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When Gerald Ratner described one of his store’s products as “total crap”, Birmingham’s leading jewellery manufacturer felt that the former high street retailer probably did the whole industry a favour.
Patrick Fuller, chairman of Weston Beamor, one of the largest surviving manufacturers still based in the city’s jewellery quarter, is in little doubt that if retailers did a better job, UK manufacturers would sell a lot more product.
Although imports account for 70 per cent of the jewellery market, Birmingham’s jewellers still generate 40 per cent of UK production.
H Samuel and other big high street jewellers contract out manufacturing to cheaper suppliers in Asia. Mr Fuller focuses on small orders of higher value pieces, made to meet short delivery times.
Exports account for about half the £25m of sales, with Mr Fuller attending all the big trade fairs armed with a two-inch-thick catalogue — a publication it produces in English, French, German and Flemish for the Antwerp diamond trade. “I think the Jewellery Quarter should be selling nice jewellery for people who cannot afford to buy it at Mappin & Webb,” he says referring to one of the leading high-end retailers. “The city council talks about the lure of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, but if you were French and came here, you wouldn’t find much to buy.”
Weston Beamor employs about 120 staff in the city. The Birmingham Assay Office, which provides hallmarking and materials testing services, is another big employer, as is Cookson, the international bullion trader.
Mr Fuller is positive on the employment outlook, commenting that the average age of his workforce is falling for the first time after recent hires.
The Birmingham School of Jewellery is a particular source of talent — which was not always the case. “It started out as an artisan school that trained mounters and setters for the trade. That went out of vogue and it then became a very nice middle class institution to send your daughter to. Well, I think it’s come full circle. The attitude to the trade has changed completely. It wants to work with us.”
Twenty years ago, there were 3,000 people employed in the Birmingham cluster. The red brick façades, some carrying the old company names in the masonry, are mostly still standing, but many are now offices or trendy apartments for young Brummies with jobs in the city’s growing financial services industry.
“Where Cooksons had foundries all around them, they’ve now got apartment blocks and the people living in the apartments complain about the banging. Well the developer should have thought of that,” says Mr Fuller.
The sector has endured a turbulent few years with sales stalling as consumers melted down unused heirlooms to take advantage of high bullion prices. Gold and silver have fallen back. But Mr Fuller says jewellers still face a particular challenge, manufacturing with what is a speculative material
“We’ve all got stock that has had to be devalued, through no fault of our own, and that causes problems” he says.
Modern jewellery-making still uses the “lost wax” techniques familiar to the Ancient Greeks in their bronze foundries. But Mr Fuller says: “Technology is making its mark in our industry and the challenge for UK manufacturers will be to keep up the investment.”
Weston Beamor has three specialist machines that cut wedding rings from rolled gold bars. It also has several rapid prototyping machines that make more complex pieces using 3D printing technology to produce the computer generated resin models ready for casting.
But not all success stories rely on investment in equipment. A few streets away, James Deakin works in a factory little changed since it was opened in the 1780s.
Deakin & Francis cufflinks sell in Harrods in London and Bloomingdale’s in New York. James and his brother Henry, who both trained as gemmologists, have reinvented the family business as a fashion brand — with prices to match.
When they took charge nine years ago on their father’s retirement, they were making so-called unmarked “white label” jewellery for the wholesale trade. But on a trip to the US, James Deakin quickly realised they were missing a trick.
“Unnoticed by us, our customers were using the name Deakin & Francis as a tool to sell the product.”
A fresh insight into retail thinking came when another potential customer insisted on seeing the packaging before the product. “That was the first time we had any inkling how retailing really works,” he says.
Unlike Weston Beamor, the company has no specialist machine tools, preferring to use the more mechanical process of stamping, where the metal is forced into a steel dye.
“We stamp as much as possible. We use brand new clean metal, unrecycled. That’s important for the enamel work we do. It has to be new metal. If there is any impurity, the enamel will chip off,” he says.
Deakin & Francis hallmarked 34,000 pairs of cufflinks last year. On any day, it would probably have a similar volume in stock, so as to be able to meet short delivery times demanded by its important customers.
“The finance department hates us carrying so much stock. But we believe that if someone wants it, we should be able to give it to them.”
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Call it the summer of truck stop electrification. Maybe it’s not as romantic or nostalgic a notion as the “summer of love” or the “summer of ’42,” but for the trucking industry, the summer of TSE is a whole lot more important.
This is the summer that truckers on major freight corridors around the country will see a significant increase in the number of truckstop parking spaces at which they can plug in their vehicles and operate cab comforts and conveniencesespecially air conditioning, a critical need for summer drivingwithout idling the main engine.
Shorepower Technologies, which deploys and operates plug-in power pedestals, already has more than a dozen locations at truckstops.
But with the federally-funded Shorepower Truck Electrification Project (STEP), administered jointly by the company and the non-profit organization Cascade Sierra Solutions, 50 locations will be added by the end of this year, many of those coming on-line this spring and summer.
Proponents of plug-in power as an idle reduction technology have long touted its benefits for reducing fuel consumption and expense and improving the environment.
But Jeff Kim, president and CEO of Shorepower Technologies, said the best marketing program for plug-in power is installing pedestals at truckstops, where truckers can see it and start enjoying the benefits firsthand.
“Truckstop electrification has been a long time coming, but this is the summer in which we can really show what this technology is capable of,” Kim said. “Once drivers see it for themselves, use it and tell others about it, the interest will accelerate.”
That will come as good news to truck owners and operators who have long been intrigued by the idea of plug-in power, and are investing in equipment specifically designed to work with it, but who haven’t had many opportunities to use it.
“We are very interested in the use of shore power at truckstops and other locations,” said Brent Witte, president of Witte Bros., based in Troy, Mo. “For refrigerated loads, such as ours, it makes economic and environmental sense to utilize truck stop electrification.”
“For us, it’ll be much better whenever shore power expands a little bit more and has more locations,” added Carol Barrett, fuel manager for heavy equipment haulers Keen Transport in Carlisle, Pa.
Truckstop owners participating in the STEP program are looking forward to adding plug-in power too, because it’s another service they can offer to get drivers who pull in to their facilities for the night.
Chuck Hinckley, president of Gearjammer Truck Plaza in Union Gap (near Yakima), Wash., said truckers currently have four options for dealing with very hot or cold temperatures: Idle their trucks all night, run an auxiliary power unit, get a motel room “or suffer.”
Plug-in power is “an alternative that takes care of them and helps our environment,” Hinckley added. “When you can put together a program that does both, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Hinckley said he expects to see use of plug-in power grow because of the savings in fuel and maintenance costs, incentive programs to install plug-in-power-compatible equipment and the increase in the number of truck stops such as Gearjammer where electrical connections are available at parking spaces.
Plug-in power isn’t a new conceptmuch the same idea has been used for years at boat marinas (hence the derivation of the term “shore power”), airports and RV parks. Truckers can connect with plug-in power with as little as a heavy-duty extension cord connected to an outlet strip, from which they can run TVs, microwaves, laptops or space heaters.
In more sophisticated set-ups, plug-in power connections and equipment specifically designed to run off external power can be installed. At the top of the line, trucks come from the factory with the truck’s internal systems set up to seamlessly operate with plug-in power.
That’s the direction many fleets are going. Witte said the company is studying battery-powered APUs (which use truckstop connections to grid power to recharge batteries); the increased availability of truck stop electrification “would definitely enhance our decision to choose them.”
Keen Transport last year ordered 70 trucks with plug-in-power-ready, diesel-powered APUs, and the company intends to buy more.
For Keen, it’s more than just having the equipment and hoping drivers will use it. “I take part in the new driver training for each of those new trucks (outfitted with APUs), and one of the things I hand to them first off is the list of (plug-in) locations,” said Barrett, who is paying close attention to the rollout of truckstops equipped with electrical connections and how those fit in with Keen’s routes. “I’ll continue with the drivers of those trucks that have (plug-in capability) to keep them up to date when it comes to be at those stops.”
The answer to the question “when?” brings us back to the importance of the summer of 2012 for plug-in power. Shorepower Technologies, in conjunction with Cascade Sierra Solutions, is specifically targeting heavily traveled routesincluding Interstates 5, 10, 20, 75, 80, 81, 84, 90 and 95for development of truck stops outfitted with plug-in power, so that truckers can count on the service when they stop to rest. The full, updated list of plug-in power sites can be found by clicking here.
One particular area of emphasis is the West Coast, where plug-in power sites are already in place or will be switched on soon along I-5 and Highway 99 in California, Oregon and Washington. Shorepower’s Jeff Kim said the goal is to have plug-in power sites 40 to 200 miles apart on those West Coast routes.
Bringing plug-in power to more West Coast truckstops highlights one of the reasons the technology is gaining favor with drivers and vehicle owners. California already has an anti-idling rule (extended to trucks with sleeper cabs in 2008); Oregon’s went into effect in January of this year.
They’re not alone. Dozens of states, counties and municipalities already have laws limiting or banning truck idling, and more rules are coming.
But plug-in power offers a wealth of benefits beyond legal compliance, for fleet owners and operators and for drivers.
The immediate payoff is in reduced fuel cost. Shorepower prices its service at $1 an hour (cable TV is often included), compared with $4 or more for a gallon of diesel fuel required to idle the truck for an hour. The higher the price of diesel goes, the higher the return on investment and the shorter the payback period for plug-in compatible trucks and equipment. Even for trucks equipped with diesel-powered idle reduction equipment, there can be benefits. Noted Keen Transport’s Barrett, using plug-in power “saves diesel, even though usage is minimal for an APU, and it also reduces wear and tear on the APU’s engine, belts, etc., allowing for longer time between service intervals” and longer product life.
|STEP incentives available for vehicle owners|
|Fleet owners interested in using plug-in power for their vehicles are getting some financial incentives to do so.
The Shorepower Truck Electrification Project (STEP) includes purchase rebates for equipment compatible with plug-in power. Cascade Sierra Solutions, which administers the rebate program, says funding remains for the purchase of battery-operated, plug-in-power-capable HVAC systems. The organization’s website (cascadesierrasolutions.org) has a listing of the manufacturers and equipment eligible for the rebates.
For battery-powered HVAC systems, the program provides rebates of up to 20% of the installed equipment cost, to a maximum of $1,600 each.
Cascade Sierra Solutions also advises vehicle owners and operators check with dealers for possible incentives and promotions, beyond what’s available through STEP, for other categories of plug-in-ready equipment.
Shorepower Technologies and Cascade Sierra Solutions also are offering an easy way for both fleets and independents to immediately start plugging in and saving1,300 free connector kits.
The free kits include an electrical receptacle for mounting on the exterior of the truck cab, a cab interior 120-volt AC outlet and wiring harness, as well as an on-off switch and a ground fault circuit interrupter. Once the connector kit is installed, drivers can use a heavy-duty extension cord to connect a power pedestal at a truck-stop parking space to the exterior receptacle. Inside the cab, 120-volt AC outlets provide convenient places to plug in portable heaters, microwaves, laptop computers and other devices.
Fleets are allowed to install the kits if technicians are ASE certified. There’s a cap of 25 connector kits per fleet. Independent operators must have the kits installed at an authorized service center and pay only the labor charge.
Battery-operated idle-reduction systems also benefit from plug-in power, since external connections can recharge and top off the batteries while simultaneously running whatever comfort and convenience appliances the driver wants. “Using shore power will extend battery life,” said Royal Jones, president of Mesilla Valley Transportation in Las Cruces, N.M., which has battery APUs on most of its 1,200 trucks.
That’s not the end of the financial benefits. Idling is hard on an engine. Running off grid power instead of idling reduces maintenance and repair costs and helps the vehicle hold its resale value.
For drivers, plug-in power offers a quieter night’s sleep in a cleaner environment, through the reduction of emissions. Idle-reduction equipment that works with plug-in power could prove to be an effective recruitment and retention measure for fleet drivers. Jones said that as plug-in power becomes more available, and drivers understand how easy it is to use, “There’ll come a time when my drivers are fighting over the trucks” that are equipped to connect to it.
Fleet operators are looking beyond this summer to see where plug-in power will be available, and how they can use that to grow their businesses. Shorepower Technologies’ long-term plan is to have 500 to 1,000 sites equipped with electrified power pedestals.
Many of the installations also will have higher-voltage connections for truck transport refrigerated units, which will make plug-in power even more attractive to fleets.
One that’s already making use of the technology is Reser’s Fine Foods, a Beaverton, Ore., maker of salads, side dishes, dips, Mexican foods and specialty products.
Reser’s already makes extensive use of plug-in power in conjunction with cold-plate-equipped trucks for its direct-store delivery routes. With more truckstops available on major routes, said Reser’s corporate fleet manager Dennis Fullan, the company could expand its operating territory while sticking to its no-idling policy.
“I would like to see more electrification as it would expand our universe,” Fullan says.
The universe of plug-in power will expand this year, an event which Kim is counting on to bring the day closer when connecting to grid power is routine for long-haul drivers. “Drivers and fleet owners have told us they like this technology and are ready to use it, when it’s available,” Kim says. “Now it will be.”
IdleAir has reorganized and is adding plug-in locations
According to Ethan Garber, IdleAir CEO, “IdleAir is the largest TSE provider with 26 locations open in 12 states, representing nearly 2,000 installed spaces. IdleAir continues to grow toward 100 high-impact locations by early 2014. Currently serving 400 fleet customers and over 20,000 drivers, IdleAir is in demand today as part of an integrated idling solution.
“More than 98% of OTR vehicles can use a free IdleAir window adapter and user-friendly suite of services (HVAC, shorepower, DirecTV and internet) for less than the lifetime hourly cost of an APU. To date, IdleAir and its predecessors have helped save the trucking community over 50 million gallons of diesel and accounted for approximately 99% of all TSE usage in 2011.”
The company said it currently operates 27 locations in 12 states, adding it is grateful for the partnership of its travel center hosts, including Pilot Flying J, Love’s and Sapp Brothers, as well as several TA Franchisees and independent travel centers. This gives the company nearly 2,000 installed parking spaces and plans for the addition of more than 10 travel centers on major trucking corridors throughout 2012. Planned expansion in 2012 includes more IdleAir capacity in Houston, Dallas, Denver, California, Ohio, Louisiana, Virginia and Pennsylvania. “Our business plan calls for establishing 100 high-impact locations by early 2014 in order to fill in corridors that drivers need and to establish the ubiquity of a national network that fleets want,” the company added.
Garber noted that corporate streamlining has allowed the company to keep prices low and stable with a retail rate of $1.99/hour for the first 10 hours of every stay and an extended “Home Away from Home” rate of $1.25/hour for any continuous stay beyond 10 hours. This means that drivers can stay multiple days for $30/night and they can complete 34 hour resets for less than $50all while saving fuel, engine wear and tear and keeping their batteries chargedwhether they are straight batteries or a battery-operated APU.
IdleAir is under new ownership and management, Convoy Solutions LLC, which is now offering the same IdleAir service while taking a fresh look at new technologies and services, and listening to customer needs, the company added. It has begun re-opening sites and now has over 20 sites operational in 9 states. In addition, IdleAir is honoring all balances from the old IdleAir, even if you tossed your card. Call 877-738-7024 for your balance.

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A sausage sizzle is a sausage with all the crap cooked out of it, served on a piece of white bread, sometimes with onions.
Changes to ACT law will see fund-raising activities by community and non-profit groups exempted from onerous food safety regulations and a new category created for large events with a higher health risks for consumers.
Laws introduced in September 2013 sparked a community backlash, including over requirements that organisations holding more than five food sales each year appoint a trained food safety officer to prevent hygiene problems and food poisoning.
Organisers of sausage sizzles and other food sales in Canberra said expensive training and compliance threatened their viability.
Microorganisms don’t care a lot about politics.
Parents should care a lot about microorganisms.


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Onitsuka Tiger has delivered some of the most iconic sneakers the marketplace has ever seen. And as of today, the brand’s fans in New York City have a new store to pick them up from.
The heritage label opened its first-ever store in the U.S. today, a modern and minimalistic 1,100 square foot space in NYC’s trendy Soho neighborhood with metal fixtures and neon signage (including an eye-catching tiger at the cash wrap area).
The door, which is located at 276 Lafayette Street, features three categories of footwear: Onitsuka Tiger’s heritage product, its high-end Nippon Made line that’s crafted in Japan and its more in the moment trend-focused products.
The door also boasts product that’s sold exclusively at Onitsuka Tiger’s international flagships such as its ready-to-wear apparel line, accessories and children’s footwear.
Heritage sneaker styles inside the Onitsuka Tiger store in New York City.
CREDIT: Onitsuka Tiger
“When we were presented with the Lafayette Street space, we thought it was the opportune moment to build out a thorough concept store completely in line with our other flagships across the globe,” executive officer and head of Onitsuka Tiger Company Ryoji Shoda said in a statement. We’re very excited to bring this experience to our existing fans, but


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The future of movies and manufacturing may be in 3-D, but electronics and photonics are going 2-D; specifically, two-dimensional semiconducting materials.
One of the latest advancements in these fields centers on molybdenum disulfide (MoS), a two-dimensional semiconductor that, while commonly used in lubricants and steel alloys, is still being explored in optoelectronics.
Recently, engineers placed a single layer of MoS molecules on top of a photonic structure called an optical nanocavity made of aluminum oxide and aluminum. (A nanocavity is an arrangement of mirrors that allows beams of light to circulate in closed paths. These cavities help us build things like lasers and optical fibers used for communications.)
The results, described in the paper “MoS monolayers on nanocavities: enhancement in light-matter interaction” published in April by the journal 2D Materials, are promising. The MoS nanocavity can increase the amount of light that ultrathin semiconducting materials absorb. In turn, this could help industry to continue manufacturing more powerful, efficient and flexible electronic devices.
“The nanocavity we have developed has many potential applications,” says Qiaoqiang Gan, PhD, assistant professor of electrical engineering in the University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “It could potentially be used to create more efficient and flexible solar panels, and faster photodetectors for video cameras and other devices. It may even be used to produce hydrogen fuel through water splitting more efficiently.”
A single layer of MoS is advantageous because unlike another promising two-dimensional material, graphene, its bandgap structure is similar to semiconductors used in LEDs, lasers and solar cells.
“In experiments, the nanocavity was able to absorb nearly 70 percent of the laser we projected on it. Its ability to absorb light and convert that light into available energy could ultimately help industry continue to more energy-efficient electronic devices,” said Haomin Song, a PhD candidate in Gan’s lab and a co-lead researcher on the paper.
Industry has kept pace with the demand for smaller, thinner and more powerful optoelectronic devices, in part, by shrinking the size of the semiconductors used in these devices.
A problem for energy-harvesting optoelectronic devices, however, is that these ultrathin semiconductors do not absorb light as well as conventional bulk semiconductors. Therefore, there is an intrinsic tradeoff between the ultrathin semiconductors’ optical absorption capacity and their thickness.
The nanocavity, described above, is a potential solution to this issue.
The Latest on: Optoelectronics
via Google News
The Latest on: Optoelectronics
- Sanan Optoelectronics to make 6-inch micro LED wafers in 4Q19on October 29, 2019 at 12:18 am
China-based Sanan Optoelectronics plans to kick off production of 6-inch micro LED wafers later in fourth-quarter 2019, according to industry sources. Sanan has developed micro LEDs sized 10 x 20 ...
- BRIEF-Sanan Optoelectronics' 9-Month Net Profit Down 55.6% Y/Yon October 28, 2019 at 5:06 pm
Oct 28 (Reuters) - Sanan Optoelectronics Co Ltd: * SAYS 9-MONTH NET PROFIT DOWN 55.6% Y/Y Source text in Chinese: https://bit.ly/2MTDHvJ Further company coverage: (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom) ...
- Professor Nikolay Zheludev becomes member of US National Academy of Engineeringon October 28, 2019 at 8:30 am
Southampton, UK -- The Deputy Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre becomes the first academic from the University of Southampton to ever been elected to NAE. Election to NAE membership ...
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- Futex Taipei 2019 Showcases AI and Electronics Innovationson October 24, 2019 at 8:07 pm
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Oct 24 (Reuters) - China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings Ltd: * GROUP'S SALES VOLUME FOR Q3 INCREASED BY 144.1% Y-O-Y TO 79.5 MILLION UNITS * QTRLY GROUP REVENUE INCREASED TO RMB4,545 ...
- China Display Optoelectronics Technology Holdings Limited Announces Unaudited Financial and Operating Data for the First Three Quarters of 2019on October 24, 2019 at 1:34 pm
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- Oscillation-aided 3D printing drives rapid fabrication of microlenseson October 23, 2019 at 10:09 am
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- Optoelectronics Market: Future Opportunities, Supply, Demand Analysis And Outlook To 2028 - Cree, Sony, Samsung Electronicson October 21, 2019 at 4:13 am
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Jason Fabok's 10 Favorite "Justice League" Moments
Showing results 17001-17020 of 23866
Courtesy of Marvel, CBR presents an advance look at new comics on sale next Wednesday, June 16, including "Amazing Spider-Man" #634, "Atlas" #2, "Incredible Hulk #610, "New Avengers" #1, and many more.
Courtesy of Top Cow, CBR presents an exclusive preview of "Magdalena" #2 by writer Ron Marz, artist Nelson Blake II and cover artist Ryan Sook. This issue hits stores Wednesday, June 16.
Marvel Comics has released their latest "Shadowland" teaser ad, featuring a rather evil looking Daredevil with the tagline "The Birth of the Marvel Universe's Greatest Villain."
Courtesy of Marvel, CBR presents a preview of "New Avengers" #1 from the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen with covers by Immonen and Marko Djurdjevic. The new series debuts June 16.
CBR presents a gallery of posters, screenshots and behind the scenes photos from"Jonah Hex," the Warner Bros. motion picture featuring the popular DC Comics anti-hero as portrayed by Josh Brolin. The movie opens June 18.
Marvel Comics has released a special advance look at "Wolverine" #1 by writer Jason Aaron and artist Renato Guedes with a cover by Jae Lee . The new series, featuring Wolverine in Hell, debuts in September.
Chad Nevett reviewed DC Comics' milestone "Batman" #700, enjoying the issue's main feature, calling the Grant Morrison penned time-jumping tale "an entertaining story at its heart with a fun gimmick."
Madhouse, the acclaimed anime studio behind "Death Note," "Paprika" and segments of "Batman: Gotham Knight," is producing 22 episodes that cover the first two seasons of the live-action CW series "Supernatural."
"The Beano" publisher cuts 350 jobs! What really caused CMX to fail? Japan Basketball Assocation will honor "Slam Dunk" creator! Kate Beaton talks humor, history and fame! George Perez's Top 10 comics runs! Plus more!
Marvel has just released a brand-new teaser image for Victor Gischler and Paco Medina's "X-Men" #1 featuring a Mike Mayhew-illustrated shot of a vampiric member of the X-Men preparing to feast upon a teammate.
Activision has released the E3 trailer for their upcoming "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" video game, revealing Marvel's 2099 universe as the newest dimension for gamers to explore and play!


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Amazon completes acquisition of Dubai online retailer Souq.com
04 July 2017
Global e-commerce giant Amazon yesterday said it had officially completed the acquisition of Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com.
In a statement, Amazon said in the first step of integration, Amazon users could now use their details to log on to Souq.com.
The acquisition, announced in March this year, signalled the entry of Amazon into the Middle East market (See: Amazon.com to buy Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com ). Though the size of the deal was not disclosed, it was estimated to be worth between $580 million to $750 million.
According to Ronaldo Muchawar, the CEO and co-founder of Souq.com, the deal also included Souq's payment, logistics and aftersales businesses and was motivated by the need to meet a ''massive uptake'' in the regional e-commerce market in the next three years.
''It is an exhilarating time for the e-commerce industry in the region. Together with Amazon, our goal is to offer our customers the widest product selection, great prices, improved delivery times and first-rate customer service,'' said Mouchawar.
According to the companies, the deal would see further integration of Amazon's technology and global resources into Souq's platform.
The companies have however not disclosed their plans in other areas like the introduction of Amazon's drone delivery platform in the region.
According to commentators, it seemed that Souq.com would continue with its brand rather than adopt Amazon's name.
Souq currently offers 8.4 million products across 31 categories including consumer electronics, fashion, household goods, and baby products. It had also expanded into books and groceries.
The retailer, which operates in the UAE, Egypt, Saud and Kuwait with shipping also available to Oman, Bahrain and Qatar, logs 45 million visits per month.
A Souq.com statement said the firms now would work on the "next phase of the integration to bring more products and offerings to the region's customers even faster."
According to commentators, with the acquisition, Seattle-based Amazon will leapfrog into the crucial Mideast markets of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where the retailer already had local operations.


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Conan Exiles is out on all available platforms today.
Funcom has released Conan Exiles on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One after spending 15 months in Early Access.
Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game where players must survive the harsh environment, build a home and a kingdom, and fight other players and monsters. It is both single-player and multiplayer title.
Ahead of its full release, Conan Exiles sold 1 million copies. The figure includes Early Access sales on PC, Game Preview sales on Xbox One, and retail/digital pre-orders.
A major launch update went out across all platforms alongside the game today, introducing new areas to the game world, doubling its original size.
Since early access began, dozens of new features, mechanics, and plenty of other content has been added. Swamp and Volcano biomes arrive today, and the release introduces the up-to-date version of the new Purge gameplay.
Funcom provided a interesting infographic full of player stats you can look over below.


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Rexel’s Belgium buy makes nine in the past 14 months
Rexel announced last week that it had acquired Wilts Wholesale of the United Kingdom. Two days later, the company said it had acquired Belgium’s La Grange, “a longstanding independent layer in the distribution of electrical suppliers and a lighting specialist.” La Grange was said to have annual sales close to $65 million.
So far in 2012, Rexel has acquired one company in Belgium, one in Canada, one in the United Kingdom and two in Brazil. In 2011, Rexel also made acquisitions in Brazil, India and two in China. That’s nine distributors acquired worldwide in a 14-month period.
Eurazeo sells slice of ownership interest in Rexel
Eurazeo, a listed investment company, is one of the three partners who own a controlling interest in Rexel. The public owns the rest of the company’s shares; Rexel trades on the Paris exchange.
According to a Reuters report, Eurazeo has sold off 30 million shares of Rexel to institutional owners.
That’s only a portion of Eurazeo’s ownership interest, which is now at 18.1%, down from 21.5%.
Eurazeo’s partners are Clayton Dubilier & Rice and Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch unit.
Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Rexel’s debt a notch, reflecting “recognition of the company’s improved operating performance and solid cash generation, resulting in deleveraging through 2011,” Moody’s said.Tagged with tED


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CDW sees weaker sales, earnings
August 07, 2001 07:00:00 AM
Vernon Hills-based CDW Computer Centers Inc. on Monday said continuing softness in corporate IT spending will spell weaker sales for August and September, and lower-than-expected third-quarter earnings.
Officials said they expect third-quarter earnings to be between 43 and 47 cents, compared with the 44 to 48 cents the company had predicted during a second-quarter earnings call last month. During that call, officials reported that strong sales in government and education, coupled with tighter controls on expenses, had helped boost second-quarter earnings by 7% (ChicagoBusiness.com, July 20).
Also during the second-quarter call, CEO John Edwardson had said he expected strong third-quarter sales in the government sector in particular, because that's when they do much of their technology spending.
The new guidance still falls within the consensus of analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial, who have called for third-quarter earnings of 46 cents per share.
Officials said they expect to achieve "modest daily sales increases" for August and September, resulting in third-quarter earnings of $970 million to $1 billion. In the second quarter, sales were up 5% over the previous year to $995 million.
CDW's shares closed down slightly on Monday at $45.82 after opening at $47.23.


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Lyons Township High School's newest sport, Competitive Cheer, is looking for donations of gently used clothing and household items to kick off its first annual Donation Drive, Saturday, November 19, from 9am - 1pm at the South Campus parking lot.
Acceptable donations include clothing, shoes, accessories, linens, books and small household items (no furniture). All goods collected will be sold to Savers, an organization that pays by the pound for every qualifying donation received. The goal of the drive is to raise $6,000 to support the Competitive Cheer team for new uniforms and the upcoming season.
"We are incredibly excited that LTHS now has a competitive cheerleading program, and we are thrilled to be making history at the school this year" says LTHS Competitive Cheer Head Coach Demi Korpan.
A brand new sport to the school this year, the Competitive Cheer Team will compete against schools across the entire state of Illinois. The team will also cheer at the varsity boys' basketball games this upcoming season.
Savers, Inc. is a privately held global thrift retailer. Through its unique business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling secondhand merchandise, the Savers family of thrift stores benefits more than 150 nonprofit organizations, gives local consumers a smart way to shop and saves more than 600 million pounds of quality used goods from landfills each year.
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According to the forecast of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, the gross harvest of potatoes in 2019 will increase to 22,8 million tons. Last year, its production in all categories of farms amounted to 22,4 million tons, which exceeded the result of 2017 by 3,2%.
To support potato producers, the Ministry of Agriculture implements a set of measures, in particular, within the framework of a “single” subsidy, as well as unrelated support in the field of seed production, the federal scientific and technical program for the development of agriculture for 2017–2025 (FNTP).
One of the directions of import substitution of potatoes is also the development of agrological infrastructure of the market for agricultural products, raw materials and food. So, in 2018, 375 potato and vegetable storages were put into operation with a total capacity of one-time storage of 1 thousand tons.


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“This used to be 50 bucks for the full barrel,” [David] Hale said, pointing to a barrel of chicken feed.
“Seventy-five dollars - a fifty-percent increase," he said.
“All these cattle will eat 40 lbs. of feed a day and it went from two cents to nine cents a pound for that feed, that's a big big difference," [Steve] Foglesong said.
Corn prices are at the highest levels they’ve ever been; and meat farmers are hit especially hard.
It takes 2.6 lbs of corn to make one pound of beef or chicken. It takes 3.6 lbs. of corn to make a single pound of pork.
“Chicken feed is supposed to be an idiom for 'cheap,' right?" Hale said.
But not any more. The mountains of corn it takes to feed Hale’s chickens and Foglesong’s cows are getting more expensive, because of increased domestic demand from ethanol plants, higher overseas demand thanks to a weak dollar, increased transportation costs - and let’s not forget tight supplies.
As feed prices soar, the question over how much ethanol we are going to manufacture in this country becomes a hot topic for discussion. Before Iowa came along in the Presidential primary process, you heard a lot of good things--now, you hear virtual silence. The scarcity of materials and the cost of making it make this a bad year for ethanol.
The recent floods in the Midwest wiped out an estimated two million acres of corn and soybean crops.
“The only thing a guy's got the opportunity to do is cut back on the number of cows he's carryin', because he doesn't have any feed for 'em,” Foglesong said. “So those cows go to market."
And that means sticker shock at the grocery stores, as farmers fold under pressure of high feed prices.
Now, if people are already facing a dilemma between food and gas for their car, how much do you want to bet they're going to cut down on expensive foods--and that means red meat and other high cost staples of the dinner table.


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“Our view is that we’re still in the really early stages of the technology and its development. It’s highly unlikely that any of us will be using Bitcoin in five or ten years. In the same way that – how many of us use NCSA Mosaic or Netscape Navigator?”
Allaire went on to say that bitcoin is likely doomed for two reasons: lack of regulations and, surprisingly, inconsistent use. Despite all we hear about activity in China and its ongoing acceptance rate, Allaire says when you really stop and look at how often bitcoin is used throughout the world, it’s nothing to get excited about. In the long run, fiat remains far more popular than bitcoin, and digital currency could phase out sooner rather than later.


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Dead On Tools strikes deal with Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway welcomes Dead On Tools as an official partner with the track Too Tough To Tame. As part of the partnership, Dead On Tools is now the Official Tool Belt of Darlington Raceway. The brand will also have substantial signage at the Lady in Black this season at pit exit and front stretch, track walls and a Turn 2 track facing billboard. “Darlington Raceway is the track Too Tough To Tame, so partnering with a brand like Dead On Tools known for making strong, innovative products is a great combination,” said Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp. “We look forward to welcoming Dead On Tools as part of the Darlington Raceway family for both NASCAR Cup Series race weekends this season.” Dead On Tools is an entitlement partner at Martinsville Speedway for the Dead On Tools 250, which is the penultimate NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race, on Saturday, Oct. 30. Dead On Tools is also the Official Hand Tool & Tool Belt of Martinsville Speedway. “We could not be more thrilled to partner with the track Too Tough To Tame,” said Brian Ranallo, Marketing Manager for Dead On Tools. “The atmosphere at Darlington Raceway is unmatched, and we are proud to be an official partner at a track that pairs perfectly with Dead On Tools.” Dead On Tools was born on the jobsite. Fate struck when the original engineer created one of the lightest, most powerful hammers on the market. Instantly, the tool became an industry favorite on job sites throughout the country, and Dead On Tools became a household name. Soon after, additional hand tools started development like the Exhumer nail puller series and Annihilator wrecking bars.


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ASIC President Joseph Longo revealed last week what we can expect from the regulator in the coming year and it will be very challenging.
ASIC released its business plan for 2022-2026 on August 22, 2022, followed by Longo’s speech to the Economic Development Committee of Australia (CEDA) where he revealed his vision for ASIC as an “ambitious and confident regulator”, focused on the future.
During the discussion, the ASIC’s desire to prioritize the areas of greatest harm and to take action to protect vulnerable consumers echoed. For Mr. Longo, this means directly addressing “hot” issues like greenwashing, revelations about climate risks, cryptocurrencies (or cryptocurrencies), scams and more.
Here are some key takeaways from the Business Plan and comments from Mr Longo during his discussion at the CEDA event.
Strategic priorities and projects
The ASIC has identified four external strategic priorities for the next 4 years:
- Product design and distribution;
- Sustainable finance;
- Pension decision; And
Mr. Longo focused on ASIC’s approach to four of its eight core strategic projects to advance strategic priorities:
- improve sustainable finance practices and dissemination of climate risks;
- supervise and enforce design and distribution obligations (DDO);
- addressing market integrity issues and investor harms in relation to cryptocurrencies (or cryptocurrency); And
- stop and fight financial scams to protect consumers.
Sustainable Finance Practices
As one of ASIC’s four external strategic priorities, we can expect a multi-pronged approach to ASIC’s focus on sustainable finance in the coming year.
Longo pointed out two issues arising from sustainable finance on the regulator’s radar and that executive action from ASIC should be expected:
Climate risk information
The ASIC aims to ensure that entities comply with their disclosure requirements and do not mislead customers. It will seek to support market integrity through proactive oversight and application of governance, transparency and disclosure standards in relation to sustainable finance.
ASIC strongly supports the development of globally comparable standards. However, Mr. Longo noted that this was a medium- and long-term priority for the ASIC. While the ASIC is encouraged by the recently published standards proposals by the International Sustainability Standards Board, it recognizes that the implementation of the standards in Australia will take time. In the meantime, companies are encouraged to continue to be proactive in their reporting and disclosure on climate risk with reference to the framework of the Climate Financial Information Task Force.
Recently the ASIC has focused heavily on how financial products are marketed and the need for products to remain “loyal to the label”. The ASIC has continually warned issuers (particularly those in the managed funds industry) about the risk of making misleading claims or misrepresentations and has sought to take action against issuers who according to the ASIC have made misleading or deceptive claims in advertising .
It is therefore not surprising that ASIC is now shifting attention to how issuers represent their “green credentials”. Longo reiterated that the ASIC is actively monitoring the market, testing “green” investment offers and monitoring misleading and deceptive claims. This is a short-term priority goal for ASIC and will complement its work already in this space through the recent publication of the ASIC fact sheet (INFO 271) “How to avoid greenwashing when offering or promoting sustainability related products” in June 2022. This fact sheet focuses on sustainability-related products issued by the funds, but the ASIC said its principles may apply to other entities offering or promoting financial products that take sustainability considerations into account.
Longo revealed that executive action against greenwashing should be expected and it was reported that the ASIC has at least two ongoing greenwashing investigations underway (and is currently conducting investigations into several super funds, managed funds and listed companies). . Additionally, this month Market Forces filed a formal complaint with ASIC regarding potentially misleading statements by Santos president and chief executive officer at Santos’ annual meeting. The ASIC has not publicly commented on this investigation other than to say that any reports of misconduct were received in confidence. We can expect to hear more from ASIC about the results of its greenwashing investigation in the coming months.
Product design and distribution
The ASIC has reported on several occasions that the grace period given to industry to reduce the implementation of design and distribution obligations (DDO) it’s over. Mr. Longo clarified that the ASIC’s focus has now shifted to active supervision and enforcement of the DDO regime. Even on August 29 alone, the ASIC released its findings following a review of the pension trustee compliance sample that found some misconduct.
Under the DDO regime, the ASIC can act swiftly to issue interim stop orders in relation to financial products where the ASIC deems the obligations relating to the processing and review of a target market determination (TMD) or taking reasonable steps to ensure that distribution is consistent with a TMD have been breached. The ASIC recently used its arrest warrant powers for the first time to prevent three companies from issuing related interest or shares of managed investment schemes to retain investors. Mr. Longo has identified the executive action against the Responsible Body Services (RES), noting that it would intervene where the products do not meet the needs of investors in the reference market.
Longo also clarified the ASIC’s expectation that companies are proactive, noting that DDO is not a case of “set and forget“. Product issuers are required to collect, evaluate and respond to consumer performance data from their products, and to the extent the ASIC identifies poor consumer performance, it will intervene to stop selling products using stop orders or enforcement actions. judicial. The idea that issuers should regularly review and take corrective action against TMDs was reiterated by the ASIC in its recent press release.
We can expect the ASIC to take further law enforcement measures if it identifies misconduct in relation to complex, high-risk products it is targeting for oversight, including over-the-counter derivatives and cryptocurrencies. The same can be said for the small credit and buy now pay later sectors for which the ASIC is currently reviewing product governance arrangements to see how TMDs have been developed and data, metrics and other considerations. to the base.
Technological risks for consumers deriving from cryptocurrencies and scams
In line with ASIC’s desire to prioritize areas of greatest harm and take action to protect vulnerable consumers, ASIC focuses on becoming a “digital savvy regulator” to address the regulatory challenges associated with technological developments to ensure the protection of consumers, in particular with reference to cryptographic assets and investment scams.
While promising that regulation was on the way for cryptocurrencies, Mr. Longo acknowledged that cryptocurrency would be very difficult to regulate. The president of the ASIC warned that cryptocurrencies are “highly volatile, inherently risky and complex” and expressed concern over the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies in circumstances where research has shown that 80% of cryptocurrency investors did not consider it. a risky product.
The ASIC is expected to continue to prioritize cryptocurrency surveillance and take enforcement measures to stop and discourage malicious products. Mr. Longo also noted that the ASIC was collaborating with national and international colleagues as part of its oversight and development of an effective regulatory framework. This follows the federal government’s announcement that it will soon begin an industry consultation as part of a cryptocurrency industry review.
ASIC is also expected to continue to stop scams using innovative, data-driven approaches in response to the growing prevalence of digitally-enabled scams and fraud. Mrs Longo referred to another of the ongoing initiatives to combat scams, including a process with the ACCC to block fraudulent websites.


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Honda Access Corporation, manufacturer of genuine Honda aftermarket parts and accessories, announced that it will feature a new Modulo concept vehicle and new styling study models in its exhibition at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 with NAPAC, to be held from Friday, January 15, to Sunday, January 17, 2010, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.
Leveraging the Insight hybrid vehicle’s advanced aerodynamic performance and fun, comfortable driving, the Insight Sports Modulo Concept expresses the joy of driving with the theme of “Exciting Eco.”
With its advanced styling featuring chiseled lines, the Modulo concept vehicle demonstrates the new value that Sports Modulo customization has to offer a next-generation hybrid.
In addition, Honda Access will display highly customized Freed and Life styling study models, as well as the Step WGN and other automobiles that feature Honda's latest equipment.
The exhibition will also present the Gathers Advance next-generation car navigation system concept model, genuine Honda parts and accessories.


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LSP 2013 - AudioCodes SmartTAP
TMCnet Gets a Redesign
Forrester Research Conducts In-Depth Survey of DVR Users to Uncover Key Trends Impacting the Television and Advertising IndustriesCAMBRIDGE, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 8, 2004 -- Data Reveal Strong Consumer Affinity for DVRs and a 54 Percent Reduction in Ad Exposures for DVR Users
According to a new report series from Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR), consumers who own digital video recorders (DVRs) like TiVo spend nearly 60 percent of their time watching recorded or delayed programs, in which they skip 92 percent of ads. These habits are important because today's DVR users -- 5 percent of households -- will grow to 41 percent within five years, according to Forrester. What changes will the television and advertising industries have to make to weather this shift?
To answer this question and to better understand DVR users' ad-skipping behavior, television viewing tendencies and the impact this shift will have on the television and advertising industries, Forrester surveyed 588 DVR users. The survey results have been published in the two-part report series, "Inside The Mind Of The DVR User."
"Consumers told us that they love the control DVRs give them. The ability to record programs easily, pause live TV, and skip ads creates a powerful change in the way they view television," says Forrester Research Vice President Josh Bernoff. "As these devices shift the way that mainstream consumers experience programming and advertising, they create both opportunities and challenges for the TV industry."
Key Survey Findings:
Consumers love their DVRs.
-- DVR owners rated their improved enjoyment of TV at an average 4.4 on a five-point scale. Nearly one in five respondents used the word "love" in response to an open-ended question about how they feel about their DVRs.
-- DVR owners are hooked on the device -- less than 2 percent of people who owned DVRs have stopped using them.
-- While today's DVR owners are demographically mainstream, they are off the charts in their adoption of premium TV services and home electronics. Nearly half of them have a home network, which is four times the penetration of a typical online household.
DVRs have a significant impact on consumers' TV viewing habits.
-- While real-time viewing drops by 60 percent for consumers who use DVRs, programs like the evening news and sporting events are among the programs that retain significant real-time viewing.
-- Forrester's survey respondents report watching only 8 percent of commercials in recorded programming. Three out of 10 viewers say they watch no commercials at all.
-- Although the numbers paint a gloomy picture for advertisers, viewers do not treat all ads equally. Three out of four DVR users watch some ads at least occasionally. Movie ads and promos for upcoming programming fare best. Conversely, consumers watch less than one in 10 ads about credit cards, long-distance carriers, car dealers, and banks.
The "Inside The Mind Of The DVR User" research series includes recommendations to TV networks, advertisers, cable and satellite providers, and consumer electronics makers and retailers on how to best position themselves as DVR adoption and ad skipping rapidly increase.
The series is available to WholeView 2(TM) clients and can be found at www.forrester.com.
About Forrester Research
Forrester is an independent technology research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology's impact on business. Business, marketing, and IT professionals worldwide collaborate with Forrester to align their technology investments with their business goals. Forrester offers products and services in four major areas: Research, Data, Consulting, and Community. Established in 1983, Forrester is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For additional information, visit www.forrester.com.
(C) 2004, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Here's how pictures of the new iPhone XS leaked
- Pictures of Apple's upcoming iPhone purportedly leaked last month on a well-known Apple blog.
- It turns out, the pictures were on the web - you just had to be able to guess the URL.
Apple has invited journalists, analysts, and tech industry figures to its campus on Wednesday for the launch of new iPhone and Apple Watch models.
But if you wanted a sneak peek of what Apple is launching tomorrow, all you have to do is head over to notorious Apple rumor blog 9to5Mac, which published pictures of the so-called "iPhone XS" and "Apple Watch Series 4" last month.
So how did the rumor blog get these photos? While Apple rumors are fairly common, pre-release marketing photos are extremely rare.
On Tuesday, Guilherme Rambo revealed how he found the pics. Turns out, it was a lucky guess - okay, that's a bit of an oversimplification:
Basically, after one of its launch events, Apple updates its streaming page to add a rundown of what it announced during the event.
Here's the rundown from an event the past spring, for example:
Using those image names as a starting point, the 9to5Mac crew picked some potential names for this year's gear, and Rambo was able to extract the two pictures.
While the photos do spoil a little bit of Apple's surprise, until Apple CEO Tim Cook and his lieutenants detail exactly why the company has designed the products the way they have, all we'll have is snippets and bits of rumors - not the complete, official story.
Business Insider will be covering the Wednesday's launch event live, so click here for all the latest.
So, about those marketing images: they came from the recap section of the special event website. I used the URL pattern from the last event and guessed the device's names. Apple took them down immediately after we published. pic.twitter.com/5ywgetkAbx- Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) September 11, 2018
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- Best ladder for home use in India


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The only way we can truly love expenses is by embracing greater automation of the expenses process, writes Adam Reynolds, CEO of webexpenses.
Can anyone truly say they love submitting their expenses? And can any FDs and CFOs say they enjoy managing their organisation’s expenses system? Research suggests outdated systems result in employees putting off claiming back expenses, leading to frustration and backlogs in finance departments.
According to a recent online poll we conducted, over half of people (54%) admit to hating doing their expenses. What’s more, the poll revealed that as many as 67% of employees are still reliant on outdated manual processes when it comes to claiming expenses. As a result, FDs and CFOs can be left with peaks and troughs of payments to process, making it difficult to efficiently manage workflow. Trawling through piles of paper and receipts is not only frustrating; it’s also time consuming for employees and their finance departments.
Read the full article here.


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Country's second largest passenger car maker Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) on Wednesday reported domestic wholesale (dispatches to dealers) of 37,001 units in November, a decline of 24 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) as compared with 48,800 units in corresponding month last year.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Tuesday said it today has sold a total of 13,003 units in the domestic market in November, thereby registering a 53 per cent growth year-on-year (YoY) as compared with 8,508 units in the corresponding month last year.
The system recuperates and transfers electrical energy without using the brakes – the active energy shifting takes place directly via the four electric motors, resulting in a much faster, more precise and efficient shift of torque compared with torque vectoring by braking.
Some 1.9 per cent of cars, vans, trucks and other motors on Britain's roads are evading Vehicle Excise Duty - representing almost 750,000 vehicles - new figures out today confirm ... In 2013, the final year motorists had to display a valid paper tax disc, approximately 210,000 motors on the road were believed to be untaxed ... SAVE MONEY ON MOTORING.
Taking the fight to the zero emissions cars is the latest motor out of France, the Peugeot 308... The awards have been running since 1964 - when it was won by the Rover 2000 - and is considered one of the major motoring accolades of the year ... > When are car brands going electric? Read our full guide here SAVE MONEY ON MOTORING ... Compare policies.
The number of employed people in Japan stood at 66.5 million last month, which is 350,000 fewer individuals or a decrease of 0.5%, compared to the same month in 2020 ... The WHO said it was not yet clear if the Omicron variant was more transmissible compared to other Covid-19 variants or if it causes more severe disease.
Motoring groups have demanded that fuel retailers cut the price of petrol and diesel this week, as $10 has been shaved from the cost of oil in recent days ... The motoring body said retailers must significantly cut their pump prices this week or 'risk losing all credibility with drivers' ... Compare policies.
According to top government sources, motor ...The government set up a technical committee under the motor vehicles department (MVD) to examine the proposal in detail and compare it with the design parameters and the permitted limits in the central motor vehicles rules (CMVR) 1989.
While sometimes overlooked compared to motors, gearboxes, clutches etc., specifying a suitable coupling solution can have a major impact on the overall performance of the powertrain ...Failure to accommodate misalignment can increase the wear of associated components such as motor bearings and shorten coupling service life.
Simon Williams, RAC spokesman, said it was right for councils in England and Wales to have the ability to enforce known rule-breaking hotspots, but added that the motoring organisation is 'fearful' that some authorities may be 'over enthusiastic' in using their new powers for revenue raising reasons, to the detriment of drivers ... Compare policies.
In its first three months the city deployed the technology, the 16 offenses modeled by the technology - including murder, robbery, breaking and entering, and motor vehicle thefts -experienced an overall downward trend, Augustus wrote in a report to the council based on information from police Chief Steven Sargent.


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Breast Cancer Awareness
The Green Bay Packers and Kohl’s Department Stores will recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month at this game in several ways.
Fans will receive pink Kohl’s Cares rally towels as they enter the stadium, and then see players, coaches, officials, cheerleaders, TundraLine members and Lambeau Field in general sporting the color pink.
Kohl’s sponsorship of the Green Bay Packers Oct. 2 breast cancer awareness game is the most recent example of the company’s commitment to the fight against breast cancer. In 2010, Kohl’s announced a new philanthropic initiative supporting women’s health with a commitment of $7 million over three years to the American Cancer Society’s Midwest Division and the Southeast Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support breast cancer research, education and patient assistance programs. Kohl’s also has the Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program, which sells exclusive merchandise in all 40 Wisconsin Kohl’s stores and online at Kohls.com/cares, with 100 percent of the net profit of these items donated to support the fight against breast cancer.
The National Football League has partnered with the American Cancer Society during October with a campaign called “A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives,” which encourages annual mammograms for women over 40. More information about the effort, as well as about preventing breast cancer and getting screened, can be found online at http://www.nfl.com/pink. All apparel worn at games by players and coaches, along with special game balls and pink coins will be auctioned off at NFL Auction (www.NFL.com/auction), with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society and team charities.
Packers 1961 Championship
The match-up between the Packers and Broncos also marks the annual Green Bay Packers alumni game. Packers alumni will be on-field with Lombardi’s 1961 Championship Team being introduced at halftime. Fans will also receive a 1961 Packers Team Photo upon entering the gates today, courtesy of Robert Haack Diamonds in Milwaukee.
Posted in Packers.com Blog


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OnePlus 5T Will Most Likely To Have Samsung’s AMOLED Screen
We had covered a lot of leaks on OnePlus 5T & now another thing appears stating about OnePlus 5T display. A recent tweet by Pete Lau says “OLED helps us build thinner devices and better display experiences. Samsung’s display technology is currently the best for Optic AMOLED.”
OLED helps us build thinner devices and better display experiences. Samsung’s display technology is currently the best for Optic AMOLED. 👌
— Pete Lau (@petelau2007) October 27, 2017
The above tweet by Pete praising Samsung’s AMOLED display, which clearly shows the presence of Samsung’s AMOLED display in their OnePlus 5T. We already know Samsung have providing OLED display to OnePlus & having Samsung’s AMOLED will really enhance the display performance.
We are already aware of the fact of having an 18:9 display with the resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels & having the AMOLED display panel seems to be a great deal for OnePlus fans. But, having a AMOLED screen will definately have a price hike on the device.
We are actually not that far to know everything about the OnePlus 5T. It’s just 16th November where OnePlus will launch this most awaiting device.
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Apple’s stock price fell 4.83%, the stock price was reported at $ 218, the total market value fell below $ 1 trillion, and the current market value was reported at more than $ 950 billion. Since October last year, Apple’s market value has been at more than $ 1 trillion.
On March 17, due to the slump caused by the meltdown of U.S. stocks, the four major U.S. technology stocks-Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google parent company Alphabet-have wiped out $ 1.3 trillion in market value since hitting a closing high in February. In the third fusing of the month / the fourth fusing in history on March 16th, Apple’s stock price fell by 12.46%, and its market value evaporated by 151.6 billion US dollars. In the case of the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple Corps lost 150 million iPhones yesterday night.


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Case Makers Go To Court In Ding-Dong Fight Over Teardown Designs
Case-maker Casetify, who Brisbane-based distributor Cellnet recently picked up, is now being sold in JB Hi-Fi stores and is facing legal action for apparently ripping off designs of a competitor.
Legal action has been launched in a bitter fight over teardown covers.
Dbrand, who are well known for their own knock-offs of Sony and Nintendo designs, is suing Hong Kong based rival Casetify, over claims it blatantly copied Dbrand’s Teardown device skins and cases, which are made to look like the internals of a mobile or tablet device.
Dbrand initially kicked off the idea of ‘teardown covers’ in partnership with JerryRigEverything (Zack Nelson), a YouTuber who breaks down new devices and sometimes even gives them transparent mods.
His content has appeared on both SmartHouse and ChannelNews.
The Teardown skins and cases make it look as if you’ve taken your entire device apart and slapped on a transparent backing.
Dbrand claims that Casetify took all of its work and designs to use on its own phone cases.
Within 24 hours of Dbrand’s lawsuit going public, Casetify pulled the offending case lineup from sale on its website while insisting it’s “always been a bastion of originality”.
The ding-dong battle between the two brands kicked off when Casetify launched a similar line of phone cases called Inside Parts, which similarly puts an image of the components inside your phone on the outside.
However, users noticed something wasn’t quite right with the designs. In March, one user on X pointed out that Casetify appeared to be reusing the image of the same internals across different phone models, which means they didn’t accurately represent the insides of each device they were sold for.
The Verge pointed out that Dbrand called out Casetify’s apparent gaffe in a video posted to X, which shows how Casetify seemed to have recycled the same design across Apple, Samsung, and Google devices, with a mocking caption reading “iNsiDe PaRtS.” Just months after Dbrand posted its response to Casetify, the company returned with a new line of transparent-style phone cases called Inside Out.
This time, the images are consistent with the devices the cases are made for — and Dbrand claims that’s because Casetify stole its designs. However, Dbrand alleges Casetify also attempted to conceal the copycats by rearranging parts of the designs to make them look slightly different. (You can see this example in the video embedded above.)
There’s some pretty strong evidence backing up Dbrand’s accusations, too. Dbrand spotted the many Easter eggs it planted within its own designs on Casetify’s Inside Out products.
That includes the “R0807” tag, which alludes to Dbrand’s tagline as a brand run by robots, as well as the JerryRigEverything catchphrase “glass is glass and glass breaks.”
Dbrand claims Casetify allegedly copied 117 different designs, down to the many digital manipulations it made to the images.
Dbrand says it holds registered copyrights for each of these products, all of which were registered before Casetify’s product launch.
Instead of issuing a cease-and-desist order, Dbrand is hitting Casetify with a federal lawsuit in Canadian courts, where the company is based, and seeking eight figures in damages.
It didn’t give Casetify any warning, either — which ended up pulling the cases in question from the Casetify website within 24 hours of the lawsuit going public.
“We are currently investigating a copyright allegation against us,” Casetify says in a statement on X. “We have immediately removed all the designs in question from all platforms.” The company also says it’s looking into a DDOS attack that “disrupted” its website “when the allegation surfaced.”


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NEW YORK --The Queen Mary 2 steamed up New York harbor, executed a deft 180-degree pirouette and slipped through thick Saturday morning fog to a pier in Red Hook, on the Brooklyn side of Buttermilk Channel.
The pre-dawn arrival of the world's largest ocean liner signaled the formal opening of the new Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, a $52 million facility the city hopes will bolster a luxury cruise industry that has lost business in recent years to a rival port in Bayonne, N.J.
The city also is renovating its longtime cruise pier on Manhattan's Upper West Side, but Brooklyn is the designated "home port" in New York for the QM2, its sister, Queen Elizabeth 2, and several other ships also owned by Carnival Cruises Inc.
"Diversifying our economy is an integral part of our economic development strategy, and investing in growing sectors like tourism and the cruise industry is one of the best ways we can achieve that," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
Following its Herculean ballet maneuver at the mouth of Buttermilk Channel, a narrow tidal strait between Brooklyn and Governor's Island, the 1,132-foot ship waited for more than an hour before sliding into Pier 12, a one-time coffee wharf in Red Hook, an old maritime neighborhood that has fallen into economic decline.
As it waited to dock, the vessel was enveloped in a thick, London-quality fog that burned off as the sun rose. Local residents gathered to watch the mooring process from outside the terminal where strict security precautions were in effect.
The arrival was the first of 11 this year for the QM2, the only liner in regular trans-Atlantic service. It came on the second anniversary of the ship's inaugural visit to New York in 2004 and the 94th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail


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Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Tropico 4 and Lego Star Wars II are now backward compatible
by Lewis White
The backward compatibility train keeps rolling this month with the release of two more games. Following the recent addition of the Crysis Trilogy last week, Xbox has made Tropico 4 and Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy avai...


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The Biden Administration should enhance the efforts of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to defend against fraudulent trademark registrations. Since 2015, the PTO has struggled to cope with a rising flood of fraudulent trademark applications originating mainly from China. One study indicates that as many as two-thirds of Chinese trademark applications for certain classes of goods include falsified evidence that the applicant is using the mark in commerce in the United States — a requirement for trademark registration under U.S. law. High proportions (up to 40%) of these fraudulent applications survive the PTO’s application-review process and result in fraudulent trademark registrations.
Urgent action is necessary. The PTO reports that the trademark application rate has recently surged to extreme levels, which has doubled the number of applications awaiting examination. Many of these applications likely contain fraudulent claims of use. Identifying and denying fraudulent claims will help ensure that only those businesses that are actually using their trademarks in U.S. commerce benefit from the U.S. trademark system. In addition to creating a fair playing field for companies (both American and foreign) that abide by the rules, countering fraudulent trademark registrations will support American economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing small businesses with robust protection for brand names of new products.
As Congress moves forward with the appropriations process, both the House and Senate have proposed various provisions related to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) across different spending bills.
The looming competition for global talent has brought forth a necessity to evaluate and update the policies concerning international visa holders in the United States.
Despite the hype, the uptake of geothermal energy is still relatively low, with only 0.4% of U.S. electricity generated by geothermal.
Responsible governance is crucial to harnessing the immense benefit promised by AI. Here are recommendations for advancing ethical, high-impact AI with thoughtful oversight.


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Recently, Roberto Velez, the head of the National Federation of Coffee Growers in Colombia, and José Sette, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, skillfully framed the considerable challenges faced by the coffee sector at one of coffee’s major global conferences. Fittingly, at the 31st Sintercafe event COSA President Daniele Giovannucci offered a distinct action plan that built on their assessment: to take charge of sustainability by employing intelligent metrics and doing it collaboratively using platforms.
Daniele’s remarks reflect the ideas of Kate Wylie, Global Vice President of Sustainability for MARS who recently argued at the Responsible Business Summit in London for companies and organizations to “go beyond cooperation to collaboration.” Director of U.S. Sustainable Sourcing from McDonald’s, Townsend Bailey, similarly lauded the sector’s collaborative spirit remarking at Sintercafe that “bringing everyone together helps deepen the conversation.”
COSA by design is collaborative. As a consortium, our work is increasingly oriented towards facilitating platforms and sector-level sustainability. COSA offers partnerships and technologies to understand and to drive sustainability. Daniele left the audience of leaders from around the world to consider: “are you driving sustainability or are you being driven?”


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As sustainable mobility has become a priority for many countries, notably in Europe where the parliament just voted to end sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2035, e-vehicles have grown into a booming market.
According to a new report by specialized site EV-Volumes, global EV sales reached 6, 75 million units in 2021, 108 % more than in 2020. This volume includes passenger vehicles, light trucks and light commercial vehicles. Moreover, the number of electric vehicles on the road should reach at least 145 million units by the end of the decade as per the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates.
At FIRALP, the move to electric vehicles has been underway for several years now. However, 2022 marks a decisive shift, with more than 100 electric vehicles ordered and charging stations already installed in the branches. The deployment of dual-energy pods is also continuing, as is the order for a dozen gas (CNG) trucks. This renewal meets environmental expectations and anticipates the restriction of the most polluting vehicles in low-emission mobility zones by 2025.
To support its transition to electric vehicles, the group, through its subsidiary EREC, has chosen PcVue Solutions for the supervision of its charging stations.
EREC Technologies is a national specialist in process management and has been a PcVue partner for over 20 years; it supports its customers in the maintenance and operation of turnkey solutions in electricity and automation.
The project began in 2020 with the aim of managing internally the hundred-22kW charging stations of FIRALP’s fifty branches, with an open and flexible solution.
The tests carried out during the lockdown, allowed communication configuration with the charging stations of various manufacturers. OCPP was the selected protocol to monitor the stations for it ensures interoperability.
The charging stations also rely on Load Management Systems which required several firmware updates in order to obtain the desired performance.


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2022年10月19日 11:36 PM #15777暮眞★潤 (Jun Kurema)キーマスター
2022年10月19日(水)放送のCNBC「Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer」のサマリーです。ビデオクリップ＆トランスクリプト（英文）が掲載されているCNBCサイトへのリンクも併記しています。
(１) Jim Cramer makes the bull case for consumer goods stocks (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/19/jim-cramer-makes-the-bull-case-for-consumer-goods-stocks.html)
- CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday told investors to consider adding shares of well-established consumer packaged-goods companies to their portfolios.
- Cramer highlighted three companies’ most recent quarterly results as examples of why investors should have such stocks on their shopping lists.
(2) Buy shares of Netflix on the market’s next pullback, Jim Cramer says (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/19/buy-shares-of-netflix-on-the-markets-next-pullback-jim-cramer-says.html)
- CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday advised investors to pick up shares of Netflix in the next market dip.
- “You put it on the top of your shopping list, you wait for the next pullback in the averages … and then you pull the trigger,” he said.
(3) Jim Cramer on two major airlines’ recent quarterly results (https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/10/19/jim-cramer-on-two-major-airlines-recent-quarterly-results.html)
Cramer on Wednesday gave the lowdown on Delta’s and United’s most recent quarters
Ticker: Delta, UAL [UAL is stronger, but give blessing to buy both]
(4) Executive Interview: BioMarin Pharmaceutical CEO on the company’s drug pricing strategy (https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/10/19/biomarin-pharmaceutical-ceo-on-the-companys-drug-pricing-strategy.html)
Cramer spoke with BioMarin Pharmaceutical CEO Jean-Jacques Bienaimé on Wednesday.
(5) Cramer’s lightning round: I like Procter & Gamble over Kimberly-Clark (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/19/cramers-lightning-round-i-like-procter-gamble-over-kimberly-clark.html)
- Transocean Ltd: “It is a high-risk stock. I prefer to have something that is certainly a little bit more … known and already doing incredibly well, which is Halliburton.”
- Tapestry Inc: “I think it’s an inexpensive stock. I think Coach is good. I’d like for them to come on the show. I think that it’s a good idea.”
- Carnival Corp: “I don’t like Carnival, I prefer Norwegian Cruise. Better balance sheet, and I think that it’s going to do better.”
- Kimberly-Clark Corp: “I’d much rather have you be in Procter & Gamble.”
- Boeing Co: “As a long term position — that is really the operative term, because short-term, they keep doing things wrong.”
- Chord Energy Corp: “My favorite [energy stock] right now is Pioneer.”
- Quantumscape Corp: “It’s losing a lot of money … and we do not recommend stocks that are losing a lot of money.”
Ticker: RIG, TPR, CCL, KMB, BA, CHRD, QS
(6) [No Video Clip] Jim Cramer on the lesson investors can learn from Black Monday (https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/10/19/jim-cramer-on-the-lesson-investors-can-learn-from-black-monday.html)
Cramer on Wednesday explained what investors should take away from Black Monday.
Other Stocks Discussed (calls with audience): DexCom (DXCM) [don’t stop someone to buy DXCM but expensive stock], FedEx (FDX) [too low to sell; hold it]
- トピック「Mad Money: 2022年10月19日(水)の放送の要点」には新しい返信をつけることはできません。


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Posted on 6/14/2022
Minneapolis, MN-based Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) recently selected The INN Between as the recipient of their 2022 philanthropic efforts.
Posted on 5/31/2022
The Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) announced the shortlist for the 2022 IMA Summit Awards.
Posted on 5/10/2022
New Brand Better Reflects Company’s Superb Fundraising Experiences for Nonprofits and Community-Based Organizations. More than $800 Million Raised for 50,000 Organizations Nationwide.
Posted on 4/21/2022
The Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC) and the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA), announced the launch of their new website diversity-in-giftcards.org.
Posted on 4/11/2022
IMA is honored to announce the first group of judges for the 2022 IMA Summit Awards.
Posted on 3/1/2022
New awards recognize companies leading the way in creating inspiring workplaces and individuals who influence the incentive industry.
Posted on 2/10/2022
Read the story of how The Gift Club was founded on the idea that great things can happen when we build communities with each other. Learn how to get involved today!
Posted on 12/14/2021
A new Incentive Research Foundation study reveals gift, gift-card and event-gifting trends for North American and European programs.
Posted on 10/1/2021
Trade shows and marketing events are poised for a rebound.
Posted on 9/13/2021
Gift card use in corporate America is having a moment. Actually, as the return to offices has been pushed back by most companies due to another spike in COVID cases, the gift cards moment will likely be extended indefinitely.


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DOYLESTOWN — After seven years of submissions, rejections and resubmissions, Discovery Laboratories learned in March that its dogged pursuit of marketing clearance for its lead new drug candidate had paid off.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Surfaxin.
Now, the Bucks County biotechnology company — which also received FDA approval this year for a drug-delivery technology — is expanding its staff, talking with potential partners to market the products overseas, and continuing development of pipeline products that could serve a much larger patient base.
Ironically, Discovery Labs, a company with a mission to use its technological expertise to create new standards of care for patients with respiratory disease, received the news of Surfaxin’s approval via some decidedly dated technology.
“We got a fax,” said W. Thomas Amick, the company’s chairman and CEO. “We didn’t care. It was the content that mattered.”
Thomas F. Miller, Discovery Labs’ chief operating officer, said after the typical boilerplate language the FDA includes in correspondences the approval consisted of basically three sentences.
“But those three sentence were pretty important ones,” Miller said.
The last hurdle the company had to clear was validating the company’s quality control release and stability test conducted during preclinical testing of the drug in animals. The FDA through the entire process never raised any issues about the effectiveness of the drug.
Amick credited a new regulatory compliance team the company assembled with working in cooperation with FDA staff to submit the necessary testing and documentation to get final approval.
He said the reaction was a mix of jubilance and relief. “Everybody,” he said, “worked on this for a long time.”
Discovery Labs’ immediate task is assembling a sales team to market Surfaxin, a synthetic surfactant peptide that will be given to infants born prematurely to prevent and treat respiratory distress syndrome, and its Afectair medical device, designed to simplify delivery of aerosolized medications to patients requiring ventilator support.
The company expects to spend between $12 million and $13 million on the commercial launch of both products.
Miller said the company has already hired a small team of sales managers. It plans to hire 20 sales representatives who will be supported by nine “medical science liaisons.” The liaisons, he said, will be a combination of respiratory therapists, pharmDs and neonatal intensive-care nurses. “They won’t be selling,” he said of the liaisons. “They will make sure the science for our products is well-understood.”
Finding sales representatives isn’t expected to be a problem given the downsizing and restructuring that has resulted in tens of thousands of layoffs at Big Pharma companies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“We’ve already been flooded with CVs from people,” Miller said.
Miller said the potential U.S. market for both Surfaxin and Afectair, a system that grew out of the company’s quest to deliver an aerosolized version of Surfaxin, is estimated at between $50 million and $75 million.
Worldwide, the market for Surfaxin is estimated at $200 million, given that there are 650,000 children born each year at risk for RDS around the world — including 350,000 in the United States. About 90,000 premature infants are treated annually with three animal-derived surfactant products now in the market, which can be affected by supply issues and carry the potential for unwanted side effects.
Amick said the company has no intention of pursuing any type of co-promotion deal to market Surfaxin in the United States.
“Why would we?” he said. “It’s taken us so long to get here.”
Amick said the company is in discussion with multiple potential partners regarding a foreign rights deal.
John G. Cooper, Discovery Labs’ chief financial officer, said the company doesn’t need to assemble a large domestic sales team to reach its core market of 225 hospitals with NICUs, which make up the bulk of the current purchasers of surfactant therapies.
“Those same centers are also our target for Afectair,” Cooper said, noting the first device to hit the market will be designed to deliver aerosolized medicines to infants.
The Afectair system was developed, Miller said, using capillary aerosol generator technology the company acquired from Phillip Morris to overcome the challenge of delivering a large amount of a drug to the upper respiratory tract. Existing products deliver only a small amount of a drug, Miller said.
The final piece of the Afectair system, a ventilator circuit/patient interface connector that was needed to cut down on the amount of drug wasted in the aerosolized delivery process, was developed in-house.
Cooper said the next two products in Discovery Labs’ pipeline are Surfaxin LS, a dry powder version of Surfaxin, and Aerosurf, an aerosolized surfactant therapy for moderate respiratory distress syndrome and for use in intensive-care units for patients with acute lung injury.
Currently, Cooper said, only 50 percent of infants with respiratory distress syndrome receive surfactant therapy because doctors are hesitant to intubate babies born prematurely unless necessary to avoid other health complications.
An aerosolized version of the therapy would eliminate the need to intubate such patients.
“That’s a $750 million market,” he said. “It’s a huge opportunity.”
The company expects to begin phase-II testing, the midstage in the drug-development process, for Aerosurf next year.


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iH8snow, the man behind the Snowbreeze, has just released the screenshots of upcoming Snowbreeze 2.1 that will support all idevices jailbreak on iOS 4.1.
Snowbreeze is very important for all those iPhone users who rely on unlock and want to update their idevices to latest iOS 4.1. Ultrasnow, an unlock tool that supports up to iOS 4.0, cannot unlock iOS 4.1 due to the change of baseband.
The release date for Snowbreeze 2.1 is not very far, in fact you can count the days on your fingers now. Here are the screenshots of latest snowbreeze:
[ Tip by @syzwnghani ]


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Why software deployment can make or break your business
Many businesses are looking to optimize their supply chain by adopting new warehouse management solutions, and these days there is no shortage of options. However, extracting value from a WMS still isn't easy. A 2015 survey from logistics news website DC Velocity found that many supply chain executives are investing in new WMS, but aren't seeing a return on their investment for a number of reasons.
With all the software choices out there, it can be tempting to simply pick the cheapest one and hope for the best. But smart businesses know that value isn't just about upfront costs. Finding the right balance between initial spending, deployment time and ease of use will result in a WMS that's a perfect fit for meeting short- and long-term goals.
"Supply chain software often fails to live up to expectations."
The DC Velocity survey found that the WMS was the most widely used business application among supply chain experts, with 57 percent reporting they used one. However, many who had recently adopted a new WMS were finding difficulty proving any kind of return on their investment, or at least some improvement in their business operation. DC Velocity dug deeper into this question and asked a sample of respondents why they hadn't seen the benefits they were expecting. The most common complaint was a lack of support from the vendor after making the initial purchase. It seems too many WMS vendors are worried only about selling companies on their product, but tend to leave them high and dry when it comes to implementation and long-term use. One respondent told DC Velocity that "support and maintenance continued to bleed cash as the products overpromised and underperformed."
The X-factor in these situations, though, seemed to be the adoption of a cloud WMS over a traditional on-premise solution. Cloud software allows business users to get up and running much faster, without the costly and time-consuming installation requirements of most traditional solutions. By foregoing the need for large capital expenditure, businesses tended to see measurable ROI much faster when choosing a cloud WMS. In fact, DC Velocity found that 53 percent of cloud software users saw payback in a much smaller time frame than with traditional on-premise solutions.
Speed is a double-edged sword
In a column on Supply Chain Digest, business consultant Mark Fralick shared some knowledge gleaned from years of working with businesses to implement new software solutions. In countless cases, according to Fralick, businesses jump to purchase the software that promises the fastest implementation time without considering the costs of supporting the software further down the road. Training staff, troubleshooting issues and other smaller concerns are harder to plan for, yet have the potential to undo the benefits of getting new software up and running quickly.
|Choosing the right WMS is about more than speed of implementation.|
In addition, it's important to remember that, while customers may be affected by a slow WMS rollout, the problems don't end with implementation. Achieving ROI from a new WMS ultimately hinges on finding a balance between setup and support down the road. Before customers see a benefit, according to Fralick, businesses need to get the details right.
"It's a myth that fast track WMS implementations are inherently a good thing," Fralick wrote. "They can be, but only if we retain focus on the key capabilities a given facility needs to excel beyond a vanilla configuration, and with validation embedded deeply in the entire process."
The only surefire way to meet these goals of low-cost, timely implementation and flexibility to nail the details is in a cloud WMS. It's becoming clearer that the functionality, cost-effectiveness and continuing support offered by the cloud model is what businesses need to succeed today.


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As many as 240 winners of the first draw of LuLu Hypermarket’s latest Visa promotion received group match tickets for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, it was announced Wednesday. Three more draws are to follow. The promotion titled ‘Shop Your Way to The Goal’ was launched by LuLu Hypermarket in collaboration with the Visa to promote the celebration of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, in all its outlets from October 30.
Customers are invited to shop for QR100 or more at LuLu Hypermarket using a Visa Card, which grants them an e-Raffle coupon to win FIFA World Cup packages, tickets, FIFA World cup themed products and LuLu gift vouchers. Shoppers can claim a double chance to win the prizes when they make an online purchase through the official website of LuLu Hypermarket. This promotion is running until December 27.
Visa, an official payment technology partner for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, has joined hands with LuLu Hypermarket for this campaign. The prizes were handed to the customers at the regional headquarters of LuLu Group in Doha by LuLu Hypermarket regional manager Shanavas. “We invite everyone to take part in this promotion and receive plenty of offers available at our hypermarkets and celebrate with us,” he said.


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Category Archives: Titan Publishing
This is where things start to get really exciting! Fans of The First Kingdom have not seen any new publications since the last of the 24 books were published in the early 80s. For the first time, two sequels are … Continue reading
A really fantastic interview with Jack Katz from Peter Howard at Sequential Highway launched today. Jack covers a lot of ground on this one and of course has plenty of inspired segues into his Infiniteverse. Much muchness and awesomeness to … Continue reading
Titan Publishing has announced the release date as mid-late 2013. “This is the start of something very special,” says Nick Landau, Publisher of Titan Comics. “We’re searching out fantastic new voices and astonishing new artists, and helping them bring their dream projects to fruition … Continue reading
This earlier version of the book cover was used on Amazon and other sites where an early preview version was needed.