text:
Some Russians are skirting website restrictions through VPNs. What are they?
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
What do Russians know about what's happening in Ukraine? Well, it depends in large part on what independent media they're able to access - access the Russian government has been forcefully trying to restrict. So many Russians have been relying on VPNs - virtual private networks - that obscure their identity online and allow them to access blocked websites. Andy Yen is the founder and CEO of ProtonVPN and also of Proton, the encrypted email service. He joins me now from Geneva, Switzerland. Hi.
ANDY YEN: Thanks for having me on the show today.
RASCOE: Could you just start by giving us your simplest explanation of how a VPN works?
YEN: Well, what a VPN is doing is it's essentially encrypting your internet connection and establishing a new connection from what appears to be a different location. So in the situation when you have censorship, like today in Russia, what a VPN does is it creates an encrypted tunnel or connection to a server outside of Russia. And that network and that server outside of Russia doesn't face censorship. And through there, you're able to access information, resources that are maybe blocked in the country that you're actually based in.
RASCOE: And so how has use of your products changed since the beginning of the war?
YEN: Well, VPNs have many purposes. And, you know, a lot of it is actually security and privacy. So even before the start of the war, in fact, there were VPN users in Russia, just like there's VPN users in the U.S. and in Europe and in any other country. But VPNs also have the added advantage of being a very effective tool for, you know, bypassing censorship in certain situations. And what we have seen in Russia is actually a tenfold increase. So the usage of ProtonVPN VPN has gone up by about 1,000% since the beginning of the war.
RASCOE: Wow. I mean, do you have any sense of what websites people are trying to access? Sure, you - there may be people trying to get information that Russia has blocked, but people may also just be trying to get on social media like Instagram and places like that just to post pictures, right?
YEN: Well, Proton is a privacy-focused VPN. And because of that, we are not actually monitoring and, you know, looking at what our users are, you know, viewing. But we do know that today, you know, most Western social media sites have been blocked. Almost all independent news websites have been blocked. So given the fact that we see such a big increase in demand, it's probably driven by, you know, one of those two factors or maybe both of them.
RASCOE: Now, on on the one hand, it would sound like this is great for business. On the other hand, you know, we know that there have been sweeping financial sanctions that have made it harder for foreign companies to operate in Russia and for Russians to pay for services. So what has that environment meant for Proton?
YEN: Well, there is no means for Russian consumers to pay for services in the West. You know, credit cards are not working. PayPal is not working. Even SWIFT payments for bank transfers are not working. And in this situation, Western tech companies really have two choices, right? One is you can pull out of the country and stop serving customers because you can't make money from it anymore. And this is indeed the path that most businesses have taken. If you want to stay in the country, all you can really do is offer your services for free. So today, the people in Russia that are using Proton services - whether it's ProtonMail Mail or ProtonVPN - - even if they have invoices that are due, we're simply not charging them and waiving the fees because that's the only way in which we can, you know, maintain services for them.
RASCOE: But will you be able to keep that up long term? Because, you know, it doesn't seem like this conflict is going to end any time soon.
YEN: Yes. Well, we are clearly, of course, losing money today on every single Russian user because there's no means for them to pay us. But I think we have, really, a strong moral obligation to be in there and be present and, you know, provide freedom of information in Russia for as long as possible.
RASCOE: For years now, Russia has been trying to restrict the use of VPNs. And in recent weeks, the Russian government, you know, has criminalized speech that runs contrary to their propaganda about the war in Ukraine. What should VPN users be thinking about when they log in? Like, how safe are they?
YEN: Even today in - you know, in Russia, there isn't really a track record of people being imprisoned for using a VPN. In fact, usage of a VPN by consumers is not actually illegal. So the main concern I think consumers, you know, in Russia and outside of Russia need to be aware of when picking a VPN is really that, you know, not all VPNs are created equal. Especially today in Russia, where it's mostly free VPNs, the issue that I see quite often is many free VPNs, you know, have business models that are not actually pro-privacy. So what these VPNs are doing is they're actually monitoring, tracking - you know, collecting user information and then reselling that. It's also very hard to identify who is actually owning and running some of these VPNs. So when you're using a VPN, you're essentially trusting that company to, you know, have access to your most sensitive internet browsing activity if they wanted to. And that's why it's very important to choose the right one.
RASCOE: That's Andy Yen, CEO of ProtonVPN. Thanks very much.
YEN: Yes, thanks for having me.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


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Indian drug makers are heavily dependent on China for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
The Indian consumer durables sector has close linkages with China
While patriotism is a virtue, jingoism is a vice," Justice Gita Mittal said during her tenure as acting Chief Justice of Delhi high court. With voices of boycotting Chinese products increasing by the day, the line where patriotism ends and jingoism starts is getting a bit blurred. A number of sectors dependent on Chinese goods for critical inputs risk collateral damage.
“It’s good posturing to say boycott Chinese goods, but you have to be ready to produce on your own, and I don’t see India being ready in the near to medium term," said Ravi Sundar Muthukrishnan, head- institutional equity research, Elara Securities (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Against this backdrop, here’s a look at some sectors that would be most affected.
Pharmaceuticals: Indian drug makers are heavily dependent on China for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). According to JM Financial Institutional Securities Ltd, “Indian drug makers import about 70% of API requirement from China with imports from the country increasing steadily over the years (from about 62% in FY12 to about 68% in FY19)." Note that Chinese API manufacturers have an advantage over India in terms of cost competitiveness, thanks to their scale benefits. Needless to say, an import ban on Chinese pharma-related products may lead to supply-chain disruptions for Indian firms. This, in turn, may mean adverse price movements, increasing costs for domestic firms, say analysts.
Consumer durables: The Indian consumer durables sector has close linkages with China. India is dependent on China for compressors, which forms 30-35% of the total cost of air conditioners, and very few consumer durables firms have meaningful in-house manufacturing capabilities. “In fact, barring Havells India Ltd, which has more than 90% of its content manufactured in-house, for other firms, it ranges between 20-60%," point out analysts from Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd in a report on 23 June. “Even Havells is dependent on China for some intermediary components, but the overall proportion is quite low compared to peers," added the broking firm.
Auto: The industry’s direct as well as indirect imports through suppliers is at significant levels, and can disrupt operations. The saving grace, of course, is that production capacities are running low. “The largest import is alloy wheels...but since plants are yet to reach full capacity, the impact would be small," analysts at JM Financial said, detailing the impact on two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto Ltd.
China is a key supplier of sub-components used in engine, electrical/electronics, tyres, analysts at Motilal Oswal said.
Telecom: China caters to a majority of smartphone demand in India and even globally. Therefore, any disruptions will result in a spike in smartphone prices and probably lead to a delay in the adoption of new technologies such as 5G. Further, it could also slow the pace of subscriber additions. Additionally, the network equipment market has just a handful of firms. In case of disruptions, analysts said capex of firms such as Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd could rise marginally.
Power: India imports a vast portion of its solar modules from China. According to Jefferies India Pvt. Ltd, the “(renewable energy) ministry’s 100GW solar capacity target by FY22E versus 35GW end May 2020 is a tall ask as discoms are struggling financially. Recent bids are viable only based on Chinese imports, as modules manufactured in India are far more expensive." A move to curb imports in under-construction solar projects can be expected to lead to tariff revisions. Import curbs here also entail risks of project delays.
Chemicals and agro chemicals: The Indian agrochemical industry imports a high amount of raw materials from China. According to Motilal Oswal, the import dependency ranges between 10-50% depending on the product portfolio. “The companies with generic product portfolios have higher dependency for raw material from China," said the broking firm, adding, “The specialty chemical sector has relatively lower dependency on China for raw material."
Infrastructure: On the flip side, some domestic capital goods firms may potentially benefit from the re-look at ties with China. In a report on 21 June, analysts from Jefferies India said, “$1 billion rail projects won in joint venture (JV) with Chinese players in the past five years. Key reasons for Indian firms to enter in JVs are technical expertise and a means to reduce competition through partnership. Incrementally, $10 billion-plus tenders are in the pipeline in metro rails in different states." If bidding is restricted for Chinese companies for larger projects, Indian companies may well benefit.
In the long-term, many analysts agree tensions between both nations would give a push to the Make in India initiative. This would help India become self-reliant and create more employment opportunities. According to Rajiv Sharma, head of research, SBICAP Securities Ltd, “However, this is not going to happen overnight and may take a while to pan out. Within this, even as raw material dependency is challenging to overcome sometimes, given that some places are naturally blessed, India can go a long way in making value-added products."
Meanwhile, the Indian stock markets are seemingly oblivious to the India-China tensions. At 10,383 points, the Nifty 50 index is flirting with the highs seen so far in FY21. As a fund manager says, “The stock markets indicate that it’s difficult to boycott Chinese products, as it is tough to find a replacement." He added, “Remember how quickly the Chinese smartphone, OnePlus 8 Pro, got lapped up on Amazon India." In other words, investors are appearing to dismiss the boycott talk as rhetoric.
But the fact remains that there is actual disruption on the ground. According to reports, Maharashtra has put on hold three agreements signed with Chinese companies. Last week, a Bloomberg report, citing people with the knowledge of the matter, said, India plans to impose stringent quality control measures and higher tariffs on imports from China. DHL Express India Pvt. Ltd has said it has temporarily suspended pickup of import shipments from China, Hong Kong, and Macau for the next 10 days due to recent delays in their customs clearance.
Muthukrishnan of Elara says, “In all this, we forget that covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc in both countries. The economic growth can derail in the near term and much would depend how quickly the government and industry respond."
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text:
Pic caption: Arun Malhotra, Managing Director, Nissan Motor
India Pvt. Ltd., David Richardson, Chief Executive, International Cricket
Council, Roel de Vries, Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Marketing
Communications and Brand Strategy, Nissan Motor Co., Guillaume Sicard,
President, Nissan India Operations
Nissan (www.nissan.in) has agreed to a major eight-year
deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC) that further strengthens its
ties with global sport. The agreement, which runs through 2023, confirms Nissan
as a global sponsor of cricket's international tournaments, including the ICC
Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20, as well as
Under 19 and Women's Cricket and qualifying events.
The ICC partnership is a
significant expansion of Nissan's ongoing international sports sponsorship
strategy. It allows the Japanese carmaker to bring its innovative and
fan-focused approach to sport to millions of cricket-lovers around the world. “Innovation
that excites is what Nissan does.” said Roel de Vries, corporate vice
president, and global head of marketing and brand strategy for Nissan, adding
that “As partners with the ICC we will introduce ways to enrich the experience
of cricket fans through our rights with the global Trophy Tour, the
International Flag Bearer Program and new live event experiences.”
“We're excited to be part of
the global cricketing family and to be involved in some of the world's most
prestigious and popular tournaments. Our aim is to share with cricket fans
around the world the excitement of the game and our cars. Both are created by
people who have passion for what they do, ” he said.
As a global partner, Nissan
will have extensive in-venue activation, broadcast and digital rights at all
ICC events. Commenting on the agreement, David Richardson, chief executive,
International Cricket Council, said: "The ICC is delighted to welcome
Nissan on board as a Global Partner and we look forward to working together for
the next eight years to deliver a strong partnership at all ICC global events.
“Nissan is one of the world’s
leading motor companies and boasts a strong international presence in both new
and established markets. Nissan’s values are closely aligned to those of the
ICC, to be innovative, with a strong focus on delivering exciting and unique
experiences for our fans and stakeholders. We are delighted to welcome such a
strong brand to our growing commercial portfolio and we would like to thank
Nissan for their support.”
Guillaume Sicard, President
Nissan India Operations, commented: "In India, cricket goes way beyond
simply being a sport. It is practically a way of life for millions of people. I
believe we have found a perfect partner for our brand.”
"Our goal is to achieve
5% market share in India by 2020 and we have already invested substantially to
build one of our most advanced plants and established one of our three global
R&D centres. Now we are keen to repeat in India the sales success we
already have in Europe, China, the US, Japan and elsewhere.
"We are thrilled to bring
our passion and unique approach to cricket in India and around the world and
are very much looking forward to the ICC World Twenty20 in India in 2016,” he
The ICC partnership is another
example of Nissan’s dedication to global sport, which includes the UEFA
Champions League, the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Olympic Teams
of Great Britain, Mexico and Brazil, the National Collegiate Athletics Association,
the Heisman Trophy, City Football Group and GT-R ambassador Usain Bolt.
Source: Nissan India
Leading tyre manufacturer, Apollo Tyres has introduced specific tyres for electric vehicles (EVs) for both, passenger vehicles and two-wheelers. Apollo Amperion range of tyres for the PV segment, wher...
From today until October 6, 2022, a unique Lamborghini Sián made from more than 400,000 Lego Technic pieces will be on display at Museo Automobili Lamborghini in Sant’Agata Bolognese. An established p...
Birla Carbon, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon black solutions, has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind carbon black virtual showroom that provides a virtu...


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Toyota's new 2019 Corolla Hatchback has just made its impressive debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show, and for Toyota this sporty compact will be a huge improvement in style, quality and performance, a model that is sure to make any Corolla fan happy. The Corolla is Toyota's best-selling model and this new model marks the 12th generation of the line, and it doesn't disappoint.
The first thing you'll notice about the new Corolla is its aggressive, sporty design that looks unlike any previous version. The body is 1.5 inches longer and 1.2 inches wider than its predecessors, and that extra length has gone into lengthening its wheelbase, making for more room inside for passengers. The most attention-grabbing aspect of the design is the massive grille at the front, flanked by sleek and thin LED headlamps that are mirrored by wraparound taillights at the rear.
The interior has upscale styling that should please most drivers with stitched leather trim on the dash and shift knob, and modern amenities like an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto support, Amazon Alexa and space for a 5.5-inch smartphone that can charge up with a built-in Qi wireless charger. The cabin is spacious with a pleasingly open design that doesn't feel claustrophobic, and Toyota did a really good job for passengers from a comfort and safety perspective, with seven airbags lining the area.
The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is driven by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine mated to a 6-speed transmission and sports-tuned suspension. Specifications haven't been finalized, but we can expect a marked improvement over its predecessor's 1.8-liter engine that pushed 132 horsepower.
On the whole, the new 2019 Corolla Hatchback is a worthy successor to the Corolla iM, and while this model is a representative of what's coming out in America, we can expect something similar when it finally hits the local market.


text:
TAIPEI, Taiwan - To promote innovations in Biomedical development in Taiwan and expand the needs of research, enforcement the link between academia and industry...
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Acer's chairman said yesterday that the second half of the PC market will not be as good as last year, but still better than 2019...
Yesterday was the last day of the Taipei IT Month, due to the raise of the discount rate, and the weather is sunny, the crowds crammed TWTC Exhibition Hall, the organizers launched the first crowd control, a total of 160,000 people entering into the day, a new record of visitors entering in one day.
On the Show floor, Tablet, Transform-laptop, Phoblet and digital cameras is still the largest selling products. ASUS launched new Windows 8 TransformerBook T100, is the most popular laptop, drive the sales break through NTD$0.2 million.
The sales of Acer’s Tablet PC are also hot , Linzheng Li ,Marketing Director of Acer said , W510 tablet is the best-selling model , accounting for Acer tablet sales overall 40%, while the mainstream V Series notebooks also very popular, in general, Acer's total sales this year renewed growth of 10% over last year .
In addition, the most popular mobile phone is Phablet , screen size is about 5” to 7” , and make related accessories to sold well, the Bluetooth headset is the top sale. Demand for mobile data access, allowing a significant increase in sales of micro SD card , SanDisk memory cards sold more than 2,000 pieces.
CTIMES loves to interact with the global technology related companies and individuals, you can deliver your products information or share industrial intelligence. Please email us to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Vortex has been showing a lot of love to the tactical shooting market over the past few years. The high end Razor family has expanded, there are new red-dot revisions every year, and their prismatic AR scopes are coming along. But that’s left some of the traditional shooting sports out in the cold.
Vortex is looking to fix that with the addition of the Golden Eagle scopes. These are true bench-rest scopes made for NRA matches and F-class shooting. Previously, the strongest magnification in a Vortex rifle scope was the 27x found in a Gen II Razor. The Golden Eagle more than doubles that, with a 15x-60x magnification range.
There are two versions of the Golden Eagle, one with a windage and elevation marked reticle, and one with an ultra simple, ultra fine crosshair. The scope is built off a 30mm body with target turrets using 1/8th MOA adjustments. This allows for 55 MOA worth of elevation and 45 MOA worth of windage. Vortex is promising 4″ of eye relief even at the highest magnification, and from what I could determine on the show floor: they’ve hit that.
With a 52mm objective on the front, the optic weighs in at almost 30 ounces. Not that F-class shooters are particularly renowned for light weight builds and long hikes with their rifles.
MSRP is set at $1900 USD, and they’re expected to be on store shelves in early Spring.


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The government and the mobile phone recycling industry have agreed to a charter that should prevent the sale of stolen mobile phone handsets.
Roughly 100,000 stolen UK mobile phone handsets are being sold every year in a business that is worth around £4 million. And because stolen mobile phones are blocked from use on UK networks, legitimate recycling firms are the ones doing the selling.
We're talking about the mobile phone recycling companies that you see advertised on day time TV (inbetween adverts for gold recycling, expensive loans and funeral pay plans.) Such companies ask people to send in their old mobiles in return for money.
The devices are subsequently resold in developing countries where the prevailing technology is not as sophisticated. The government has now made recycling firms agree to check handsets against the National Mobile Phone Register and report any stolen ones.
The national database is linked to the police database of mobiles reported stolen, a voluntary public register and the industry database of blocked mobiles. Where a stolen phone is discovered, the company will refuse to buy it and pass on the details to the police.
Ninety percent of mobile-phone recycling companies have agreed to the strategy.


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HONOLULU (KHON2) - Daiso, Japan’s famous value store, announced its second location today, just three months after opening its first store at the Pearl City Shopping Center. Located at 1024 Piikoi street, the Honolulu store will open on a limited hours basis from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Expanded store hours of operation will be announced at a future date.
HouseMart, the parent company of Ace Hardware, Ben Franklin Crafts and 3Katto’s flagship brand Daiso, successfully opened its first Daiso store in Pearl City in December 2018. The overwhelming demand by local residents prompted the company to expand to a second location on the corner of Piikoi and Young streets. Because parking is limited and positions are still being filled, the company will only open on a limited hours basis in the near term. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit hmstores.com and click on careers to apply.
“Over the past three months, our customers have told us that Daiso has met an unfulfilled demand for unique, quality items at affordable prices,” said Milton Fujii, president of 3Katto, exclusive operator of Daiso Hawaii. “We are excited to open this second location to bring the Daiso experience to more people.”
With a reputation for offering variety, quality and value, Daiso develops 99 percent of its merchandise in-house and creates 500 new products every month. The majority of its items are affordably priced at $1.50.


text:
Google has bought yet another promising company. If you thought Google was done buying after it acquired Boston Dynamics, you were mistaken. Buying Nest enables Google to complete yet another piece of its puzzle. The company is working on smart cars, smart glasses, and has impressive robots. With the Nest team, it can now work on making our homes smarter. For Nest, it was all about the opportunity to grow. Google simply had to pay a premium to acquire the team.
Nest’s founders, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, have built a tremendous team that we are excited to welcome into the Google family. They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe. We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams,
said Larry Page. Make no mistake about it, this is not about building thermostats. It’s about building smart products that work well with one another in homes and on the road. Google claims that Nest will continue to operate with its own distinct brand identity. The deal does raise some privacy concerns. Nest claims customer data will not be shared with Google. I doubt people will drop Nest products after this deal.
Remember the Apple lawsuit about people not being able to get installation files for iOS 7 off their phone? It seems Apple will be addressing that problem when iOS 7.1 is released. If everything goes as Apple expects it, iOS 7.1 users will be able to delete the installation files for over-the-air upgrades. The feature will be available on Setting > General > Usage. Good to know that Apple has finally addressed this issue.
Image source: Macerkopf.de


text:
Marilyn Manson to perform at Knoxville's Civic Auditorium Oct. 23
Rocker Marilyn Manson is coming to Knoxville in October.
Manson will perform a concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium, according to a Facebook event on the venue's page.
The show is part of Manson's Twins of Evil: The Second Coming Tour 2018. He released his latest album, "Heaven Upside Down," in 2017.
Tickets and VIP packages will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster, according to the Facebook event. Ticket prices range from $57.50-$77.50, according to Ticketmaster.
Artist and VIP package presales will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday, and a local presale will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday.
For more information and tickets, visit http://www.knoxvillecoliseum.com/events/.


text:
Microsoft and Nortel Tuesday announced a four-year alliance to deliver unified messaging products and pursue what they are calling a “software-centric vision for communications.”
The cornerstone of the alliance will be voice-over IP networking products, said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during a teleconference, but the two companies also plan on delivering a product set that will allow customers to experience unified communications.
Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski said the alliance represents $1 billion in new revenue for Nortel alone.
Ballmer was also quick to identify to size of the opportunity. “There are hundreds of millions of people who will be getting a new communications experience over the next four or five years. If we can’t make that into a gigantic opportunity for Microsoft and for Nortel, shame on us,” he said.
Zafirovski said the idea of unified communications has “offered a tantalizing promise” for some time. He stressed that the companies will offer software-driven products that can be built into an existing networking infrastructure, negating the “rip and replace” approach that has often made telephony upgrades expensive and cumbersome.
“A world where computers, phone devices and PDAs converge into a single easy-to-use platform that’s easily and intuitively tied together — Nortel and Microsoft share this vision,” he said.
According to Ballmer, five new or upgraded products will begin shipping by this time next year. He said they will cover the gamut from SMB-level to enterprise. Among the eventual offerings will be: VoIP, call processing, unified messaging, conferencing technology, and new telephony devices for mobile and desktop phones.
“We were brainstorming . . . on some of the ways we can get out really make vivid for people that this isn’t just about what goes on in the data centre or the network operations centre,” he said.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft set the stage for its unified communications strategy last month when it announcd a roadmap that includes products like Microsoft Office RoundTable, a 360-degree camera device which could be used as a videoconferencing technology.
The company’s partnership with Nortel has been dubbed the Innovative Communications Alliance. As part of the agreement, Nortel will create a dedicated systems integration division for applications deployment. Nortel and Microsoft will also form joint product development and sales and marketing teams, and cross-license intellectual property.
While Nortel may have the services expertise to manage customer engagements, the alliance may bring new opportunities for Microsoft partners, said Ballmer.
“This is right in the mainstream of the bulk of our partner channel. I think it will be good for our partner channel . . . to have these kind of services being led by Nortel,” he said.
The alliance is also a tremendous opportunity for Nortel itself, said Eduardo Kibel, a networking analyst in the Toronto office of Frost and Sullivan. After years of layoffs and investigations into alleged accounting irregularities, the partnership with Microsoft could give the struggling Brampton, Ont.-based network equipment provider a new lease on life.
The VoIP market is particularly robust, said Kibel, and is worth an estimated $80 billion globally over the next five years, when equipment and services are both factored in.
“There is a bit of restraint from a few people to adopt it or to actually test it, but the other side of the coin . . . is that a lot of people are very happy with (VoIP) service,” he said.
Companies want the luxury of moving between mobile and land line networks, and the ability to communicate with employees without worrying about the hand-over issues between the two, said Kibel. Together, Microsoft and Nortel may be able to take advantage of that potential market.\
Comment: [email protected]


text: Mumbai-based Ashu Thakur who heads Ashu Thakur & Associates, a law firm, has been flitting in and out of London for the past few months to help two of her key clients close the deal. It may be recalled that the Mumbai-based Restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani was keen to sell his stake in Mumbai-based French restaurants Slink & Bardot, and Soufflé S’il Vous Plaît back to his partner Alexis Gielbaum and Nick Harrison. Now, there has been a change of heart. Amlani, CEO of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality and President of National Restaurant Association of India, is keen to stay invested and Thakur seems to be working on the finer points in light of the new development. The other deal Ashu worked closely on was the signing of the JV between the French designer Maximiliano Modesti’s Les Ateliers 2M and Asian Paints. The JV between two firms Asian Paints and Modesti saw the launch of brand INK in India. The collection comprising six distinct patterns combines techniques of screen-printing, block printing and embroidery. According to Amit Syngle, MD & CEO of Asian Paints, this collaboration will help the customers provide a complete portfolio of home décor products and services. Clearly, Ashu is on a roll.


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Icon Aircraft moves production work to Tijuana
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Icon Aircraft will open a composite parts facility in Tijuana, Mexico, to support final assembly of its two-seat A5 amphibious airplanes in Vacaville, California, the company announced recently.
Outside suppliers had been tasked with producing composite airframe components for the A5 until Icon decided in May to bring the work in house.
The new 300,000-square-foot Icon factory in Mexico, which could eventually employ 1,000 workers, is set to open in November and be completely up and running by early next year, Kirk Hawkins, founder and CEO of the California company said.
“Icon will own or control all manufacturing operations related to its composite fabrication in Mexico,” said Hawkins. “Parts will be made on Icon tooling, by Icon processes, to Icon standards, in Icon facilities. These parts were previously outsourced to non-Icon suppliers but will now be insourced under Icon’s direct control.”


text:
Bayer Schering completes acquisition of Novartis' facility
FRANKFURT, Germany Bayer Schering Pharma has completed its acquisition of one of Novartis’ biologics manufacturing facility in Emeryville, Calif.
Bayer will use the site to manufacture its multiple sclerosis drug Betaseron, also known as Betaferon. Novartis received a one-time payment of $200 million as part of the deal, which was originally announced in March 2007, which involved the transfer of manufacturing responsibility of Betaseron.
Novartis will continue to receive royalty payments based on the net sales of Betaseron until the expiration of the original agreement in October 2008.


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WILTIPOLL stud breeders Peter and Judy Colless, Carthona, Wingham, have broken an Australian record with a 17-month-old Wiltipoll ram selling for $6600 in the 13th NSW Wiltipoll Combined Breeders Sale at Gulgong last Saturday.
Meanwhile Julie Huie and Jeff Lucas, Westmoreland Wiltipolls, Wisemans Creek, have sold the nation's top Wiltipoll stud ewe to $2000.
Stud and commercial producers traveled as far afield as Bairnsdale, Vic, on the weekend to snap up the best genetics from a breed which is quickly gaining traction.
In 2021, Wiltipolls placed fourth overall in the Dubbo Prime Lamb Hoof and Hook competition. Last year the best rams and ewes had topped at $3700 and $1250 in the NSW Combined Breeders Sale, but this year those prices were toppled.
In the breakdown, 14 from 16 stud rams were sold to a $6600 top to average $3132, while all 18 stud ewes realised a $2000 top to average $1266. Commercial ewes sold to $1150 with all 29 sold for a $922 average.
Producer Ian Brownigg made the 2000 kilometre round-trip from Bairnsdale, Vic, to secure the high-selling September 2020-drop Carthona 1869. An ex dairy-farmer, Mr Brownigg runs 700 Wiltipoll ewes and a transport business off-farm.
"They're low maintenance with no lice and no flies. They're very well-suited to the hobby farmer," he said. "I treat them like dairy cows. That is, I feed them and breed them, keep the best and sell the rest. It's a simple philosophy we work to."
With a 140 per cent lambing rate Mr Brownigg sells wether lambs over the hook and surplus ewes direct to the hobby farmer. "We've got lambs to go [to market] next week at $8.50 a kilogram (carcase weight). They'll make $240 to $250 a head which I'm happy with," he said.
Purchasing all three advertised Carthona rams to an average $4600, Mr Brownigg said he will join them to about 120 of his best ewes.
Westmoreland Wiltipolls sold the top stud ewe to Jason and Suzanne Vials, Sarum Wiltipolls, Spring Hill, for $2000. Mr and Mrs Vials had also sold stud and commercial ewes to $1600 and $950, respectively.
"Wiltipolls are no flash in the pan," Mr Vials said. "In the last couple of years thankfully we've had all the rain but that means you need sheep that can handle those conditions.
"In terms of shedding sheep, there's no doubt these have got the best pedigrees to cope with those conditions."
Mr Vials said they were very easy to handle.
"We have no trouble with lambing or with feet," he said. "Because Wiltipolls are true shedders you don't have to dock the tails. There's no problem with flystrike or anything like that.
"Wiltipolls are the ultimate, easy-care sheep with a beautiful carcass."
The Vials have seen sky-high demand for the breed in recent times.
"We can't get enough ewes," Mrs Vials said. "For the last two years any ewe lambs that we've had we've sold privately. They've wanted our wethers too and bought them directly."
Other studs catalogued were Reavesdale, Murringo, Sinclair Park, Woodstock, Brigalow Wiltipolls, Tamworth, Frog Rock Wiltipolls and Sorrento, Boggabri.
Agents were McDonald Lawson Carter, Mudgee.
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Stryv Medical and its young workforce have launched a new line of medical gowns and masks to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded by St. John’s University professors King Mukherjee and Bob Gazich, Stryv Medical’s goal is to provide college students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to learn about business and the textile industry.
The company specializes in distributing personal protective equipment (PPE), medical fabrics, antibacterial fabrics, scrubs, lab coats and hospital gowns. Founded in 2017 with one student intern, the company has grown to a team of 20 interns from St. John’s in St. Joseph, Minn., and other educational institutions around the U.S. Mukherjee says that students are attracted to the program because they are given substantial responsibilities while working flexible schedules. While functioning remotely, every employee spends at least a few hours a week working with the company’s owners to learn what it takes for an international textile company to succeed in the 21st century.
“Our industry has not done a good job of reaching out beyond the industry itself,” Mukherjee says. “People don’t know about it or why they should be interested in it. What we’re doing is trying to generate some interest in our industry as a career path.”
Narrowing its focus to assist the effort to fight Covid-19, the company has formed an international business consortium that works around the clock to provide local and international communities with essential medical equipment. This includes donating a portion of inventory to hospitals, restaurants, public services and individual consumers. For more,


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THERE is need for a communications strategy to boost insurance penetration and acceptance of insurance by Nigerians, an expert has said.
The expert, Okey Udezue, spoke at a seminar organised by the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) in Lagos.
The event had as theme “The Nigerian economy 2019: Issues, Challenges and prospects for the insurance industry”
Udezue said there was no defined communications strategy by the operators.
He listed other challenges facing the industry to include lack of innovative products and poor integration of technology.
He said the industry is only just waking up to the enormity of the task confronting it and may have underestimated the level of apathy that the typical Nigerian, particularly those living in rural areas, has towards insurance.
He stated that the promotion used to create awareness, persuade and reassure the people is key to the marketing mix.
Should communications strategy be left to individual firms or should some aspects be left to the regulators while the operators focus on various aspects under an integrated marketing platform? he asked.
He said the industry should note that during the period the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was pursuing a vital communications strategy to actualise cashless banking, individual banks created their own strategies to exploit the opportunity to get many non-customers open accounts with them.
Another challenge of the industry, he said, is inadequate training and skills of some workers in the industry.
He said: “The law of natural selling, which states that ‘nobody will spend his money to buy anything unless by so doing he will be better off than before’ points to another issue that is creating a challenge for the industry. Given that the revenue in the profit equation is all about ensuring continuing growth of sales (insurance premiums), the question arises as to whether or not those that actually go out to sell insurance have the necessary training and skills to win over the many skeptical people across the nation, especially those that live outside commercial cities.
“As marketing gurus would say, selling financial services is different from selling tangible products and requires special skills that go beyond merely presenting and listing features of products to prospects. And because financial services are the same from company to company, the ‘messenger’ (the seller they see) is the one that will make the difference and must be bought before his ‘message’. This means the insurance seller must possess and exhibit skills and techniques for surfacing the non-verbally expressed emotions of the buyer in addition to having great product and industry knowledge. Or else, how can he speak to his priorities?
“The future of insurance selling calls for a shift from features-oriented marketing to benefits-focused customer engagement. And beyond the need for a general upgrade of selling skills, there are also issues with the dearth of trained actuaries’professionals, underwriting and general brokerage experts. The industry should be concerned that not too many students enrol for insurance-related subjects in the universities. A proactive response may involve working with the universities (NUC) to evolve a strategy to attract more people into these programs. How it responds will be critical for achieving agreed future performance milestones.
“It is significant that the banking industry, when faced with similar issues and challenges, set up their training academies to equip prospective new hires into their banks with knowledge and skills for preparing them in meeting and dealing with issues and challenges peculiar to provision of banking services to Nigerians.”
He further stated that the issue of lack of innovative products is one of the top (if not the top) reasons for insurance exclusion challenging the industry. If the growth of revenue in the profit equation is critical for growing the industry, perhaps, this is a good time to single out for industry attention.
Given the statistics on people living with extreme poverty and the demographic distribution of adults with survival income, the commitment to expand the market for insurance will be frustrated by the absence of innovative products that can be used to tap into the vast untapped market, he noted.


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Dividend-paying tech stocks are shares of technology companies that include regular dividend payments. Tech firms generally reinvest their profits back into the business and seek growth rather than returning capital to shareholders through dividends. That said, many tech companies pay dividends. These dividends attract investors who like the steady income dividends represent.
Investing in dividend-paying tech stocks provides the benefits of regular income and potential capital appreciation. Tech stocks have been one of the fastest-growing sectors over the past few decades. Although the past year has been tough on the sector, most investors expect it to rebound long term. The dividends these shares include provide income while the sector normalizes.
IBM (NYSE:IBM) stock represents a technology company often cited for its dividend. The company offers a range of hardware, software, and services. IBM is particularly well-known as a leader in enterprise computing, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. The company boasts a diverse customer base that includes governments, businesses, and individuals and operates globally.
IBM might be a controversial pick to lead this list, as the stock has shown weak returns over the past decade. In fact, $1,000 invested in its shares would only have grown to $1,024 today(1). But that return does not include IBM’s dividend, which has not been reduced since 1994. That dividend currently yields 4.9%, which is an impressive rate across all stocks, particularly so within the tech sector.
IBM has real growth prospects moving forward. The company is a leader in artificial intelligence (AI). There’s every chance that the company’s recent performance could change due to AI.
Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) stock is another well-known tech name with a substantial dividend. The company provides networking hardware, software, and services. Cisco sells products and services, including routers, switches, security systems, and cloud services. Cisco’s shares have appreciated in 2023 after falling from $55 to $47 throughout 2022.
Cisco shares currently trade near $50, with analyst consensus suggesting they should appreciate roughly 10% over the next 12-18 months based on the target price. Cisco recently delivered strong results with 7% sales growth topping expectations. In turn, management increased guidance for the full year. The positive news is a bright spot within tech, as many firms are bracing for negative earnings news.
Cisco’s revenues increased 7% to $13.59 billion in the quarter, and the company expects current fiscal-year growth to be between 9% and 10.5% year-over-year. Those results and expectations prove that tech growth is far from over. Cisco’s dividend has not been reduced since 2011 and recent strong results indicate that will continue to be the case.
Texas Instruments (TXN)
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) is a semiconductor design and manufacturing company serving multiple industries. Its products include digital signal processors, microcontrollers, and power management solutions, among others. The company’s latest dividend equaled $1.24, yielding 2.82% for its holders.
Texas Instruments reported earnings in late January with earnings per share of $2.13. That EPS was well above the $1.98 consensus Wall Street was expecting. So, from that perspective, Texas Instruments did well. Despite beating expectations, revenues still decreased by 3% on a year-over-year basis and fell 11% sequentially.
There were several bright spots in the report aside from the higher-than-anticipated EPS. Texas Instruments reported $5.9 billion in free cash flow for the year on $20.03 billion in sales. It also returned $7.9 billion to shareholders, showing its commitment to income investors. Further, automotive demand increased, a potential point of strength moving forward.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) stock is one of the most well-known tech shares. The company has also been paying dividends to its shareholders for nearly two decades. The company has a strong balance sheet and consistent cash flows, which allows it to offer a reliable and growing dividend. The company has a track record of increasing its dividend payout and has done so every quarter since its inception in 2003.
In 2022, Microsoft paid its shareholders $2.54 in dividends per share. While that equates to a relatively low yield of 1%, it’s exceptionally sustainable, judging from the dividend’s 0.28 payout ratio. That stable dividend has grown at a rate of 9.7% over the past five years, which is another positive sign overall.
Sales at Microsoft grew by a relatively low 2% in the most recent quarter. Increasing costs and decreasing operating income led to a net income of $16.4 billion during the period, down 12%. But rapid cloud revenue growth and a resurgent LinkedIn were strong points for the firm. A rebound seems highly likely for MSFT, and growth is a near certainty for one of the strongest firms in the world.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock has grown at an astronomical 26.75% annually over the past decade. Growth at such a prolific rate is usually a consequence of reinvesting everything back into the company. Thus, investors might not expect that Apple has been steadily rewarding investors with a dividend during that period. However, it has.
The company reinstituted its dividend in 2012 and hasn’t reduced it since. It is also worth noting that Apple paid a dividend from 1987 until 1995 worth 1/10th of a cent. That dividend is now 23 cents per share and has grown by 8.2% over the past five years.
Like Microsoft, investing in Apple is a bet that flagging tech giants will rebound and reward current investors handsomely. Apple’s Q1 revenues fell 5%, which has signaled that demand may be shrinking as consumers buckle down in the currently volatile economy. As consumers appear less likely to shell out large sums for iPhones, the company is leaning on services where revenues hit an all-time high of $20.8 billion.
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) stock represents a multinational technology company that provides database and enterprise software products and services along with cloud services. The company is known for its range of software solutions for business, supply chain, and human resources management. Oracle is also investing heavily in cloud services, focusing on helping customers and enterprises move their workloads to the cloud.
In regards to dividends, Oracle has paid a dividend that has gone unreduced since its inception in 2009. It currently yields 1.46% and has grown 14% over the past five years.
Wall Street expects mid-term growth from Oracle and has assigned its a consensus $95 stock price target. ORLC shares currently trade for $87.
Oracle’s revenues increased by 18% in 2022, suggesting that long-term growth shouldn’t be a problem. Net income did decrease, however, falling by 12% during the period. Oracle is also a significant force in the cloud and is spending heavily to lure customers away from bigger tech companies in the space.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Qualcomm is another semiconductor stock that includes a dividend. The company has benefited from the growth of smartphones and 5G technology. It is a noted supplier of Apple, so as Apple shifts toward in-house chip production, investors have grown skeptical of Qualcomm’s prospects.
The company’s most recent earnings do little to assuage those concerns, with revenues that declined by 12% to $9.46 billion. However, those results were in line with management’s expectations.
However, there is reason to believe in Qualcomm moving forward. Apple is unlikely to move away from Qualcomm as a supplier until late 2024 at the earliest. Apple’s efforts to develop in-house chip production have not gone to plan, as the company was hoping to bring production in-house this year. That leaves the door open for Qualcomm while it continues to grow in other areas. In particular, IoT and automotive, where revenues increased by 7% and 58% YoY in the latest quarter.
On the date of publication, Alex Sirois did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
5G, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Communications, Cybersecurity, Quantum Computing, Semiconductor, Software, Technology


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China’s ride-hailing service provider, Didi Chuxing begins services in Chile, Colombia
Posted On June 12, 2019
Chinese ride-hailing titan Didi Chunxing launched its services in Chile and Colombiaon Thursday as part of its drive into Latin America, Reuters reports. Earlier last week, the company started Didi Express operations in the two countries and scheduled to launch a taxi-hailing service in Colombia later this year, stated in an email report. As they gear up to take on their US rival Uber, Reuters reported in February that Didi was recruiting managers in Chile, Peru and Colombia.


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Thailand is bringing happiness filled with fun and colorful entertaining events to Bangkok as the country staging the “Bangkok Entertainment Week” from 27 April to 3 May, 2015. The week-long event is to transform Thai capital as a hub of entertainment business in ASEAN. During the week, four events: Bangkok Comic Con 2015 x Anime Festival Asia Thailand 2015; Bangkok International Digital Content Festival 2015; Thailand Comic Con 2015; and Thailand Toy Expo 2015 will take place at different venues.
The venues will be along the BTS routes including Centara Grand Hotel at Central World, Central World Shopping Center, Siam Paragon, and Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (BITEC).
Bangkok Entertainment Week is a product of the coordination between the public and the private sectors to ensure grandeur while strengthening the entertainment and digital business of Thailand to secure its place on the international stage.
Bangkok Comic Con 2015 x Anime Festival Asia Thailand 2015, to be held between 30 April and 3 May at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (BITEC), is considered the grandest in Asia with top pop cultures from Hollywood and Japan combined in one event. There will be special shows from Warner Brothers, Twenty Century Fox, to name only a more prominent few.
Bangkok International Digital Content Festival 2015, to take place between 27 April and 3 May at Centara Grand Hotel at Central World and Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (BITEC). Interesting activities will be conducted for various groups of interested parties including for the business operators, entrepreneurs, professionals, students, and consumers, etc.
Thailand Comic Con 2015, to be held from 30 April to 3 May at Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, is set to boast the most comprehensive contents of pop cultures including movies, animations, dramas, music, games, toys, collectible items, demonstrations from manufacturers and entrepreneurs, and displays of special products. There is a zone reserved specially for the meeting between consumers and manufacturers and between Thai manufacturers and manufacturers from overseas. Visitors can get up close and personal with game directors, creators, and renowned artists from abroad, as well as popular mascots from Thailand such as Kan Kluay the elephant, Echo, and Japanese mascots including Dr. Slump and Arale, Shin Chan, etc. Other fun and interesting activities are also to be held during the event.
Thailand Toy Expo 2015 will be held on April 30 to May 3 at Central World Shopping Center. During the expo, more than 70 popular brands of toys and collectible items from the United States, Europe, and Asia will be on displayed. An exhibition of limited edition toys will be organized. More importantly, new prototype toys manufactured by several brands from overseas will be launched for the first time in the world during the event.
For further information, visit: www.bkkentweek.com


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Bish’s RV has acquired Stewart’s RV in American Fork, Utah, according to an announcement by Performance Brokerage Services, which advised on the transaction.
Located between Salt Lake City and Provo, Stewart’s RV is Utah County’s oldest RV dealer with a huge selection of both new RV’s and used RV’s, according to information on its website. The company carries travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and toy haulers manufactured by Flagstaff, Keystone, Dutchmen, Forest River, Outdoors RV, Heartland, Coachmen and more. Stewart’s RV also offers parts and service departments featuring RVIA-certified technicians.
“We chose Performance Brokerage to assist us in selling our dealership. Jesse Stopnitzky and his team were great. They were professional and attentive to all we needed through the entire process. Thank you, Jesse, for helping to make this transition a reality,” Mark Black, president of Stewart’s RV, stated in the announcement.
Founded in 1989, Bish’s RV has become one of the nation’s largest family owned and operated dealer group with 21 locations spread across 10 states.
“Jesse Stopnitzky has been an excellent partner in helping us discover, simplify, and vet potential acquisitions. He understands our goals and what types of dealerships we are interested in. He can quickly adjust and help us find the right deal. We appreciate his partnership and commitment to help us reach our business goals,” stated Troy Jenkins, CEO of Bish’s RV.


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Australian consumers were unafraid to splurge during the holiday season when COVID-19 restrictions eased, as retail sales in December increased by 4.6 per cent compared to the same time last year.
According to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, household goods remain the favourite category for shoppers as sales increased by 11 per cent year-on-year, followed by clothing at 7.7 per cent and food at 1.2 per cent.
While the entire country recorded sales growth, Victoria and Tasmania led the pack at 8.5 per cent, followed by Western Australia at 6.3 per cent.
States with low rates of COVID-19 community transmission saw the biggest jump in sales compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, with the Northern Territory recording an increase of 22.5 per cent and Western Australia seeing a jump of 17.9 per cent.
Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Paul Zahra said sales are likely to be impacted in the new year with Omicron causing significant disruptions.
“The new year has delivered new challenges for retailers in the form of Omicron with tens of thousands of people being forced into isolation every day, and that’s taking a huge toll on the industry – and small businesses in particular, where just a few absences can wipe out an entire store’s workforce,” Zahra said.
While retail sales increased by 10.4 per cent on pre-pandemic levels in 2019, reduced foot traffic in CBD locations saw department store sales dip by 3.2 per cent.
“Whilst Christmas and holiday spending has held up well in December, and improved on last year, we had yet to reach the peak of Omicron and consumers were feeling more confident while going about their shopping. The trading environment has changed significantly this month with positive COVID cases and staff shortages resulting in some businesses having to limit their trading hours or close stores altogether,” said Zahra.
“We welcome the easing of close contact isolation requirements for essential food distributors, and other industries, but we’d like to see this expanded to broader retail to help with the staffing shortfall. Allowing foreign students to work extra hours is a positive step, along with visa fee rebates, but we need to get more people back to work sooner where it is safe to do so.”
“The Omicron impacts are set to be ongoing and targeted support packages need to be considered by governments to assist small businesses through this latest challenge.”
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When it comes to the future of local advertising, Dave Morgan is someone to watch. He’s the Wayne Gretzky of the online advertising world – a guy who’s always skating to where the puck will be. (He even looks like Gretzky.) And in an interview we did with him recently, I found his thoughts on the future of local media right on the mark.
We interviewed Dave at the Grand Hyatt in New York last month as he was attending an advertising conference where the CEOs of Yahoo and AOL had just spent a lot of time talking about their biggest advertising opportunity: You guessed it, “local.”
Dave will be back at the Grand Hyatt next month as a keynote speaker at our 2010 Local Online Advertising Conference. You can see our interview with him on YouTube, or learn more about the conference here.
Dave has been at the forefront (in front of it actually) of ad-serving systems such as 24/7 RealMedia and Tacoda, which he founded and then sold to AOL for $247 million two years ago. He’s steeped in local media. When I met him 15 years ago, he was general counsel for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association looking for a way to get step into the Internet skating rink.
So where is local media headed? “All too often,” he says, “we’ve always seen local as about channels – local is newspapers or local is radio or local is television or local is directories. But that’s not how things are happening in the emerging media economy. It’s now more about the customers in the market as they’re trying to reach local and they’re trying to understand now how they work with all the different touch points to reach consumers and for the merchants to be able to best exploit their marketing dollars.”
Thought Dave is right, it’s not an easy concept for traditional media companies to grasp. That’s why we’ve asked the people who are following that path – the Yodles, Local.coms, Reply.coms and other fast-growing local online advertising companies – to address the conference. They’re offering local advertisers multiple touch points that in the end makes the phone ring or drives store traffic.
Dave believes we’re at a crucial point in the evolution of local media. “It’s a really important time,” he says, “here in new York City, essentially the headquarrters of advertisers and marketing the world, to have a really important conference focused on local.”
I look forward to hearing more from Dave, and to seeing you there.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Conference, News, Projections, local advertising. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
In my opinion, the key line from Dave Morgan is this, "...they're trying to understand now how they work with all the different touch points to reach customers..."
The key to unlocking local digital dollars is being the key to local SMB's effectively utilizing those different "touch points."


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Nonfiction Natural Wines in Bay View will move to a new storefront next year
Nonfiction Natural Wines in Bay View will move to a bigger location in 2022 that will allow the store to pour wines and serve snacks, letting customers lounge awhile.
Nonfiction, which Bradley and Allison Kruse now operate at 800 E. Potter Ave., would remain in Bay View. The new location would be at 2563 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
That's in the newly constructed BV+ building, which has retail space on the ground floor and apartments above, mostly small studios and some one-bedrooms. It's also next door to the new HoneyPie Cafe location.
The new shop will be about twice the size of the small current store on Potter, which the couple opened two years ago.
"We outgrew it almost immediately," Allison Kruse said. "We knew it would happen eventually; we didn’t know it would happen this quickly."
Since the Potter Avenue shop opened, customers have asked if they could try a wine or open a bottle at the store, but the space just wasn't set up for that, she said. That will change with the new location.
Nonfiction's inventory of wines has nearly doubled since it opened, to about 300 in its 550 square feet on Potter. Bottles from the around the world have this in common: They're all made with minimal intervention.
Nonfiction would keep about the same number of wines on hand in the new space, perhaps even trimmed a bit. Kruse said, though, that she expects the selection would turn over more often, since customers will be able to buy wine by the glass or open a bottle, with a corkage fee.
That will "keep the possibilities fresh" without having to stock thousands of bottles, she said.
The couple will carve out a distinct retail space at the wide-open new location, with a separate area for the bar and tables along a banquette, plus a lounge area for customers. It also will have a 600-square-foot patio.
The Kruses' idea is that the shop will be open all day, and customers can work on a laptop or just hang out. Besides wine, Allison Kruse said, Nonfiction will have a variety of nonalcoholic beverages.
Customers would be able to buy items such as olives and cheese to have with wine, and likely simple sandwiches, as well.
"We want to offer what we’ve always done, just more," Kruse said.
It will be awhile before Nonfiction moves; the busy holiday season still will happen at the shop on Potter. The new space is far from finished, Kruse said, but she has her fingers crossed for opening on KK come February.
Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla at firstname.lastname@example.org or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.


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Here’s How Your Favorite Stars Turned Up?
The Met Gala 2023 brought together stars from all corners of the industry. Designers, stylists, celebrities and influencers gathered for an ultra-exclusive event hosted by Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief. Anna Winter.
The theme of this year’s event was different from previous years as it celebrated the exhibition. “Karl Lagerfeld: The Line of Beauty” The gala honors the legacy of the late German designer, who helmed fashion houses such as Chanel and Fendi, as well as his own famous line that raised money for the Met’s Costume Institute.
Often referred to as the “Super Bowl of Fashion,” the Met Gala is hugely popular for offering memorable red carpet looks. And while the Met is a fundraising event, guests are expected to head up the famous Met stairs, so celebrity-filled red carpet events are just as important.
This year’s event was chaired by Anna Wintour and co-chaired by Dua Lipa, Michaela Cole, Roger Federer and Penelope Cruz.
How the Stars Appeared at the Met Gala
As is tradition, guests were asked to dress in honor of Karl Lagerfeld. , and Gigi Hadid brought their A-game to the white carpet. Scroll down to get inspired by some looks.
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Motorola ships a mostly stock-looking build of Android on its devices, but it does pack in a few exclusive software tweaks. Exhibit A: Moto devices can load up the camera with a flick-to-launch gesture. Motorola ships its own app to make this possible, which until now came with the stock KitKat icon. Today Motorola has updated the app with a unique look of its own.
The Motorola Camera's new icon is still clearly inspired by Google Camera's, borrowing from its flatter design and multicolored lens.
We've already seen how the new Moto E looks, but now Motorola has made things official. The 2nd generation low-cost handset is available now in the US for $149.99 with LTE. A $119.99 3G-only option is coming soon. Note, the version you can get today is the GSM model, not the one coming from Verizon.
Here's what has changed since 2014. This year's handset comes powered by a 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 processor, up from last year's Snapdragon 200 (edit: the 3G model will remain with the 200).
There were rumors of a Lollipop soak test for the Droid Turbo on Verizon a few weeks ago, and now that update is rolling out. Guess what—it's not Lollipop. The new update, version 21.44.12 is a small KitKat bug fix for some calling issues and a few other software bugs.
Here's the changelog for the new OTA.
Fixes for low call volume issues
Email application fixes
DROID Command Center Widget update Fixes to reflect up to date weather
The update should arrive on your device in the next few days.
Owners of several Android Wear watches (Sony Smartwatch 3, LG G Watch, and Moto 360 so far) have reported seeing an update hit their devices to bring it up to Android 5.0.2. The corresponding build number is LWX49K for the G Watch and Smartwatch 3, LWX49L for the Moto 360.
But before you get excited about a host of new features rolling up to your favorite wearable, this one seems to be all about the bug fixes and stability improvements.
Good news, Motorola owners! Your phone's maker is getting ready to give a taste of Lollipop to more devices, but before rolling it out to everyone, it wants to test it with select users to iron out any possible quirks.
If you've been waiting for Verizon's carrier-branded version of the Nexus 6 to hit stores so you can save a little cash on a subsidized phone, you won't have to wait much longer. A tipster sent a photo to Android Police that appears to show a rollout schedule for Verizon's next round of phone releases displayed on a company intranet or presentation. The Nexus 6 (or at least Verizon's model with a scarlet V) is scheduled to be released on February 26th.
OnePlus One owners are waiting for the latest version of Android to come to their devices, and the company has decided to stoke their excitement on Google+ with a brief video showing that yes, Lollipop is coming, and soon.
In the 24 second clip we see the kind of stock experience Nexus and Motorola device owners have grown accustomed to over the past few months, just with a couple CyanogenMod-related apps thrown in.


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Showmybuy is featured on Nordic Startup Bits, a news site focusing on the most interesting from the tech- and start up world in the nordic region. The article tells the whole story behind Showmybuy and explains why we believe Social Marketing is here to stay and why Showmybuy is a win-win deal for everyone! Check…
Posts Selected From the Category "news"
Nice article on Swedish site Internetworld about the smart e-commerce site Fyndiq, that are just about to launch Showmybuy in their store. We are incredibly excited and are looking forward to boosting Fyndiq’s sales! Read the whole article here.
Wow! Swedish media and marketing daily Dagens Media ran a good article yesterday on current trends in social media, marketing and social shopping. They pinpoint word-of-mouth marketing in social media as the next big thing. 4 out of 5 (!) people in the article would consider showing what they bought to their friends in social…
That’s two good reads today! (This one is also in swedish. Google translate is your friend.) Showmybuy is featured on the big Swedish e-commerce site e-handel.se.
Great read this morning! (if you read Swedish) Sweden’s biggest daily business newspaper Dagens Industri runs a nice interview with Showmybuy’s co-founder Mats Bengtsson today. So far only in the paper version, read it here.
We’ve seen a number of solutions now where you can pay for small stuff by tweeting. The latest is Kellogg’s Special K campaign in the UK, a slick pop-up shop where you can buy their new product with a tweet instead of pounds or cents. Great idea and execution. Social Currency is king!


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Illusione coming to the United Arab Emirates soon. At the Intertabac trade show, Illusione and Leaf Masters finalized the negotiations. And that results in a distribution agreement for the United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates are a seven independent city states in a federation. Those city states are Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Umm al-Qaiwain, Fujairah, Ajman, and Ra’s al-Khaimah
The 15-year-old American cigar brand was founded by tobacconist Dion Giolito as a private label for his cigar shop in Reno, Nevada. But the brand was picked up by Cigar Aficionado and the demand grew. It grew so much that Giolito decided to release it nationwide. And since a few years, the company is growing internationally. Partially with independent distributors, partially with Davidoff as a distribution partner in other countries such as the United Kingdom.
In the United Arab Emirates, Illusione partners up with Leaf Masters. Leaf Masters isn’t a new player in the cigar market. They are responsible for the distribution for other premium handmade cigars in the region as well.
As of yet, Ministry of Cigars doesn’t have the information which Illusione lines will be available in the United Arab Emirates. Or if the cigars will be available at the duty-free shops at the major airports in the area. But as soon as we found out, we will report.
Recently Ministry of Cigars reviewed the Illusione Rothchildes.


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Abstract : China Vanke Co. Ltd., one of the country's major property developers, saw sales rise in November.
BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — China Vanke Co. Ltd., one of the country’s major property developers, saw sales rise in November.
The developer said in a statement that its contracted property sales totaled 57.54 billion yuan (about 8.78 billion U.S. dollars) last month, up 5.5 percent year on year.
In November, the company achieved a contracted sales area of 3.94 million square meters, up 8.2 percent year on year.
For the first 11 months of the year, the company’s contracted sales rose 5.07 percent year on year to 602.61 billion yuan. Enditem
About Xinhua Silk Road
Xinhua Silk Road (en.imsilkroad.com) is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) portal.China’s silk road economic belt and the 21st century maritime silk road website,includes BRI Policy,BRI Trade,BRI Investment,Belt and Road weekly,Know Belt and Road,and the integrated information services for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Source: China Vanke property sales increase in November


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COOPERSTOWN (WBNG) — Cooperstown is attracting thousands of people, traveling from near and far to attend Hall of Fame weekend and celebrate America’s pastime.
“This is my 33rd or 34th year coming with my dad,” said Jeremy Pratt of Poughkeepsie. “I mean look around you, people, baseball, hot dogs. How does that get better?”
Not only does it bring in fans of the sport, the weekend also brings back some former professional players.
“You get to talk to people you get to have a conversation and be able to say why are you here, what are you here for, and of course this weekend is a huge weekend for New Yorkers,” said former New York Yankee Jim Leyritz.
With so many people coming into town, Hall of Fame weekend is not only a home run for fans, but for local businesses.
“All hands on deck, all weekend long. And we love it, we look forward to this weekend all year,” said Carly Brentini whose family owns the Silver Fox Gift Shop.
Preparations for this weekend have been underway for months.
“So many of the business owners keep so much inventory that they normally wouldn’t have. They bring in extra help. I don’t live in town, my brother doesn’t live in town, we had to fly in just for this weekend,” said Brentini.
“We definitely stock up before the weekend. It’s a big process, we prep everything the night before,” said Cooperstown Beverage Exchange employee McKinley Neil.
And shops stock up with apparel based on who is being inducted.
“We’ll have a great many of Mariano Rivera products that we offer to the public,” said Mickey’s Place owner Vin Russo.
But the businesses say all the hard work is worth it.
“Having four excellent days just does pay a lot of bills,” said Russo.
“This is how my parents make their living, this is how they’ll be able to afford retirement one day, so we love it,” said Brentini.
While the excitement only lasts a few days, businesses are already getting ready to round the bases again next year.
“In a couple years when Derek Jeter hopefully gets in, we’re already thinking about that,” said Brentini.
12 Sports will have live coverage from Cooperstown all weekend long on 12 News.


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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - September 23, 2021 - Shoreline.io, the incident automation company, today announced the appointment of Ashley Stirrup as its Chief Operating Officer (COO), where he will be responsible for driving growth initiatives and scaling business operations to support Shoreline’s rapid customer adoption. Mr. Stirrup will also be joining the board of directors. With this leadership expansion, Shoreline reaffirms its mission to enable DevOps, site reliability engineers (SREs), and customer support to quickly debug incidents and automate their repair.
“Shoreline’s incident automation platform is transforming production operations with tremendous interest from companies of all sizes,” said Anurag Gupta, founder and CEO of Shoreline.io. “Ashley’s proven leadership scaling cloud-native and developer-first companies will be invaluable to us as our business expands. I am particularly excited to have his experience and judgment to our executive team as we expand our go-to-market efforts and build our sales, marketing, and customer success teams.”
Stirrup is an industry veteran with 28 years of experience at technology companies, leading them through product-market fit to explosive growth to IPO and beyond. With a strong background in sales, marketing and channel programs, Stirrup excels at bringing developer technologies to market. Prior to Shoreline, Stirrup was CMO of Alogia where he helped the business double in two years through both product-led, self-service channels and high touch sales programs. Before Algolia, he was CMO at Talend where, in 5 years, they grew the company from $60M to $200M, taking Talend public in 2016 on the Nasdaq (TLND), tripling its awareness scores, and establishing Talend as an industry leader in multiple Gartner and Forrester analyst reports.
“I’ve personally seen service downtime reduce customer trust despite operations teams working day and night to keep systems up,” said Ashley Stirrup, COO at Shoreline.io. “I was blown away by how Shoreline makes debugging 10,000 instances as easy as debugging one and how incident automation can be done with a few dozen lines of code, not thousands. Shoreline fundamentally changes how on-call teams will handle production incidents.”
Today’s appointment of Stirrup comes on the heels of Shoreline’s emergence from stealth with the launch of its new platform designed to dramatically improve availability and reduce toil for SREs in their production environment.


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COMPUTEX — We saw a handful of 80 Plus Gold-certified power supplies at the show last week (including Seasonic and OCZ models), but they all had relatively high wattage ratings—usually 650W and up. Enermax was the only firm we saw with 450W and 550W "Gold" PSUs in the works.
The Revolution brand name on these units might be temporary, but the features aren't: Enermax told us the new PSUs manage up to 92% efficiency—that's actually above the 80 Plus Gold certification threshold—and they have quiet, magnetic-bearing fans that should last longer than their sleeve- and ball-bearing counterparts. The new PSUs also feature multiple 12V rails and modular cabling.
Enermax expects to start shipping 450W, 550W, and 650W Revolution power supplies (or whatever the final name ends up being) in the third quarter of this year. While the firm didn't reveal pricing, we'd expect even the 450W to carry a premium over competitors with comparable wattage ratings but lower claimed efficiencies.
|Merry Christmas, everybody!||60|
|Deal of the week: An Asus monitor for $125, a 240GB SSD for $80, and more||11|
|Steam sale serves up Shadow of Mordor, Thief, CS:GO||13|
|Don't hold your breath for GPU process shrinks, report suggests||52|
|Report: Jumbo Chromebooks are coming next year||25|
|Boxing Day Shortbread||9|
|Christmas Day Shortbread||21|
|Study shows tablet screens mess up your sleep||76|
|Gigabyte's wireless scissor-switch keyboard still has gaming chops||7|


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This week in the news: Sony announced the Alpha a3000 and NEX-5T digital cameras, as well as new lenses and accessories; Pentax introduced five new Limited series lenses and two flashes; the Apple TV received an update which added several new content apps; and the Flickr iOS app and Google+ both got photo-related updates.
This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for August 30, 2013. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest news as it breaks.
Families with digital cameras take thousands of pictures but banish most to a computer hard drive never to be seen again. They never make the connection that their home theaters are digital photo-ready. This despite the fact that gathering people on the couch for a slide show was second-nature a generation ago, especially after a vacation or during the holidays. With some advance planning, setting up and running a picture show is a lot less labor intensive than dragging a mechanical projector and retractable screen out of the closet each time you want to impress the neighbors.
Loading slides correctly was a hassle before the show turned digital.
Today, your big screen is already in place. And with that bright display, you don't even have to dim the lights. So why wait? Here are five ways to do it.
Prices, specifications, and images are subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors. Manufacturer rebates, terms, conditions, and expiration dates are subject to manufacturers printed forms


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SOUTH BOSTON--From this grungy warehouse converted into a startup incubator, Sam White and Sorin Grama plot how to chill milk for poor Indian villagers.
The four-year journey of their startup, Promethean Power, has included several trips to India and dramatic engineering detours. Now finally, their rapid milk chillers, which feature a novel energy-storage technology, will be installed at three milk processing centers in India in the coming months.
The two company co-founders had originally intended to build a solar-powered milk chiller that would improve the lives of Indian farmers and advance renewable energy. But despite engineering some nifty power electronics, … Read more


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BIRMINGHAM, England, October 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
UK shoppers spend up to 130 days of their lives bargain hunting
Savvy shopping Brits spend up to 130 days searching for the ultimate deal during their lifetime, according to research revealed today by Poundland. Over 96% of the nation make up to 156 store visits each year in a bid to bag the best prices for their weekly shop, with 20% spending up to half an hour on each shopping trip.
The research of 2,000 UK consumers' weekly shopping habits looked at how we shop today compared with a decade ago, and there's no doubt we are going to extraordinary lengths to save money. Almost half (46%) of customers said they used to spend only five minutes checking and comparing prices 10 years ago, whereas now to get the best bargain:
- 96% of shoppers scour up to three stores each week
- 71% of customers wander slowly up and down every aisle
- 32% go shopping at certain times of day when they know prices will be reduced
- A cheeky 13% try haggling the price down
- And 5% would even damage an item to get a discount!
Jim McCarthy, CEO at Poundland says: "More than ever, the pressure is on shoppers to make their money stretch further as they spend increasing amounts of time and energy worrying about how to avoid a shock at the till point. Poundland attracts savvy shoppers who know what a real bargain looks like. With every item priced at just £1, we make the weekly shopping easier with no surprises at the checkout."
If savvy saving Brits are really going to get the best price though, they are going to have to be stricter on how they shop. Nearly half (44%) of families said they don't add up the total of their basket as they go around the store and "hope for the best" when they get to the checkout. The same percentage (44%) of shoppers said they write a list before a shopping trip - yet 90% of them don't stick to it. A small 9% take their bargain hunter role very seriously and take a calculator with them shopping to ensure the final amount does not go a penny over the weekly budget.
Data source: Onepoll October 2012, 2,000 UK women aged 30+ years old.
For more information contact Poundland PR team +44(0)1865-882988, or Abbie Dando, +44(0)7553344265 firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Avenue M Principal, Elena Gerstmann, PhD, FASAE, CAE, talks about advocating for oneself.
In a recent Associations Now article on leadership, new Avenue M Principal, Elena Gerstmann, PhD, FASAE, CAE, talks about how to “toot your own horn” and why advocating for yourself isn’t egotistical. A 2017 winner of ASAE’s Professional Performance Award, which honors association leaders who aren’t CEOs, Gerstmann says speaking up for yourself isn’t selfish: “It’s more about owning your own brand and owning how you want people to see you.”
To read the article, click here.
(Image: Adobe Stock)
Posted on May 13, 2019


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Scottishpower has seen profit at its supply business halve after it lost 200,000 customers and mild weather resulted in weaker gas demand.
Profit at the generation and networks arms of the utility provider also dropped, while there was a much improved performance at its renewables arm.
The Glasgow-based company has been owned by Iberdrola, the Spanish utility group, since 2007. Along with selling energy to consumers and businesses, it owns networks of cables and pylons which transport electricity to millions of homes and business. Scottishpower also owns and operates wind farms and hydro power assets in the UK.
Results for 2017 showed it ended the year with 5.1 million retail customers, compared with 5.3 million 12 months earlier.
In common with the other Big Six…


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When it comes to Horizon Zero Dawn developer Guerilla Games, the Amsterdam-based studio since the release of the Frozen Wilds expansion for the title in 2017 has practically fell off the face of the Earth concerning the team’s next title on the way. Although voice actress Janina Gavankar did slip her knowledge of a potential sequel last year, word on this alleged follow-up has yet to surface since then.
However, it looks that despite the game yet to receive any form of content following the initial installment, some tangible information might have been released through the cracks of video game leaks. According to Digital Pivot 360 Sales Executive Callum Hurley, he shares to have heard of a new VR title in the works on the “Horizon”; said to be in development under Sony Interactive Entertainment London Studio, but confirming for either PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 could not be guaranteed.
Was recently made aware of a very exciting new PlayStation VR game coming out of London Studio. Not sure whether it'll be for PS4, PS5 or both, but it's really exciting, and an announcement could be on the Horizon…
— SpookyCallum (@MultiCallum) October 22, 2019
Users who picked up the tweet could instantly connect the pieces of what Hurley implied with his emphasis on ‘horizon’ in the tweet. After collecting some watching eyes from the media, Hurley went on to clarify that he did not see the game himself upon learning the information. And to make things more reassuring, he is confident with the source he received this detail from. “I trust the person who told me about it.”
More on the information that this unannounced project would be handled through the team behind a handful of PlayStation Portable titles and PlayStation VR launch title VR Worlds, this would give the implication that the game would not be a direct installment for the series, but rather a canon spinoff for players thirsty for the next mainline title in the unrevealed future.
And for a little more fun, Hurley did respond to one tweet about his intentional capitalization of the ‘H’ on horizon in his tweet, if you needed anymore convincing on what he might have implied when initially tweeting.
— SpookyCallum (@MultiCallum) October 23, 2019
Would you play a Horizon Zero Dawn VR title if the rumor happens to be true?
Horizon Zero Dawn is out now for PlayStation 4.


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Chew On This
Personally, I’m big on local food and try to buy organic products. As a journalist, I find the organic/local food movement a fascinating topic, but don’t see my role as that of an advocate. In this column for Isthmus, I detail my reservations about the city building a large public market in downtown Madison.
For sure, the public market is beguiling in the abstract. Imagine a glistening 10- or 11-story office tower rising next to the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co., where the aging Government East parking ramp now sits. Picture the first floor with 51 vendors situated inside a festive kiosk environment selling everything from chocolate to seafood to wine, with another 30 carts and stalls offering local farm products and goodies. A consultant predicts 808 new jobs.
Sounds marvelous, but there is reason for skepticism.
Real estate developers I’ve talked with see any number of major problems. Among other things, they say the costly, open-space, “clear-span” construction needed for the Public Market would drive up construction expenses to the point where the building’s rental rates would be dangerously expensive for the Madison real estate market. They warn that managing so many small and financially at-risk tenants is difficult, and worry about the impact on existing restaurants and the Wednesday Farmers’ Market.
“The Public Market would be a nice thing for Madison, but my concern is that will end up requiring a very large taxpayer subsidy,” says developer Sue Springman. “If it does, we need to know that going in and not be surprised later.”
In a city stung by the Overture Center miscalculations, Springman’s warning ought to be taken seriously.
To read more, please click here.


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Another rare diamond found at Petra Diamonds' Cullinan Mine
The Cullunan Mine in South Africa has produced yet another stunning diamond, this one a 232.08-carat white diamond that could be worth as much as $16 million.
Shares in Petra Diamonds, which owns the mine, climbed 8 percent on the news, The Guardian reported.
The largest diamond ever found, the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond that was cut into the stones for Britain’s crown jewels was found at the South African mine in 1905. More recently, the mine produced a 122.52 carat blue diamond, said to be worth more than $35 million. That stone was found earlier this year.
The recent find is Petra's largest white diamond since it unearthed the 507-carat Cullinan heritage in 2009 from the same mine. That rough white diamond was given a "flawless" clarity grade and fetched $35.3 million, a record price for the company.
"We estimate a sales price in the order of $10 million to $15 million, given Gem Diamonds' recent sale of a type-II white at about $70,000 per carat and assuming some losses for cutting/polishing," analysts at Numis Securities said in a note.
"The extra revenue would go straight to the bottom line," Numis said.
Petra, which reported revenue of about $473 million in the previous financial year, declined to specify how much the diamond could fetch.
A company spokesman told Reuters the stone would most likely be bought by a buyer from traditional diamond hubs such as the U.S., Europe, Israel or China, who could cut the stone into polished gems.
"It's more a case of the clients coming to us, rather than us needing to approach clients," he said.
Petra said it expected the diamond, that has no measurable nitrogen impurities to be sold between October and December, the second quarter of its financial year.
The mining company, which has five producing mines in South Africa and one in Tanzania, sold a 29.6 carat blue diamond to the US luxury jeweller Cora International in February for $25.6 million.
Petra has in the past year retrieved some large blue diamonds from Cullinan, which was one of the five non-core mines it bought from Anglo-American Plc's De Beers unit - the world's biggest diamond producer by value.


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Looking for a compact flagship? The Galaxy S10e is still a great choice!
Small, compact phones are no longer in fashion. It feels like it was ages ago that Samsung was laughed at for entertaining the idea of a large-screen phone by launching the first Galaxy Note. These days, 6-inch displays on smartphones are pretty common and are considered the new normal. That’s partly because you can now have big displays in fairly compact dimensions thanks to the all-screen designs manufacturers are pushing, and a compact smartphone is more or less a thing of the past.
That holds true whether you’re looking at a budget phone or a flagship device, but there are many out there who aren’t keen on the idea of having to live with a big smartphone that they can’t easily use with one hand. Flagship devices in particular ask customers to make a difficult choice: Do they want a phone that’s small and compact, or do they want all the bells and whistles that you expect from a premium product? While that choice is becoming harder and harder to make, those who want the best of both worlds still have an excellent option.
That option is the Galaxy S10e. It’s interesting how the smallest of the three Galaxy S10 models Samsung launched last year has been ignored and received so little attention over the past year. The Galaxy S10e was a breath of fresh air for a lot of reasons, and we were quite vocal about how we loved the device despite all of its faults. And more than a year later, it’s still got a lot going for it.
Not perfect, but the Galaxy S10e is still a fantastic phone
First, let’s address the shortcomings of the phone. As the S10e launched more than a year ago, Samsung’s software update policy dictates it will only be getting one major Android upgrade in the future, following which it will be relegated to security updates. Then there’s the fact that it has a small battery and not-so-fast charging by today’s standards. The former is a disadvantage that every compact smartphone suffers from and isn’t exclusive to the S10e, but it’s still worth pointing out.
For shutterbugs, the biggest disadvantage is that it doesn’t have a telephoto camera on the back. You can’t tap a button and zoom in on things as you can on the Galaxy S10, S10+, and pretty much every Galaxy flagship launched since then. It’s another one of those negatives that are a result of the phone’s compact dimensions, and it may be an issue for those who love taking pictures and want a versatile camera setup on their smartphone.
However, there’s a lot the Galaxy S10e gets right. It has a beautiful Super AMOLED display. Its performance is still top-notch no matter if you buy the Exynos or Snapdragon variant (depending on your market). It’s got an excellent main camera that can go toe to toe with the main camera on the Galaxy S20 and S20+, along with an ultra-wide camera with a higher megapixel count than the ultra-wide camera on the S20 series. You also get staple Galaxy flagship features on the S10e, such as IP68 water resistance, microSD expansion, wireless charging, and also reverse wireless charging.
The Galaxy S10e also has something that’s gone missing on recent top-of-the-line Galaxy smartphones: A headphone jack. Despite the popularity of wireless audio, a headphone jack is still a make-or-break feature for many. And the Galaxy S10e has one, in addition to fantastic stereo speakers. That’s not all: The Galaxy S10e has a traditional capacitive fingerprint sensor that’s fast and accurate, much more so than the in-display fingerprint sensors on its bigger cousins.
Finally, with the Galaxy S10e now more than a year old, prices have dropped by a few hundred bucks. In the US, you can get one for as low as $599 with a trade-in deal; if you don’t mind getting a used but ‘like new’ unit, you can find it selling for less than $400 on Amazon. In the UK, Samsung’s official website is selling it for £499. You may see a slightly higher price tag depending on which country you’re in, but if those big and unwieldy flagships aren’t up your alley, the Galaxy S10e is a phone you should seriously consider.


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Don Pesceone Retires as VP Amusement at Incredible Technologies; new leadership announced
After nearly 19 years with Incredible Technologies, Don Pesceone, vice president of amusement, has retired.
Pesceone started with IT in July 2001 as director of sales after leading Successories’ corporate sales division for 10 years. In January 2004, he was promoted to Vice President of Sales while being part of the driving force during Golden Tee’s hugely successful “Fore!” and “LIVE” eras.
Since July 2013, Pesceone has overseen the amusement division at Incredible Technologies. His background in sales was key in developing features and additions that benefited both players and operators. Pesceone’s focus was always about the cashbox.
Adam Kramer will take over as the vice president of amusement after joining IT in May of 2008 as a marketing associate. Kramer worked his way up to director of amusement marketing in May 2012 before becoming Golden Tee’s project manager in August 2018.
“Being able to work directly with Adam Kramer for the past 10 plus years, it was clear to me that he was the one for the job” said Pesceone. “He will continue the great traditions of Golden Tee and bring the game into new arenas and platforms. I am very confident that there is a great future for the brand under his guidance.”
Josh Pick will join Kramer in shaping the vision of Golden Tee, taking over as the vice president of amusement sales. Pick first joined Incredible Technologies in 2008 as an inside sales rep. After leaving IT for other opportunities, Pick returned in 2015 to manage consumer sales before becoming the amusement sales director.
“Having worked alongside Josh for many years, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to guide this division together,” said Kramer. “We are in lockstep about the future of Golden Tee and other commercial products. We have some exciting projects in the works, and we can’t wait to share more.”
Image L-R: Pesceone, Kramer, Pick


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Russian tourism delegation visits Sanya to boost tourism cooperation
The 3rd China (Sanya)-Russia Tourism Conference was held at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Sanya Haitang Bay this week. Representatives of 50 Russian travel agencies met with more than 50 local tourism operators in a bid to boost tourism cooperation.
Sanya has been the major tourist destination for tourists from Russian due to its rich tourism resources, direct chartered flights and favorable visa policies.
Statistics from Sanya tourism authority showed that the city’s rate of Russian tourist arrival was 225,400 in 2011 and there were 282 chartered flights between Russia and Sanya.
This year, the number of Russian tourists visiting Sanya is expected to increase to 240,000.
The Russian delegations will tour around some city’s hotels, scenic spots in the following days to give some suggestions for the sectors to design more tailored tourism products for Russian tourists so that they can enjoy top-quality holiday and leisure vacation here.