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|Thursday, October 17, 2013|
BY JONATHAN FROCHTWAJG
Our October cover story documents fresh and local trends in the c-store industry. Convenience stores may also help solve the problem of food deserts.
Food deserts, areas where residents can't conveniently buy fresh produce and other healthy food because there aren't grocery stores nearby, are an issue of concern to urban planners and public health advocates across the country. In Oregon, these areas of food inaccessibility aren't as pronounced as in some other places, but they do exist, says Nathan McClintock, a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University with expertise in food deserts.
Perhaps the most notable food desertification in the state is occurring in East Portland, where a growing concentration of low-income residents has led to numerous supermarket closures in recent years. “As East Portland becomes more and more of an impoverished area,” McClintock says, “you are definitely seeing a process of desertification taking place.”
Convenience stores are an inextricable part of the food-desert issue. After all, once grocery stores have shuttered, they're often the only food retailers left in the neighborhood. But even as c-stores sell more fresh and healthy food, the question remains: in a food desert, is a mini mart an oasis — or a mirage?
Rebecca Bodonyi is the coordinator of the Healthy Retail Initiative, a Multnomah County program that seeks to increase the amount of produce and other diet-conscious options in neighborhood stores by offering store owners incentives such as grants and marketing assistance. She says studies conducted outside Oregon provide evidence that people who live in food deserts depend more on convenience stores for food. They may be worse off for it: Bodonyi says there is also evidence that those who live near supermarkets are more likely to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and less likely to be obese or overweight.
Not all convenience stores are created equal. Ethnic markets, such as bodegas, typically offer much more produce than conventional c-stores, McClintock points out, and can almost fill a grocery store's role in the community. Green Zebra's Lisa Sedlar says she wants her stores to function similarly — and that their small footprint and lean revenue model make them better suited than supermarkets for serving food deserts.
“Increasing access to healthy food is really important to me,” she says. “I think my model can do better than the big guys because the big guys are limited by having this big-box store and a revenue model to meet this huge projection.”
As for more traditional convenience stores' efforts to stock more healthy offerings, both McClintock and Bodonyi say it's a step — if only a step — in the right direction. Bodonyi notes that the City of Portland has a goal that by 2035, 90% of Portlanders will live within half a mile of a retailer that sells healthy, affordable food. Currently, only 30% do.
“In order to meet the target,” she says, “convenience stores with produce and other fresh food will need to be part of the solution.”
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For good or ill, gay marriage inspires many people. They have strong feelings about it. Sometimes those strong feelings are grounded in religion and sometimes they are not. When the workplace is added to the mix, emotions tend to run high. After giving an overview of two current situations, The Bullard Edge is going to outline three key points for consideration and clarity.
Yesterday, a divided National Labor Relations Board dropped another hammer on the employer community. In a long-awaited and much debated move, the Board jettisoned the decades old standard for determining when two independent businesses should be considered joint employers of an individual worker for collective bargaining purposes.
Transforming the culture of Oregon’s educational leadership.
Attendance, breakfast buffet, materials, certificate of attendance and parking are all complimentary on behalf of the firm.
New regulations are in effect and more updates are on the horizon, are you prepared?
The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) is pleased to announce 16 finalists — from over 60 nominees — for the 2015 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards.


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City adopts stricter COVID-19 ordinance
The Aberdeen City Council has adopted a new COVID-19 ordinance enacting stricter guidelines for local businesses to follow.
In a special meeting on Tuesday, the council adopted a city ordinance that essential closes restaurants, bars and casinos, coffee house, gentlemen’s club, etc., to dine-in customers, but does not prohibit drive-through, curbside or delivery services.
The ordinance also closes all indoor recreational facilities. Tobacco and vaping shops are not allowed to offer on-site consumption of products.
Tattoo parlors, beauty salons, barber shops, spas, massage studios and other personal care facilities are also closed to on-site services.
Public gatherings of 10 people or more are also prohibited where there is not sufficient space to provide a 6-foot separation between people.
Specific businesses like grocery stores, convenience stores, crisis shelters, pharmacies, health care facilities, day care facilities and correction facilities and churches are not included.
This emergency ordinance went into effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning and is in effect for 60 days. The council also has to reaffirm the need for this ordinance at every meeting held within that 60-day period. A violation of this ordinance is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
All members of the council were present for the hearing and vote, although four of them appeared via video conference.
Action by the council was unanimous, despite testimony from the owners of two local beauty salons — Len Ivey of Ivey’s for Hair and Spa and Fallon Helm of Revive Day Spa.
Helm reiterated her testimony Monday acknowledging the safety concerns by the council, but also asking for suggestions from the council on how to handle upcoming expenses like property taxes, which will be due soon.
Ivey reviewed the stepped-up safety protocols that are followed with the new CDC guidelines, which include sanitation procedures after every customer.
Ivey said closing beauty and hair salons is a step too far and noted the lack of sanitary procedures used by drive-through fast food services and bank tellers.
“Gentlemen, if Walmart can take and limit customers that come through the door, so can restaurants, so can some of the other businesses,” Ivey said.
The council acknowledged the sanitation procedures used, and councilman Alan Johnson even proposed an amendment removing the paragraph specifically closing hair salons, spas and barber shops, but that amendment would have required another delay in the ordinance taking effect, and another hearing before the council.
Johnson was joined by Mayor Travis Schaunaman in favor of that amendment.
Councilman Rob Ronayne said it wasn’t the sanitary procedures in place that was his concern, it was the proximity to the customers. CDC recommendations are to maintain a 6-foot separation and no close contact for more than 2 minutes, because this virus is transmitted by respiratory droplets.
“When you breath in, you take in air that’s someone else’s respiratory. You’ll have plenty of time to exchange respiration with your clients. It’s there that the real danger occurs,” Ronayne said.
Virtually all on the council echoed those sentiments, acknowledging that passage of this ordinance isn’t easy, but it’s intended to keep the spread of COVID-19 at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm local medical facilities.
Councilman Dave Bunsness did ask for future discussion by the council to see if any relief is possible for local businesses. One suggestion he mentioned was a possible deferral of property taxes, if that was in the council’s authority to do so.

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The International Automotive Remarketers Alliance (IARA) is getting a new name and a new look in logos and online as part of a first-ever brand update since its founding in 2001.
The leading trade organization for vehicle consignors will unveil some of the new fixtures at the start of the Conference of Automotive Remarketing on March 26 during a 5:30 p.m. welcome reception at the Hilton Phoenix at the Peak in Arizona.
A Simplified Name and Streamlined Logo
Signifying a renewed energy and focus, the IARA is updating its branding to include a simplified name, a streamlined logo, a refreshed website, and new website URL, said IARA executive director Mark Coleman.
“Our aim with this branding update is to honor IARA’s past, while signaling to the remarketing industry that we are an Alliance on the move,” said Coleman in a March 11 news release. The updated branding will be rolled out throughout the summer, with completion scheduled in time for IARA's Summer Roundtable Aug. 20-22 near Dallas.
Website Refreshed with New Content
IARA’s director of growth and operations, Lauren Baker, is leading the Alliance in overhauling its website with simplified navigation and refreshed content for members, such as timely and topical podcasts, webinars, and useful databases to drive member value.
The Alliance has also rolled out the instant messaging platform, Slack, to its committees to enable rapid communication among committee members as they develop and deliver critical projects.
“For nearly 25 years, IARA has represented the voice of the consignor in the remarketing industry,” IARA President, Doug Turner said. “Our refreshed brand positions us well to continue that tradition for the next 25 years and beyond.”
IARA Serves as Industry Resource
The International Automotive Remarketers Alliance is a nonprofit organization that aims to assist, educate, and share knowledge with its members and industry partners in the field of vehicle remarketing. Founded in 2001, the IARA represents a diverse group of stakeholders, including consignors, auctions, dealers, manufacturers, technology providers, and remarketing services.
The IARA and Bobit Media, which owns and runs CAR, recently formed a long-term agreement for the annual event that deepens the connection between the two organizations and reaffirms their mutual commitment to the remarketing industry.
The IARA started partnering with Bobit on CAR in 2006. Since then, the IARA has hosted committee meetings, workshops, panels, and keynote addresses at CAR that complement the educational agendas developed by Bobit.
In addition to programming conference sessions and speakers, the IARA provides a platform for collaboration, standardization, benchmarking, and advocacy for the remarketing industry. It also offers a certification program for remarketing professionals who want to enhance their skills and knowledge. The IARA hosts regular meetings, roundtables, and conferences to promote networking and learning opportunities for its members.


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Dingman TV is a channel brought to you by the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at Maryland Smith featuring all infomercials, all the time! These commercials are produced by student entrepreneurs at University of Maryland to showcase their products and services, drive traffic to their websites and gather feedback and support from potential customers in the UMD community and beyond.
ModBars, LLC is a startup founded by University of Maryland students Jeff Su ’21 and Wyatt Talcott ’21. Also on the ModBars team are UMD students Max Levine ’22, Joe Oleynik ’23 and
Nate Stevens ’21. Jeff and Wyatt completed this video as students in the Dingman Center’s Fearless Founders: New Venture Practicum course, taught by Maryland Smith professor Oliver Schlake. ModBars also competed as semifinalists in Pitch Dingman Competition in fall 2019.
At the end of each academic year, Dingman Center supporter and successful alumni food entrepreneur Jason Cohen ’96 gives out the Jason ’96 & Jamie Cohen Entrepreneurship Fund Award of $1,000. ModBars was selected by the Dingman Center team to receive this year’s award.
Visit their website: www.modbars.com


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Most of the chief growth officers I know have been hired to unlock future organic growth potential by evolving the culture and structure of their respective organizations. Organic growth (as opposed to growth by acquisition) is especially hard for mature brands. Once your product is widely distributed and you’ve fought for all the retail facings you can fight for, velocity becomes the key growth driver.
Let’s assume, for this writing, that the CMO is awesome and that the marketing department is totally on top of line extensions, product attributes and programs to optimize velocity. Let’s also assume that there are fully optimized advertising campaigns driving awareness of the marketing programs and that everything that traditional marketing and advertising can do is being done. This is a huge assumption, but let’s accept that we have the best people in the world working for us and they are doing their jobs. Now, how do you grow?
Hurricanes and Pop-Tarts
Back in 2004, Linda M. Dillman, Walmart’s CIO, instructed her staff to mine Walmart’s customer data to forecast sales in advance of Hurricane Frances. According to the New York Times,
The experts mined the data and found that the stores would indeed need certain products – and not just the usual flashlights. “We didn’t know in the past that strawberry Pop-Tarts increase in sales, like seven times their normal sales rate, ahead of a hurricane,” Ms. Dillman said in a recent interview. “And the pre-hurricane top-selling item was beer.” Thanks to those insights, trucks filled with toaster pastries and six-packs were soon speeding down Interstate 95 toward Wal-Marts in the path of Frances. Most of the products that were stocked for the storm sold quickly, the company said.
Data to the Rescue
With a fraction of the computer power we have at our disposal today, Walmart was able to use a simple algorithm to predict demand, adjust inventory levels and increase sales.
Association Rule Mining
The algorithmic tool the analysts used is known as “association rule mining.” It focuses on finding co-occurring associations in data sets. This technique is often used for “share of basket” or “affinity” analysis. While the specifics are best left to someone with excellent math skills, let’s think about how Walmart might have approached the problem.
Beer and Pop-Tarts
By analyzing past Walmart transaction data ahead of Hurricane Charley (a hurricane that hit a few weeks in advance of Hurricane Frances), Ms. Dillman said her team determined the top-selling pre-hurricane item was beer. What surprised her was the sevenfold increase in strawberry Pop-Tart sales. The “association” of Pop-Tarts and beer required the application of association rule mining. Let’s illustrate this with some fake data.
Let’s say Ms. Dillman’s team analyzed 1,000,000 transactions in advance of Hurricane Charley.
100,000 transactions included beer (10 percent)
15,000 transactions included Pop-Tarts (1.5 percent)
10,500 transactions included both Pop-Tarts and beer (1.05 percent)
Beer and Pop-Tarts are statistically independent, so because 10 percent of all pre-hurricane customers bought beer, we would expect only 10 percent of Pop-Tart buyers to also buy beer (15,000*0.1=1,500). But that’s not what happened. In the pre-hurricane timeframe, 70 percent (10,500/15,000=0.7) of Pop-Tart buyers also bought beer – an increase (or lift) by a factor of seven over expected sales (7*1,500=10,500).
The ability to predict the need for a sevenfold increase in pre-hurricane Pop-Tart inventory levels or, better yet, having time to set up an end-cap or checkout area pallet or outpost is a guaranteed velocity driver. Where might I find such a data set?
I asked my friends at AccuWeather how far in advance they could predict hurricanes. It was the wrong question. Chief Commercial Officer Casey McGeever told me, “People don’t go to the store when there is a hurricane . . . they go to the store when a hurricane is predicted.” For that, you need insights into one of the biggest big data sets: weather. As it turns out, AccuWeather makes this information available. So in practice, you could apply predictions from these data against association rule mining of your sales data to predict required inventory levels, suggest sales efforts or even inspire seasonal programs.
Data Science Tools
It is hard to find frequent item-sets in a large database. It requires good mathematics and a computer science environment that is purpose-built for the task. But the world is changing fast. Recently, Amazon announced its new Amazon Machine Learning (AML) service. Amazon says, “It’s a service that makes it easy for developers of all skill levels to use machine learning technology.” The service includes visualization tools and wizards that guide you through the process of creating machine learning models without having to learn complex algorithms and technology.
This new Amazon service is directly competitive with Microsoft’s big data offerings, and there is clearly a trend toward Data Science as a Service tools – which is a huge win for chief growth officers everywhere – unless, of course, they are replaced by an AML dashboard – which might just become your new CGO.
We have a team ready to help you get ready to work with your data, understand the opportunities afforded by machine learning and pattern matching and even do a data science readiness assessment. Just shoot me an email, and I’ll be happy to work with you to help you achieve your business goals.


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Ironkill: Liberty the Queen Teaser
Ironkill introduces “The Queen,” also known as Liberty, along with a new battlefield in its latest update.
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- Game developer and publisher GTArcade is proud to announce Spirit Guardian will officially launch worldwide on July 24th for iOS.


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Amazon (AMZN 1.04%) makes most of its money from its online marketplace and its cloud services. However, the tech titan has also been quietly growing an advertising business, which sells display ads across its website and hardware devices like the Kindle and Fire TV.
A recent eMarketer study predicts that Amazon's ad business will become the third-largest online ad platform in the U.S. after Alphabet (GOOG 1.01%) (GOOGL 1.03%) subsidiary Google and Facebook (META -0.10%) this year. The firm estimates that Amazon will generate $4.6 billion in ad revenue in the U.S. in 2018 and claim 4.1% of the overall market.
eMarketer expects Amazon's market share to reach 7% by 2020. Meanwhile, Google and Facebook's combined market share in the U.S. could drop from 57.7% this year to 55.9% by 2020.
Advertisers will likely consider Amazon to be an attractive alternative ad platform, since it can leverage its accumulated shopper data to craft better targeted ads. Amazon's ads should also face fewer privacy concerns than Google's and Facebook's, and advertisers wouldn't need to worry about their ads being displayed alongside controversial content.


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The guy that decides the pricing at ASUS got a stroke and no one has noticed yet. First the stupidly expensive monitor and now this. It's beyond stupid.
The Navi 21 rumor is interesting, as is the rest of the article:
"What you should know however is that this data from Patrick is not based on AMD reference design. We have already been told that there are reference-based samples clocking up to 2.3 GHz, but there are also cards reaching 2.4 GHz. Those, however, are AIB models. A cut-down version (Navi 21 XL) should be clocked at around 2.2 GHz, our sources believe."
By that, we can infer that this is known info that most, if not all, the people in the industry are aware of, giving it some credibility. It also points at AIBs having cards ready or almost ready for launch day when we had some rumors saying otherwise.
"The big unknown is still the XTX variant. It all appears that Navi 21 XTX is AMD exclusive. It is possibly a higher clocked version with more CUs enabled, but AIbs have no further information at the moment."
While Navi 21XT is Big Navi, there seems to be an even bigger Navi. Personally, I don't think it will have more CUs, it will just be a binned Navi 21 XT with higher clocks like the RX 5700 XT 50th anniversary.
Yea according to the leak back in October 7th. Here are the potential variants:
XTX Liquid Edition
XT Limited Edition
XT Reference Edition
XL 16GB XTX Liquid Edition <Maybe>
XT Limited Edition
XT Referrence Edition
XTX Liquid Edition <Maybe>
If I had to guess, we probably saw the Reference edition card that back at AMD's press conference. XT Limited is probably the one with 2.4 Ghz and XTX will be their AMD Exclusive Limited Edition. If that assumption is true, XT Limited would be the one that might match the 3080 in Raster at 4k on average since with AMD's cherry picked benchmarks against 3080s paired with Intel, it matched in Borderlands and 10% slower in Gears compared to Eurogamer 3080 benchmarks.Last edited by Captain_Yuri - on 18 October 2020


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Thanks to the logistics heroes
"What better way to say thank you in Hamburg than with a Franzbrötchen?"
The Logistics Initiative Hamburg says this quite nicely in its post on LinkedIn on 23 September:
A team from #HamburgsagtDanke has been on the road since the early hours of the morning, diligently distributing 5,000 Franzbrötchen to #Logistikhelden and #Logistikheldinnen. The small gift serves as a token of appreciation for their tireless efforts!
Of course, the participating companies are also taking part! You can get the best impression on Instagram under #Logistikheld


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ALBANY (AP) — Sen. Charles Schumer said federal regulators have agreed to back off a proposal the nation’s craft beer brewers said would hurt their businesses.
Schumer had called Monday for the Food and Drug Administration to abandon a proposed regulatory change he said would make it too expensive for brewers to recycle spent grain by providing it to dairy farmers.
He said Thursday FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg agreed to revise the rule to avoid “unintended consequences” that would harm brewers and farmers.
Brewers provide spent grain to dairy farmers as a low-cost or free source of cow feed.
The proposal would have classified companies that distribute spent grain as animal feed manufacturers. The classification would have meant new requirements for brewers that would drive up their costs and force higher beer prices.


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Congress has taken some steps to make cosmetics safer, but it’s far from enough to protect Americans from the dangerous chemicals in personal care products. Action Alert!
The facts speak for themselves. One study found that 45 percent of women who used makeup regularly had skin disease related to cosmetics. An Australian consumer protection agency found that cosmetics were responsible for a third of the complaints it received, causing skin infections, bacterial conjunctivitis, folliculitis, corneal ulcers, and anaphylactic shocks. In fact, cosmetics account for 10 percent of allergic reactions in the US. This is putting our children at risk. Surveys have found girls as young as age 11 are using makeup regularly. One quarter of boys and more than a third of girls aged 6-8 (!) use body spray, perfume, and/or cologne. Millions of Americans are regularly exposed to dangerous chemicals in these products, and it is time to do something to protect against these exposures.
Congress has done something, but it’s not enough. Late last year when Congress approved a big spending package for 2023, we focused primarily on the fact that Sen. Dick Durbin’s anti-supplement policy was not included. But there was another (qualified) victory: Congress added provisions to the omnibus to improve the safety of cosmetics, something that ANH has been calling for. While it’s good that Congress has identified this as an issue and done something proactive, we need to push for more meaningful reform to ensure that the cosmetics we use are safe.
You can find an overview of the new laws that apply to cosmetics here. There are efforts to increase transparency regarding ingredients and better testing of talc for asbestos, for example. These are steps in the right direction, but they fall far short of meaningfully making cosmetics safer. These changes don’t ban talc, PFAS, or other dangerous ingredients from cosmetics. They simply require testing for talc, and direct federal agencies to study the issue of PFAS in cosmetics. Given the EPA’s troubling track record on addressing PFAS chemicals, we are not optimistic about a government study assessing PFAS in cosmetics.
Requiring testing of talc for asbestos contamination is an improvement since the FDA did not previously require this pre-market testing. It is already a violation of federal law for cosmetics to contain asbestos or other adulterants, yet we know this contamination occurs. Some talc suppliers screen voluntarily for asbestos but have adopted testing methodologies that would never detect the cancerous substance because they aren’t sensitive enough; whatever testing the Department of Health approves for detecting asbestos in talc, it won’t be 100 percent effective, meaning there will be products on the shelves that can make us, or our children, sick. It only takes one asbestos fiber getting lodged into the lungs to cause mesothelioma decades later. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. This is not something to be trifled with, yet the government seems content to roll the dice on Americans’ health by continuing to allow talc to be used in cosmetics.
Talc isn’t the only toxic concern with makeup and personal care products. We’ve reported previously on the presence of PFAS in makeup and how diapers and menstrual pads tested positive for phthalates and volatile organic compounds. Studies have linked phthalates to decreases in “sex steroid and thyroid hormone levels, poor sperm quality, endometriosis, insulin resistance, obesity and possibly breast cancer.” We’ve noted that makeup is absorbed through the skin, and chemicals absorbed through the skin directly enter the bloodstream.
These chemicals are endangering the lives of our children. A 2011 study concluded that hair oil and perm use during childhood was associated with earlier menarche (the first occurrence of mensuration); this has been linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. The 2011 study also found that African Americans were more likely to use hair products than other racial and ethnic groups, making them more likely to suffer these health impacts.
The US is far behind other industrialized countries in cosmetics safety. In a widely cited statistic, the European Union has banned or restricted more than 1,300 chemicals in cosmetics while the US has outlawed or restricted just 11. According to The Guardian:
It’s possible to find formaldehyde, a known carcinogen banned in EU-sold cosmetics, in US hair-straightening treatments and nail polish. Parabens, linked to reproductive problems, are ruled out in the EU but not the US, where they lurk in skin and hair products. Coal tar dyes can be found in Americans’ eyeshadow, years after they were banned in the EU and Canada.
Part of the problem is that the law governing cosmetics hasn’t been updated since 1938. Cosmetics do not need to be tested for safety before they go on the market. As a result, states are starting to step in. California and Maryland have passed laws prohibiting the intentional addition of 13 PFAS chemicals to cosmetics; other states have considered various measures to increase the safety and transparency of cosmetics containing PFAS chemicals. This is an indictment of our federal government and its failure to stand up for consumers.
In the last Congress, there were several bills ANH supported that would make cosmetics measurably safer. For example S.2047/HR 3990 would have banned toxic PFAS chemicals from being used in cosmetics; HR 5537 would have banned eleven of the most toxic chemicals used in cosmetics. Half measures and promises to study the issue are not going to cut it. We need to start banning the dangerous chemicals that lurk in our makeup.
Action Alert! Write to Congress and urge them to address cosmetic safety by banning talc and PFAS from cosmetics and taking steps to ensure all cosmetic ingredients are safe. Please send your message immediately.


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Calling all bookworms
Kenwood Plaza Shopping Center
Saturday February 16th - 9:00amOn Saturday, Feb. 16, the Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County will be in the parking lot of the Kenwood shopping center near the Kenwood Market from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Then, from 11 a.m. to noon, it will be at the Glen Ellen Post Office. After that, 12:30-2:30 p.m., it moves to the Fiesta Center in Boyes Hot Springs.
The bookmobile is always accepting donations. If you have books to donate, drop them off at Exchange Bank in the St. Francis Shopping Center, 136 Calistoga Road in Santa Rosa, or at Umpqua Bank, 135 W. Napa St. in Sonoma. For more info, visit freebookmobile.org.


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A photo exhibition featuring Vietnam’s world heritage opened on October 10, 2010 in the Exhibition Center for Fine Arts and Photography, 29 Hang Bai St., Hanoi to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the Hanoi Liberation Day. It is held from October 10 to 17, 2011.
On October 9, Vietnam participated in the Traditional Cultural Festival titled “HaHa Asian Festival” for the international labour market, which was co-organised by the Uljeongbu city of Gyeonggi province and the Korea International Labour Foundation.
A Vietnamese delegation led by Vietnamese ambassador to Russia Pham Xuan Son paid a working visit to Ekaterinburg, Russia from October 5-9 to promote tourism in Vietnam, seek potential for cooperation and work on economic diplomacy.
The Republic of Korea (RoK) will hold a seminar on MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition) tourism in Hanoi on October 7 with the participation of around 180 Vietnamese and Korean delegates.
Luxury Travel Group Ltd (www.luxurytravelvietnam.com) eyes the UK market by attending the World Travel Market 2011 (WTM) held from 7 to 10 November in London, England. Staged annually in London, World Travel Market - the leading global event for the travel industry - is a four-day business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and International travel professionals.
In September, the number of foreign tourists to Hanoi reached approximately 92,000 arrivals. This brought the total number to 898,000 arrivals in the first nine months of 2011, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 percent.


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Australia’s largest department store, Myer, will be doubling its outsourcing of homewares and fashion products from China to $200 million a year by 2016, despite rising production costs in the region, according to an online report.
Myer chief executive, Bernie Brookes, told Theage.com.au’s Business Day reporter, Eli Greenblat, that the department store has already administered $70 million in outsourcing from China, including a $50 million, five-year contract with the world’s largest manufacturing-outsourcing company, Li & Fung, which is set to expire in August.
China outsourcing produces the majority of Myer’s ‘exclusive brands’, which are very popular with consumers and successful for the retail store, the report said. Last year, 17% of Myer’s sales were from its exclusive brands.
Brookes told Business Day that Myer plans to open offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong to coordinate the increased outsourcing.
Brookes also said that conditions for factory workers in China have been increasing steadily, with new laws stipulating 44-hour weeks, and requiring employers to pay overtime and increased Sunday rates.
Though this is positive news for the Chinese manufacturing industry and its workers, it means labour costs could shoot-up a massive 80% over the next five years, Brookes said. Electricity prices are also rising in the region.
Even so, this could be positive news for Australian manufacturers, who have for a long time struggled to compete with Chinese companies that can produce goods much cheaper than local manufacturing outfits.
Do you think China’s improving factory conditions will have a positive or negative effect on Australian manufacturers? Post your comment below.


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Emergency Supplies that you can buy now and be prepared for any emergency in the next few months. COVID-19 cases are increasing and there may be a need for you to self-quarantine for a period of weeks. We are also in the summer months frequently occurring natural disasters—a flood, hurricane, tornado, fires, and more—and they often come with little or no warning. There are already known shortages of items in the stores and with the onset of a hurricane warming the shelves will soon be bare. Stocking up now on the right non-perishable food items will help you weather the storm (or global pandemic) with less stress knowing that you have these emergency supplies on hand for now or later.
For full article visit Optima Properties' Blog


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Burlington Returns To Former Latham Site
When I found out about Burlington Coat Factory coming to the Latham Circle Mall, I thought that someone was either playing a late April Fool’s joke or somehow someone was posting an old story from their archives.
We’ve all heard about a new Walmart Supercenter being built on the property, and now it’s been announced that Burlington will also be going into the new Shoppes At Latham Circle. (Obviously it’s not Latham Circle Mall anymore, but the Shoppes At Latham Circle.) Burlington did have a store in the former Latham Circle Mall. That store closed about three years ago.
Sometime next year is when the new Burlington is supposed to open for business. According to the story from WNYT, as of right now, the Burlington Coat Factory store that’s in Crossgates Mall will also remain open.


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Wondering how to take payroll to the cloud? This guide to SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll has the answers, from functionality to configuration.
In this informative 36-minute video, iXerv’s AJ Whalen is joined by Bonnie Tinder and Michele Davies of Raven Intel to discuss – and possibly debunk – some of the most common HR/Payroll implementation myths.
iXerv announced today organizational and staffing changes aimed at supporting additional growth and innovation for its customers across the globe.
Watch this video to hear iXerv’s Chief Architect Luke Marson and iXerv’s customer Julie Henner from Insight discuss SAP SuccessFactors integration.
iXerv announced today that it is establishing a new subsidiary, iXerv Deutschland GmbH, to better serve customers in the German speaking market.
iXerv announced today that it will be a Silver level sponsor at SAP SuccessFactors SuccessConnect conference June 18-20, 2018 at CityCube Berlin.
The latest payroll solutions from SAP SuccessFactors – including Employee Central Payroll and Payroll Control Center – allow users to improve productivity and accuracy of payroll-related business processes. Watch this informative webinar to learn about the latest solutions and how to streamline payroll activities.
iXerv, a partner of SAP SuccessFactors, announced today that it has appointed Marcello Cafarella as General Manager, Brazil. In this role, Mr. Cafarella will be responsible for expanding iXerv’s sales and operations in Brazil and supporting existing processes across Latin America.


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'GEW 50' Named in Startup Open
In the search to find tomorrow’s job creators, Startup Open, a competition that searches for startups with the greatest growth potential, unveiled the “GEW 50”—50 of the world’s most innovative new companies. These elite startups will now vie for a host of prizes to be announced on Nov. 14, timed with the kick-off to Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Hundreds of applications from more than 60 countries were judged on concept, growth projections and knowledge of their industry. The search, which began in March 2011, sought to identify new ventures that have a “startup moment” between GEW 2010 and GEW 2011 (11/22/10 to 11/20/11). A startup moment is defined as any event related to launching a new business, such as securing outside funding or officially opening the doors for business.
“Millions of new firms are started each year, but only a select few ever achieve the size and scale that drive real, lasting economic growth,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Week. “We hope these startups will inspire others who participate in GEW in November to consider taking the next step to bring their ideas to life in the form of a startup."
Aiming for Top Prize
The GEW 50 now have a chance to win several prizes, including an all-expenses-paid trip and VIP delegate credentials to participate in Liverpool’s Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March 2012. The Startup Open winning founder(s) will showcase the company’s business plan on a global scale, gain valuable insight from successful and experienced entrepreneurs and network with world leaders, economists and other experts.
A second Startup Open winner will receive one year of mentoring from Redbox founding members and serial entrepreneurs Michael DeLazzer and Biju Kulathaka, courtesy of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). The program will include a trip to DeLazzer’s home in Marco Island, Fla., where the winner’s business plan will be scrutinized and market opportunities will be identified. Redbox is the second largest video rental company in the world, with more than 35,000 locations in the U.S. and revenues exceeding $1 billion.
The list of GEW 50 companies that have been deemed to have the greatest chance of growing into game-changing firms that will move markets and create jobs is available at the Startup Open website.
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Google’s bet on Chromebooks — relying heavily on the excellent ChromeOS — seems to have paid off handsomely. Sometime in 2019, Microsoft had spoken about Windows 10X, a lighter version of Windows which could take on ChromeOS. However, it looks like Microsoft may have dropped the idea of readying an answer to Chromebooks. A report by The Verge says that 2021 will not see the arrival of Windows 10X. Further, it says that Windows 10X may not ever come and Microsoft could include some features of Windows 10X into Windows 10.
Windows 10X was being designed as a direct competitor to ChromeOS. It reportedly would’ve had a new simple user interface, the Start menu would’ve been different among other features. Microsoft’s idea was to have a toned-down cloud-based version of Windows. However, it does look like the idea has been shelved.
It was no surprise to see Microsoft working on ChromeOS rival as Chromebooks really seem to have taken off in the last year. “Chromebooks are well and truly a mainstream computing product now,” said Brian Lynch, Canalys Research Analyst. “While the education sector still accounts for the majority of shipments, their popularity with consumers and traditional commercial customers has reached new heights over the course of the last year.”
Chromebook shipments grew as much as by 275% in Q1 of 2021. Lynch of Canalys added in a press release that “Google is now in a strong position to work with its OEM partners and the channel to cement a rosy future for Chromebooks. A substantial messaging and evangelisation push coupled with the targeting of growth trends, such as flexible work arrangements and budget-conscious SMBs, will be vital to ensure the longevity of Chromebooks’ success.”


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An investigation by the UK's London Programme has uncovered a security flaw in Chip and PIN payment cards which allows fraudsters to disable and over-ride chip security measures using information embedded in the magnetic strip.
The television programme, which aired last night, showed an anoymous "industry insider" cloning a chip-based payment card using software and a skimming device bought on the Internet.
The skimming device records data embedded in the magnetic strip on a smartcard, but information stating that the card contains a chip can be changed using the illegal software. The data is then copied onto a basic plastic card, such as those used for mobile top-ups. Programme makers were able to use the cloned card to withdraw cash from an ATM.
The findings of the investigation were presented to the UK's Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs). In a statement issued to the programme makers, Apacs says: "When fully in place, chip and PIN technology will identify chip and PIN cards that have been fraudulently tampered with in this way, and also fraudulent copies of those cards."
But in the programme, Sandra Quinn, director of corporate communications, Apacs, did admit that data embedded in the magnetic strip on a card can be accessed and copied by fraudsters but insisted that it cannot be changed: "That data will always say 'there is a chip on this card' therefore if there's no chip on the card the fraudster can't use it."
But research conducted by Ross Anderson, head of security engineering at Cambridge University, found that if a card with a damaged chip is presented at an ATM or POS terminal, then the device falls back to magnetic strip operation.
David Cooper, risk management, Lloyds TSB, told the programme that although banks in Europe were committed to using chip-based technology, financial firms in the US have not made much effort to move into chip and PIN yet, so the industry isn't able to drop magentic strips from payment cards.
Despite the security risks uncovered, Quinn says cards containing both chips and magnetic strips will be around "for a very long time".


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The annual fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute has become a pop-culture touchpoint in recent years, thanks in part to to the Met Gala. Often referred to as fashion’s biggest night, it’s a star-studded event held the first Monday every May to celebrate the start of the exhibit, and is probably best known for the extravagant red carpet fashion show it produces on the steps of the Met.
This spring, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the famed stairs of the Met were empty, the museum was closed and the gala was canceled—and this year’s exhibit, About Time: Fashion and Duration, was postponed. Now, nearly six months after its originally scheduled opening date, About Time is finally opening to the public on Thursday, with a few key adjustments that reflect the strange times we’re living in.
The show, an in-depth look at the ways in which fashion repeats and reinvents itself over the years, was originally conceived to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Met, featuring clothing from 1870—the year the museum was founded—to the present day. Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum, also found inspiration for the theme from philosopher Henri Bergson’s notion of duration, and Virginia Woolf‘s meditations on time with works like Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando. (Woolf serves as a sort of virtual narrator to the exhibit, with her writing about time read aloud by Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep, who starred in the Mrs. Dalloway adaptation The Hours.)
However, the show’s concept itself took on a new meaning with its delayed debut. The irony isn’t lost on Bolton: the new understanding of time that has developed during a period of endless Zoom calls and blurred home and work boundaries gives a new level of resonance to the exhibit, he says.
“Six months ago, you would have seen the show very differently and now, I think what’s interesting is the relevance of the show extends beyond the show to outside the walls of the museum,” Bolton told TIME. “Being at home, your work and your home life, there’s no separation. Time is either contracting or it’s expanding and the subjective time of the mind, to me, is much more relative than the objective time… It’s added another layer to the show that we wouldn’t have had six months ago.”
The exhibit’s postponement also gave Bolton time to reevaluate his curation; over the course of these months, the exhibit changed nearly a quarter of its original selections. Pieces fresh off the runways, like a fur-adorned Margiela jacket, were added into the rotation, while the Black Lives Matters protests that have followed the killing of George Floyd inspired the decision to include more BIPOC designers in the show, which now features the work of Stephen Burrows and Hood by Air’s Shayne Oliver. “Going forward, it’s going to be something that will always have to be a part of your intellectual framework, when you make decisions about who you include in [a] show, it has to be informed by the social justice movements,” says Bolton, adding that he believes Black Lives Matter will ultimately have a bigger impact on the fashion world than COVID-19 will.
It’s not just the show’s offerings that have shifted, either—how to view and experience the exhibit has changed drastically as well.
For those seeing the exhibit in person, timed tickets for the exhibit must be ordered ahead, in addition to reserved tickets to the museum. Only 50 people will be allowed in the exhibit at a time every 45 minutes, which in some ways, Bolton thinks, might actually enhance the exhibit, as it will be far less crowded than past exhibits have been. And while the original exhibit featured physical booklets with stories about each item of clothing, the information can now be downloaded via phone or online on the museum’s website, which gives viewers the chance to spend more time with the material.
For those who feel uncomfortable attending in person or those who can’t due to health and safety reasons, there will also be a guided video gallery tour hosted by Bolton, which will include commentary on the pieces in the collection that he feels are significant. It’s something that hasn’t been offered for past exhibits, but helps to make one of the museum’s most anticipated shows accessible to everyone—a change that Bolton hopes will continue.
And while About Time—with the postponement, the cancelled Met Gala and the show’s many revisions—is not your typical Costume Institute exhibit, that’s appropriate for a year that has been far from normal, something that Bolton sees as an important element to represent in not only the exhibit, but fashion at large.
“Fashion repeats itself, but it also reinvents itself, re-contextualizes itself,” Bolton says. “Good fashion always reflects the times, it’s an accurate barometer for the times in which we’re living.”
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Dua Lipa Manifested All of This
- Exclusive: Google Workers Revolt Over $1.2 Billion Contract With Israel
- Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
- The Sympathizer Counters 50 Years of Hollywood Vietnam War Narratives
- The Bliss of Seeing the Eclipse From Cleveland
- Hormonal Birth Control Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Reputation
- The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Cady Lang at firstname.lastname@example.org


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PAY-TV firm BSkyB defied competition from rival BT yesterday by revealing it added 74,000 new TV customers in the first three months of this year.
The company said this was more than double the growth rate seen in the same quarter a year earlier, while it sold a total of 764,000 subscription products in the period, bringing the figure to 2.4 million for the year to date.
Shares rose as the third quarter update reassured the City following fears that the number of TV subscribers had fallen for the first time in a decade.
The company has seen increased competition from BT, which launched its own sport channels last August offering free Premier League football if customers sign up to a broadband package. BT has just extended this offer for a further year.
Sky lost out in November on the UK rights to show Champions League and Europa League matches to BT, which paid almost £900m to show both Uefa competitions for three seasons from 2015/16. BSkyB’s response to competition, which includes internet streaming services such as Netflix, has seen it increase investment in its smart-TV services. It connected a further 600,000 Sky+HD boxes in the quarter to take the connected base to 5 million, nearly half of all Sky TV homes. The business, which offers the pay-as-you-go streaming service Now TV, also added more On Demand content.


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China raised the Required Reserve Ratio (RRR) a further 50bps on Friday, following the release of house price and inflation data for November. The increase in the RRR is effective from December 20.
House prices continue to rise. Prices were up 0.3% in the month and 7.7% in the year. That’s a slowdown in the annual rate, but the monthly rate of increase was the third in a row after increases of 0.5% in September followed by 0.2% in October.
Inflation leapt again in November with the annual rate hitting 5.1%. This is up from 4.4% in the year to October and 3.6% in the year to September. Food prices are the main culprit yet again, but there were signs this month of inflation pressure becoming more broadly based. Food price inflation was 11.4% over the year, while non-food inflation rose 1.9%. Over the month, however, “clothing” and “residence” prices also recorded significant increases.
There is speculation this may be a peak in annual inflation as flood-related vegetable prices begin to retreat, but the broader base of price increases shouldn’t be ignored.
We believe further tightening in monetary policy is desirable. This can take a number of guises, but we believe a combination of further RRR increases, an increase in benchmark interest rates and faster appreciation of the CNY are all necessary.
It is essential the authorities take the need to keep inflation in check seriously. Regular readers of our research know we believe the biggest threat to rising emerging market prosperity is any lack of commitment on the part of monetary authorities to take whatever action is required to tame inflation. Growth is holding up well in China. We believe inflation can be tamed with a soft landing.
That view is not without risks. It is also important not to overdo the tightening and damage growth prospect unnecessarily. But that requires early and pre-emptive action. Leave it too late and the tightening in monetary setting may have to become more aggressive, which would be more damaging to growth prospects.


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The company had £177m of one-off charges, including restructuring costs and the sale of its stake in Greencore .
Operating margins had also shrunk. Sales grew 10% year-on-year to £1.6bn, boosted by Bakkavör picking up a share of the £45m M&S Italian ready-meals contract from Northern Foods, but gross profits fell from £355m to £349m.
Bakkavör's chief financial officer Richard Howes said the year ahead would be better. All restructuring costs had already been accounted for and restructuring would be finished by June. The company would deliver profit next year above the £23m (excluding one-off costs) it would have made in 2008, he added.
"It's important everyone sees Bakkavör for what it's always been: a strong business trading well with its customers," he said. "We have no plans to sell parts of the business."
Howes added the uncertainty surrounding the future of Bakkavör's controlling shareholder Exista (owned by Bakkavör's chair and CEO) would not affect its trading.


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EVs are coming, and they are coming quicker than they can hit 0-60. They are coming quicker than anticipated, so don’t you feel all amazed when I tell you that Porsche Taycan, an all-electric four-door saloon, has just outsold the legendary 911 and the 718 in the second quarter of this year. How did this happen? Well, owing to the rising fuel prices and stricter emission regs, even the manufacturers are pushing for EVs every day so, this was bound to happen, no?
The Stuttgart maker sold 18,958 vehicles in the second quarter, a figure that is up by nearly 56% from the same period last year. Additionally, it was also Porsche’s best first half for retail sales, up by 50.2% over the first six months of 2020.
“The Porsche community of passionate customers is growing, and we are thrilled to welcome them. All of our cars are outperforming expectations, from the iconic 911 to our electric sports car, the Taycan, and our best-selling SUVs,” said Kjell Gruner, President, and CEO of PCNA. “We have great momentum for this year, thanks to a fresh and exciting product line as well as our commitment with our dealers to delivering superb customer experiences.”
The deliveries increased to 3.6% over 2020 in the second quarter this year as the maker was quite lucky to not feel the aftereffects of the pandemic as much as its competition. As a result, the Taycan sold more than 3,000 units in Q2 this year, higher than the total of 911s and 718s combined. Take that!
For the rest of the Porsche range, the 911 sold almost 100 more units than the same time last year, whereas the 718 was sold 906 times. The Panamera, Cayenne, and the Macan, all saw big leaps, too. In a similar fashion, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E has outsold its legendary ICE-powered sibling when we talk about its sales from last month.
The Mach-E sold a total of 2,465 units (up by 26.7% from May), as opposed to the 2,240 units sold of the Mustang. A pretty big statement, indeed. Some might say that this is due to the global semiconductor chip shortage, but the Blue Oval’s report of sales says “electrified vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrids, and hybrids, experienced an impressive 117 percent increase in June for a total of 56,570 vehicles so far this year.”
Judging by how things are currently going, in no time will we be listening to the oh-so-pure engine sounds of the 911 and the Mustang from the stimulated sounds inside the Taycan and Mach-E. That’s something I am not ready to deal with just yet.


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Transport Minister Trudy Harrison has announced that over 200 million GBP in UK government funding will be invested in a zero-emission road freight trial programme.
Throughout the programme, the world’s largest fleet of zero-emission HGVs will operate on UK roads to provide transport for consumer goods that is zero-emission at the tailpipe.
The funding for the trials was revealed at Logistics UK’s Future Logistics Conference in Farnborough on 12 May 2022. The 3-year comparative programme will begin later this year to help decarbonise the UK’s freight industry.
The programme could lead to hundreds more zero-emission HGVs entering service to make the UK freight industry more profitable, as the overall running costs of zero-emission vehicles are cheaper than petrol and diesel alternatives. More efficient deliveries could enable logistics companies to keep the price of goods down should they pass on any savings to the consumer.
In addition, the zero-emission trucks will help improve air quality locally, create greener jobs and deliver on the government’s COP26 pledges, while also reducing reliance on importing foreign oil.
Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said:
Our road freight industry is one of the most efficient in the world and contributes over £13 billion to the UK economy each year. But we must accelerate our journey towards our net zero goals, and we’re committed to leading the way globally on non-zero emission road vehicles. Our ambitious plans will continue to ensure food is stocked on the shelves and goods are supplied while eliminating fossil fuels from HGVs and making our freight sector green for good.
The trials will evaluate the future refuelling and recharging infrastructure needed to smoothly transition to an electric freight industry by 2050 and determine which zero emission at the tailpipe technologies are best suited to the UK’s heavy road vehicles.
An open-call competition will soon be launched for manufacturers, energy providers and fleet and infrastructure operators to showcase their ‘green’ technology on UK roads. This will begin with demonstrations of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell HGVs.
Michelle Gardner, Acting Deputy Director – Public Policy, Logistics UK, said:
Logistics businesses are committed to decarbonising their operations, but to ensure a smooth transition they need clarity on the path to zero tailpipe emission HGVs. The trials announced today will play a crucial role in identifying the right technological solutions to help enable this.
This latest announcement comes after the Department for Transport’s 20 million GBP zero-emission road freight trials which were delivered by Innovate UK last year.
In addition, the UK government has published plans to realise its COP26 pledge that all new HGVs sold in the UK will be zero-emission at the tailpipe from 2040.


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What States Are Marijuana Legal In?
If you’re wondering “what states are marijuana legal in?” there are a number of ways to get the information you need. Many states have medical cannabis programs while 16 have legalized recreational marijuana use. Cannabis legalization began on the West Coast and soon spread to New England. As Colorado, Washington, and Oregon legalized marijuana, red states saw a tax windfall. Additionally, these states aren’t penalizing nonviolent drug users. get a ny marijuana card online
The state of Florida is another example. The state has decriminalized possession of one ounce or less. In other words, possession of this amount or less will not land you in jail, but it will get you a fine of up to $100. The state has also passed legislation to legalize medical cannabis. Medical cannabis patients can register with a state-licensed compassion center. The number of patients has grown exponentially in recent years.
Although legal marijuana for medical use is not yet available in all 50 states, some have enacted legislation to permit home cultivation. In Missouri, for example, two-thirds of voters voted in 2018 to legalize marijuana. In fact, marijuana-related arrests outnumber those for other drugs in the state. Despite this, the state’s law enforcement spends more time on marijuana smokers than any other drug. In fact, approximately ten percent of their arrests are for possession of marijuana.
Despite the widespread prohibition of weed, Illinois became the eleventh state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. In its first year, sales topped $1 billion. Residents can buy up to an ounce of flower, but it is illegal to smoke or consume it in public. Even home-grown marijuana is illegal for non-medical patients. Illinois lawmakers are considering allowing 150 retail stores and tours. They may also criminalize the use of marijuana.
Vermont became the first state to legalize cannabis for adult use in 2018. The state has laws that allow people over 21 to grow up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. For now, the state isn’t allowing retail sales, but it is planning to pass a tax-and-regulate bill in 2022 to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. And as of January 1, 2022, the bill will have taken effect.
North Carolina, for example, has made cannabis more accessible for people suffering from certain diseases, like cancer or epilepsy. In addition, it has legalized CBD oil, which is used by those with intractable epilepsy. North Carolina also plans to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and CBD oil. In fact, possession of 1.5 ounces or less remains a misdemeanor. Though the recreational marijuana campaign failed in 2015, North Carolina has one of the largest medical cannabis programs in the country. The program will generate about $45 million between January and September 2020.
In Arkansas, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is still a felony. Penalties for this offense include up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. However, the bill calls for re-sentencing of people who have been convicted of marijuana-related crimes. It also calls for the expungement of marijuana-related offenses. If you’re wondering what states are marijuana legal in, read on.


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American factory output of vehicles, computers and construction material grew last month, resulting in a 0.9% increase in output, according to data released by the Federal Reserve.
Total industrial production, including mines, utilities and factories, grew 0.4% last month. Fourth quarter industrial output was up 3.1% annually for a tenth quarter of consecutive growth.
According to a senior strategist for State Street Global Markets LLC, manufacturing has been a significant contributing factor to America's recent growth spurt. Companies are beginning to restock their warehouses, and business equipment production has improved 0.8% thanks to higher demand for computers and machinery.
To keep up with growing demand, manufacturers created 23,000 jobs last month, which is the most in five months, says a Labor Department report.
Higher consumer and business spending, as well as tighter inventories, are expected to maintain factory growth and continue boosting employment. In addition, US manufacturing is increasing due to exports to emerging economies.
Global Economic Strains
The World Bank has reduced its 2012 global growth forecast to 2.5% from its summer prediction of 3.6%, the largest forecast reduction in three years.
The European debt crisis is the main hurdle preventing lasting global economic security. It is also hampering American manufacturing growth by cutting back on American exports to the Euro zone.
Economists and analysts predict a possible recession for the Euro zone during the first half of 2012.
Home-Builder Confidence, Construction Output Improve
US home-builder confidence rose the highest level in four years this month as buyer traffic and sales improved. According to the National Association of Home Builders, construction workers' sentiment rose to 25. Anything below 50 is considered poor, but the improvement was still much higher than expected and improved in all four regions.
Low interest on loans, population growth and lower prices are expected to increase housing demand.
As consumer confidence and the employment rate improve, more and more Americans are expected to buy homes this year. Construction material output grew 1% in December, the most in five months.
Many analysts believe this is a ripple effect from recent improvements in the housing market. A rise in construction materials is usually a sign that the production of finished products will increase in the next few months.
Key Statistics - Factory Output in the US (source: Federal Reserve)
- Manufacturing in the US saw the biggest gain last month since December 2010.
- Overall industrial output of US factories, mines and utilities grew 0.4% in December 2011.
- Home builder confidence rises, with construction material output up 1%.


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Ubisoft has announced that its E3 press conference will take place on June 15th at 3 PM PDT. It will be taking place at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
As of now, Ubisoft hasn’t revealed what games we can expect at the press conference, we do expect to see the recently revealed Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Rainbow Six: Siege, Tom Clancy’s The Division (which was recently delayed to Q1 2016) and maybe even a new adventure title along the lines of Child of Light. Perhaps Child of Light 2? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.
There will be a total of eight press conferences during E3 week with Microsoft, Square Enix, Sony, Ubisoft, Bethesda Softworks, EA and Nintendo holding their own presentations. A PC games conference will also be held courtesy of AMD and several publishers so stay tuned for more information. Which press conference are you looking forward to the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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This post originally appeared on January 9, 2020 in Amanda Kludt’s newsletter “From the Editor,” a roundup of the most vital news and stories in the food world each week. Read the archives and subscribe now.
I never put much stock in a new year bringing a fresh start, but wow 2021 is really building on the chaotic and depressing energy of 2020 right out of the gate.
I am, of course, referring to the insurrection this week, but things aren’t looking especially bright in the world of food and restaurants either. Restaurants close. Unemployment grows. Subcultures find it harder and harder to hang on. We’ve been covering the idea of restaurants going into “hibernation” since the fall, but in the last few weeks there’s been a bit of a groundswell, at least where I live, of places deciding to hunker down until the spring. (Which again ties back to that unemployment number).
But if we want to focus on the positives going into 2021, some restaurant workers will get the vaccine in February. Some small business owners will get to access a new round of PPP loans, in addition to new grants from local governments and charities. Some chefs continue to prioritize people in need. And for those restaurants that make it through, some investments (outdoor dining infrastructure), collaborations, and adaptations (retail, product lines) could pay off in years to come.
Best of all, Viennetta, everyone’s favorite ‘90s freezer aisle dessert, is coming back. Oh and Democrats control the Senate, which should lead to, among many other things, more money in the pockets of American restaurant workers. So not exactly New Year New You, but we have something to hold on to.
— Grocers in Southern California announced plans to lay off hundreds of in-house delivery workers and instead use the independent contractors from Uber and its ilk; Massachusetts became the latest state to enact commission caps on delivery apps; and hundreds of restaurants were removed from third party delivery apps in California as a law went into effect banning the platforms from partnering with restaurants without their consent. New York is now considering a similar bill.
— The U.S. lost 372,000 food service jobs last month, and the industry’s unemployment rate jumped 2.3 percent to 16.1 percent.
— The father-and-son team behind New York’s popular Prince St. Pizza is stepping down from day-to-day operations after being called out for racist Yelp comments
— During the D.C. curfew, World Central Kitchen mobilized to feed National Guard troops streaming into D.C. and police officers after the attack on the Capitol building.
— While most restaurateurs are struggling to keep their shirts right now, Ombra in the UK (aka your “4th favourite Italian restaurant”) is having the best year ever.
— Bill Esparza tracks the history of birria, from its origins in Mexico to the recent boom in the United States.
— Robert Sietsema files a review on the most exciting restaurant in New York … which just went into hibernation.
— VP-to-be Kamala Harris visited a restaurant that has plastered posters of her all over their outdoor dining tents.
— Three designers on their inspiration and process for creating trendy wine labels.


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Motorola has not officially said anything on whether the Moto Razr patent will make its way to the markets anytime soon.
Motorola is planning a big throwback to its smartphone portfolio. The Lenovo-owned company is reportedly working on a new model of the iconic Moto Razr that redefined the design quotient on mobile phones back in the early 00s. The Moto Razr was a flip phone that became a style statement and the company now looks set to bring it back in 2019. A new leak has now surfaced on the Internet giving an idea of what seems to be a smartphone with Razr-like flip design.
Motorola has filed a new patent, first spotted by 91mobiles, with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) for a smartphone that features a foldable design, which looks similar to what the Moto Razr phone had. The patent that is available online on WIPO website shows it was filed back in December last year by Moto. The patent carries concept photos of Moto’s foldable phone having a hinged design that will let the display fold, much like the flip phones that were trendy over 10 years back.
The Moto phone, as seen in the patent filing, has a tall display with a hinge in the middle, so as to provide flexibility to the display while it folds. Much like the Moto Razr, the company could make the hinge visible on the handset, if we assume this design to be the final. There are chins on the bottom of the smartphone, which could be used for speakers, while a notch at the top of the display will likely house front cameras and sensors.
Moreover, the patent filing reveals the handset could sport a third small CSTN display on the back panel, which could be used to show the notifications, and other alerts on the phone, besides time, date, and reminders without switching to the main display – again something that is reminiscent of the original Moto Razr. The images in the filing also hint at a camera and a fingerprint sensor with two circular carvings on either half of the phone.
Motorola has not officially said anything on whether this patent will make its way to the markets anytime soon. However, a report by The Wall Street Journal said Moto could be planning the Moto Razr 2019 model and that it could launch it by the next month. The report further said that Moto could partner Verizon to sell the handset in the US at a price of nearly $1,500 (roughly Rs 1,07,000). Motorola is also said to be planning to manufacture as many as 200,000 units of the handset.


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Andalou Naturals is the first beauty brand to become entirely Non-GMO Project Verified, representing the growing shift toward true personal care transparency. Here's why non-GMO will be relevant beyond just grocery in 2013.
January 30, 2013
For forward-thinking natural beauty companies, genetically modified organisms' (GMOs) fate may look similar to common personal care offenders such as parabens and sulfates: red flags for customers seeking safe personal care products. Andalou Naturals, a Novato, Calif.-based skin and hair care company, is one brand using the non-GMO verification to prove its dedication to transparency.
“Many natural foods shoppers want to ensure that everything they put on or in their body is as healthy as possible, and that includes being non-GMO,” according to Courtney Pineau, assistant director of the Non-GMO Project.
Earlier this month, Andalou became the first entirely Non-GMO Project Verified beauty manufacturer, obtaining the certification for every one of its 66 products.
“Partnering with the Non-GMO Project and achieving third-party verification was consistent with our brand standard to use natural and organic ingredients that are safe for our customers and the environment,” said Alissa Berihu, formulator for Andalou Naturals. “Andalou Naturals recognizes the importance of consumer protection and education, so we decided to lead by example and help set a new standard for personal care.”
Along with the eight other beauty brands with products boasting Non-GMO Verification, including EO (the first to become verified in 2011) and Desert Essence, Andalou Naturals has helped make personal care the fastest growing non-food, non-GMO category, according to Pineau.
Many health and environmentally conscious consumers are realizing that GMOs are ubiquitous in packaged food products, such as in corn and soy food fillers. As a result, sales of Non-GMO Project Verified products surpassed $2 billion dollars in 2012.
The non-GMO industry will continue to grow as awareness increases around the widespread use of GMOs in other product types such as personal care. Herbs and vegetables used in cosmetics are often extracted with alcohol or glycerin, which could be made using high-GMO risk corn. Other common high-GMO risk cosmetic ingredients include soy or canola oils, according to Pineau.
Retailers have recently become privy to the use of GMOs in cosmetics, asking questions and touting non-GMO beauty products as important to the safe cosmetics industry.
In a press release, Jeremiah McElwee, executive Whole Body coordinator at Whole Foods Market, said: "Andalou’s commitment to the Non-GMO Project and ingredient integrity continues to define and expand industry standards."
While consumers may just now be gaining awareness about GMOs in cosmetics, Pineau points out that informed shoppers will support brands with shared values beyond the grocery department.
“When [customers] see the Non-GMO Project verification mark on a product they feel an alignment between their personal non-GMO commitment and the commitment of the company to provide shoppers an informed choice,” said Pineau.
However, giving consumers this choice isn't easy. Non-GMO Verification is a considerable feat for personal care brands because “often beauty care products contain extracts and derivatives, so the source material may not always be apparent to the manufacturer,” Pineau said.
Take Andalou, which researched more than 200 ingredients in order to become verified. What made this process possible? It was all about close relationships with suppliers that “support of transparency form farm to shelf,” said Berihu. “Non-GMO Project Verification was a team effort, as it required dedicated Andalou Naturals staff members, and cooperation and transparency from our manufacturers and suppliers to confirm not only that source ingredients were non-GMO, but also that the manufacturing process for each final ingredient did not include GMOs.”
Andalou will continue to focus on innovative and clean ingredients such as argan stem cells and probiotics, while working with retailers to educate on the non-GMO beauty category.
As for the category’s future, expect to see explosive growth this year based on an unprecedented number of beauty product inquiries at the end of 2012 and into 2013, said Pineau.
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Recently a report popped up on the internet that claimed that the upcoming models of the Apple iPhone 12 and the launch event have been postponed to October. This is due to some technical glitch in the camera set up of the mobile phone. But another report has appeared claiming that the new iPhone 12 devices will now be made in India.
Recently Apple began the manufacturing of its current flagship iPhone 11 at its Chennai plant. And now the company is planning to extend this to yet to be launched iPhone 12 also under the government’s Make in India initiative. This big move will give a big boost to the initiative and will be ready to be assembled by the middle of next year.
According to the report by Business Standard, stepping up its thrust on manufacturing in India, American tech giant Apple is planning to roll out locally made models of its upcoming iPhone 12 by the middle of next year, sources close to the development have said.
To locally produce the iPhone 12 series in India a Taiwan based contract Manufacturer Wistron will begin the work at its plant in Narasapura near Bengaluru. The company has plans to invest Rs 2,900 crore and the contractor will be hiring 10,000 employees at its new plant. According to the report, the plant is to be ready by October this year and around 1000 workers have already started working on the plant.
Apple’s move is to avoid the 22% of import duty being imposed on its devices. Though the company has still not decreased the prices of iPhones in India but in due course, this would bring down the cost of Apple’s devices hence becoming more affordable in the country.
At the same Wistron plant-based in Bengaluru, the company is also preparing to assemble its new iPhone SE 2020. Right now the second generation of SE models is currently available in India manufactured and imported by China.
Notably, Apple has also gradually increased its manufacturing in India and reducing its dependence on China which will bring a significant boost to Make in India. At the moment it is manufacturing iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 and iPhone XR and iPhone 11 in India.
Wistron is an Apple supplier that already operates in Karnataka to manufacture iPhone 7 in India. At the moment Apple’s plan to produce the iPhone 11 has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the company has also been waiting for the government’s decision to ease some rules for its Production Linked incentive scheme. It is a move to attract US companies to expand their manufacturing plants from China to other parts of the world.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.


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Yes, the internet fails: Outages like Fastly's will happen. Here's how to protect yourself
The internet took a hit early Tuesday with a short-lived, but massive outage shuttering online destinations as diverse as Amazon, Google, Reddit, Twitch, USA TODAY, CNN, The New York Times, the Financial Times and the U.K. government website.
Within an hour or so, cloud content company Fastly corrected the error and sites began operating again.
Expect such outages to be the norm because this wasn't the first time – nor will it be the last – in which online outages wreak havoc with our everyday lives.
With more and more data and services moving online amid a growing network of computer hubs across the U.S. and the world, issues will arise due to glitches and mechanical failures – or worse, from bad actors such as hackers and ransomware purveyors.
Still, we continue to adopt an increasingly digital lifestyle, with more functionality on mobile devices – Apple on Monday proposed putting driver's licenses, as well as home and car keys, into iPhones. And most of us don't really think about or understand, the technology behind this digital lifestyle.
And this connected existence is not as robust, reliable and secure as you might think. Just as subways may run slower than expected or trains derail, so can there be incidents on the information highway.
"It’s a scary reminder of the double-edged sword around the digital transformation," said Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities. "It’s just a few dominoes that could shut everything down."
Over the years, we have grown to expect Netflix and Disney+ to almost instantaneously deliver "The Queen's Gambit" or "The Mandalorian" with a click. And we expect news to be available on demand 24/7 on sites such as CNN, Bloomberg, or CNET – destinations also affected Tuesday.
"We just assume all this stuff is here all the time. I think the purveyors of our digital lives have gone out of their way to made us feel like it’s always there," said Shelly Palmer, CEO at The Palmer Group, a tech strategy advisory group, and author of "Blockchain – Cryptocurrency, NFTs & Smart Contracts: An executive guide to the world of decentralized finance."
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos "has reduced every ounce of friction from you buying something. Mark Zuckerberg has reduced every ounce of friction they can about you posting something on a social network," Palmer said. "The only time people think about this experience is when it goes away."
Cybersecurity attacks:5 things you can do right now to protect yourself
How do internet shutdowns happen?
This latestincident occurred due to a problem at Fastly, a San Francisco-headquartered content delivery network that supports websites for companies such as The New York Times, GitHub, Pinterest and others. It has deployed thousands of computer servers across the U.S. and the globe so that content is easily accessed by consumers.
There are just a few major content delivery networks like Fastly, including Amazon, Akamai and Cloudflare. Each has redundancies built into their networks, but problems can arise. An Amazon Web Services outage in November 2020 took down the video game "League of Legends" and Sirius XM satellite radio and also affected Roku and Amazon’s Ring doorbell. AWS had similar outages in 2015 and 2017.
"I think that these crash so infrequently, it’s news when it happens," Palmer said. "The goal here is speed … You want to see your video immediately pressing a button. You want everything to work beautifully and smoothly. The way you do that is you cache (or store) content as close to the user as possible. That’s what a content distribution network does."
Normally, the work a content delivery network does, helps "content pop up on your screen in seconds," tweeted Corinne Cath-Speth, a doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute, in a description of how such outages happen.
"So when those @fastly services fail or falter – it has major ramifications for everyone's internet experience. Keep in mind that this market is relatively small and each company serves a large number of clients," she tweeted.
All this works as it should more than 99% of the time. How much more would a company have to spend to improve that to nearly 100%? Probably too much, Palmer said.
"Everybody has some way they calculate high availability of services," he said. Banks, for instance, must attempt to get as close to 100% as possible, Palmer said. But if you are "delivering a movie or you are a social network where the 'like' button has to work, seriously how important is it?"
While the scale and scope of the outage were "jaw-dropping," Ives said, the damage appears to be "contained."
But coming out of a pandemic "we are just that much more reliant on the cloud and a few providers from a data center perspective," he said. "The worry is what happens next time. And bad actors and malicious attackers have definitely taken note" of the outage and assessed potential vulnerabilities, Ives said.
What can you do?
Each of us should use this recent event to consider our own situation. Think about how often there are online outages that could affect you. Connectivity programs such as Microsoft Teams and Slack have had outages recently. So have social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. (Do you have phone numbers or emails for co-workers, friends, or family you might need to contact during downtime?)
Many of us store personal files in the cloud and those networks such as Google Cloud and Apple's iCloud can have outages, too. You might want to have multiple ways to save important files, photos and other data. In addition to storing them in the cloud, have them on an external drive or USB drive.
If you have more than one computer, have copies on both devices in case one is infected. And consider encrypting files for added protection.
That could come in handy should you become a victim of ransomware or malware, as major fuel supplier Colonial Pipeline and meat producer JBS S.A. have recently. "It's all the same thing," Palmer said. "These are teachable moments about how vulnerable we are … and how deeply we have come to rely on our connectivity and how out of control of it we really are."
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.


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iTunes Multi-Pass debuts; Daily Show, Colbert Report added
Comedy Central and Apple have quietly added “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “The Colbert Report” to the iTunes Music Store. The episodes, however, are not just being sold individually like previous shows on iTunes. Apple has introduced a new feature called “Multi-Pass,” which is similar to a paid video podcast.
The Multi-Pass costs $9.99 and allows iTunes users to subscribe to a specific show in order to get future episodes automatically. The Multi-Pass for the two Comedy Central shows will get you the most recent episode and the next 15 new episodes. The new episodes will be downloaded automatically as they become available.
Update: Comedy Central and Apple have now sent out a press release announcing the addition of the shows and the new Multi-Pass feature.
“We are excited that ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ are now available to download on the iTunes Music Store,” said Michele Ganeless, executive vice president and general manager, Comedy Central. “Fans of the most trusted names in fake news can now take Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert with them everywhere they go.”
“We’re thrilled to offer ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ on iTunes,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “Our newest feature ‘Multi-Pass’ gives fans the ability to purchase a block of 16 episodes of these hit programs during the current season and have them delivered automatically to their computer after they air on TV.”
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Cut down on eggs-tra waste
Millions of us will celebrate Easter this weekend by munching on a chocolate egg or two, but how many of us have stopped to think about the extra waste we are creating?
An estimated 10,000 tonnes of packaging will be thrown away over Easter in Britain – the equivalent weight of 1,500 London buses.
Warwickshire-based Charity Garden Organic is urging people to think twice before heading to the bin and throw Easter egg packaging on the compost heap instead.
Jane Griffiths from Garden Organic said: “Landfill sites are rapidly filling up unnecessarily and it is really important that people start thinking now of other ways to deal with their waste.
“Many people don’t realise that the foil, plastic and card that their Easter eggs come in can all be put to good use.
“We would urge people to consider recycling the foil and plastic packaging and putting the cardboard in the compost bin.”
The Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP), said retailers are taking big steps to reduce the amount of packaging used for Easter eggs, but consumers can still do their bit.
Helen Hughes, who advises retailers and brands on packaging minimisation and recycling, told edie: “The work the brands and retailers are doing in terms of their Easter egg packaging is a great step forward in significantly reducing the amount of packaging material sent to landfill and helping to tackle climate change.
“Consumers want to see a reduction in the amount of packaging on their Easter eggs while still wanting a gifting experience, so it’s great to see that the brands and retailers are responding to them.
“As well as buying Easter eggs with reduced packaging, I’d also encourage everyone to recycle their Easter packaging wherever possible.”
For more information and advice on composting, visit www.gardenorganic.org.uk
To check where you can recycle Easter packaging waste in your local area, visit www.recyclenow.com


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The in store Marketside brand pizzas sold by Walmart are being recalled due to Listeria concerns after tests come back positive for Listeria. 21,220 pounds of it’s extra large supreme pizzas are being recalled.
Here are the details:
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 1821” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail distribution centers in California, Nevada, Utah and Washington.
The problem was discovered during routine sampling by the firm. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. From America Now: Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside…


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No manufacturer has been able to completely dominate the market and today there are over a 100 different Smartphone"s available in India from a number of manufacturers that include foreign giants like Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson etc and also domestic players like Micromax, Videocon and much more.
Nokia as everyone is aware is the world"s biggest mobile manufacturer and they have been on the forefront too in the case of Smartphone"s. The company has a large portfolio of Smartphone"s in its stables. They have brought about numerous revolutions in Smartphone"s.
Recently Nokia announced a gaming tournament based on its popular Nokia X7 gaming phone and christened the event as Nokia X7 Full Throttle tournament. During the Nokia X7 Full Throttle tournament Mr. T.S Sridhar Nokia Director (South Markets) was quoted as saying that Nokia was a major contributor to the emerging Smartphone market that is currently brimming with competition both domestically and internationally. He said that there has been a steady increase in the demand for Smartphone"s as more and more people wanted to try out its functionalities and long list of features.
He stated that the Nokia E6 was a big success as it offered both touch and type functionality with a touch screen and physical keypad. It also featured the latest Symbian Anna OS update. According to Nokia the Symbian Anna would be a regarded as a big milestone as far as Smartphone"s are considered.
Mr. Sridhar was of the opinion that as the popularity of mobile gaming began to grow at a rapid pace recently; the main focus of Nokia was to incorporate an undisputed gaming experience into its Smartphone"s. The portability of mobiles will make it more convenient for gamers to carry their favorite games wherever they go in their pocket and thus facilitates 'any time" gaming experience.
Nokia X7 gaming phone is mainly focused on providing a good gaming experience and the phone is designed keeping in mind its gaming orientation with a large 4 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen based display. With the first Android and Windows phone from Nokia waiting in the dark, all the prospects look exciting for Nokia in the coming months.


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Forget Final Fantasy, it looks like there’s a new JRPG on the block and that’s Bravely Default. Square Enix has announced that their new JRPG for the Nintendo 3DS has just hit a massive one million sales milestone worldwide. Bravely Default launched on the 3DS in Japan in 2012 which was followed by a re-release titled For the Sequel which launched in Japan as well as western territories at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014.
Square Enix revealed that Japanese sales of Bravely Default, also known as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, have reached an impressive 400,000 sales both retail and digitally, whereas elsewhere, sales have hit a much higher number of sales, 600,000. Square Enix didn’t reveal how sales were split between the original Bravely Default and its updated edition, For the Sequel.
Strong sales and the great reception that Bravely Default has received has helped Square Enix realise that there’s demand for more JRPG’s and a fan base exists worldwide, no just in Japan which is great news considering a sequel for Bravely Default is in the works for the 3DS titled Bravely Second. A release date is yet to be announced.


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Highlight speakers at the „VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference – Alysha Naples, Ela Darling and Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel
Alysha Naples, the American-Italian designer and until recently Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at Magic Leap, the American Ela Darling, VR pioneer in the porn industry and co-founder of VRTube.xxx as well as Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel, Professor of Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn, are set to be among the highlight speakers at the international Virtual Reality (VR) conference – VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference.
The VR NOW Conference 2016 will be held in Potsdam’s Schiffbauergasse on November 16, 2016. The conference will be addressing current impulses and trends in the industry and presenting new business models and sustainable prospects for the successful application and various possibilities of Virtual Reality.
Until recently, Alysha Naples was the Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at the American VR and AR start-up Magic Leap. In her keynote, she will address the question in which direction Virtual Reality should develop. Naples says that we have the chance of shaping the medium in such a way that it brings people together. The potential for human interaction in the metaverse is enormous. Alysha Naples, who as a kid wanted to be an astronaut, dinosaur or a Solid Gold dancer, but instead studied Design, has been pushing the frontiers of design within emerging tech while forging the path to adoption within industry and education. Her core philosophy is that products are a reflection of the cultures in which they were created, and that transformative products require an investment in building and nurturing authentic and diverse work cultures.
Meanwhile, entrepreneur and VR pioneer Ela Darling will be at VR Now Con to reveal how Virtual Reality can save the porn industry. Why save? Because adult entertainment may now be largely free of taboos, but is coming under a lot of pressure from product piracy and the offers of free online platforms. Darling – who began her career as a librarian than a feminist, porn star and political activist – feels certain that VR can offer a solution here. Ela Darling is known as the world’s first „Virtual Reality Cam Girl“ and is regarded as the one-and-only VR pioneer of the porn industry. As the co-founder and face of VRTube.xxx, she has joined forces with CAM4 to create a global network of VR live cameras for erotic film content to give her performers the opportunity to make money with the new technology. The offer of VRTube.xxx gives users experiences that far surpass the 2D analogue experience.
Nothing less than reality itself is the subject of the talk by Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel, Professor in the Chair of Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn and author of „Why The World Does Not Exist“ and „Ich ist nicht Gehirn“ („I am not a Brain“, forthcoming, published in German). He has published numerous essays in the fields of metaphysics and epistemology and is a visiting professor at Berkeley, the Sorbonne and Rio de Janeiro, among others. Gabriel will issue a response to his colleague David Chalmers for the first time during the VR Now Con.
The VR Now Con will also serve as the backdrop for the newly created „VR Now Awards“, the first awards ceremony in Germany dedicated exclusively to Virtual Reality projects. The awards will recognise outstanding technical, business and artistic achievements in the Virtual Reality industry. An expert jury will decide on the winners in four categories. Many entries have already been submitted; until the final submission deadline on October 16, 2016, projects can be submitted by accessing http://awards.vrnowcon.io.
The one-day English-language conference and the awards ceremony will be held under the auspices of Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg, which was founded this year, organised byBooster Space – Made with Love in Berlin, and funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
More about VR Now Con at www.vrnowcon.io
Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/676269155860989/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/vrnowcon, @VRnowCon, #VRnowCon, #VRlove
About Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg
Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg was founded in April 2016 by several companies and initiatives from Potsdam and Berlin. Another 15 leading Berlin and Brandenburg-based film and TV producers, tech entrepreneurs and research institutes have joined the venture along-side Studio Babelsberg, UFA LAB, Exozet, SMI, Metropolis VR, Babelsberg Film University and HPI (D-School). The new association brings all of the VR and AR expertise available in Potsdam-Babelsberg and the capital region together as a way of making this location internationally competitive in this field. The board comprises Stephan Schindler (Wonderlamp Industries), Henry Bauer (Exozet), Christian Villwock (SMI) and Sven Bliedung (SLICE Studios). Preparations in setting up the association were supported by Brandenburg’s Economics Ministry, the Zukunftsagentur Brandenburg and media.net berlinbrandenburg. www.virtualrealitybb.org
About Booster Space – Made with Love in Berlin
Booster Space – with its headquarters in Berlin and a global network of partners and contacts – is a professional event organiser and specialist in developing brands. Working in collaboration with experienced and qualified partners in the areas of production, PR and design, Booster Space facilitates the efficient organistion and successful promotion of events and other projects, as well as offering concept development, marketing strategies and event production from a single source. At the forefront of Booster Space’s interdisciplinary work is the desire to create and realise projects in an authentic and exciting way. The agency is the founder and manager of #gamesweekberlin. www.booster-space.com