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HSV’s 474kW GTSR W1 was sold out before it was even announced.
Just 300 of the supercharged LS9 V8-powered sedans will be produced as a last hurrah to the locally-made Holden Commodore, a car that rolls off a Holden production line for the last time on October 20, 2017.
Despite strong demand the number of vehicles being produced is constrained by supply of the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine, which is no longer produced. HSV also wanted to ensure the car was produced in limited numbers to increase its exclusivity and, therefore, its appeal.
That means more than 500 cashed-up V8 lovers and Holden fans will be disappointed – some angry – at the prospect of missing out on the quickest, more powerful and most expensive car ever produced in Australia.
“We know some people who’ve bought our cars over a long period of time will miss out,” acknowledged HSV managing director Tim Jackson.
He said there had been in excess of 800 orders across the Australian and New Zealand dealer networks.
Jackson also said maintaining exclusivity was key to the project, something the brand has learned in almost 30 years of producing Australian V8 muscle cars. The original VL Walkinshaw was planned for 500 units but demand meant another 250 were added to the program. Those extras were a struggle to sell to the point where some were converted back to regular Holdens. More recently Holden committed to building up to 427 of the 7.0-litre V8-powered W427 but just 137 were produced.
“There comes a point … where part of the appeal is exclusivity and if you then run it out to whatever volume might be applicable then you lose some of that exclusivity and you sort of fall over the cliff in terms of desire and demand and interest from the customer base,” said Jackson. “So that’s why we’ve gone more with a range style of strategy [with the regular GTSR models and 30th anniversary models].”
Jackson said it would be up to dealers who they sold their allocation of cars to – determined by how many other models each ordered throughout the year. The prospect of missing out will no doubt leave some would-be buyers seething.
“We sell to a dealer network. We can’t dictate who they sell to,” he said. “Ultimately our customer first and foremost has been our dealer network.”
HSV is also expecting some dealers – there are 56 in Australia and six in New Zealand – to hold on to a car for themselves, further limiting the number of what is set to be one of Australia’s most desirable cars that go to private buyers.
However, some dealers only got one W1, something that has started a bidding war with some potential customers.
There’s a real chance prices for the W1 will increase soon after it goes on sale, according to valuation experts at Glass’s Guide.
“Even in the short term you’ll get people buying them and reselling them immediately at a profit,” said Glass’s managing director Santo Amoddio.
“That’s what happened with the last of the GT Falcons. Even the dealers were selling them above retail.”
In decades to come Amoddio believes the significance of the GTSR W1 means it could be highly sought after, pushing prices up further.
“In the short term people that are going to flip them immediately – you could probably get a 20 or 30 percent premium. Over time they could potentially double in value.”
But he cautions against speculating on one saying there are significant ongoing costs above the price of the car. They include insurance, storage and servicing.
As for HSV’s loyal buyers, many of whom may miss out on an initial W1 allocation, there is one consolation.
HSV said it will hold on to “three or four” W1s as part of a second chance raffle, whereby buyers of multiple HSVs would be selected from a draw to buy the car at the regular $169,990 price, plus dealer and on-road costs.
“Were going to hold some cars for frequent buyers,” said Jackson. “The best mechanism we feel we can put in place to at least give them a second chance is to hold a few cars back and we can actually raffle those cars. It’s a mechanism we’d like to put in place to support those who’ve supported us.”
Jackson also said the regular GTSR – with 435kW from the lesser LSA 6.2-litre supercharged V8 – would be available for those wanting one of the last Australian HSVs.
The regular HSV GTSR gets the same brakes and body – including wider front guards made from plastic – as the GTSR W1 but without the monster engine.


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Murdoch to sue Skype for use of ‘Sky’ trademark
An ongoing five year battle between Skype and BSkyB has come to light this week and it seems the EU is on Rupert Murdoch’s side.
Skype has faced a number of legal challenges for its use of the word "Sky" in its logo.
The challenges have been mounted by BSkyB, Rupert Murdoch's television company, which has claimed it owns the rights to the Sky trademark.
The law suits came to light when Skype launched a bid earlier this week to raise $100 million in funding.
The filing for the initial public offering showed BSkyB had launched legal battles against the company since 2005 and, although Sky had lost cases in Switzerland, Turkey and Brazil, the European Union had held up the complaint in July.
A spokesperson from BSkyB told The Guardian: "The key contention in the dispute is that the brands Sky and Skype will be considered confusingly similar by members of the public."
"This was supported by consumer research conducted by Sky, and which was taken into account by the relevant authorities when they recently found in Sky's favour."
Although Skype hasn't released a statement since the details emerged, it wrote in the filing: "If BSkyB or other third parties were to pursue litigation to prevent our use of the Skype name or logo, defending against that litigation could be costly and time-consuming even if we were ultimately to prevail."
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FundEnable, a technology platform that upskills and prepares entrepreneurs to raise capital, has raised undisclosed seed funds from BSE’s BIL Ryerson Technology Startup Incubation Foundation (BRTSIF), under the Government of India’s NIDHI Seed Support System, along with other prominent angels including Rachit Poddar.
Commenting on the same, Prutha Atre, Founder of FundEnable said, “Today, raising funds is every entrepreneur’s aspiration. But fundraising is tricky & not many understand it to have a strong strategy. Founders often get stuck at very basic points such as how much stake will be diluted or how to prepare for due diligence. We have designed FundEnable to accommodate every entrepreneur’s unique fundraising journey by providing tangible resources and affordable, qualified guidance for raising a round of capital.”
FundEnable demystifies the fundraising process and helps entrepreneurs tackle it step-by-step. On this platform, entrepreneurs get access to a comprehensive repository of online courses, tools, and templates. The courses explain the intricacies of fundraising such as cap tables, dilution, financial model, valuation, etc in the Indian context. The tools & templates for business plan, cap table, term sheet, sector multiples, due diligence checklists, etc, enable entrepreneurs to translate their learnings into tangible progress in their fundraising journey. On-platform 1-on-1 mentoring is now also available for entrepreneurs.
Commenting on the same, Hemant Gupta, Managing Director of BRTSIF, said, “To us at BRTSIF, FundEnable is a prime example of Indian start-ups creating disruptive and systemic solutions that address prominent pain points in their target market. FundEnable has created a platform that is not only fit for the Indian market but has global relevance. FundEnable represents an ideal start-up for which the NIDHI-SSS scheme was designed, and we are proud of incubating and funding FundEnable. I wish FundEnable, Prutha Atre, Vikrant Potnis and the entire FundEnable team all the best”.
Rachit Poddar, Executive Director Rachit Group and Co-founder of Marwari Catalyst Ventures says, “It gives me immense pleasure to join FundEnable, from where I started my journey in venture capital. FundEnable has been instrumental in the fundraising journeys of hundreds of entrepreneurs through their dedicated technology platform. FundEnable’s partnership with incubators across the country will help emerging startups to raise a round of capital & foster economic growth in private capital markets.”
To date, FundEnable’s team has raised over INR 200 Cr for Indian startups. FundEnable’s platform is currently providing fundraising support to over 1,500 entrepreneurs with ventures across 30+ sectors including defense tech, logistics, F&B, e-commerce, enterprise SaaS, cleantech, health tech, etc. 90% of entrepreneurs subscribing to FundEnable are early-stage ventures looking to raise their first round of funding while 11% have raised pre-series rounds of capital & are now seeking Series A funding.


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Last August, Nissan shook the truck world when it officially announced plans to source a diesel option from Cummins for its long-overdue Titan replacement, its full-size pickup that's slated to drop this January at the Detroit Auto Show. The 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel is expected to make somewhere around 300 horsepower and north of 500 pound-feet of torque. This combination of an all-new truck with this new powerplant promises to dramatically change the competitive landscape, splitting the differe
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX


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Dealers are being urged to prepare for an unrecognisable automotive industry in the next decade.
Cox Automotive and Grant Thornton’s fourth annual Automotive Insight Report, which was launched today (Oct 21), highlights the impact of electrification and digital transformation as well as the manufacturer agency model becoming a possibility.
As such, it suggests that dealers must rethink their customer engagement and revenue streams if they want to stay competitive in years to come.
It says that because of the pandemic, people now expect a seamless experience across whichever channel they use – and it has to be fast, personalised, effortless and transparent.
Vehicles need to be visible via a search, and connecting all stages of the customer journey has to be straightforward, including trading in a part-ex and arranging funding.
Connecting data and touchpoints is vital to create a seamless end-to-end experience, the report suggests.
A large proportion of car buyers are still looking to complete their next transaction in a dealership, says the report, adding that in some markets, legislation makes the direct-to-consumer model difficult.
It looks at opportunities relating to electrification, mobility, aftersales and servicing that offer dealers a way to expand their relationship with the driver.
The report also says that online used car sales are likely to double in the next five years, although it acknowledges they still comprise a relatively small proportion of the total.
Cox Automotive insight and strategy director Philip Nothard said: ‘With direct-to-consumer models on the horizon for many manufacturers, there is an opportunity for dealers to keep their relationship with drivers through education and information centres.
‘How these evolve to generate both footfall and also drive sales opportunities, even if those are via the manufacturer website, will be interesting to see.
‘The importance of the dealer in helping consumers with the transition to electric should not be underestimated.’
Following the weakest September for new car registrations since 1998, Cox Automotive has further revised its year-end forecast down to 1.63m – the same as the year-end figure for 2020. Earlier this year, it downgraded it to 1.82m.
Meanwhile, having originally downgraded its 2021 used car sales forecast to 6.8m, it is now expecting the market to top 2020’s 6.75m transactions, with a projected 7.14m for 2021.


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The furry brown fox-like pokemon Eevee ranks high when it comes to popular Pokemon. No wonder, since Eevee is just too adorable and charming what is there not too love? Last summer Eevee already had its very own Eevee parade during the annual Pikachu outbreak at which you can see over 1500 Pikachus and Eevees marching around Yokohama. And then of course when the new Nintendo Switch game: Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu & Eevee was released the hype was real! Since then several Pikachu and Eevee goodies have been released such as these adorable tamagotchi's
Within the Pokemon company, Eevee has its own support team called Team Eevee, who have approached the Japan Anniversary Association to mark the 21st of November as National Eevee day!
A proud Eevee with the official Eevee day document!
“Eevee Day has been confirmed by the Japan Anniversary Association! The play on the words Ee (11) vee (21) was originally thought up by fans for this very special day, and is now officially established thanks to everyone’s overwhelming support.” – Team Eevee
Check out Eevee with its Japanese fans! Everyone will be sure to celebrate Eevee day from now on.
There was already an official Pokemon day on February 27th to celebrate the first Pokemon games that came out in Japan on February 27th 1996. This is the very first time however, that a Pokemon gets its own celebration day and it's not Pikachu!
Of course, there's no celebration without some free goodies! And guess what? Sadly only for those living in Japan but pssht! Stay tuned, maybe you can win an amazing Pokemon prize soon!
Let's move on to some artwork that Japanese fans created to celebrate Eevee day! Note that these were created last minute, since Eevee day was announced on the morning of the 21st! Impressive right?
Check out more artwork here
Source Team Eevee
What do you think, can we make Eevee day an international celebration? Will you celebrate Eevee day 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
And if you LOVE Pokemon don't forget to subscribe to December's Pokemon Holiday Parade Yumetwins box for adorable Pokemon goodies!
More cute stuff? What about this Kirby Pillow? Or this super cool Mario Party merchandise?!
Keep up to date with all the kawaii news coming straight from Japan by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Want to get a FREE Japanese kawaii subscription box? Check out how to get one here!
Tokyo is home to some of the most iconic landmarks in the world. With expansive skylines that reach the horizon. Get ready to explore these five must-see places for the best views of Tokyo’s skyline!
The first day out of winter and spring is on the way! While cherry blossoms play a significant role in spring in Japan, there’s so much more to enjoy!
Christmas in Tokyo is lively and cozy because many unique events take place during the year-end holiday season!
Japan is home to countless entertainment options that can satisfy the needs of everyone: from nature lovers to adventurers. If you visit Japan, don’t forget to spend time at an amusement park!
Organizing a perfect party is the primary key to a wonderful and joyful Christmas. Let’s see how people in Tokyo throw a party to celebrate Christmas!
The Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival is one of the top events in Tokyo around Halloween. Cosplayers come from all over the globe to celebrate their favorite characters!


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On February 1, UJU participated in the connector exhibition ‘DesignCon 2023,’ held in Santa Clara, California, USA.
At this DesingCon 2023, UJU introduced the BQ series of ultra-small Board to Board connectors.
The BQ series has a 0.3mm pitch and is the smallest among existing mobile connector products. It supports connection in extremely narrow spaces required for devices such as mobile devices and wearable devices.
An employee of UJU said, “We are pleased that our core technology has been recognized by many buyers,” and “Participating in this exhibition will be a great driving force for our global market expansion.”
For more information on designcon 2023, visit the website (https://www.designcon.com)


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LEADING environmental body the Energy Saving Trust is urging car manufacturers, dealers and drivers to get educated about CO2 emissions.
In its report Driven, the organisation found that car buyers are making "poor choices, both economically and environmentally" when it comes to buying new cars.
Chief executive Philip Sellwood says drivers need adequate information about emissions if they are to make the right choices.
"The bottom line is that, at the moment, the car market is failing," he says.
"There is no good reason why at a time of rising fuel prices and higher vehicle excise dut ies for higher CO2 vehicles, people are continuing to buy inefficient cars. It's not good for the environment or the pockets of customers.
"While car manufacturers are starting to place CO2 information more prominently in their advertising, this is only helpful up to a certain point.
"For many years, manufacturers have marketed the highercarbon vehicles within a vehicle range as better quality, more expensive, faster and even more desirable, influencing consumers to make irrational choices with regard to fuel and running costs.
"Dealers are making inroads by displaying information on the cost implications of choosing greener cars more prominently. However, more still needs to be done to help educate drivers earlier on in the decision making process."
According to Energy Saving Trust figures, new vehicles registered in the UK in 2007 produce annual emissions of 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide but the organisation predicts this could be reduced by 25 per cent over the next five years through encouraging the purchase of cars with lower emissions.
Sellwood added: "Our research shows that while consumers want to know about environmental features, at present the vast majority do not know the basics like how much CO2 their car emits.
"The Energy Saving Trust wants to help the public make better choices. We are not telling everybody to go out and buy a hybrid or electric car but we are urging motorists to buy the greenest car in its class."
See www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/driven for the full report.


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A leading in-game ad platform Adverty announces the hire of Johanna Nymberg as Director of Business Development to bring Adverty’s seamless in-game offering to more game developers and publishers worldwide.
Adverty, a leading in-game platform for advertisers, agencies and game publishers, has announced the hire of Johanna Nymberg as Director of Business Development, to spearhead further growth for the innovative company. This follows on the back of the launch of new offices across Europe and APAC and a raft of senior hires earlier this year.
Adverty’s mission is to deliver seamless advertising which connects brands and audiences through its revolutionary technology built for gaming.
Nymberg will be responsible for driving publisher revenue globally for Adverty. With extensive experience in the digital media sector, she was most recently Senior Publisher Growth Manager at AdColony, one of the largest mobile advertising platforms in the world, working from both London and Singapore.
She will work alongside Niklas Wallgren and Christian Atack to liaise with publishers and game developers globally, widening access and awareness of Adverty’s unique In-Play™ and In-Menu™ enabled in-game advertising SDK.
“Adverty’s formats are a great advantage to brands and publishers. As it is still a new ad monetisation format, this makes the role even more exciting. Adverty is genuinely setting a new standard for generating revenue and I will be driving new game integrations and expanding the use of the platform via high-value deals and strategic, long-term partnerships, further establishing Adverty as the leading in-game advertising company”, says Nymberg.
“We are delighted to welcome yet another industry heavyweight to the team”, adds Niklas Bakos, CEO and founder of Adverty. “Johanna is a well- respected leader with deep experience in the gaming space and excellent contacts within the publishing industry, and always at the forefront of industry developments”.
The expansion of the business follows ever-increasing numbers of advertisers looking for in-game advertising at scale, and for publishers who want to monetise their gaming inventory with unobtrusive brand advertising.
“In-game brand advertising is currently experiencing significant growth worldwide and Adverty’s formats are super exciting compared to traditional banners and display”, adds Nymberg. “Game developers are keen to seek out new ways to work with brands and drive revenue, without reverting to intrusive formats that are detrimental to the gaming experience. Adverty’s offering represents the future of in-game monetisation, in one of the most unchartered frontiers of the media world”.


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MTN has announced the launch of the MTN Online School, a free online portal with learning resources and lessons, as well as additional tools…
Cars have never just been four wheels that exist as a means for getting you from one place to another. But now more than ever, they resemble the gadgets we carry around in our pockets far more than they do a horseless carriage. And now, it turns out, we use as small a fraction of the tech packed into them as we do of the very expensive devices we carry around with us on a daily basis.
According to the 2015 Drive Report survey by J.D. Power, as many as 20% of drivers haven’t used half the technological features in their cars. The survey polled 4 000 people were surveyed between April and June and found that most vehicle manufacturers could probably save a fair amount on technology spend and development.
Interestingly, some of the least used features are among those which we’ve been told are the most useful. According to the survey, the most under-used feature was the kind of in-vehicle concierge system that recommends nearby restaurants or gas stations. It was not used by 43% of respondents.
The next least-used car tech features were mobile routers that turn a car into a Wifi hot spot, unused by 38%, and automatic parking systems — unused by 35% of those surveyed.
One of the major reasons for concierge services and mobile routers going unused could be that people still prefer to search for destinations and for connecting apps with their car.
“Customers say, ‘I have a competing technology that’s easier to use, or I’ve already paid for it – so why do I need it again?'” said Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction at JD Power.
Not using automatic parking features meanwhile might have something to do with how useful the technology actually is. If it takes you significantly longer to park dedicated technology that it ordinarily would, then chances are you’ll try and park yourself.
It doesn’t matter if the machine does it better than you, can it do it faster?
Thing is, even if drivers aren’t using the technology, they’re paying for it. It might seem unnecessary but all that tech is becoming increasingly desirable and something the car manufacturers are expected to build into their vehicles.
Anyway, we all know the real solution to getting cars to use all the tech built into them: don’t let people drive.


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Debate in scientific, political and business circles has raged for years over whether Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to line everything from drink bottles to tins of fruit can have harmful health effects on children and adults.
UPDATE: Audio of Professor Gordon Robertson’s presentation on the science of food packaging hazards available here.
With countries around the world taking confusingly different approaches to BPA – (some have issued partial bans on it, others maintain it is completely safe), the vexed arguments around BPA may be about to come to a head as European and US food safety regulators look to update their advisories on it and scientists progress the most thorough studies to date into BPA.
The BPA issue occupied part of a fascinating presentation in Auckland today (I’ll post the audio shortly) at the New Zealand Food Safety Authority conference, where Queensland University’s Professor Gordon Robertson, an expert in food packaging, explained the split in thinking on BPA in the scientific community. Perhaps more importantly, he outlined several food packaging chemicals and techniques – from recycled paper packaging to the ink used on food labels, that don’t get the headlines in the same way BPA does, but whose impact on food and human health are poorly understood by the industry creating them and the scientific community in general.
The BPA issue occupied a swathe of the New York Times last week as science writer Denise Grady set out to try and untangle some of the conflicting information out there on BPA. Unfortunately, she isn’t able to shed much light on whether Bisphenol-A, a known ‘endocrine disruptor’ that can can mimic the hormone oestrogen, has lasting harmful effects on humans in the small doses it is consumed through us coming into contact with food and liquid that has been stored in bottles containing it. As Grady points out when it comes to the research scientists have undertaken on Bisphenol-A in rats and mice:
Sometimes the results seem downright weird, indicating that low doses could be worse than higher ones. There is sharp disagreement among scientists about how to interpret some research. The disputes arise in part because scientists from different disciplines – endocrinologists versus toxicologists, academic researchers versus those at regulatory agencies – do research in different ways that can make findings hard to reconcile.
If Bisphenol-A was a purely scientific issue, working through it would be easy. But use of the chemical has become a political football with industry players who produce three million tons of it globally each year or add it to the packaging containing their food products squaring off against campaigners convinced it is toxic to humans and politicians who have joined their cause. The image below, which Professor Robertson showed yesterday, suggests the industries dependent on BPA (alternatives deemed to be less problematic are more expensive) have in the US lobbied government agencies and underwritten scientific research as part of a campaign to fight a Bisphenol-A ban.
What do the scientists think?
Clearly, there is differing opinion among scientists on the safety of Bisphenol-A and a fairly extensive body of research that has failed to conclusively point to a risk great enough to have regulators universally moving to ban BPA.
One view of Bisphenol-A is presented by Professor Richard Sharpe of Medical Research Council Human Reproductive Sciences Unit based at University of Edinburgh. In December, as Breast Cancer UK mounted a campaign to have BPA banned in Britain, he told my colleagues at the Science Media Centre in London:
’There is no direct evidence that links bisphenol A exposure in women, or in animal studies, to the development of breast cancer. Bisphenol A is an extremely weak oestrogen and is therefore unlikely to contribute significantly to a woman’s lifetime oestrogen exposure (and thus to her risk of breast cancer). Much of the data on low dose effects of bisphenol A have proved to be unrepeatable in more detailed, follow-up studies that have used the route of exposure (oral) relevant to humans, meaning that they do not satisfy one of the fundamental criteria for good science. In my opinion, any call for action on bisphenol A first requires direct evidence that, at human oral exposure levels, it can be shown capable of inducing breast cancer in animal models.’
’I don’t think we should ban BPA, but I think we should control its use much more carefully. BPA is the chemical used to manufacture polycarbonate plastics, is a component of lacquers used to line food cans, and is used in some dental fillings — the problem is that it mimics the female hormone. Small doses over a long time can initiate female hormone responses.
’In males this might result in undescended testes or other sex organ deformities, but in females it is possible that some breast cancers might be stimulated. A specific type of breast cancer (estrogen receptor positive breast cancer) grows when the female hormone, estrogen, binds to a specific receptor in the cell; when the receptor is occupied the cancer cell divides and the cancer grows. An estrogen mimic such as BPA can bind to the receptor and stimulate the breast cancer cell to divide. Controlling its use while allowing it to be used for the benefit of society (e.g. in some medical devices) will reduce exposure and so reduce the risk.’
University of Missouri-Columbia researcher Fredrick vom Saal is at the other end of the spectrum. He said recently:
“Among people who have actually read the literature, there is no debate, just an illusion of controversy. This is a phenomenally potent chemical.”
New Zealand situation
BPA is definitely on the radar of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, hence the prominent discussion of it at the food safety conference. But so far the regulator has held firm on its advice that there is no cause for concern:
NZFSA’s view, based on current scientific evidence, is that there is no health concern associated with BPA, a chemical found in plastics, including food packaging and babies’ bottles. We are maintaining a very close watch on developments in case new data comes forward that changes this view.
Products containing BPA are pervasive in the market here, though non-BPA containers are also on sale, particular when it comes to baby bottles and sippy cups. The media has taken an interest in the issue, with varying results. The New Zealand Herald went big on Bisphenol-A at the start of the year.
BPA – tip of the iceberg?
As the New York Times piece points out, Bisphenol-A isn’t the only endocrine-disrupting chemical being used in food packaging.
Patricia Hunt, a biologist at Washington State University, in Pullman [said]: ’It’s just the one that’s captured the attention, because researchers like me have gotten into the field and gone, ‘Holy cats! We’re all exposed to this.’ There’s been a heavy industry response, and we’ve gathered our forces together a little more strongly to shine a light on it. This is the poster child for this group of chemicals. Academic scientists are saying we need to do something, and we need to do it fast.’
Professor Robertson helpfully cycled through the other chemicals used in food packaging that may be interacting with food with largely unknown consequences.
There’s diisopropylnaphthalenes (DIPNs), chemicals from recycled paper, used for board in food packaging, may migrate into food. Then there’s the packaging chemical ITX, which isn’t on food regulators’ risk lists but is raising concerns nonetheless. There’s also concern that inks used in food packaging labels may leach into food, in some cases being absorbed through plastic containers, with potentially negative consequences.
Professor Robertson’s presentation was fairly open-ended – the lack of scientific knowledge about these chemicals from the likes of Nestle and Tetra-Pak, major users of food packaging, concerns him. But like the scientists attempting to examine the concerns of BPA’s vocal critics, he isn’t able to make a call one way or other as to the safety of BPA.
“They do have a point, but the effect in humans is still questionable,” he said today.
One worrying issue he raises, is that traceability in the food industry – the ability to track where products and their packaging have come from, is getting more difficult to follow when technology should be making it easier. He puts that down to the increasingly global sourcing of food packaging materials. Country of origin labelling for food is patchy, let alone the packaging the food comes in. A lack of robustness in packaging compliance warranty schemes around the world doesn’t help.
Robertson, who consults to food manufacturers, had firsthand knowledge of the difficulties of tracing food packaging materials when he was asked to trace a company’s food packaging through the company’s entire supply chain.
“After three months, I gave up in defeat,” he said.
Partisan politics on BPA
In the US, where a third of BPA is produced, the debate around its safety has become highly politicised with Democrats and environmentalists vocal in their concerns about it, while industry and Republican supporters claim there is no problem with it. Last week California rejected a BPA ban.
This month the European Food Safety Authority is expected to issue a long overdue update on BPA. The US Food and Drug Administration has also been reviewing its stance on BPA. The decisions these regulators make about BPA may determine its future use globally. Political pressure is no doubt encouraging regulators to make BPA a priority.
The new BPA studies underway are still a couple of years away from reporting. As the NYT explains:
The new, government-financed studies will try to determine whether BPA can play a role in obesity, diabetes, breast and prostate cancer and disorders of the developing immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Dr. Birnbaum said researchers would be looking for effects on learning and behavior, and also trying to find out whether there are ’multigenerational’ effects, meaning that exposure in a pregnant animal can affect her offspring and the next generations as well.
In the meantime BPA is, in most countries, considered safe and remains an integral ingredient in food packaging most of us come into contact with. But with a host of chemicals added to food packaging and growing mistrust among consumers when it comes to food safety, the industry, science and regulators have their work cut out for them reducing uncertainty in the BPA debate.


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Apple plans to start its foldable phone by 2022. The company works with LG and Samsung to produce a thinner flexible display than its competitors and develops panels for the unit.
According to information, Samsung will be the key provider for folding panels and Samsung’s LTPO- the first folding iPhone will use based OLED panels. LG is going to be the second provider in the meantime. Cupertino hopes that its cooperation with LG would improve output and volume capability and cost reduction.
Apple is already designing foldable iPhone prototypes. According to leaks, the upcoming foldable will have a clamshell design similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z flip and will support Apple Pencil.
In addition, analysts have speculated that the smartphone is cheaper than competitor versions. We do doubt. However, that would be the case, given the rising iPhone prices.


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3 November was a big day in the Hungarian gastronomic scene, as the Michelin Guide Hungary, a restaurant guide for the whole of Hungary, was published on this day. In addition, Hungary won several Michelin stars and restaurants from the countryside were also awarded the prestigious accolade.
For the first time, the world’s leading restaurant guide has rated the whole of Hungary’s catering industry, meaning that the guide is no longer limited to Budapest. It is a great achievement that a restaurant in Tata, in the Center part of Hungary, has also won two Michelin stars in addition to a Budapest restaurant. A further six restaurants in the capital received one star, and a restaurant in Esztergom, north of Budapest, also won a Michelin star.
Stracciatella, aubergine, celery, green apples on the plate at Costes restaurant in Budapest, awarded with a star by the Michelin Guide this year.
But it is not only Michelin stars that have been awarded to restaurants in Hungary, there is also the so-called Green Star. This was created by the Michelin Guide in 2020 for restaurants that are recognized for their efforts towards sustainability.
Previously, no restaurant in Hungary has received the Green Star award, but this year 4 restaurants, including two from the countryside, have earned it.
In addition to stars, the Michelin Guide has also awarded BIB Gourmand awards to restaurants that offer high quality food at a lower price, typically excellent bistros and family-run restaurants. Six restaurants from the countryside received such an award.
Benjamin Gerstmayer, the chef of Casa Christa in Balatonszőlős, which was awarded the Bib Gourmand prize, serves in the restaurant’s kitchen.
In addition, this year, the recommended restaurants included in the guide will be awarded a Michelin Plate, with 47 restaurants across the country achieving this distinction, 14 of them in Budapest.
The following restaurants have been awarded two Michelin stars:
Platán Gourmet, Tata
Those who got one Michelin star:
Borkonyha Winekitchen, Budapest
Those who received a Green Star award:
Graefl Major Kétútköz, Poroszló
Onyx Műhely, Budapest
Restaurants awarded with the BIB Gourmand prize:
Anyukám Mondta, Encs
Casa Christa, Balatonszőlős
Featured photo via MTI/Balogh Zoltán, MTI/Vasvári Tamás


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SolarCity Corp., the nation's largest rooftop photovoltaic developer, is hoping a new day is dawning for solar in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The San Mateo, Calif., company announced Thursday a bundle of new financing options aimed at customers in the Peco Energy Co. service territory. SolarCity and its competitors typically install their systems on customers' roofs for no money down.
The campaign is aimed at reversing the shrinkage in the Pennsylvania solar market, which went into hibernation after 2011, when federal and state incentives dwindled.
"We have a few hundred customers in Pennsylvania, but it's been slow to develop over time," said Leon Keshishian, SolarCity's regional vice president.
The company says it is scouting for a local operations center and is posting job openings on solarcity.com.
SolarCity, which has 190,000 customers nationwide and claims a third of the residential solar market, has experienced dramatic growth in recent years - the publicly traded firm more than doubled its deployment of solar panels last year. Its chairman is Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and Space Exploration Technologies. SolarCity recently announced a partnership with Google Inc. to bankroll $750 million in projects in 14 states, including Pennsylvania.
The rapid expansion has helped the company bring down the cost of installing solar systems, allowing it to offer packages that can compete with conventional utilities, said Jonathan Bass, a SolarCity spokesman.
The company is offering to finance solar installations with loans or under a lease arrangement known as a power purchase agreement (PPA).
Customers who agree to have the systems installed would pay a discounted rate for power. The rates are 15 percent to 20 percent less than what customers currently pay to the utility, said Bass.
The packages are full-service. SolarCity employees install the systems and maintain them, replacing equipment such as inverters over the life of the agreements.
SolarCity also sells any renewable energy credits earned from the solar production, which helps to pay for the financing.
The declining value of the Pennsylvania solar credits became a disincentive for homeowners to buy solar panels on their own. Companies such as SolarCity assume that risk.
"We take on all that," Keshishian said. "It really makes it an easier proposition. The customers don't have to think about anything other than having a system that operates on clean energy and what their net savings are at the end of the day."
Under the agreement, the rates the customer pays SolarCity for power increase by 2.9 percent a year. Customers can fix the rates by choosing a slightly higher initial rate or by making an up-front payment, said Keshishian.
Customers who lock into a 20- or 30-year agreement with a price that escalates annually might consider that Peco's retail price has actually decreased 1 percent since 2010, from 16.32 cents per kilowatt hour to 16.15, according to Peco.
Adjusted for inflation, Peco customers are paying 7.7 percent less than they were in 2010. That price includes the generation and distribution charges.
Gov. Wolf, in his state budget, has proposed spending $50 million to relaunch the PA Sunshine Solar program this year, which would require approval of a skeptical Republican legislature. Under the Rendell administration, that program spurred a solar bonanza from 2009 to 2011. The boom created an oversupply of solar energy credits, driving down the price of those incentives.
Employment in the state's solar industry has slumped since then. According to the Solar Foundation, the industry employed 2,800 people in Pennsylvania in 2014, down 30 percent from 2012.
In New Jersey, by contrast, solar employment has grown 26 percent since 2012, to 7,200 workers. Solar incentives are more generous and New Jersey utility rates are higher, thus easier for solar to compete with.
And, contrary to the sitcom that says it's always sunny in Philadelphia, it's actually sunnier in New Jersey.


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JOHOR BARU: The Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry assures Malaysians that the supply of seafood for Chinese New Year celebrations is more than enough.
Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said the ministry had taken several steps, including putting a temporary stop on the exports of exporting several types of fish.
The Pulai MP added that such measures were taken to ensure that local demand, especially during the upcoming festive season, would be met.
"I have been given a briefing that our supply is enough as several types of fish cannot be exported temporarily.
"This is to ensure that our supply is enough for the Chinese New Year celebrations.
"We have to look at it from a price perspective as well, and I hope the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry will look into that," he added.
Salahuddin said this after witnessing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchanged between Johor Corporation (JCorp), the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) and the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB) here on Sunday (Jan 20).
On an unrelated matter, Salahuddin, who is also Parti Amanah Negara deputy president, said his ministry was planning to put coconut plantations under the MPIB soon.
He added that the coconut industry was a new source of income for the country that had huge potential.
Salahuddin said that even though the matter was still in the planning stages, the ministry would seriously look into it before bringing it before Cabinet later this year.


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Announcing TokenSmart Vegas 2022! 🎉 - TokenSmart NFT Humpday Report #29
Welcome to the 29th issue of the NFT Humpday Report, a weekly column covering and providing embedded analysis on the NFT economy’s biggest topics du jour. Brought to you by WIP meetup collaborators and nft42 community hub TokenSmart.
Next year, nft42’s community hub TokenSmart is hosting TokenSmart Vegas 2022, a conference open to everyone and the first major real world event for all things NFTs in the Roaring 2020s!
Why it matters: TokenSmart manages one of the world’s most passionate NFT communities, and the team’s made a name for itself in facilitating some of the young metaverse’s hottest events, like the Metalympics and the WIP Meetup. Now, TokenSmart’s looking to translate these skills into putting on the NFT event of the year in the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, in 2022.
The NFT ecosystem has been booming lately, yet the COVID crisis has had most everyone around the world pent up at home for the last year. The rollout of vaccines means we won’t be pent up for much longer, so TokenSmart Vegas 2022 is going to be a great opportunity to professionally network around NFTs and also have a ton of much-deserved fun in person with some of the best and brightest NFT minds in the world.
Big plans driving the excitement: Slated to take place at the end of next March, TokenSmart Vegas 2022 is going to have a range of attractions and festivities.
For example, the conference will offer NFT art galleries and auctions, top-notch education events, and networking events that will help attendees connect with and experience the newest innovations in the space. Lastly, what TokenSmart event would be complete without a real life Metalympics competition: show us what you’ve got in a series of fun games and compete for some epic prizes in the process, Vegas style!
What’s next: Tickets for the conference will be sold as, you guessed it, NFTs. These tickets will go on sale later this year, tentatively slated to drop in Fall 2021.
Beyond that, the TokenSmart team is aiming to make the inaugural event a smash success and tee up the possibility of holding annual events for NFT networking, education, inspiration, and last but not least, fun. To stay up to date in the meantime, be on the lookout for official updates from TokenSmart in the coming months. March 2022 will be here before you know it!
Got any questions: If you have deeper questions about the conference that you’d like to ask the TokenSmart team directly, be sure to reach out to the team through Discord or Twitter.
Thanks for reading the 29th NFT Humpday Report! Check back this time next week for more excellent NFT ecosystem coverage! Cheers 🌠


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Google on Tuesday released Chrome version 77 for all platforms bringing fixes for dozens of security flaws and small but important change to how some HTTPS sites are displayed in the beginning of URL bar.
There aren’t many new features added in Chrome 77 and not much has changed to how it looks, however it does fix 52 security flaws, including one critical bug and 9 high severity flaws, making it the largest set of security fixes in the past few months.
The one critical flaw fixed in this update was the bug tracked as CVE-2019-5870, described by Google simply as a “use-after-free in media” that was reported by Guang Gong, a researcher with Qihoo 360’s Alpha Team on August 29 or 12 days prior to Chrome 77’s release date. No further details were provided.
In Chrome 77 Google has followed through with a change to how it displays extended validation (EV) SSL certificates for HTTPS websites that it announced in mid-August. To users, these may have been recognizable as the green letters or green space at the beginning of the URL bar displaying the full name of the company that owns the EV SSL certificate.
Firefox-maker Mozilla and Google decided last month that EV certificates weren’t serving their intended purpose of thwarting phishing attempts. Also, none of the top 10 websites in the world, such as Google, Facebook and Twitter use EV certificates, but they’ve remained commonly used by banks.
Announcing the change coming in Chrome 77, Google bluntly stated of EV certificates: “Users do not appear to make secure choices (such as not entering password or credit card information) when the UI is altered or removed, as would be necessary for EV UI to provide meaningful protection.”
And the company argued that this space, right up front in the URL bar, is valuable and tightly packed real-estate. At the same time, certificate authorities (CAs) can earn extra cash through additional identity validation procedures required for EV certificates.
As of Chrome 77, EV certificate details will be hidden behind the lock icon in the browser’s address bar. Mozilla will adopt the same change to how it displays EV certificates in Firefox 70 out in October. Apple stopped displaying EV certificate indicators in Safari last year, meaning the EV certificate is effectively dead.
There are other problems with EV certificates that cause problems for businesses which continue to buy them. UK security researcher Scott Helme today boasted that he’d managed to get $1 million worth of EV certificates -- valued at around $250 each -- revoked, because the “extended” part of the validation process for these certificates was missing in many cases.
He points to the case of SAS or Scandinavian Airlines, which has head offices across the Nordics. The company provided a CA its Danish company number but registered a certificate for the company's offices in Sweden. The certificate had to be revoked, even though it wasn’t a serious issue.
CAs are meant to manually check domain name requests to confirm the identity of an applicant is legitimate. An approved certificate also stores the registered serial number of the organization and their physical address.
And following the rules, as Helme noted, the SAS certificate had to be revoked: “Because the data in the cert is now known to be wrong it must be revoked by the CA in question. There is no alternative.”
He noticed SAS’s EV certificate revocation in a Tweet by a Swedish researcher in mid-August and decided to explore how many other valid certificates were similarly flawed. So he ran a scan for EV certificates for organizations in the UK and found over 4,000 certificates with missing or incorrect details that were meant to have been checked during EV certificate validation processes, but weren’t until Helme flagged them with the CAs.
And his quick research didn’t canvas the rest of the world, including the US where there are EV certificates issued to companies that don’t even exist.
Regardless of quality issues with validation processes, Chrome's relegation of EV certificate indicators to a spot behind the lock icon suggests this aspect of the certificate business won't be around for much longer.


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Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing division of the US tech mogul, will always make security its number one investment area, the Amazon CTO said on Wednesday.
In a keynote speech delivered to the AWS Summit in Dubai, Werner Vogels highlighted the growing role of AWS in the Middle East and North Africa, and said the division aims to continue its dynamic presence in emerging countries in the region.
Vogels spoke about security, saying it was the priority of customers who rely on cloud computing.
“The kind of threats we see is continuously evolving,” said Vogels, who also embraced the online multiplayer phenomenon game Fortnite shirt in front of over 2,500 participants and AWS customers.
“We all need to take responsibility in security and only then we will be able to deal with the current modern threats,” he said.
AWS’s cloud computing platform, a growing home for hundreds of thousands of customers and entrepreneurs, offers on-demand delivery of compute power, database storage, applications, and other IT resources through a cloud services platform, with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Vogels also spoke about the importance of a direct relationship between AWS and customers, saying that 95 percent of delivery sales came from this belief.
“The biggest reason for [the growing customer base] is that we are strongly connected to our customers,” he said.
AWS’s cloud-based products including compute, storage, databases, analytics, networking, mobile, and developer tools, management tools, IoT, security and enterprise applications.
He also talked about the upcoming Middle East Infrastructure Region, which will see Bahrain as its home, and is set to be inaugurated soon.
The Infrastructure Region will be the 22nd AWS region worldwide, with an existing 44 Availability Zones across 16 geographic regions.
A number of growing businesses from the region, including Careem and Anghami, also spoke about their experience with AWS’s products at the event.
Co-founder and Chief Xperience Officer at booming Dubai-based ride-hailing service Careem Magnus Olsson said it has used a number of AWS services since its launch in 2012.
It has now reached 30 million customers and 1 million drivers across 120 cities in 15 countries.
According to Olsson, Careem, which was recently acquired by US ride-hailing mammoth Uber in a deal worth $3.1 billion, leveraged its artificial intelligence from 2017 to now through Amazon RDS, Amazon ElasticSearch, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon S3.
Careem is scaled to support 10 times the annual growth for the next three years in a row, and is able to focus on building and operating its applications through cooperation with AWS, according to the division’s website.
Elie Habib, co-founder of Anghami, a popular music streaming hub across the Arab world, also shared the platform’s experience with AWS.
“We didn’t have any experience about cloud [products] until we got to move everything into the cloud in a month,” Habib said.
According to Habib, reliability was the main challenge for the hub, launched in 2011, as traffic spiked on ads and new music releases, with the company seeking to log all interactions.
He said that scaling the app though AWS has helped traffic grow beyond Anghami’s “wildest dreams.”
“We currently have 75 million users, with 1.7 million subscribed users; those are my favourite,” he said.
He also pointed to the platform’s hosting of the first episode of the new season of global television phenomenon Game of Thrones earlier this week.


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Singapore and Sri Lanka have recently pledged to develop close trade and economic relations through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the inaugural Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Forum.
The MoU, which was signed by Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and the Sri Lanka Singapore Business Council (SLSBC), aims to improve information sharing, promote a favorable business climate, increase investment flows and protect the intellectual property between their members. The two parties also affirmed their commitment to further their partnership in the infocommunications technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
This MoU comes on the back of another investment cooperation MoU signed between SBF and Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment earlier on 15 February this year. The said MoU aimed to deepen collaboration in the private sector and bolster institutional relations between both economies.
Singapore company registration specialist Rikvin acknowledges the latest MoU with Sri Lanka as part of the Republic’s concerted efforts to strengthen its network of trade relations with fast-growing economies and create new opportunities for firms that are based in Singapore.
In the same week, Singapore has signed MoUs as well as trade agreements with Colombia and Portugal. Commenting further, Mr. Satish Bakhda, Rikvin’s Head of Operations said, “In May alone, Singapore has signed two MoUs with Colombia and four trade agreements with Portugal. It has also sent a delegation consisting of 22 companies to Turkey to explore business opportunities. These trade delegations are symbolic of Singapore’s commitment to bolster its network of trade partnerships to serve the needs of its business community.”
The latest MoU demonstrates Singapore’s commitment to grow its relationship with Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the MoU highlights that both parties have recognised that there are grounds to develop their relationship as well as an understanding to bring it to the next level for the benefit of their economies.
According to data from the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore, total trade between both economies have grown almost four fold between 2002 and 2008. In 2002, total trade between both economies registered US$502 million, but in 2010, it registered US$1799 million.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has already announced that it anticipates that trade between Sri Lanka and Singapore is projected to increase substantially in the near term and we couldn’t agree more. Singapore firms are in good stead to benefit from this partnership and tap opportunities in the infocommunications technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. In time, we could also see more Sri Lankan enterprises set up in Singapore,” affirmed Mr. Bakhda.
Rikvin’s content team includes in-house and freelance writers across the globe who contribute informative and trending articles to guide aspiring entrepreneurs in taking their business to the next level in Asia.


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The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa presents a golf tournament to benefit kids via Make-a-Wish Hawaii
POSTED: 1:30 a.m. HST, Jul 28, 2013
LAST UPDATED: 11:15 a.m. HST, Feb 12, 2014
Recording a rap music video, visiting the Taj Mahal, conducting Beethoven's Ninth for the Berlin Philharmonic — when 200 golfers Swing for Wishes at the Hawaii Prince Golf Club, they're helping to fulfill the dreams of local kids who've been diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. The annual tournament benefiting Make-a-Wish Hawaii has been the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa's major charity since 2007.
"As a corporation, Hyatt supports a vision called Thrive, which shows our commitment to help build thriving communities — places where we're proud to work, our neighbors want to live and our guests want to visit," said Sheryl Siu, the hotel's director of retail operations. "Many Hyatt programs focus on children, so we wanted to support an organization that shares that philosophy. Make-a-Wish Hawaii was a perfect fit."
SWING FOR WISHES GOLF TOURNEY WILL BE HELD OCT. 17
This year’s Swing for Wishes is set for Oct. 17, at the Hawaii Prince Golf Club, 91-1200 Fort Weaver Road in Ewa Beach. Entry fees start at $750. Registration deadline is Sept. 13. Call 237-6341, email firstname.lastname@example.org or check out swingforwishes.com for more information.
The free Lighting Ceremony, which celebrates all of Hyatt Regency Waikiki’s charitable giving, is set for Dec. 4, starting at 5 p.m. in the hotel’s Great Hall. There will be refreshments, live entertainment and a candle-lighting ceremony.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki will host Lemonade Alley again in April. No specific date has been set; check the website, lemonadealley.com, for updates.
Siu has played a key role in Swing for Wishes since its inception: She was co-chairwoman for four years and is serving as chairwoman for the third time. Planning requires eight months of work, with every detail taken care of right down to mailing thank-you notes to donors.
On the day of the event, more than two dozen Hyatt Regency Waikiki employees handle everything from registering golfers and selling raffle tickets to driving beverage carts around the course and manning a dozen stations where drinks, snacks and lunch are served.
Participants have a good time for a great cause. Individuals can win prizes for having the best putt, hitting the longest drive and claiming the ball closest to a hole.
Team awards change every year. "We might stick to tradition and recognize the three teams with the lowest scores," Siu said. "Last year the team with the lowest score won first place, but we also honored the sixth-place team because it was the sixth anniversary of Swing for Wishes and the team in 30th place because it was Make-a-Wish Hawaii's 30th anniversary."
The event concludes with a buffet dinner and live and silent auctions of big-ticket items such as overseas trips for two, including airfare and stays at Hyatt hotels. "We have generous partners who donate prizes, auction items, food, drinks and more," said Siu, who's on site from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. to make sure everything runs smoothly. "Because of their good will, the majority of the money from entry fees goes to the kids."
To date, Swing for Wishes has raised $300,000 for Make-a-Wish Hawaii. In early December a check is presented to the organization's executives at a public Lighting Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. Every Wish kid in attendance receives a gift; some of them light candles; and everyone enjoys refreshments and live music (Anuhea, Henry Kapono, ManoaDNA and Na Leo Pilimehana are among the marquee entertainers who've performed).
"I've been able to meet many Make-a-Wish kids whose dreams have come true thanks to Swing for Wishes," Siu said. "Knowing that our Hyatt team helped bring smiles to their faces makes the hard work worth it. It's such a rewarding feeling to know we've made a difference in their lives."
Siu hopes this year's Swing for Wishes (see sidebar) will raise $100,000 for Make-a-Wish Hawaii. "Nearly 100 Hawaii children are newly diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition each year," she said. "This year Make-a-Wish Hawaii will be granting a record 80 wishes — nearly double that of any previous year. They don't turn down any eligible child's wish, and it's gratifying to know Swing for Wishes is helping to make some of those dreams come true."
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki's partnership with Lemonade Alley has been a boon to several other worthy causes. The hotel hosted the contest — a fun way for kids to learn about business, philanthropy and healthy eating habits — for the first time in April.
Ten teams of two to five children selected a charity, wrote a business plan, created a lemonade recipe and built a stand to sell the beverage during a one-day competition. Profits they made that day (totaling more than $2,000) were donated to the charities they chose, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Aloha United Way and the Ronald McDonald House.
"It was a win-win situation," said Executive Chef Sven Ullrich, who served on the 28-member judging panel with Director of Food and Beverage Vince Brunetti. "The kids learned how to make lemonade, promote it and sell it. People walking through our beautiful Great Hall, where the contest was held, enjoyed talking to the kids and trying their lemonade. It was such a big success, we've agreed to be the host site for Lemonade Alley again next year."
At two-hour workshops held on three consecutive Saturdays prior to the event, the budding entrepreneurs received tips from professionals on how to concoct delicious lemonade, design their booth and attract customers. Sous-chef Kyle Higa led the recipe workshop.
"The kids were in charge of everything for their lemonade business, and it was exciting to see them come up with unique recipes," Ullrich said. "One team's drink was creamy and bubbly and had a whipped cream topping. Another team colored their lemonade blue. A third team froze theirs so it was like slush."
Prizes for the best stand design, best recipe and best sales pitch were awarded in three age divisions. Teams also had the chance to win additional prizes, including the Hyatt Regency Waikiki's For Kids by Kids award.
Four children judged their peers for that honor, which went to brothers Ethan and Logan Hamasaki, students at Star of the Sea Elementary School. Made fresh to order, their We'kea Lemonade blended local organic mint, lemons, raw sugar and brown sugar.
"Ten years ago kids wouldn't have known the meaning of ‘organic,'" Ullrich said. "That shows all the efforts to teach them the importance of a healthy diet and ingredients are paying off. Lemonade Alley is the perfect complement to Hyatt's global Thrive philosophy, which includes a campaign called ‘Food. Thoughtfully sourced. Carefully served.' We took that a step further and decided to feature Ethan and Logan's lemonade at our SHOR American Seafood Grill in June and July."
The two boys did a step-by-step demonstration at the restaurant to ensure bartenders would hold true to their recipe. A portion of the proceeds from sales of their lemonade at SHOR will go to their charity, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
"Involving children in decisions about the food they eat is important," Ullrich said. "It's about education and empowerment. Forty kids participated in Lemonade Alley this year. We hope the Lemonade Alley team and their partners are able to double that number next year."
According to Ullrich, Hyatt's Thrive vision is an extension of authentic hospitality and genuine aloha — "doing the best we can for our guests, our employees and our community. It's also about investing in the future. The organizations we support help keiki, who are the future of Hawaii and the world. We're honored to provide both kokua and inspiration for those incredible kids."


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London – Artist Cory Arcangel’s latest exhibition Currentmood satirises the visual language of social...
25.08.2014 - New York – Brooklyn-based independent surf journal Wax has collaborated
with digital clothing design...
21.05.2014 - Artist Cory Arcangel has introduced a new line of ‘surfware’ for surfing the internet.
No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.


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UK GDP Growth Revised Down to 0.4%
The UK economy advanced 0.4 percent on quarter in the three months to September of 2015, lower than preliminary estimates of a 0.5 percent gain and slowing from a downwardly revised 0.5 percent expansion in the previous period. Gross capital formation and public spending grew less than anticipated while the drag from net external trade was smaller than expected, final figures showed.
12/23/2015 10:10:45 AM
Gross capital formation contributed the most to growth (0.8 percentage points) and went up 4.6 percent from the previous period although lower than an earlier estimate of a 7.2 percent gain. Business investment increased 2.2 percent, in line with earlier estimates.
Household consumption contributed more to the expansion than anticipated (0.6 percentage points compared to 0.5 percentage points), up 0.9 percent. Government spending added 0.1 percentage point to growth but grew much less than initially estimated (0.6 percent compared to 1.6 percent).
Net trade subtracted 1 percentage point to the expansion (-1.5 percentage points according to earlier figures): exports fell 0.3 percent (up 0.9 percent in the previous estimate) and imports grew much less (2.7 percent compared to 5.5 percent).
Figures for the June quarter were revised downwards to show the economy expanded 0.5 percent instead of 0.7 percent.
Year-on-year, the UK economy expanded 2.1 percent in the three months to September, lowert than an initial estimate of 2.3 percent and slowing from a downwardly revised 2.3 percent rise in the second quarter of the year.


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OAKLAND, Calif. – Lawyers representing about 116,000 former and current Wal-Mart Stores (search) Inc. employees in California told a jury Monday that the world's largest retailer systematically and illegally denied workers lunch breaks.
The suit in Alameda County (search) Superior Court is among about 40 cases nationwide alleging workplace violations against Wal-Mart, and the first to go to trial. Wal-Mart, which earned $10 billion last year, settled a lawsuit in Colorado for $50 million that contains similar allegations to California's class action. The company also is accused of paying men more than women in a federal lawsuit pending in San Francisco federal court.
The workers in the class-action suit are owed more than $66 million plus interest, attorney Fred Furth told the 12 jurors and four alternates.
"I will prove the reason they did this was for the God Almighty dollar," Furth said in his opening statement.
Nine jurors must side with the plaintiffs to prevail. Millions of dollars also are sought to punish the company for the alleged wrongdoing.
The case concerns a 2001 state law, which is among the nation's most worker friendly. Employees who work at least six hours must have a 30-minute, unpaid lunch break. If they do not get that, the law requires they are paid for an additional hour of pay.
The lawsuit covers former and current employees in California from 2001 to 2005.
Wal-Mart declined to give an opening statement, reserving its right to give one later. Its lawyers also declined comment.
In court documents, the Bentonville, Ark., company claims that workers did not demand penalty wages on a timely basis. Wal-Mart adds that it did pay some employees their penalty pay and, in 2003, most workers agreed to waive their meal periods as the law allows.
The Bentonville, Ark.-based company also says some violations were minor, such as demanding employees punch back in from lunch and work during their meal breaks. In essence, workers were provided a shorter meal period than the law allows.
The case does not claim that employees were forced to work off the clock during their lunch breaks.
The lawsuit was brought in 2001 by a handful of San Francisco-area former Wal-Mart employees, and took four years of legal wrangling to get to trial. During that time, Wal-Mart produced internal audits that plaintiffs' lawyers maintain showed the company knew it was not granting meal breaks on thousands of occasions.
That 2000 audit was given to top-level executives, according to evidence submitted to jurors Monday.
One company document called results of the audit "a chronic problem." A one-week review of company policies showed thousands of instances in which workers were not given a meal break in accordance with the law, according to the documents provided to the jury.
"This is Wal-Mart auditing Wal-Mart," Furth said.
On Tuesday, as many as three plaintiffs are expected to testify in a trial that will last weeks.
Several lawyers representing out-of-state Wal-Mart workers in class action lawsuits were in the gallery. Karin Kramer, a lawyer suing Wal-Mart on behalf of 50,000 Washington state company workers, said suing Wal-Mart is a gargantuan task.
"They can afford and do fight you on every single issue," she said.
Shares of Wal-Mart rose 14 cents to close at $44.01 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange (search).


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REVEALED: New cafe to open on CBD outskirts
FROM galley to coffee shop kitchen, Mackay's newest barista is set for the ultimate sea change.
He's been in the navy for four years and now he's taking the title of manager at Mackay's newest cafe.
Mitchell Robbins, 24, will be opening the doors to Frosty Bean Cafe on January 15 at 5.30am and they're hiring new staff.
During the week the opening hours will be 5.30am - 4pm and are still determining weekend hours.
However, the shop will be open seven days a week and are flexible to "have a feel of our clientele, if we're busy in the afternoons we might close a bit later”.
The cafe is along Prospect Street - a location fit for everyone.
It's a popular destination for tradies and he's noticed two retirement homes nearby.
Whether it's breakky for the early risers, smoko later on, or scones and tea for the elderly, they're welcoming everyone, including children.
There's a safe and secure children's area "so if parents want to come down and have a break they can”.
Mr Robbins is also planning to "set up an x-box or play station, as well as netflix” in the children's area.
A taste Mackay isn't used to - their coffee beans are sourced from Yeppoon Cuppa Cabana.
Mr Robbins is excited to see how the new flavour tickles Mackay's taste buds and "if people want instant coffee at home we can grind fresh beans up for them and sell them in 250gram or 500gram bags”.
One of the baristas is British and is bringing a taste of home to Mackay with a 'brap breakky roll'.
"It's what you call a big breakfast but on a roll, it's popular with truckies because they can't sit down and eat... they can just chuck it on a roll together,” he said.
He also said it's important to keep product local as Mackay is "all about supporting each other” and is currently in talks with Eungella milk and Krusty's Bakery.
Air-con and Wi-Fi friendly, the cafe can host around 15-20 customers at once.
"Come on down, grab a cuppa and meet the team on the 15th, we're all friendly and approachable,” Mr Robbins said.
For those wanting to apply for the new positions available email: email@example.com


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Kathmandu : Nepal Rastra Bank has fixed the exchange rates for foreign currencies for Thursday, 21st of Baisakh. The buying rate of the US Dollar is Rs. 130.62 and the selling rate is Rs. 131.22.
Similarly, the buying rate of Euro is Rs. 144.10 and the selling rate is Rs. 144.76. The buying rate of British Pound is Rs. 163.35 and the selling rate is Rs. 164.10. Qatar Riyal is being bought at Rs. 35.75 and sold at Rs. 35.95, as per the information provided by Nepal Rastra Bank.
What are the exchange rates for which country’s currency?


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How do you get to a billion dollars? One buck at a time.
European consumer goods company Unilever has acquired Dollar Shave Club, the men’s grooming start-up founded in 2012, the companies announced on Wednesday morning.
The deal reportedly valued Dollar Shave Club (DSC) at $1 billion in an all-cash agreement, according to the New York Times. (The companies did not disclose the terms of the agreement in their announcement.)
DSC burst into the Internet’s consciousness with the help of a viral video. The company parlayed that success into a direct-to-consumer subscription business that took in $152 million in 2015. Read more…
More about Dollar Shave Club, Acquisitions, Unilever, Startups, and Business
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Amazon.com.au features a wide selection, including Books, Video Games, Consumer Electronics, Sports & Outdoors, Tools, Toys, Home Improvement, Beauty, Clothing & Accessories, Shoes and Amazon Devices, such as our Kindle E-reader and Fire TV Stick devices.
Amazon's Australian orders will be fulfilled out of the company's centre in Dandenong South in Victoria.
After last months soft launch, Amazon Australia is now officially here and ready to send you any knick knack you desire this Christmas!
Australians living in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide will have access to Amazon's fabled next-day delivery service for $9.99 while Perth and regional cities in across the country will pay $11.99 for two-day delivery.
Harvey Norman founder Gerry Harvey said his retail chain would seek to match prices with Amazon Australia if it provided consistently lower price tags on some good, but not if it merely offered "bait advertising and predatory pricing" on selected items.
But, as prices are offered by many different retailers on Amazon's website, others were no cheaper than existing Australian department stores, and some were significantly more expensive.
The launch of Amazon down under is expected to shake up the retail space in Australia, despite many organisations having years to prepare for such a company to enter the local market.
"It's not like it was a surprise, but I'm very much hoping this is a catalyst for change".
According to Sims, though, the regulator encourages "vigorous competition on its merits - and this will see many firms fail".
While Amazon's launch is likely to shake up the retail environment, the fact that it has just one distribution centre for the entire country means, at first, the service will not be almost as comprehensive as the United States or UK version. The result will be an ever-improving customer experience driven by the regular introduction of new products and services that we hope customers will love.
It's a huge moment for Australian retail, and one of the most anticipated launches of the year, after Amazonconfirmed in April 2017 it would expand its operations in Australia.
He said Amazon had been successful because of its focus on customer experience, and was not anti-competitive just because of its size.
The Crimson Tide got the nod over Ohio State and will play Clemson in the College Football Playoff on January 1 in the Sugar Bowl. The playoff selection committee unveils its final four and then sets the matchups for the rest of the major New Year's bowls.
Cotto had won four titles in four different weight categories, but struggled against the quick hands of 29-year-old Ali. Ali turned in strong rounds in the ninth, 10th and 11th, looking more aggressive and fresher than Cotto.
She auditioned for Woody Allen's 2018 comedy "A Rainy Day in New York" five times . "I feel all those things". She got incredibly emotional as her A Rainy Day in NY co-star Elle Fanning presented her with the award .
Soon after the attack, army along with additional reinforcement launched a cordon and search operation to nab the assailants. Due to encounter, authorities suspended traffic on Jammu-Srinagar highway while train service to Banihal was also stopped.
The Prime Minister took to Twitter to congratulate the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and thank the people of the state. Amethi is Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency, and has always been a bastion of the Gandhi family.
The Houthi rebels denounced what they described as " sedition ", meaning Saleh's behaviour towards the Saudi coalition. "Our country is under aggression and the Houthis are the cause of this aggression due to their practices", he said.
But New Delhi has proceeded cautiously at a time when the U.S. administration has taken an aggressive new approach toward Tehran. Chabahar is Iran's only oceanic port town and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.
The device comes in two options, one with 2GB RAM , 16GB ROM, and another with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage . The Micromax Bharat 5 is powered by MediaTek's entry-level quad-core 1.3GHz processor paired with 1GB RAM .
Power and communication networks remain hit while roads remain unsuitable for transportation, a police officer told Mirror. Cyclonic storm Ockhi ravaged the Lakshadweep islands and left hundreds of families in Kerala in relief camps.
EarthSky notes this January super blue moon "will pass right through the Earth's shadow", making for a super blue moon eclipse ! In January 2018 there will be two supermoons, the first on January 1 and the second on January 31.
Such contempt action has been under consideration by Nunes and other Intelligence Committee Republicans for several weeks. Horowitz, who is leading a broad examination of how the F.B.I. handled the Clinton email investigation.
Tiger shark attacks and kills American tourist in Costa Rica
The paper said Bhandari, a resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side, was a regular presence at charity functions around the city. He attempted to scare off the shark but was unsuccessful as it savagely attacked Bhandari's legs, leaving severe bites on both.
Arrested in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case
Police now have 48 hours to interrogate the suspects and arraign them in court where they will have to present initial evidence. Following the death, the Maltese government offered a €1m (£890,000) reward for information about Caruana Galizia's murder.


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A new survey, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Xbox1, is shaking up familiar Christmas traditions by revealing a surprising affinity for gaming among families. The survey results found that 39% of Australians surveyed play video games over the holidays with their family members, ranging from kids [36%] and parents [21%] to uncles/aunties [16%] and even gaming grandparents [11%].
The survey results also revealed that 40% of the survey respondents said gaming gives them a way to connect with someone they don’t regularly see in person, showing video games have become a festive staple alongside other bonding fun such as board games, backyard cricket and Christmas movies.
Not just a pastime for teens anymore, 40% of survey respondents agreed the sharing of video game enjoyment among generations is a great tradition. Better yet, there may be less chance of causing a family feud, with 49% agreeing video games cause fewer arguments than board games.
To help Aussies find the right games for the whole family, Xbox has curated a list of games to suit all players this Christmas, whether they’re a seasoned gamer or have never picked up a controller before.
Tania Chee, Xbox Business Lead for Xbox Australia and New Zealand, said:
“How families are spending their time together over the holidays is changing and it’s really exciting to see from our research that video games are now a big part of bringing families together at gatherings.
Whether it’s showing gran how to build her dream home in The Sims or speeding into first place in Forza Horizon 5, gaming has become an opportunity for connection across generations, no matter your skill level. It’s clear that video games have become a new summer holiday tradition – including for my family, whom I can’t wait to play against this Christmas and win.”
From today, Xbox Series S will be available at selected retailers in Australia and will be on offer as a part of their Black Friday promotions (while stocks last, and retailers’ terms and conditions apply).
Xbox is proud to be part of the story as families continue to reinvent what the holidays look like for them. For more information on the best Xbox products and services to celebrate the holidays this year, be sure to visit the Microsoft Store holiday gift guide.


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Witzeal, an Indian real money gaming company has surpassed more than 30 million registered users and has surpassed INR 2 billion in revenue.
The online gaming industry has witnessed a whirlwind rise in recent years powered by a youthful and tech-savvy populace, affordable accessibility of smartphones, better internet availability, and overall technological evolution. Poised to grow further, the online gaming community is expected to grow to 510 million by 2025 and the industry will be worth USD 5 billion in the same time period. Gaming companies today are entertaining all, through personalised content, engaging social experiences and innovative gameplaying.
Witzeal has all the games developed in-house, increasing the credibility of the games and the trust of users as a result of enhanced security and gaming experience. The company currently has more than 17 games in its portfolio, clocking in more than 1 million active users monthly.
“We are excited and elated to be a part of such a flourishing industry. Our days are filled with constant motivation to develop more innovative gaming experiences for our users. The incorporation of technology and the provision of a distinctive user experience has been one of the major factors in our expansion. I’m extremely grateful for the team that works on helping Witzeal reach where it is. We had a strong finish to the year as we surpassed INR 2 billion in annual revenue and achieved 44 per cent year-on-year growth in the last quarter. Going forward, we aim to strive tirelessly to innovate and give our users an experience like never before and also eye global expansions,” said Ankur Singh, Founder & CEO, Witzeal Technologies.


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Greensboro, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/15/2013 -- In a bid to raise validation for their OutBooster device made as the world's first hardware based Internet speed booster, the company has declined to submit their idea on Kickstarter in favor of the new crowdfunding platform FundAnything.com launched by Donald Trump after responding to a Tweet late last week.
Fueled further after being featured on startup site, RightStartups.com, the company decided to switch gears and crowdfund the start of the new device for Internet users with slow speeds and choppy Internet service, anywhere in the world.
Their internet booster device enhance poor internet by maximizing the bandwidth to the strongest possible signal available. The best part is the services work with the existing internet connection that a client has and it only takes 2 minutes to set it up and get it working. The company has already lined up manufacturers, so the rewards from the successful funding of their project are guaranteed to contributors.
The company took a unique approach to their FundAnything.com campaign by actually using the platform as an idea validation method. After receiving a contribution from the start, the FundAnything.com team will be reviewing the OutBooster project for possible complete funding by Trump himself.
The project shows to be nearly completed on the OutBooster website, but OutBooster is asking for public confirmation to validate the idea of their device, a device which for the greater good is designed to enhance Internet service to rural and remote areas. Overcrowded places like large suburban neighborhoods and cities are also covered by OutBooster’s secret sauce and their promise of a better quality Internet experience.
OutBooster’s Internet Speed Booster is just one example of thousands of projects that span these popular Crowdfunding sites like Trump's new FundAnything.com ready with a pitch and perk to make a contribution worth your time and wallet.
To learn more about OutBooster, visit their website at http://outbooster.com or contribute to their FundAnything.com project at http://fundanything.com/en/campaigns/internet-speed-booster and claim your own OutBooster device as a contribution reward.
OutBooster is building the world's first hardware powered Internet speed booster for Internet users with bad connections in rural and heavily populated locations. They are headquartered in Greensboro, NC.
Greensboro, NC 27404


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Celebrating the famous crystal company’s 250th...
WealthX recently revealed the report of the Top 20 cities...
Marlon Brando’s private island, Tetiaroa, opened to the...
Noting consumer buying habits across airports of 118 countries, IWSR (The International Wine and Spirit Research) recently launched a report on the top travel retail spirit brands from 2013 till 2018. View Slideshow »
When life overwhelms you, head out to these destinations — a desert citadel, a great city, an island and a glistening tea estate, luxurious getaways that will make you leave the world behind Continue Reading »
The world in the last few months witnessed a lot many changes with new faces added to the prestigious list of luxury timepieces to bespoke becoming the latest trend. Here is a quick round up of iconic moments in the recent history of various brands Continue Reading »
Kick-start this season of festivities clinking flutes of sparkling wine, as the latest trend infuses the celebratory fizzy drink as a part of every soiree. Here's why there's something mesmerising and ceremonious about the whole process of opening a bottle of champagne Continue Reading »
Let your body, mind and soul respond to reviving Tibetan therapies offered by Ila at Ananda Spas in the Himalayas. Rejuvenating your senses to ritualistic massages, here is what we experienced at this destination spa. Continue Reading »
Give your sinful indulgence an international twist of macarons or chocolate puddings this festive season. With chefs and patisseries offering an innovative assortment of bonbons, indian mithais are being replaced with innovative concepts all set ot treat your sweet tooth Continue Reading »
From limited edition timepieces to a meal in the sky and space travel; the world of luxury is yours for the taking. Read on and discover more in our carefully-compiled list of absolute luxury must-haves spotted this year View Slideshow »
As Indian artworks fetch record-breaking bids at international auctions, we take a look at some of the talented women artists focussing on their work and dedication in the field of art Continue Reading »
If you haven’t caught up with the brunch trend yet, then there’s no place like Mumbai to discover the true joy of sangrias with smoked salmon on a Sunday arvo.Hotels cater to the midday meal at their fine dining restaurants through themed family brunches, a buffet spread or even hangover specials to zap you out of that Saturday’s all-nighter.Party or not, this Diwali sign up for these culinary feasts to get a taste of the high life… View Slideshow »
Every week, our friends at LuxuryLaunches give us the low down on uber-luxurious happenings from across the world. With Diwali next week and the holiday season shortly after, we sum up some luxurious addresses and best buys that have recently hit the market. Continue Reading »
Kareena Kapoor Khan
She was attending a promotional event


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That was quick.
After an immediate outcry from consumers and politicians regarding Bank of America’s proposal to charge a $5 monthly fee for debit card usage, they are now rescinding this proposal.
When Bank of America first went public with this there were little signs of it not becoming a realty, and in fact, more likely becoming an industry standard. Following B of A’s decision to charge for debit card usage other big name banks (ie Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, etc) began to follow suit with their own plans to test such fees. However, within hours of these announcements, the internet and social media outlets erupted with negative sentiment leading even President Obama to go public with his concern over the matter.
As we noted last week, many big banks then freaked out over the threat of losing consumers en masse and responded with immediate retractions of these plans. Subsequently this lead the reluctant Bank of America to finally, as of late last week, decide not to impose such fees out of fear that they would be the only one doing so.


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BOSTON PGR Media said it has added three new clients to its roster.
The Providence, R.I.-based media company won natural health and beauty product company Tom's of Maine after a review of undisclosed shops. Online gift retailer RedEnvelope tapped PGR because of the shop's longstanding relationship with Toth Brand Imaging in Concord, Mass, which handles creative chores for RedEnvelope. Finally, PGR added Digital Federal Credit Union because of its new alliance with Boston-based ad shop Wallwork Curry, which crafts ads for that client.
The clients spend about $1-2 million combined on ads, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
"RedEnvelope and Tom's of Maine are premium brands that fit nicely into our client roster, while our relationship with DCU harnesses our team's past financial services experience, allowing our company to expand into the banking industry," said PGR CEO Pattie Garrahy in a statement.
"At Tom's of Maine, we needed a broadcast-savvy media agency sophisticated enough to target our values-based consumer," said Matt Chappell, director of consumer development at Tom's of Maine. "PGR has exceeded our expectations."
Independent PGR also handles media chores for Bertucci's, Grolsch and Tommy Hilfiger.


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Mercedes-Benz is working hard at its new SLS AMG Black Series but an unexpected incident occurred on the Nurburgring.
Due to a driving error the supercar from Stuttgart has crushed and burn. We were told that the car was carrying both a driver and a passenger and that both of them walked away before the fire started.
We are very sorry for the loss, but we are also happy that nobody got hurt.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series will develop more than 600 hp and will have an upgraded suspension and brakes. The production version of the new supercar will be unveiled next year and will be sold as a 2014 model.Source: Carscoop


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MOSCOW, Nov 16 : Meta (banned in Russia for extremism) and TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, have appealed against the European Union’s decision to brand their services as a “gatekeeper” that will have to comply with certain obligations and prohibitions under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) aimed at making online markets more competitive, media reported on Thursday.
TikTok challenged the decision on Thursday, saying that it did not meet the necessary thresholds to be affected by the legislation, while the designation as a “gatekeeper” could hamper the company’s ability to develop and grow, the Financial Times reported.
In a separate appeal on Wednesday, Meta challenged the EU’s move to designate Facebook’s Messenger and Marketplace as “core” services under the DMA, the report said. It added, citing people familiar with the appeal, that Meta would argue Messenger is a chat functionality of the popular social network platform and not a separate service, while Marketplace is just a consumer product rather than a “gateway” for businesses to target consumers.
The new rules under the DMA, which are set to come into effect in the first quarter of 2024, will introduce a number obligations for large tech companies to make their services interoperable for third parties and allow business users to access the data they generate while using their platforms, among other things. The rules will affect companies designated as “gatekeepers” under the law, which are “large digital platforms providing so called core platform services, such as online search engines, app stores, messenger services.”
Tech giants such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon are covered by the legislation as well, with Apple and Amazon expected to also consider challenging the designation by Thursday’s deadline, the Financial Times reported. (UNI)


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Conference program now available online – 16 May dedicated to sessions dealing with ‘Destination’ and ‘Customized Travel’ – “It’s My World Travel Awards 2018” in cooperation with Qyer.com.
New Education & Job Day at ITB China on May18 includes interactive HSMAI training workshop and preview of HSMAI education platform.
Companies or institutions who aim to gather first experiences with the Chinese travel industry, can easily establish first contacts and get useful information at ITB China 2018.
In addition to knowing about consumers’ activities, Shiji is set to learn details about their business travel via Baoku’s cloud-based travel management platform.
The 2018 CTW Awards ceremony will be held on May 17th, 2018 at 3:40 pm at ITB China.
Award ceremony to take place on May 16 at ITB China 2018 – presented in 5 categories – application just started.
Leaders to share insights at ITB China Conference include Ctrip chairman James Liang, Phocuswright founder Philip C. Wolf, and executives from China Tourism Academy, Wyndham Hotel Group, Fliggy, Tencent and Meituan.
Exclusive Press Event for ITB CHINA 2018 kicked off in Shanghai with more than 120 media representatives home and abroad. The trade show expects 15,000 attendees, 700 exhibitors and 800 buyers.
ChinaTravelNews is a wholly owned subsidiary of
©2022 TravelDaily China.


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Google Maps Surpasses 10 Million Miles of Street View Imagery
Google has just revealed that it has captured more than 10 million miles of Street View imagery for Google Maps, a distance it says would amount to circling the Earth more than 400 times (via CNET). Google also said that Google Earth now has a total of 36 million square miles of satellite imagery for people to browse.
“Imagery is at the core of everything we do,” said Ethan Russell, a director of product at Google Maps. “We think of it as the foundation of the entire mapmaking process.” Russell pointed out that Google’s mapping imagery is from public places you’d see while standing in the street or flying overhead.
With more than 1 billion monthly users, Maps is one of Google’s most popular products. The latest numbers mark the first time the company has released figures on how much of the world its services have charted.
To get the imagery, Google uses cars, as well as backpacks called “trekkers” worn by hikers or strapped to camels and sheep. The company generates most of its nearly $140 billion in annual revenue from targeted ads, which are buttressed by user data. That includes ads on Google Maps, though the company doesn’t break out those revenue figures.
Over the past couple of months, Google Maps has received tons of new features, such as language translation, food delivery options, and information on flights and hotel bookings.


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New Internet Technology Center Seeks to Nurture Growing Industry
A new research center to assist companies with the development
and deployment of Internet products and services has been established
by Virginia's Center for Innovation
The Internet Technology
Innovation Center (ITIC) brings together 11 research groups
from four universities: The University of Virginia, Virginia
Tech, George Mason University, and Christopher Newport University.
Three Department faculty members are involved: Scott
Midkiff of the Center for
Wireless Telecommunications (CWT), Ira
Jacobs of the Fiber
and Electro-Optic Research Center (FEORC), and Bill Tranter
of the Mobile
and Portable Radio Research Group (MPRG).
The Center's goals are to nurture Virginia's newest emerging
industry and growing base of Internet-related businesses; accelerate
creation and deployment of network-based information technology-especially
with regard to electronic commerce; develop Virginia's hardware/software
infrastructure; and expand the State's high-skill workforce needed
to develop, support and market Internet-based electronic products
To accomplish these tasks, ITIC is establishing a Rapid Response
Team that can analyze a company's situation, recommend strategies,
develop rapid prototypes, and help a company utilize electronic
products and services.
"ITIC provides broad expertise in a range of technologies
related to the Internet, including wireless communications, networking
technology, digital libraries, World-Wide Web technologies, electronic
commerce, and Internet-based education and training," said
Midkiff, one of Tech's two representatives to the ITIC Board."
In addition," he said, "the Center provides expertise
in a variety of services, including applied research, infrastructure
development, technology training, and economic development. No
single university could provide both the range of technologies
and the range of services offered by ITIC."
"The establishment of ITIC is very timely," he continued.
"This season's shopping news is that e-commerce is for real.
In addition, nearly half of all Internet traffic goes through
Virginia, thanks to AOL, MCIWorldCom, Sprint, and Cable and Wireless.
As the Internet grows, Virginia is well positioned to be a big
player: the backbone, service, and access are here. However,
we're behind in applications such as electronic commerce and
ITIC is considered the state's first virtual research center.
"As befits a technology-based faculty group, we are a virtual
organization with a primary existence in cyberspace," said
Alfred C. Weaver, Center Director and professor of computer science
at UVa. "We will conduct our own business via email, multimedia,
desktop video conferencing, and collaborative work tools."