text:
Can you play the metaverse now?
Ways You Can Access the Metaverse. Strictly speaking, there is no one way to access the Metaverse. The concept doesn’t fully exist yet since it will require a single universal world that is interconnected like the Internet. So there is no single app named the Metaverse that can be opened.Feb 19, 2022
Is Facebook metaverse available now?
Horizon Worlds is available in the United States and Canada for now. Since changing its name to Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook has opened up its first project to all adults over the age of 18 in the U.S. and Canada.Dec 10, 2021
What is Facebook metaverse called?
Facebook on Thursday announced that it is opening up Horizon Worlds, its virtual reality world of avatars, to anyone 18 and older in the U.S. and Canada. The broader launch of Horizon Worlds is an important step for Facebook, which officially changed its name to Meta in October.Dec 9, 2021
How does the metaverse work?
While defying precise definition, the metaverse is generally regarded as a network of 3-D virtual worlds where people can interact, do business, and forge social connections through their virtual “avatars.” Think about it as a virtual reality version of today’s internet.Apr 5, 2022
Which wallet has metaverse?
Metamask, Math Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, Enjin Wallet, and Alpha Wallet possess a distinct set of capabilities for the metaverse.Feb 18, 2022
Is metaverse ETP a good investment?
Metaverse ETP price prediction for 2031 is $1.9. While ETP will provide a good return over the entire period, it will not reach its previous all-time high of $6.24. ETP will be profitable for long-term investors, with the price expected to reach a high of $2.17 and a low of $1.83.
Can I build my own metaverse?
What do you need for a metaverse?
There’s no agreement you’ll need VR or AR to get to the metaverse but they pretty much go hand in hand. That suggests these headsets will be compatible with whatever’s on offer. A new wave of VR and mixed reality headsets are expected this year from Meta, Sony, Apple and maybe others.Mar 27, 2022
What does the metaverse do?
The metaverse is “an integrated network of 3D virtual worlds.” These worlds are accessed through a virtual reality headset — users navigate the metaverse using their eye movements, feedback controllers or voice commands.23 May 2022
What is the metaverse and why?
“The term Metaverse is used to describe a combination of the virtual reality and mixed reality worlds accessed through a browser or headset, which allows people to have real time interactions and experiences across distance.11 May 2022
What is the metaverse for dummies?
A metaverse, to put it simply, is a space where humans can participate in a shared virtual universe. The term originated from the novel â€˜Snow Crashâ€™ by Neal Stephenson, where humans interact with each other as avatars.in a 3D space.
What is the metaverse in a nutshell?
So, which is the objective of a Metaverse? The main goal is to replicate reality in an immersive virtual world where you can experience sociability, entertainment, education, and any application people imagine. There are a lot of projects in progress. However, we will highlight those that are currently relevant.19 Apr 2022
Is metaverse built on blockchain?
Web 3.0 will be the foundation for the metaverse. It will consist of blockchain-enabled decentralized applications that support an economy of user-owned crypto assets and data.Apr 13, 2022
Is metaverse built on Ethereum?
Decentraland is a three-dimensional virtual reality platform built on the Ethereum blockchain that stands at the forefront of this growing metaverse trend. It is decentralized and run by the community, providing full ownership to the users of their virtual assets.Mar 14, 2022
What is the metaverse made of?
These three elements — a VR interface, digital ownership, and avatars — still feature prominently in current conceptions of the metaverse.Mar 6, 2022
What is metaverse platform?
A metaverse platform is a virtual platform that allows developers to create everything from virtual reality to augmented reality. Metaverse is a technology segment that has come to a long way and investments by top tech companies like the Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Epic Games, have helped accelerate its growth.May 28, 2022


text:
The rise of esports continues.
A new report looking at the global esports market prepared by Newzoo – which provides market intelligence for games, esports, and mobile – shows a significant increase in the trajectory of the virtual sporting market, particularly in Poland where the country aims to pitch itself as an innovator in the industry.
Esports, typically involving a video game competition between professional players or teams, has recently experienced a huge boom in popularity. The report states that there is currently a global audience of 454 million people, expected to increase to 647 million amidst a trajectory of technology advancement and involvement. According to the report, the Polish market is currently gaining worldwide attention, and with over 1,000 players and 2.8 million fans the country is ranked 23rd in the world.
“The esport market in Poland looks very promising. Our observations show that it is one of the most dynamically developing esports markets in the world,” said Adrian Kostrzebski the director of regional development at ESL Polska (Electronic Sports League). “The Intel Extreme Masters, which is held every year in Spodek in Katowice, certainly helps us. It is the driving force of the entire esports industry.”
The Intel Extreme Masters is indeed a strong indicator of the current trends in the Polish esports market. In its first year in 2013, the event attracted 50,000 fans over two days, yet at the event held at the beginning of this year over 174,000 flocked to what is now a five-day event. A record 232 million viewers watched the event through digital platforms in 21 different languages.
According to Mr Kostrzebski, Poland is aiming to create a production hub in the country and to become a pioneer of the esports market. “The experience and skills of Polish employees have been noticed around the world. We want these competences to develop,” he said.
The development of the industry is likely to fuel labour market growth. This year, 82 per cent of total market revenue came from brand investments in the form of media rights, advertising and sponsorship, which is growing at 15 per cent annually. The Polish market is currently estimated at 50 million zloty (13 million US dollars), yet with the global market expected to rise to two billion US dollars by 2022, Poland’s market will likely follow suit, doubling in less than three years.
The Newzoo report states that the golden age of esports is well underway, and notes that there is currently a scramble for companies to assure brand loyalties before market saturation. There is a big focus on individual branding of teams and leagues as many are aiming to get into the market now, ensuring that they capitalise on current growth trends. For Poland, its current plans to foster development within the industry come at a perfect time.

domain: news


text:
A Microsoft student promotion that slashes 91% off a copy of Office Ultimate applies to anyone with a .edu email address—and most universities offer .edu addresses to their alumni for free. Microsoft Office Ultimate, which retails for $680, is available to students for only $60 until May 16th. But if you can snag a .edu address, you too can cash in on the deal—all you have to do is get yourself an alumni email address at your alma mater. The promotion’s web site says you have to prove you’re enrolled in coursework, but the New York Times reports that a senior VP at Microsoft confirmed all you need is an .edu email address. Let us know if you snag the deal and how it goes in the comments.
AU – Microsoft’s Australian “It’s Not Cheating” site is promoting a student rate of $75 for Office Ultimate which is valid until 15 May.


text:
Cocoa carriers embark on indefinite strike at various depots
Cocoa Board, CMC proposal rejected
Ghana is a key supplier of cocoa beans
Chairman for the Tema, Takoradi, and Kumasi Cocoa Carriers, Raymond Atinga, has rejected a proposal made by the management of the Cocoa Marketing Company and Ghana Cocoa Board to increase pay for the haulage of cocoa bags.
The proposal, according to a Joy Business report is an increase from 62 to 82 pesewas for carried bags of cocoa beans which is a 20 pesewas difference.
But Chairman of the Cocoa Carriers, Raymond Atinga speaking after a crunch meeting with cocoa regulators described the proposal as woefully inadequate citing the cumbersome nature of their work.
“We are not accepting the 82 pesewas and will not go back to work if the 1 cedi proposal is not given to us. We’re saying this because cost of transportation has gone up, rent has gone up, utility bills and living conditions are up but they continue to pay as the meagre amount of money for the work done,” he told Joy Business.
Atinga added regulators must ensure that their demand for better service conditions and an increase in carried bags of cocoa beans will be addressed for cocoa carriers who are about 5,000 across the country.
“The effect is that government will suffer… because it will affect most of the public workers, police, soldiers, because they are being paid through cocoa money,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, there are fears that cocoa beans that are expected to be exported through Ghana’s main cocoa trading centres, risk being left to rot as haulage operations have been suspended at various depots in the country.
The Cocoa Carriers during this week have embarked on an indefinite strike in protest of better conditions of service and a pay increase for bags carried.
Should the situation persist, its effect will be on the export of Ghana’s cocoa to the world market which could hamper trade earnings from the commodity.


text:
Gardening information, publications, gardening news and community events from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Travis County.
Monday, April 1, 2013
April 23rd: MarketReady Workshop for Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Producers
AUSTIN – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present its MarketReady Training Program for area farmers, ranchers and food producers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 23 at the AgriLife Extension office for Travis County, 1600 Smith Road, Austin.
“The MarketReady Training program addresses the market-development risks and relationships small farmers and ranchers must manage as they seek to develop supplier relationships with restaurants, grocery, wholesale and food-service buyers,” said Daphne Richards, AgriLife Extension agent for Travis County and program coordinator.
A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program to help South Central Texas area farmers and ranchers get ready to market their products to restaurants, grocery stores and other food-oriented businesses will be held April 23 at the AgriLife Extension office in southeast Austin. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
Richards said the training will address building communications and relationships packaging, labeling, pricing, supply, delivery, quality assurance, storage, invoicing, insurance, marketing and more.
“The morning portion for the training will focus on selling to restaurants,” said Francisco Abello, AgriLife Extension agricultural economist in College Station, one of the program presenters. “This will be followed by lunch, then afternoon sessions to focus on grocery and wholesale sales.”
Abello said the training would help small-scale and other food producers learn effective practices for approaching and selling to businesses such as restaurants, caterers and grocery stores or chains.
The $35 registration fee covers lunch, refreshments and all training materials.
Attendees should register online at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2604. On the registration site, use the keyword “market” and Austin for the location.
For more information about course content, contact Abello at 979-847-5805 or email@example.com.


text:
Eight thrifty teens visited the Goodwill Headquarters on Tuesday to learn the story behind our retail stores. During their day at Goodwill the students listened to a presentation all about Goodwill, went on a tour of our headquarters and visited the Queens outlet store.
These students from KIPP High School in the Bronx are participating in the “Ethic of Wise Use” summer program, a fashion camp that teaches students the ethics of thrifting and clothing design techniques. Sammy Davis, thrifting enthusiast and fashion blogger who accompanied the students, helped to develop this program in partnership with the Institute of American Values (IAV).
Sammy and the eight fashionistas arrived at our Goodwill Headquarters along with fashion instructor Lesley Ware and IAV scholar Bernadette McHenry to learn about the secondhand fashion and nonprofit industries. Since many of these students came to our headquarters only knowing Goodwill as a thrift shop, we wanted to tell them the story behind each store.
During a presentation from Director of Communications, Jose Medellin, and Goodwill‘s summer intern Alyssa Raiola, students learned about the various programs and services that Goodwill‘s retail store profits help fund. Students were amazed to hear that 92 cents of every dollar earned at our stores supports Goodwill‘s mission, programs and services.
Feeling inspired and newly educated, the students and their chaperones headed off for a tour of the Astoria Goodwill headquarters. Goodwill‘s Director of Retail Operations, Vicki Nicki gave the students a tour of the donation and work centers.
The girls stared in awe at the mass of donations in our warehouse and smiled as they waved hello to our clients in the work center. Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) Director, Celina Cavalluzzi also spoke with students about our mental health recovery program.
Finally, we took the students up to our Youth Services Department, where some of the girls really enjoyed themselves. After learning all about our summer camp and after-school programs, one student asked for information to become a volunteer for our youth services. Many of the other students expressed similar interest after visiting some of our adorable campers.
Throughout the tour one of the student’s teachers and IAV scholar, Bernadette McHenry reminded the students why Goodwill‘s mission is so connected to what they are learning at the “Ethic of Wise Use” summer program. “Thrift means to thrive,” she kept saying.
Here at Goodwill, that is exactly what we do. We help our clients overcome challenges and barriers in their everyday lives so they can work and thrive within their communities.
After a day of learning all about the services and mission of our organization, the girls were ready to visit the part of Goodwill that they know best: our retail stores. Armed with Goodwill gift cards thrifting bags, the students hit the Queens outlet store (47-47 Van Dam St., Long Island City, NY, 11101) for an exciting afternoon of thrifting.
At the outlet store, staff members refill the item bins four times per day. The students eagerly rushed around the stores to find the best deals along with the mass of other outlet shoppers.
The girls left our headquarters and outlet store a little more educated and a little trendier: a perfect combination of what we do here at Goodwill!
For more photos from the thrifty-teens tour of Goodwill visit our Facebook page!
Alyssa Raiola is a Journalism student at Northwestern University where she spends her time writing for campus publications, searching for new restaurants, and picking the perfect Instagram filters. Although she loves jogging along Lake Michigan and exploring the Windy City, her heart lies back home in New Jersey where pizza is the right shape and bagels are a delicacy. This summer, she’s back in the Big Apple interning and blogging with Goodwill Industries before she heads off to Seville, Spain to study abroad for the fall semester.
Latest post from AGoodLook: Perfect Peek-a-Boo Heels


text:
Oppo A15s goes on sale in India, check price, specifications, features, and more
You can buy Oppo’s new A15s budget smartphone in India starting today. Check price, full specifications, and top features of the handset here.
Oppo on Monday said its newly launched A15s is available for sale in India starting today. Priced at ₹11,490, Oppo A15s is available through Amazon India and other retail outlets across India. The phone comes in black, white, and silver colour options.
Oppo is bundling a 5% cashback for ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Federal Bank and Zest Money. There is also a 10% discount for HDFC Bank customers purchasing the phone via Amazon. There are also no-cost EMI options available on the new Oppo smartphone.
Oppo A15s Specifications
The handset comes with a 6.52-inch HD+ display with a notch on top. It has 89% screen-to-body ratio. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek's Helio P35 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage.
The smartphone sports a triple camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. It also comes with an 8-megapixel front camera for selfies. Top camera features of the phone are night mode, time-lapse, slow-motion and AI-based beautification.
Powered by a 4,230mAh battery, Oppo A15s houses a rear fingerprint sensor. On the software front, it runs on Android 10 with ColorOS 7.2 layered on top with features such as system-wide dark mode, icon pull-down gesture and 3-finger scrolling screenshot.
Oppo A15s comes shortly after the company launched Oppo A15 in India. Oppo A15 starts at ₹9,490 for the base model with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage in India.
Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


text:
Hawaii Restaurant Costs
The Big Squeeze: Restaurants are paying more for everything and they know you don’t want to.
(page 1 of 2)
by John Heckathorn; Illustration by Michael Byers
People complain to me about restaurant prices all the time. “It’s getting hard for two people to go out to dinner somewhere and stay under $100,” someone recently said. “Since when did entrées start costing $40?”
“The sad truth is that, if we put a steak on the plate for $40, we still don’t make our margin,” says D.K. Kodama, who owns Vino Italian Tapas, Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas and dk Steakhouse.
Consider this: Beef prices are at an all-time high, up more than 12 percent from 2010. It’s going to get more expensive. Ranchers have reduced their herds. The cattle inventory in the United States is the lowest it’s been since the 1950s, largely because corn, the most common cattle feed, has doubled in price.
It’s not just beef: The costs of chicken, turkey, pork and veal are all up. The price for fish is skyrocketing, especially in Hawaii, where the seasonal ban against bottom fishing is underway, meaning there’s no local supply of such popular fish as onaga, ehu and opakapaka.
“Even frozen mahimahi has gone through the roof,” says Russell Siu, who finds cost increases hitting both his white-tablecloth restaurant, 3660 On The Rise, and his casual Kakaako Kitchen. “High-end, low-end, it’s all the same. Even greens are more expensive.”
The rise in food costs is exacerbated by the rising cost of fuel. Deliveries now charge for gas. That’s true on the Mainland, but, in Hawaii, the problem is even more noteworthy, since so much of what Island restaurants have on the table, from salt shakers to wine, has to be shipped here.
“Matson’s fuel surcharge just went up again, to 43.5 percent,” says Gail Ann Chew, executive director of the Hawaii Restaurant Association. “Our guys end up eating that cost.”
“I try to buy local, but I must pay for the gas. It’s totally crazy,” says George Mavrothalassitis, of Chef Mavro. His food costs are up 20 percent. “It’s the worst situation in my 23 years here.”
“Our cost increases are frightening,” says Randy Schoch, whose Desert Island Restaurants owns the Romano’s Macaroni Grills and Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses here. “In fact, I’m frightened right now.”
Food costs are not the only issue. “We have a vegan dish available at Tiki’s,” says Tiki’s Grill and Bar partner Bill Tobin. “The other night a customer scolded me for charging her so much for vegetables she could have bought for $5.”
Tobin finally had to say it wasn’t just the veggies. “We’re paying rent for oceanview property in Waikiki. When people think of the cost of a home-cooked meal, they never factor in what they’re paying for their house. Not to mention our labor costs.”
The runaway cost for restaurants, as it is for many businesses, is healthcare. “I swear our healthcare costs have doubled over the last three years,” says Schoch. “Those are dollars we will never recover.”
Göran Streng has a small, popular restaurant called Tangö in the bottom of the Hokua condominium. “You won’t believe it,” he says. “Healthcare for my little place now costs $80,000 a year.”
So restaurant prices have to go up?
That’s hard in the middle of a recession.
“Raising prices is the kiss of death,” says Schoch. “The customer doesn’t care: He wants only to pay so much for a meal, whether it’s a ribeye at Ruth’s Chris or lasagna at Macaroni. Your problems aren’t his problem.”
“We want Tiki’s to stay a full step below the high end,” says Tobin. “We monitor what’s said about us on the Internet and already local people complain we are expensive, so raising prices isn’t a good option for us.”
“I have half local customers and half visitors. The visitors don’t think we are expensive; local people think we are very,” says Mavro. “I can’t raise my prices and lose half my customers. I need local customers.”
“We have many local restaurants that haven’t raised their prices in three or four years,” says the HRA’s Chew.
That’s where the squeeze comes in.
“I’m not going to make budget this year,” says Mavro. “And it’s not revenue. Our revenues are up.”
“Revenue isn’t profit,” says Streng. “You work super hard, and after you’ve paid everyone at the end of the month, there’s not much left for you.”
“We’re OK,” says Schoch, “because we’ve paid our debt down. But where are the new restaurants going to come from? You can’t start a restaurant now, because you can’t promise investors a decent return.”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s always been brutal to get a return in this business,” says Dave Stewart, of Bar 35, Bambu2 and Brasserie Du Vin. Stewart admits that having major bar business is a help. “When times are good, people drink because they’re happy,” he says. “Times are bad, they drink because they are sad. We’re up 13 percent this year.”


text:
The energy industry is a critical player in creating a sustainable economy and leading us towards a carbon-neutral energy system. Lowering our carbon footprint is largely done by replacing fossil-based fuels with renewable energy. This is where energy companies and electric vehicles can join forces to create a superpower.
Not only does electric vehicle (EV) charging create new revenue streams, but it can be used as a tool for stabilizing the grid when renewable energy production causes volatility. Still, EVs can’t realize their full potential without energy suppliers— and vice versa.
And it’s not only energy companies that are driving the EV revolution. The competition is growing fierce and several industries are attempting to capture EV charging market share. Currently, there is no clear leader, which is why now is the most opportune time to lead the transformation.
Energy utility companies have an upper hand when it comes to offering new solutions because they already manage most customer touchpoints and data. It’s just a question of leveraging these advantages in time, while there’s still a piece of the EV charging pie available.
The synergistic role of the energy and mobility industries in Europe
In Europe, adopting circular economy principles will not only benefit society and the environment, but an estimated €1.8 trillion in economic growth could be unlocked by 2030.
According to the European Union’s (EU) Circular Economy Action Plan, to achieve climate neutrality goals, the synergies between circularity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions need to be beefed up. This will rely heavily on both the energy and mobility sectors.
Transport represents almost a quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions, which means that boosting e-mobility is crucial to achieving climate change goals.
One example of the measures already taken is the EU’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which includes:
- Applying product-as-service solutions to reduce virgin material consumption
- Using sustainable alternative transport fuels
- Optimising infrastructure and vehicle use
- Increasing occupancy rates and load factors
- Eliminating waste and pollution.
The closing window of opportunity in the e-mobility revolution
The EV market is growing approximately 40-80% annually, depending on the market area. Moreover, global political trends and carbon-neutral regulations are fast-tracking the development of e-mobility and smart energy management solutions.
In Europe, countries are rapidly making the transformation. During the fourth quarter of 2020, nearly one in six passenger cars in the European Union (EU) was registered as an EV.
Additionally, the EU’s CO2 standards are requiring that carmakers reach 10% EV sales share in 2021 or face fines. This means the number of EVs in Europe will at least double in the coming years. By 2025, there will be 13 million EVs in Europe and by 2030, that figure is estimated to exceed 44 million.
The EU also has a 750 billion euro stimulus package that includes 20 billion euros dedicated to boosting the sales of clean vehicles. There are already plans to use those funds towards installing 1 million electric and hydrogen vehicle charging stations by 2025.
Many countries are also directing their own national economic recovery investments to build the necessary EV charging infrastructures for future electric vehicle charging.
If you’d like to dig deeper into current EV market statistics and forecasts, check out our Global EV Market Overview Guide.
Fierce competition in the electric car charging market
Funding opportunities, government backing, and the exploding electric vehicle market are just a few reasons why EV charging is a no-brainer for any company willing to innovate and invest early.
The real estate, automotive, and retail industries are just a few of the sizable competitors getting in the game.
Let’s take the petrol sector as an example. As more countries commit to phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, the petrol industry is in dire need of transforming their business model.
Shell, BP, Chevron, and other giant petrol companies are starting to embrace the idea of offering their customers EV charging.
In 2017, Royal Dutch Shell acquired NewMotion, Europe’s largest EV charging network. As of 2021, NewMotion already has 30 000 public charging points and a customer base of over 80 000 EV drivers.
In 2018, BP followed suit and acquired Chargemaster, the UK’s largest EV charging network. BP also invested heavily in FreeWire Technologies (develops EV fast chargers) and StoreDot (EV-battery developer). Within a year, BP launched the first BP-branded charging station in the UK and plans to roll out dozens more in the next few years.
How smart charging supports renewable energy production and helps balance the grid
Challenge: How can the energy industry use smart EV charging to support renewable energy?
To combat climate change, we need renewable energy and to electrify every part of our society. We all know that renewables cause volatility to our energy systems. They require flexibility and demand response elements to keep the system stable, reliable, and reasonably priced.
In the past, you could pair intermittent demand for electricity against a non-intermittent supply of generation (e.g. coal or gas power stations). When you pair an intermittent supply (solar and wind) against an intermittent demand, energy supply often does not meet demand.
Solution: Smart EV charging
Smart EV charging doesn’t only present a new business model for the energy industry, but it can be a tool for supporting renewable energy and balancing the grid.
Electricity storage can help balance these impacts. This is where electric cars come into play. EVs can provide a critical source of flexibility in our energy system and help stabilize the unpredictability caused by renewable energy production.
Smart EV charging makes optimal use of the energy available during a certain period of time (e.g. storing energy during the day when production is typically high and utilizing the stored energy in the evening, when consumption peaks).
To further the flexibility and effectiveness of smart charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology enables a car’s charged power to be momentarily pushed back to the grid, in order to balance variations in energy production and consumption.
“For utility companies, this means that EVs offers low-cost energy storage, with no capital cost and reasonable operating costs.”
How can energy companies ride the proverbial EV charging wave?
As cliche as it may sound, timing is everything in this race. The EV charging market is reaching a tipping point and is quickly getting saturated with various industries and companies. This is why timing is of the essence.
Luckily for energy utility companies, they already have access to critical data and customer touchpoints, which can speed up the process for launching an EV charging business. Another way to accelerate entering the EV charging market is by partnering up with EV charging industry leaders like Virta.
Virta is the leading EV charging platform in Europe. Virta can help you fast-track the process of launching your smart EV charging business with our easy and cost-effective charging solutions.
Our Charging Business as a Service gives you the ability to offer EV charging under your brand, while we handle all the complexities of running the service. Your branded smart EV charging solution can be running in a matter of days, rather than months.
To learn more about how smart EV charging can work for you, check out this comprehensive guide we book together: “How to transform your energy business with electric vehicle charging.”


text:
Polarbit, developers of a lot of great 3D games for Android such as Reckless Racing, has just released a nice preview video of their upcoming title called Reckless Getaway. Essentially a second installment to the ‘Reckless’ series of games, instead of being on the tracks racing, you’re in the streets.
Like a lot of recent console racing games, Reckless Getaway puts you on the streets instead of on the race tracks, tearing up the roads and trying to get away from the police. The game features the same style of graphics and point-of-view that are found in Reckless Racing so anyone who has played that will be familiar already with Reckless Getaway’s play style.
We actually previewed this game awhile back and Polarbit has just released a second video preview for Reckless Racing. So sit back and enjoy the preview video! No word yet on when it will be available on the Android Market or for how much. All we know is that it will be available ‘soon’.
Developer Website: Polarbit


text:
Last Smith film on DVD in May
EmptyAnna Nicole Smith's last movie, "Illegal Aliens," will be released on DVD in May. MTI Home Video, the independent DVD distributor that is releasing the film, said Tuesday that it is not capitalizing on the tabloid queen's recent death.
"Prior to her unfortunate death, the film was already announced and being sold to key retail accounts, and a May 2007 release was slated," MTI spokesman Ed Baran said.
Baran said the film's DVD release already has been delayed once, when Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel, died. Daniel Smith had served as associate producer of "Aliens," Baran said. When he died, production company Edgewood Studios, MTI and Smith "held off the release … and were planning to dedicate the film to him this May."
A publicity campaign with Anna was planned as well. "We were working with her and her people on PR literally a week before she died," Baran said.
"Aliens" is a sci-fi comedy about three aliens who morph into attractive young women on a mission to save Earth from intergalactic forces of evil. Guided by a holographic mentor, the girls — led by Smith — go through all sorts of campy adventures but ultimately succeed.
A trailer of the film is available at www.edgewoodstudios.com.
"Aliens" was directed by David Giancola from Edgewood Studios and stars Smith, Joanie Laurer (former WWE wrestler Chyna), Lenise Soren ("Eve," "Nightmare") and Gladys Jimenez (TV's "Tremors," "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "The Young and the Restless").
The DVD comes with filmmaker commentary, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes and bloopers.


text:
The conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation and labor shortages are raising the price of oil and butter, writes the Israeli “The Marker”. However, these are far from the only products that are increasing in price globally. The authors of the article indicate which products are most at risk of price increases and explain the reasons for this.
Let’s start with lettuce: beloved by many people (as well as rabbits), the humble lettuce made headlines last year after it suddenly disappeared from many fast food chains around the world. Bad weather, combined with supply issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to shortages and skyrocketing prices.
In Australia, for example, the cheapest iceberg lettuce costs 12 Australian dollars. The local company KFC announced that it will no longer put lettuce leaves in its chicken sandwiches, but a mixture of lettuce and coleslaw. The scandal was so great that the Prime Minister had to intervene. “Cabbage is not a salad, it’s a crazy decision,” he said, adding quite seriously that such a crisis requires the intervention of the state.
A few months later, unprecedented floods inundated the lands of the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, after which the prices of many vegetables rose. They were expensive even before the disaster due to labor shortages and high fuel prices.
In the US, lettuce prices have also been rising for a decade, mostly due to natural disasters. But since 2020, the increase is accelerating. In 2012, Americans paid $1.50 for a kilogram of lettuce, and in 2022, the price will already exceed $3. And it keeps getting more expensive. At the beginning of the epidemic, the McDonalds chain removed lettuce from its menu in North America. Many other chains and retailers still don’t have them. A trend has already been noticed: customers of these establishments have begun to buy fewer meals at a time. Inflation may be to blame for this.
In recent months, food prices in Europe have risen significantly due to the conflict in Ukraine. But the most alarming is the increase in the price of butter, without which neither confectioners nor sauce producers can do, which is accepted in European cuisine.
Oil prices have been rising for a long time, and in June they broke all records – in Europe it was sold at an average price of 8 euros per kilogram. Before that, the jump in prices and the increase in demand were also provoked by European bureaucrats: about ten years ago, health officials declared that butter was not worse than margarine, but even better, and its consumption increased. At the same time, demand has almost tripled in China, whose citizens have become fond of butter-rich sweets. Milk production in New Zealand, the main importer to Asia, has been falling, and China has started buying butter from other countries, including Europe.
In 2015, EU officials decided to abolish milk production quotas. Farmers rushed to produce it and flooded the market to the point where it collapsed, causing them to stop milking cows and prices rose again, peaking in 2017. The market managed to stabilize just before the coronavirus hit, which led to the closure of patisseries and cafes, the suspension of tourist visits to farms and the collapse of the entire supply chain. As a result, production fell even more than demand – and prices rose again. And in 2022, the record from 2017 was broken and a liter of milk in the EU already costs 7 euros on average.
The largest importer and consumer of avocados in the world is the United States. In the last 20 years, consumption has quadrupled and continues to grow at 6% per year. In Europe, consumption increased fivefold over the same period. In other parts of the world, avocados are also being consumed more and more.
First of all, many people like the breakfast “guacamole”. Second, based on a number of studies, doctors are trumpeting to everyone that avocados contain a host of vitamins, as well as antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, fiber, healthy fats, and more. That’s more than enough for people in North America to buy avocados from supermarkets, even without considering the rising prices.
Sensing the easy profit, farmers all over the world began to grow this “green gold”. Latin American coffee growers, weary of the volatility of their market, have turned to growing avocados, whose trees are less demanding.
There’s just one problem: avocados may be good for the human body, but they’re bad for the planet’s ecology. The mass planting of avocados in Central America has destroyed large areas of rainforest, and with it the diversity of flora and fauna characteristic of the region. As this leads to soil erosion and deterioration of soil quality, farmers are increasingly using herbicides and pesticides.
Avocados also absorb much more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than other vegetation, and areas of concentrated cultivation in Mexico have seen higher temperatures and less rainfall. Farmers here use up more than 9 billion liters of groundwater per day for irrigation, drying out the region.
As a result, environmentalists have been clamoring for less guacamole, but to no avail: the wholesale price of avocados has risen in 2022 to almost $3,500 a ton (this time due to production cuts in Mexico and California), surpassing the previous record of $3,000 per ton placed in the year of the global pandemic.


text:
For many people, records (in our Dark Lord’s year 2020) are one of those things that you either “get” or just don’t. While its resurgence has spawned its fair share of hateful abuse asking why we fall for them greatest fraud ever played on us by the hands of The music industry apparently exists (not an obstacle for those who advocate the music industry) Sound quality and Vintage aesthetic that comes with the format.
According to a new report 2020 marks the first year that vinyl record sales have outpaced their CD counterparts’ sales since the mid-1980s. Record sales in the first half of 2020 were just over $ 232 million in the music industry, compared to CDs, which barely squeaked below around $ 130 million.
If your first question here is – like mine – why the hell do people still buy over $ 100 million worth of CDs, inveterate because the format will quickly tell you all the reasons why it is far superior to vinyl. As an audiophile community from Reddit mention, thatYour average CD is just cheaper than most vinyl LPs, not to mention the portable and comparable sound. Ultimately, however, this audio format fan club has been dwindling for years: as Rolling Stone reported As early as 2019, CD sales rates fell about three times as fast as vinyl sales. At the time, the RIAA predicted that record sales would surpass CDs for the first time since 1986 if those numbers were held. And If you wouldn’t know, that’s exactly what happened.
The real money is still flowing, of course. The more than $ 200 million vinyl sales in the first half of this year didn’t hold in check the roughly $ 4.8 billion that streaming services like Spotify and Pandora brought in over the same period. While these and other streaming services were geared towards making big bucks in 2020, the nation’s lockdowns have boosted those profits Full speed. Browsing records at your favorite store has been all but impossible for the nation’s die-hard collectors for the past several months. Sales of all physical formats fell overall, accounting for about a quarter of the profits they had made last year. According to the RIAA, sales of LPs, cassettes, and CDs fell from just over $ 485 million in the first half of 2019 to around $ 376 million in the first half of 2020 – a decrease of around 23%.
Does vinyl really sound “richer” and “warmer”? It is important that it beats them go to Format my childhood through extinction at a less rapid pace? Eh. Either way, losing this type of physical media also means bands have fewer opportunities to make ends meet –What is largely closed with venues around the world and streaming services are legendary paying off pathetic return. Unless we bring back the earlier punk / pop / insert-your-genre-of-choice shows or the streaming giants take their talent seriously, it becomes increasingly difficult for the hits to come or not, we appreciate them or not.


text:
“Hamburg is a city with a strong international orientation”, explained Thomas Strothotte, president of KLU. “The port serves as a turnstile for goods from around the world and people from more than 180 countries live in our city.” With both KLU and ISH themselves being truly international institutions, the idea was born to invite representatives of Hamburg’s international community to get to know each other, share ideas and discuss opinions on one of the pressing topics of our time: Digital transformation.
The guests listened attentively to Mr. Cole’s explanations on the topic. “It was very enthralling to hear Mr. Cole speak about digital transformation from his point of view”, said Strothotte. KLU has recently established new Key Competence Areas, Digital Transformation for the benefit of transportation, global logistics, and supply chain management being one of them.
Among the guests of the First International Exchange Summit were many consuls general and honorary consuls as well as a number of ambassadors from all over the world as well as representatives of various international clubs in Hamburg.


text:
Latest Freeware Stories
It wasn’t all that long ago that Facebook decided they’d begin testing a feature in their Messenger for iOS app which allowed users to place free calls to one another. Now, less than 2 weeks later, Facebook has said they’ve begun rolling out the feature to all US users.
Facebook is proving once again that they want to be THE way by which we communicate with friends and family with their latest addition to Facebook Messenger.
iFunia launched special promotions with discounted Mac bundles for DVD backup, video conversion, YouTube video downloading, music/movie streaming and more for 2012 Christmas movie season.
- A trick or prank.


text:
Podcast: All You Need To Know About Entering The OTC Marketing Awards 2021
Thinking about entering the OTC Marketing Awards 2021? This podcast covers all you need to know about key dates and deadlines, the various award categories and also offers helpful tips for putting together an entry which will impress the judges.
You may also be interested in...
Nestlé Health Science continues to expand its dietary supplements offering in 2022 penning a deal for New Zealand's The Better Health Company and its GO Healthy brand. The company says the deal will strengthen its presence not just in New Zealand but across the wider APAC region in markets such as Australia and China.
A round-up of the latest European executive appointments: CRN UK hires scientific advisor; EMA management board names vice chair; Boots UK appoints chief digital officer.
French natural consumer health specialist Havea looks set to be snapped up by private-equity firm BC Partners, which has set out a plan to step up the company's M&A and digitization activities.


text:
Although the inventory mostly reveals that generations of UVA librarians have kept extremely good records – no rare volumes of lost Shakespearean works were discovered – there are some interesting takeaways.
Here are three takeaways from the inventory project:
1. Barcodes? What Barcodes?
“To prepare for the upcoming renovation, when Alderman’s collections will be removed from the building, every item has to have a barcode,” Vermillion said.
Alas, many books were not yet barcoded. This doesn’t mean that these items were incorrectly processed; they simply hadn’t been checked out since barcodes were added to the collection in 1988.
“If these items sat on the shelf and never got used, they’re not going to pass our eyes at a circulation desk,” Vermillion said. “Items that we purchased 75 years ago have possibly been sitting on the shelf for a long time, and we have many materials that were purchased before we went electronic.”


text:
Paradise Foods Ltd. to Invest K115 Million this Year
In expanding its business operations, Paradise Foods Ltd. will invest K115 million this year, according to chief executive officer James Rice.
He said that the firm is also introducing new products this year.
“I believe the economy in PNG will remain the same unless some large projects that bring investment and jobs are approved,” he said. “The economy will be tough for everyday Papua New Guineans, so we will not raise our prices on any of our products except for chocolate, we still expect our business to grow but not because the economy grows.”
He added, “We will grow our business by more hard work. The current economic difficulties for PNG is only temporary. Our outlook for the long-term growth of PNG’s economy is still optimistic. The Covid-19 pandemic gave us a pothole in a rising road. Our group will still be investing K115 million in 2021 on expansion and improvements, and we will be launching new products into the market. We still have the potential to grow and so does the country.”
The firm also plans on building a chocolate factory in Lae for its Queen Emma brand. This is expected to draw 75 jobs and support more cocoa farmers - which would also give them the opportunity for production and for growth to begin supplying. The new factory is expected to be 20 times bigger than the factory in Port Moresby, which has 10 tonnes a month.
“We need more farmers to supply our growth,” he said. “We want our chocolate business to be 20 times bigger,” he said. “My passion is I like to create jobs,” he said.


text:
The FTA has asked for the government to extend the Brexit transition period as it believes the challenges posed by COVID-19 will make a smooth transition impossible .
In a statement, the FTA called for a reconsideration of the Brexit transition period as supply chains and logistics were facing ‘unprecedented challenges’ in the face of the pandemic.
Elizabeth de Jong, policy director at FTA, said: “This is not about the relative merits of Brexit, or any trading arrangements which our industry will need to adopt.
“This is purely and simply so the businesses tasked with keeping the UK’s supply chain intact can concentrate on the serious issues which the COVID-19 pandemic is placing on the industry.
“Logistics is facing unprecedented challenges, both in terms of keeping the UK economy supplied with all the goods it needs to function, as well as coping with the increased disruption to staffing levels caused by sickness and self-isolation and concerns about the viability of their businesses.
“Our first priority is always to deliver for our customers, and there is simply not enough capacity available to plan the major structural changes needed to implement a successful departure from the EU, as well as the myriad of other planned legislation changes on the horizon, as well as dealing with unprecedented pressures caused by COVID-19.”
De Jong added that: “Logistics is a flexible industry, but such significant change cannot happen overnight, and there is simply not the capacity for planning and delivery of new legislation at present within the system.
“COVID-19 has created a once-in-a-lifetime emergency situation which needs the full attention of the whole sector – adding in a host of new legislation would place untold, unnecessary pressure on a supply chain that is already stretched. Our industry needs the support of government, not to be broken by it.”


text:
Up till recently, the common meme had it that Apple would devote the next Worldwide Developer’s Conference, scheduled for June 6-10 this year in San Francisco, to touting the latest and greatest Mac OS and iOS technologies. So you’d get an update about the status of Mac OS X Lion, and iOS 5 would likely be demonstrated as well.
What you weren’t supposed to get was new hardware. Unless there’s a major change in the lineup, new Macs are usually heralded with a couple of press releases, a short shut-down of Apple’s online store to revamp the product catalog, and perhaps a few press opportunities with Apple executives. That low-key approach hasn’t really hurt Mac sales. Even those cute Mac versus PC ads are history, but Mac sales are way, way up, particularly in the enterprise where Apple used to be an afterthought, while overall PC sales are flagging.
In recent years, the WWDC has also been used to introduce a new iPhone, but it may well be that it won’t happen this year. Supposed indications of early production of a new iPhone are said to be absent. Since the contract factories Apple uses to assemble such gear aren’t rumored to be stamping out increasing numbers of any new models, it appears the next iPhone won’t arrive until fall.
Print This Article


text:
MIAMI SHORES, FLA. (WSVN) – People have been met with disappointment while shopping for disinfectants at several stores across South Florida after Broward County confirmed its fourth case of the coronavirus.
Some shoppers, like Miami resident Berina Dardy, could not find what they were looking for at their local stores on Tuesday.
“They don’t have no hand sanitizer,” Dardy said. “They don’t even have no Lysol. My truck here, we have to wipe it down. We don’t want no damn coronavirus.”
Hand sanitizer, disinfectant and other household cleaners are considered hot commodities.
People in the community agree that they are more alert when it comes to hygiene, but staying hygienic is difficult with a shortage of supplies.
Aneesh Lakhani, the owner of Garden Drugs in Oakland Park, said the store cannot keep product on their shelves.
“I have sold over 1,000 masks,” Lakhani said. “I have cases and cases of sanitizer. We have some sanitizers for the staff and cleaners to keep the pharmacy clean, but basically none available for sale anymore at this point.”
Suppliers are also limiting what stores can purchase as they try to meet the high demand.
“It’s a typical panic reaction,” a man said.
When asked if she was concerned about the coronavirus, shopper Alejandra Ragastine said, “Of course we are. We have some type of precaution, but it’s kind of difficult.”
7News cameras captured store after store in Miami-Dade and Broward counties with empty shelves that once held cleaning supplies.
“They were here and gone in an instant,” another man said.
There was no hand sanitizer at a CVS Pharmacy along Southwest Eighth Street, and it was a similar sight at a Walgreens on Flagler Street in Miami.
A lone bottle of hand sanitizer was left at a Target in Hollywood. That store also ran out of wipes, and there was a single bottle of Clorox spray on the shelves, a few aisles down.
Some wipes were left at a Publix in Fort Lauderdale. That store is limiting customers to two items.
However, back in Miami Shores, the shelves there were bare, as they were running a buy one, get one deal on Clorox products.
Out of stock stickers lined shelves at a North Miami Walmart. Customers there cannot buy regular hand soap. Then, there are some customers turning their attention to toilet paper and grabbing whatever they can, leaving shelves more bare than usual.
“Nothing at all everywhere,” Ragastine said. “We went to Target, Walgreens, CVS, everywhere, it’s crazy.”
Store representatives said they are being restocked regularly, and consumers will have to remain patient as they fill up their shelves.
“Basically, if you look hard, you can find it,” a woman said. “We found [some products] here.”
State officials are warning Floridians of possible price gouging due to the shortage of supplies.
If you would like to file a report for price gouging, call 1-866-966-7226 or visit www.myflorida.com.
Copyright 2020 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Christmas may come early this year; OnePlus could release six new devices soon
In a tweet, reliable tipster Mukul Sharma shared that in Q3 this year — which is the next three months — OnePlus may release two new phones and two new true wireless earbuds along with them.
[Exclusive] Two new OnePlus TWS are coming soon to India.
1 OnePlus Nord-branded TWS and
1 OnePlus TWS
Expect the launch to happen alongside a couple of upcoming OnePlus smartphones in Q3.
Furthermore, OnePlus Watch 2 and Band 2 are also lined up.
Feel free to retweet.#OnePlus
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) June 24, 2022
Now, Sharma didn’t say the names of these phones, but he did state that one of the earbuds will bear the Nord branding. Currently, the Shenzhen-based company offers a few true wireless earbuds at a low cost and solid sound performance despite their pricing.In our review time with the Nord Buds, we found them to be astonishingly good-sounding for their asking price (and beyond). We were only irked by a noticeable latency, and we hope the next generation fixes that.
Sharma also shared that OnePlus will probably launch the follow-ups to its OnePlus Watch and its fitness band. Unfortunately, the fitness tracker is only sold in India, but we hope that, this time, OnePlus will make its Band 2 available worldwide.
As for the OnePlus Watch 2, we wish that OnePlus has learned from its mistakes when it launched its first-generation smartwatch. At first, the OnePlus Watch had a lot of problems with its fitness tracking. Eventually, the company fixed these issues, but we sincerely hope that this time, the watch will work as intended from the get-go.
In his tweet, Sharma said that these devices are coming to India, so — depending on what release schedule OnePlus has in mind — it may take some time before we can buy the next OnePlus Watch or the new Nord buds.


text:
HTC Continues to Struggle, Amid Weak European Sales, Apple Ban
July 6, 2012 6:25 PM
comment(s) - last by
Sales, profits, fall short of analyst expectations and early forecasts
HTC Corp. (
), Taiwan's largest smartphone maker,
its unaudited results for the second calendar quarter, which ran from April through June. The results were very poor.
Analysts had expected a recovery to a profit of $8.99B TWD [
]. Instead, HTC under-delivered, posting $7.4B TWD ($247.7M USD) in earnings. That's down remarkably from the $17.52B TWD that the company pulled in last year.
Revenue was $91B TWD, less than the $94B TWD predicted by analysts.
A number of factors combined to yield the disappointing quarter for HTC. One negative was a
temporary sales ban in the U.S.
that stalled the release of certain flagship handsets. That sales ban came despite HTC vocally agreeing to comply with an Apple, Inc. (
) feature ban. HTC
removed the infringing feature
, but was treated with a lengthy delay anyhow.
The company was boosted when the
U.S. International Trade Commission
refused to grant
a hasty "emergency" ban
third trade complaint
against it. However, that small victory came as little consolation in the wake of the costly market delay.
But the biggest single factor dragging HTC down was arguably
the weakening European economy
. Amid the U.S. sales ban, HTC was hit by a double whammy when customers in cash-strapped European nations opted to skip purchases.
struggled to compete
with the flagship handsets of Apple and rival South Korean Android manufacturer Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (
). Samsung also struggled with European sales issues, but its much stronger profit margins and global sales led it to an impressive profit outcome.
A weak European market cost HTC, amid stalled U.S. sales. [Image Source: Europe.bg]
Still, all is not lost for HTC, which has grown in multiple since it exploded onto the market in 2010. The former contractor remains a premiere manufacturer, but weakening revenue and profitability have forced it to commit to trimming its workforce. The company said likely 1,000 employees would be cut globally.
HTC's flagship U.S. smartphones -- the
HTC One X
and EVO 4G LTE -- remain quite competitive with Apple and Samsung's product in terms of features, even if they are underappreciated.
Shares of HTC stock were battered over 5 percent in trading on Taipei, Taiwan's stock exchange.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
7/7/2012 11:59:57 AM
The problem with CPUs is that while they cost a lot to develop and build fabs for the per unit production cost is pretty low. It's in chipmaker's best interests to provide inexpensive chips at high volume just as much as it is to provide high end chips at low volume. The profit margin is fairly similar.
If the cheapest Intel CPU was $500 or $1000 they would lose so many sales that it wouldn't make sense for them financially.
7/8/2012 1:15:28 PM
No it isn't in their best interest at all.
If Intel could sell chips at $500 where they now have to sell at $100 with competition, they would take the $500 deal in a heartbeat. Who the hell would want to make 500 times as many products to make the same amount of money???
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
Apple's Samsung Tablet Ban Upheld, HTC Phone Ban is Rejected
July 3, 2012, 6:45 PM
Apple Looks to Bully HTC With Third ITC Complaint, HTC Abandons Offense
June 14, 2012, 2:30 PM
HTC Sees Poor Sales in Europe, But Stronger Than Expected Chinese Sales
June 7, 2012, 7:40 PM
HTC Implements Workaround to Apple's Patent for Evo 4G LTE, One X
May 17, 2012, 4:35 PM
Game Over? Apple's Bid to Kill HTC Nears Fruition as ITC Blocks Imports
May 16, 2012, 11:35 AM
Verizon Wireless Wi-Fi Calling Coming Next Year, Company Sees No Rush to Offer Feature
September 19, 2014, 11:45 AM
Quick Note: Toshiba to Restructure PC Business, Cut 900 Jobs Worldwide
September 18, 2014, 1:40 PM
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 U.S. Pre-orders Start Sept 19, Launches Oct 14
September 18, 2014, 10:15 AM
Amazon Releases New and Refreshed Kindle Fire Tablets, Announces Fire OS 4
September 17, 2014, 10:23 PM
Apple Launches iOS 8 for iPads, iPhones
September 17, 2014, 1:54 PM
Apple Cripples NFC in iPhone 6, 6+ With Developer Ban
September 17, 2014, 1:00 PM
Most Popular Articles
Quick Note: Buy an Xbox One Sept 7-13, Get a Free Game
September 4, 2014, 10:42 AM
Apple Announces Its Smartwatch: The $349 Apple Watch
September 9, 2014, 2:09 PM
Dell Announces "World's Thinnest" Tablet: The Venue 8 7000 Series
September 11, 2014, 8:51 AM
Windows 9's Latest Metro Start Menu Leaks, German Site Accidentally Outs Leaker
September 11, 2014, 8:36 PM
T-Mobile Launches Un-carrier 7.0, Beefs Up Wi-Fi Calling
September 11, 2014, 2:56 PM
Latest Blog Posts
ISIS Imposes Ban on Teaching Evolution in Iraq
Sep 17, 2014, 5:22 PM
Space Terrorism is a Looming Threat For the United States
Apr 23, 2014, 7:47 PM
Facebook Aims to Provide Internet to "Every Person in the World" with Drones, Satellites
Apr 1, 2014, 10:20 AM
Retail Mobile Sites Experience Outages in Light of Simplexity's Bankruptcy
Mar 14, 2014, 8:48 AM
Tesla vs. BMW: Who Has the Safer EV?
Feb 1, 2014, 2:56 PM
More Blog Posts
Copyright 2014 DailyTech LLC. -
Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information


text:
Taxibeat, the Athens-based taxi-app-startup, just secured $ 2 million from unnamed “high-net worth individuals”. The young company, which aims to to revolutionize the taxi industry in cities around the world, today also announced the launch of its taxi app in Mexico – with more than +400 drivers.
This recent launch in Mexico comes exactly one year after Taxibeat’s first international expansion, to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), on July 2012. And a year after the Rio-launch, Taxibeat already seems to be the #1 taxi hailing app in Rio (in terms of volume of rides & revenues). Learn more about Taxibeat and check out the interview we did with its CEO Nick Drandakis back in 2011.


text:
Husband-and-wife owners Karl and Bridget Doescher run Then and Now Jewelry in Blue Springs.
About the business: Then and Now Jewelry, 623 N.W. Mock Ave.,Blue Springs. Phone: 228-1270
Owners Karl and Bridget Doescher: It may be safe to say that the last business anyone would want to open in the middle of a recession would be a jewelry store.
But Karl Doescher isn’t like most people.
Born in Iowa and a resident of the Kansas City area since he was 6 years old, Doescher knew early on that he wanted to work in this business.
Seventeen years ago he started with Helzberg Diamonds, working part-time and then full-time as a salesman at the Bannister Mall location. He spent the next couple of years learning the trade, building his resume: sales and then as an assistant manager and acting manager at other retail jewelers.
He and his wife moved to Illinois, where he managed a store.
“That’s where I really started to learn this business,” he said Tuesday. “I learned everything, especially how to build good relationships.”
Moving back to the Kansas City area, Doescher continued his career for about six years, polishing his skills as though it were a diamond.
Then in October 2008, his wife suggested that he open his own store.
“She said I wasn’t getting any younger,” he said. “And, yeah, I knew I’d always wanted my own store.”
One month later he had it.
“It was a very fast turnaround – we lived here in October, getting it ready.”
That was nearly two years ago, and Doescher says that business is good. Really.
“Bad economy or not, we are doing well,” he said. “We were at the beginning of the year a little behind than where we were last year, but it’s been picking up. I don’t know if that’s a sign of the economy recovering, but …”
But how does Doescher and his family make it work?
What’s unique about the business: One important component that’s conspicuously absent at Then and Now Jewelry may be the reason the Doeschers are making it work: they have no staff besides themselves.
“We have very low overhead, which helps tremendously,” he said, adding that he doesn’t pay payroll tax, insurance, worker’s compensation or salaries.
Except during the summer months, he and his wife work the store together. But even during the summer months the business is often a family affair, with their youngest children helping.
“I think this business is as close as anyone can get to what they call family owned and family operated,” he said.
Doescher said he would like to expand in the future, maybe relocate. But because its current location is off the beaten path, as they say, now may not be the best time.
“People are starting to find us more and more, so now’s not the best time,” he said.
If you go and special deals: The store offers a wide variety of jewelry and related accessories, as well as repair services. He also purchases estate, or used, jewelry and will offer trade for new purchases.
“Our Charles-Hubert watches are 25 percent off right now,” Doescher said.
For September and October, all diamond jewelry purchases are 25 percent off. For watch batteries, Doescher said he’s competitive with other stores. There are coupons out there for half off watch batteries, and if you mention that you read this article – the same discount applies.
Store hours: M-F 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments can also be made prior to opening and closing. Please call to make arrangements.


text:
An anti-gay group has called on retail chain JCPenney to fire Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson.
DeGeneres was unveiled as the new face of JCPenney last week and the company's president Michael Francis said at the time that the department store shares "the same fundamental values as Ellen".
Advocacy group One Million Moms has lodged an online protest urging JCPenney to cut all ties with DeGeneres because she is a lesbian.
One Million Moms said in a statement: "By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, JCPenney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these yearsâ€¦
"JCPenney has made a poor decision and must correct their mistake fast to retain loyal customers and not turn away potential new, conservative shoppers with the company's new vision."
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has come to DeGeneres's defense by launching the 'Stand Up For Ellen' website. More than 10,000 people have offered their support online for the 'Stand Up For Ellen' campaign in the last several days, according to GLAAD.
JCPenney has given no indication that it plans to fire DeGeneres.
Watch Ellen DeGeneres announce her partnership with JCPenney below:


text:
Under major pressure from billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz, Disney CEO Bob Iger delivered a dose of magic to beleaguered investors in his first earnings call since returning in November 2022.
Shares of the media and theme park giant soared 7% in pre-market trading on Thursday as Iger unveiled $5.5 billion in cost cuts, mostly by laying off some 7,000 employees. The company’s ticker page was the most visited on the Yahoo Finance platform.
“The hard work is ahead, but substantive and specific cost savings suggest a sense of urgency to maximizing long-term returns,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne in a client note.
But there was more to Disney’s earnings for the fiscal first quarter (which ended December 31, 2022) than just Iger wielding his cost-cutting light saber.
The company conveyed several key messages to investors that could go a long way in supporting a higher stock price and perhaps, fending off Peltz’s advances to gain a seat on the board.
Here are three big moments from Disney’s earnings call investors need to know about.
#1: Here comes the Disney dividend
Disney pulled its dividend in May 2020 as the cash-cow theme parks business was getting hammered by COVID-19 lockdowns. Disney shelled out about $9.5 billion in dividends from calendar year 2016 through 2020, according to filings. The company’s last dividend payout was $0.88 a share semi-annually.
Now with the theme parks humming, movie theaters reopened, and $5.5 billion in cost cuts coming, the Disney dividend is primed to return.
“Now that the pandemic’s impacts to our business are largely behind us, we intend to ask the board to approve the reinstatement of a dividend by the end of the calendar year,” Iger said. “Our cost cutting initiatives will make this possible. And while initially, it will be a modest dividend, we hope to build upon it over time,” Iger told analysts.
People dressed as stormtroopers and the character Kylo Ren react at “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, U.S., May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
#2: No spin-off of ESPN, for Now
As part of its restructuring, ESPN will be stood up as its own reporting segment.
The move immediately raised questions on whether Disney is setting the stage for an eventual spin-off of ESPN — something that the company has been pushed to do numerous times in the past decade.
It appears that Iger will not go down the costly route of separating ESPN from Disney, instead investing in the brand to maximize value.
“The brand of ESPN is very healthy and the programming of ESPN is very healthy,” the CEO said. “We just have to figure out how to monetize it in a disrupting and a continuing — disrupting world. That’s it. But we’re not engaged in any conversations right now or considering a spin-off of ESPN. That had been done by the way, in my absence and until the company concluded after exploring it very carefully, that it wasn’t something the Company wanted to do.”
#3: A promise to make money from streaming
Disney’s direct-to-consumer (aka streaming) business, consisting mostly of Disney+ and Hulu, lost a staggering $1.05 billion on an operating basis in the most recent quarter.
That’s up from a $593 million loss a year earlier.
“Now it’s time for another transformation,” Iger asserted. “One that rationalizes our enviable streaming business and puts it on a path to sustained growth and profitability.”
Iger reiterated a goal to reach profitability for Disney+ by the end of fiscal year 2024. To get there, Iger not only appears focused on cutting costs on the platform but also raising prices while hopefully capturing a better quality subscriber.
“We’re still going to look to grow subs, we just want to grow quality subs that are loyal and where we actually have an ability to continue to price effectively to those subs,” he added.
Disney raised the price of Disney+ to $10.99 a month from $7.99 in the U.S. on Dec. 8.


text:
Harry Khaira has been the General Manager at the Clarion Hotel & Suites Winnipeg — a Choice Hotels property — for the past four years. Opened in 2000, the property has 139 guests rooms, ample meeting and events space, a spa and additional amenities. Throughout the majority of its 20+ years in operation, the staff at the Clarion used paper credit card authorizations forms to collect payment from guests. But in recent years, Khaira and his team began to search for a better solution.
“We used to send paper or PDF credit card authorization forms back and forth with our guests via fax or email,” said Khaira. “However, we realized at a certain point that there had to be a better way to handle sensitive guest information than paper forms, which can be easily stolen or misused,” he continued. “Chargebacks and fraud were also significant problems for us as people can feel pretty brazen when faced with a paper form that is harder to verify than a secure digital solution.
After a brief discussion of options, it did not take long before the management team at the Clarion Hotel & Suites Winnipeg decided to work with Canary Technologies’ PCI compliant Digital Authorizations solution to collect sensitive credit card information.
An Approved Choice Hotels Vendor for Digital Authorizations
“The fact that Canary is an approved Choice Hotels vendor is the main reason we decided to look at the platform’s Digital Authorization solution,” said Khaira. “But we knew it was exactly what we needed when the Canary team demonstrated how simple the system was to use and how we could increase security by running the cardholder through fraud checks,” he continued.
Upon seeing the Digital Authorizations solutions in action, the team at the Clarion in Winnipeg decided Canary provided the right path to modernize its credit card authorization and payment collection process.
Easier Credit Card Authorizations With Canary
Khaira and the team at the Clarion Winnipeg were pleased to find that Canary’s Digital Authorizations solution was indeed as easy to implement as the Canary team had described. All told, deployment of the solution and staff training took less than 30 minutes.
Additionally, Khaira and his team found it much easier to keep track of the status of payments once the hotel moved to a Digital Authorizations solution.
“Before Canary, we did a lot of chasing down guests to ensure we had the correct information on file before they arrived at the hotel. More than once, we had a guest arrive and we didn’t have the credit card on file,” said Khaira. “Once we switched over to using Digital Authorizations, this issue ceased entirely and now we can easily track authorizations and send reminders to clients through the Canary platform.”
A Noticeable Reduction in Chargebacks & Fraud
Khaira cited chargebacks and fraud as one of the main reasons his property wished to move away from paper credit card authorization forms.
“Fraud was a consistent issue for us before implementing Canary at our property,” said Khaira. “Since we started using Digital Authorizations, we’ve experienced a lot less chargebacks and fraud and I believe this is due to the fact that we now have a more secure solution. People are a lot less inclined to try to commit fraud when they realize we can verify their information quickly and easily,” he continued.
The Clarion Hotel & Suites Winnipeg has achieved everything it set out to when switching from paper credit card authorization forms to Canary’s secure online solution. Fraud and chargebacks are down, security is improved, and the team is more efficient at collecting payment information than ever.
When asked if he would recommend Canary to other Choice Hotels and midscale properties, the General Manager Khaira agreed wholeheartedly.
“I would absolutely recommend Canary, especially to other Choice Hotels properties,” he said. “It’s been an incredibly useful solution that has helped us prevent so many headaches and run our hotel more smoothly. Every type of lodging property can benefit from a solution like this.”
Does your company have news it would like to share with our readers? If so, we invite you to review our editorial guidelines and submit your press release for publishing consideration.


text:
Saith Think Progress:
After Marques Harper of the Austin American- Statesman wrote a short style piece critiquing Bush’s choice of clothing while he down’s on the Crawford ranch, noting that lately “he’s opted to look more like ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ than a sweaty, tough ranch hand.” Harper said after the article appeared, the White House called to express its disdain:
Harper received a phone call that morning from White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino, who, Harper told friends, said the president read the article and was unhappy about the way he was portrayed.
And you KNOW that strutting around in costumes is about the only damned thing he cares about. Obviously, they wounded the little boy's vanity.
(By the way, George, that get-up really DOES look pretty damned dorky. Most of us stopped being impressed by crap like that when we were sixteen.)


text:
Buidlers Connect, a collective of professionals in the African blockchain ecosystem, represents a new-found focus on developing blockchain-based public good solutions, Mariblock's lead editor opi
The funds were raised to support the development of the startup's decentralized finance (DeFi) solut
But there's a catch: cryptocurrency companies must first secure a license from the country's capital markets re
Crypto is driving global economic inclusion by connecting individuals in emerging markets to opportunities that were previously inaccessible.
Bitmama would gain access to Payday's customer base through this deal, bringing the crypto company one step closer to its objective of promoting crypto-based remittances in Afr
Crypto's value is that it works how you expect money to work — store of value, medium of exchange and available globa
Plus: 🇳🇬 Vella Finance crypto exit 🌏 SBF trial


text:
When you hear the term hobby farm, you probably picture a small farm in the countryside with a few acres and some livestock. However, you may be surprised to learn that many hobby farms also exist in urban areas.
Water conservation is a big part of the urban gardening movement
Urban gardening provides many benefits besides growing food, such as the chance to interact with nature, extra motivation to spend time outdoors, the opportunity to get some exercise, and a way of conserving water.
Particularly in places where drought can be a problem, such as Denver, Colorado, water agencies, schools and residents have taken up gardening to conserve water. The reason being, vegetable gardens on average do not use as much water as green lawns.
Drought conditions in some areas of California have led water agencies to pay residents sizeable amounts of money in return for planting low-water plants instead of growing green lawns.
A San Diego company called Urban Plantations calculated that growing a vegetable and fruit garden instead of a lawn can decrease water consumption by 66 percent.
Replacing lawns with drought-resistant plants is good for water conservation and feeding your family
“Once we put the numbers together and started explaining it to people, we started seeing a lot of interest,” said Mat Roman, office manager for Urban Plantations. “People want to put in vegetable gardens instead of desertscape, and that’s both current clients and prospective clients. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in business.”
While the idea of xeriscaping (growing drought-resistant plants in place of lawns) may have started as a water-saving move, it is now recognized as a way of getting more value from the water. Not only are you growing something, but you are providing food for your family too.
“I think vegetable gardens are a perfect example: You can save water. You can grow food. You can have organic vegetables for your family at the same time,” said Mark Cassalia, a water conservation specialist for Denver Water.
“Our years of data from water bills and our partnership with Denver Water has helped us to understand that community gardens use about 40 percent less water than lawns,” said Jessica Romer, director of horticulture for Denver Urban Gardens, a nonprofit organization.
Urban gardening is a growing movement
The idea of urban gardening is growing. Increased awareness due to promotion from water agencies and companies like Urban Homesteader has led to the popularity of this new movement.
The Urban Homesteader is “a multi-platform media project that shows how to turn your small urban space into a modern homestead. Think beehives on condo rooftops, chickens roosting in your tool shed, and cucumbers grown on the front lawn.”
From livestock to farming, it’s a great experience for families
There are other reasons to run a hobby farm at your urban home. For example, Dominique Salamone (a former sheet-metal factory forewoman) has a dozen hens, a rooster, and an overgrown vegetable garden on her three-quarter-acre home.
“You have to be committed,” said Salamone. “Raising livestock takes time and knowledge. And it helps to have a handy spouse.”
In talking about her hobby farm, Salamone explains that it “gives her a sense of purpose” and also provides healthy meal alternatives besides red meat dishes. She is also able to teach her young children about nature.
“The eggs are delicious, the chickens relax you,” said Salamone, “and I like having something that gives back.”
The hobby farms in today’s urban areas often include a variety of animals, including turkeys, goats, cows, bees, and potbellied pigs.
Beekeeping supplies and poultry feed stores are thriving as urban areas become “countryfied”
“Business has been amazingly good,” said Danny Finkelstein, owner of Chatsworth’s Valley Hive beekeeping supply and service store. “It is normal in other countries for people to have their own food in their yard and their own bees. But we are seeing a rise in urban beekeepers.”
“The poultry feed end of the business has grown hugely in the past two to three years, due to the backyard farmer,” said Robin Hoeflinger, a Newbury Park hobby farmer who has been selling animal feed products.
Young kids and teens are getting a lot from the experience as well. “It is a lot of work to take care of the animals and be responsible, but a lot of young people today don’t get to have that experience. I feel like I am accomplishing something. My friends think it is cool. And I think I might want a job with animals in the future and believe that these skills will help me with that,” said Kayla, Hoeflinger’s 15-year-old daughter.
“I live in the city,” said Hoeflinger. “But when I am at home, it’s like we live in the country.”
If you have ever considered starting a kitchen garden, there is no time like the present. With a little planning and assistance from companies like Urban Homesteader, you can have a thriving hobby farm right in your own backyard. What are you waiting for?
—The Alternative Daily


text:
U.S. Outlook: U.S. deflation not the end of the world
A further look into causes and transmission mechanisms may help.
For a detailed look at this and other developments, see my full weekly analysis. Highlights are outlined below, followed by a link to the full U.S. Outlook report, delivered on Feb. 6.Key observations:
- The U.S. deflationary pressures are mainly coming for only a handful of sectors: energy, transportation, and apparel.
- Central bankers and economic textbooks have sounded warnings about deflation’s potential dampening effects on aggregate demand.
- It’s important to remember that the U.S. labor market is in a far different place right now than Europe’s.
- The evidence garnered so far suggests U.S. consumers and businesses are behaving just as we would expect.


text:
As part of its aim to spread the message of ‘kawaii’ throughout the world, the Japanese high-school uniform fashion brand Lucy Pop has announced 13-year-old “moya” as its new global model and unveiled pictures of her in 4 different styles of uniform.
Lucy Pop, founded in 2010, is a fashion brand that sells the kind of idol-style uniforms that are synonymous with Japanese pop culture. Under the banner of the Cool Japan initiative which was commenced in 2012 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in tandem with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lucy Pop has exhibited in numerous overseas events. Beginning with the 2014 Japan Expo in France, they have also exhibited their wares in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, where they have continued to spread word about Japanese uniform culture and ‘kawaii culture’ throughout the world.
In addition, Lucy Pop proactively provides support to idols, voice actors, models or celebrities who wear uniforms when appearing in TV programs, music videos, magazine shoots and photo collections.
Lucy Pop does not just cater to top ranked domestic Japanese idols such as AKB48, a mainstay symbol of Japanese idol culture, but through the provision of uniforms to top idol groups internationally such as the Indonesian group JKT48, the company is increasing the exposure of Japanese uniform culture and ‘kawaii’ culture across the globe.
In mainland China, a boom in the popularity of Japanese high-school uniforms was reported on by both domestic and overseas media during the 2020 Lunar New Year period. This interest became a trending topic and lead to surveys about the popularity of Japanese high-school uniform brands in the country. In a survey dated August 30th, 2020, Lucy Pop ranked 2nd place in terms of popularity (published in the Chinese media in ‘Doorzo Daily’) and in another survey dated February 6th, 2023 (published in the Chinese media in ‘8mtime’) the brand also ranked 2nd, showing its high brand recognition even overseas, particularly in China.
Owing to this popularity in China, influencers in Chinese speaking countries have purchased ribbons and uniforms on cross-border e-commerce websites, with photos and videos posted by them on social media gaining prominence. Off the back of this, Lucy Pop has commenced a number of initiatives, such as using Taiwanese influencers as models as part of a push to further increase the popularity of uniforms worldwide, along with striving to acquire additional partners and distributors domestically in Japan, but also expanding to America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
At this juncture, in order to increase awareness among Gen Z, with a focus on Asia, Lucy Pop has announced 13-year-old “moya” as its new global model, their youngest ever. Outside of the fact that she is only 13 years old, the company has yet to unveil further information about “moya”.
- G! LU is Poised to Become this Year’s Hottest Summer Movie - April 18, 2024
- Introducing the New OPPO Pad Neo – Big is Better! - April 17, 2024
- realme PH Announces the Arrival of realme 12 5G - April 16, 2024


text: Microsoft released Windows 7 to operating system to general public on October 22nd. Now reports indicates that Microsoft’s planning to finalize first Beta for Windows 7 SP1 by end of this year, and to release service pack to manufacturing in summer of 2010. According to Wzor, Microsoft has been hard at work on Windows 7 SP1 since end of September 2009. Early adopters that’ve test-driven Windows 7 ahead of RTM might remember that Microsoft shipped a few interim pre-final builds of Windows Vista’s successor that already contained SP1. To this day, Microsoft has offered little explanation as to why it integrated SP1 into Windows 7 before product was finalized, but all indications point to fact that company was simply testing service-pack delivery and integration mechanism. According to plans, Microsoft looks to finalize Windows 7 Beta 1 ahead of Christmas 2009, and company’ll reportedly release a public Beta of Windows 7 SP1 early in January 2010.


text:
"Year-on-year net additions in the U.S. were down ... As best we can tell, the primary cause is the slightly higher prices we now have compared to a year ago," the company said in a statement.
After ample warning that a price hike was coming, Netflix announced early Friday morning it was raising the cost of subscribing
For years, the streaming service in the U.S. has cost $7.99 per month. But analysts have said that in order for Netflix to cover its high content and expansion costs it would only be a matter of time before the streaming video service had to increase its prices.
That time may be soon. Charging different prices for varying levels of video quality could be another option. One of the
For Netflix subscribers, however, the announcement was a slap in the face, a punch in the gut, a tire iron to the knees, etc
I got a panicked email from my mother this morning informing me that she and my father certainly didn't need both streaming
Customers can kiss goodbye the service's $9.99 monthly unlimited DVD-rental and streaming combination plan. Netflix will


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Time: 11:30 am - 1:45 pm
Place: Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
Send this story to a friend
Construction on Ashley Furniture plant in N.C. delayed
Construction of Ashley Furniture Industries Inc.’s planned $80 million manufacturing and distribution center in North Carolina has been delayed by at least a year due to the discovery of four acres of wetlands, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Ashley Furniture attorney Bill Coslo told the newspaper that the Arcadia-based furniture maker has applied for a permit with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates wetland use, to build on the land.
The Ashley Furniture plant, located near Advance, N.C., was expected to create 550 jobs during the next five years and eventually create up to 1,100 jobs. The announcement was the second-largest jobs announcement in the region last year.
Ashley Furniture also announced last year that it was spending $6 million to expand a plant in Whitehall in western Wisconsin. That project was expected to create 225 jobs.
Catherine Carlock covers commercial and residential real estate, construction, economic development and retailing and restaurants. Contact her at (336) 370-2918.
- Most popular
- Who is Wisconsin's highest-paid athlete? Slideshow
- Harley-Davidson goes 'retro' with two new models
- Milwaukee has its own Oscars celebration: Slideshow
- Zoo Interchange, Hoan Bridge jobs put local builders to work: Slideshow
- Harley-Davidson's new motorcycles to hook new riders
- Meijer planning stores in Greenfield, Janesville
- Wave owner Sue Black 'focused on playoffs' despite $150,000 suit
- The buzz around Miller Fortune and MillerCoors' new cider
- Cranky Al’s adapts to changing area: Table Talk
- Marriott hotel to start in spring at UWM Innovation Campus in Tosa
Should the Shops of Grand Avenue add access to stores from Wisconsin Avenue?
- Sales Representative Kalmbach Publishing Co. | Waukesha, WI
- Experienced Staff Accountant - Audit Baker Tilly | Milwaukee, WI
- Inside/Outside Sales Rep (H)-101311 Base Pay+Com. TruGreen | Milwaukee, WI
- Branch Employment Coordinator - 100752 TruGreen | Milwaukee, WI
- Regional/International Sales Manager Cleaver-Brooks | Milwaukee, WI


text:
Is the `Kitna Deti Hai !’ approach logical to the battery-operated electric vehicles? In India, the focal point of the customer appraisal of an EV is range as certified by ARAI. But on the road, the actual mileage may vary depending on many other things. It is really difficult for a real customer to get a good result between the actual and estimated range ratio. The ARAI testing is highly controlled and standardized, but in real-world driving, the correlation can vary dramatically depending on the vehicle, the battery, and the charging method.
The GST Council, which sets the rates under the new tax system, had on August 5 approved a proposal to change the GST compensation law to raise the ceiling of the cess that can be levied on motor vehicles.
current levies — GST at 28% plus a maximum cess of 15% — have reduced the tax incidence on large vehicles that were taxed as much as 55% in the pre-GST regime. The proposal to raise the cap was brought in as the lower tax incidence could have revenue implications for the government.
The amendment would be in place before the next meeting of the GST Council, a government official said. But the council will decide when to change the cess and by how much.
The Centre had brought in a separate GST (Compensation to the States for Loss of Revenue) Bill, 2016, for imposition of a cess on certain luxury and sin goods to compensate states for any loss of revenue due to implementation of the GST. A provision to compensate states was also made in the constitutional amendment.
This makes it mandatory for the Centre to provide for compensation to states for loss of revenue arising due to implementation of GST for five years.
Auto companies cut prices of most large cars and SUVs by Rs 1.1-3 lakh soon after the rollout of GST as the tax outgo reduced in the new regime.
With dealerships reporting a sharp increase in consumer inquiries and footfalls, automakers had predicted double-digit sales growth this fiscal year.
The companies are unhappy about the move to increase the cess as they too may have to hike prices. This could hurt sales growth, force them to re-evaluate business plans and cause job losses, industry executives have warned.
With the 15% cess on top of the 28% goods and services tax, the total tax incidence on large cars comes to 43%, which could go up to 53% if the cess is increased. But government officials have said 25% was the cap and the effective increase could be lower.
The effective tax on mid-size sedans was around 47% and that for luxury cars about 55% in the pre-GST era. On small cars, the cess is 1-3% on top of the 28% GST. There is no proposal to change this.


text:
Debuting in January 2015 the Microsoft Lumia 435 now becomes available for purchase in the US. Dressed in white the T-Mobile version of this extremely cheap phone recently joined the Microsoft online store list of offerings. Featuring a dual-SIM support the Lumia 435 is now within your reach for $70 with no long-term contract commitment.
Lumia 435 for T-Mobile
Starting from a short reminder to quickly refresh your memory, the Microsoft Lumia 435 is a budget sector smartphone that houses a 4-inch LCD screen featuring a WVGA resolution (800 x 480p). It arrives powered by a dual-core Snapdragon 200 chipset clocked at 1.2GHz with Adreno 302 GPU responsible for graphics.
Additionally, the Lumia 435’s processing powers are backed up by 1GB RAM, whereas storage capacity is represented by 8GB of built-in storage that later can be easily expanded up to 128GB via microSD cards. Lights are kept on by a 1,560 mAh battery.
When it comes to the optic parameters, the Lumia 435 isn’t definitely a handset for photography buffs, since all it offers in this field is a mere 2MP f/2.7 rear camera unit accompanied by a VGA shooter located on the phone’s front.
Moving on to the software and connectivity options, the Lumia 435 runs Windows 8.1 with Denim update featuring Cortana personal assistant out of box. It offers its users a support for dual-SIM, Bluetooth 4.0 and HSPA+ connectivity. Although the phone doesn’t sport ultra-fast 4G LTE connectivity (which, honestly, isn’t much of a surprise when we consider its really low price), the T-Mobile subscribers of the device will be able to benefit from T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi calling service.
Perhaps the Microsoft Lumia 435 isn’t one of the most powerful handset currently available on the market. However, the fact that it offers the Windows 8.1 experience for as little as $70 will definitely help the handset win masses of staunch users.


text:
You guys, as if we didn't already love PetSmart's line of Secret Life of Pets-related products, the store just went and announced another really amazing partnership — this time with Ellen DeGeneres. The funny lady and her lifestyle brand, ED, will be creating an exclusive set of pet toys, clothes, bedding, and more to be sold at all the PetSmart stores early next year.
"I can barely contain how excited I am to be working with PetSmart. My dogs and I have been running in circles for hours," Ellen said in a press release.
Stay tuned to find out more about the brand-new venture for Ellen, and in the meantime, treat yourself to a laugh by watching what happened when the ladies of Ghostbusters visited Ellen on her show.


text:
Michelin Malaysia recorded a 6-per cent growth in tyre deliveries despite the challenging business environment.
Michelin Malaysia Shares Business Updates
Michelin Malaysia shared its key 2018 milestones, business activities and future plans with the local media during a recent press event.
“Michelin has been with the Malaysian market since 1998. Ever since we entered the market, Michelin Malaysia focused on the importation, marketing, distribution and sales of Michelin tyres for cars, trucks and buses, and motorcycles. This included the BFGoodrich tyres that were officially introduced to the local market in 2016,”said Pascal Nouvellon,Managing Director for Michelin in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.
The company recorded a 6-per cent growth in tyre deliveries despite the challenging business environment. Of this, car, bus and truck tyres contributed to 85 per cent of total deliveries while motorcycles tyres contributed to 15 per cent.
“We also provided tyre and vehicle services through a nationwide network of 200 distributors, including Tyreplus, Michelin Service Centres and Michelin Truck Service Centres, of which 54 were Tyreplus outlets, in 2018. This success is also reflected in a customer satisfaction survey we conducted wherein Michelin was the most recommended tyre brand among 8 other tyre brands. We also earned the Silver award in the Putra Brand Awards for the most preferred brand in the Automotive Fuel & Lubricants category.”
Being a committed world leader to road safety, he continued, improving road safety for everyone was also a priority for the company. In June last year, the company conducted Michelin Safe on Road (MSOR) initiative in conjunction with the Hari Raya festivities as part of the Michelin Caring Campaign. Michelin trucks travelled across the Klang Valley region to provide free tyre checks daily to ensure Malaysians ‘balik kampung’ safely with the best tyre conditions. The company also collaborated with Petron to educate close to 6,000 university students from 5 universities in the country on tyre safety and maintenance skills.
In products, Michelin Malaysia launched 2 new tyres – the all-terrain LTX Force tyre that offers versatile performance for both on-road city commute and off-road journeys as well as the Michelin Primacy 4.
“We would partner with Petron once again to continue raising awareness on the importance of basic tyre safety and maintenance among young Malaysians. In products, we would introduce a key tyre product that is targeted at 60 per cent of the mass market in Malaysia. Riding on our ‘Safe When New, Safe When Worn’ commitment, this new tyre product would provide the same long-lasting performance as the Primacy 4. It would be launched during a regional event at the Sepang Circuit in June. In addition, we would launch a tyre for luxury SUVs and roll out our Michelin Pilot Sport Experience campaign to once again offer dealers, influencers and media from around the region and beyond the opportunity to join in the thrill of motor sport excitement and sheer driving pleasure.”
He also announced the company’s acquisition of PT Multistrada Arah Sarana TBK, an Indonesia tyre manufacturer that produces the Achilles tyre brand for cars, SUVs and light trucks as well as the Corsa motorcycle tyres.
Globally, Nouvellon said, the company celebrated 120th anniversary of the Michelin Man, one of the most recognised brand icons in the world. In this connection, Bibendum was named ‘Icon of the Millennium’ by Advertising Week in the US.
“We are very honoured to be ranked the most valuable tyre brand by Brand Finance following a 30-per cent brand value growth over 2018,” he added.
Other figures as of 2017 that he revealed included Michelin marketing presence in 171 countries, 190 million tyres manufactured in 69 plants in 17 countries, and 14 per cent of global market share in the tyre segment, which landed the company €21.5 billion in net sales.
米其林马来西亚、新加坡、印尼及汶莱董事总经理努韦伦（ Pascal Nouvellon）表示：“米其林早在1998年就已经登陆大马。自从进入大马市场以来，马来西亚米其林专注于米其林汽车、卡车、巴士及摩托车轮胎的进口、行销、经销及销售。这包括2016年正式引入马来西亚市场的百路驰（BF Goodrich）轮胎。
他接着说，作为立志于道路安全的世界领袖，改善每一个人的道路安全，也是该公司的首要任务。去年6月，该公司配合开斋节主办了米其林关怀运动（Michelin Caring Campaign） ，作为Michelin Safe onRoad (MSOR)的一部分。米其林卡车更是在巴生谷地区穿行，每天提供免费轮胎检查，以确保马来西亚人以最佳的轮胎状况展开回乡之旅。该公司还与Petron合作，为5所马来西亚大学多达6000名学生，提供有关轮胎安全与维修技能的知识。
在产品方面，马来西亚米其林推出了两款新轮胎–具有多功能，适用穿梭于城市和越野的全路形LTX Force和米其林Primacy 4轮胎。
“我们将再次与Petron合作，继续提高大马年轻人对基本轮胎安全与维护重要性的意识。我们会推出一个针对60%马来西亚大众市场的关键轮胎产品。这款新轮胎产品将继续坚守“Safe When New, Safe When Worn”的承诺，提供与Primacy 4同样持久的性能。我们会在6月于雪邦赛车场的区域性活动中发布该产品。 此外，米其林也将推出适合豪华休旅车（SUV)的全新轮胎，并为代理、具有影响力者及来自此区域的媒体推出Michelin Pilot Sport Experience，让他们有机会参与紧张刺激的汽车运动和享受驾驶乐趣。”
他也宣布米其林收购了PT Multistrada Arah Sarana TBK ，一家生产Achilles汽车、休旅车及轻型卡车轮胎和Corsa摩托车轮胎的印尼轮胎制造商。
“我们的品牌价值在2018年增长30％之后，很荣幸地获得品牌财经（ Brand Finance）评价为最有价值的轮胎品牌。”他补充说。