text:
It’s absolutely stunning to see a boycott against Jews by an American company in the year 2018. Yet that’s exactly what Airbnb is doing. On Nov. 19, 2018, Airbnb, Inc. (the popular online hospitality service) announced, “We concluded that we should remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The policy is even more devious than it sounds. In short, Israeli Jews living in Judea/Samaria (the “West Bank”) may no longer rent out their homes and apartments via the Airbnb platform. Muslims, Christians, and citizens of the Palestinian Authority are free to continue doing so: the boycott targets only Jews. At present, Airbnb does not boycott any other country nor target any other dispute.
The announcement has sparked public discussion about whether the decision is discriminatory or even antisemitic. Yet Western media coverage has widely neglected one critical fact: Boycotting Israel is not “free speech.” It might even be illegal.
To be clear, no private citizen is obligated to buy products from any particular foreign nation. That is a personal choice. Also, anyone may lobby the U.S. government to institute a boycott at a national level — that is free speech.
Article I Section 8 of the Constitution contains the “Commerce Clause” which gives Congress the power to “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.” This means that a private boycott against a foreign government is not “free speech” like the domestic boycotts of the civil rights Movement. Rather, it is a tool of statecraft that, like war, is reserved to the federal government alone.
One of the earliest applications of the Commerce Clause was the Sherman Act of 1890, which implements the federal government’s power to regulate activities related to commerce and to prevent “restraint of trade.” Years after the Sherman Act, the Supreme Court held that expressive activities that impinge on constitutional powers reserved to the government are not constitutionally protected “free speech.” (United States v. O’Brien). This legal tradition eventually led to the Export Administration Act of 1979.
Attempts to implement a wide ranging, private boycott against a foreign nation illegally bypass Congress’s exclusive power to regulate foreign trade. Airbnb is undermining the American democratic system and potentially violating the Constitution.
Airbnb’s actions go beyond economic effect. They can also be seen as a serious breach of media ethics. In this online age, companies don’t just sell products, they also communicate with their millions of customers through online platforms. When such a company communicates a political message, the customers hear it. When that message relates to a topic on which the company has credibility, many will believe it.
In this case, Airbnb has 15 million followers on Facebook, 670,000 on Twitter, and 590,000 on its own community forum. Airbnb also has a jaw-dropping 150 million users on its mobile app and website, and more people visit its web site every day than watch CNN, MSNBC, or BBC’s prime time news broadcasts on a typical evening.
Airbnb enjoys significant credibility on the question of travel, including safety, advisability, and in this case, possibly even morality. So when Airbnb announces on its various media platforms that boycotts against Israel are the key to Mideast peace, millions of people are listening.
America has so many anti-boycott laws that there is an entire federal department dedicated to enforcing them — the United States Office of Antiboycott Compliance (OAC). As Executive Director of HonestReporting, a media watchdog NGO, I filed a complaint on the following grounds: The acts enforced by the OAC prohibit agreements to refuse or actual refusal to do business with or in Israel or with blacklisted companies, and agreements to discriminate or actual discrimination against other persons based on race, religion, sex, national origin, or nationality.
As the Airbnb boycott applies only to Israel, and specifically to properties owned by Jews or Israeli citizens, but exempts Christians, Muslims, and citizens of the Palestinian Authority who live in the same area, it fits squarely within the prohibitions covered by the OAC.
If found to be in violation of the relevant laws, Airbnb could be subject to significant fines, tax consequences or even criminal action. Through its potentially illegal acts, the online platform is even risking its ability to continue doing business in the United States. A number of other Israeli and American organizations are taking actions under other state and federal laws, including local laws in 26 of America’s 50 states.
Legalities aside, Airbnb’s decision is an astonishing example of anachronistic racism rearing its ugly head in our modern world. In fairness, Airbnb may be acting merely on bad information rather than bad intentions. Its boycott is the result of numerous requests by the Palestinian Authority government and biased reports by several blatantly anti-Israel pressure groups, including the misleadingly named Human Rights Watch and Jewish Voice for Peace.
Nonetheless, Americans should not tolerate double standards, discrimination or blatant racism against any group of people. We’re better than that. America is better than that.


text:
If you smoke tobacco cigarettes it is highly likely that you will have come across the UK NHS sponsored StopTober campaign. This campaign has grown spectacularly in popularity over the last couple of years with 160,000 people reducing their tobacco smoking habits in 2013 and a phenomenal 250,000+ already signed up for 2014. The campaign runs throughout the month of October but why is it causing such a stir amongst tobacco cigarette smokers?
Talking with a smoking community
Statistics show that many people have tried and failed to reduce or even eliminate their tobacco cigarette habit for a variety of reasons such as stresses of life, addiction and perhaps more telling, a lack of people to talk to about their struggles. This is perhaps where StopTober comes into its own, the ability to join the campaign online and speak to like-minded individuals who have been there, done it and are perhaps still experiencing the same difficulties as them. There is also a new element to the StopTober campaign with an array of electronic cigarette companies announcing offers and promotions to complement the campaign. When you consider that upwards of 160,000 people reduced their tobacco smoking habits last year with expectations in excess of 250,000 people will do the same in 2014, any viable alternatives are catching the attention of smokers.
Are electronic cigarettes a useful substitute?
If you ask many smokers they will highlight the social aspect of smoking and the actual practical actions associated with this. In many cases it is this particular action which they crave when in social circles so electronic cigarettes which look and feel like tobacco cigarettes, without the 4000+ toxins, have been welcomed with open arms. Such is the growth in electronic cigarette sales that new regulations to protect customers and guarantee high quality products will be confirmed by US and European regulators over the next few months. This is a market which is worth in excess of $2 billion per annum in the US with the European market not too far behind. Even the most ardent of electronic cigarette critics recognise that they are at worst less harmful than their tobacco counterparts with some medical professionals suggesting they could you to 90% less harmful. While trials and research continue into the long-term use of electronic cigarettes there is no indication to date of any serious long-term medical implications.
The UK NHS sponsored StopTober campaign is certainly gaining traction, catching the eye of many tobacco smokers and also proving very successful for the electronic cigarette industry. When you bear in mind the health implications, economic implications and practical implications of long-term tobacco cigarette use, for many people StopTober is a godsend. It is also worth noting that this particular campaign has now been replicated in New Zealand and the Netherlands with other countries also watching its growing success. There have been smoking cessation services around for many years although it seems a good old-fashioned chat with somebody who has been there, done it and bought the T-shirt is the best way for tobacco cigarette smokers to reduce their intake.
For further information about electronic cigarettes and the StopTober promotion please visit the OK Cigs website.

domain: news


text:
Dynamics 365 is Microsoft’s new combined CRM and ERP solution. Currently, there’s no official price and details are sparse.
That said, at Conspicuous, we wanted to provide our audience with a comprehensive round up of everything we already know. One thing’s for sure: Dynamics 365 is set to be a market disruptor.
While Microsoft’s ERP solutions: AX, GP and NAV have always been competitive, with large audiences, their current CRM offering, Dynamics CRM has struggled, with just a ~4% market share (according to Gartner).
By combining their ERP and CRM solutions into one comprehensive package, Microsoft could be seen as cleverly growing their CRM audience by encouraging their existing ERP user base to use CRM functionality. In other words: increasing CRM market share through osmosis.
Officially announced on 6th
July and presented a bit later at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, the organisation will show off the tech to an enthusiast audience at AXUG later this year
on October 11th
in Florida. Until then, it’s likely that Microsoft won’t reveal much about their new 365 offering. That said, we do know that the platform will revolve around 4 main pillars:
1) Cross-team visibility and collaboration
Teams across a business – whether start-up or enterprise organisation – will have full visibility across the entirety of their business. While this is beneficial for a whole host of organisation reasons, it also means that businesses will no longer need to take the risk of investing in – and deploying – stand-alone applications which might fulfil all necessary requirements.
2) Built-in intelligence
Dynamics 365 will take advantage of Power BI, making big data and IoT analytics easy to comprehend. This means that any user will have compete access to on-demand insights across the business.
3) Business processes plus productivity
Office 365 will also be heavily integrated across Dynamics 365. Microsoft is now coming close to realising their dream of offering users one comprehensive solution, scalable for all business sizes, enabling them to fulfil all their business needs. With SharePoint built in, people across organisations will be able to collaborate on documents, spread sheets and presentations in a live environment.
4) New flexible licensing
Microsoft has recognised that not all businesses will need to deploy the full suite of benefits that Dynamics 365 will bring. Therefore, they have broken down the features of Dynamics 365 into apps that will be available from a dedicated AppSource marketplace. Apps will be available from Microsoft and also from a select range of Partners.
These four pillars encapsulate what could be an encouraging start from our perspective for a piece of technology that could really disrupt the marketplace: the world’s first combined CRM and ERP solution; a custom app-based marketplace and powerful, integrated BI and IoT technology.
Of course, we will need to wait until AXUG to see how Dynamics 365 is really panning out. One huge factor in all this is pricing. ZD Net have speculated
on leaked price points, but we won’t comment until we know for sure what the pricing will be. Until October 11th
, it’s time to sit tight.


text:
CBA’s annual gathering cultivates new opportunities, relationship building and global growth.
For the second consecutive year, the Christian products industry convened in Cincinnati, Ohio, for CBA’s annual convention, co-sponsored this year by HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Ingram/ Spring Arbor. Under the banner of “Envision the Legacy,” UNITE 2017 attracted retailers and suppliers from around the globe for four days of training, meetings, workshops, and encouragement, June 27-30, at Duke Energy Convention Center. With a net loss of 28 independent stores, in addition to some 270 Family Christian Stores that have shuttered within the last year, the industry has seen its share of hard times. Add to that the difficulties presented by evolving technology, changing consumer behavior, and that dreaded six-letter word (Amazon), and Christian retail is facing some of its biggest challenges since CBA’s annual convention began in 1950. While this year’s conference certainly didn’t sweep today’s very real hurdles under the rug, UNITE 2017 chose to shine a light on the recent successes of Christian retail, all while entertaining new ways of moving forward with innovation, creativity, and a servant’s heart.
“With change comes pain. We’ve experienced a lot of pain; we’ve had to adapt,” says CBA President Curtis Riskey. “I believe that as we unite, God smiles. I believe that we can be a testimony to the rest of the world.”
UNITE’s workshops, evening entertainment, and training sessions focused on encouraging Christian retailers to remember their foundational mission amidst change. “Small business is the backbone of America,” author Terence Chatmon shared during his keynote address at UNITE’s Legacy Banquet. “We have a purpose to live out. You might have to redefine yourself, but be the servant leader He’s called you to be.”
The Friedman Group’s Wendi Swanson, who introduced CBA’s new Retail Academy Online training program, challenged attendees to set a higher standard of excellence for their employees and their places of business. “Our stores should be the cleanest. Our people should be the sharpest,” she said. “Our stores should be the best because of who we are.”
CHANGE CREATES OPPORTUNITY
In addition to keeping the heartbeat of Christian retail front and center, many of UNITE’s educational sessions emphasized how change actually opens doors for new opportunity. “Changing times require even the most fundamental of things,” Carpentree’s Sherry Morris offered during her workshop, Gift & Specialty Buying: Making Gift Campaigns Work. “Competition can actually be an opportunity to look for a niche that you can fill.”
Morris encouraged store owners to think outside their own individual tastes and preferences to accommodate the largest, most diverse customer base possible. “Remember that you’re not the one you’re selling to,” she advised. “Only buy 50 percent that you would put in your own home.” She added that 10 to15 percent of all inventory should answer the question, “Who on earth would buy that?”
She also acknowledged that staying in touch with the needs of your local community is crucial. “Every store is different because every community is different,” Morris offered. “You can shine as a retailer with a heart and passion for what you do.”
Christian broadcasting veteran and author Rod Robison agrees. “The more local you can be and the more community outreach you can do, the more engaged the community will be with your ministry,” he said. “You can’t wait for people to stumble into your store when they want to buy a Bible; you have to let them know you’re there. And it’s not just a promotional issue; it’s an engagement issue.”
More than ever before, Christian retail stores have the distinct advantage of blossoming into a community hub within their cities, big and small. Riskey even sees store closures as a chance for independents to step up. “I think the pendulum is swinging,” he shared from UNITE’s Big Idea stage. “I think we’re under-retailed. I believe that there’s opportunity for churches to have stores.”
RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY
UNITE’s exhibit floor may have been slightly smaller this year, but unanimously, attendees view CBA’s annual gathering as a way to ignite new partnerships and cultivate relationships—a key driver in the business. “CBA UNITE serves a lot of purposes, but one of the important ones to a lot of us who’ve been in the industry for awhile, is it almost functions like an annual reunion of sorts where we get to see each other and catch up on what’s been happening in families and really what’s happening with the business, too,” said HarperCollins Christian Publishing Director of Publishing Pete Nikolai. “It’s a great opportunity to get together and discuss trends and celebrate the successes we’ve had over the past year.”
Oftentimes, it’s the one-on-one time— whether in a private suite, on the exhibit hall floor, or even on the convention center concourse—that attendees find most beneficial. “When you get to meet that person for the first time, for instance with a new account, it’s a real connection. You see where you’ve won and lost. It makes the total difference. And when you watch that relationship grow over years and the changes that come along—either good or bad—you’ve had someone that you’ve been connected with,” offered Dayspring’s Terry Biggs, who has attended CBA’s convention every year since 1994. “I think that’s what I see here at CBA. It’s a gathering of those people who stay connected … People look for that personal service that I don’t think we’ll ever replace, and I hope we don’t.”
For authors, especially those who are self-published, UNITE has become a centralized watering hole for networking. “I’m looking at my media sheet, and I already have about 20 media engagements—that’s print, online, TV, and radio. Where else would I have been able to do that?” shared first-time author Reginald Morris, who attended UNITE with his wife, Renea, co-author of the couple’s debut book, Resurrect Your Dead Marriage. “We were able to, in a short drive, come here, meet the media that we needed, meet the retailers who are interested in putting our book on the shelf, and have those face-to-face conversations … It really is a breeding ground for first-time authors—more now than ever before.”
For others, like exhibitor Valerie Wright of Good Work(s) Make A Difference, UNITE is about meeting not just prospective buyers but also establishing friendships with industry peers. “I feel it’s so important to meet like-minded people who come from various backgrounds but all have the same message and foundation of loving Christ,” Wright said. “It’s good to be here and meet a lot of people who are doing great things for the Kingdom.” Good Work(s) Make A Difference is doing its part by donating 25 percent of the company’s net profits from the sale of custom bracelets to charitable causes. Last year alone, they fed 50,000 homeless people in Los Angeles.
Charitable giving is also a core part of CBA’s overarching mission. Since 1998, CBA has given more then $208,000 in cash and material donations to ministries in convention host cities. This year, CBA partnered with BLOC (Believing and Living One Christ), a ministry embedded in one of Cincinnati’s toughest areas providing relief, education, and job training for homeless individuals and victims of domestic abuse, among others. It’s further proof that leaving a legacy involves extending the retail footprint beyond the four walls of a store.
GLOBAL IMPACT ABOUNDS
The legacy of the Christian products industry is not limited to the United States either. Each year, retailers, publishers, and suppliers from more than 50 countries attend UNITE, reminding those who work in this specialized field that they really are taking the Good News around the world. The convention offers opportunities for international rights and licensing sales, but more importantly, it creates space for connection with fellow believers from various cultures.
“It’s just a great place to come to meet people and then find some divine appointments,” said Mike King, founder and president of World Touch Media, an international publisher of Bibles and missional literature distributed in 35 different countries. “I believe in divine appointments—to go where God wants you to go and to do only what God wants you to do and to follow His will—because that’s where you’re going to make the most impact at the end of the day.”
This year alone, CBA announced new partnerships with South Korea and India, further expanding its global reach.
From the mom-and-pop store in Oklahoma to a bustling Bible publisher in the heart of London, the Christian products industry remains a beacon of hope for the estimated 14 million active Christian households it serves.
“You are throwing a lifeline of truth to people who are drowning in a sea of deception,” Robison encouraged retailers following his illusion and comedy routine alongside fellow author and illusionist Adrian Van Vactor at UNITE’s Legacy Banquet. “Keep your focus on people whose lives you are affecting.”
UNITE 2018 is scheduled to take place in Nashville, Tennessee, July 8-11. With Nashville being home to numerous Christian publishing houses, record labels, and filmmakers, CBA hopes to expand next year’s event by bringing the convention to one of the industry’s leading cities.


text:
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the owner of many hotel brands, including Holiday Inn, said parts of the company's technology systems have been subject to unauthorized activity.
"IHG's booking channels and other applications have been significantly disrupted since yesterday, and this is ongoing," the company said on Tuesday.
It disclosed the breach to the London Stock Exchange, saying it had implemented its response plans, notifying relevant regulatory authorities, and working closely with its technology suppliers.
"IHG is working to fully restore all systems as soon as possible and to assess the nature, extent, and impact of the incident. We will be supporting hotel owners and operators as part of our response to the ongoing service disruption. IHG's hotels are still able to operate and to take reservations directly."
IHG owns well-known hotel brands, such as Holiday Inn (1,178 hotels), Holiday Inn Express (3,044), and Crowne Plaza (402), among others.
The issue was first reported by the BBC. Many of Holiday Inn's clients took it to Twitter to complain about the booking issues.
“Was super excited to take the kiddos for a staycation in Anaheim, but upon arrival we found out the booking agent gave wrong info about a closed splash pad and breakfast included,” one user complained.


text:
Cannabis-infused beverages could emerge as a major segment in Canada’s legalized recreational market, accounting for as much as half of all marijuana sales in five years, according to the new chief executive of Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.
Brian Athaide took over as CEO of Mississauga, Ont.-based Green Organic Dutchman on July 2, after the company’s former CEO, Robert Anderson, stepped down for medical reasons. Athaide told BNN Bloomberg in his first major interview since his appointment that he expects drinks that contain water-soluble cannabis could be a “major disruptor” in both the alcohol and cannabis markets, especially among health-conscious consumers.
“It may not happen in the first year or two, but over time we do see [beverages] becoming the biggest part of the market because of the ease of consumption,” Athaide said in a phone interview with BNN Bloomberg.
“By developing beverages that have the ability to look like an alcoholic drink – that you get the efficacy of it within 10 to 15 minutes and then fade after a few hours – we believe that will lead to a breakthrough in terms of conversation from other types of beverages.”
Compared to other major cannabis producers, Green Organic Dutchman is slightly behind the pack in terms of building out its overall production capacity. The company has a small 7,000 square-foot facility in Ancaster, Ont. that produces roughly 1,000 kg of organic-grade cannabis annually and is currently in the final stages of obtaining permits for another 150,000 square-foot-facility nearby. It has begun construction on another 820,000 square-foot grow-op in Valleyfield, Que., which will also have a 300,000 square-foot beverage processing unit that will be completed by next year, Athaide noted. The company also has retail and production operations in Jamaica and Denmark with an eye on global growth, he added.
Once its facilities are fully operational, Green Organic Dutchman expects to produce 170,000 kg of cannabis. By comparison, Canopy Growth Corp., the biggest cannabis producer in Canada, has a funded capacity of 325,000 kg, while Aurora Cannabis Inc. expects to produce about 300,000 kg and Leamington, Ont.-based Aphria Inc. estimates it will produce 171,000 kg.
But investors haven’t been swayed by Green Organic Dutchman’s slow start. In May, the pot producer completed one of the largest initial public offerings in the short history of the cannabis industry, raising $132.1 million on the Toronto Stock Exchange. It currently has about $300 million in cash on hand and a market capitalization of roughly $1.3 billion.
“We’re a bit later to the party but we’re not late,” Athaide said. “We’ve talked to all the liquor and cannabis boards in Canada and because we’re going to be the only organic producer of scale, they’ll want to have an organic section in their stores and we’ll be the only ones who can supply that kind of scale.”
Cannabis producers’ ties to the alcohol industry may grow closer after Corona distributor Constellation Brands Inc. invested $245 million for a 9.9 per cent stake in Canopy last year. BNN Bloomberg also reported last month Molson Coors Corp. has been engaged in discussions with several Canadian cannabis companies to invest in them and collaborate on future cannabis-infused beverages in a move aimed at stemming the brewer’s declining beer sales.
“Our goal is to look at all the different verticals in infused beverages; whether that’s in infused waters or organic juices, [or] things that look like alcohol that [do not] have alcohol in it but is infused,” Athaide said.
Athaide also said the company will offer up any excess capacity in its beverage processing facility to “large-scale global beverage players” for partnership opportunities, but he declined to specify if any deals have been signed.
When Green Organic Dutchman is ready to distribute cannabis to the retail market, Athaide said he expects consumers to flock to his company’s premium organic offering, which include terpene profiles. He said the company could charge roughly 25 per cent more for a certified organic cannabis product than its rivals.
“It is still better for you if you start with a product that has never seen [pesticides or synthetic fertilizer],” he said.


text:
Android users are spending more time on their devices, according to new research from Strategy Analytics.
Android smartphone users on average spent 138 minutes with their device in May 2014, an increase of 20 percent from the usage in December 2013.
The analysis is based on over one million individual application sessions on more than 1500 Android smartphone users in the United States during the period.
While Facebook, YouTube and Messaging apps demonstrate category leading performance with over 50 percent share in total time spent in their respective categories, niche segments such as LifeStyle, Productivity, and News, Weather & Sports are characterized by a broad range of smaller apps – no single publisher dominates the category and thereby presents opportunities for new and inspiring app concepts.
Bonny Joy, Chief, Consumer Telemetry Platforms, said in statement that three big categories are social, communication, and browsing, which account for nearly a third of the time spent.
“Our analysis on the top 25 apps across each of the categories shows games and lifestyle segments are among the most vulnerable in maintaining mindshare as they are quick to come and disappear from our rankings,” Joy said.


text:
FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of children with a food or digestive allergy increased 18 percent between 1997 and 2007. In 2007, approximately 3 million U.S. children and teenagers under age 18, or 4 percent of that age group, were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months, compared to just over 2.3 million, or 3.3 percent, in 1997.
The report also found that eight types of food account for 90 percent of all food allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions such as asthma and other allergies, compared to children without food allergies. Clearly, this is an issue that affects children in your life, whether they belong to you or not.
This month's linkzine focuses on the various facts, trends and treatments related to food allergies. Check it out.
Treatment of Food Allergies
Food Allergy is Common in Children
Food Allergy Center at Nutramed.com
Food Allergy Treatments and Drugs
Food Allergy Slideshow and Overview
Food allergies: Food labels list top 8 allergens
New food allergy research consortium focuses on peanut allergy
Medical News Today
Food Allergy on the Rise, New Treatments on the Horizon
New food allergy law in New York
6 Natural Allergy Treatments
Mother Earth News
Natural Allergy Relief
Return to linkzine home.
Return to Triangle TRACKS home.


text:
Miami-Dade Beaches, Stores Shut Down Over Coronavirus
MIAMI, FL — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has ordered people to stay off the Miami areas’s world-famous beaches as the number of new cases continues to rise in Florida’s most populous county.
“All parks, beaches and recreational facilities in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County shall close at 9 a.m. March 19,” the mayor said in an order issued during his self-imposed quarantine after meeting with the president of Brazil, whose press secretary tested positive for the illness.
The order does not apply to parks, beaches and recreational facilities operated by the state or federal government.
The mayor also mandated in a separate order that all “nonessential” retail and commercial businesses to shut down by 9 p.m. Thursday.
Both measures will expire once the county lifts its local state of emergency.
Earlier this week, Gimenez ordered all restaurants to focus on their takeout and delivery businesses and shut down their dining rooms.
The following essential businesses may remain open under the order:
Click Here: Putters


text:
Cincinnati's Amazon bid could include close to a billion dollars in tax breaks
Another carrot Cincinnati is dangling for Amazon was revealed Friday: the same tax incentive deal offered General Electric. For the online retail giant, that could be a billion dollar carrot.
Cranley outlined why he thought Amazon should make the Queen City the home for its second headquarter just a few blocks from the GE hub, which secured the most lucrative job incentive package the city ever offered: $36.4 million from city taxpayers.
This was based on the number of jobs created. GE expected up to 2,000 employees at their location on The Banks. Simply scaling that up, Amazon's proposed 50,000 employees could push the tax break close to $910 million in city incentives.
GE also secured $70 million in incentives from Ohio and $6 million from Hamilton County.
Amazon announced earlier this year it was soliciting proposals for a new $5 billion North American headquarters.
Submissions were due by midnight Thursday. REDI Cincinnati, the region's economic development arm, pledged to have a joint bid package for Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
Cranley said the proposal includes prized real estate at The Banks and the 14-acre Ovation site in Newport. He said Friday that a variety of surface lots in Cincinnati would also be offered.
Beyond that, Cranley didn't say much more about the details of the bid. REDI Cincinnati brought proposals together from Northern Kentucky and other players in the region for a combined bid. Cranley said he's only aware of Cincinnati's piece.
Development officials described the bid package as "extraordinary," but are also guarding the details citing non-disclosure agreements.
Cincinnati will be competing in Ohio with Columbus and Cleveland as well as several smaller cities and dozens of cities and metro areas outside of the state.
Credit rating agency Moody's named Austin as the leading contender, in part, due to Amazon's recent acquisition of Whole Foods, headquartered in the Texas city. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and even Pittsburgh have also been shortlisted by leading site selection experts.
Cranley was quick to point out that Chain Store Age, a retail trade publication, ranked Cincinnati second on its list Wednesday based on housing prices and building permits.
Cranley's reasons Amazon should choose Cincinnati
- People: The Mayor said Cincinnati has a talented workforce of 1.3 million people.
- Business-friendly: Six Fortune 500 companies already make their home in Downtown Cincinnati.
- Available urban space: Cranley said Cincinnati has more "shovel-ready" land close to the urban core than its competitors.
- Cost of living: Cincinnati has cheaper houses, cheaper groceries, cheaper transportation and cheaper healthcare than Seattle.
- Education: The Mayor cited Walnut Hills High School and the dozen of colleges and universities nearby.
- Inclusiveness: The Human Rights Campaign has given Cincinnati a perfect score for four years in a row.
- Fun: Cincinnati has two professional sports teams along with soccer and hockey teams. Cranley said Cincinnati is one of only 13 cities in the country to have ballet, opera, art museums, a symphony and theatres.
- Green and sustainable: With 10,000 acres of parks and a commitment to use 100 percent clean energy by 2035, Cranley said Cincinnati is at the forefront of sustainability.
- Quality of life: The Mayor said Over-the-Rhine has been named one of the top five neighborhoods in the country.
- "Consumer marketing capital of the world": Cranley said nowhere in the world is there a higher concentration of advanced brand design consultancies than Cincinnati.


text:
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
NESPELEM The Northwest Native Development fund has been awarded the 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business and Opportunity Grant for a “buy local” campaign and the establishment of a “virtual mall.”
“We are very excited to receive this grant,” said Ted Piccolo, executive director of the Northwest Native Development Fund. “We look forward to helping native-owned businesses and local businesses with the marketing efforts this grant will provide.”
This grant funding will help with the creation and purchase of local billboards, T-shirts and other promotional items to be used at local events in an effort to promote the idea of shopping locally.
The virtual mall will act as an online billboard for local artists and crafts people.
“Too often maintaining an online presence can be too expensive and cumbersome for small artists and crafts people,” Piccolo said. “We have some extremely talented and creative people in our region who have busy lives and could be really helped with a little promotion of their arts and crafts. This particular effort is very exciting.”
More like this story
- 810 (2015-472 Nov. 25, Dec. 2) City of Omak
- 810 (2015-562 Nov. 25, Dec. 2) INVITATION TO BID
- 810 (2015-613 Nov. 18, 25) At the regular council meeting of November 10, 2015
- 810 (2015-626 Nov. 25, Dec. 2) Notice is hereby given that the Town of Riverside, Washington
- 810 (2015-627 Nov. 25, Dec. 2) A public meeting for the 2016 Budget
- 810 (2015-628 Nov. 25) NOTICE OF ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE OKANOGAN CITY COUNCIL
- 810 (2015-629 Nov. 25) CITY OF OKANOGAN NOTICE OF STREET CLOSURE NOTICE
- 810 (2015-630 Nov. 25) SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION No. 39-2015 OF THE City of Omak, Washington.
- 810 (2015-632 Nov. 25, Dec. 2) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
- 820 (2015-612 Nov. 18, 25, Dec. 2) IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON


text:
Just last week adidas announced Paul Pogba as new ambassador for the revolutionary Ace 16+ Purecontrol, and today the Frenchman introduces the new Solar Blue colorway.
Following their release earlier this year, we have witnessed the power of laceless and Purecontrol technology in the feet of players such as Mesut Özil, Oscar and Ivan Rakitic.
It was time to update their look, and adidas have released a Solar Blue colorway that will also be worn by the three stripes’ latest star, Paul Pogba. Pogba had already debuted a stunning black and gold design last week in the UEFA Champions League, and from now on he’ll wear this bright new color in his games with France National Soccer Team and Juventus FC.
The Ace 16+ Purecontrol are the first laceless elite cleats in the market, product of almost three years of design and testing. To replace the laces, a knitted surface combines with techfit locking system to secure around the foot and result in a larger surface area for revolutionary ball control.
Solar Blue adidas Ace 16+ Purecontrol cleats are available at WorldSoccerShop.com!


text:
Dr Nirod Kumar, Associate Director–Transformational Health (Healthcare) Practice, Frost & Sullivan
Recently the new medical device regulatory rules have eased norms for obtaining licenses and conducting clinical trials, and also reduced MedTech firm-regulator interface. Henceforth, medical devices will no longer be regulated as drugs and do not need to follow stringent clinical trial guidelines covering four phases, similar to drug trials. This move will boost the government’s Make in India campaign by providing much needed support for domestic manufacturers that could lead to strategic investments. These rules are aimed at harmonizing national standards with international standards.
Buyers of medical devices will be critical by the dual need to expand services to new demographics/enhance existing services for prevailing care target groups, while balancing the need to be compliant to heightened regulatory requirements for service pricing and patient care safety. There will heightened concern associated with the need to control soaring healthcare costs, and the huge need to improve the quality access to healthcare while maintaining the operational efficiency of hospital services. The triple dynamics of cost, access, and care proximity to communities/home is already showing new ways by which medical device companies can engage/reengage population groups.
Increasing number of chronic diseases, compliance required in care and treatment, vigilant government focus on patient safety, and cost-containment at the backdrop of huge unmet need will lead to proliferation of (connected) point-of-care devices. The increasing value of data will be realized when such devices enable care for not just the unhealthy but also proactive engagement of the population within such vulnerable groups like seniors, engaging them in innovative value creation and commerce. The transformation of existing business models in the medical device industry is primarily attributed to four factors:
Cost and pricing pressures. Declining R&D productivity coupled with increasing pricing pressure has resulted in eroding profit margins for medical device manufacturers.
Power shifting to payers and providers. Though medical device companies are facing uphill challenges in adjusting to the new value-based payment models, it provides opportunities for companies to work closely with payers and providers, and provides a holistic approach for patient care.
Digital transformation. Digital technology provides opportunities not just to enhance patient care but also provide data to make informed business decisions. Digital technology such as predictive analytics or patient monitoring features in devices can help companies to proactively identify quality issues and improve device performance.
Healthcare consumerism. Rising awareness among patients increases their choice of choosing healthcare services and enables them to actively participate in the management of their health and wellness that leads to new concept known as do it yourself (DIY) health concepts.
The New MedTech Firms Will be Different
Emerging new firms that have a different DNA will continue to make inroads into PoC settings. Disruptive start-ups with specific solutions focus will emerge addressing specific pain points of both care providers and existing/new customer segments. They will impact cost effective diagnostics and monitoring in unique engagement models with a variety of healthcare stakeholders bringing new rules to the age old game of care delivery, meeting unmet needs like never in the past. Medical device companies that embrace and align their business strategies according to these changes will sustain and remain profitable. Digital health solutions will play a significant role in the medical device industry and customers will not only include physicians and GPOs but also consumers and payers. Scalability beyond traditional product offerings and competing beyond a company’s traditional industry will be important, as more companies begin to converge products and services. Non-core MedTech firms like Apple, Samsung, Google, and IBM will continue to compete outside their domains, pushing traditional healthcare companies to break/change their dominant business models. The preference of regulators, payers and consumers will incline toward companies that help them improve their lives and treatment outcomes in a cost-effective way.


text:
SANTA MONICA, Jan 4, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The holidays are here, and Americans are spending again. According to the National Retail Federation, spending is at an all-time high for this year, with consumers expected to spend an average of $1,000 on holiday gifts, decorations and food for themselves and loved ones.
While Black Friday was once considered the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, customers didn’t wait for those big discounts this year. Across the country, shoppers are filling their digital carts to spread some holiday cheer.
Seasonally adjusted sales rose 1.7% in October, and that early increase in spending prompted retailers to anticipate a strong holiday shopping season. But the biggest gains are happening in e-commerce, with 85% of shoppers saying they plan to buy most or all of their gifts online this year. Digital retail sales are expected to increase by up to 15% compared to last year – to an estimated $226 billion in total online sales. These early Q4 numbers are a promising indication that we will see a significant increase in affiliate earnings this year.
These forecasts are consistent with Advertise Purple’s forecast outlined in the latest white paper – showing a massive year-over-year increase in affiliate sales in 2020, generating nearly $150 million for clients.
According to national banking data, Americans have generated more than $2 trillion in excess savings throughout the pandemic. These savings combined with a growing job market and rising salaries have led to a nationwide shopping spree, with the strongest demand for larger items, including electronics and even vehicles.
Even when stores began reopening in 2021, many consumers are choosing to shop online rather than visiting traditional retailers. According to recent data, 263 million Americans, or nearly 80% of the population, trade online, and this number is expected to rise by 30 million by 2025.
While this means that online retailers have a greater chance of reaching a much wider audience, with so many people online, it can be easy to get lost in the mix. As shoppers return to spending, businesses have the opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity. Sustainable and continuous growth requires accurate and targeted marketing campaigns to reach customers in their regions.
Leveraging decades of knowledge and experience through an award-winning team, Advertise Purple acts as a partner to help grow businesses with compliant high conversions. Advertise Purple can help push any brand to the next level. To read more about the expected increase in holiday sales, visit the Advertise Purple blog.
About Advertise Purple
Advertise Purple is the nation’s #1 affiliate management agency with a team of award-winning account managers, data scientists, and media buyers. Advertise with Purple Brands partners with good publishers to ensure unique conversions, while avoiding scenarios of brand poaching or duplicate conversions. Advertise Purple is a certified partner and long-term partner for Tier 1 affiliate networks – providing each client with an internal network representative with a lead voice in negotiating, amending and reviewing any commitments that affect the bottom line. From the start, Advertise Purple has used a unique performance-based fee structure that requires being highly selective with each brand partner. To get started, visit adsepurple.com


text:
Companies that make packaging from plants instead of fossil fuels are starting to challenge the oil industry’s ambition to increase the supply of raw materials for plastics.
Use of bioplastics made from sugar cane, wood and corn will grow at least 50% in the next five years, according to the European Bioplastics Association in Berlin, whose members include Cargill Inc. and Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp.
German chemical giant BASF SE and the Finnish paper maker Stora Enso Oyj have stepped into the business to meet demand from the likes of Coca-Cola Co. to Lego A/S.BASF Set up a JV with Avantium Holding BV last year and is making bottles from cornstarch at a pilot plant. The partners are planning a plant with a capacity of 50,000 tons per year in Belgium.
Coca-Cola, which is focusing on the sustainability of plastic in packaging, has sold more than 50 billion so-called PlantBottles. This packaging contains 30% bioplastic.
Stora Enso wants to reinvent itself as a renewable materials company. It sold close to 10 billion euros of paper and cardboard products last year and has a research center in southern Sweden where it’s testing plastic that’s 50% wood fiber. A mill in eastern Finland makes yarn from wood pulp.
And Lego allocated 1 billion kroner (US$160 million) to research more sustainable materials for its building blocks.
“Biochemicals and bioplastics could erode a portion of oil demand, much like recycling can erode overall virgin plastics demand,” said Pieterjan Van Uytvanck, a senior consultant at Wood Mackenzie, a research group focused on the oil industry. “It will become a larger portion of the supply.”
Moviegoers famously learned in the 1967 film “The Graduate” that “there’s a great future in plastics.” Oil companies make ethylene and other basic building blocks for plastic. They’ve been eyeing that market for growth as electric cars threaten to trim demand for gasoline.
Plastic material’s ubiquity in packaging has left the world literally swimming in disused bottles, bags and wraps. That’s starting to worry both environmentalists and the companies that use it the most. There’ll be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and those materials are finding their way into the food chain.
Bioplastics currently make up about 1% of the plastics market, according to the industry’s organization in Europe. They are made by processing sugars from plants and tend to have a smaller carbon footprint than their conventional counterparts. Some are also designed to naturally degrade after use. Top producers include Sao Paulo-based Braskem SA, NatureWorks LLC in the U.S. and Novamont SpA of Italy.
“Attitudes are evolving,” said David Eyton, the head of technology at BP Plc. “The question that faces the petrochemicals industry that has yet to really be answered is, ‘How are people going to deal with some of the environmental impacts of petrochemicals? Particularly plastics, which are a growing concern.’”
The International Energy Agency forecasts that growth in the plastics market should boost petroleum demand. It takes about 8.5 barrels of oil-derived naphtha to produce a ton of ethylene needed to manufacture 160,000 plastic bags, according to Bloomberg Intelligence calculations.
“Petrochemicals will take center stage in driving oil demand,” said IEA analyst Tae-Yoon Kim. “This is why oil majors are very much focusing on petrochemicals.”
Saudi Arabian Oil Co., Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA are expanding their plastic footprints, according to the IEA.
“We’re expecting petrochemicals to grow 4% per year,” said Ahmad Al Khowaiter, chief technology officer at Saudi Aramco. “That’s an opportunity we’re really trying to leverage.”
The new technology will have to compete against massive refineries that convert hundreds of thousands of barrels of every day into plastics.
“Alternative raw materials must be competitive,” Stora Enso’s CFO said in an interview in London, anticipating eventual price parity with crude plastics. “I’m confident we’ll be able to do it.”
Demand for bioplastics also needs to grow among retailers and consumers, according to Coke. “It won’t ever work if there’s just one big consumer company like a Coca-Cola trying to drive suppliers,” said Ben Jordan, head of environmental policy at Coca-Cola. “You need more demand out there in industry.”
By Anna Hirtenstein


text:
Black Prophecy has officially launched in Europe and now it's North America's (NA) turn to get ready for epic space battles. Yesterday marked the official launch of the NA closed beta for the space-based MMOG. The first wave of players is already in the game with more will soon follow. You can visit the Black Prophecy NA closed beta forums for more information and registration details.
Source: Black Prophecy website
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Black Prophecy Game Page.


text:
In today’s challenging economic times (acknowledging that the economies of the US, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa are all experiencing different situations), you can’t take anything for granted, including your employment.
- As unencrypted data becomes “negligence”, business leaders are taking encryption strategy away from IT
- Uber, ABC cloud data breaches put Australian companies on notice about cloud security
- Fake Symantec blog spreads macOS malware
- 5 missteps that could cost CISOs their jobs
- Fake Microsoft and Apple support add mobile ‘click-to-call’ to their arsenal


text:
Market Share news
Volvo Cars aims to double segment share in India; targets sales of 1 million electrified cars globally by 2025
Luxury-car makers sold around 40,000 vehicles in the country in 2017 and the Swedish carmaker expects the market to reach 50,000 units by 2020.
Asset under management rose 18% to Rs 55,000 crore.
The overall industry CV sales in 2017-18 were at 8,56,453 units in 2017-18 as against 7,14,082 units in 2016-17.
This year, the conservatively tractor industry has grown by about 18%, said Dubhashi.
Under the Volkswagen corporate sales program, the company plans to target individuals from across sectors like information technology (IT), consultancy and banking.
"A world record has been created on March 28, three days ahead of the close of the current financial year 2017-18. The company has surpassed 75 lakh unit sales mark ," a top company official said.
Analysts expect the stock to give up to 17 per cent return in next 12 months.
Women entrepreneurs are good not just for biz but also for society, says Jung.
Amid heavy operating losses, Uber has retreated from some markets, including China and Russia. It’s also said to be considering a sale of its Southeast Asian business.
Yamaha is aiming to increase it to 20 per cent in next 3-4 years time, said Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt Ltd Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Roy Kurian.
Net revenue of the company jumped 10.28 per cent year-on-year to Rs 11,491.46 crore.
Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMI), the fully-owned subsidiary of the Japanese auto major, is on course to clocking a volume of 5.7 lakh units.
Strong momentum from fresh products and tailwind from regulatory changes in the market environment drove domestic sales to new heights said the company in a statement.
The company currently sells over a dozen motorcycles from HF Dawn (97.2 cc) to Xtreme Sports (149.2 cc) with price tags up to `81,269 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Maruti continues to hold ground in terms of market share, there is a good potential for this entire PV segment
Honda sold 1.46 million units in the nine months ended December, which was 9,571 units short of Bajaj Auto’s 1.47 million units, according to data published by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.


text:
The Media Specialists Association (MSA)’s report on digital advertising expenditure (adex) – which was released for the first time ever – revealed a healthy growth amidst prevailing cautious sentiments in the industry.
The digital adex of RM335.5 million for Q1 2019 sets the course for digital
adex to maintain its strong improvement in the last two years in recording
The report is a result of the MSA’s collaboration with Malaysian Digital Association (MDA) and Malaysian Advertisers Association (MAA), which commenced in early 2019, to provide an accurate view of the
state of digital adex in Malaysia.
The Q1 2019 report is based on data provided by 21 of MSA’s Member
agencies, which account for 65% of the real digital spend in Malaysia. The
numbers are audited by independent auditor, Ahmad Abdullah and Goh and aggregated to provide a consolidated view of the total digital adex for
Digital adex increased by 19.4% from 2017 to 2018 to carve out RM869m
from last year’s total adex of RM4.48 billion. The MSA estimates that the total digital adex in 2017 and 2018 to be in the region of RM1.2 billion and
The Q1 2019 figures further underlined the importance of interactive and
engaging channels for marketers, as the aggressive transition from traditional to digital channels continues.
“Digitalisation and the emergence of new digital technologies and platforms
have radically changed the media landscape in the context of marketing
communications. This has led to a divestment from traditional media to these digital platforms,” Mr. Yap Chee Weng, the MSA President, said.
“However, no dependable digital adex was available to track the investment
on these new digital platforms. This shortfall has pushed the MSA to embark on a solution to track the spending on digital platforms.”
Yap, the Head of Media Brands of Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia, believed
that the MSA’s digital adex report would pave the way for marketers and
media partners to initiate their business strategies in a more sustainable
The digital media environment has required reliable data to propel growth on an accelerated mode year-on-year. Based on the data gleaned from their
Member agencies, the MSA states, with almost certainty, that digital advertising surpassed television adex to become the largest medium for the
first time in 2017.
“In 2018, digital advertising surged ahead and commanded approximately
33% of the country’s total adex. This digital adex collaboration with MDA and MAA is a positive step in ensuring that the largest benefactor of media
advertising spends are accurately reported and reflects the true health of the country’s total adex,” Ms. Kristine Ong, the MSA Digital Adex Committee
“It not only provides agencies, marketers and publishers with an accurate
view of benchmarks across platforms and sectors but also signals the changing structure of digital advertising in Malaysia,” Ong, who is also the
Managing Director of Initiative Media, said.
Another reason for optimism in further growth is the data on growth by
platform. In 2017, digital display commanded highest adex share amongst all digital platforms but its adex share is under erosion by the increase in Video and Social spends.
The combined platforms of Display, Video, Social and Search account for
94% of total digital adex in 2018 and 2017 respectively. In Q1 2019, the share of spends between Display (28.1%) and Social (27.4%) is almost marginal.
The third largest platform remains Video, which staked a share of 22.3%,
while the Social platform offers lucrative possibilities in view of its native
functionality and supportive ecosystem.
“The MSA believe the Search and Social share to be under represented as it
does not take into account the direct advertisers’ media placements with
Google and Facebook and media placements from long tail media agencies,” Yap added.
The product categories also logged convincing data to signpost a healthy
adex growth. In 2017, five categories accounted for 70% of digital adex, led
by Technology and Electronics, Food and Beverage, Retail (physical stores
and online), Personal Care and Automotive.
The share of the same five categories of digital adex has increased to 75% in
2018 and 77% in Q1 2019. Again, Technology and Electronics retains its main share (22.1%) followed by a tie between Food and Beverage and Personal Care (15%). Retail (14.8%) is very close behind while Automotive (9.65%) maintains its place at the top of the product category table.
MSA is currently compiling digital adex reports for Q2 and Q3, 2019 which is expected to be released later this year. It will continue to be an ongoing effort by MSA moving forward.
MARKETING Magazine is not responsible for the content of external sites.
The Malaysian Marketing Conference & Festival 2024 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre is a TWO-day marketing event for all those in Marketing, Media, Advertising, PR, Digital, Data, and more….
The experience is on May 15 & 16, with Keynote Speakers, multiple tracks or Breakaway Sessions hosted by our booth partners who will show you the latest in the industry.


text:
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Sunday that while inflation is “unacceptably high”, she expects the economy to slow in the near future, but does not believe a recession is “inevitable”.
Her comments come after inflation hit 8.6 percent in May compared to 12 months earlier, the largest increase in 40 years. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that surveyed economists believe the probability of a recession within the next year is 44 percent due to interest rate hikes.
During an interview on ABC’s This weekHost George Stephanopoulos asked the secretary about the report.
†The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that 44 percent of economists expect a recession in the coming year. Do you expect that too?” he asked.
“Well, I expect the economy to slow down. It’s growing at a very fast pace as the labor market has recovered and reached full employment. It’s normal to expect a transition to steady and stable growth. But I don’t think that a recession is inevitable anyway,” Yellen said.
She then added: “Obviously inflation is unacceptably high, and President Biden’s top priority is to bring it down. And Chairman Powell has said his goal is to cut inflation while at the same time maintain a strong labor market. That will take skill and luck, but I believe it is possible…”
On Wednesday, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell announced the central bank’s largest rate hike in 28 years in a bid to fight inflation.
During her interview, Yellen was asked if she believed a recession — if not inevitable — was likely. “We’re already seeing consumers start to pull out of services, especially some signs that the labor market may also be slowing,” Stephanopoulos said.
Yellen replied that consumer spending remains “very strong”, adding that “spending patterns are changing and that higher food and energy prices are definitely impacting consumers and leading them to change their spending habits.”
However, she said bank balances are high and most consumers — even those on lower incomes — have savings that “will allow them to keep spending.”
“So I don’t see a decline in consumer spending as a likely cause of a recession in the coming months,” Yellen said, adding that the current job market is “perhaps the strongest of the post-war era.”


text:
The SB Chronicles, Vol. 2
Nike SB is proud to announce the latest installment in the ongoing “Chronicles” series, SB Chronicles, Vol. 2. From San Jose to São Paulo and beyond, Nike SB is in the streets at top-secret spots around the world for new full-length video parts from team riders Luan Oliveira, Donovon Piscopo, Shane O’Neill, Daryl Angel, Theotis Beasley, Justin Brock and Ishod Wair.
主演 Ishod Wair、 Shane O'neill、 Luan Oliveira
導演 Jason Hernandez


text:
The launch of the second series of Stranger Things gave Netflix its biggest streaming day in the UK in 2017.
Stranger Things 2 was released on Sunday 29th October, which was the UK’s most popular day for Netflix viewing.
It just so happens that Netflix fans had an extra hour with daylight saving too, helping to squeeze in ‘just one more episode’ of their fave 80s-based show.
In fact, many Stranger Things fans raced through an entire season within 24 hours of the show’s launch.
In other Netflix news, a member in the UK watched Bee Movie 357 times in 2017. That’s literally insane. They must know everything about bees by now.
The sassy streaming service also recently called out some subscribers for a very weird habit: 53 users have watched their movie, A Christmas Prince, every night for 18 nights.
WTF? This story just gets weirder and weirder…
Stranger Things 1 and 2 are available to binge-watch on Netflix now.
Got a story?
If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us firstname.lastname@example.org, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
The post Stranger Things gives Netflix its biggest streaming day of 2017 appeared first on News Wire Now.


text:
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Industry + Intelligence Educational Seminars to Kick off 2017 SIA Snow Show
Free day of seminars and speakers to highlight pressing topics in winter industry
PARK CITY, UT (January 9, 2017) – SnowSports Industries America (SIA), the non-profit organization helping the winter sports industry thrive, will host its 3rd annual Industry + Intelligence educational program during this year’s SIA Snow Show at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. Industry + Intelligence will kick off on January 25, 2017 with a daylong event that brings together inspirational leaders of the snow sports industry to network, share market intelligence, discuss pressing topics and engage in conversations that energize the industry leading into the annual Snow Show. Industry + Intelligence seminars will continue throughout the Snow Show, offering both in-person and virtual sessions.
Nearly 35 sessions will take place throughout the 2017 SIA Snow Show, covering five core intel tracks – State of the Industry, Research, Retail Landscape, Marketing & Social Media, and Business Development. The Industry + Intelligence seminars will be highlighted by a lunch co-keynote presentation by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and SIA President Nick Sargent on January 25, 2017. The keynote will address the opportunities ahead for the industry, along with the role of SIA and its partners.
“It’s a pivotal year for the SIA Snow Show, as we work to revamp many of the organization’s initiatives, all stemming from a new mission and vision,” said SIA President Nick Sargent. “Industry + Intelligence is the piece of the Snow Show that ensures the entire industry is on the same page, openly discussing trends and engaging in constructive conversations to improve the critical mass of the winter sports business. And, we are thrilled to welcome Governor Hickenlooper to a discussion that will address many of the pressing topics and opportunities that the snow industry faces.”
This year’s panel discussions will address such topics as cultivating new industry talent; resources for small business; and feature such guest speakers as trend expert Jessica Kaplan and Issa Sawabini, owner of Fuse Marketing, who will speak to the newsworthy topic of millennial parents and snow sports.
Also presenting will beSIAResearch Director, Kelly Davis. Kelly brings 25 years of research and intelligence expertise that she marries with her passion for winter sports to produce extensive research and data on behalf of SIA and the winter industry. Attendees will benefit from Kelly’s comprehensive data analysis that will act as an industry advisor on projected trends and intel for the year ahead.
“We’re working in a fast-paced industry that is constantly evolving, and one of the key ways to stay ahead of the change is by utilizing insights, data and intelligence,” said SIA Research Director Kelly Davis. “At SIA, we offer in-depth data and reporting, and this year, Industry + Intelligence will highlight Snow Sport consumer and retail trends in hardgoods and softgoods, as well as an overview of the different snow sport consumer identities and how to cater products and services to appeal to the consumer base, and ultimately grow participation.”
The 2017 Snow Show is scheduled for January 26-29, 2017, with Industry + Intelligence Day taking place on January 25, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Following the Snow Show will be the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest hosted by Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort from January 30-31, 2017.
Visit the Industry + Intelligence website to access more information and a full schedule.
For more information on events, hotels/travel and brands exhibiting at the SIA Snow Show, visit SIASnowShow.com, or follow along on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
SnowSports Industries America (SIA)is the non-profit trade association and member-owned advocate for the snow sports industry. Headquartered in Park City, Utah, SIA’s mission is to help the winter sports industry thrive. Year-round programming in support of SIA’s members and winter stakeholders includes advocacy, research, education and collaboration. In a direct effort to help grow the winter business, SIA also offers expertise in industry data and intelligence, produces the largest snow trade show in the world, and focuses on global business and participation initiatives.


text:
December 17, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: In a country where haggling is the name of the game when it comes to trade, it is only apt that the highlight of 2013 for the Indian retail story is the hard bargains by multinationals with the government over foreign investment norms in the sector. Be it Swedish furniture retailer IKEA's push to let it open cafeterias at its outlets as part of its Rs 10,500 crore investment in India or Walmart's quibble over sourcing requirements for foreign multi-brand retailers, there was no end to pushing the envelope.
November 30, 2013
By Makarand Kulkarni, Design Director at Ether Design, Bangalore It's true: Businesses are built on experiences. Among the large companies to make this work as a phenomenon is IKEA. Shopping at IKEA, one would agree wholeheartedly, is an experience. Products are well designed and low cost in most markets they operate in and they have revolutionized the way these are built, shipped and retailed. This user centricity and the subsequent emphasis on creating an experience that is 'designed' is a topic of much discussion among designers of different backgrounds.
November 29, 2013
BHADOI: Swedish furniture chain IKEA, which is in the process of establishing its first shop in India, is looking to scale up sourcing of furniture from the country and also plans to procure bigger items for its global operations. The furniture giant, which intends to invest around Rs 10,500 crore in India, has been sourcing many products, including textiles, carpets, metals, plastic, lighting and decorative items, for its global sales for last 26 years. "We are really into many different things.
October 24, 2013 |
LUCKNOW: Swedish furniture chain IKEA, which proposes to invest around Rs 10,500 crores in India, has expressed willingness to set up their first integrated unit for furniture manufacturing and selling in Uttar Pradesh. Representatives of the Swedish furniture chain IKEA met Principal Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department, Surya Pratap Singh yesterday expressing willingness to set up their first integrated unit for furniture manufacturing and selling in the state, an official spokesman said here.
October 14, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: As part of its entry plan for India, Swedish furniture chain IKEA today said it has begun talks with authorities in main cities to get a better understanding of the market. The company, which has set up a new product development centre in India, also said it is primarily focusing on textiles to enable development on the factory floor and optimise production, while also exploring other materials like wood, metal, plastic and lighting. "In India, we are currently defining the entry plan for IKEA.
September 17, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: If you have a business or brand sounding anything even remotely close to IKEA, get prepared to face the ire of the Swedish retail giant. The owner of the global chain of furniture and home products stores has asked its legal team to initiate action against over two dozen small businesses across the country that have been selling products and services such as furniture, modular kitchen and packaging material under similar sounding names. The retailer is also in no mood to excuse HR consultancies, spas and event management and advertising firms that are involved in businesses not connected with IKEA's own business.
September 12, 2013 |
HYDERABAD: Swedish retailer IKEA could locate its first store in Hyderabad, likely choosing a city which is a bone of contention in a state trying to cope with tumult because of an impending bifurcation. IKEA, whose India plan won final approval in May, will invest at least $100 million (. 630 crore) in Andhra Pradesh's capital, according to two state government officials who met the company's India head Juvencio Maeztu on Wednesday. Maeztu himself was not available for comment.
August 30, 2013 |
CHANDIGARH: Swedish retailer IKEA on Friday said it is keen to set up its stores of home furnishing in Haryana with state government today offering its full support to the company for setting up its venture. During a meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here, IKEA Services India CEO Juvenicio Maeztu said the company is keen to establish stores of big volume products of home furnishing in Haryana. "The company wants to concentrate on fewer states in India and Haryana is among one of them," an official release quoting Maeztu said here.
August 15, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Giving formal approval to IKEA for setting up stores in the country, government has informed the Swedish furniture major that its sourcing from India for global operations will not be counted under the sourcing requirements for running single-brand retail stores here. The Commerce and Industry Ministry, in a five-page letter dated June 14, gave approval to the company to sell 18 categories of products, including textile furnishing, bathroom products, kitchen utensils, electrical, mirrors, boxes and bags, beach and outwears, glassware, earthenware, home renewable energy and home safety.


text:
The new iphone that runs Android: Cheeky Brazilian firm cashes in on Apple's cult status with similarly named gadget
- São Paulo-based firm marketing phone with a subtly different name
- But name aside there are few similarities with Apple's cult gadget
- iphone boasts 700MHz processor and 3.7in touchscreen
The new iphone will run on Android - and it has nothing to do with Apple.
A cheeky Brazilian technology company have made an attempt to cash in on the Apple gadget's cult status by marketing their own version.
And they have made a not too subtle attempt to circumvent the Silicon Valley firm's copyright by swapping the original's capital p for a lower case.
The new iphone... which runs on Android: Brazilian company Gradiente have tried to cash in on the Apple gadget's cult status with this cheekily named smartphone
Still, considering the legal crusade Apple launched against Samsung for allegedly copying its designs for the Galaxy range of smartphones, it is likely that the lawyers are sharpening their swords.
But, name aside, the new phone by São Paulo-based consumer electronics firm Gradiente is no iPhone clone.
It doesn't come anywhere the specs of Apple's flagship gadget, nor does it look much like it's namesake.
Dubbed the Gradiente iphone Neo One, using a 700MHz processor it splashes Android 2.3 Gingerbread onto a rather paltry 3.7in capacitive touchscreen display.
Head to head: Name aside, there are few similarities between the iphone and Apple's genuine article, right
The dual-sim phone comes complete with two cameras, front and back, with 0.3 and 5 megapixels resolution respectively, but no flash - although if you live in sun-soaked Brazil you might not need it.
Of course, iPhone users feeling a sting of jealousy towards their Android-wielding peers can always download Gmail, Chrome, Field Trip, YouTube Capture, Google Search, and now Google Maps, to get pretty much the same experience.
Perhaps the only good thing about the new iphone is the price. It retails 599 Brazilian Real - about £180 - and can be bought on an interest-free ten instalment plan.
As far as MailOnline knows, there is no plan to market the phone outside of Brazil.
Most watched News videos
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.


text:
For the fourth quarter, the company posted non-GAAP revenue of $19.5 billion, up 4% from a year ago, and adjusted earnings of $1.09 a share, down from $1.48 a year ago. Analysts had expected non-GAAP revenue of $18.3 billion and earnings of 90 cents per share, in line with Intel’s own forecast. On a GAAP basis, revenue was $20.5 billion, ahead of the company’s forecast of $19.2 billion.
The company also announced a 5% dividend increase, boosting the payout to 36.5 cents quarterly.
Intel shares were down1.6% in after-hours trading.
“It was a tremendous finish to a great year, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in an interview with Barron’s, noting that the company topped revenue guidance by more than $1 billion, driven by strength in both the PC and server business.
On the outlook for the PC market, Gelsinger says the market has expanded to about 1 million units a day, and is “just structurally larger” than it was before the pandemic. He adds that the launch of Windows 11 will be a boost to demand for both
(MSFT) and for Intel, and he says that a corporate PC refresh cycle is emerging. Gelsinger says demand is being driven by “higher PC density,” with more computers per household as people spend more time working from home.
As for the strong growth in the data center business, Gelsinger says strength came in particular from enterprise and government customers, with the cloud business not quite as strong, conceding “we were a little behind there all year.”
Asked about component shortages, Gelsinger said that “everything is a challenge in the supply chain environment we’re in.” One issue is that customers need to get “matched sets” of components to complete finished goods. He says there are shortages in multiple foundry sizes, resulting in shortages of power controllers, network interface cards, and ethernet controllers, among other parts. He also notes that while Intel makes most of its own parts, the company relies on foundries for 25% to 30% of its capacity, and…


text:
Edison convenience store customer robbed of nearly $500
EDISON - Police are looking for a man who snatched nearly $500 from a Brunswick Avenue convenience store customer and then fled in a waiting car with three other men.
According to police, a 48-year-old man, a customer at a Krauszer's convenience store on Brunswick Avenue, had nearly $500 snatched from his hand in the store parking lot.
The man told Officer Neel Patel that he made a purchase inside the convenience store and was leaving the parking lot a little after 9 p.m. Thursday when another customer approached him and tricked him into pulling a wad of cash from his pocket.
Police said the thief, who wore a backward baseball cap and a shirt with the number 23 on it, grabbed the man's money, ran to a waiting silver Toyota Corolla occupied by three other men and drove off. Police said the 48-year-old man was startled but unharmed by the robbery.
Detectives from the Edison Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau are investigating the theft.
Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
It's a bug's life at Applied Food and Nutrition final project presentation day
Read time: approx 2 mins
Applied Food and Nutrition students have wowed assessors with cutting-edge solutions to current issues affecting the British public’s health and nutrition.
From eggless cakes to low-sodium seasoning and sugar-free sweeteners, the class of third-year students presented posters investigating the pros and cons of different nutrition products on the market, with some, in the case of Dolly Smith, even coming up with products of their own.
Aware of the environmental issues surrounding high-protein meat such as fish, beef and chicken, Dolly set about finding a more sustainable food source with even higher levels of nutrients; insects.
Rich in iron and calcium, with more protein and four times less fat than red meat, Dolly investigated different ways of incorporating bugs into a popular flapjack recipe – with 83% of testers stating they couldn’t tell the difference.
It wasn’t just cakes and creepy-crawlies on offer, however, with several students conducting investigations into the relationship between nutrition and various medical issues.
After noting the high proportion of coronary-related diseases among Afro-Caribbean communities in the UK, student Renniese Allen set about reducing the salt levels in the most popular seasonings in Caribbean cuisine. While many pre-made jerk, chicken and fish seasonings are laden with salt, Renniese created a fresh, salt free alternative she tested in secret on home-cooked meals for her family – with very positive responses.
The rise of vegan, plant-based and cruelty-free foods is what prompted Tajminder Panesar to investigate the effectiveness of current egg alternatives in baking in her final project. After experimenting with pea protein, xantham gum and potato starch, Tajminder found that it was a simply a combination of soya milk and oil that made the best vegan brownie. But her ultimate conclusion? There’s nothing quite like the real thing.
“There have been a lot of really fantastic ideas on show today,” said AFN lecturer Tamorah Lassam-Jones. “I’m so proud of the work everyone has done. It’s one thing conducting the research and finding the conclusions for these projects, but the really difficult thing is being able to present them to an audience – and they have done so excellently.”


text:
New Study Looks At E-Cigarettes And Quitting
According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control, which was released Thursday, people using electronic cigarettes had were less successful in giving up smoking and were less likely to have abstained for a six-month period.
In Utah, the use of electronic cigarettes is growing. The Utah Department of Health reports that, between 2013 and 2015, electronic cigarette use among students doubled. Of those who reported using the device, nearly a third of high school seniors admitted to trying electronic cigarettes.
The sale of electronic cigarettes is prohibited to minors in Utah and the device is included in the state’s clean indoor air laws. In the past, the Utah Department of Health has recommended creating a retail license in order to sell electronic cigarettes.
When it comes to nicotine consumption, there is a clear generational gap. Younger people are more likely to be users of electronic cigarettes, according to the Utah Department of Health. For this demographic, it is the preferred method for obtaining nicotine. Adult use has remained steady over the last few years.
The idea that electronic cigarettes provide a gateway to conventional cigarette use may not be the case when other trends are considered. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that conventional tobacco use is on the decline nationwide.
Men are slightly more likely than women to have tried electronic cigarettes.


text:
Utelogy has added USB device monitoring to enhance employee productivity.
Utelogy has expanded its sales team with the addition of Michelle Loret as senior account executive.
Utelogy has launched an all-new version U-Manage, the platform’s management, monitoring, and analytics portal.
Utelogy has delivered its latest software release, which is designed to further enhance user productivity.
How many rooms am I managing? What technology is actually in there? Learn how technology managers are implementing solutions to gain insight into these questions.


text:
A train stops at a Sydney station, and a woman pushes a stroller toward the open doors, in the closed-circuit television pictures
TAIPEI: Apple sees its mobile devices as a major platform for artificial intelligence in the future, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams said on Monday. Later this week, Apple is set to begin taking pre-orders for its new smartphone, the iPhone X – which starts at $999 and uses artificial intelligence (AI) features embedded in the company’s latest A11 chips. The phone promises new facial recognition features such as Face ID that uses a mathematical model of a person’s face to allow the user to sign on to their phones…
NEW YORK: Kik Interactive, which created the chat platform Kik, said on Thursday it was launching a crypto-currency or token called Kin that would enable customers to use a whole range of digital services. Kik is a free chat and messaging application founded in 2009 and built for teenagers, with about 300 million registered users. The Kin token will be created on the Ethereum blockchain, another online public ledger much like that of bitcoin, the original digital currency. A sale of the token will be slated some time…
LOWER DIR: Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Siraj ul Haq on Sunday vowed to unite all religious parties on one platform to contest general elections in 2018, ARY News reported. “The rulers have distorted the shape of Islam and Pakistan. While, I want such a Pakistan where the minorities have complete rights,” he said while addressing a public rally in Lower Dir. He said the rulers have set up factories and were doing roaring businesses, however the masses were suffering from lack of resources. He said our youth also…
CALIFORNIA: Facebook Inc is tackling the sports arena with a new platform called Facebook Sports Stadium, which the social media site said will provide real-time updates on games, popular posts from fans, statistics and commentary from experts.
MUMBAI: Facebook Inc is launching an open platform for online content and application developers to join its Internet.org service, in a move the social media giant said would boost efforts to get people online in low-income and rural areas in emerging markets.


text:
The proceeds from the IPO will go towards expansion, marketing and other promotional activities
FSN E-Commerce Ventures Private Limited, a digitally native consumer technology platform, has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus with market regulator Sebi. The company has a diverse portfolio of beauty, personnel care and fashion products, including its owned manufactured brand products, under its two business verticals – Nykaa and Nykaa Fashion.
The initial public offer comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs. 5,250 million, and an offer for sale of up to 43,111,670 equity shares being offered by the selling shareholders. The offer will also include a reservation of equity shares for purchase by eligible employees. The key selling shareholders include some of the private equity investors like TPG Growth and Lighthouse Funds, and some individual shareholders. However, most of the investors are not cashing out fully, and will continue to retain some stake in the company post-IPO. One of the promoter and promoter group entities is also selling a few shares in the offer for sale, however this only amounts to less than 2 per cent of the total promoter and promoter group shareholding. The promoter and promoter group will continue to hold more than 51per cent of the company’s shares.
Amongst the new age consumer internet companies, Nykaa is the one of the only profitable ones, and has reported net profit of Rs. 619.45 million in the financial year 2021. The company has also been EBITDA positive consistently over the last 3 years.
The IPO is likely to value the company at around $5.0bn-$5.5bn.
The company plans to use the proceeds from the IPO for expansion, by setting up new retail stores and establishing new warehouses. It also aims to retire some of its debt, which should bring down interest costs, and further shore up its profitability. Other goals include deploying the proceeds of the IPO for marketing and promotional activities, to focus on strengthening its 13 owned brands such as “Nykaa Cosmetics”, “Nykaa Naturals” and “Kay Beauty”, along with establishing and promoting new brands.


text:
The consumer confidence indicator in the Euro Area fell to -23.6 in June of 2022, the lowest since April of 2020, and in line with preliminary estimates. Households’ outlook on their future financial situation hit a record low and their assessment of their past financial situation dropped to a 9-year low. At the same time, their intentions to make major purchases and their expectations about the general economic situation fell to levels unseen since the recovery of the COVID crisis. source: European Commission
Consumer Confidence in the Euro Area averaged -10.06 points from 1985 until 2022, reaching an all time high of -1.40 points in May of 2000 and a record low of -24.50 points in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Consumer Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Euro Area Consumer Confidence - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2022.
Consumer Confidence in Euro Area is expected to be -23.60 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Euro Area Consumer Confidence is projected to trend around -6.00 points in 2023 and -4.00 points in 2024, according to our econometric models.


text:
Madura Garments e-commerce arm, Trendin.com has tied up with online shopping site sanpdeal.com. It will now be powering Snapdeal.com with fashion brands like Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Peter England and People.
Trendin.com, website of Madura F&L and Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd was launched in year 2013. Speaking about the tie-up, Shivanandan Pare, Head – E-commerce, Madura Fashion and Lifestyle said, “Trendin.com is extremely excited about reaching out to the 25 million consumers on Snapdeal.com.
This is in continuation to our tradition of making our brands widely available across platforms. We look forward to deeper online consumer understanding as we reach out to the varied consumer base across the country that this online marketplace enjoys.”
Amit Maheshwari, Vice President- Fashion Vertical, Snapdeal.com, said, “This partnership will enable Snapdeal.com to capture a much larger consumer mind space as a fastest growing fashion marketplace. Today around 60 per cent of our sales are from the fashion and lifestyle category. Adding such a big catalog of more than 7000 articles from India’s biggest fashion brands will help us cater to a larger audience who are looking to shop for brands.”


text:
Israeli tech firm Playtika, which has three offices in Ukraine, raised $1.9 billion in an initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange.
A developer of mobile casino games, Playtika sold 79.9 million shares, giving the company a market value of about $12 billion.
The per-share price started at $22 on Jan. 15 but it rose to nearly $32 by Jan. 19 in what became the biggest listing by an Israeli-based company. Now Playtika and its China-based owner, Giant Investment, plan to use the IPO money to repay loans and invest in developing more games.
The company has three offices in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Dnipro. It employs 920 people here, more than Ajax Systems, Parimatch Tech and Samsung Ukraine. The employer was ranked 21st out the top 50 largest tech companies by Ukrainian online tech portal DOU.ua. According to the ranking, 900 out of Playtika’s 920 Ukrainian specialists are techies.
Playtika has developed 20 free-to-play social casino games, including Caesars Casino, Slotomania, House of Fun, WSOP and Bingo Blitz. The games have over 35 million active users a month, according to the the developer’s website.
Playtika’s founder and CEO Robert Antokol told Reuters that Playtika is currently working on at least one game, which it plans to release in 2021.
“We didn’t need to go public over the past few years, as we were cash flow positive. But as we started growing faster and getting bigger, we felt the time was ripe for us to go public,” said Antokol.
Playtika managed to debut during a tense week when companies rushed to bring shares to the IPO market proactively after a pandemic-induced downturn, Antokol added.
Before going public, Playtika had already been sold twice — to Las Vegas-based Caesars Interactive Entertainment for $100 million in 2011 and to a consortium of Chinese companies led by Giant Investment for $4.4 billion in 2016.
Two days before Playtika’s IPO, Ukrainian-founded startup Affirm went public as well. Affirm debuted on the Nasdaq on Jan. 13 at $97 per share. By Jan. 22, the price of one share was nearly $120.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter


text:
The rumor mill is at it again. According to EE Times, an equity research firm has revived last year's speculation by claiming Nvidia is covertly developing an x86 processor to compete with AMD and Intel.
Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman says in his report, "We believe that Nvidia has hired former Transmeta staff extensively, and that instruction code 'morphing' requirements have declined as more x86 instructions have come off of patent coverage." Transmeta, of course, developed low-power, x86-compatible processors before turning into an intellectual-property licensing firm and eventually folding in September of 2008.
The analyst thinks Nvidia is likelier to come up with its own design than to buy out Via, as other sources suggested early last year.
Why launch an x86 processor at all? "By necessity to preserve both GPU and chipset revenue," Freedman says. Last month, Nvidia announced that its chipset business was on life support because of a licensing dispute with Intel. Also, once Intel starts churning out discrete graphics processors next year, Nvidia should become the only major GPU vendor without the ability to offer processor, chipset, and GPU bundles.
|1. BIF - $340||2. Ryu Connor - $250||3. mbutrovich - $250|
|4. YetAnotherGeek2 - $200||5. End User - $150||6. Captain Ned - $100|
|7. Anonymous Gerbil - $100||8. Bill Door - $100||9. ericfulmer - $100|
|10. dkanter - $100|
|A technology overview of the Aimpad R5 analog keyboard||4|
|Microsoft helps hardware companies make VR more affordable||6|
|Intel P3100 M.2 SSD has datacenters in mind||7|
|Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard merges comfort and style||24|
|Surface Studio puts the iMac on notice||65|
|Microsoft Surface Book i7 packs a bigger punch and more batteries||43|
|G.Skill KM570 MX keyboard goes back to the basics||5|
|Intel's Purley server platform won't use 3D XPoint memory||5|
|In the lab: EVGA's GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Superclocked graphics card||42|
|Signing your posts is daftly redundant. Meadows||+30|


text:
Research suggests using a smartphone helps comfort adults:
But scientists studying the relationship between people and their smartphones also have come up with additional insights in recent years about how people behave when using them, including discovering that people can draw needed comfort by their mere presence.
Individuals hold a deep personal connection with their phones, according to researchers. This leads phone users to express their views more freely when using their phones, often in exaggerated ways, and with more honesty, disclosing personal or sensitive information, for example, compared with laptops or tablets, experts say. They are portable and they have haptic properties that stimulate our sense of touch. And we regard them as much more personal than computers, which are closely associated with work…
“What might be going on? We don’t know, but one theory that makes sense to me is that they represent that we have friends,” he says. “It’s a reminder that we have friends, and knowing we can reach them, even remotely, is comforting. Also, they are very personal devices, more so than any other device, and with us all the time. From that perspective, we see them as an extension of ourselves.”
The phones also serve as a repository for all the details in our lives, from banking and entertainment, to tracking the whereabouts of our children, and getting us from one location to another. “They are the holy grail for convenience,” says Jeni Stolow, a social behavioral scientist and assistant professor at the Temple University college of public health. “It’s someone’s whole world in the palm of the hand. That is really appealing because it can make people feel in control at all times.”
Humans have the capacity to use many different items as tools and accessories to our daily tasks and activities. The smartphone is in a long line of “devices” that extend human possibilities. With the smartphone, someone can soothe themselves, access all sorts of information, and interact with others. It offers tremendous possibilities.
The emphasis here in the rest of the article is the possible effects of having all of this in a smartphone. Is it a “pacifier” or a creator of new problems? New tools bring new problems. And this leads to a pressing question for our era: is the smartphone in the long run a positive for humans? More broadly, we are in the midst of 30 years or so of asking the same question about the Internet: does all this access to people and information improve human life?
It might be hard to answer this question in the middle of an ongoing process. Having research, such as that cited above, can help us understand the effects as well as consider our interaction with the changes. All might be clearer in a decade or two…or even more complicated if we end up further down a path with devices that offer much in terms of both positive and negative possibilities.


text:
Born from a love of creativity, plants, and all who inhabit this Earth, we're working to raise awareness and engage a tribe to live a healthy, happy, plant powered life.
The pandemic has exposed the reality of factory farming as a horrific industry that is good for no one except the few super rich corporations that own them. Is the end near?
These days, not only are there alternatives to dairy milk, there are a ridiculous number of delicious options. This article calls out 15 varieties, with brand names for each.
One woman's long journey to connect the dots between factory-farm and plate. Spoiler, it isn't as nostalgic as it may sound! Now, her voice speaks for the critter's who can't.


text:
9to5Mac most recently reported Apple is planning to launch its new addition to the iPhone lineup on March 18th, a 4-inch ‘iPhone 5se’. Foxconn is leading production of the phone, as it does with most iPhone units. Digitimes is reporting that Apple is adding a new supplier to the mix to aid supply: Wistron.
Naturally, Wistron declined comment as 4-inch iPhone production is still a supposed secret. According to Digitimes, Apple is aiming to lower supply channel yield risks by contracting with multiple suppliers for iPhone models. This strategy will continue with iPhone 7 ….


text:
Apple’s press release yesterday noted “all-time record revenue from iPhone and Mac sales as well as record performance of the App Store,” while remaining silent on iPad sales. The reason? The slide continued last quarter, with year-on-year sales down 18%, and a reduction in average selling price meaning revenue was down 22%.
Tim Cook acknowledges that the switch to larger-screened iPhones mean the iPad is being squeezed from both sides.
There’s probably some level of cannibalization that’s going on, with the Mac on one side and the phone on the other.
It’s also undeniable that people upgrade their iPads less frequently than their iPhones–Cook putting the number at “somewhere between” the 2-year cycle of the iPhone and 5-year cycle of Mac–meaning that Apple needs to find a continual stream of customers buying an iPad for the first time … expand full story