launching an ambitious plan to increase residents' access to healthy food, reports Sarah Kliff.
May 8, 2012, 12pm PDT
With low-income children much more likely to be overweight than their wealthier counterparts, Sarah Parsons looks at six innovative ideas for improving access to healthy foods in low-income communities.
April 20, 2012, 5am PDT
Allison Karpyn, Ph.D., director of research and evaluation for the Food Trust, shares her doubts about the overall implications of recent studies questioning the concept of Food Deserts and their connection to obesity.
April 18, 2012, 1pm PDT
Gina Kolata reports on the findings of two new studies that question the very concept of food deserts in poor neighborhoods, and the connection between fresh food access and obesity.
April 6, 2012, 9am PDT
As government funding for programs that make fresh fruits and vegetables available to low-income women and young children get cut, Sarah Parsons asks how to make the sustainable food movement less elitist.
March 23, 2012, 12pm PDT
The New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids is leading an effort to make time for physical activity and put healthy food on children's plates, Beth Fitzgerald reports.
February 22, 2012, 7am PST
Lecturers call race a "surrogate" for socioeconomic factors that determine health outcomes, reports Beth Fitzgerald.
June 9, 2011, 8am PDT
Mogro is a new for-profit company in New Mexico that is targeting neighborhoods with little access to healthy food with temperature-controlled grocery trucks.
May 10, 2011, 2pm PDT
The "food deserts" problem is receiving heightened attention following the release of the USDA's locator map. But this analysis relies on the suspect premise that suburban supermarkets are superior to small, walkable urban foodsellers.
January 29, 2011, 9am PST
James Griffioen debunks the myth that his hometown is in want of grocery stores.
January 25, 2011, 5am PST
The rural Midwest produces much of our nation's food supply, and yet small towns in the heartland and around America are increasingly and ironically becoming food deserts - places where citizens have little access to fresh, healthy foods.


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From the final quarter of 2020, a year not given to good news, comes a welcome announcement from Turkey.
Turkey's economy has outpaced all its peers except for China in the final three months of last year, a 5.9% growth driven by lower interest rates and a credit boom that pushed domestic consumption skyward, while destabilising the Turkish lira.
Gross domestic product expanded 5.9% from a year earlier, faster than all G20 countries except China, which grew by 6.5%.
The growth push in 2020 meant Turkey's lira weakened by 20% last year, keeping consumer inflation high. The figures underpinned the immense job ahead of new central bank Governor Naci Agbal, as he faces the challenge of restoring price stability without prompting a slowdown in spending and rise in unemployment.
Crunching the numbers
- An 8% rise in household consumption seems to be behind the growth. Consumption makes up about two-thirds of Turkey's economy.
- The size of the economy dropped by $43 billion.
- Exports remained the same overall, after dropping by one fifth in the third quarter of 2020.
- Imports grew by 2.5%, after rising 16% in the third quarter.
- Gross fixed capital formation, which measures business investment, grew by 10.3% annually.
- Government spending grew by 6.6%, the most significant gain since the first quarter of 2019.
- The economy grew by 1.7% in the final quarter from the third quarter, while overall output rose by 1.8% last year.
Consumption was behind the growth, said Istanbul-based economist Can Ayan.
“Strong domestic demand in the past two quarters has been supporting the headline figure through consumption but keeping exports under pressure,” he said.
Property Turkey director Cameron Deggin said the news was welcome.
"It's a really encouraging result, very good news indeed. On top of the pandemic, we've seen a lot of changes in policy, so it's welcome to see positive results."
In Deggin's industry, real estate, the knock-on effect of the numbers would be significant, he said. "The investors waiting in the wings will come out into the light. With the lira on the move, there's only a limited amount of time before some will be priced out of the market."
To get through last year's Covid-19 conditions with as minimal impact as possible, the Turkish government encouraged banks to offer credit to help companies and consumers ride out the pandemic. Added to an easing cycle, the lending boom boosted the economy.
However, an unwanted side effect was a weakening currency.
"The cost of growth was an weakened lira," said Deggin. But moves in November changed everything, he said.
"A changing of the guard in two of Turkey's top financial positions (the Central Bank governor and finance minister) meant big changes in policy. The knock-on effect has been a revitalised lira. It's a really encouraging sign for the future," Deggin said.
One of the most significant changes was central bank head Agbal's raising of the benchmark interest rate to 17%, not long after he took the helm at his new position. Since the move, the lira has strengthened by 15%.
A bright year ahead
The International Monetary Fund has recently raised its growth predictions for Turkey's economy to 6% in 2021.
“With some stability in the currency market, Turkish exporters can finally enjoy the price competitiveness accumulated over recent years,” said London-based JP Morgan analyst Yarkin Cebeci.
“Depending on the pace of vaccinations, tourism will most probably be stronger than last year as well.”
Deggin agreed. Last year, tourists' appetite for Turkey remained undimmed, with many choosing to holiday even as the pandemic raged in their home countries.
"Turkish tourism is a mainstay, and Turkey is firmly on the tourist map," he said.
'Grow with us'
The low lira had attracted investors with foreign currency in their pocket, Deggin said. "The lira has always gone in swings and roundabouts. When it was at its lowest, we had a flurry of investment from savvy buyers who knew the currency would regain."
Those investors were now reaping the benefits, he said. "Investors who bought when the lira bottomed out have seen their properties gain 15% value since November, on top of capital gains."
However, the lira was only at the beginning of its upward journey, he believed. "The central bank has pledged to hold tight to its monetary policy for a while yet, and might even introduce more tightening. The lira still has plenty of room to move."
While this meant the potential for gains was significant, to maximise returns investors needed to act now, before the lira gained more ground, Deggin said. "My advice to investors is grow with us. Turkey's currency will grow. The economy will grow. Get on board, and grow with us."
Choose from units ranging in various types and sizes when you purchase one of these premium properties for sale in the Nilufer area of Bursa, situated within an excellent complex with shared landscaped green gardens.

domain: news


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The stock market value of Apple recently closed above a staggering $500bn, a position that only six other US firms have ever exceeded. Exxon the oil giant hit the $500bn mark in 2007 and Microsoft was briefly worth that amount over a decade ago now in 2000.
Other companies to hit that mark include Cisco Systems, General Electric and Intel.
The popularity of Apple products seems to be consistently rising without any indication of slowing in the foreseeable future, meaning that their sales and profits are also continuing to grow at rates which are very rarely seen in a company of it’s size.
Analysts have predicted that Apple will make around $40bn in profit this year, a higher value than most firms will generate in sales.
With $100bn of cash in reserve on its books, investors are hoping that the company may decide to give some of that back to shareholders this year in the form of dividends or share buybacks.
Apple’s turnaround has been coined as ‘remarkable’, considering that in just 1997 the company was facing bankruptcy with shares worth just $3.19, a world away from the company’s closing share price of $542.44 last Wednesday.
View and comment on the original BBC News article.


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Last week, AT&T was applauded for dropping a $3-a-month minimum fee charged to its least active long-distance customers–a move that the FCC suggested would benefit low-income customers in particular. Today AT&T is being hissed at because while it is dropping those fees, it’s also raising most of its basic per-minute rates, which may mean many of its customers end up with higher bills after all.
Since the opening up of the long-distance market, its biggest players–AT&T, MCI Worldcom, and Sprint–have competed for customers with a blizzard of special plans that improve on each firm’s “basic rates.” It’s these basic rates that AT&T is monkeying with: They’ll fall from 11.5 cents a minute to 7 cents a minute on Sundays (when AT&T says most long-distance calling goes on) but will rise to 29 cents a minute all other days (up from the old rates of 11 to 26 cents a minute, depending on the time of the call).
A long-distance company’s basic rates are generally its worst rates–but finding the specific alternative plan that is the best deal for your “calling pattern” can require an absurd amount of homework, and the long-distance companies don’t go out of their way to make the process particularly easy, because they can convert customer ignorance directly into profit. As an example, I set myself up with MCI not long ago, picking a plan with low weekday rates because I now work at home. What I forgot to grill them about was the rate on my calling card, which I learned from my first bill was almost $2 a minute.
What’s amusing is that the FCC, which just last week was spinning the dropped fee as a triumph of regulation for the benefit of Joe Consumer, has responded to news of the stealthy rate hike with an old-fashioned let-the-market-decide shrug. A spokeswoman told the New York Times: “Any company that raises rates for their customers in this competitive marketplace will surely lose them.”
Well, yes, sure, that’s the idea, but it isn’t any truer now than it was when AT&T charged a lower per-minute rate with a minimum monthly fee. AT&T plans what the Times refers to as “a consumer-education program in the form of a letter” telling its customers to do their homework and pick the best plan, etc. The fact remains that an astonishing 30 million of AT&T’s customers pay basic rates, and it’s hard to imagine that one more piece of junk mail is going to alert them to long-distance competition that has been the subject of massive marketing campaigns for years.
The background of all this is that the long-distance companies, which must pay fees to the regional Bell companies for access to their lines, are set to have those fees significantly reduced. What regulators want is for the savings to be passed on to consumers, and that’s a fine goal for regulators, so long as they realize that it’s at cross-purposes with the goals of any profit-making enterprise. “The companies have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to not necessarily pass them on,” a telecom analyst commented in a Times story last week on AT&T. “To the extent that prices don’t fall, these savings increase long-distance profits.” True enough. And the FCC can decide either that the results of the pursuit of profits work out to the benefit of consumers or that some regulatory steps are needed. But you can’t have it both ways.


text: If you're a fan of watching engineering challenges being tackled and new companies springing to life then perhaps Revolution Motors and their Dagne might be of interest to you. Echoing the open-to-the-public development route that we've seen, at least to some extent, with the Tesla Roadster and the Chevy Volt, the fledgling company has released a video of their three-wheeled leaning, joystick-controlled prototype making its exit from their cavernous garage onto the waiting streets. Actually, there are several videos. The one that's most important though is the one that gives us a more formal introduction to the Dagne, points out some of her features and explains how the joystick controls the steering, tilting and braking. Then, of course, we get to see Progressive Automotive X-Prize contender putting that tech to good use on a bit of tarmac. While it's not gripping-the-seat roller coaster kind of thrilling, it is satisfying to see the proof of concept prototype actually built and doing what it is supposed to do. Revolution Motors has also released a video today of their soft-spoken founder, Ben Werner, talking about the car, the company and their plans, in what seems to be a pitch for future investors. We've included this, as well as the Dagne rolling reveal, after the jump.


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The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today Toyota will pay a $17.35 million fine after allegedly failing to report a safety defect within the maximum five business day window.In early 2012, the NHTSA noticed a trend that floor mats were entrapping pedals in 2010 Lexus RX 350s.
When it contacted Toyota in May, the automaker said it was aware of 63 alleged instances of pedal entrapment, which in some cases caused unintended acceleration.
Toyota later recalled more than 150,000 2010 Lexus RX 350 and 2010 RX 450h models to address the problem.
The $17.35 million fine, the maximum allowed under law, was agreed to by the NHTSA and Toyota yesterday.
The signed agreement notes “Toyota denies that it has violated the Safety Act or its implementing regulations.”
Under the agreement, Toyota will revise its product quality analytics and meet with the NHTSA once a month for six months to report on mat pedal entrapment issues. Toyota is still subject to potential civil and criminal liabilities, apart from the penalty for failing to report defect information in a timely manner.
Toyota will pay the fine to the U.S. Treasury in one lump sum within 30 days. The fine is the largest civil penalty ever paid to the NHTSA for violations related to a product recall.
In a statement, Toyota reaffirmed it has agreed to pay the $17.35 million without admitting to any violation. Chief quality officer of Toyota North America said:
Toyota is dedicated to the safety of our customers, and we continue to strengthen our data collection and evaluation process to ensure we are prepared to take swift action to meet customers’ needs. We agreed to this settlement in order to avoid a time-consuming dispute and to focus fully on our shared commitment with NHTSA to keep drivers safe.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “With today’s announcement, I expect Toyota to rigorously reinforce its commitment to adhering to United states safety regulations.”


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Consumers expect business to lead on sustainability – report
According to TWC Trends research, 57% of the UK population expect all companies to be focused on sustainability and their environmental impact.
The data – taken from research conducted in June 2022 – suggests that rather than being a point of difference, a focus on sustainability and the environment is increasingly an expectation.
In a similar vein, 53% of consumers believe that retailers will lose out in the future if they don’t take sustainability seriously. Currently, the multiple grocers are well ahead on demonstrating their sustainability credentials and many have significant dedicated resource to support such initiatives. For instance, Asda released its (64-page!) environmental, social & governance report recently.
Meanwhile, 56% of consumers think that convenience stores could do more to demonstrate their sustainability credentials. A third of consumers agree that shopping at c-stores is better for the environment and just 20% disagree, leaving a large proportion (45%) sitting on the fence – and perhaps looking to be persuaded.
Of course, we must acknowledge the logistics of delivering to a network of small stores, but there are plenty of positive factors too – commonly visited on foot, supporting the local economy, providing jobs to local people and in some cases supporting local suppliers. There is an opportunity to talk up these benefits – as well as referencing the many initiatives being rolled out by the wholesalers that serve these stores.
The research suggest that consumers are taking less responsibility for their own actions, while they expect companies to act – only 30% agreed that environmental and sustainability issues influence where they shop for groceries (against 57% expecting companies to be focussed on environmental impact).
This also represents quite a drop from our last TWC Trends in Autumn 2021 when 42% agreed that sustainability was influencing where they shopped.
Younger consumers were more likely to agree that sustainability factors influence where they shop for groceries, as were households with children. Meanwhile, consumers aged 55+ and more affluent consumers (ABC1) were more likely to expect companies to be focussed on sustainability. This is an interesting divide which suggests that younger shoppers are more likely to be actively driving change.


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Nintendo Unveils Portable Pikmin, Super Mario Maker and a Poochy amiibo
Now Nintendo 3DS owners will have access to a near-unlimited wealth of Super Mario courses to play! Players can also create courses with nearly all the tools available in the original Wii U version, along with interactive lessons.
Just like earlier rumors stated that big 'N' is supporting the 3DS big time, and it seems so with this latest big blast of upcoming 3DS games and other news from today's earlier Nintendo Direct, which of course didn't mention the NX at all in any shape or form.
So what do you think about all this sudden surge in Nintendo 3DS news, it sure does look like big 'N' is pushing the 3DS big time, even with the NX just around the corner.


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'Call of duty' rakes in $360 million

Microsoft presents "Call of Duty: Black Ops" during the 2010 Xbox 360 media briefing at the Wiltern Theatre, in Los Angeles on June 14. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" shattered entertainment records this week when it raked in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, once again proving that video games have cemented their place in our lives as mainstream entertainment on par with movies and music.

| November 14, 2010 8:00 PM
NEW YORK - "Call of Duty: Black Ops" blasted entertainment records this week by raking in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, a dramatic and lucrative indication that video games have cemented their place as mainstream entertainment on a par with movies, books and music.
For the hordes of devoted fans who waited at midnight Monday to get their hands on the military shooter, this is hardly a surprise. For them, popping the new "Call of Duty" into a game console is the equivalent of turning on the TV to watch the Super Bowl or sitting back with a tub of popcorn to watch the latest blockbuster movie.
But while movies happen at you, video games allow the user to affect the story's outcome. That hands-on experience and interactions with other players fit the emerging social-media era where consumers demand a voice in whatever they do.
Across two years, with a budget well in the tens of millions of dollars, the developers of "Black Ops" created a world that immerses players in Cold War-era battles with settings ranging from 1960s Cuba to Vietnam and the Soviet Union.
Its intricate graphics and details - down to the gruesome sound a knife makes when pulled from an enemy's neck - are amplified in players' homes through big-screen TV sets and powerful speakers.
In one mission, which takes place with John F. Kennedy in the White House before the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, players must shoot their way through Havana to assassinate a young Fidel Castro.
Cuba state-run media has leveled harsh criticism at the game, calling it "doubly perverse" by glorifying assassination and stimulating "sociopathic attitudes in North American children and adolescents."
"What the United States couldn't accomplish in more than 50 years, they are now trying to do virtually," said an article on Cubadebate, a state-run news website.
Though game developers see their creations as art, not everyone agrees. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over a California law that seeks to ban the sale of ultra-violent video games to minors. Parents' groups and politicians say games should be regulated like firearms and tobacco rather than like books and movies, which are protected by the First Amendment. A ruling is expected next year.
Many liken these games to movies - and it's an apt comparison. Along with the hyper-realistic cinematic scenery and surprise plot twists, there are well-known actors - including Gary Oldman, Ed Harris and Sam Worthington - lending their voices to the game's main characters. Also, the motion-capture technology used to track actors' bodies is the same that was used in "Avatar."
Activision Blizzard Inc. sold 5.6 million units the day "Call of Duty" went on sale, according to the company. Its predecessor, "Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2," sold 4.7 million copies in 24 hours to reap $310 million on its first day of sale last year. Within a week, it made $550 million.
"Not too many years back it would have been unfathomable that the biggest entertainment launch would be a video game two years in a row," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.
No longer. Today, such games as "Call of Duty," ''Grand Theft Auto" and "Halo" all fit into the blockbuster category, and with each sequel they only get bigger. Production budgets for these games rival those of big-screen movies, as does the marketing push behind them.
"You are delivering not just a gaming experience but a cinematic experience as well," Hirshberg said. "The characters are emerging as the protagonists of the story."
The video game audience has expanded considerably in the last five years, reaching women, young children and even senior centers. But the people who flock to "Call of Duty" and other shooters are still primarily young men, just not as young as some would think. The average U.S. game player is 34 years old, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
A big part of the appeal of "Call of Duty" is its multiplayer feature, meaning gamers can fight against someone across the country or on the other side of the world.
"Everyone thinks that games are these solitary things," said Patrick Markey, a Villanova University professor who studies video games. "But now, hooked up to the Internet, it's friends and strangers we are playing with."
"Black Ops" went on sale Tuesday in North America and the U.K. It costs $60 and works on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles, and PCs. With that cost, games have an easier time setting dollar sales records than much less expensive movies or music.
The game is rated M for mature - meaning it's not meant for kids under 17. It's bloody, to be sure, but new media professor Charles Palmer says that's not the main appeal.
"It's the challenge," said Palmer, who teaches at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. "It's one of those areas that thrills and excites people."
Sports games, such as "Madden," from Electronic Arts, are also popular, as are music simulators such as "Guitar Hero." But shooters in the style of "Call of Duty" continue to be the most popular.
"There is a DNA-level curiosity about and attraction to battle," Hirshberg said. "That has been a staple of the entertainment industry - movies, television, books and fiction - forever. And the same is true for video games. 'Call of Duty" has delivered perhaps the gold standard experience of battle."


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The Kona from Hyundai is one of the peppiest little crossover SUVs on sale. Up for a mid-cycle facelift now, Hyundai has released teaser images of the refreshed Kona as well as its sportier N Line versions. The Korean carmaker says these new models have been styled based on the brand’s ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ global design identity.
The facelifted Kona appears to have a wider stance and a sleeker face which Hyundai says is thanks to the “shark-inspired nose”. The teaser images reveal the Kona’s upgraded daytime running lamps, a front skid plate and redesigned bumper.
Meanwhile, the new Kona N Line shows off a low-set air intake and a relatively more aggressive front bumper, accompanied by corner fins and crisp crease lines. The N Line range is Hyundai’s strategic trim placement aimed at attracting a broader spectrum of customers into its fold, especially as an entry point to the high performance N Brand.
Hyundai says it will release more design details on the new Kona and Kona N Line in the coming weeks.


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Costa Mesa mortgage lender DiTech Funding Corp. said Thursday it fired about 20 employees this week for violating its policies regarding use of e-mail and the Internet.
"It came to our attention that there was some inappropriate material being exchanged between employees," said Rick Gillespie, a spokesman for DiTech's parent company, GMAC Mortgage Co.
Gillespie wouldn't elaborate beyond saying the policies were "very clear" and had been explained to workers when they joined the company and, thereafter, periodically. He would not discuss whether other employees were disciplined.
While hardly routine, such firings are occurring increasingly. Dow Chemical Co., where employees swapped dirty jokes and pornography via computers, and Xerox Corp., which caught workers shopping online for hours at work, are among the mainline corporations that have dismissed workers for violating technology-use policies.


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Pride book sale underway through Orange County Library System
The Friends of the Orange County Library System is located on the third floor of the Orange County Library System Main Library in downtown Orlando. The store has something for all ages, including books, movies, and music.
“All items that enter the store are donated by the public or library books that have been taken out of circulation,” said Brett Van Wagner, retail sales coordinator and volunteers.
The bookstore is run by volunteers from the Friends of the Orange County Library System.
[TRENDING: Video: Shootout between children, deputies | Fla. man survives alligator bite to head | Fla. woman found underground — again]
“Our average price is $ 1.50 and we have a $ 1 section. We have a lot of used DVDs and CDs that cost as little as 50 cents, ”Van Wagner said.
Proceeds from the bookstore go to the Friends of the Orange County Library System and they help fund things like scholarships and programs for OCLS staff.
Celebrating Pride Month, the bookstore is hosting a Pride Book Sale, in partnership with The Center, an organization that provides resources to the LGBTQ + community.
“We provide free mental health counseling, we oversee the Orlando United Assistance Center which helps Pulse survivors, we have programs for seniors and programs for youth, addiction and recovery and more,” said Executive Director George Wallace.
Wallace said the Center had downsized its library by donating dozens of books to the bookstore. Including background materials and books with characters representing members of the LGBTQ + community.
“The children who come to the library, to see the performance is so important, so books like ‘George’ and other children’s books that we have a large collection of, we made sure that was included in the donation,” Wallace said.
The Pride Book sale runs until the end of June. The store is open Monday through Saturday.
Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.


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The owner of London-headquartered Italian chain Caffe Concerto has seen an increase in sales.
Lux Management & Investments Group, which owns the chain and has also taken over 9 sites previously occupied by Patisserie Valerie, saw sales of £ 27.4 million in the year to August 2018, up 9.3%.
The firm has said it is very happy with the growth, particularly at a time when trading has been made difficult by the prospect of Brexit, stiff competition and an uncertain economic outlook.
The chain also completed the £1.2 million renovation of its High Street Kensington store earlier in the month.
Speaking about the renovation, co-owner Mohammad Borjak said: “Part of being a successful business and brand is staying responsive to trends and innovating beyond consumer expectations.
“We have had wonderful comments from our faithful patrons and we’re happy that we can continue to pioneer the way in elegant high street dining by introducing new themes and ideas, while staying true to the Caffè Concerto ethos.”
The group has 18 Caffe Concerto sites in London in addition to one in Birmingham, and also recently filled space previously used by Patisserie Valerie at Debenhams with its Café de Pierre bistro brand.


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ADT and McAfee Study Links Physical and Online Security Risks
Considering the ever-increasing role of technology in the world of home security, the intersection between physical and digital security comes as no surprise. A study that ADT and McAfee jointly conducted demonstrates the link between physical and online security risks, along with the need for increased protection in both realms.
The survey involved more than 1,000 consumers between the ages of 18 and 54. More than 51% of the survey participants reported that their personal security has been compromised by both physical and online breaches. The survey also showed that, although many consumers use their smartphones to control their home alarm systems (33% of respondents), many of them still share their mobile passwords with at least one other person (49% of respondents).
The failure of so many consumers to take basic security precautions with their personal devices underscores the need for awareness, according to an ADT press release.
The survey also revealed another way digital and physical security are closely linked. Among those survey participants who had experienced a home break-in, 59% reported that a computer or mobile device was stolen, exposing their personal data to thieves.
The ADT and McAfee partnership
A partnership between ADT and McAfee was announced at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, an annual showcase for new and innovative technologies. ADT has been a leading home security provider for more than 100 years and currently provides monitored security services to 6.4 million homeowners and business owners.
McAfee is the number one security technology company in the world and has earned a reputation for consistently providing customers with cutting-edge security solutions. McAfee is dedicated to empowering consumers with products that allow them to operate securely in a digital age, both in personal and business settings.
Thanks to the collaboration between ADT and McAfee, ADT will be bundling its home security and automation product, ADT Pulse® Interactive Solutions, with McAfee LiveSafe™, a digital protection service that helps protect consumers’ personal data and identities.
‘Another vital layer of security’
Company officials believe the combination of these two security services will offer customers an additional layer of protection for identities, homes, properties and personal information.
“In today’s always connected digital world, our entire lives are managed and are accessible across our devices,” said John Giamatteo, Senior Vice President and General Manager of McAfee Consumer Business. “With the Internet of Things rapidly evolving, our partnership with ADT marks a critical advance in protecting consumers’ property and information in more ways than ever before.”
And according to Arthur Orduña, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at ADT, “Partnering with McAfee adds another vital layer of security to our Pulse solution with McAfee LiveSafe service, and opens up innovation opportunities for our platforms and products.


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Oscar Mayer, owned by Kraft Heinz, said Monday that the removal of nitrates, nitrites, artificial preservatives and byproducts is the result of "more than a year of recipe tasting and tinkering." It comes amid growing consumer wariness of artificial flavors and additives in food and increasing evidence that consuming processed meats in large quantities is associated with a higher risk of cancer. Sodium nitrate is a common preservative in processed meat, helping to prevent bacterial growth. Prices won't go up because of the changes, Oscar Mayer said.
"Given the pressure to remove nitrates, additives and other preservatives, the move makes sense," said Darren Tristano, president of the food service consultancy Technomic. "It's been a long time coming."
Some of the brand's rivals also have moved to strip out fillers and additives. Ball Park, owned by Tyson Foods, said last month it removed nitrites and nitrates from its beef hot dogs. The dogs already were made without artificial colors, flavors, byproducts or fillers. But Ball Park's classic and turkey franks still contain sodium nitrite, according to its website.
"Natural" brands like Applegate Farms use celery powder in their hot dogs instead of sodium nitrite. Ball Park now uses alternatives including celery juice powder and sea salt.
For Oscar Mayer, potassium lactate, sodium diacetate, ascorbic acid and sodium nitrite are being replaced with cultured dextrose, cultured celery juice, distilled white vinegar and cherry powder.
Of course, an American kid's idea of a perfect dinner may pair a hot dog with macaroni and cheese _ and Kraft Heinz already made the move to strip out certain nondesirable additives from its iconic comfort food. The company, co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh, said last year that it removed all artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.
Consumers spent more than $2.4 billion on hot dogs in U.S. supermarkets last year, and about 19.4 million were consumed at major league ballparks in the 2016 season, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
(Chicago Tribune's Ally Marotti contributed.)
(c)2017 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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As soon as news about Apple's acquisition of C3 Technologies was confirmed, a new hope is awakened - Will 3D mapping be next on the cards for Apple devices?
A dig into the not so old records show Apple has been consistently receptive about using Google Map applications in Apple iOS since the debut of iPhone in 2007. Apple's iOS devices have made use of Apple-built Google Maps application to offer users with a quick peek at current location information, route guidance, traffic, driving directions, and details about destinations.
However, statistics show that Apple is far too serious about 3D mapping as this is in fact Apple's third acquisition of a 3D mapping company' the earlier two being Placebase in 2009 and Poly9 in 2010. Although, C3 Technologies is still working out of its HQ in Sweden, post acquisition, it has supposedly been re-christened as Apple's 'Sputnik' division.
Many see this acquisition (rumored to be worth $240 billion) as the initiation of Apple's moving on to acquiring solutions from technologies rather than sourcing from third-party like Google Maps as until now. It can now be well anticipated that 3D mapping technologies acquired through Poly9 and C3 Technologies will soon appear in future version of iOS Maps application.
Not to forget integration of once acquired Siri in the new iPhone 4S - enough to get tongues wagging, right?
Although there is speculation that ultimately Apple will severe ties with Google post the several acquisitions of 3D mapping solutions; experts believe that considering Apple's renewal of partnership with Google recently, it might be so that Apple might still keep Google maps integrated to iOS for now.
C3 Technologies - Apple's Strategic acquisition
Apple Inc's strategic acquisition of C3 Technologies is definitely an indication of another imminent technological renaissance for the world to witness. C3 technologies is a pioneer and an innovation major known for developing exceedingly premium and detailed 3D maps sans any human effort. Here the 3D mapping is camera-based and is known to have the accurate technology to detect and map buildings, homes, and even smaller objects like trees. In fact, the solution for C3 Technologies is said to have come from declassified missile targeting methods.
Apple is always known to acquire technologies which they are sure can make a difference in the day-to-day life of people. They are always known to take the best out of their acquisitions and integrate into their own creation.
A closer study at C3 Technologies' official company description says it all:
C3 Technologies is the leading provider of 3D mapping solutions offering - photo-realistic models of the world for search, navigation and geographic information systems. Since 2007 when it was spun out of the aerospace and defense company Saab AB, venture-backed C3 has redefined mapping by applying previously classified image processing technology to the development of 3D maps as a platform for new social and commercial applications.
The Sweden-based company's automated software and advanced algorithms enable C3 to rapidly assemble extremely precise 3D models, and seamlessly integrate them with traditional 2D maps, satellite images, street level photography and user generated images, that together are forever changing how people use maps and explore the world.
How it works: What to expect from the acquisition?
Just watch these videos to experience how it works and what C3 Technologies has to offer:
This is indeed, nonetheless a preview of what the future of 3D mapping from Apple will have on offer. Are you ready for some more path-breaking innovation on your Apple devices?
The original post was published on Simon Blog.


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Atari released a collection of classic games on DS way back in 2005. The publisher has announced a second DS collection of 2600 classics -- this time, without any "remixing." Atari's Greatest Hits: Volume 1, out this November, is a compilation of fifty Atari 2600 and arcade games, ranging from the l...
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 11:00AM
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 10:00AM
Posted on Jan 23rd 2015 7:00PM


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Burlington Stores Inc., citing strong sales trends, expense leverage, share repurchases and lower taxes, reported Thursday that its first-quarter net income rose 58 percent to $82.6 million, or $1.20 per share, versus $52.4 million, or 73 cents, in the year-ago quarter.
Adjusted net income increased 54 percent to $87 million, or $1.26 per share, versus $56.6 million, or 79 cents a share, last year.
“We are very pleased to kick off fiscal 2018 with strong first-quarter results, driven by a 4.8 percent comparable-store sales increase,” said chief executive officer Tom Kingsbury. “Our overall 12.8 percent sales growth (to $1.52 billion) along with our 70 basis point adjusted [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] margin improvement enabled the company to drive a 59 percent increase in adjusted earnings per share in the first quarter, well ahead of our guidance. I would like to thank our store, supply chain and corporate teams for contributing to these strong results.”
Wall Street was clearly pleased, too, lifting the stock 8 percent, or about $11 to $147.50 by late morning.
Other major off-pricers, including The TJX Cos. and Ross Stores, also saw strong sales, traffic and earnings growth in the first quarter, though there is some impact across the retail industry from higher freight and wage costs.
Reflecting confidence in its operations, the $6.1 billion off-pricer raised its guidance for the year. Adjusted earnings per share is now seen in the range of $5.90 to $6, utilizing a fully diluted share count of approximately 68.9 million. Previously, the company forecast adjusted EPS of $5.73 to $5.83.
The 647-unit off-pricer is accelerating its store opening program, and has a goal of operating 1,000 units over time. This year, the company is planning to have 35 to 40 net new stores and capital expenditures of approximately $250 million. It could capitalize on Toys ‘R’ Us closing stores, as it did when Sports Authority liquidated.
The comparable-store sales increase of 4.8 percent marked the 21st consecutive comp-store sales growth for the off-price chain, and the company expects to extend the string of gains.
For the second quarter, total sales are seen rising 8 to 9 percent, and comparable-store sales are seen increasing 2 to 3 percent.
For 2018 overall, the off-pricer expects total sales to increase 9.7 to 10.5 percent, and comparable-store sales to increase 2.6 to 3.4 percent.
During a conference call, Kingsbury cited home; beauty; better, moderate, active and team sportswear; men’s shoes; athletics shoes, and Baby Depot as the strongest categories.
Kingsbury said the company is capitalizing on “a favorable buying environment,” meaning there is a good availability of products and brands to add to the assortment. He also said the percent of “aged” inventory at Burlington has declined.
“We continued to see no change in the vibrancy of the marketplace for our merchant teams,” Kingsbury said, adding that the amount of merchandise that is less than 30 days old is meaningfully higher than last year.
“We remain confident in our outlook and believe in our focus on evolving our off-price model and our ability to capitalize on the rapidly changing retail landscape,” Kingsbury said. “This positions us well to bring more great brands and value to our customers and increased value for our shareholders.”
Kingsbury said home represents Burlington’s largest category growth opportunity. “We finished 2017 with home at 14 percent of our total sales and we believe we can achieve a penetration level of 20 percent over time. Specifically, we have more opportunity to expand the presence of highly recognizable national brands in home and still see several key underdeveloped new categories that we have targeted for growth in 2018 and beyond.”
Beauty saw “strong momentum in the first quarter and we expect this category to be a key growth opportunity for years to come,” Kingsbury said. “We’ll continue to expand the number of brands in both designer and prestige fragrances, grow key categories in beauty accessories and enhance our assortments in cosmetics and skin care. In addition, beauty remains an important element of our gift strategy, which was a key Valentine’s Day sales driver.”
Kingsbury said the apparel comp was slightly below the chain average and home and beauty offset some of that.
He characterized ladies’ apparel as “a significant opportunity, as our penetration of 23 percent remains well below our potential 30 percent penetration goal. Missy sportswear, the largest portion of ladies’ apparel, outperformed the chain average in the first quarter. While better and active were once again standout categories in the quarter, our moderate sportswear business accelerated as well.”
He said approximately 1,200 ladies brands were added to the mix in 2017, while about the same number of less meaningful brands were edited out of the assortment.
Gross margin last quarter grew approximately 35 basis points to 41.2 percent, driven primarily by increased merchandise margin, which was slightly offset by higher freight and product sourcing costs.
Through mostly share repurchasing, there were 69 million fully diluted shares outstanding at the end of the quarter, compared with 71.5 million at the end of last year’s first quarter.


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India's Biggest Fashion Sale - Myntra's 'End of Reason Sale' is On 2nd & 3rd July
India’s largest fashion sale event, ‘End of Reason Sale’(EORS) by Myntra is returning this monsoon with a huge collection of curated styles, designs and brands, riding on attractive discounts of up to 80%. EORS will be held on 2nd and 3rd July, 2016, for shoppers to indulge in online fashion shopping, like never before!
Over 2000 top Indian and International brands are slated to participate in the 4th edition of EORS, reaching about 10 million customers across towns and cities. The new spring collection from some of the brands will be up for grabs, for the first time during the sale.
Speaking about EORS, Myntra CEO,Ananth Narayanan, said, “Myntra’s ‘End of Reason Sale’ is getting bigger and better, each passing season. It is by far, the largest fashion sale event in the country with an ever increasing number of customers coming on board. We expect 20x revenue during the sale and twice as much as the previous EORS, held early this year."
He added, “With an estimated 10 million people participating this time, we are actively gearing up for the sale to help customers make the best of the two days.”
EORS has emerged as the most sought after fashion sale event in the country and is one of the most important properties of Myntra. EORS breaks away from the traditional end of season sale format which usually last for 6-7 weeks. In the span of just two days, shoppers can avail the best of fashion from the widest catalogue at prices never heard of!
This particular edition is set to break all previous records with respect to scale, discounts on offer, number of brands, expected revenue and acquisition of new customers.
Shoppers on Myntra can now enjoy shopping on the mobile app, mobile web and desktop site.


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Jan 31, 2022
This is a first for the Civic’s high-performance version.
Jan 17, 2022
The price movements take effect across the range.
Jan 12, 2022
The fourth-generation minivan packs plenty of tech.
Jan 06, 2022
From featuring cars on its gaming consoles, Sony is now making one.
Dec 21, 2021
Hopefully this time it won’t be just additional stickers and badges.
Nov 11, 2021
Apart from the styling changes, it also gets a more powerful engine.
Nov 23, 2021
Subtle exterior revisions are accompanied by major cabin changes.
Sep 09, 2021
A new video clip shows the upcoming truck in its natural element.
Sep 22, 2021
The Korean carmaker is feeling more than a little bullish.
Jul 23, 2021
Commuters will have more facilities to look forward to by next year.
May 20, 2021
The company’s best-selling pickup now runs on battery power.
Jun 02, 2021
The Japanese carmaker has European rivals in its crosshairs.
May 14, 2021
This is expected to power the model’s debut in the U.S. market.
May 16, 2021
The name calls to mind Ford’s hot-rod truck from the 90s.
May 11, 2021
Ford is taking its midsize pickup to the next level.
New car price:₱1,209,000
New car price:₱1,059,000
MPV | 3.9/5
New car price:₱1,875,000


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A bitcoin whale recently pulled the trigger on another large order, buying over $37 million (about Rs 278 crore) of bitcoin after waiting a few weeks – a wait that has been unusual for whales. Leading crypto analyst tweeted. The address associated with this whale shows the acquisition of BTC 596 at an average price of $62,934 (approximately Rs 47,21,151). The buy comes at a time when the world’s most popular cryptocurrency hit a new all-time high, before most investors decided to consolidate profits.
The development was spotted by a Cryptoquant analyst who is run by the Twitter handle @ VentureFounder. The analyst revealed on Twitter that the third-largest bitcoin whale had suddenly made a major acquisition. The same account previously tracked multiple buys and sells of bitcoin price movements.
Whale Whale Whale, see who decided to come back:
— VentureFounder (@VentureFounder) 26 October 2021
the same analyst saw similar buying activity From the same whale in September, right after the bitcoin price collapsed following China’s crypto ban. The mysterious whale wallet then became the owner of more than 112,000 BTC, worth approximately $4,857 billion (about Rs 35,805 crore). The data shows that the wallet then bought bitcoin in two halves, first adding 408 coins and then 321 coins.
The interesting trend here is that the big whales make such huge additions (in terms of sheer value) when the value of bitcoin is at multi-week lows. For example, in September, the same whale pulled the trigger only when the value of BTC fell by over $10,000 (approximately Rs 7.3 lakh) from an early September high of $52,000 (about Rs 38.3 lakh).
After the April-May market crash, many whale accounts tried to make similar deposits. crypto coins. At that time, bitcoin had fallen sharply below $30,000 (approximately Rs 22.1 lakh), which made investing in crypto assets a very attractive move.
It is worth noting that the current rally, in which BTC rose from $40,000 (approximately Rs 30,00,700) at the end of September to a new high of over $67,000 (approximately Rs 50,26,172) last week, was also . attributed to whales Making large purchases at least according to on-chain data.
Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, is not legal tender and is subject to market risks. The information in this article is not intended to be financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or a recommendation of any kind offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be liable for any loss arising out of any investment based on any alleged recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.


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Two months after launch, things are not going well for Quibi, the well-capitalized, much-hyped new streaming television app named for “quick bite” videos of 10 minutes or less.
The app’s entire premise was short, digestible videos that people would watch on the go, and so Quibi launched on April 6 only on mobile phones—amid a global pandemic that kept people in their homes, watching content on their televisions, not their phones. Quibi did not launch with an option to cast Quibi to your TV.
Downloads have severely disappointed. Daily downloads of the app have fallen precipitously since launch day, according to research firm Sensor Tower, and Quibi’s current pace is for fewer than 2 million paying subscribers in its first year, compared to Quibi’s own original target of 7.4 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Quibi costs $4.99 per month with ads, $7.99 without adds.
This month, Quibi asked its top executives to take 10% pay cuts. Quibi has also reduced its marketing amid the nationwide social justice reform protests after the killing of George Floyd.
Quibi founder and former DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, in an interview with the New York Times in May, blamed Quibi’s problems on coronavirus: “I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Everything.”
But Quibi also faces a patent lawsuit from video startup Eko, bankrolled by hedge fund Elliott Management. (The lawsuit is over Quibi’s feature that rotates the video depending on the orientation of the viewer’s phone; ironically, some reviews of the app complain that the portrait mode still cuts off part of the screen.)
And Quibi has been criticized for the huge paydays it gave to stars like Reese Witherspoon ($6 million to narrate a nature program), whose husband, former CAA agent Jim Toth, is Quibi’s head of content acquisitions and talent.
On top of all those issues, the Wall Street Journal now reports that Katzenberg and Quibi CEO Meg Whitman are at odds, and that their working relationship “had worsened to the point that it put the company’s future in jeopardy.”
Katzenberg can’t blame all of that on coronavirus.
But Quibi, which is failing despite its $1.7 billion in venture funding, also demonstrates a truth that has nothing to do with the pandemic. The “streaming wars” have given birth to a massive spending bubble in which content creators, studios, and big tech companies are frantically throwing money at streaming ventures in a race to keep up with Netflix.
Apple did it with Apple TV+, which is not yet a proven success despite an initial spend of $6 billion on original shows like “The Morning Show” with Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, and “See” with Jason Momoa.
Disney has done it (spending $28 billion on all original content in 2019) with Disney+, an instant subscriber hit thanks more to Disney’s vast existing content library than to new content (with the exception of “The Mandalorian”), but is now navigating internal disputes because it also bought majority control of Hulu and has tried to integrate the back-end engineering tech with the Disney+ and ESPN+ teams.
ViacomCBS spent around $15 billion on original content in 2019, pushing CBS All Access and its anchor original show “Picard.” AT&T-owned WarnerMedia spent $14 billion on non-sports content last year, nearly double its budget from the year prior, and had its own branding problems with the confusing launch of HBO Max last month. Comcast still plans to launch NBC Peacock next month without the Tokyo Olympics, which was set to be the app’s main appeal at launch.
Even a truncated list of the better-known TV streaming platforms now in the market looks comically crowded: Netflix; Amazon Prime; Hulu; YouTube TV; Disney+; Apple TV+; CBS All Access; HBO Now; ESPN+; DAZN; FloSports; Crackle; Pluto; Fubo; and Philo.
These platforms can’t all win.
For Quibi, the slow start may also be a more simple lack of must-see content. Even with a long list of shows featuring big stars like Chrissy Tiegen (“Chrissy’s Court”), Jennifer Lopez (“Thanks a Million”), Chance the Rapper (“Punk’d”), Megan Rapinoe (“Prodigy”), none of Quibi’s shows have started any kind of cultural conversation.
The current top dogs in streaming all made their names on the shoulders of one or two mega-hit original shows. “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” premiered in 2013 and put the “Netflix Original Series” label on the map. Then Netflix added “The Crown” and “Stranger Things” in 2016. Amazon Prime Video got started with “Bosch” and “Transparent” in 2014, then had its first truly huge hit with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in 2018. Hulu’s moment came with “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2017.
Each of these exclusive shows are big enough hits that they convinced people to pay for those platforms. Quibi doesn’t have one yet, and there is reasonable doubt over whether any show with 10-minute episodes can become that level of hit.
Daniel Roberts is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite.
Read more on how coronavirus is affecting the entertainment industry:


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When Triumph released the brand-new Tiger 1200 range early last year, expectations were high that this new shaft-driven, large-capacity adventure bike could rival the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure in terms of performance and comfort, and dethrone it from the tops of sales charts.
So, a year on, has the Tiger lived up to its promise? It still sits behind the BMW GS and GSA in terms of UK sales, being the third most sold motorcycle above 1000cc last year. But what of its performance?
ABR tested the Rally versions of the Tiger 1200 last year, and we’ve been living with the Tiger 1200 GT Explorer for the last few months.
The GT Explorer is the highest-specced model in the Tiger 1200 GT range, which is more road-focussed than the Rally versions.
Coming equipped with features like a 30l fuel tank, blind spot detection, tyre pressure monitoring system, heated rider and pillion seats, and hill hold control, the GT Explorer has all the bells and whistles of a modern adventure touring machine.
So how does it perform in real-world conditions? Does it live up to almost the heritage of its Tiger namesake? And what’s it like to ride compared with the BMW GS?
Watch as James takes you through all you need to know about riding the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer below…


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The fast-casual Chicago-style food concept, Portillo’s, will be opening its first Minnesota location at 8450 Hudson Rd. in Woodbury at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11. The new location marks the brand’s 50th restaurant opening.
The restaurant will feature a 1920s theme with décor inspired by the Prohibition era. The restaurant will include seating for more than 200 guests, with double drive-thru lanes and an outdoor patio.
The menu will feature Portillo’s classic favorites, including Chicago-style Hot Dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, char-grilled burgers, fresh salads and Portillo’s famous Chocolate Cake.
Guests can register for a chance to get a sneak peek training meal prior to opening by signing up at portillos.com/woodbury.


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Litecoin, one of the oldest cryptocurrencies, has made history by adding its first-ever Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to its blockchain. The NFTs were created by forking Bitcoin Ordinals, a popular NFT platform, by a developer known as “TheRealBlockRen”. In this article, we’ll explore what this means for Litecoin and the wider NFT industry.
What are NFTs?
NFTs are unique digital assets that are stored on a blockchain. They can represent anything from art and music to virtual real estate and sports memorabilia. NFTs are different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Litecoin because they cannot be exchanged for an equivalent amount of another asset.
Read more about NFT News
What is Litecoin?
Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was created in 2011 by Charlie Lee. It is often referred to as the “silver to Bitcoin’s gold” because it was designed to be a faster and cheaper alternative to Bitcoin. Litecoin uses a different mining algorithm than Bitcoin and has a block time of just 2.5 minutes, compared to Bitcoin’s 10 minutes.
What are Bitcoin Ordinals?
Bitcoin Ordinals is an NFT platform that allows users to create and trade unique digital assets on the Bitcoin blockchain. It was created by a developer known as “NateAlex” and has become increasingly popular in recent months.
How Were NFTs Added to Litecoin?
TheRealBlockRen, a developer who has previously worked on Litecoin, decided to fork the Bitcoin Ordinals codebase and adapt it for the Litecoin blockchain. The result is the first-ever NFTs on Litecoin.
According to TheRealBlockRen, the decision to add NFTs to Litecoin was motivated by a desire to bring more attention to the cryptocurrency. In a tweet, he said, “My goal is to make Litecoin the go-to NFT chain.”
What Does This Mean for Litecoin and the NFT Industry?
The addition of NFTs to Litecoin is a significant milestone for the cryptocurrency and the wider NFT industry. It demonstrates that Litecoin has the technological capabilities to support NFTs and could potentially become a major player in the NFT space.
Furthermore, the fact that a developer was able to fork Bitcoin Ordinals and adapt it for Litecoin shows the versatility and interoperability of blockchain technology. It also highlights the potential for collaboration and innovation across different blockchain networks.
In conclusion, the addition of NFTs to Litecoin marks a significant milestone for both the cryptocurrency and the NFT industry. It demonstrates Litecoin’s technological capabilities and potential to become a major player in the NFT space. The fact that Bitcoin Ordinals was forked and adapted for Litecoin also highlights the versatility and interoperability of blockchain technology. It will be interesting to see how the NFT market on Litecoin evolves in the coming months and whether other cryptocurrencies follow suit.


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Tag Archives: fiona staples
Official Press Release The New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning, and Hugo Award-winning series SAGA continues with the much-anticipated third volume trade paperback, collecting issues 13-18, the entirety of the third story arc and releasing in March 2014. While Marko and Alana travel to an alien world to visit their hero, enemy pursuers remain […]
Official Press Release This past weekend at the Baltimore Comic-Con, the annual Harvey Awards were given out, honoring excellence in the comic book industry. Hosted by Bill Willingham, the Harvey Awards featured such celebrity presenters as Neal Adams, Stan Sakai, Joe Hill and many others. Image Comics was represented at the Harveys with nominations for […]
Official Press Release The release of the first issue of a new arc of the Eisner Award-winning series SAGA by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples is fast approaching cultural event status, driving thousands to comic stores this past Wednesday to purchase SAGA #13. Image Comics is proud to announce that SAGA #13 has sold […]
Official Press Release Image Comics joins the comic book industry in congratulating Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples, and Brandon Graham for their Eisner Awards, received Friday night in a ceremony in San Diego.
Saga, from Image Comics by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples is the most exciting, elegant, unique and captivating series in comic books today. Not since the original Star Wars film trilogy has outer space science fiction had such potential for anything. Saga and the original Star Wars does have a few things in common […]
Official Press Release This morning at Image Expo at the Lam Research Theater in San Francisco, Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson began a rousing and revealing keynote address to an audience of more than 500 comics industry journalists, retailers, and fans about the independent publisher’s upward trajectory in the comic book and graphic novel markets.
Official Press Release Image Comics is thrilled to congratulate the creators of comic books who received 18 nominations in nine categories for the 2012 Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards, which were announced by Comic-Con International on April 16.


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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] board of directors said on Sunday it had voted on its pick for a new chief executive officer, but declined to disclose its choice publicly until informing employees.
The board met during the weekend to deliberate over the selection of a new chief executive to lead the ride-services company out of a nearly year-long crisis. Earlier on Sunday, Jeff Immelt, chairman of General Electric Co, said he was no longer in the running for the job. That leaves Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, as the most likely candidate.
“The board has voted and will announce the decision to the employees first,” a board spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.
Reporting by Heather Somerville; Edited by Mary Milliken


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News & Reviews: Samsung Galaxy A13 5G Malaysia pre-order
Sep 09, 2022
Samsung Malaysia today announced the release of the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G in our country, one of the most affordable 5G smartphones in the company's entire lineup. It features a 6.5-inch Infinity-V PLS LCD display with a resolution of HD+ and a 90Hz refresh rate.
Dec 02, 2021
There were plenty of rumours going around about the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G before it is launches. Here, we spotted the device will launch on 3 December in United States with a price tag of USD249.99 (~RM1055).
Nov 20, 2021
The year 2021 is not over for Samsung just yet. A new mid-range spotted last month is expected to launch in January 2022, but that's not stopping leaks from happening. In fact, sources have found official info for the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G.
Nov 01, 2021


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John Mackey wanted to fight off the activist investors attacking Whole Foods. He found a savior in Amazon, a company blamed for laying waste to retailers.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
AUGUST 19, 2014
NYS DOS ID#
ELIZABETH L. NOWAK
4561 EAST LAKE RD.
CAZENOVIA, NEW YORK, 13035
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
2014 - CATWALK WORKS PRODUCTIONS, LLC
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By Fox News - Thursday Jul 20, 2017
A company based in Texas has recalled a coffee product after a substance found in a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction was found in the product, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed. Bestherbs Coffee LLC has recalled all of its “New of Kopi Jantan Tradisional Herbs Coffee” after the FDA said it found...
- Four Credit Repair Agencies Accused Of Misleading Customers, Charging Illegal Fees
By Ashlee Kieler - Tuesday Jun 27, 2017
Four different “credit repair” operations have been ordered to pay a total of more than $2 million in penalties for allegedly tricking people into thinking their bad credit could be easily fixed.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced today that it filed complaints and proposed judgments against Prime Credit, LLC, IMC Capital, LLC, Commercial Credit Consultants, and Park View Law, …
- The NBA's Playoff Catwalk
Friday Apr 28, 2017
Basketball's biggest stage is also an unofficial fashion show. The WSJ's Jason Gay explains.
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By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ - Thursday Jul 13, 2017
Residents are bracing for the worst, wondering whether measures taken so far are enough to keep devastation of the Queens community at bay.
- Jeff Sessions Says He’ll Stay On As Attorney General Despite Trump Trashing Him To The ‘NY Times’
By emmieodea - Thursday Jul 20, 2017
Jeff Sessions is proud of the work he's doing at the Justice Department and isn't going anywhere "as long as it's appropriate."


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Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) has received the conditional eligibility-to-list letter (ETL letter) from the SGX-ST for the proposed spin-off listing of its subsidiary BeerCo on April 1.
According to the announcement dated April 2, the ETL letter is one of the requirements that have to be met in order for ThaiBev to proceed with the spin-off listing.
The proposed listing is also subject to the requisite approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities.
SEE:Analysts more bullish on ThaiBev despite weak FY2020 results
BeerCo announced, on Feb 5, that it is seeking to list on the Mainboard of the SGX-ST.
It reported earnings of $77 million, up 72.4% y-o-y for the 1QFY2021.
BeerCo has a presence mainly in Thailand under its flagship brand Chang. It also has a footprint in Vietnam via the Saigon brand.
According to ThaiBev, the spin-off will create the largest beer “platform” in Asean, with a volume market share of 23.4% for FY2020. Heineken was second place with a share of 22%.
Shares in ThaiBev closed 1.5 cents higher or 2.0% up at 75.5 cents on April 1.
- ThaiBev to list brewery unit on SGX, seeks US$10 bil valuation; could be biggest IPO in decade
- ThaiBev's BeerCo to list on SGX Mainboard
- 'Add' ThaiBev as BeerCo IPO could rerate stock: CGS-CIMB
- 'BeerCo', ThaiBev's impending spin-off, reports 1QFY21 earnings of $77 mil, up 72.4%
- ThaiBev reports 1% higher earnings of $375.2 mil in 1Q21 due to higher sales in spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages
- Analysts divided on ThaiBev after mixed 1Q results, BeerCo IPO plan


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New Delhi: German luxury car manufacturer Audi has invested 100 million euro for setting up EV charging infrastructure in its own sites, claims the company in a release.
The company is setting up more than 4,500 charging points for battery-operated vehicles. It further claims that by the middle of 2022, Audi will equip one in ten parking spaces with EV chargers.
At Audi's main plant in Ingolstadt alone, there will be 3,500 charging points available in the final development. There will be 1,000 charging points in Neckarsulm. Also, charging infrastructure will be built at the factory in San José Chiapa as well.
Maximilian Huber, Project Manager B2B and Inhouse Charging Infrastructure Solutions, Audi, said, “Establishing such extensive charging infrastructure is a completely new challenge."
At the sites in Brussels, Ingolstadt, and Neckarsulm, charging infrastructure with a total power input of 21 megawatts is already available, informs Audi. This corresponds to the power consumption of a small town with 14,000 inhabitants. This includes 600 charging points with an output of up to 22 kilowatts (kW) and 60 direct-current charging points with an output between 50 and 350 kW.
The most significant boost will come from the currency benefit, which may add more than ₹1,500 crore to its operating profit this fiscal year, as per an ETIG analysis, if the currency exchange rates remain at the current levels.


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One of the ways that Apple’s Face ID tech is beating out the competition is the use of a system that measure the user’s face to determine if it is real versus a photograph. This is done by projecting a series of dots invisible to the naked eye that captures depth information. However it seems that come 2020, Apple could be employing a more robust version of that.
In a report from Bloomberg, they claim that come 2020, Apple will be employing the use of a laser-powered 3D camera for its iPhones and iPads. The use of laser will allow for better depth-sensing that could in theory create a better bokeh effect in Portrait mode, and could also allow for enhanced augmented reality features.
The report claims that this camera might actually make its debut on the iPad Pro first whose upgrade is expected for early 2020. This is interesting as it is usually the other way around, where Apple would release features on the iPhone first before it makes its way onto the iPad (such as Touch ID and Face ID).
Also given that the iPads aren’t really devices we take photos with, it suggests that this feature could be marketed as an augmented reality tool. Take it with a grain of salt for now as we’re still a long way off from 2020.
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Two-thirds of UK retailers believe it will take their business three years or more to achieve true sustainability, a new study undertaken by Pure London, Spring and Autumn Fairs has revealed.
The study states that retailers want to increase their sustainable products and that 73 percent of the 1,896 UK retailers that took part in the study, added that they have already made sustainability changes to their operations, but “were realistic that total sustainability was still out of reach”.
UK retailers hoped to increase the percentage of their products that are sustainable by 33 percent on average by the end of next year, and for fashion retailers this goes up to 40 percent, however, the research also adds that respondents estimated that to make their products sustainable they would have to increase retail prices by 19 percent on average.
In contrast, they estimate consumers would only be willing to pay 9 percent more for those sustainable products, while 20 percent believed the failure of suppliers to act sustainably or transparently was the biggest challenge.
Julie Driscoll, UK regional director for ITE Group, organisers of Pure London and Spring and Autumn Fair, said in a statement: “Our study confirms that the UK retail industry is passionate about taking action on sustainability. However, there are significant barriers to overcome. To achieve true sustainability takes significant resource, time and investment, arguably, it’s a continuous process for improvement, rather than a destination.
“Retailers aren’t shying away from that responsibility, but they are being realistic when it comes to how quickly the change can happen.”
Trade show group finds that 66 percent of retailers estimate it will be 2021 before their businesses are truly sustainable
Driscoll added: “It’s clear that retailers are changing. Our study found 73 percent have improved their recycling or reuse efforts, and that 54 percent have reduced the use of environmentally damaging materials in products.”
The research, where 80 percent of retailers stated the future of the planet as the most important reason for sustainable behaviour, was unveiled following the latest edition of Pure London that took place from July 21 – 23, featuring over 700 international brands and designers showcasing SS20 womenswear, menswear, youth and kid’s collections.
One of those exhibitors was British ethical fashion brand Komodo, which has been committed to ethical fashion since its launch 30 years ago.
Komodo founder, Joe Komodo said: “We believe the simple actions we make today can have a positive impact on the future. We also understand that finding ways to live more sustainably can be difficult and when we try to act more responsibly it might limit our choice. That’s why at Komodo we've been creating our ranges of affordable, on-trend eco-fashion for 30 years. It’s a privilege of our society to dress in comfort and style hence it is the responsibility of designers to make that style fairly and sustainable for those who work on it.”
Image: courtesy of Komodo / Infographic: courtesy of ITE Group


text: The U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act on August 7, which would reduce Medicare’s unsustainably high prescription drugs costs, extend premium tax credits to ensure the continued availability of affordable ACA coverage for millions of low-income Californians, and aims to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, partly through incentives for clean energy and technology. You can read the CMA letter to California Members of Congress, urging them to support the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the ACCMA recognizes that the Inflation Reduction Act does nothing to address Medicare physician payment reform or to halt payment cuts set to take effect next year. Read the full article from the American Medical Association here and see how payment rates for hospitals, nursing homes, etc. are adjusted for inflation but physician payments are not.


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SIG SAUER Electro-Optics Introduces SIERRA6BDX Riflescope
By Matthew Moss
SIG SAUER Electro-Optics have announced the launch of a new line of scopes using their Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX) technology. The new SIERRA6BDX riflescopes will be available in 2-12x40mm, 3-18x44mm and 5-30x56mm, with MSRP ranging from $1,169.99 to $1,689.99. Here’s what SIG Sauer have to say about the new scopes: SIG SAUER Electro-Optics is pleased to introduce the addition […]
The post SIG SAUER Electro-Optics Introduces SIERRA6BDX Riflescope appeared first on The Firearm Blog.
Source:: The Firearm Blog


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XL Specialized Trailers is planning a $6 to $7 million expansion to its headquarters in Manchester, Iowa. The expansion will increase production capacity by more than 30 percent.
The new development, which will be under way at the end of 2020 or early 2021, will add roughly 55,000 sq.
Exodus Machines announced an organization name change to Exodus Global to reflect its expanding manufacturing operations.
Exodus Global is a privately held, local family business that includes a group of companies — ShearCore, BladeCore, OilQuickUSA and Connect Work Tools.
Canvas, a construction robotics startup that is building the future in bold new ways, announced its public launch and disclosed its participation in a number of high-profile projects as part of multi-year partnerships with leading construction developers, as well as its local painters union.
Manitou Group presented Leavitt Machinery located in Langley, BC, with the Manitou 2019 Top Dealer Award for North America. This prestigious award is based on the overall sales performance, commitment and customer support of Manitou equipment.
"It is an honor to once again congratulate Leavitt Machinery for another outstanding year in 2019," said David Chickowski, Manitou managing director - West.
Honnen Equipment Co. announced the appointment of Tim Stokes as the company's new director of customer and product support.
Stokes will join the executive team and will have direct influence over the operations and strategies for all parts, service, and customer support teams' company wide.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis and this year's economic downturn, Association of Equipment Manufacturers member CEOs are optimistic about their industry. In the third AEM member survey conducted since the pandemic started, 75 percent of respondents predict industry-wide revenue growth through October 2021.
Robert Tedesco, vice president of Gorilla Hammers, and Tom Rielly, sales manager of Genalco, have announced that Genalco Inc. will be promoting and distributing Gorilla Hydraulic Breaker's line of new hydraulic hammers, as well as multi make demolition tools and wear parts for breakers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the surrounding areas.
iBUILT, a new design-build-operate company powered by modern technology, officially launched Nov. 18 to transform the world's largest industry —construction.
The new company is focused on solving the developer's pain points in the development process.
ioneer Ltd has signed a partnership with Caterpillar Inc. as its exclusive heavy equipment partner for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada.
The equipment and services supplied by Caterpillar during the first five years of operation are valued at approximately $100 million.
Since launching its redesigned website over the summer, Premier Manufacturing has seen website traffic climb to record numbers.
Site traffic is up six-fold, according to Premier Director of Marketing Steve Hansen. The spike in site traffic is attributed to new built-in search engine optimization and increased social media activity with content marketing and search engine AdWords.
Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc. (KSM) has hired Gavin Cole as sales manager of its Fort Worth, Abilene and Waco, Texas, locations.
Cole brings more than 24 years of relevant experience in managing sales and dealer operations to the position, most recently serving as general manager of Briggs Equipment in Houston.


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Taverna Rossa Craft Beer and Pizza will host its grand opening celebration 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday after opening almost a month ago at 4005 Preston Road, Suite 512 at Lakeside Market in Plano.
The public is invited, and a portion of proceeds from the all-day event will benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County.
Following a ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m., the first 100 guests will receive a free T-shirt and free pizza on their return visit.
Happy hour runs from 3 to 7 p.m. The Buzz Andrews Band will perform at 8 p.m.
For more information, visit tavernarossa.com or call 972-403-3321.


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THE owner of Hovis has seen a strong start to the year following a £30million relaunch of the bread brand.
Premier Foods spent around £15million on an ad campaign featuring a boy running home through major British historical events that have taken place since Hovis was patented in 1887.
References were made to the Titanic, both World Wars the Queen’s coronation, England’s 1966 World Cup win and the miners’ strike.
The ad was designed to reflect Hovis’s famous advert of the 1970s in which a boy in a flat cap pushed his bicycle up a cobbled hill.
The original ad — by Hollywood director Ridley Scott — has been voted Britain’s all-time favourite.
Hovis is now the number two branded bread behind Warburtons, with a market share of more than 25 per cent.
That is up from 22.2 per cent a year ago.
Boss Robert Schofield said: “The relaunch of Hovis has been a great success.”
The London-listed group — whose brands include Oxo, Mr Kipling and Branston — is hoping to do the same with Hovis rolls.
The new range will be available this month, with an ad campaign launching in June.
Premier Foods said total group sales were ahead three per cent in the first six months of the year.
Mr Schofield added that he was confident Premier would continue to perform well, despite the tough economic conditions.
He said: “Our focus on brand investment and product development will provide us with a platform for solid progress throughout the remainder of 2009.”
Premier acquired the Hovis brand in 2007 when it bought RHM in a £1.3billion deal.
Baking was not the only division to report a good start to 2009.
Sales were up six per cent in the grocery unit and eight per cent in chilled foods, which was helped by demand for meat substitute Quorn.
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crash into red
CAR giant NISSAN lost £1.59billion last year in a global sales slump — compared to making a £3.28bn profit in the previous 12 months.
The Japanese group, which employs around 4,800 people in the UK, sold 3.4 million vehicles in the year to March, down 9.5 per cent.
Nissan has already announced plans to axe 1,200 staff at its Sunderland plant, among 20,000 job cuts worldwide.
The recession has hit car manufacturers hard. Nissan said yesterday that sales had been particularly badly hit in Japan, Europe and the US — where they tumbled by 19.1 per cent.
But the firm remained upbeat for the current year — and the losses were not as bad as some analysts had feared.
Nissan has already seen demand pick up in Europe as governments introduce various “cash for bangers” plans.
The UK’s scrappage scheme kicks in next week.
THE world’s biggest hotelier INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS saw profits fall 44 per cent in the first three months of the year — to just £47million.
But the London-listed group said it is still outperforming the rest of the industry.
BUDGET group TRAVELODGE has been rapped by advertising watchdogs for a misleading campaign.
HAULAGE firm EDDIE STOBART has motored to profits of £24million after signing a deal with leading F1 team Brawn.
Stobart provides logistics for Brawn, whose Brit driver Jenson Button leads the F1 championship.
Boss Andrew Tinkler said the deal was “massively” important.
Annual pre-tax profits soared from £3.5million to £23.9million.
Revenues rose £108.8million to £431.1million.
General job cuts
INSURER LEGAL & GENERAL is to axe up to 560 jobs.
The firm said the move was prompted by “changing business demand and operational efficiencies”.
It insisted redundancies at processing centres around the UK would be kept “to a minimum”.
Rob MacGregor, of union Unite, called the cuts “disturbing”.
Cider not rosy
CIDER group C&C’s profits tumbled last year as the “rapid deterioration” in the economy caused cash-strapped drinkers to cut back.
Magners’ Irish owner said a poor summer also saw revenues slide 11 per cent to £460.4million.
Profits dived 27 per cent to £80.7million.
Imperial earns packet
LAMBERT & Butler owner IMPERIAL TOBACCO — owners of the Lambert & Butler, Golden Virginia and JPS brands — saw profits rise 49 per cent to £1.37billion in the first half of the year.
Last year Imperial spent £10billion buying the makers of Gauloises.


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BUSAN, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Taking off next Monday is the Busan Autumn Travel Weeks festival, which will run for two weeks, until November 6. What is different this year though is its theme, “Hunting for Busan’s Treasures from Movies”.
According to the event’s organizing body – a joint venture between the Busan Metropolitan Government and the Korea Tourism Organization – the event will bring together various themes from movies and their filming sites located across the city.
The “Busan Movie Road Hunting Tour” is the highlight of the event, where tourists will visit various filming locations to engage in “missions”. Those successfully completing the missions will be awarded stamps, which can be traded for food and items like local produce seaweed or a Busan Pass (prepaid card for city accommodations, restaurants, transportation, etc.).
There are a total of 12 locations where one can acquire the stamps, seven of which are freely offered by simply visiting the site. Locations include Busan’s most popular tourist destinations such as Busan Cinema Center, Yongdosan Park, Gadeok Island, and Songdo Beach.
Other programs include the Oso-op-show to experience regional produce (fish cakes and C1 Soju from Daesun Distilling), the Moonlight Rooftop Cinema (Sanbok-doro Road), a Tourism Photo Exhibit, and an Eco-Rally hosted by Renault Samsung Motors.
Busan is among UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the film category.
Image Credit: Yonhap / firstname.lastname@example.org


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In a RAIN webinar last August, Melbourne-based podcast hosting and technology company Omny Studio announced a technology achievement that seemed either revolutionary or implausible, depending on one’s perspective. Omny claimed to offer podcast listening data captured from Apple’s Podcasts app. As we wrote at the time: “The announcement was staggering, and drew many questions at the end of the webinar, because Apple’s grip on the podcast distribution market is both massive and opaque.” Many industry observers expressed disbelief in Omny’s claim.
Today, prompted by the imminent release of Apple’s own podcast analytics, Omny has unfurled a description of its previously secret method, as it prepares to withdraw its solution to cracking Apple’s black box.
The solution involves a careful analysis of how Apple’s app buffers download and streaming requests of podcasts hosted on Omny’s platform. Omny’s solution enabled the company to understand — and provide to selected clients — some details about how listeners consumed podcasts (e.g. how much of the show was heard during a streamed session) by analyzing how Apple buffered downloads while the show was streaming. Beyond that general description we cannot pretend to understand or evaluate the science.
Apple’s app delivers an estimated 65% of all podcast consumption, so Omny’s tech wizardry was a rebellious attempt to force some smart metrics out of Apple’s uninformative platform. Most observers believe that better, unified analytics of listener behavior can grow the category by supplying big advertisers with a level of campaign verification they are accustomed to in other mediums.
EarlIn June of this year Apple promised to create standard analytics for podcast listening through the Podcasts app and iTunes. The promise was for this year, and time is growing short. Omny believes enough in that promise to unveil the tech behind its own data that it has been delivering to clients for a year.


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WASHINGTON,—U.S. News & World Report this week announced the 2019 Best Hotels after evaluating more than 30,000 luxury hotels and resorts across the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.
In this year’s rankings, Hawaii’s Four Seasons Resort Hualalai took the first spot, followed by The Peninsula Chicago and the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, Florida. These high-ranking hotels are known for outstanding service, ample on-site amenities, and elegant accommodations.
U.S. News awards the top 10 percent of ranked hotels with a Gold badge. These five destinations are home to the highest number of Gold badge-winning hotels in the U.S. for 2019:
- New York City has 39 Gold badge winners
- Las Vegas has 14 Gold badge winners
- Los Angeles has 14 Gold badge winners
- Washington, D.C. has 12 Gold badge winners
- Chicago has 12 Gold badge winners
U.S. News has also introduced additional destination-specific rankings to the Best Hotels in the USA portfolio, ranging from vacation spots like Lake Placid, New York, to smaller cities like Carlsbad, California, to college towns like State College, Pennsylvania, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. New this year, the rankings include 3.5-star hotels on select U.S. ranking lists.
“The U.S. News Best Hotels rankings combine data from industry expert evaluations as well as traveler-focused reviews and insight to provide a more holistic idea of what each hotel has to offer,” said Hannah Cheney, senior travel editor at U.S. News. “Readers can use the rankings to find a variety of options for every type of vacation. Whether that’s a luxurious stay in Paris or a weekend getaway to a college or beach town, we’ve expanded the hotel rankings to give readers information on even more hotels.”
U.S. News’ 2019 Best Hotels rankings span more than 400 destinations. This time of year, the most popular hotel searches are in warm-weather spots, including Maui, Miami Beach, and Playa del Carmen. Meanwhile, cold-weather fans flock to winter ski destinations like Aspen and Whistler. The Caribbean is making a comeback this year as well, with numerous hotels reopening after a devastating hurricane season in 2017.
U.S. News scored luxury hotels using a methodology that combines each hotel’s industry awards with its star rating and guest reviews. These rankings are part of the expanding U.S. News Travel channel, which evaluates the Best Vacations, Best Cruise Lines, and Best Travel Rewards Programs.
Best Hotels in the United States
- Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
- The Peninsula Chicago
- Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, Surfside, Florida
- Four Seasons Resort Lanai
- Four Seasons Hotel Chicago


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Amazon is holding a launch event on 18 June for a new product, expected to be its first smartphone. Leaks suggest the new phone will run a customized, Kindle version of Android, include an innovative 3D display and support a range of gesture-based inputs. A teaser video released by Amazon appears to back up the rumours of a new type of display.
- iOS 8.1 brings Apple Pay NFC payments to iPhone
- Over 20m NFC devices now in use in Japan
- Bionym begins shipping wristband
- Amex commits $10m to EMV upgrades
- Twitter preps for Buy button launch


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European markets edged lower Wednesday in a stock-picking session, with German software giant SAP's margin forecast failing to meet expectations and Allianz reducing its exposure to equities.
The German DAX Xetra 30 index eased 0.5 percent to 4,214 and the French CAC 40 index (1804546) ended 0.1 percent lower at 3,879. The FTSE 100 in London eeked out a small gain. See London markets.
The market decline in Germany came amid a small glimmer of hope, as the Ifo Institute said the closely-watched German business climate index in January rose slightly to 96.4 points from 96.2 in December, helped by more "optimistic business expectations" in Germany for the next six months.
"It seems that confidence has improved as a result of substantial industrial restructuring," said Barclays Capital analyst Julian Callow.
Of movers on the Continent, German business applications software provider SAP
SAP said it gained in the U.S., capturing 6 percentage points of market share against its peers last year.
European sector peer Business Objects BOBJ (012074) declined 0.6 percent.
But Matthew Hammond, an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, said the SAP margin worries are overstated, and praised SAP's decision to hire 3,500 people.
"It has taken an opportunistic approach to hiring to gain market share in the face of the PeopleSoft-Oracle
SAP is going to "absolutely dominate" this year. "It's going to be very difficult to compete with it," he said. "And the idea there will be a resurgent Oracle is ridiculous."
Allianz cuts equities exposure
German insurer Allianz
It will issue a subordinated bond with 11.2 million warrants of Allianz shares, and its Dresdner Bank unit will sell 17.2 million Allianz shares that are currently valued at 1.5 billion euros. It will issue a 1.2 billion euro three-year index-linked note that can be redeemed in shares of Munich Re (843002), BMW or Siemens
Siemens (723610) shares eased 0.1 percent a session before the conglomerate posts quarterly earnings and Munich Re fell 1.4 percent.
BMW (519000) fell 2 percent after it said sales in 2004 rose 6.8 percent to 44.35 billion euros and said it had achieved all its sales targets. The carmaker expects record sales in 2005.
However, "the fourth-quarter sales figures are slightly on the low side of our expectations," said Adam Collins, an analyst at Commerzbank Securities.
Collins said a German newspaper report indicating BMW's financial hedging has risen to 50 percent from one-third could be driving the share price, though he said the article was not well researched.
"We think the move to 50 percent from one-third occurred earlier in the year when rates were better," he said. "We also think the hedging is based on the assumption of lower net dollar exposure in 2005."
Other carmakers fell as oil climbed to $49.35 per barrel from Tuesday. DaimlerChrysler
Thomson boosted by sale of Italy unit
French consumer electronics maker Thomson
Food and dairy company Danone DA (012064) declined 0.7 percent after saying it will take 600 million euros in charges in 2004.
It will take a 450 million euro charge related to the food group's participation in DS Waters, a joint venture formed with Suntory Limited in the U.S. home and office delivery market at the end of 2003. Danone also said it would take a 150 million euro charge on its 2004 results to write down share of its joint venture with Israel's Eden Springs.
French supermarket operator Casino Guichard-Perrachon (012558) improved 0.8 percent. The company said after the close of Paris trading Tuesday that organic sales grew in the fourth quarter 3.9 percent to 6.42 billion euros, ahead of analysts' estimates. It said international sales, which grew 9 percent, helped to offset slower growth in France.
French industrial gas group Air Liquide (012007) rose 0.7 percent after it said fiscal-year sales rose to 9.38 billion euros compared with 8.4 billion in the year-earlier quarter. In the fourth quarter, sales grew to 2.554 billion euros from 2.155 billion. Air Liquide said it expects fiscal 2004 results will be higher than in 2003 and said growth will continue in 2005, fueled by geographical expansion.
T-Online shares plunged 7.6 percent. Shareholders will get 0.45 to 0.55 DT shares for every T-Online share.
A German report also said that DT's T-Mobile arm is trying to increase sales by lowering rates, and Vodafone (VOD) said net acquisition and retention costs in Germany were lower in its most recent quarter compared with last year. See London Markets.
Swiss foods giant Nestle (001205604) rose 0.4 percent after Credit Suisse First Boston raised its rating to "outperform" from "neutral" and Hershey Foods
CSFB said it believes consensus 2005 margin and earnings-per-share forecasts are now realistic. The broker told clients it expects margins to expand at Nestle in 2005 thanks to gross savings from restructuring, changes in advertising and movements in raw material input costs.
In addition, the broker said that 2005 should see Nestle's net debt falling well below the target of SFr 10 billion ($8.37 billion), saying this combined with change in management at Nestle could lead to capital being returned to shareholders.
German retailer Hugo Boss (524553) fell 1.6 percent. It said net income for 2004 rose 7 percent to 88.2 million euros and sales rose 11 percent to 1.17 billion euros. "We have outperformed the global fashion market in all key business areas in fiscal 2004. We are confident that this positive trend will continue in the current fiscal year," it said.
Ad group JC Decaux (007791) rose 1.8 percent as it said a 35 percent held joint venture has inked a 15-year, 490 million euro contract to manage the interior and exterior advertising space of the two Shanghai airports. JC Decaux said it's the first deal for the company in mainland China.
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis
Of key drugs in the fourth quarter, Lovenox sales rose 19.1 percent on a comparable basis to 512 million euros, Plavix rose 23.7 percent and Allegra sales eased 5.1 percent to 373 million euros.
"Although this morning's figures were strong, in our opinion, we believe the increase in potentially negative newsflow from the Plavix court case could dampen enthusiasm for the stock, ahead of clear financial guidance for NewCo for 2005 and a clear view on the key pipeline opportunities for the company, which could come at the March 1 analyst day," said Bear Stearns in a note to clients.
Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria