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Among all ASEAN member countries, the Philippines is said to be the most susceptible to cyberattacks. Despite the dire warnings, the republic’s media and entertainment giant ABS-CBN still fell victim to a hack recently.
The company took down two of its online stores and admitted that sensitive personal data of 213 customers of the ABS-CBN store (store.abs-cbn.com) and UAAP store (uaapstore.com) may have been exposed to attackers.
Dutch security researcher Willem De Groot revealed the breach on the ABS-CBN store on his website. A payment skimmer injected into the website’s code was able to capture personal and financial data when customers purchased merchandise online. The information was then forwarded to a server in Irkutsk, Russia.
Based on the last date the code was modified, the malware had been in the website since at least 16 August. There is no telling when the infection first occurred. ABS-CBN only acted and took down the affected sites after De Groot attempted to contact the company.
According to ESET senior research fellow Nick Fitzgerald, the attack appears to be another Magecart malware campaign. It works by compromising scripts on the target website or a third-party site that hosts scripts used by the target site.
Magecart was believed to be responsible for recent hacks at Ticketmaster and British Airways (BA) in which about 380,000 BA customers were affected.
Although it was said that such a skimmer can bypass encrypted connections (signified by the prefix HTTPS), ABS-CBN did not even use such a connection, opting to use the older unencrypted HTTP instead.
ABS-CBN said it has reported the incident to the National Privacy Commission. It has also started to contact affected customers. “We also advise our customers not to give out additional personal and financial information to anyone who may be claiming to be an ABS-CBN representative,” the company said in a statement.
Suguru Ishimaru, security researcher at Kaspersky Lab also suggested users contact their banks to invalidate their credit card accounts and issue new replacements. They should also change their passwords, he added.
Fitzgerald advised users to also change the PIN on their cards and check for unknown transactions in their statements. If they use the same passwords for different sites including ABS-CBN, they should also change those passwords to something different for each of the sites adding that “this may be a good time to consider using a password manager.”
Ishimaru said ABS-CBN should identify the root cause of the hack and infection source so that they can secure their servers against similar attacks in future. “This serves as a lesson to companies providing e-commerce services and other Internet-connected services to constantly monitor their systems against any suspicious activities,” he said. “They should always think about security.”
Source: International Telecommunications Union, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Security should be at the forefront of companies in the Philippines. It was listed in the United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) 2017 Internet Crime Report as the tenth most attacked country on the Internet.
In the Global Cybersecurity Index published by the International Telecommunications Union, the Philippines is ranked 37th in cybersecurity preparedness, behind Singapore (1st), Malaysia (3rd) and Thailand (22nd). The Australian Strategic Policy Institute placed the Philippines at 15th for cyber maturity in Asia Pacific. The relatively high ranking is due to the country having cybersecurity-related laws such as the Data Privacy Act, Electronic Commerce Act and Anti Wire-Tapping Act.
The Philippines was the ninth most attacked country in 2Q18, with 10.8 million web malware infections, said Kaspersky Lab. This was up from 5.6 million infections in 1Q18 and 3.1 million in the same quarter for 2017. Home networks represented 39.4 percent of web infections while 11.2 percent infected business networks.
In March 2016, the data of at least 55 million registered voters were leaked online after the Elections Commission’s systems were hacked. The month before, the Bangladesh Central Bank was hacked and US$81 million was transferred to bank accounts in the Philippines bearing fictitious names.
Being the most targeted country in Southeast Asia by hackers is an ignominious title to have. Now, with e-commerce sites added to the list of cyberattack victims, more should be done to plug the security holes if the Philippines intends to undergo digital transformation.


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Kenton Instore Ltd, Birmingham based point of sale manufacturer with 50 years of experience have evolved their manufacturing to support and protect the NHS by diversifying into producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The company has invested heavily in printing technology with their Inca Onset S40i –which has allowed them to provide their customers with high quality print at a low cost due to their state-of-the-art printer can print up to 500 metres an hour. Designing and manufacturing thousands of displays each year for all the major supermarkets and retailers, while also providing free 3D visuals, prototypes and art-working with every order to ensure they create the perfect display for their customers products.
Managing Director, Peter Hughes was contacted by an old employee who now works as a senior buyer for the NHS surrounding the opportunity to buy plastic sheeting to make visors for Nurses at the Essex Hospital – the Nurses were making their own visors out of A4 pocket wallets.
“When I got the call for plastic sheeting and heard how the nurses were making their own visors, I knew that we could support and do better than just providing the plastic sheeting so we designed visors that would be more durable and would offer full protection for the key NHS workers. As a result, we manufactured 25,000 visors.” Commented Peter.
As a result of the initial enquiry and being able to diversify their manufacturing Peter made contact with his local Manufacturing Growth Manager (MGM), Sharn Haywood-Higgs who Kenton Instore worked with on a business plan and strategy last year, to find out if there were any more contacts within the NHS that he could assist.
MGM for the Greater Birmingham and Solihull regions for the Manufacturing Growth Programme, Sharn introduced Peter to contacts at the West Midlands Combined Authority and partners who are coordinating the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the West Midlands region for front-line staff in response to COVID-19 as well as providing details of procurement opportunities through Openopps, a free resource that tries to pull together all open source tenders.
Sharn commented, “The COVID-19 situation has had a massive impact on many of our manufacturing companies, but it has been great that Kenton Instore has been able to diversify from an enquiry for help. This diversification will also help to save many lives in the future as, I am sure that the Peter and his team will be required to support all sectors with their products.”
Since then, Kenton Instore has had the visors CE Marked to 4 and 5 and they’ve supplied 60,000 to the NHS and Care Homes across the country. The company now has the capacity to supply other sectors such as Construction, Education and Manufacturing to support employees returning to work.
For more details on Kenton Instore Ltd please visit www.fsdu.co.uk

domain: news


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Telecom & Utilities - Industry Center - Yahoo Finance
- VZReuters•4 hours ago
The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. - Yahoo and Verizon said that they had agreed to shave $350 million from the price that Verizon would pay to buy Yahoo's core internet businesses. - Milo Yiannopoulos resigned from Breitbart News after his glib remarks about pedophilia by Roman Catholic priests and his endorsement of sexual relations with boys as young as 13 drew widespread condemnation from many of the conservatives who had long stood by him.
- EIXThomson Reuters StreetEvents•4 hours ago
Q4 2016 Edison International Earnings Call
- VZThe Wall Street Journal•5 hours ago
Verizon shaved the price it will pay for Yahoo’s core business but is pushing ahead with the deal, in a bet that the chance to expand into digital advertising trumps the risk of further fallout from massive ...


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By Enrique Torres (El Toque)
HAVANA TIMES – Cuban popular wisdom states that the price of pork is our Dow Jones index, the main indicator of the national economy’s health.
In Cuba, if there’s one thing that is the “basis of everything” it’s not lemons (although this price is inflated too), but pork. Pork prices going up and down, and to what extent, reflects the state of microeconomics of the family and a lot more. You can draw economic and sociological conclusions from the price of pigs and pork.
Just like any important national experience, the trauma of pork prices going up on the national market has sparked a wave of memes, since late 2021. Joking is a defense mechanism, resistance, and critique in Cuba.
Once the Reforms Process began in January 2021, pork prices have continued to go up. This has been the case for almost every product and service, but inflation has been especially deeply felt for pork.
Despite the never-ending economic collapse, Cubans have found a way to keep some traditions alive come hell or high water. Pork for New Year is one of them.
As the final days of December drew near, Cuban families began to go out and hunt down a bit of pork.
Shortages, the economic crisis, COVID-19, lack of fodder, corn, soy, the manufacturing crisis, US embargo, economic reforms that try and “organize”… These have been the many reasons the Government has given to explain why there isn’t enough pork available in Cuba.
But none of them are good enough because nobody “swallows” explanations on December 31st or ever. Nor will these memes work a miracle and help this meat Cubans long for appear at affordable prices.
The decline of pork production – the “star product” of Cuba’s livestock industry, as economist Pedro Monreal says – dates back to before the pandemic.
According to statistics from Cuba’s Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), pork production grew steadily between 2007 and 2017. Then, there was a sharp drop. In 2020, Cuba produced 36% less pork than it did in 2017. The COVID-19 crisis made this problem even worse.
Many critics on social media point out an interesting fact: while pork is hard to find on the street, online stores continue to sell it at exorbitant prices, in foreign currency. On the popular site compraspacuba.com, a whole pig (between 45-50 kgs) costs over 440 USD; 2 kgs of chops sell for 24 USD and 2 kgs of lard (without frying), for 9.60 USD.
On top of this, pork prices going up have shot up the price of other products, leading to a domino effect, which can be clearly seen in the loss of the population’s purchasing power, whose wages aren’t increasing enough to compensate the price increase in goods and services. Once again, memes serve as an emotional outlet. They are like social therapy and, at the same time, a form of protest against the current situation. They seem to tell us: “We don’t have pork, but we have memes at least.”


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London children struggling with literacy got the first chance to read a book designed for them on an eReader.
(6 days ago)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German book retailers have teamed up with Deutsche Telekom to produce their own eReader to challenge the dominance of Amazon.com in the growing market for digital books.
(3 months and 20 days ago)
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(3 months and 14 days ago)
April 16 - Kobo launches its limited edition Aura HD "luxury" eReader, with the highest resolution display available on the market. It's seen as the Canadian company's challenge to Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite. It was unveiled on the sidelines of the London Book Fair, where Joanna Partridge reports publishers are increasingly embracing digital books and also want to see more...
(2 months and 5 days ago)
When it comes to eReaders, Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Noble's Nook tend to get the most attention, but Kobo has put out a fair share of impressive e-book readers as well. The company recently revealed its latest device, the Aura HD, which features a 1440 x 1080 resolution on a 265 dpi screen, making it the highest resolution eReader available...
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Hooray, hooray, it’s the first of May and with it comes an announcement that Princess Cruises is holding a summer clearance sale on certain Alaska and Europe itineraries. But you have to rally around the...
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Here are some do-gooder props for this hot Hollywood couple! Neil Patrick Harris and beau David Burtka hosted this year's "Hooray For Hollygrove" fundraiser last...
(2 months and 30 days ago)
Maybe Edward Snowden provided a greater service to the world than even libertarians first realized when he disclosed the massive National Security Agency spying crime wave. First came revelations of the US spying on its own citizens. Then...
(1 day ago)
There are speculations that Sarah Geronimo is ready for a kissing scene with her co-star on "Sarah G, Presents," her newest project on ABS-CBN after the cancellation of her musical variety show "Sarah G, Live...
(3 months and 15 days ago)
As expected, Sarah Geronimo cried while performing on her musical variety show "Sarah G, Live" last Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013 (Philippine time).It was also an emotional night for "Popsters" (fans of Sarah) they cried for...
(4 months and 9 days ago)
More Technology news »


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Sharebot Srl, headquartered just outside of Milan, Italy, launched in 2011 and offers a line of 3D printers which include the Sharebot NG, the Sharebot Kiwi, and the large build-volume Sharebot XXL.
And starting on Monday January 12th, the company will be launching a marketing campaign (starting with Facebook) to introduce an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
“We chose to launch Sharebox3D on this popular crowdfunding platform because of the importance – and the revolution – that this product will bring to the entire 3D printing world,” says Claudio Bonfiglioli of Sharebot. “The official crowdfunding campaign will start on Monday, January 19th and we believe it will change the way we usually approach 3D printing forever.”
They say Sharebox3D is aimed at helping users manage, archive, view, and share their 3D printing files.
The team at Sharebot say that creating a 3D printed object means users must work with many different devices. It’s a long — and not always easy — process. They say Sharebox3D will improve and simplify the 3D printing workflow to “bring the user experience to the next level.”
According to the team, Sharebox3D is already at the tested and functioning prototype stage, and it’s ready to be launched during 2015.
Sharebot Srl was founded by a pair of young entrepreneurs and now offers a third generation 3D printer that blends a robust design with performance. Another wing of the company, Sharebot NG, targets professional users and companies seeking a solution for rapid prototyping.
Sharebot and Open Biomedical Initiative forged a partnership late last year to create biomedical technologies like prostheses that can be 3D printed and make them accessible to those in need.
The Indiegogo campaign for Sharebox3D is set to officially launch on Monday, January 19th, and a Facebook page to document the process will launch on January 12th. The team says their website will feature details of the campaign developments via a series of articles, videos, and images about the Sharebox3D project.
Sharebot, the Italian company who make a line of popular 3D printers, say they’re about to launch an app to make 3D printing workflows they say will “revolutionize” the process. What features would you like to see in such an app? Let us know in the Sharebox3D Workflow App forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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China's market regulator will launch new rules this year to clarify the responsibilities of platform companies involved in online transactions, the state-owned Xinhua News Agency said.
Wei Li, an official of the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR), told Xinhua that the regulator will "adopt more powerful supervision methods this year and deploy a series of actions" to clear up "prominent problems in the online market".
The regulator will also accelerate the construction of a system that will collect the online transaction information in real time allowing for better monitoring and coordination, Wei was quoted as saying on Monday which is Consumer Rights Day in China.
The government has flagged it will be issuing new rules for the internet sector. Heightened scrutiny by Chinese regulators since December has included the announcement of a probe into e-commerce giant Alibaba,, penalising Alibaba-backed and Tencent-backed firms for not seeking anti-trust reviews for deals, while other firms have also been fined for irregular pricing.
SAMR said it will also strengthen the legal system and issue detailed rules aimed at protecting the rights of consumers.
It said administrative guidance can be expected on major promotional events and cited Singles' Day, the annual online shopping spree created by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.


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Inside Microsoft's ambitious plan to build the future of Xbox, from a Netflix-style gaming service with blockbuster games to brand-new consoles
- Microsoft recently revealed the codename of its next Xbox console as Project Scarlett. It's scheduled to launch in holiday 2020.
- Alongside a codename and a release window, we learned a ton of details about what to expect from the next-generation Xbox console.
- The company also gave the press its first chance to try out the Netflix-style game streaming service, Project xCloud.
- We spoke with Xbox leader Phil Spencer immediately following the press event for more details on the future of Xbox.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When it comes to game consoles, Microsoft's Xbox One has been handily defeated by Sony's PlayStation 4 - the latter boasts nearly 100 million sold, while Microsoft outright stopped reporting Xbox console sales numbers.
Estimates put the Xbox One somewhere in the range of 30 to 60 million sold. It's no slouch, but Microsoft's game console isn't likely to catch up.
And that's why it's good news for Microsoft that a new Xbox is just over the horizon.
Xbox leader Phil Spencer, above, detailed the next-generation Xbox console - currently codenamed "Project Scarlett" - in Los Angeles last week.
Business Insider was there, and we spoke with Spencer directly afterward about the future of Xbox.
Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.
The big push with Xbox, Spencer said, is choice: Microsoft wants to sell you games on a console, through a streaming service, or on a PC.
The next Xbox console — Project Scarlett — will offer cross-generational support for at least some games.
The "Netflix of gaming" streaming service, Project xCloud, is likely to have its own library — just like Netflix.
For now, there's only one new Xbox console coming, contrary to rumors of multiple boxes in the works, as well as Spencer's own statements last year.
Check out the full reveal of Project Scarlett in this new video from Microsoft:
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For students who have dietary restrictions, limited on-campus dining options have proved a challenge. With the closure of the Four Winds Café, students who are vegan or who have food allergies or intolerances now have even fewer food options. Concerned students discussed their difficulties with accessibility to diet-compliant foods as well as their hopes for a better dining experience with Metz Culinary Management.
With just one dining hall, New College students are limited to the choices in Hamilton “Ham” Center and Boar’s Head Deli and C-Store. Moreover, as primarily a residential college, as stated on the New College website, “almost all students are required to live in the residence halls and participate in a meal plan.”
“Metz has fairly limited options as it is, let alone when you have dietary restrictions,” third-year Emma Knadle said in an email interview. Knadle is gluten and dairy free, as ascribed to her by her doctor. “My problem in particular is that I’m not just gluten free or just dairy free. I am both and it is especially hard to find options that can accommodate for those needs simultaneously, most are just one or the other.”
While Metz does offer a salad bar and “Vegan Soup of the Day,” these measures may not adequately cater to the needs of students with dietary restrictions. Further, the lack of variety and concern regarding cross-contamination has caused frustration among students.
“Most of those options that are available tend to stay the same day to day, and sometimes from lunch to dinner,” Knadle said. “An example of this would be the salad bar. The situation is even more dire for those who have allergies, as Metz makes little to no effort to prevent cross-contamination, which is something they openly admit to.”
Cross-contamination can cause upset stomachs and allergic reactions. Unfortunately, Knadle is not alone in her experience with finding unsavory food items in her meals. “I’ve consistently gotten vegan dishes at Ham Center and found meat in them, or cheese,” thesis student Becca Caccavo said in an email interview. Caccavo has been vegan for three years. “The cross-contamination there is real, especially in the Bravo! section, there’s very little care to prevent cross-contamination. Even the pizzas in Boar’s Head with vegan cheese are put on naan made with eggs.”
On the other hand, other students believe that the larger issue lies in the lack of nutritious options for those with dietary restrictions.
“There are plenty of potentially vegan things to eat in Ham, like steamed rice and veggies, Oreos, Nutter Butters and Boar’s Head wraps,” first-year Beau Perkins said in an email interview. Perkins is vegan for ethical reasons. “Some would consider the actual spectrum of vegan food here limited, especially with the downfall of the Four Winds, but I see that issue as secondary.”
Perkins emphasizes the need to offer more nutritious vegan foods. Often, vegans do not acquire the necessary quantities of certain vitamins, such as B12. A deficiency in B12 can lead to serious health problems, such as anemia and blindness. To mitigate vitamin deficiencies, vegans may take dietary supplements.
“Another such nutrient is complete protein,” Perkins added. “It is very possible to get complete proteins as a vegan, but the best source of this is rice and beans. Ham isn’t too keen on getting those in together.”
Consequences of the Four Winds Closure
On Jan. 2, New College Student Alliance (NCSA) Chief of Staff Eleni Spanolios announced the final decision to close the Four Winds Café due to financial issues. This was a blow to students with dietary restrictions in particular, who depended on Four Winds as a dependable source of diet-compliant meals.
“Four Winds is a good space for people who have allergies and/or diet restrictions, as all of their food is vegetarian, and mostly vegan as well,” Knadle said. “There are always dairy free options, and gluten free options also. So, given this, Four Winds being shut down closes off the main source of good food for students who have these dietary restrictions.”
Thus, students must find ways to work around the limitations. “As a thesis student who lives off campus, Four Winds was a really important place to get reliable food on campus,” Caccavo stated. “I’ve found that I’m now just getting snacks at Boar’s Head, and cooking all of my meals at home and bringing them to campus, or just constantly driving to and from school throughout the day to feed myself.”
Knadle stayed on campus this Independent Study Period (ISP) which gave her a taste of what it’d be like with only Ham and Boar’s Head open, as someone who is gluten and dairy free.
“I got tired of the very few options very quickly,” Knadle said.
Seeking Solutions with Metz
Fueled by her frustration with the limited options and abrupt Four Winds closure, Knadle reached out to General Manager of Metz Culinary Management Bill Moore to organize a meeting. In late January, Knadle reached out on the Forum to invite students to join her for the meeting with Moore. Unfortunately, Knadle describes this meeting as “rather disappointing,” and only one other student joined her for the discussion.
“Bill himself was not open to what I had to say,” Knadle stated. “Upon my arrival he stated, ‘This is not a discussion.’” Moore showed her Metz’s offerings, such as the “Vegan Soup of the Day,” which on that day was unavailable. The only matters Moore responded to were the potential dairy free labeling and gluten free pizza.
“The dairy free labeling was something that he accommodated,” Knadle said. “He mentioned that he planned to introduce a gluten free pizza crust, which I suggested he could also make dairy free by putting the vegan cheese on it. I’m not sure if this ended up happening though.”
Despite setbacks, students with dietary restrictions remain hopeful and adamant that measures are taken by Metz to improve the dining situation.
“I would love to see Metz do farmers markets so Ham points can be spent on actual vegetables,” Caccavo suggested. “I have heard that Metz is ‘beefing’ up their vegan options though, especially with the addition of gardein meats. I’m a little bit skeptical of that, price and nutrition wise, and as a vegan person would definitely prefer whole food plant-based meals.”
“If you’re a vegan living off of Ham food, you’re not nutritious. I could go on about vitamin A and vitamin D and calcium and calories,” Perkins said. “I would really like to see more care put into this. More vegan nutritional calories, please.”
At the time of publication, Moore was unable to provide comment.
“Metz needs to pull their weight and make more of an effort to accommodate student needs, because that’s what they are,” Knadle said. “They are needs.”


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Three brothers seek to overtake Tesla with souped-up plug-in cars
Business Standard India / Posted 30 days ago
the big names in the century-old automotive industry, said Colin McKerracher, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
"Electric drive trains are simpler and have lower barriers to entry," McKerracher said. "That is disruptive and will create a... Read more


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The robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) industries are not slowing anytime soon. With recent headlines about Zora, the care-giving robot for dementia patients, and data showing that the global collaborative robots market size will increase to more than $3 billion by 2022, according to technavio, it's clear that groundbreaking technologies will continue to appear.
Talent acquisition professionals are tasked with finding the most knowledgeable executives in the field, who can also keep up with the latest trends and implement new structures into the business sector accordingly.
Here's a look at one of the latest trends in robotics and the subsequent requirements of successful executive leadership.
The Robotics Business Review recently held the RoboBusiness Conference, which pointed to some key trends in the industry.
According to Seeking Alpha, Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) was an important topic and potential industry growth factor. RaaS is a fairly low-expenditure route for companies to ramp up their automation processes. Maintenance and upgrade risks are also mitigated using RaaS.
Rather than a company having to pay for costly repair service or address problems on their own, with RaaS, they can pay a recurring fee to robot manufacturers as a lease on the machines, which can include maintenance costs and even implementation costs.
This is one way that the robotics industry is giving businesses options to integrate these new technologies into their structures and processes.
As an executive in this field, it's important to consider whether the business is better set up to support a robotics ownership model, or to take advantage of RaaS, which can be provided in short-term arrangements if necessary.
Automation is still a fairly new factor for leaders to take into account within companies, and it can be an expensive addition to any team process. Taking advantage of offerings like RaaS could end up saving money and time that workers are spending addressing problems that new technologies bring.
Executive leadership in robotics must always be on the lookout for such opportunities, so a clear view of the industry and competitors is a must for those in these positions across the market.
At YES Partners, we make it easy to find someone that will help steer your company in the direction of innovation. To see some of the roles we have already successfully placed, click here.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people for all company functions, across many industries.


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Following its CES announcements, Ford Motor Company is increasing its mobility initiatives with a pair of acquisitions and some internal reorganization.
To speed the growth of its mobility services, the automaker announced it is acquiring Autonomic and TransLoc, companies involved in transportation technologies.
Ford has committed to 100% connectivity in all new vehicles in the U.S. by next year and 90% connectivity globally by the following year.
“We believe transportation done right, as part of a systems approach, can bring life back to our cities,” stated Marcy Klevorn, president, Ford Mobility. “By accelerating our delivery of mobility services through the changes we are making today, we are enabling that revival, enhancing our competitiveness and creating long-term value for Ford shareholders.”
Ford also announced the reorganization of the teams focused on mobility solutions, creating four separate groups.
The mission of the teams includes incubating new business models, supporting in-vehicle services and autonomous vehicle businesses, designing new technologies and driving consumer demand.


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Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers and other engineered polymers announces plans to showcase Cariflex polyisoprene products, the ideal alternative to natural rubber, and Kraton ERS polymers, the ideal alternative to PVC products, at MD&M West 2013 in Booth #618. The MD&M West trade show will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, Calif., February 12-14, 2013.
Kraton product experts will be available to discuss how Cariflex polyisoprene products are the ideal alternative to natural rubber for applications that demand extreme purity, exceptional protection, comfort, and consistently high quality. Cariflex products effectively serve medical market applications including surgical gloves, catheters, tube connectors, needle shields, medical stoppers, probe covers, and cohesive bandages. They offer a pure and versatile option for manufacturing applications that require the high tensile strength and tear resistance of natural rubber without the impurities that cause discoloration, odor, and allergic reactions.
"Cariflex isoprene rubber (IR) latex is the ultimate natural rubber alternative for medical products that helps protect physicians, nurses, and patients from natural rubber proteins (present in natural rubber) and reduces the risk of Type I allergic reactions," said Richard Brennan, VP, Cariflex polyisoprene products. "Cariflex derives its inherent purity from our simple and highly-efficient polymerization process. We are the only company in the world using an anionic solution polymerization process to produce this type of synthetic rubber," he concluded.
Kraton will also showcase its ERS product line, which offers proven alternatives to PVC in medical applications. Kraton enabled solutions offer a phthalate-free, and plasticizer-free formulation that allows for an environmentally-responsible solution without compromising the quality or integrity of finished products. Kraton ERS products bring high levels of purity, enhanced durability, and exhibit low extractable performance in compliance with medical industry standards. They also enable high resiliency, low compressions set performance, good puncture resistance, and the ability to perform through the industry standard sterilization processes necessary for approval and use.
For additional information visit www.kraton.com .
Kraton Performance Polymers announces plans to showcase Cariflex polyisoprene products, the ideal alternative to natural rubber, and Kraton ERS polymers, the ideal alternative to PVC products...


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- Farmers processing produce prone to aflatoxins now have the privilege of using homemade testing equipment, writes Lominda Afedraru.
- A complete detoxifying sensor unit will cost between Shs2m to Shs5m depending on the make. The equipment is ready for use but the scientists have to finalise modalities of patenting it before embarking into massive production for commercialisation to farmers.
Farmers growing crops such as maize, cassava, beans and groundnuts among others are likely to experience a challenge of aflatoxin infestation arising from poor processing and storage facility.
The above crops if poorly stored usually end up growing fungi and people engaged in agro processing will go ahead to process these farm produce which end up in the market.
A case in point is groundnut containing aflatoxin which is grinded and sold for making groundnut stew. Another is cassava flour containing aflatoxin which is sold in open markets.
Others are beans and cow peas which have overstayed in stores accumulating fungus and later dried and sold in open markets.
Once these produce are cooked and consumed by humans they end up becoming sick and too much consumption of food containing aflatoxin may lead to death.
Aflatoxins are defined as secondary metabolites produced by fungal species called Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus.
They are highly toxic and have been designated by scientists as poisonous to human health.
Factors such as temperature, humidity, moisture, soil properties, poor storage facility as well as nutrient composition of the food produced influences fungal growth leading to aflatoxin production in cereals and legumes.
Consumption of such contaminated food ingredients could expose consumers to diseases such as cancer.
As such scientists from Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) in collaboration with their counterparts at Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) have invented a detoxifying sensor tool which can detect the amount of aflatoxin in a specific quantity of farm produce.
Speaking to the head of micro biology and biotechnology at UIRI Dr Deborah Wendiro, she explained that the idea of inventing the sensor arose from a concern of farmers growing cassava in West Nile who were tasked by World Food Programme to test aflatoxin contamination rate before selling the flour.
The farmers belonging to West Nile cassava producers association used to bring samples of their cassava flour for testing at Makerere School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering which is costly. With the invention of the sensor, things will be made easy because the gadget is portable.
How the sensor operates
Dr Wendiro explains that the equipment comprises the sensor case with a provision for loading an ordinary battery to enable operation of the equipment. This therefore means it can be used by farmers in rural areas where there is no electricity since it does not require hydroelectric power for powering. It contains the sensor which is connected to a thin layer of electrical wire. Once it is turned on from the switch which is attached to the case, it will start detecting the aflatoxin level in a particular agricultural produce.
The sensor contains antibodies which react to microbial organism. What farmers are advised to do is get antibodies for aflatoxin which is uploaded to the sensor.
It is advisable to preserve the senor in a glass filled with water. For the case of cassava, a farmer can weigh one kilogramme of cassava flour which is mixed in ethanol liquid and the sensor is inserted in the liquid mixture. The aflatoxin level in the cassava will be read automatically. This applies to any other farm produce. Dr Wendiro notes that the equipment has been tested to comply with the internationally recommended sensor performance standards. Every country recommends different aflatoxin levels for their agricultural produce. In Europe, countries recommend 20 micro grammes per gramme. The figure for Uganda is slightly higher than this.
The scientists are upgrading the invention with a design of connecting the sensor to a mobile phone.
It will enable farmers to take readings of aflatoxin levels directly from their phones rather than carrying the equipment with its case.
A complete detoxifying sensor unit will cost between Shs2m to Shs5m depending on the make. The equipment is ready for use but the scientists have to finalise modalities of patenting it before embarking into massive production for commercialisation to farmers.


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BA pensions row sparks strike worry
FEARS of strikes at Heathrow this summer, threatening World Cup travel in June, grew today after British Airways pilots rejected the airline's pension reforms.
Baggage handlers and other bluecollar BA workers also signalled they are a long way from accepting the changes as Transport and General Workers Union leader Brendan Gold said agreement would only come after 'lengthy and complex' negotiations.
BA boss Willie Walsh has pledged to sort out a £2bn pensions black hole and restructure the company before its 2008 move to Heathrow's new Terminal 5.
But his plans looked in jeopardy today after pilots' union Balpa rejected his proposals as 'unacceptable'.
Calling for BA to 'radically improve' proposals that include a later retirement age, Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan said: 'The company can afford to pay more and should pay more. We made it clear to to BA that the pension deficit is their responsibility.'
BA is expected to report annual profits of about £575m next month, up 12% on last year.
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WarnerMedia is being sued for releasing The Matrix Resurrections on HBO Max
A lawsuit has been filed against another major studio over the day-and-date release of a highly anticipated title. Village Roadshow Films, which co-produced The Matrix Resurrections with Warner Bros., issued a WarnerMedia release over the film’s simultaneous release on HBO Max and in theatres.
The case, which was filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that WarnerMedia “rushed” the publication of The Matrix Resurrections from 2022 to 2021 so that it could premiere as part of “Project Popcorn,” an internally coded endeavour. This distribution approach would swap box office money for streaming subscriptions, depriving partners of cash connected to the performance of the film.
As part of its pandemic plan in 2021, WarnerMedia chose to distribute its entire slate of films on HBO Max on the same day they were released in theatres. (In 2022, Warner Bros. reverted to exclusive theatrical contracts.) According to the lawsuit, Project Popcorn is a “secret strategy” by WarnerMedia to “materially diminish box office and ancillary revenue produced from tent pole pictures that Villiage Roadshow and others would be entitled to in exchange for boosting subscription revenue for the new HBO Max service.”
Warner Bros. labelled the complaint “a ridiculous attempt by Village Roadshow to dodge their contractual duty to participate in the arbitration that we commenced against them last week,” according to a statement shared with The Verge. We are certain that the matter will be decided in our favour.”
Village Roadshow contends that publishing The Matrix Resurrections under this paradigm brought “zero advantage” to itself, its talent, or its partners, similar to Scarlett Johansson’s complaint against Disney for the simultaneous release of Black Widow during the pandemic.
According to the lawsuit, a picture that “could have been an extremely valuable sequel to The Matrix trilogy” helped enhance HBO Max’s value and subscribers while hurting the film’s theatrical income and “inflicting substantial harm to the entire Matrix franchise.”
The suit claims that “the impact to The Matrix Resurrections’ box office profits was not merely the effect of cannibalization from streaming, but also from the rampant piracy it knew would ensue by placing this marquee picture on a streaming platform on the same day as its theatrical release.” “The whole effect was terrible.”
For decades, Village Roadshow has collaborated with Warner Bros. on 91 films, including Joker, the Ocean’s franchise, and The Matrix films. Warner Bros. is allegedly pushing them away, aiming to cut them out of collaborating on and earning from franchise projects, according to the firm.
These copyright disputes extend to projects like Willy Wonka and a series based on the Village Roadshow film Edge of Tomorrow. Warner Bros. “insisted that Village Roadshow forgo its co-finance and co-ownership rights freely” in the instance of Edge of Tomorrow.
“When Village Roadshow refused, WB said the quiet part out loud: despite the nearly $4.5 billion it has paid WB to develop and distribute 91 pictures, it will not enable Village Roadshow to benefit from any of its Derivative Rights going ahead,” according to the lawsuit. “In other words, if Village Roadshow refuses to relinquish its rights, WB will ensure that they are worthless.”
Warner Bros. “has a fiduciary duty to account to Village Roadshow for all earnings from the exploitation of the films’ copyrights, not just those it can’t hide through sweetheart deals to benefit HBO Max,” said Mark Holscher, a Kirkland & Ellis litigation partner representing Village Roadshow in a statement.
Village Roadshow alleges that despite knowing about probable profit and piracy issues, Warner Bros. pushed forward with a hybrid release of The Matrix Resurrections anyhow, hurting not only the franchise’s earnings but also its legacy.
Also Read: 6 cheaper Spotify Alternatives In 2022
The suit claims that “the abysmal theatrical box office sales figures from The Matrix Resurrections dilute the value of this tent pole franchise as a film’s lack of profitability generally prevents studios from investing in additional sequels and derivative films in the near term,” and that “the abysmal theatrical box office sales figures from The Matrix Resurrections dilute the value of this tent pole franchise as a film’s lack of profitability generally prevents studios from investing in


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1-800-Coffees.com, San Carlos, CA, earlier this week announced that it’s offering online visitors free e-mail service in the hopes of building customer loyalty for its e-tail site featuring coffee beans, teas and gifts.
The Web site www.1800coffees.com launched last month and has signed agreements with several gift sellers — while using Seattle’s Best Coffees as its supplier of coffee-related products and Vstore.com as its fulfillment provider.
Kevin Sinclair, president of 1-800-Coffees.com, said other loyalty-based programs were under construction, such as allowing site visitors to publish their own fiction online and providing them with links to cyber cafes.
Sinclair said his firm planned to launch ad campaigns, online and offline, as early as this summer. His firm plans to generate revenue through merchandise sales, as well as banner ads and affiliate programs.


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Good morning. Here's what you need to know.
- Asian markets were mixed in over night trading with the Shanghai Composite down 0.5 percent on concerns about growth in 2013. Europe is selling off and U.S. markets are modestly lower.
- Spain saw important elections this weekend, with Catalonia voting for pro-independent parties. But Spanish media pointed out that the elections were a major setback for Catalonia's current leader Artur Mas who is pushing to see the region split away from Spain.
- European policymakers are meeting again today, to reach an agreement on a financial aid program for Greece. Societe Generale's Michala Marcussen writes, "While a German press report this weekend suggested that some form of “conditional” forgiveness could be on the cards as of 2015, the official position out of Berlin is that official sector debt forgiveness is not on the menu."
- Latest data shows that average urban salaries in China climbed 12 percent on the year in the first nine months, according to Bloomberg. Weaker profits have hurt wage gains and are likely to impact consumer demand. Now here are 8 big ways Chinese policies screw its citizens >
- A record 247 million people shopped online and in stores at this year's Black Friday weekend. according to the National Retail Federation. Online sales reached over $1 billion for the first time.
- The Dallas Fed manufacturing survey for November is out at 10:30 a.m. ET. Expectations are for the business activity index to rise to 4.7. Follow the release at Money Game >
- Italian consumer confidence fell to 84.8 in November, from 86.2 the previous month. Now here are 44 charts that show why the world is doomed >
- The White House that has long argued to freeze taxes on the middle class, while raising taxes on the rich, has issued a new report titled 'The Middle Class Tax Cuts' Impact On Consumer Spending & Retailers'. But the report failed to consider the impact of the payroll tax. Meanwhile, Congress will resume fiscal cliff talks this week after the holiday weekend. The ultimate guide to the fiscal cliff >
- Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi is meeting judges today after a decree giving him sweeping new powers sparked massive protests across the country and hit Egypt's stock market.
- South Korean consumer confidence climbed to 99 in November, rising from a nine-month low.
- Bonus - Halle Berry got an emergency protective order against her ex Gabriel Aubry after he got into a fight with her current lover Olivier Martinez.


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Third International Tourism Fair
ViaNica.com | Jun 23, 2010Cinthia Membreño
The students from the Tourism School of the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (UPOLI), located in the city of Managua, will celebrate tomorrow, June 24, the third International Tourism Fair. The traditional dances, food and drinks from Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Nicaragua will be presented to visitors, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, in different stands that will be located in the Hilda and Armando Guido Auditorium of this university.
According to Cecilia Paredes, Director of the Faculty of Tourism of UPOLI, the ambassadors of the five countries mentioned above, in addition to the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (INTUR), the National Chamber of Tourism of Nicaragua (CANATUR), the Nicaraguan Chamber of the Small and Medium Tourism Business (CANTUR) and students from schools and universities of Managua, will participate in the event.
Paredes explained that this year, the work from Nicaraguan artisans will be promoted directly. "We use to do it, but through intermediaries," she stated. In this occasion, artisans from the Solentiname archipelago will be part of the fair and they will sell art pieces made of wood for boats.
In addition to the cultural topic, the environmental theme will also be promoted. There will be a group of students that will keep the auditorium clean and another group will be giving small plants for every visitor.
The motto of this years fair, which entrance is for free, will be "Abiertos al futuro, al mundo y al progreso" (Opened to the future, the world and the progress). Tour operators and hotels from the deparments of Leon, Granada, the Atlantic Coast, Masaya, Chinandega and Rio San Juan will give tourist packages with affordable prices. For further info go to our Events Calendar.


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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
More from KC Sprints does Lincoln
Thanks Cornbread for the video
Photos from Enrico Fuente
Photos from uNkY jOIns
Photos from the One Eyed z
Photos from the PCL (on FaceBook)
Good times had by all.
A big thanks goes out to:
The Pirate Cycling League, Folks from Lincoln, Mark Anderson, and Specialized for their help getting additional prizes & swag (I think almost every shop in Lincoln was represented. Awesome!!)
Hoss & everyone who helped in getting the word out to the masses (Hit up D Street of your replacement bottle of vodka buddy).
The Lincoln Journal Star for coming out and putting a piece on us in Sunday's paper.
Along with the guys at the D Street bike hotel for a place to crash (enjoy the vodka).
Thanks again to Lincoln for coming out to play!
We'll be back for another race in Lincoln for sure!
Also a big thanks to our sponsors this season:
All Hail the Black Market


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Instrumentation powerhouse Agilent Technologies is joining forces with one of the most prominent companies in agriculture to bankroll a public-private hemp research effort aimed at increasing hemp profitability.
Members of the new Hemp Research Consortium will donate $5 million for agronomic hemp research at Cornell University, North Carolina State University and the University of Kentucky, the consortium members announced Tuesday.
Another consortium contributor is U.S. Sugar, commonly called Big Sugar, a Florida-based company that is the nation’s largest producer of sugar cane by volume.
Half of the money, $2.5 million, is coming from the federal Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, a research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Other members include:
- Scotts Miracle-Gro
- IND HEMP
- Oregon CBD
- International Hemp
Consortium research and data will be publicly available, the group said.
“Hemp is a versatile crop with the potential to diversify the U.S. agricultural portfolio if we can develop stable markets for hemp products,” Kentucky agriculture professor Bob Pearce said in the funding announcement.
“These markets will require a coordinated research effort across the entire supply chain to realize hemp’s potential.”


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It came, then it disappeared, but now it’s back again. As you already surmised from the title, the Android 4.3 update for the AT&T variant of the Galaxy S4 is now back in circulation and making its way to users of the device over the air. AT&T doesn’t mention what issue caused the update to be pulled last time, but then again, as long as users can start upgrading to the much-awaited new version of Android once again, we shouldn’t be hearing any complaints on that.
As a refresher, the Android 4.3 update adds Galaxy Gear compatibility, faster performance and improved RAM management, new camera firmware and modes, KNOX security support, and more. AT&T suggests to check for the update in the Settings » About phone » Software updates menu, though as always, you might have to wait a couple of days before the update shows up on your device.


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Maersk Line and MSC under the 2M alliance have suspended one of their joint transpacific services as the trade faces falling rates and the impact of a trade war between the US and China.
Maersk Line and CMA CGM have joined Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) in announcing an emergency bunker surcharge to combat the impact of soaring bunker prices.
As the Maersk Honam finally berths nearly two months after a serious fire on board the vessel Meditterranean Shipping Co (MSC) is charging its customers extra if they want their cargo to reach the final destination.
As container lines struggle with rising fuel prices Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has announced a temporary emergency bunker surcharge.
The US has indicated that new business activity with Iran after 8 May within the wind-down period could be result penalties under secondary sanctions, and a number of major shipping companies including MSC and Maersk Tankers have stopped taking new Iran business.
The world’s second largest container line Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) is to invest close $1.1bn in Khalifa Port in the UAE.
Following its takeover of UASC German container line Hapag-Lloyd is putting newbuilding orders on hold for the next few years.
While the there is an inherent attraction to order megavessel newbuildings in the current financing and market environment, it is still unclear as to how they benefit the lines.
Three vessels that grounded in the Port of Durban have been refloated, including the containership MSC Ines that blocked the entrance to the port. However, port operations remain suspended.
Severe weather has wreaked havoc on the Port of Durban grounding three vessels with an MSC containership blocking the harbour entrance.


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While 50 cent seems to be making all the headlines these days, Lloyd Banks is finding his time to shine too. After much success with his hit single ‘Beamer, Benz, or Bentley,’ Banks has teamed up with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League to come up with a new slow jam, ‘Don’t Deserve You.’ His new album, Hunger For More 2, is due for release on November 23rd
Banks was 2004s Mixtape artist of the Year at the Mixtape Awards. In 2005, Banks was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy’s for his hit single, ‘On Fire.’ Banks’ last album, Rotten Apple, released in October of 2006, selling 143,000 copies in its first week. We’ll have to see if Banks can return to the form that saw his debut album, Hunger For More, reach #1 on the Billboard Charts and sell over 4 million copies worldwide.
CLICK NEXT TO LISTEN TO LLOYD BANK’S NEW TRACK, ‘DON’T DESERVE YOU’


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Dec 8, 2022Rijk Zwaan tomato highly resistant against ToBRFV
Rijk Zwaan has developed tomato varieties that are highly resistant to tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV).
The virus has been causing major economic losses worldwide, including the U.S. Rijk Zwaan researchers found new, unique genetics resulting in a high resistance level to ToBRFV.
Soon after the discovery, breeders started to develop resistant varieties in programs around the globe and extensively tested the varieties internally and with leading growers to assess their agronomic value. Rijk Zwaan now offers growers the best performing hybrids under the Rugose Defense label, including mini plum, cherry TOV, cocktail and medium TOV tomato varieties.
The Rijk Zwaan tomatoes with high resistance to ToBRFV are compatible with all commercially available rootstocks. Trials have shown that rootstock variety Suzuka RZ performs strongly in combination with both susceptible and resistant tomato varieties.
Rijk Zwaan will continue to introduce new varieties suitable for high-tech and protected cultivation, and the company thanks all growers who participated in testing the first HR resistant tomatoes for high-tech cultivation. For more information, visit Rijk Zwaan’s local Rugose Defense page and watch the introduction video.
Photo: Rijk Zwaan


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Tesla CEO, Elon Musk who is famous for his innovation and tweets, dropped a major hint regarding Dogecoin. In a random Twitter exchange, a user asked Musk about DOGE’s future with Starlink.
It is a habit of Elon Musk to increases curiosity among the crypto community with his every tweet. Today Elon Musk clear the air from Starlink’s future regarding the use of Dogecoin after Tesla adopted the coin.
What Elon Musk said?
In a very simple and witty reply, Musk manifested that there might be a chance of this happening in the future. This was his answer
i wanna buy a model rocket with dog money pic.twitter.com/SFiLoOj1Iv
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) February 14, 2022
Elon Musk is well known for his straightforward replies but this cryptic tweet has sent a positive wave among the World’s largest meme-coin.
Starlink aims to deliver high-speed broadband internet to customers and that too in the most remote areas of the planet. After dozens of launches, Starlink now has around 2,000 functional satellites. For this High-speed internet, the company is charging $99 per month on top of paying $499 for the hardware kit. Maybe in the future, this payment will be conducted in terms of Dogecoin
DOGE adoption as payment
Talking about the future of Starlink’s adoption of DOGE as payment can be possible as Elon’s SpaceX has also accepted the dog-themed meme coin for a moon mission called DOGE-1 which is expected to be launched in the first quarter of this year.
Last year in March, Tesla opened the gate for the world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin as a payment. Elon’s this move sent the coin towards a remarkable high.
Elon also hinted about McDonald’s accepting DOGE. However, this plan apparently didn’t worked out.
If Starlink accepts the Dogecoin for the payment then this move won’t be alien to the world’s richest man and World’s largest meme-coin. Earlier, Tesla started accepting Dogecoin as payment for some of its products.
A Tesla mug, belt buckle, cyberwhistle are now available to buy if you are willing to spend your DOGE. Anyone can buy ATV for kids called the Cybersquad against 355 DOGE to 14,135 DOGE.
The post Will Elon Musk Run Starlink Soon Accept Dogecoin (DOGE)? appeared first on cryptotimes24.com.


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HomeGoods to open store in Mount Kisco
MOUNT KISCO - HomeGoods plans to open a new store in a 25,000-square-foot free-standing building at 3 E. Main St., near the Metro-North train station.
Peter Kempner, one of the principals of The Kempner Corporation of White Plains, which owns the property, said the addition of HomeGoods to the heart of the village's downtown would be a "big economic boost" for the community.
"HomeGoods is one of the most heavily sought-after retail tenants in the country," Kempner said.
A portion of the building has been vacant since the Annie Sez clothing store closed.
The rest of the building is still occupied by Party City, but the party-supply retailer is before the village Planning Board to move into a storefront near Modell's Sporting Goods.
Kempner said he plans to renovate the property into into a "state-of-the-art retail building" with a new façade, store front, roof and parking lot to be ready for HomeGoods, which plans to open the Mount Kisco store in the second quarter of 2019.
The lease was signed in November but was not official until the landlord obtained final approvals from the Mount Kisco planning and zoning boards.
Dan Zelson of Charter Realty represented HomeGoods and Rick Stassa of Royal Properties represented the landlord.
The discount chain has other stores in the Lower Hudson Valley, including ones in Mahopac, Greenburgh, Port Chester, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Pelham Manor, and Nanuet.
The announcement is more good news for Mount Kisco's downtown, which is showing signs of recovery from the downturn since the recession that had left many vacant storefronts.
Among the new businesses that are slated to open in the near future are a Pure Barre fitness studio, Mast Chocolates, and a Porch interior design place.
Staff writer Michael McKinney contributed reporting for this article.


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Last updated: July 26th, 2022 at 16:58 UTC+02:00
Samsung might not be the only OEM that’s stuck with an oversupply of smartphones. Apple might be in the same boat. And in an unexpected turn of events, the Cupertino giant has just announced a series of discounts for its top-tier iPhone models and related accessories in China.
Samsung and Apple are the leaders of the smartphone world, but despite having similar goals, they’re almost nothing alike. Samsung is known for offering great discounts and trade-in offers for its Galaxy devices regularly, whereas Apple is known for the exact opposite strategy, ie, Apple rarely, if ever, cuts the prices of its ongoing iPhone models. (via Bloomberg)
Apple hasn’t offered any discounts on its flagship iPhones in China for years. But in an unexpected turn of events, the company just announced an upcoming four-day sales event for iPhones, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds.
$89 off the iPhone 13 Pro
Market watchers say that Apple recorded healthy smartphone shipment figures in China in June, more so than local smartphone brands Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo. However, shipment figures don’t always translate to sales, and Apple might have surplus inventory on its hands.
Nobody knows if Apple has a whopping 50 million unsold phones like Samsung does. But the fact that it hasn’t offered a discount in years prior to this announcement speaks volumes about the company’s subpar market performance in China in recent times. Market analysts estimate that global smartphone shipments in Q2 2022 fell 9%, and obviously, Apple doesn’t function independently of global market trends.
Apple’s discount window for customers in China starts July 29 and ends August 1. The company will offer discounts on its latest iPhones and certain AirPods and Apple Watch smartwatches.
Incidentally, Samsung is gearing up to announce its latest foldable phones and a new Galaxy smartwatch series on August 10.
Join SamMobile’s Telegram group and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get instant news updates and in-depth reviews of Samsung devices. You can also subscribe to get updates from us on Google News and follow us on twitter.


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(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court granted Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's request that a lower court judge should consider whether to dissolve a sales ban against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which had been won by Apple Inc.
The ruling on Friday came from the Federal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington.
(Reporting By Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
BEFORE YOU GO


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The country’s manufacturing growth fell to an eight-month low in April as new orders declined during the month, results of the latest survey conducted by S&P Global released on Monday showed.
The headline S&P Global Philippines Manufacturing PMI stood at 51.4 in April, reflecting a deceleration from 52.5 in March, but the 15th straight month above the 50.0 threshold that separates expansion and contraction.
“The start of the second quarter signaled a loss of momentum across the Filipino manufacturing sector,” S&P Global Market Intelligence economist Maryam Baluch said in a commentary.
“Furthermore, the data suggested a shift in demand patterns as new export orders grew at the fastest rate in nearly two years and helped support the upturn in total new sales,” she added.
New business growth slipped to an eight-month low amid increased market competition and softer demand, while output growth reported its weakest pace in six months.
Baluch noted that inflation also decelerated to the slowest in over two years, with manufacturers raising their selling prices at the slowest rate in 28 months.
Official inflation figures are set to be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday, May 5, with the central bank expecting it to fall within the 6.3% to 7.1% range. This is lower than the 7.6% print in March, but still above the 2.0% to 4.0% target.
“Looking ahead, manufacturers across the Philippines remained largely optimistic, as the degree of confidence in the year-ahead outlook for output reached a three-month high,” Baluch said.
“That said, the degree of confidence was weaker than the series average. Furthermore, our latest forecast expects growth in industrial production to moderate to 5% in 2023,” she added.
The S&P Global Philippines Manufacturing PMI is compiled from responses of purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers. It is a weighted average of new orders, output, employment, suppliers’ delivery times, and stocks of purchases.
Responses are collected in the second half of each month, indicating the direction of change compared with the previous month.—AOL, GMA Integrated News


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Fans Worry About Refunds As Festivals Are Cancelled Amid Coronavirus
Musicmusic festivals March 11, 2020 Olivia Perreault
More and more festivals across the U.S. are beginning to pull the plug amid concerns over the growing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. However, some events are refusing fans refunds.
Over the weekend, this year’s SXSW Festival and Ultra Music Festival were cancelled and “postponed” to 2021. Coachella and Stagecoach were next to break the news- postponing the events to October of this year. Now, organizers of SXSW and Ultra are refusing refunds to thousands of ticket buyers, pointing to its terms and conditions.
“Any and all payments made to SXSW are not refundable for any reason, including, without limitation, failure to use Credentials due to illness, acts of God, travel-related problems, acts of terrorism, loss of employment and/or duplicate purchases,” SXSW’s original terms and conditions states.
While festivalgoers won’t be able to receive refunds, a spokesperson told Page Six that they will be honoring tickets for future festivals.
“We are allowing registrants to defer for up to three years – through the 2023 event,” the spokesperson said. “We are also working on other ways to add value to their deferred registration so not only will they be able to take advantage of a future SXSW but there will be extra benefits included, as well.”
Similarly, Ultra ticketholders will not be receiving a refund in light of the festival’s postponement. According to the Miami Herald, ticketholders received an email that said they have 30 days to choose if they would like their tickets to be honored at the 2021 or 2022 edition of the festival. They’re also reportedly working on a “digital online Ultra experience as soon as possible.”
Ultra ticketholders will also receive a special “Benefits” package in either 2021 or 2022, which includes an exclusive only DJ set ahead of gates opening, one free ticket to any non-Miami Ultra worldwide, or Resistance events in 2021 or 2022, a discount code for official merchandise, and other incentives.
The festival’s terms and conditions note that the “organizer may, in its sole and absolute discretion elect to either, (a) issue Purchaser a full or partial refund, (b) postpone the Event for a future date and/or (c) offer Purchaser a comparable ‘make good.'”
Coachella and Stagecoach, which have now been rescheduled to weekends in October, will honor ticketholders’ tickets at the rescheduled date. Those who are unable to attend, however, will receive news regarding refunds in the coming days, organizers said.
Coronavirus has been spreading rapidly across the globe, infecting 120,000 and causing 4,300 deaths worldwide. It’s officially been dubbed a pandemic in the United States as several large-scale events have been cancelled including music tours, sports games, Ivy League NCAA Conference Tournament, the Paribas Open, and more.
See the ongoing list of cancelled concerts and festivals due to coronavirus here.
Last Updated on March 11, 2020 by Olivia Perreault


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Today we are happy to announce the collaboration with Pure Good Food is official. Mr. Hartzenberg, head of the childhood centre and Shannon Smuts, owner and founder of Pure Good Food signed an one year contract!
Besides getting the childhood centre more proffesional, this is a big step to ensure the continuity of the project. To ensure even more continuity we are setting up the NGO Beleaf in the Netherlands soon, as we are doing the paperwork at the moment. More about this NGO will be posted soon!


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NEW HAVEN -- At the new Jordan's Furniture at the old New Haven Register building in New Haven, shoppers can test a new sofa and ride a zip line over a lighted water show.
The huge building with a printing press in the back will now be a new Jordan's Furniture.
“We like to take things to a new level," said Jordan's CEO Eliot Tatelman. "That’s what makes it fun.”
When he bought the Register’s former home to open his sixth Jordan’s Furniture store, even he had no idea what to do with the 65- foot-tall press area.
“That’s how it started," he said. "The building had this, so we said ‘what can we do with this?'"
A a 60-foot-high adventure ropes course with 4 200-foot zip lines, over a dancing water show is just one example of the kind of concepts that Jordan's has done in their other stores. Concepts that offer family entertainment while selling furniture.
Mayor Toni Harp was sold on Jordan's selling something else for the city – an economic bump.
”We’re probably going to have 250 jobs in this building," said Tatelman. " Maybe more.”
There’s still lots to be done to get ready for the grand opening next month, like, figure out how much it will cost for you to get up into the course. They’ll have that all figured out by the time Jordan's opens up on December 11.


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Amazon to open up second 4-star store in Colorado
Amazon’s 4-star store wasn’t only a one-off shtick. The e-commerce massive goes to proceed opening up brick-and-mortar shops devoted to its most well liked on-line merchandise similar to the present one in Manhattan, however this time in Colorado. On Thursday, a midwestern location can be opening up in Lone Tree, Colorado — just a few miles clear of Denver. The corporate has plans for its first West Coast store to open up in Berkeley, California in the following couple of months as smartly.
As the title implies, the 4-star shops promote merchandise which are rated no less than 4 stars or upper on-line. You should buy mainly any roughly product you possibly can in finding on-line, whether or not that be tech, youngsters’s toys, or cookware. Special reductions are prolonged to Prime contributors in the bodily places as smartly. Tags on merchandise display other costs for contributors and non-members.
These 4-star shops are just one number of the the brick-and-mortar places the corporate has been opening up over the last few years. Amazon has various bodily bookstores now, in addition to its rising chain of cashier-less Go comfort shops, the most up-to-date of which opened in San Francisco ultimate week.
Of direction, Amazon additionally owns Whole Foods. The corporate’s secure offline retail enlargement is proof of the way it’s getting at competing with shops like Walmart, Target, and Walgreens. Although, Amazon’s new competition are actually responding with tech-infused brick-and-mortar retail outlets of their very own — Walmart-owned Sam’s Club introduced this week that it was once opening its personal Amazon Go competitor in Texas.


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Cryptocurrency is growing strongly outside North America and Europe. For a long time, the United States was at the forefront of the crypto movement. China, until its ban on crypto, was an important nation in terms of crypto mining and exchanges. Now that the movement is spreading across the world, Asian and Oceanian countries are leading the race.
In a new survey, it was revealed that Australia is showing more bullish trends compared to other countries in terms of crypto adoption. A comparison website called published their survey of cryptocurrency adoption index. The survey methodology takes into account the growth indexes of over 41000 individuals spread across 22 countries.
The survey results place Australia at the third position in the global cryptocurrency index. Countries like Indonesia and Honk Kong trail Australia. With a crypto ownership rate of 17.8%, Australia beats Indonesia’s 16.7% and Hong Kong’s 15.8%. The net average adoption rate of the survey stands at around 11.4%.
There are a number of factors influencing Australia’s growth in the crypto space. One of the major reasons is the financial laws of Australia which makes buying and selling crypto a seamless experience. On top of that, Australian’s are, on average, more financially educated than other countries. Betting and gambling is an Aussie cultural phenomenon.
The survey also found that Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency in Australia, which is not a surprise given Bitcoin’s share in the crypto ecosystem. Finder’s survey confirms once again that cryptocurrency is now a global phenomenon. More and more countries will enter the race as we move forward.


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Due to writer error, the item Global Home Textiles offers sourcing solutions in the March 13 edition of HTT Extra contained inaccurate information. Event producer George Little Management was reported to be “now known as GLM NEXCO, a dmg world company.” GLM is a dmg world media business. Nexco is an entity helping produce the conference sessions.
Home Textiles Today is the market-leading brand covering the home and textiles markets, offering a comprehensive package of print and online products. Home & Textiles Today provides industry news, product trends and introductions, exclusive industry research, consumer data, store operations solutions, trade show news and much more.


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The quickest way to ensure you feel like absolute shit for the rest of the day is to read about billionaires over your morning coffee. Specifically, a morning peek at Forbes' global billionaire ranking is just the pick-me-up you'll need to power through nine hours of work while slowly questioning the very concept of money itself.
But for now, let's forget about us normals and instead focus on the needs of these billionaires. Imagine how shitty it must feel to be toppled from the top spot on Forbes' list after practically making it your home. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is likely feeling that anguish right this moment, as he's just been replaced at No. 1 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
At the time of this writing, Bezos' net worth stands at $90.6 billion. Gates, meanwhile, has fallen to No. 2 with a meager $90.1 billion.
Thanks to Amazon, Bezos has added tens of billions to his net worth over the past year. Amazon shares have surged more than 40 percent during that period, the New York Times reported. The shares, almost 81 million of which are held by Bezos, traded at roughly $1,063 as of Thursday.
Bezos also made his Instagram debut earlier this month to tout his commercial space company Blue Origin. The clip gives a drone-shot look at Blue Origin's Florida-based launch facility, then ends with the understated image of a sunglasses-clad Bezos stranded on the roof with a handwritten sign reading "ROCKET FACTORY COMING SOON."
So yeah, Bezos had a very billionaire-y Instagram debut. Your move, Gates.


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Dillard’s, Macy’s, J. Reneé, and Motorola Honored with GS1 US Apparel & General Merchandise Awards at GS1 Connect 2013
Gay Whitney Recognized with Posthumous Award in the Roger Milliken Career Achievement Category
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ and SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 12, 2013) – Four leading companies were honored with the GS1 US Apparel & General Merchandise Awards yesterday at GS1 Connect 2013, held June 10-13 at the JW Marriott, San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. The awards, which recognize supply chain excellence in the retail and apparel industries, were presented to the following winning companies in three categories:
- Retailer Excellence:
- Brand Excellence:
- Finalist: Kimberly-Clark Corp.
- Provider Excellence:
“The leadership that these prominent organizations have demonstrated in adopting GS1 Standards to identify, capture, and share information, has resulted in supply chain efficiencies that drive bottom line benefits,” said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US. “With digital and mobile technology creating consumer demand for consistent and detailed product information anytime and anywhere, these companies are leading the charge in support of omni-channel retail initiatives that leverage industry-developed best practices.”
GS1 US also honored Elizabeth “Gay” Millson-Whitney with a posthumous award in the Roger Milliken Career Achievement Award category. Gay’s knowledge helped business and industry leverage cutting-edge technologies and engage in strategic initiatives to create transformational change. Her contributions include leading the development of standards and strategy for EPCglobal, the organization responsible for the creation of RFID and visibility standards.
Gay was senior vice president of Industry Engagement for GS1 US where she served as a lead ambassador to the consumer packaged goods/grocery, healthcare, foodservice, apparel, and general merchandise industry sectors. Her leadership enabled GS1 US members to realize the value of GS1 Standards, helping to improve efficiency, safety, and security in their everyday business. Gay passed away in 2012.
“Gay’s leadership in areas including EPCglobal and industry engagement was extraordinary,” said Carpenter. “By listening and leading, Gay instinctively struck the right balance in helping teams move forward together, at a pace that was exciting, motivating, and highly fulfilling for all companies involved. She believed deeply in the power of industry collaboration and standards, and the rich exchange of ideas and creativity that was always the byproduct of her leadership efforts.”
The GS1 US Apparel & General Merchandise Awards were first introduced 16 years ago by VICS (Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association). GS1 US and VICS merged in September 2012 to streamline the standards adoption process for the industry and give members access to standards for a broader range of supply-chain functions. The awards are supported by the GS1 US Apparel & General Merchandise Initiative, which serves to provide the education, training, tools, and community support that apparel and general merchandise retailers and brands need to implement GS1 Standards. These standards also make it possible for companies to follow their products from the source to the consumer — ensuring that the right product is in the right place at the right time for today’s shopper. For more information about GS1 US and the GS1 US Apparel & General Merchandise Initiative, visit www.gs1us.org.
About GS1 US®
GS1 US, a member of GS1, is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. More than 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). www.GS1US.org.


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EBay-owned classifieds site Gumtree has nothing if not lofty aspirations.
Speaking in last week’s Marketing Week, Gumtree’s general manager Morten Heuing said the online classifieds service wants to do nothing less than top Facebook and Google in the U.K. It has a long way to go. Gumtree reaches 16 million monthly unique visitors, roughly a third of the U.K. adult online population, and up from 14 million a year ago, per comScore. Google fetches 46 million, and Facebook, 40 million.
Gumtree has overhauled its site and app to make it more user-friendly. It switched its marketing campaign from one that centered on how Gumtree works to one that focuses on how it helps people with life changes.
It also has a new, minimalist logo by the creative minds behind Airbnb’s 2014 redesign, to go with the new positioning.
But branding only goes so far. Here are some of the things Gumtree should try to do if it wants to reach its goals.
A big issue for the classified market is trust. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau claims one in every six of the consumer complaints associated with the classifieds site is the result of a scam or fraud. To assuage these fears, Gumtree is opening a 24-hour customer support arm to respond to queries, a small step forward when today’s brands have 24-7 Twitter customer service accounts.
Andy Harvey, creative director of branding agency Moving Brands, said building trust will be key for Gumtree as it fends off its many competitors, including Zoopla, Airbnb, Rightmove, Autotrader, Car Giant, Monster, Glassdoor, Amazon, Google and Facebook.
“If I were in Gumtree HQ, I would be obsessed with creating the most trusted marketplace in the U.K.,” he said. “What will make ours a great service experience? Hint: real people. How can we build the most dependable, simple digital tools? How can we provide trusted knowledge to make informed decisions? How can our community trust we’re there when things don’t go right?”
Break up the verticals
Not everyone’s convinced by Gumtree’s “one-stop shop” collection of verticals, either. Gumtree should explore separating its verticals into individual ones, tied together by their new, emotionally driven brand and cross-sold, said David Carr, strategy director at Digitas LBi. “This way it can at least defend against its disruptive competitors.”
Gumtree needs to shout louder to compete with other media properties like Facebook and Google, which bring scale and the ability to personalize their ad offerings for clients. “I don’t have them knocking on my door,” said Dan Hagen, chief strategic officer at Carat.
And of course, Gumtree can’t avoid the reality that the core reason people use it, to buy and sell things, just isn’t part of people’s daily habit, unlike the way in which people tend to relate to Google and Facebook. That makes it hard to see how its audience target is realistic.
“It’s good to have aspirational goals,” said Carr. “It’s not OK to be delusional.”
‘A gold rush moment’: Apple’s Reality Pro revives marketers’ AR ambitions
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Culture Brands’ Eunique Jones Gibson wants to help brands uplift, empower stories for African Americans
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SponsoredWhat the measurement and currency discussion really means to TV advertisers
Ali Mack, head of TV and agency, Experian Major streaming video providers have recently made headlines by adopting new currencies for ad measurement, threatening Nielsen’s long-standing TV ratings monopoly. NBCUniversal, for example, has certified iSpot and VideoAmp as currencies for advanced audiences and formed the Joint Industry Committee with Paramount, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery. […]
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Humble Games is the latest company to announce layoffs, amidst major changes within the global games industry. These layoffs were initially reported by Sports Illustrated, and were later confirmed by Humble itself, which issued a statement about a needed “restructure” at the company.
Notably, it did not confirm the number of staff laid off, nor an exact reason for the layoffs beyond shifting “trends” in the games industry.
“Yesterday was a difficult day for Humble Games and we can confirm that we had to say goodbye to valued colleagues,” Humble told SI. “Like many companies this year, we have experienced trends that required this restructure in order to ensure our long-term success.”
“It’s especially worth noting that everyone impacted by these changes are talented, dedicated individuals who made a huge impact. Humble Games remains focused and committed to working with amazing indie developers to bring their experiences to players around the world in the years ahead.”
Per details shared by laid off employees, the news of layoffs was delivered in a team meeting on Monday, 13 November, with “lots of folks” being impacted. Sports Illustrated was able to confirm “several” staff losing their jobs via LinkedIn, but was not able to determine the full scope of changes at Humble Games – nor whether the layoffs will impact future plans at the company.
Regardless, Humble Games has now joined a long list of game companies that have initiated layoffs in 2023. So far, companies including Ubisoft, Media Molecule, Blizzard, Team17, EA, CD Projekt Red, Riot Games, Amazon, Ascendant Studios, Private Division, 2K, Volition, Firaxis, Telltale Games, Crystal Dynamics, Epic Games, and Digital Extremes have all made cuts, with more than 6,000 positions disappearing as a result of changes.
Our thoughts are with those at Humble Games impacted by the company’s recent layoffs.


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BAFTA has selected the finalists of its 2014 BAFTA Young Game Designers competition.
Eight teams have made it through to the shortlist for the Game Making Award and nine teams for the Game Concept Award.The full finalist lists can be found here.
"We're incredibly excited to be bringing all the finalists of this year's BAFTA Young Game Designers competition together to celebrate their achievements and announce the winners," said Harvey Elliott, chair of the BAFTA Games Committee.
"The quality of the entries for both the Game Concept and Game Making Awards has been exceptional. I hope that some of this year's finalists will follow in the footsteps of Dan Pearce, a winner in 2010, who was nominated for a BAFTA earlier this year."
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at BAFTA in London on July 12. The winners of both categories will receive an award and prizes including further development of their game with the University of Abertay Dundee, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment games and a PlayStation First Education starter kit for their school.


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Jurors could not reach a verdict Friday in the federal trial of a Brainerd Army Store employee charged with knowingly selling a chemical used to make methamphetamine.
The jury will reconvene Monday before U.S. District Judge Harry S. "Sandy" Mattice to continue deliberations, pushing the trial into its second week.
Terry Michael Honeycutt faces charges he sold vast quantities of Polar Pure, a water purification product containing nearly 100 percent iodine. Iodine is a key ingredient in some methods of meth making.
Honeycutt's attorney, Chris Townley, told jurors in closing arguments Friday that federal agents lied and doctored audio recordings of interviews with Honeycutt in "rampant misconduct that taints the (legal) process."
"Too often the government's perspective is the 'ends justify the means,'" Townley said.
Townley questioned why police and federal investigators would allow Honeycutt to sell thousands of bottles of iodine over two years, knowing it was going to cook meth.
Because, he said, it made catching meth makers and users easier, he said.
"It was like shooting fish in a barrel," Townley said. "If meth is such a scourge, why did it go on as long as it did?"
But federal prosecutor Jay Woods took Townley's allegations to task.
Woods said there was no evidence that any recording had been altered. He said Townley was "just wrong" about how he characterized agents' actions. One recording had been deleted while being transferred.
He pointed to Honeycutt's own testimony Thursday when he said he didn't remember conversations he had with police telling them that he and his brother Tony Dewayne Honeycutt "didn't ask" customers what they used the product for and the customers "didn't tell."
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's that kind of deliberate ignorance that makes this defendant guilty," Woods said.
Honeycutt called local police in 2008, telling them that people who appeared "edgy" were buying up his stock of Polar Pure. He wanted to know if it could be used to make methamphetamine.
He was told it was often used for that purpose.
His sales went from two bottles in 2008 to 21,000 over the next two years. Woods estimated the profit at nearly $270,000.
Honeycutt handled inventory, orders and some sales of the iodine. He and his brother made all but 16 of 13,000 sales over that period.
Contact staff writer Todd South at firstname.lastname@example.org or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @tsouthCTFP


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Consumer sentiment slips in June but still remains high
ANN ARBOR—Consumer confidence in June slipped to its lowest level since President Trump was elected, although the overall level still remains quite favorable, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.
The average level of the Sentiment Index during the first half of 2017 was 96.8, the best half-year average since the second half of 2000, and the partisan gap between Democrats and Republicans stood at 39 Index-points in June, nearly identical to the 38 point gap in February, according to U-M economist Richard Curtin, who directs the surveys.
The partisan divide still meant that June’s Sentiment Index of 95.1 was nearly equal to both the average (95.7) between the optimism of Republicans and the pessimism of Democrats and the value for Independents (94.6). Even with a much-improved 2nd quarter, personal consumption spending is expected to advance during 2017 by about 2.3 percent.
Conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research since 1946, the surveys monitor consumer attitudes and expectations. The data are available non-exclusively via Bloomberg.
“The most important policies to consumers are those that directly or indirectly affect their jobs, incomes and their financial security,” Curtin said. “Fortunately, the heightened concerns consumers now express about future prospects for the economy have thus far been offset by the renewed strength in their personal financial situation.
“The combination of continuing improvements in personal finances and increasing concerns about the economic outlook is typical around cyclical peaks. Nonetheless, the data provide no indication of an imminent downturn nor do the data provide any indication of a resurgent boom in spending.”
Personal finances reach decade peak
The highest number of consumers reported an improved financial situation in June than at any time since November 2000. The financial strength was due to gains in incomes as well as gains in household wealth driven by rising stock prices and home values. Just one in 10 households in the June 2017 survey expected their household finances to worsen in the year ahead. Overall, personal finances were brighter than at anytime in the last decade.
Partisan economic outlook
Selective perception of economic news still dominates as 80 percent of Democrats reported unfavorable developments, while 87 percent of Republicans reported favorable developments. Democrats reported negative references to government economic policies at about the same rate as last month, but Republicans voiced half as many positive references as they did in the prior month. Overall, for the first time since Trump was elected, more consumers expected a downturn sometime in the next five years than expected an uninterrupted expansion.
Consumer Sentiment Index
The Consumer Sentiment Index was 95.1 in June 2017, between the 97.1 in May and the 93.5 in last June’s survey. The Current Conditions Index was 112.5 in June, just above May’s 111.7 and last June’s 110.8. The Expectations Index declined to 83.9 in June from 87.7 in May but was above last June’s 82.4. The Expectations Index fell to its lowest value since just prior to Trump’s election.
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The Surveys of Consumers is a rotating panel survey based on a nationally representative sample that gives each household in the coterminous U.S. an equal probability of being selected. Interviews are conducted throughout the month by telephone. The minimum monthly change required for significance at the 95-percent level in the Sentiment Index is 4.8 points; for Current and Expectations Indices the minimum is 6 points.


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There are plenty of high-priced homes in the Seattle, WA area, and it seems more of these mega-homes are being sold than in the past. One only needs to watch the local papers to see that many of these homes, mansions, really, are fetching prices in the millions of dollars. A recent story took a look at this trend:
“$3 million, $5 million — whatever your definition of a luxury home may be, sales in the Seattle metro area are up. An eight-bedroom mansion on Mercer Island’s Faben Point fetched last year’s highest price for a home in King County — $13.8 million. The buyer, whose identity was concealed through a shell company, paid cash, public records show. Brokers say the buyer is from China and will use it as a family home.”
Source: High-end home sales booming as tech execs, foreign buyers shell out millions by Sanjay Bhatt.
While this sale took the top prize in price, the next highest priced sale came in at a whopping $11.2 million for a home on Hunts Point waterfront. Nice, if you have that kind of money.
But most of those living in and around Seattle do not have bundles of money to spend on a new home, or even for renovations to their existing home. This is one reason why when it comes to flooring installation, Seattle homeowners always look for the best service and a price that is reasonable.
It is true that when considering flooring installation, Seattle residents have many options, but consumers want to know that their new flooring installation will be completed properly. In order for this to happen, consumers need to hire flooring installers who know what they are doing. They also want to know that those who come into their homes will treat the home and the homeowner with respect and integrity. Again, when it comes to flooring installation, Seattle residents want the best in service and price. The challenge, of course, is to find a local flooring store that also provides outstanding flooring installation services.
Those who may need access to professional flooring installation in Seattle can visit with Completely Floored in Everett, WA and get answers to any flooring installation questions that they may have. This would include flooring installation of carpet, hardwood, tile, or vinyl sheet goods. Knowing in advance that the flooring store you buy from is also able to professionally install your flooring can go a long way in relieving stress.