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KAPA‘A — The 21st annual Hawai‘i International Tropical Fruit Conference kicks off Friday on the Big Island and continues with consecutive “After the Conference” gatherings on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and Maui.
The Kaua‘i installment is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 13, at the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel, a news release states. The Big Island portion runs from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11.
The multi-island conference format debuted in an effort to better serve and engage the members of the statewide Hawai‘i Tropical Fruit Growers, according to Ken Love, president. HTFG’s mailing list is 400 strong.
“We think it’s important to keep our members appraised of the latest research and market trends so we obtained funding to expand our reach,” Love said in the release. “It’s more pricey now to travel interisland and the mini-conferences also offered convenience.”
With the theme, “The Time for Quality and Profitability,” Shree Padre of India headlines the list of presenters.
The farmer/journalist is known for his passion for water conservation and rainwater harvesting. He is a specialist in value-added products, the release states.
Other presenters, who will meet with growers on all four islands, include fig expert Howard Garrison and pomegranate guru Jeff Moresfelder, both of the USDA in Davis, Calif.
To sign up for the Kaua‘i gathering, which is open to the public, call John Anderson, 808-635-2880, or Liz Ito, 808-651-3011.
Incorporated in 1989, HTFG is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion; http://www.hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org.


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BMW Expands EV Battery Factory In China
Author: Source: Datetime: 2018-06-09 10:29:28
The news from BMW Brilliance Automotive Company shows that it has just laid the foundation for the large-scale expansion of its Chinese battery factory.
"In the 'second phase of high-voltage battery center', BBA will produce a new and more powerful battery for the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology for the all-electric BMW iX3," BMW wrote. "Beginning in 2020, the BMW iX3 will be built in the neighboring BBA plant in Dadong. Earlier this year, the BBA plant Dadong produced the new BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid."
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Eurogamer.net • News • Digital Foundry GAME Group
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Monday, 16 February 2015
"Technical tests are ongoing".
Monday, 5 January 2015
iPad Air 2, Shield Tablet and last-gen console effortlessly bested according to initial benchmarks.
Friday, 2 January 2015
SDK leak reveals game-makers now have access to a seventh processing core.
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Biggest gains on PS4 - but Xbox One benefits too.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
AMD slashes prices on the ultra-powerful Radeon R9 295x2.
Friday, 31 October 2014
Completed design opens the door to a cost-reduced 'slim' console.
Monday, 8 September 2014
First Light runs faster than Second Son - will those enhancements roll back into the original game?
Thursday, 26 June 2014
New Unreal Engine 4 demo running on Nvidia tablet technology says yes.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Forza Motorsport 5 already ported - and running on PC.
Monday, 10 March 2014
Friday, 7 February 2014
Frame-rates lower than launch version.
But GAMEtronics brand will also sell new games and hardware.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Friday, 17 January 2014
Dedicated servers house eight PS3s, built from the ground up for cloud gameplay.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Kinect and app reservations will be accessible to game-makers.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Full HD off the table for Crytek's showcase. Digital Foundry assesses the news.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
1.6GHz processor bumped up to 1.75GHz in production hardware.
Friday, 2 August 2013
GPU receives post-E3 53MHz speed boost.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
New development hardware also reveals that it's near-silent a lot of the time.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
UPDATE #2: Sony issues statement.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Nvidia says its new tablet/smartphone tech outperforms PS3's RSX.
Friday, 28 June 2013
Microsoft tells developers that ESRAM bandwidth is up to 88 per cent higher.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
UPDATE: £100 new Xbox 360s sold out, but GAME summer sale starting soon.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
In preparation of success rather than as a declaration of it.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Currently offers extra trade-in value against digital releases.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Friday, 18 January 2013
Friday, 30 November 2012
If you can't beat 'em...
Monday, 12 November 2012
Has 35% market share, but still no credit insurance.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Friday, 14 September 2012
UPDATED: GAME boss gives details.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
After retailer refuses.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Shop rethinks gaming strategy.


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WHEN the Federal Government ordered all codeine products be made prescription-only earlier this year it sparked panic buying and angst among the millions of Australians suffering from chronic pain.
But there are drug-free remedies and high-tech gadgets promising relief.
Pain is a signal that something is going wrong in the body, Professor Marc Cohen, from RMIT University, explained.
He said there are a host of of alternative ways to treat pain, but people should always see a medical professional first.
“It’s not good just to treat the pain you want to know why the pain is happening,” Professor Cohen told Today Tonight.
Narelle Lockett, who has scoliosis and chronic arthritis, found infrared therapy helped her, allowing her to live a relatively normal life.
She became such a convert that she started manufacturing her own infrared device because the ones she was buying kept breaking.
Ms Lockett has now sold hundreds of her Well Beam portable near infrared devices across and puts their popularity down to the fact that patients can wear them.
“A lot of the products are handheld and if you are using it on your back or your neck it's almost impossible to use … I was actually hurting my shoulder trying to use it on my back,” she said.
Retired professional footballer Steve Martin prefers an electric stimulation device to ease his pain.
He said the PainPod relieved pain and stiffness and allowed him to be more mobile.
Pain Pod chief executive officer Rick Rowan said transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation technology had been round for decades but the technology had improved to be more targeted.
“TENS ... uses a specific set of frequencies for nerve only, we also use lower frequency such as muscle stimulation or tissue stimulation to help (to) ... release endorphins as well as reduce inflammation through micro pulsation,” Mr Rowan said.
Professor Cohen said even basic pain treatments such as a cold pack or hot water bottle could be more effective than analgesic.
“Even a bath or a hot sauna to get direct heat so it acts to increase the diameter of your blood vessels, so it increases blood flow and causes muscle relaxation,” he said.
Some herbal supplements, such as willow bark, could help too.
“Salicylic acid which where aspirin comes from, boswellia is another herb that is being shown to have really good analgesic affects. That’s been used for hundreds of years and we are now putting these herbs into pill form and taking them as we would a pharmaceutical.”
“We are still unravelling the pharmacology of turmeric and the active ingredient is curcumin which not only has analgesic properties its also got anti inflammatory properties.”
Professor Cohen says these herbal preparations were useful for those people suffering many types of pain, including arthritis and headaches.
“Often herbal treatments don't work quite as fast as pharmaceuticals when you have a purified chemical but you don't get as many side effects.”
And, he says as long as people seek out a proper diagnosis first, any of these alternatives are worth looking into.


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Peter Chernin invests $10m in Kelvin MacKenzie's son's business
By John Reynolds, mediaweek.co.uk, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 11:53AM
Former News Corporation executive Peter Chernin is investing more than $10m (£6.3m) in Base79, the UK online video company that says it is YouTube's largest original programming partner in Europe.
The Chernin Group (TCG), the media business founded by Chernin, has paid out for a stake which is in excess of 25%, according to Base79.
Base79 has offices in London, New York and Sydney and was founded in 2007 by Ashley MacKenzie, son of former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie.
The company has earmarked the proceeds from the investment to help its expansion across Europe and into new regions, to build brands and channels.
Base79 partners with video rights holders and producers to build online audiences and brands.
It has so far partnered with more than 300 content producers and rights holders, including the likes of Simon Cowell’s SyCo, BBC Worldwide, and Guinness World Records. It claims to be involved in 550 YouTube channels, which draw 550 million monthly views.
One source close to Base79 said the investment was close to 30% and was nearer to a $20m (£12.5m) contribution.
Ashley MacKenzie, founder and chief executive of Base79, said: "We have experienced extraordinary growth and believe this partnership will allow a new chapter of even greater opportunity."
Chernin spent more than 10 years as chief operating officer of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. He then went on to launch feature films.Follow @johnreynolds10
This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk
- Client Executive Purple Consultancy £22000 - £25000 per annum, London
- Data Analyst Spotlight Recruitment £28000 - £30000 per annum + BENS, London
- Account Manager Purple Consultancy £25000 - £28000 per annum, London
- Paid Social Media Manager - top agency in Manchester Perfect Marketing People To £35k, Manchester
- Senior Account Director - B2B Gabriele Skelton £55000 - £60000 per annum, London
- ZenithOptimedia loses £200m O2 business to Havas Media without a pitch
- Breast Cancer Campaign crowd-sources videos for 'wear it pink' campaign
- Haig Club launches David Beckham ad
- Doctor Who online game gets kids coding
- Blinkbox readies campaign to promote its cinema links
- Philips launches juicer video campaign with Louis Smith


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All things considered, 2014 was in many ways a record year for the North American tire industry.
It was a year marked by record U.S. aftermarket passenger and truck tire shipments, record high-performance tire shipments, etc.
Yet somehow it doesn't feel like a booming economic situation.
Perhaps it's because the industry has been flirting with the 200 million shipment level for car tires for the past decadeup, down, back up, back downthat growth is only barely perceptible.
Maybe it's because retail tire sales are spread across so many more channelsjust consider the growth of tire sales through car dealerships, or through dozens of automotive service/repair chains and franchise networks that previously ignored the tire trade, not to mention through various sites on the Internet, etc.
Perhaps it's because the number of retail tire brands keeps expanding year after year, especially in the lower, entry-level tiers where dozens of brandsprimarily from offshoreseemingly come and go year after year as currency swings trade doors open or shut, as the case may be.
Perhaps it's the tendency of publicly traded tire producers to keep their market share gains or losses much closer to the vest than in years past, thus muting the impact of sales swings.
Or perhaps it's the uncertainty of what's going to happen with supply and pricing as the elevated import duties imposed on Chinese-made passenger and light truck tires take effect.
The imposition of these duties should serve to raise the pricing floor, but at the same time raw materials pricesincluding the still-plummeting value of oilare coming down, which could offset what many feel are inevitable price increases.
Regardless, it should be a time to stand up and take notice.
Shipments, both OE and replacement, were up across the board in 2014 and U.S. tire manufacturing regained footing, posting production gains for the first time in years.
In addition, demand for speed-rated tires pushed both OE and replacement shipments of these higher value-addedthat is, more profitabletires to record levels for the fifth straight year. In fact, half of all OE car tire shipments and a third of replacement shipments last year were of the H-, V- or Z-rated variety.
This issue of Tire Business contains our annual Market Data Book, a comprehensive collection of market statistics and benchmarking data relevant to tire dealers and auto service providers throughout North America.
So take a moment to give yourselves a collective pat on the backthen get back to work! Don't look now but the competition's sneaking up on you.


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Rumor has it that the next generation iPhone will be announced in September and released shortly thereafter, and now we have news from Sharp that could support that timetable. In a press conference covered by Reuters, Sharp president Takashi Okuda said his company will be delivering the display for the device this month.
"Shipments will start in August," he said.
Sharp is one of three companies that is reportedly manufacturing the display for the new iPhone (to Apple's proprietary specifications, of course). The other two are LG and Japan Display Inc.
The display for the new iPhone is expected to be larger and taller than that of previous iPhones, measuring something close to 4" compared to 3.5". It will likely be a Retina display with new "in-cell" touch sensors as opposed to a separate touch panel, making the display portion of the phone thinner than before.


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A manuka honey company says new technology that increases the bio-activity properties of the honey has the potential to increase its earnings tenfold.
Manuka Health has unveiled the patented technology, called CycloPower, at the annual NZBio technology showcase in Auckland this week.
The company says the new technology will see manuka honey products more akin to pharmaceutical products than jars of honey.
Chief executive Kerry Paul says it can be produced in the form of a powder which can then be made into a tablet or lozenge, ointment or cream.
A wide range of applications could be developed, such as eye drops, nasal sprays, topical creams and oral capsules.
This has the potential to lift the value earned from 1kg of manuka honey by 10 times.
Mr Paul says Manuka Health is releasing the first two products using CycloPower this week, a throat lozenge and a propolis powder.


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Workday share price down in after-hours trading as software company reports widening losses despite surge in revenues
Share price in Workday fell in after-hours trading this evening as losses grew for the software company despite a surge in revenues.
The California-headquartered company announced net losses of $289.9m (£208.2m) for its year ended January 2016, down further from a net loss of $248m the year before.
However, the company, which makes human resources software, also revealed that its total revenues had risen to $1.2bn for the year, up 48 per cent from the prior year's $787.9m. Revenues from subscriptions had also grown significantly to $929.2m, an increase of 52 per cent from $613.3m.
Share price in the company dropped in after-hours trading, trading down 1.1 per cent at $59.80.
"We ended financial year 16 on a high note with a very strong fourth quarter across product lines and around the world," remarked Aneel Bhusri, co-founder and chief executive of Workday.
Mark Peek, co-president and financial chief, added: "Workday finished a very strong fiscal 2016 with a great fourth quarter."
For its fourth quarter of its 2016 financial year, the software company reported total revenues of $323.4m, up 43 per cent from $226.3m for the same period the year before, although net losses fell further to $81.1m, down from $59.5m.


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AppGratis: Apple's guideline changes an attempt to stamp out App Store copycats
CEO Dawlat defends alterations
Though Apple is yet to clarify, said guidelines include a new clause that suggests any apps that push releases by other developers, or imitate the App Store itself, could find themselves in trouble with the Cupertino giant.
Speaking to PocketGamer.biz via email, however, Dawlat suggested that such a change will actually protect high quality app promotion platforms.
The rule shift could simply be being implemented to get rid of the dross.
"My take is that Apple is shooting for the highest quality possible - just as always," said Dawlat.
"Since the inception of companies like AppGratis back in December 2008, many low-quality copycats have emerged in the App Store, trying to make some quick bucks out of poorly engineered apps and content.
"With [clause] 2.25, Apple is probably trying to prevent the App Store from being spammed with too many app-promoting apps. But for us, it has always been about app curation at a very high level."
Indeed, rather than simply acting as a tool for developers or even consumers, Dawlat believe high quality apps such as AppGratis actively add to the quality of Apple's ecosystem.
"We now have 30 full time employees based in Paris, hand-picking and reviewing the best free apps for over 4 million users out there," he concluded.
"Eventually, we're truly a media at heart, with over 15 editors on staff, duly reviewing apps and informing users in a fashion that complements nicely the App Store user experience.
"We believe we're adding significant value to the Apple ecosystem by sending close to 100 million visits to the App Store yearly."


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Easter Bunny to return to Summit Mall in Fairlawn
The Easter Bunny is returning to Summit Mall.
The mall plans to offer socially distanced visits with the Easter Bunny starting March 18.
The daily visits will run through April 3.
The mall recommends advance reservations that can be made at https://bunnyphoto.splashthat.com/
Guests will be required to wear masks. The Easter Bunny also will be wearing a mask.
The Bunny Photo Experience will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays . and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.


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Fishing store launches new website making it easier for fishermen to access the inventory and purchase on line
Palatine, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/25/2014 --FishinGurus.com(TM), the one–stop shop for fishing gear, today announced that it has launched a new website to help customers find everything they need in terms of fishing, in a single place. Being just a click away from all the fishing gear and accessories will save customers’ time and money.
Made by the staff of Angler’s International Resources, FishinGurus.com(TM) is the online version of the store. With the newly redesigned website, FishinGurus.com(TM) brings online a large variaty of fishing gear, accessories and baits. Additionally, an online forum is intended for sharing useful information between fishing enthusiasts.
“With the new design and well defined categories of fishing equipment arranged by types of fishing, it is now easier for the customers to navigate the site, identify certain products even highly specialized ones, finding the hottest new items with a click of a button – all while saving money and time doing their fishing shopping online” says the owner of Angler’s International Resources.
FishinGurus.com(TM) is also a US importer for MOLIX, the high-end fishing equipment brand well known between anglers as a leading European lures company. The partnership between MOLIX and FishinGurus.com(TM) is bringing to the online audience the whole line of MOLIX products.
Besides the partnership with MOLIX, FishinGurus.com(TM) is selling high-end top-quality fishing equipment from other well known brands as well. Jackall is one of the top brands and their line of lures is now available on the website, including the best seller Jackhall Flickshake 5.8”.
Sunline comes with their diversity of superior fishing lines and the top product on the market right now, the Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon line is in stock.
Among a wide variety of fishing rods well known in the industry, TFO comes on FishinGurus.com(TM) with Gary’s Signature Series of Rods, a series of products that take rods to a different level, just to mention some of the speciality products avaialble.
Being the online version of the already well-known Angler’s International Resources fishing tackle shop, FishinGurus.com(TM) is a website with a diverse inventory of fishing equipment and accessories. From clothing or electronics, to rods, reels, hooks, jigs, fishing lines, and an impressive diversity of fishing baits; even books, DVDs and calendars, “Used Items” and “Wholesale” departments, FishinGurus.com(TM) has everything that an angler can think of in terms of fishing.
“FishinGurus.com(TM) is my dream-store, but real! I save time and money by not driving all the way to the store. I can find everything I need for my carp fishing trips and I can order online, with free shipping. Plus, the brands they have for sale are already famous, so I know I am buying the right stuff”, says one of FishinGurus.com(TM) clients.


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The alert was shared to Facebook page Reduce Your Supermarket Spend earlier this week, after initially being posted in 2016.
In the post, a cat owner said her pet Bambi had to be taken to the vets because she "couldn't walk" and was "dribbling at the mouth" after licking the fake snow from the tree she purchased.
Despite the health worry being shared almost three years ago - Asda still sell the tree online and in store for £35.
The post has since amassed 26,000 shares and 1,800 likes and 4,500 comments from worried consumers.
It read: “Hi Dawn, my cat Bambi licked my new Christmas tree which has the fake snow on it.
“After she couldn’t walk her eyes were all over the place dribbling at the mouth.
“Lucky the vet was still open and kept her in over night on a drip.
“These trees are toxic to cats no warning on the box.
“Lucky Bambi is doing.”
One concerned Facebook user said: “I thought they would have stopped selling these fake snow trees many many years ago.”
While a second said: “It’s toxic to cats and dogs… cats nee a lot less.
“So is tinsel… I found that out a few Christmas’ ago when my cat ate tinsel… cost me £5500… 4 days before XMAS.”
“Thank you so much as I have 2 cats and a dog - I think that’s the same tree as mine I got from Asda,” added a third.
As the Christmas tree is still on sale, Daily Star Online contacted Asda about the concerns.
The high street giant said all products are tested to legal standards and has urged customers to contact the retailer if they experience any cause for concern.
An Asda spokesman said: “All of our products are tested to the legal standards and whilst our Christmas tree range is entirely non-toxic.
“If any customer has a safety concern about any product we would welcome them to contact our customer service team.”


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Wyden, a Democrat who was first elected as Senator in 1996, sent the letter earlier this week in which he is requesting something he called a “formal enforcement discretionary policy” on products containing CBD. Wyden said he wants FDA to issue the policy no later than August 1, 2019.
Recognizing the intent of Congress
In the letter Wyden noted that the intent of Congress is for there to be a legal pathway for this ingredient to come to market. He said he was pleased with FDA’s apparent flexibility on the matter.
“I have been pleased to hear statements from FDA leadership that acknowledge Congress’s intent for the agency to take action and provide a legal pathway for the production and sale of hemp-derived products containing CBD. I also applaud the agency’s appointment of an internal Cannabis Working Group as well as its convening of a public stakeholder meeting on May31, 2019 to discuss hemp-derived CBD,” he wrote.
But Wyden said there are grave concerns with the time frame that FDA has put forth for the resolution of the matter. He noted that the United States Department of Agriculture is preparing to issue an interim final rule on hemp production by August, but action at FDA is falling behind.
“The FDA’s current inaction with respect to regulating hemp-derived CBD in manufactured products has caused confusion and uncertainty for hemp producers,” he said.
Call for formal acknowledgment of enforcement discretion
“I, and many in the CBD industry, find FDA’s indication that it may take three to five years to issue a final regulation authorizing the lawful use of hemp-derived CBD in foods and dietary supplements fully unacceptable. The regulatory confusion and uncertainty surrounding CBD cannot continue for that length of time,” Wyden added.
“Given these strong concerns, I urge FDA to immediately issue enforcement discretion guidance not later than August 1, 2019, and promptly issue an interim final rule, pending issuance of a permanent final rule, to ensure a regulatory pathway for lawful use of CBD as a food additive and as a dietary ingredient in a dietary supplement. Additionally, the agency must initiate permanent final rulemaking to allow manufacturing and sale of products containing hemp-derived CBD under the existing statutory and regulatory frameworks applicable to food and dietary supplements. I further urge you to streamline processes for submitting and prioritizing review of resulting new dietary ingredient and GRAS notifications for hemp-derived CBD ingredients, including, without limitation, dedicating necessary agency staff to the process,” Wyden concluded.
The need for speed
The three-to five-year time frame for a final rule on CBD put forward for former FDA Commissioner Dr Scott MD, had not been seen as foot dragging by industry sources. Rather, it was viewed as a realistic—even optimistic—assessment of how long such a process usually takes.
Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition did agree with Wyden that time is of the essence.
“We are working through a lot of different avenues on the Hill to keep the pressure on the agency to move forward on CBD. We believe that there is a legal pathway for these products to come to market and we believe FDA has the authority to do it,” Mister told NutraIngredients-USA.
“The marketplace has gotten away from the agency with very little enforcement and you cannot put that toothpaste back into the tube. They need to move quickly to prevent the unregulated marketplace from getting any worse,” he said.
It will be difficult to move quickly, because the problems to be hashed out are numerous and complex, said Loren Israelsen, president of the United Natural Products Alliance.
“Most everyone feels that the consumer CBD market is so embedded now that there is no way FDA could remove it,” Israelsen told NutraIngredients-USA is a conversation following the May 31 public meeting on the matter in Washington, DC.
Where does CBD fit in drug/supplement divide?
In Israelsen’s view, among the questions to be solved are: How are the supplement forms of CBD different from the drug that is on the market? What is CBD being used for, and where does that fit into the drug vs supplement question? And what are the specifications of the forms of CBD that is already on the market?
“It seems to me that there is a combination of the disaster of the opiod crisis and a huge unmet need for the management of pain. CBD seems to me to be filling a gap there. If that’s true, that’s a really big consideration,” Israelsen said.
“But other important considerations are, how much THC is in the finished dose of the product? And FDA seems to be asking, too, for companies to please explain what ‘full spectrum’ and ‘broad spectrum’ means in the description of products,” he added.
Questions about discretionary policy
Dan Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association, and also a former FDA official, said he was a bit confused by Wyden’s approach. In his view, the goal should be to engage other lawmakers in the crafting of new legislation, rather than trying to compress the time frame on an FDA rule making procedure.
“I was at the agency, and I’ve never heard of a ‘formal enforcement discretionary policy,’” he said.
“I think anyone who wants to see a real market for CBD, they want to see a law,” Fabricant said.


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The Police Department divides the city into three areas: Crossroads, Portola and University. Entries in the dispatchers log are listed by command areas.
8:50 a.m.Vehicle theft; Golden Vision Optometry; loss of ID cards, money from unlocked Honda Civic; 15333 Culver Drive.
9:54 a.m.Commercial burglary; driver’s license and credit card stolen from wallet in locked locker at L.A. Fitness; 2880 Michelle Drive
9:39 a.m. Vandalism; playground toys scattered and paints splattered on equipment; Yale Ave.
11:13 a.m. Graffiti; San Leon Apartments; multiple spots of graffiti throughout the complex; all spray paint; San Leon.
2:55 p.m. Vehicle vandalism; vehicle egged and dented overnight; Mandarin.
5:03 p.m. Vehicle theft; loss of camera, coins, tape recorder, from unlocked vehicle for loss of about $258; Cape Cod.
2:36 a.m. Drunken driving; Jamboree Road / E. Edinger Avenue.
11:20 a.m. Commercial theft; loss of black backpack containing books and laptop computer; Barranca Parkway.
11:30 a.m. Residential burglary; suspect knocked on front door and went around the back of the house; suspect is described as white or Hispanic male age 19 or 20 with black hair and black baseball hat, wearing a tan hoodie sweatshirt and blue jeans; suspect vehicle is a late 80s or early 90s white sedan with square edges, purple-tinted windows and a dent in the driver’s door; Athel Avenue.
11:42 a.m. Residential burglary; possibly related to previous attempted burglary; male suspect described as white or Hispanic age 19 or 20, about 6 feet tall, with black hair and a goatee, wearing a black hat and sunglasses, a tan zippered hoodie, blue jeans; he entered the house through rear downstairs window; suspect fled in late 90s white colored Camry or similar vehicle with dent in driver’s side door and purple-tinted windows; entry through unlocked window in rear of residence; Cedron Street.
3:25 p.m. Commercial burglary; cell site; loss of copper grounding valued at $2,000; Portola Parkway.
8:44 p.m. Commercial theft; L.A. Fitness; loss of wallet from locked locker; 2880 Michelle Drive.
9:11 a.m.Vandalism; juveniles changed Verizon sign off I-405 to attract attention to the teens’ Web site; minor damage to latch the secure access to sign and lock was missing; lock valued at $50 and damage to repair at $200; 8808 Irvine Center Drive.
10:12 a.m.Commercial theft; J Morita; loss of brass fittings; 9 Mason.
11:10 a.m. Drunken driving; Rockfield Boulevard / Oldfield.
1:20 p.m. Commercial theft; Time Warner Telecom; loss of backflow device overnight; Mason.
4:11 p.m. Vehicle burglary; loss of coins from Hyundai Elantra; Cape Cod.
5:56 p.m. Commercial burglary; Aeropostale; suspect arrested and booked at Orange County Jail ; 71 Fortune.
11:47 p.m. Drunken driving; Sand Canyon Avenue / Irvine Boulevard.
12:13 p.m. Commercial theft; loss of copper wire; Jeffrey Road / I-405.
1:01 p.m. Commercial theft; brass taken from fire sprinkler manifold in front of building; had sensor that was set off and captured time; Mason.
2:05 p.m. Graffiti; graffiti on Babies-R-Us truck; Jamboree Road.
2:42 p.m. Commercial burglary; T-Mobile cell site; loss of copper wire 100-foot spool at $2,000 and two copper buses at $2,000; Jeffrey Road / Irvine Center Drive.
2:45 p.m. Graffiti; Northwood Montessori; graffiti on shed in playground; 12100 Yale Court.
11:11 p.m. Vandalism; subjects seen trying to open unlocked car doors, fled when witness arrived; no loss; sticky beverage on all windows; crime scene investigator collected prints from vehicle interior; Hayes.
10:08 a.m. Graffiti; Canyon Park; spray paint inside the men’s restroom; 6 Canyon Park.
12:42 p.m. Penal code; between March 31 and April 7; suspect got online access to victim’s checking account and transferred money to other people’s accounts; Scholarship.
1:04 p.m. Commercial theft; loss of Louis Vuitton purse; Michelson Drive.
3:27 p.m. Illegal dumping; 17931 Sky Park Blvd.
3:33 p.m. Commercial burglary; Brand Trailers; loss of digital projector overnight; 16940 Von Karman Ave.
9:29 p.m. Traffic collision with injury; Campus Drive / Cornell.
1:56 p.m. Commercial burglary; Concordia University; loss of computer and document projector; no forced entry; Concordia.
Compiled by Irvine World News staff from the police blotter.


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The e-commerce giant just turned in a big second quarter, with net sales rising more than 50 percent to more than $9.9 billion, topping Wall Street’s expectations of $9.4 billion. The company’s earnings per share of 41 cents were down from 45 cents in the same quarter last year, but still well ahead of the consensus expectation of 35 cents.
One reason for the lower profits: The company continues to spend big on growth — adding a net total of 5,300 employees in the second quarter, bringing its total direct workforce to 43,200 people worldwide, not including contractors and temporary workers. That’s up a whopping 53 percent from this time last year, when Amazon employed a mere 28,300 people, according to company data.
As we reported earlier this month, the company is looking for more room to accommodate that growth by leasing additional space near its new South Lake Union headquarters campus.
For the third quarter, ending in September, Amazon says it expects net sales between $10.3 and $11.1 billion, or growth of 36% to 47%. On average that’s ahead of analysts’ advance projections of $9.5 billion to $10.8 billion, according to a Thomson Reuters poll.
The news release makes no mention of Amazon’s reported plans to launch a multi-purpose tablet device in the third-quarter, but that will no doubt be a topic of questions during the company’s conference call with analysts, coming up at 2 p.m. Pacific time.
Amazon said sales growth of Kindle e-readers “accelerated in second quarter 2011 compared to first quarter 2011,” but the company continued its practice of withholding specific numbers.
The AT&T-sponsored Kindle 3G with Special Offers, introduced July 13, has become the bestselling Kindle, the company said.


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MILAN — E-mails and text messages are the rage, but Giorgio Armani is adding a collection of limited edition pens to its accessories lines.
"A handwritten note is today more than ever a sign of etiquette, elegance and sophistication," the designer said. "To carry an iconic pen is therefore a symbol of character and style."
In this venture, Armani turned to Italian pen maker Tibaldi, which was founded in 1916 and still uses 16th-century techniques to create writing instruments.
The first series of the Giorgio Armani Pens line is the Regal Collection, limited to 199 numbered pieces. It is available starting this month at the designer's signature brand boutiques and Tibaldi authorized pen dealers.
The writing instruments are presented in either a natural or ruthenium-plated sterling silver trim and will be sold individually or in special edition complete sets as part of a deluxe package featuring ink, envelopes and special Giorgio Armani letterhead set in a handcrafted black lacquered box. Retail prices start at 2,000 euros, or $2,922 at current exchange.
The designer's initials embellish the end of the pen's cap as well as each fountain pen's rhodium and ruthenium plated solid 18-karat gold nib. The pens will be presented in roller-ball, ballpoint and traditional fountain models. Armani underscored the craftsmanship behind the pens, as artisans turn each piece by hand to infuse its barrel with nine layers of translucent enamel creating a novel rippled effect.
In a separate development, Armani said he is designing new residence apartments in Rome in a former convent. The project will be completed in a year. The designer and Emaar Properties are rolling out hotels in Dubai next year, followed by Milan and other key locations around the world, in addition to private apartments, decorated with exclusive Armani Casa home furnishings.
Armani also is making headway with his new offices in the hip Via Bergognone area that will house a gallery and museum lodging pieces from the retrospective that traveled the world starting in 2000. Once again, Armani turned to architect Tadao Ando for a part of the building that will comprise a covered piazza with an origamilike canopy. Armani plans to hold runway shows, events and exhibitions in the piazza, which is expected to be completed in two years.
From overseeing America’s fastest-growing speciality retailers to codifying cool, WWD talked to the women who are leading the way for the future of beauty. Check out our Instagram Stories to see how these women built today and are creating tomorrow. (📸: @hannah_khymych) #wwdbeauty
For @laperlalingerie's spring 2018 show, the brand chose to host their event at @thevenetianmacao. With Chinese megastars @bingbing_fan and @hubing in attendance, La Perla debuted a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired collection. The show marked the start of Sands Macao Fashion Week, which runs from October 19 to 24 — the city’s first such event. Pictured here are models backstage with glimmering eyes. #wwdfashion (📷: Cheuk-Yin To)
Trending for spring 2018: top stitch design. Gone are the days of stitch just for seams — designers are using the once-minimal detail to create strong decorative elements. (📷: Paola Testa; Styled by @andrew_shang) #wwdfashion
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)


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US market entry great news for Irish agriculture
Clare Senator Tony Mulcahy has described the news that Ireland has become the first EU State in 15 years to obtain beef access to the lucrative US market as "hugely positive news" for Irish agriculture.
The announcement was made by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney today (Monday, 5 January 2014) following a successful inspection by the US authorities of Ireland’s beef production systems in July of last year.
Senator Mulcahy stated: "This breakthrough comes after two years of diplomatic efforts, which indicates how hard it is to find new markets. While a huge deal of credit must go to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for its work in obtaining US approval, I am also mindful of the many years of hard work invested by Irish beef farmers in proving their credentials as suppliers of the highest quality premium beef."
"There is growing international recognition of the quality of beef being produced in this country as exemplified by the opening of beef trade links with Japan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent years. It’s a great time to be getting into the US market, because for the first time the price of beef there is as high as the price of beef in Europe," he concluded.


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Telecom giant Ooredoo Maldives announced that it will officially go public on April 30 and inaugurated the venture late Tuesday.
The Maldivian branch of the Qatar-based Ooredoo Group, which launched services in the archipelago 11 years ago, is to sell total 59.1 million company shares at a rate of MVR 30, which would earn the company a staggering MVR 1.7 billion. However, Ooredoo Maldives’ initial public offering is 22 million shares.
Ooredoo Maldives will commence stock sales from April 30 to May 28. An individual can buy up to 50 shares, which is total MVR 1,500 at a rate of MVR 30.
Full details are available from the link below:
Source URL: Mihaaru-Business


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Click on site to get produce from deep mangroves at home
Residents of Calcutta can now get pure honey sourced online from the Sunderbans mangroves, with groups of native honey collectors teaming up amid the Covid pandemic to offer home delivery of the natural sweetener.
Aided by the state government, honey collectors in the Sunderbans have launched their offering through www.sundarbansjfmc.org.
Speaking on the novel service, state government officials said the move was aimed at assisting honey collectors amid the pandemic as well as providing a shot in the arm to the famous product from Bengal.
“People can now shop for Sunderbans honey from www.sundarbansjfmc.org. Buyers from Calcutta will get free home delivery and people across the country need to pay a shipping charge to get the product. The move has two-fold benefits, financial help for honey collectors and doorstep delivery for buyers,” said a senior forest official.
Honey is available in jars of two sizes, 250gm and 490gm. According to the website, the jar of 250gm is priced Rs 175 and the 490gm Rs 300. There will be an option for online payment.
Apart from the government site, Sunderbans honey is also be available on the online shopping platform Amazon.
Sources said the state forest department, through the Joint Forest Management Committee, had helped 72 families of traditional honey collectors to form three cooperatives a few months ago and helped them in apiculture inside camps of the forest department in the deep mangroves.
“The cooperatives were formed to practise traditional honey collection by groups who used to move in dense forests in search of wild beehives, leading to many of them losing their lives in tiger attacks. We trained honey collectors in packaging the produce and now they are selling it online,” said Santosha G.R., a forester who served as divisional forest officer in the Sunderbans until recently.
Honey collectors said it was the first time that traditional collectors were selling their produce online and were hopeful that it would help them reap profits.
“There are three cooperatives which are producing honey in the deep mangroves. The honey is the same (or as pure as) as the bees collecting it from the flowers inside the forests. We hope people will love our honey. An agency is helping us deliver the products purchased online,” said Debasish Mondal, the secretary of Kultali Sunderban Banaraksha Bahumukhi Samabai Samiti Limited, a cooperative of traditional honey collectors.
Forest officials said the department had already tagged an NGO to handle the online sale and delivery process.
Aniruddha Sur, who developed the online platform, said: “It is just seven days since online sale has started. We have sold around a hundred bottles of honey so far but numbers will increase. An NGO is also helping us run online sale.”


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Amazon Prime Video today announced a worldwide-exclusive, multi-film licensing collaboration with Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE). This association marks the coming together of India’s most loved entertainment hub – Amazon Prime Video, and one of the country’s favourite entertainment brands – Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE). This collaboration will bring the biggest and best of Bollywood movies to audiences across the length and breadth of the country and to fans in over 240+ countries and territories. As part of the association, the streaming service will be the worldwide home to NGE’s upcoming slate of movies, soon after their theatrical launch. NGE’s movie slate includes many much-anticipated titles such as Bawaal, Sanki, Baaghi 4, Kartik Aaryan’s untitled project, among others and promises to bring Sajid Nadiadwala’s trade-mark larger-than-life, immersive cinema to viewers across the globe, on a screen of their choice.
Amazon Prime Video collaborates with Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment; announces worldwide-exclusive, multi-year licensing slate
The films, post their theatrical release, will be available on Amazon Prime Video for all Prime members. Additionally, the films will also be available ‘to-rent’ on Amazon Prime Video for all Amazon customers (Prime or otherwise) in the ‘Early Access Rental’ window.
These films will feature some of Bollywood’s most popular, as well as, versatile talent, including Varun Dhawan, Tiger Shroff, Kartik Aaryan, Ahan Shetty, and many more. The slate also brings together some of the most respected, powerhouse directors including national award-winning directors like Nitesh Tiwari (Chhichhore, Dangal) Ravi Udyawar (Mom), Sameer Vidwans (Anandi Gopal) Saket Chaudhry (Hindi Medium) and many more.
Sajid Nadiadwala, Managing Director of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Producer & Director said, “We have been entertaining the audience for the last 70 years with our movies, contributing to the Indian culture and today it’s a new era in entertainment with OTT becoming such an integral part of our lives. Amazon Prime Video has been instrumental in breaking all barriers in entertainment – geographical, linguistic, or otherwise. In Prime Video, we believe we have found a partner that not only shares our vision of offering immersive cinematic experiences, but also provides global distribution to the best stories from the Indian entertainment ecosystem. This collaboration marks NGE’s first-ever, worldwide exclusive, multi-film, multi-year deal with Prime Video – we are confident that this partnership of inclusive cinema will enable our upcoming titles to travel beyond geographies and add further value to Prime Video’s stellar content selection. As the world of storytelling evolves across genres, I believe this association will pave the way for more collaborations between the two brands to follow.”
“We are excited to venture into this milestone collaboration with Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, that is known to create films that connect instantly with audiences. By inking this partnership, we will bring some of the most entertaining narratives and stories soon after their theatrical releases exclusively to our viewers’ screens worldwide,” said Manish Menghani, Director – Content Licensing, Amazon Prime Video India. “At Amazon, we start with the customer and work backwards and this collaboration is another step towards fulfilling that promise. Prime Video has played a key role in significantly enhancing the audience base for Indian films, across languages, both within the country and internationally. I am certain that this slate of much-anticipated movies will prove to be an absolute delight for our consumers,” he added.
BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & upcoming movies 2022 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.


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Leadership is the single-most important factor for creating the next stage of prosperity in Africa, according to Sangu Delle, MBA candidate at the Harvard Business School and ALN member. For Delle, the new generation of African leaders should embody selflessness, and strive to liberate the continent from economic slavery. This vision of economic freedom and prosperity was born out of Delle’s own personal cultivation of leadership skills. During his time at Harvard, Delle developed his leadership style, while getting involved with the Harvard University Center for African Studies.
The Center has catalyzed the positioning of Africa among Harvard’s top institutional priorities. The Center’s faculty, students, and institutional resources have consistently been leveraged to transform and benefit the continent. “Harvard trains leaders who have, and will continue to, change the world,” concluded Delle. “Having that confidence and self-belief, ‘I can build something great in Africa’….you really need that.” Pairing the experiential knowledge gained during his MBA with the exposure to experts studying issues of import to Africa at the Center, Delle believes he has been uniquely prepared to break business barriers on the continent.
Delle describes the Harvard difference as one not only of curriculum, but of environment. “Being surrounded by young leaders from around the world equips you with a global context, which allows you to glean the best models for Africa.” For Delle, dogmatism should be abandoned in the search for the best solutions to the problems that face African nations today and in the future. The old boundaries outlining what solutions work for Africa are no longer applicable; entrepreneurs on the cutting edge, such as Delle, are defining their own limits and adopting the solutions that work for them. The key to implementing these solutions, for Delle, is self-belief, that fine balance between arrogance and humility. Harvard instilled in Delle the knowledge that an individual can make a difference.
As the Founder, CEO and Chairman of Golden Palm Investments, which focuses on frontier markets in Africa, Delle has invested in an African Leadership Network Ventures early-stage company, Stawi Foods and Fruits Ltd. The company operates a food processing business based out of Nairobi, Kenya. It was launched in 2011 after the founders noticed existing problems in getting these products to market while avoiding price shocks and creating a smooth stream of revenue. According to Delle, Stawi is able to provide a guaranteed market of consumers by providing important food staples at competitive prices. “The product is local and highly nutritious, and will go a long way in dealing with malnutrition issues in Kenya and beyond,” explained Delle.
“Over the next 35 years, over 1 billion babies will be born in Africa,” he elaborated. For Delle, this youth bulge could set development in Africa back several decades, if not managed effectively. “We’re investing in Africa’s future. There are many demonstrable links between nutrition and cognitive performance; Stawi aims to address the issue of malnutrition by feeding the next generation of African leaders with healthy food.”
Linking these varied types of social impact to leadership is part of Delle’s vision for Africa’s future. He views leadership as the key ingredient to creating lasting change in a variety of areas. “We’re now at an inflection point on the continent,” he said. “We have an emerging middle class and consumer class. The right leadership can consolidate the gains we have made and take them further, by embracing the idea of ‘shared prosperity.’”


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Published on January 24th, 2017 | by PEM0
Toyota Adding 400 Indiana Jobs in $600 Million Answer to Trump – Bloomberg
Toyota Adding 400 Indiana Jobs in $600 Million Answer to Trump
Toyota Motor Corp. will invest $600 million and add 400 jobs at an assembly plant in Princeton, Indiana, weeks after Donald Trump criticized Japan’s largest automaker for its plan to open a plant in Mexico. The most important business stories of the day.
Toyota Motor to add 400 jobs at Indiana assembly plantReuters
Gov. Holcomb announces 400 new jobs at Gibson Co. Toyota plant14 News WFIE Evansville
all 14 news articles »
Source: New feed


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To use the map click here.
January 08, 2013
Last night, MoneySupermarket launched its biggest and most epic ad so far with the latest iteration in its ‘You’re So Money Supermarket’ campaign.
July 07, 2012
The latest spot in our ‘You’re So MoneySupermarekt’ campaign launches this weekend, and it features Gary – The £1000 Man.
January 09, 2012
It’s a new year, and we’ve made a brand new ad for Moneysupermarket.com, it’s bigger, and even more epic than ever before.
September 12, 2011
Sunday night was the premiere for our new spot for moneysupermarket.com - Face Off.
July 05, 2011
moneysupermarket.com have launched their new ad 'Surf' which is the first work Mother have done for the brand since winning the account earlier in the year.


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The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Italian Colors Rest. v. Becerra (“Italian Colors”), upheld an as-applied constitutional challenge to a California law prohibiting retailers from imposing a surcharge on customers paying with a credit card. In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit agreed with the district court that an over 30-year-old statutory law violated the merchant plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting them from posting a single “sticker price” and then charging an extra fee for consumers who chose to use a credit card to make payment. The Ninth Circuit thus set the stage for similar challenges pending across the country.
California Civil Code Section 1748.1 prohibits retailers from imposing a surcharge on customers who make payments with credit cards, but permits retailers to offer discounts for payments by cash or other means (i.e., check or credit card). The law stems from a now lapsed provision in the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), which prohibited retailers from imposing a charge on a consumer who chose to use a credit card instead of paying with cash. When the federal ban expired in 1984, California and other states passed similar statutes seeking to continue to bar businesses from imposing a surcharge on a customer who uses a credit card instead of other forms of payment.
On March 5, 2015, a group of five California businesses—a restaurant, gas station, dry cleaners, transmission repair business, and web design company—and their respective owners sued the Attorney General of California seeking a declaration that Civil Code Section 1748.1 is unconstitutional and requesting a permanent injunction against its enforcement. Plaintiffs claimed to have paid thousands of dollars in credit card fees each year based on a 2-3% fee per transaction. To account for these fees, the plaintiffs increased the sticker price for their products and some then offered a discount to customers who paid with cash, check, or debit card. Plaintiffs explained that they were prohibited under Section 1784.1 from posting a single sticker price for an item and then charging the consumer a credit card fee to recover their costs. According to the plaintiffs, they would prefer to charge this surcharge for using credit cards rather than offer a discount for cash purchases because their customers would better understand that credit card fees are responsible for a portion of the price. Plaintiffs argued that this prohibition violated their First Amendment rights and was unconstitutionally vague under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The district court agreed with plaintiffs and, on March 25, 2015, declared that Section 1748.1 was an unconstitutional restriction of speech because it was a content-based commercial speech restriction that could not survive intermediate scrutiny. The court permanently enjoined Section 1748.1 from being enforced against plaintiffs and the Attorney General appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit.
On appeal, the Ninth Circuit disposed of the threshold issue of whether plaintiffs had standing to bring their claim, finding that plaintiffs modified their behavior based on the statute and the threat of enforcement. The court then broke down the remaining inquiry into two questions: 1) whether Section 1748.1 restricts plaintiffs’ commercial speech; and 2) whether Section 1748.1 survives intermediate scrutiny.
The court relied heavily on a recent United States Supreme Court decision in Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (Expressions), which examined a nearly identical New York surcharge statute, in analyzing whether California Civil Code Section 1748.1 regulates commercial speech. In Expressions, the Supreme Court reviewed a Second Circuit ruling that the New York surcharge law did not regulate speech and therefore could not violate the First Amendment. The Supreme Court reversed, concluding that the statute regulated “how sellers may communicate their prices” rather than the prices themselves. The Ninth Circuit noted that the Italian Colors plaintiffs wished to pursue the same course of action in the face of the same law as the plaintiffs in Expressions and, therefore, found that Section 1748.1 also regulates commercial speech.
Once the Ninth Circuit determined that Section 1748.1 was a restriction on commercial speech, the next question was whether it could survive intermediate scrutiny. Under this test, a court must first determine whether the speech is misleading or illegal and, if it is not, then determine whether the state has met its burden of showing that the regulation “directly advances” and is narrowly tailored to the state’s “substantial interest.” Here, the court concluded that the Italian Colors plaintiffs’ desired action—charging more for credit card transactions—was not misleading or illegal because Section 1784.1 already permitted credit card customers to be charged more than cash customers, it just required such charges to be in the form of a discount for cash transactions.
Next, the court concluded that Section 1748.1 did not advance the state’s interest of “promot[ing] the operation of the free market and protect[ing] consumers from deceptive price increases.” In fact, the court found that the statute had the opposite effect. Specifically, by preventing retailers from communicating the cost of credit card usage, their customers were less informed than they would otherwise be regarding why they can receive a discount for cash transactions. Moreover, the court noted that several key exemptions in the statute—including for the state and its subdivisions—indicated that the stated justifications for the statute were illusory. Finally, the court determined that even if the statute advanced California’s asserted interest, it was not narrowly tailored to this interest because preventing consumer deception could be achieved in far more direct ways, such as banning deceptive or misleading surcharges, enforcing other statutes that ban unfair business practices, or requiring retailer to disclose their surcharges both before and at the point of sale.
All told, the Ninth Circuit held that, as applied to the plaintiffs, Section 1748.1 restricted non-misleading commercial speech in a manner that did not directly advance the state’s interest. Therefore, it upheld the district court’s ruling and permanently enjoined enforcement of Civil Code Section 1748.1 against plaintiffs. Although the lower court went further and struck down the law in its entirety, the Ninth Circuit limited its decision to only the plaintiffs in this case.
The Ninth Circuit’s opinion in Italian Colors appears to be a big win for California businesses, and it may very well be, but Section 1748.1 was just one aspect of a much larger battle regarding surcharge fees that continues to play out across the country. For example, California is one of 10 states that have laws on the books prohibiting credit card surcharges. At least three other such states have faced constitutional challenges similar to the one here, with varying degrees of success. However, as Italian Colors makes clear, the Supreme Court’s 2017 decision in Expressions has likely opened the door to more successful challenges.
In addition, even if the surcharge laws are universally deemed to violate the First Amendment, similar prohibitions could survive as contractual provisions in merchants’ agreements with major credit card companies. While such provisions are being challenged in class action lawsuits, it does not appear imminently likely to result in a ban of such provisions. In an action against American Express, for example, the plaintiff challenged several contractual provisions but actually ignored the provision most closely resembling a surcharge restriction. Moreover, while Visa and MasterCard recently reached a proposed class action settlement in which they agreed to remove surcharge restrictions from their agreements, the settlement was rejected by the Second Circuit. It is unclear whether a similar settlement opportunity is on the horizon in this case or any others. In short, while the Italian Colors decision resolves the statutory surcharge debate within the Ninth Circuit, other courts will still get their chance to analyze the issue from both a statutory and contractual angle going forward.
 See Italian Colors Rest. v. Becerra, No. 15-15873, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 150 (9th Cir. Jan. 3, 2018).
 Italian Colors Rest. v. Harris, 99 F. Supp. 3d 1199 (E.D. Cal. 2015). The district court also found that Section 1748.1 was unconstitutionally vague. This part of the district court’s ruling was not addressed by the Ninth Circuit.
 Italian Colors, at 14-19.
 137 S. Ct. 1144 (2017); Italian Colors, at 21-22.
 Italian Colors, at 21 (citing Expressions, 137 S. Ct. at 1151).
 Id. at 22, 27.
 Id. at 24.
 Id. at 25-16.
 Id. at 28.
 Id. at 8.
 Dana’s R.R. Supply v. AG, 807 F.3d 1235, 1246 (11th Cir. 2015) (striking down a Florida surcharge statute nearly identical to California’s Section 1748.1 as an unconstitutional abridgment of free speech), cert denied, 137 S. Ct. 1452 (2017); Expressions, 137 S. Ct. 1144 (vacating Second Circuit ruling that New York surcharge statute did not violate the First Amendment because it did not regulate speech and remanding for further proceedings); Rowell v. Pettijohn, 816 F.3d 73 (5th Cir. 2016) (affirming the dismissal of challenge to Texas’ surcharge statute, because it did not implicate the First Amendment’s free-speech protections), overturned by 865 F.3d 237, 238 (5th Cir. 2017) (remanding matter to district court based on Supreme Court decision in Expressions).
 Expressions, 137 S. Ct. at 1150-51.
 See e.g., id. at 1147-48 (noting that “merchants have brought antitrust challenges to contractual no-surcharge provisions”); In re Payment Card Interchange Fee & Merch. Disc. Antitrust Litig., 827 F.3d 223 (2d Cir. 2016).
 United States v. Am. Express Co., 838 F.3d 179, 191 n.38 (2d Cir. 2016) (noting that plaintiffs did not challenge the provisions that “prohibit merchants from imposing fees when accepting Amex cards that are not ‘imposed equally on all Other Payment Products’”).
 In re Payment Card Interchange Fee & Merch. Disc. Antitrust Litig., 827 F.3d at 236 (rejecting settlement because of a conflict between Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(2) and 23(b)(3) classes, which rendered the representation inadequate). The settlement also had a “most-favored-nation” provision, which prohibited merchants that accepted American Express from taken advantage of the surcharge portion of the settlement agreement. Id. at 230.
 See In re Payment Card Interchange Fee & Merch. Disc. Antitrust Litig., No. 05-MD-1720, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 160045 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 27, 2017) (seeking to amend complaints after proposed settlement was rejected).


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Firefighters were called to a clear a road flooded with chocolate after a storage tank leaked and spilled its content.
In what has been described as a ‘small technical defect’ the liquid chocolate oozed out of the tank, out of the factory and onto a road where it solidified.
The job to clear it up then fell to around 25 firefighters who pried it off with shovels, hot water and torches to remove the leftover bits from cracks and holes in the road.
The chocolate oozed from the DreiMeister chocolate factory in Westoennen, north west Germany, yesterday. Company boss Markus Luckey said the factory would be back in action today.
He added that if the spill had happened closer to Christmas ‘that would have been a catastrophe’.


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By John Vitale — June 27, 2014 — In a landmark win against the world’s top Bordeaux producers this week, L’Ecole N° 41’s newest red blend, the 2011 Estate Ferguson, proved to be a tour de force at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards in London, walking away with the coveted International Trophy for best red Bordeaux varietals in the over £15 classification (over $25 US).
Beating out many of the world’s most renowned—and expensive—Bordeaux varietal wines for the top international spot at this competition is a big feat. The Decanter Awards is considered one of the most authoritative and largest worldwide competitions, recruiting a judging panel that is highly esteemed by the wine industry, buyers and critics.
This year, 224 wine professionals assembled from around the globe, including 66 Masters of Wine and 18 Master Sommeliers, judging a total of 15,007 entries from which only 0.22% earned an international trophy. UK wine critic Steven Spurrier, the instigator behind the 1976 ‘Judgement of Paris’ and undisputed unsung hero of international wines, highlights the Decanters as “the most important awards in the world.”
Wine entries were organized for tasting by country, region, color, grape, style, vintage and price. Gold medal winners were re-tasted to select a Regional Trophy. Regional winners were then split into grape varieties and style, and then into their respective price classification of under or over £15, from which the top International Trophies were selected.
The secret results were revealed at a red carpet event in London on Tuesday, June 24, 2014, where Marty Clubb, L’Ecole’s owner and managing winemaker, was on hand to personally accept the award. “It’s very significant for Washington State because it’s an international endorsement from some of the most respected wine critics in the world. It’s also an endorsement for Walla Walla and L’Ecole,” Clubb told Tasting Room Magazine in an interview just minutes after stepping off a return flight home from London.
“L’Ecole is a broad-spectrum winery that has evolved with an emphasis on the Bordeaux varieties,” explains Clubb. The 2011 Estate Ferguson ($59 retail) is just the latest example of the winery’s adroitness in this department, an exciting blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc sourced solely from Ferguson Vineyard, a newer higher elevation site in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.
“My personal tastes and interests have evolved in the single vineyard wines. For me, site-specific blends are about capturing that specificity of location, and over time you begin to have an appreciation for what that is,” says Clubb, who tackles every task with fervor.
He adds, “We strive to bring out the best of each site, down to the individual blocks—and you get to learn it like a chef preparing a dish. That part of it is fun. We’re proud of all our wines but doing single vineyard wines is part of our interest.”
L’Ecole has been producing award-winning single-vineyard blends such as the Apogee from Pepper Bridge Vineyard for the past 20 years, and the Perigee from Seven Hills Vineyard for the past 12 years—long enough for Clubb to gain insights into the subtle nuances that every block and row of fruit contribute to the final blends.
Although Marty Clubb and his team at L’Ecole N° 41 are the new world champions of Bordeaux red blends, they are not likely to slow down anytime soon.
“I think it’s more than one wine,” says Clubb in retrospect of the big win in London this week. “We have this incredible climate and soil that is producing spectacular wines all over the place. It’s a testament to what a spectacular region we have. We are still in our infant stage and it’s going to be exciting to see how this industry evolves over the next several decades.”
Click here to read the whole story behind L’Ecole N° 41 and the 2011 Estate Ferguson as published in the Summer 2014 issue of Tasting Room Magazine.


text: Real Estate DevelopmentDuring fiscal year 2012, the Company continued to execute its real estate development strategy by capitalizing development costs of $5.1 million. In fiscal year 2011, the Company capitalized development costs of $5.2 million. Fiscal 2012 Business Highlights The Company continues to benefit from the success of its direct lemon sales and marketing strategy. In fiscal year 2012, lemon sales were comprised of approximately 79% to U.S. and Canada-based customers and 21% to domestic exporters. Alex Teague, Senior Vice President, stated, “We continue to benefit from our direct lemon marketing and sales strategy. We now have over 100 different lemon customers, underscoring the success of our sales team. In fiscal year 2012, we sold approximately 600,000 more fresh lemon cartons than the last fiscal year, and we are looking forward to continued growth in fiscal year 2013. To bolster our direct lemon sales and marketing strategy, we launched a marketing campaign ‘Unleash the Power of Lemons,’ with the goal of building lemon sales and consumption through fun and easy consumption ideas. We have recently announced partnerships with experts in food, beauty, and lifestyle in major cities including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to promote the many innovative uses of lemons.” In fiscal year 2012, Limoneira continued to execute on its agribusiness growth strategy of acquiring prime agriculture property throughout California. The Company acquired 355 acres of agriculture property and entered into the Sheldon Ranch leases for another 1,000 acres. Limoneira currently owns or leases 8,246 acres of agriculture and real estate property compared to 6,840 acres owned or leased at the beginning of fiscal year 2012. Fiscal 2013 Outlook The Company enters 2013 with approximately 800 additional revenue generating agricultural acres, representing a 12% increase compared to the beginning of fiscal 2012. For the fiscal year ending October 31, 2013, the Company expects to sell between 3.0 million to 3.2 million cartons of lemons, representing approximately 25% increase over fiscal year 2012 and expects to sell between 17 million to 19 million pounds of avocados, representing approximately 50% increase compared to fiscal year 2012. Lemon and avocado prices are expected to be less in fiscal year 2013 than 2012 due to higher industry production.


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Swindon’s Stitch and Bitch group have created knitted versions of the much loved characters from The Jungle Book to celebrate the new live action film release.
The ladies at Swindon Stitch n Bitch made an 18ft snake – Kaa and a monkey over 2.5ft with its baby, which were all put on display at the Jungle VIP event at the Brunel Shopping centre.
The snake and monkey are now up for sale on eBay to raise more funds for Against Breast Cancer, the groups chosen charity.
For more information on Swindon Stitch and Bitch, visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/KnittingAgainstBreastCancer
The eBay listing for the 18ft snake: CLICK HERE
The eBay listing for the 2.5ft monkey: CLICK HERE


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Begin, the company behind the early learning programme Homer has closed a $50 million Series C funding round.
Investors include Lego Ventures, Sesame Workshop, the principal investor in Gymboree Play & Music, 3One4 Capital, Trustbridge Partners and Interlock Partners. Liquidity Capital also contributed an additional $25 million in trajectory-based funding for growth.
New York-based Begin said it will use the funding to launch the industry’s first comprehensive early learning programme across digital, physical, and in-person experiences; co-develop curriculum alongside partners such as Sesame Workshop; and launch globally through distribution partners such as Gymboree Play & Music.
Begin co-founder and chief executive Neal Shenoy said: “Homer is partnering with the largest, most recognised brands in international children’s education, entertainment, and technology to reimagine the early learning journey starting with parents and children at home.”
Jamie Beaumont, managing partner at Lego Ventures, added: “Homer’s vision and approach to playful learning fosters curiosity and collaboration in children that aligns closely with Lego Ventures’ investment ethos supporting founders and companies in bringing the Lego idea of learning-through-play to life. We look forward to working with Neal and the excellent team he has built, and supporting Homer as they grow and scale their purposeful play offerings across hands-on, in-person and digital experiences.”
Steve Youngwood, president of media and education and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop, Jyoti Parikh, head of brand, insights and communication at Lego Education, Xinkai Chen, group senior vice-president of Gymboree Global Education Group, and Michael Cohn, partner at GSV will join the Begin board.
Date published: 5 October 2020


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In a groundbreaking move, Apple Inc. has ventured into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) by developing its very own large language models. Reports indicate that Apple is currently working on an AI chatbot, tentatively named “Apple GPT,” which could pose a significant challenge to industry giants like OpenAI, Google, and Meta. This daring endeavor comes as the tech giant aims to stay ahead in the fiercely competitive AI landscape and meet the soaring consumer demand for generative AI tools capable of streamlining tasks like content creation and data analysis.
According to credible sources, Apple’s novel AI framework, codenamed “Ajax,” forms the bedrock of their large language models. The framework is designed to rival offerings such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, which have already garnered widespread popularity among users. By leveraging Google Jax, the tech titan’s machine learning framework, Apple has laid the groundwork for creating powerful AI models that possess the potential to revolutionize how individuals interact with technology.
Even though the AI chatbot was initially subjected to security concerns surrounding generative AI, Apple has gradually expanded its availability to more employees, albeit with specific approval requirements. The tool has shown promise in aiding Apple’s employees with product prototyping, text summarization, and providing data-driven answers to queries. However, any output from the chatbot is restricted from being utilized to develop features destined for customers, emphasizing Apple’s cautious approach to safeguarding sensitive data.
Also read: Blockchain Development with AI
It is intriguing to observe Apple’s strategic approach towards generative AI, as the company has been rather enigmatic about its AI ventures compared to its competitors like Google and Microsoft. While AI features have been subtly integrated across Apple’s products and applications, the tech giant is now making a resolute push to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for advanced generative AI technologies.
Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has emphasized the company’s intention to introduce AI into more products but has also highlighted the need for thoughtfulness and responsibility in doing so. Apple’s internal AI chatbot development marks a significant milestone, indicating the company’s willingness to embrace AI technology thoughtfully without compromising on user privacy and data security.
Apple’s AI journey has seen the company actively seeking talent in the generative AI domain, as reflected in their recent job postings. This concerted effort aims to recruit experts with a comprehensive understanding of large language models and generative AI, demonstrating Apple’s commitment to staying at the forefront of AI innovation.
The AI landscape has seen rapid growth, with companies like Meta making significant strides in AI development, launching the open-source large language model “Llama 2.” However, Apple’s unique approach has remained distinct from others, with the company’s strong focus on creating its own proprietary AI framework and ensuring data privacy is upheld.
As Apple continues to refine its AI capabilities, the company’s efforts are being spearheaded by John Giannandrea, the head of machine learning and AI, along with Craig Federighi, the top software engineering executive. The collaborative effort between various teams within Apple underscores the significance of AI in shaping the future of technology.
The AI race has become a pivotal turning point for Apple, inspiring the company to delve deeper into the potential of generative AI. The proprietary Ajax framework, in conjunction with the internal Apple GPT chatbot, holds the promise of enhancing user experiences and revolutionizing the way people interact with their devices. While the company hasn’t unveiled a concrete timeline for public release, speculations are rife that Apple could make a momentous AI-related announcement next year.
Apple’s aspirations in the AI domain have prompted a reevaluation of its existing products, with possibilities of integrating LLM technology, like Apple GPT, into Siri to amplify its capabilities. By doing so, the company envisions enabling the virtual assistant to perform more tasks on behalf of users, further enhancing user convenience.
As Apple steps into the AI arena, it recognizes the importance of adopting AI technology responsibly. CEO Tim Cook emphasizes the need for guardrails and regulations to ensure that AI is developed and deployed ethically. Apple’s commitment to self-regulation and consideration of government regulations underlines its dedication to responsible AI practices.
Apple’s leap into the AI race with the development of Apple GPT and the Ajax framework marks a significant turning point for the tech giant. With an emphasis on privacy, security, and thoughtfulness, Apple’s unique approach to generative AI sets it apart from its competitors. As the company continues to refine its AI capabilities, the prospect of an Apple GPT-powered future promises exciting possibilities, revolutionizing the way we interact with technology on a personal and innovative level.
Also read: How to Become a Certified ChatGPT Expert?


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It is a well-known saying which says that the future is already here, Vivo is certainly living a few years further in the future than the rest of us, going by a recent patent by the company for a mini-drone integrated directly into a smartphone that can fly off on request to take the perfect selfie.
LetsGoDigital has now set the device to life in an image, which you can see below:
The patent shows at least 2 cameras in the drone module – a side facing and top one, with additional directions also available. The drone will also feature four propellers and 3 infra-red sensors for collision avoidance and of course its own battery, which can likely be recharged by your phone itself.
The mini-drone should be less than 5x5cm and also less than 1 cm thick.
It is unclear if such a device will ever make it to market, given the impact of the mini-drone on the size, weight and bulk of the handset, but the mere existence of the concept shows how far technology has progressed.
Would you buy such a device? Let us add comments below.


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FujiFilm, Sydney, 16 September 2015: FUJIFILM today announced that it has launched a specialist cine lens website that is totally dedicated to all news, technology and applications of cine lenses.
The website’s opening feature focuses on ”ZK versus prime cine lenses” and provides an in depth review and comparison of both lens technologies. Upcoming features include different applications of 4K lenses to show the full potential of the technology and how 4K lenses are and will be used across the industry in the future.
The new Fujifilm cine lens website is live and online now and coincides with the arrival of Fujinon’s new 4K Ultra HD Series lenses arriving in Australia and New Zealand. The UA22x8 is the first portable zoom lens in the series, and the new UA80X9 is the first field lens.
FUJIFILM Australia Pty Ltd is one of 282 worldwide subsidiaries (as of 31 March 2013) owned by FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation which is the world’s largest photographic and imaging company, and one of the best-known and most instantly recognisable global brands.
In the Oceania region, Fuji Xerox and FUJIFILM NZ also form part of the corporate family owned by ultimate parent company, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — At least one woman accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of items from a high-end Nashville retail store was charged Tuesday afternoon.
Police said security video from the Nordstrom at the Mall at Green Hills, taken on Nov. 5 of last year, showed two masked female suspects enter the store. The women were then reportedly seen loading Versace and other items into trash bags and walking out without paying.
In total, MNPD said the suspects took approximately $33,265 worth of stolen merchandise.
Authorities said Tangaletta Clark, 24, later posted similar items for sale on an Instagram account “Swift Doolie.” A Facebook account under the same username is also allegedly owned by Clark.
Police said she was identified in social media photos and matches one of the suspects seen on the mall security video.
Clark was charged with theft and is being held on a $50,000 bond.


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In November, IAB hosted IAB On The Hill, our inaugural event showcasing the digital advertising industry with the aim of highlighting how public policy on data privacy, competition, and AI impacts the industry. The first edition of what we hope will become an annual event in Washington, D.C. was a success, attracting more than 100 bipartisan House and Senate staffers, Members of Congress, agency personnel, and industry professionals to the Rayburn House Office Building, where IAB shared a fresh perspective on digital advertising’s importance to innovation, jobs, and economic growth.
Small business coalition Internet for Growth appeared with Azerion, Frameplay, and Venatus – gaming, AR, and VR companies on the cutting edge of technology. Policymakers learned how the ad-supported internet not only lowers barriers to access the web, but also supports content creation and innovation in the augmented reality, virtual reality, and gaming spaces. Those who attended heard from small businesses who rely on digital advertising’s efficiency and effectiveness and about the benefits consumers receive from timely, relevant messages, and thousands of dollars of free content and services every year. There can be no doubt that the “creator economy” is flourishing, and digital advertising is becoming even more intrinsic to technology, our economy, culture, and society. Events like IAB On The Hill could not come at a more relevant time as companies large and small are investing in AI and the metaverse while leading data privacy solutions that also allow for a personalized online experience.
We were proud to host Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC), as well as staff from the offices of Senators Ted Ted Cruz (TX) and Ron Johnson (WI), Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD), Yvette Clarke (NY), Brian Mast (FL), and more, who heard a different side of the story.
Policymakers heard from brand-name companies and start-ups, not just digital advertising ones. The Pitch Place, an online hub for journalists, and Spartan Junk Removal, a home services company, described the importance of digital ads to a free press and entrepreneurs. Howard County Community College described the importance to students seeking education and employment.
At IAB On The Hill, IAB Public Policy and Legal Summit, our Congressional Education Series and other events throughout the year, we’re conveying a positive message and influencing outcomes. Subscribe to our public policy newsletter to stay up to date and participate. It’s a crucial time to get involved.


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Samsung Galaxy S11 Said To Come With A Taller 20:9 Screen
Will Samsung next S series snatch the title of “the most leaked smartphone” from Google Pixel? It’s still early for a concrete leak on Galaxy S11 to buzz out but we’re now starting to get a small trickle of them going. First we got info that Samsung will start to test a new 5x periscope telephoto camera for the S11, and now, thanks to a leaked HTML 5 browser test, there’s a hint of the Galaxy S11’s new display.
The phone tested in the HTML 5 benchmark uses the SM-G416U model name, which is a placeholder name Samsung uses when testing its unreleased Galaxy S models. It unsurprisingly runs Android 10 but more interestingly, it packs a 20:9 screen aspect, as evidenced by the mock 384 x 854px resolution listed in the benchmark.
It’s unclear what Samsung will do with extra length of the screen nor if it will use a pop up selfie camera.
We should not expect the Galaxy S11 till next February at the very least so stay tuned for the many leaks and rumors that are bound to pop up in the meantime.


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The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre recently released “Blockchain now and tomorrow. Assessing multidimensional impacts of distributed ledger technologies”, a publication analyzing the state of the art of blockchain technology and exploring the transformations it is bringing and will bring in the near future.
Blockchain is one of the technologies which is anticipated to have a huge impact over the next 10-15 years – states the report – and this is demonstrated by the attention investors worldwide are dedicating to blockchain since 2009. Furthermore the growth of blockchain is witnessed by the rise of fundings that started in 2014 with €450 million and increased up to € 7.14 billion in 2018.
The blockchain technology has well known applications in the financial sector, but it has the potential to significantly impact many sectors such as trade and supply chains, manufacturing, energy, creative industries, healthcare and government, public and third sector. Being at an embryonic stage the blockchain technology encompasses a series of challenges among which the ones related to data privacy, integration with legacy infrastructures or interoperability between different blockchains. There is also a trust concern related to this technology that finds its roots in the elimination of intermediaries or third parties: the report highlights that if on the one hand some actors will disappear, on the other one there will be new actors and more importantly the traditional ones like governments will continue to play their role by guaranteeing equal conditions for participation, checking the quality and quantity of data, settling disputes and enforcing rules. A further element stressed by the publication is the urgency that policy makers and regulators put their efforts in verifying if the existing legislation fits the current situation or if a new legal framework is required.
By clicking on this link you can access the full report and get more insights.


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Texas allows beer and wine sales at 10 a.m. on Sundays
We’re finally making progress toward eliminating the old Sunday alcohol laws here in Texas. While we are not there yet, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
On Friday, May 28, the Texas legislature passed a bill that will allow Texans to purchase wine and beer at 10 a.m. on Sunday, starting September 1, according to Big Country Home Page. Currently, we have to wait until noon on Sunday to buy alcohol.
The bill will also allow hotels to sell alcohol to their customers at any time of the day. Honestly, I didn’t know they couldn’t do this already. But come to think of it, I rarely stay in hotels with bars (what’s wrong with me?)
The bill is part of a larger movement known as “Boot the Ban”. The movement aims to repeal outdated “blue” laws in the Lone Star State.
Two bills had recently been introduced to allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays, but it does not appear that they will be adopted as they were left pending in committee.
For the record, I’m all for selling alcohol on Sundays. It’s not like people aren’t going to consume it on Sunday just because they can’t buy it. They will just refuel on Saturday night.
So let those liquor stores to choose whether or not to do business on Sunday. After all, it’s the Texas way, isn’t it?
WATCH: Here are the 25 Best Places to Live in Texas
On the list, there is a solid mix of offerings ranging from good schools and nightlife to public parks and public parks. Some areas have experienced rapid growth thanks to the relocation of new businesses to the region, while others offer a glimpse into the region’s history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Read on to see if your hometown made the list.


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Longmont YMCA neighbors now can find fresh, organic produce at affordable prices.
On Thursday, the Longmont Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Growing Gardens’ farmstand at the Longmont YMCA. Growing Gardens Executive Director Vanessa Keeley said the new endeavor has been years in the making.
“Since the beginning, we have always been wanting to have a way for food to be available to the neighbors of the farm, to this really local community and to the broader Longmont community as well,” she said.
Growing Gardens has been serving Boulder County for about 25 years with a mission to connect people to each other, fresh healthy food and the land through sustainable farming practices.
They have had a food project farm in partnership with the YMCA for seven years, spreading nearly an acre around the facility. From that garden and for over the past six and a half growing seasons, Growing Gardens has donated over 60,000 pounds of fresh food to the Longmont community.
The newly opened farm stand will offer organically grown produce from that farm at a reduced rate — on Thursday fresh-looking kale, chard and turnips were selling for $2 a bunch while lettuce was $3 a bag and basil and parsley were $1 a bunch.
“It’s beautiful, organically grown produce and it’s subsidized by some of our donors to make sure we can keep the prices affordable, so that when people come to purchase it feels like something they can fit in their budget,” Keeley said. “Everyone deserves this great, beautiful, organic food.”
Removing barriers to access healthy and fresh food is a big part of Growing Gardens’ mission. Keeley emphasized that doing so in an ethical way can be expensive.
“It takes a lot to grow healthy food if you’re paying people a good wage, which we’re really trying to do as an organization,” Keeley said. “Historically, agriculture has been one of the lagging industries in terms of what workers get paid. Part of our mission is finding out how to tell people what healthy food costs and then also providing free food or reduced rate food when we can so that everyone can have access.”
In addition to the free and reduced rate food, Growing Gardens offers a variety of other programs like the Cultiva Youth Project, which provides youth a paid leadership program working on the farm. Growing Gardens also stewards community gardens across the county along with gardening classes and seed and seedling donations to make growing food at home more accessible.
The farm stand will be open 4-6 p.m. every Thursday now through September at the Longmont YMCA, 950 Lashley Street.


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Samsung Stealth Hitting Verizon With LTE On April 7th?
All the way back at CES, Samsung and Verizon announced an unnamed LTE device that would be coming out at an unspecified date.
The pieces however have been officially coming together as a short time ago we learned that the handset would be called the Samsung Stealth and today, with some evidence provided by Android Central, it looks like we might finally have a release date for Samsung’s LTE debut on Big Red.
The evidence comes in the form of a leaked document from Costco that indicates that the Stealth will be up through pre-order (through Costco at the very least) starting March 24th and will hit shelves officially a few days later on April 7th.
Interestingly, the device is called the Samsung 4G Droid Stealth and not just the Samsung Stealth which means it, like the upcoming Incredible 2, might be part of the exclusive Droid family of smartphones.
Of course, that would also mean that it would be Samsung’s first offering of the Droid flavor as previous Droid phones have been made by HTC and Motorola.
If these dates from Costco are in fact the real deal, look for an announcement from Samsung and Verizon sometime soon, maybe even during CTIA.
03/27/2011 at 11:08 pm
Who ever would think of buying the stealth is crazy. It is a joke of a phone and no one should buy it. All it is a verizon version of the older samsung phone. Waste of time.


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Advertising Agency BBD Perfect Storm has come up with a bit of fun that could do lasting god for charities with a festive hashtag generator.
Mocking some Twitter users’ obsession with excessive hashtags, the #Xmashtag Christmas hashtag generator will join together four different words to come up with over 10,000 combinations.
Creating festively futile fun such as #RoastedFiggyJoyLog and #FrostyJesusBoxingMince, the generator is sure to be a hit with Twitter users bored of the usual yuletide hashtags.
For every unique tweet used the agency will donate 10p to SCT, a London-based charity for people affected by homelessness, addiction, poverty or social isolation.
‘Obsessed with ridiculous hashtags’
BBD Perfect Storm’s executive director Seb Hill told Digital Arts: “Our industry, and indeed the world, is obsessed with ridiculous hashtags. We hope people see the ironic cliché in this campaign and embrace the XmashTag to spread some #ChristmasJoy, whilst doing some good at the same time.”
Identity checking system that allows organisations to verify who people are, online and in person, has announced details of a Hack Day for charities
Comic Relief has rolled out a ‘Tech vs Abuse’ funding initiative to drive technological innovation and creative digital solutions
Award-winning Irish tech start-up is expanding in the UK via a trial with Waitrose
App offers a new level of transparency about the charity's work


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Prices for the Eurovignette will go up. Dutch unionists outraged
You can read this article in 2 minutes
The price of the Eurovignette will increase from 1 July 2019. The fee is valid in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Denmark and applies to all vehicles above 12 tonnes. The Dutch Transport and Logistics Association (TLN) strongly opposes the price increases.
Tariffs will increase from July 1, 2019 and will mainly apply to older trucks (Euroclass 4 and lower). For example, the Euro 4 vehicle yearly rate will increase from 1,250 euros to 1,400 euros. In the case of Euro 3, this is an increase from 1250 to 1543 euros per year. The daily rate will increase from 8 to 12 euros for all categories.
The proceeds from the tolls for using the motorways will go to the budget of the Dutch government. The estimated additional revenues will amount to 13 million euros in 2019 and 31 million euros in subsequent years (of which 8 million euros will be paid by Dutch carriers). These funds are to be allocated to the development and development of infrastructure.
Opposition of trade unionists
The Dutch Transport and Logistics Association (TLN) does not hide indignation. The network of roads covered by the vignette is smaller because both Germany (in 2003) and Belgium (in 2016) gave up the Eurovignette system in exchange for a toll. Therefore, according to trade unionists, prices should go down, not vice versa. Now, carriers will pay more for vignettes that cover fewer countries. In addition, they will have to pay a toll in Germany (where the government has recently expanded the payment to most federal roads) and Belgium.
The idea of taxing older trucks met with understanding, given their negative impact on the environment. However, trade unionists say that the government already announced a tax on heavy goods vehicles which is due to be introduced in 2023.
Photo: Pixabay/hpgruesen/public domain


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SANTIAGO – Chile’s coho salmon is attracting more salmon buyers in several Asian countries, including Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, even as its rising demand has boosted the price by almost $1/kg year-on-year.
One of the main reasons is that it is cheaper than Atlantic salmon.
Over 90% of coho produced in Chile is consumed in Japan. But, the coho market share in other South-East Asian markets has reportedly risen from zero to approximately 20%.
Prices for headed and gutted (H&G), frozen coho have increased to about $7.20 per kilogram, up from about $6.40/kg last year.
The new coho season will start in October and prices at that time will depend on the Atlantic salmon price level, which has become a strong driver for coho prices.
The current price for frozen 5-6kg, head-on, Atlantic salmon is around 7.8kg, so coho is much cheaper.
Chilean coho salmon prices in Japan jumped to their highest level since 2014 in December 2016, driven by low availability of salmon and delayed shipments from Chile.
The average price for frozen, headed and gutted coho, size 4-6kg, are currently at JPY 865/kg.


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What Wells Fargo did to its customers is hardly an aberration it seems.
Wells Fargo is just the latest member of Corporate America to get caught with its hands in its Customers’ pockets. Wells’ opening of non-authorized credit cards, and other accounts, generates increased revenue for the company. You might have noticed questionable additional charges on your utility bill, received the hard-sell to accept unnecessary options when you bought a car, or were charged for unnecessary “extras” on your cell phone bill. Unfortunately, this happens everywhere today, it seems.
Many employees have noticed that the corporate contribution for their health care, retirement and other so-called employer-sponsored benefits (if they have them, at all) have been reduced, as the workers are now expected to pay even more. In essence, Corporate America has been pulling-back those benefits that attracted employees to begin with. Yes, the cost of those benefits do eat into corporate profits; but, the commitment of those same employees, to the…
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