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|By Marketwired .||
|December 31, 2012 06:00 AM EST||
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 12/31/12 -- According to marketing pioneer Richard Gorman, Amazon.com was far-and-away the e-commerce champion of the 2012 holiday shopping season -- and he is hardly the only one who thinks so. Amazon.com recently topped the ForeSee customer experience survey, emerging as the clear leader in its field while competitors like Apple, Dell, and JCPenney.com all found their scores declining from previous years. Now, Gorman has issued a new statement to the press, reflecting on the ForeSee numbers and offering his own insights into why Amazon.com is the e-commerce portal of choice among consumers.
"This is a survey that is based entirely on consumer satisfaction surveys, and it only evaluates the top 100 e-commerce sites in existence," Gorman explains. "For eight years in a row now, Amazon.com has topped the charts, often by a sizable margin. That is a astonishing track record, and it just goes to show that, in the world of online retail, Amazon is the true 800-pound gorilla -- a company that thrives on innovation, but ultimately banks its reputation on the ability to satisfy customers across the board."
This year's ForeSee rankings evaluated 100 companies, on the basis of some 24,000 customer surveys. Amazon.com topped the list with a score of 88 out of 100 -- tying its record-setting score from last year. Amazon.com held steady in the rankings while many of its biggest competitors experienced minor drops in their scores.
According to the ForeSee report, the triumph of Amazon.com stems largely from the company's expansive array of products. The company appeals to consumers because it allows them to shop for a huge variety of merchandise, all in one place, the ForeSee report says. Gorman says this rationale has merit. "The ability to do all of your shopping in one place is especially advantageous around the holiday shopping season, when the average consumer is buying a lot of different products for many different people," Gorman says. "In terms of convenience, Amazon.com is without parallel."
The online marketing pioneer goes on to say that the appeal of Amazon.com cannot be totally attributed to its size or to the variety of products it offers. "Saying that Amazon.com is the best online retailer because it is the biggest online retailer is not untrue, but it is a bit reductive," Gorman says. "There are other strengths Amazon brings to the table that allows it to stand out from the rest of the pack."
"A big part of the Amazon appeal rests in the fact that it provides such a consistent shopping experience, across platforms," Gorman continues. "You can start your shopping experience at Amazon.com, then check up on the status of your order from your iPad. You can add to your wish list and make one-click purchases from your iPhone app. Amazon.com is there, all the time, whenever you have a spare minute to shop, and that is a critical part of its success."
Gorman also says that the Amazon app provides users with compelling reasons to buy from the retail giant. "You can scan the barcodes of products at brick-and-mortar stores and compare prices with Amazon -- and of course, you are almost always going to find that Amazon offers the better deal," Gorman says.
The online marketing pioneer goes on to point to the one-click checkout and fast shipping options as further reasons why consumers flock to Amazon.com. "There is also Amazon Prime, where you can bundle your shipping costs with instant video and more," he offers. "The bottom line is that Amazon has established itself as more than just a site where you can buy products. It is an immersive experience -- and for that matter, it is an immensely enjoyable and enticing experience. That is how Amazon stays on top."
Richard Gorman is a long-time online marketing authority, and is currently active on Google+.
Richard Gorman is an online pioneer, and an authority within the direct response marketing industry; additionally, he is a technology zealot with a lengthy track record of predicting the latest and greatest advances in marketing technology and in social networking. Gorman is passionate about online marketing and online retail alike, and is excited for the ways in which technological advancements continue to move online business forward.
SYS-CON Events announced today that 910Telecom will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Housed in the classic Denver Gas & Electric Building, 910 15th St., 910Telecom is a carrier-neutral telecom hotel located in the heart of Denver. Adjacent to CenturyLink, AT&T, and Denver Main, 910Telecom offers connectivity to all major carriers, Internet service providers, Internet backbones and ...
Oct. 22, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,561
Extreme Computing is the ability to leverage highly performant infrastructure and software to accelerate Big Data, machine learning, HPC, and Enterprise applications. High IOPS Storage, low-latency networks, in-memory databases, GPUs and other parallel accelerators are being used to achieve faster results and help businesses make better decisions. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Michael O'Neill, Strategic Business Development at NVIDIA, focused on some of the unique ways extreme computing is...
Oct. 22, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,832
In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Lee Atchison, Principal Cloud Architect and Advocate at New Relic, discussed cloud as a ‘better data center’ and how it adds new capacity (faster) and improves application availability (redundancy). The cloud is a ‘Dynamic Tool for Dynamic Apps’ and resource allocation is an integral part of your application architecture, so use only the resources you need and allocate /de-allocate resources on the fly.
Oct. 22, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,642
In the next five to ten years, millions, if not billions of things will become smarter. This smartness goes beyond connected things in our homes like the fridge, thermostat and fancy lighting, and into heavily regulated industries including aerospace, pharmaceutical/medical devices and energy. “Smartness” will embed itself within individual products that are part of our daily lives. We will engage with smart products - learning from them, informing them, and communicating with them. Smart produc...
Oct. 22, 2016 03:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,431
More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what “IoT” means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smar...
Oct. 22, 2016 03:45 PM EDT Reads: 598
In his keynote at 19th Cloud Expo, Sheng Liang, co-founder and CEO of Rancher Labs, will discuss the technological advances and new business opportunities created by the rapid adoption of containers. With the success of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and various open source technologies used to build private clouds, cloud computing has become an essential component of IT strategy. However, users continue to face challenges in implementing clouds, as older technologies evolve and newer ones like Docke...
Oct. 22, 2016 03:30 PM EDT Reads: 2,240
WebRTC sits at the intersection between VoIP and the Web. As such, it poses some interesting challenges for those developing services on top of it, but also for those who need to test and monitor these services. In his session at WebRTC Summit, Tsahi Levent-Levi, co-founder of testRTC, reviewed the various challenges posed by WebRTC when it comes to testing and monitoring and on ways to overcome them.
Oct. 22, 2016 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,874
In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Claude Remillard, Principal Program Manager in Developer Division at Microsoft, will contrast how his team used config as code and immutable patterns for continuous delivery of microservices and apps to the cloud. He will show the immutable patterns helps developers do away with most of the complexity of config as code-enabling scenarios such as rollback, zero downtime upgrades with far greater simplicity. He will also have live demos of building immutable pipe...
Oct. 22, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,487
Rapid innovation, changing business landscapes, and new IT demands force businesses to make changes quickly. In the eyes of many, containers are at the brink of becoming a pervasive technology in enterprise IT to accelerate application delivery. In this presentation, you'll learn about the: The transformation of IT to a DevOps, microservices, and container-based architecture What are containers and how DevOps practices can operate in a container-based environment A demonstration of how Docke...
Oct. 22, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,539
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Oct. 22, 2016 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 5,210
SYS-CON Events announced today that Coalfire will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Coalfire is the trusted leader in cybersecurity risk management and compliance services. Coalfire integrates advisory and technical assessments and recommendations to the corporate directors, executives, boards, and IT organizations for global brands and organizations in the technology, cloud, health...
Oct. 22, 2016 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,493
@ThingsExpo has been named the Top 5 Most Influential M2M Brand by Onalytica in the ‘Machine to Machine: Top 100 Influencers and Brands.' Onalytica analyzed the online debate on M2M by looking at over 85,000 tweets to provide the most influential individuals and brands that drive the discussion. According to Onalytica the "analysis showed a very engaged community with a lot of interactive tweets. The M2M discussion seems to be more fragmented and driven by some of the major brands present in the...
Oct. 22, 2016 01:45 PM EDT Reads: 11,259
So you think you are a DevOps warrior, huh? Put your money (not really, it’s free) where your metrics are and prove it by taking The Ultimate DevOps Geek Quiz Challenge, sponsored by DevOps Summit. Battle through the set of tough questions created by industry thought leaders to earn your bragging rights and win some cool prizes.
Oct. 22, 2016 01:45 PM EDT Reads: 3,736
As data explodes in quantity, importance and from new sources, the need for managing and protecting data residing across physical, virtual, and cloud environments grow with it. Managing data includes protecting it, indexing and classifying it for true, long-term management, compliance and E-Discovery. Commvault can ensure this with a single pane of glass solution – whether in a private cloud, a Service Provider delivered public cloud or a hybrid cloud environment – across the heterogeneous enter...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Transparent Cloud Computing (T-Cloud) Consortium will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. The Transparent Cloud Computing Consortium (T-Cloud Consortium) will conduct research activities into changes in the computing model as a result of collaboration between "device" and "cloud" and the creation of new value and markets through organic data proces...
Oct. 22, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,269


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Latest European emission standards Stories
DUBLIN, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/khbj38/analysis_of_the)
DUBLIN, Feb .17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/scnxwn/emission_control)
LONDON, April 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportbuyer.com has added a new market research report:
LONDON, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AdBlue consumption in Europe is set to treble to over 6 billion litres in 2025 from just over 2 billion litres in 2013.
LONDON, January 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The implementation of Euro VI standards for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in 2013 prompted truck manufacturers to include
- A young chicken: also used as a pet name for children.

domain: news


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The price of Kerosene, an essential household commodity, has increased by 60 per cent in Kaduna, from N1, 100 a gallon in December, 2016 to N1, 600 in first week of January 2017.
Dealers of the product told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Friday, that the products suddenly became scarce and expensive, which was responsible for the sharp increase in the price.
One of the dealers, Joyful Adeyemi, told NAN that she bought kerosene in December, 2016 at N47, 000 a drum and sells a gallon between N1, 100 and N1, 200.
“Only for the price to increase to N72, 000 a drum as at yesterday.
“This change forced me to increase the price to N1, 600 a gallon; otherwise, I will be running at a loss.
“More so, the product is scarce. I had to part with extra money to be able to get the quantity I needed, ‘’she said.
Another dealer, Sammy Bodam, said that patronage had drastically reduced due to the hike in the price.
A consumer, Jamila Abubakar, said that the sharp increase had made life very difficult for the common man and urged government to do something about it.
“If not because we do not have an option, nobody will use kerosene again. This is because firewood is equally expensive, difficult to use and environmentally unfriendly, coupled with the accompanying health risk.
“But we cannot continue like this. Kerosene is an essential commodity and is becoming beyond the reach of a common man.
“Just some few weeks ago, a gallon was selling for between N1, 100 to N1, 200 and suddenly there was a sharp increase to N1, 600 a gallon. In fact, in some places, it is selling for N2, 000.
“I am urging the government to look into our plight and urgently address the problem; otherwise there will be no hope for a better life for a poor man in this country,’’ she said.
Another consumer, Amen Rabo, said he had turned to firewood because kerosene was beyond his reach.
“I cannot afford to buy kerosene, currently selling at N1, 600. I am using firewood as an alternative, which is a bit cheaper compared with kerosene, with 10 pieces selling for N100.
“Unfortunately for us, 10 pieces of firewood cannot cook three square meals for my family a day; we just have to manage because kerosene is beyond our reach,” Mr. Rabo said.
He called on government to look into the problem and save the common man from hunger, saying that “more money is being spent on kerosene instead of food items’’.
When contacted, Ndu Ughamadu, Group General Manager, Public Affair, Abuja, said NNPC was not aware of the price hike.
He however lamented that most marketers have refused to import kerosene due to the scarcity of dollars and the fluctuating crude oil prices.
He said NNPC had no control over marketers as that is responsibility of PPPRA and DPR.
He said NNPC Mega stations are selling at controlled price, but refused to give the exact price selling at the Mega Station.
Kerosene was however not available at NNPC Mega station, Mando, Kaduna as at the time of filling this report.
An official of the Pipeline Product Management Company (PPMC),Kaduna Area Office who pleaded for his name not to be mentioned because he does not have authority to speak on the issue, said the price hick was as a result actions of hoarders of the product to maximize profit.
“The problem is from marketers who hoard the product and sell to surface tank owners at a very high rate.
“But, you can contact the corporate headquarters,” he said.
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Summerfest gear for charity
You can buy a 2008 Summerfest shirt ahead of the festival and support the Boys and Girls Clubs at the same time. Boston Store has a line of shirts, caps and accessories for sale now through June 26. After that, you can buy the same things on the Summerfest grounds.
Boston Store will donate 100% of the proceeds from the Summerfest gear to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. Last year, the chain raised $10,000 for the clubs from sales of Summerfest items.
- Two new Ross Dress for Less stores set to open Saturday
- Meijer store in Sussex to open Tuesday
- National Business Furniture grand opening set for June 14
- Men's retailer Richard Bennett Tailors moving to Brookfield Square from Mayfair
- Bon-Ton Stores Inc. planning to sell, lease back three more stores
- Hallmark aiming for another touchdown: Packer Jordy Nelson is 2016 Keepsake ornament
- Wisconsin's first Akira store opens Friday at Brookfield Square
- Downtown Boston Store's new furniture department debuts Thursday
- Meijer partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin network
- Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly lands meat contest awards
Retail Business News
All sorts of things are bubbling up — from exotica such as holograms and virtual reality to more-prosaic but potentially more-useful technology — as legacy retailers seek to merge their physical outposts with the online world.
The transformation has chains making major investments, and Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp., one of the Milwaukee area's largest employers, is no exception.


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Mastercard has been criticised for gamifying starvation with a campaign that promises to donate 10,000 meals to children in Latin America and the Caribbean each time Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr scores until 2020.
Mastercard is publicising the campaign, which supports the World Food Programme, on its Twitter account for the Latin America and Caribbean regions.
Goals that changes lives for each goal scored by Messi or Neymar Jr....
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Mixed berries and fruit mix things up in cider category
“The feedback that we’ve had on our [corporate rebranding] has surpassed our expectation. It has made a huge difference to how our business is perceived,” UK cider maker Westons’ head of UK sales, Geoff Bradman says of the rebrand the company underwent last year. That shift in brand, combined with an increase in the consumption of cider, has led to changes at one of the UK’s oldest cider makers.
Like most alcohol categories, cider is experiencing an increase in craft production as well as an increased interest in the heritage of a brand and the provenance of a product. Westons’ rebrand allowed it to promote its Hertfordshire roots, traditional methods and organic approach.
Similarly, there has been a shift within the category toward mixed fruits or berry ciders. This shift has allowed traditional, mass market and craft distillers to reach new audiences – namely young women – and reinvigorate their portfolios with fresh products. Draught fruit cider, sold in pubs, has grown by 41.4% year-on-year. That increase is echoed in off-trade sales environments, but to a slightly lesser extent. Major players like Carling and Strongbow have cornered the draught market thus far with their dark fruits products.
But Weston’s is upping its game. It has announced the launch of a new fruit-based sub-brand, Stowford. Press Mixed Berries. The launch features similar branding across all touchpoints to the original Stowford Press branding, but it uses a rich reddish-pink as its primary colour. A dark purple – common in fruit ciders – complements the gold of the Stowford Press palette. “It’s important that we develop not just the core brands, but the new generation brands as well,” Sally McKinnon, head of brands at Westons says about the launch. The drinks stays true to the dry, crisp apple taste of Stowford Press cider, but with the addition of fruit flavours.
The product launched nationally in April and will be supported by a brand campaign, in-pub experiences and national PR.


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In August 2018, JunHe LLP announced the establishment of its 12thoffice – Chengdu Office.
When establishing Qingdao Office in 2017, Mr. Xiao Wei, the managing partner of JunHe, disclosed about JunHe’s future general strategy and planning that “in addition to Qingdao Office, our next step is to enter into other second-tier cities that economically grow fast, so that we can provide all-around quality legal service for the economic activities in different cities”. Nowadays, the said “next step” mentioned by Mr. Xiao Wei turns out to be Chengdu, the top one of the “Global Fastest Growing Cities in Future 10 Years” as rated by Forbes.
In recent years, with a view to the goal of “building metropolis in China”, Chengdu has gradually grown from an inland city to the frontier line for China to open market in western and southern China. The establishment of JunHe Chengdu Office will definitely inject a new strength into the legal service market in Chengdu.


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Kiwi telcos Spark and Chorus have announced plans to work together on a week-long trial of Spark’s new fibre broadband installation programme, ‘street in a week.’ The trials will begin on 12 December and will take place in Whakatane in a street of existing Spark customers who wish to have fibre broadband installed. The trial scheme will enable up to 400 households to upgrade their copper connection to the new technology, and follows a similar pilot between Spark and Ultrafast Fibre in Hamilton.
So far more than 28% of New Zealanders have chosen to upgrade from copper to fibre where it has been made available, and Spark plans to make it easy for further customers to make the switch. Jason Paris, CEO of Spark Home, Mobile and Business said: ‘Chorus is responsible for around 70% of the Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) rollout, supplying fibre to areas where hundreds of thousands of our customers live. We have a great opportunity here, to collaborate with them and learn more about ways of making it easier for our customers’ homes.’


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A 26-year-old Yorkshire entrepreneur who has built a multi-million dollar automotive business since lockdown 1.0, has expanded his portfolio by investing in an online tropical plant retailer.
Tom Maxwell from York, is the managing partner and CEO of Land Rover modification business Twisted-USA, LLC group, which he launched in April 2020. The company is on target to turn over $8.5million in its first year of trading.
The young entrepreneur has now invested a five-figure sum in Leeds online horticultural business Grow Tropicals, which specialises in rare tropical plants and indoor gardening accessories.
Grow Tropicals was launched by Jacob James, in April 2020, and experienced a boom in sales driven by Covid and the millennial market – three two-day test sales sold out in a matter of hours. The business has built a strong customer base and following since.
Tom’s investment will allow the business to set up a tropical hydroponics nursery and online sales distribution centre in Leeds as well as expand the current team.
Grow Tropicals will produce, grow, and sell rare tropicals tailored for indoor growing for B2B and B2C customer. They are the only UK seller with an ongoing focus on plant conservation and sustainability in the supply chain for rare tropicals.
Commenting on his investment, Tom Maxwell, said: “I’m thrilled to be investing in other young entrepreneurs in North Yorkshire. As soon as Jacob approached me, I knew I would do something with Grow Tropicals. The brand is strong, the business case is solid, and it is something completely different to automotive. Jacob’s passion for his business coupled with the tenacity of his pitch made it happen.
“I’m looking forward to working with Jacob and his team to leverage my experience of delivering luxury products to a discerning clientele. I have some ideas around custom-built high-end terrariums that I think would open a new route to the affluent consumer who wants the start to finish premium service my other companies are world-renowned for delivering.
“I am also excited to be investing in a sustainable business that has achieved significant growth in challenging economic times, much like my own. With clear opportunities for further rapid expansion, the future looks very bright for Grow Tropicals.”
Discussing Tom’s investment, Jacob James adds: “I am delighted that Tom has joined us as an investor. He saw the potential in Grow Tropicals his financial injection will help the business advance to its next stage of growth.
“Tom’s previous success and experience as an entrepreneur will provide us with invaluable business insight and acumen to support Grow Tropicals. Tom understands how to build a start-up successfully and we are delighted to have him as part of the team.”
For more information on Grow Tropicals, please visit: https://growtropicals.com/


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Dozens of Alameda residents visited Golden Pin Donuts on Park Street one last time on Saturday, March 26, the final day that the friendly shop was in business.
Owner Rahim Seyedin, a native of Iran, decided to retire after 26 years of running the store.
As customers lined up for the final batches of fresh donuts on Saturday, many stopped to shake Seyedin’s hand and thank him for his friendly, community-focused service.
When asked about the shop’s name, Seyedin said a friend suggested it and thought it was “lucky.” It refers,”you know, to a golden rolling pin” that a baker would use for making treats, he explained.
The staff at the donut shop say a Chinese restaurant is set to occupy the space.
Hopefully, another donut shop or bakery (or two) can open soon on Park Street. With the the closing of Bonaire Bakery (several months ago) and now Golden Pin Donuts, those with a sweet tooth are out of luck in this section of town when it comes to a shop dedicated to such delicacies.
There is, of course, Feel Good Bakery (down near Buena Vista and Park), and a new sweet-treat shop has been set to open on Park Street near the Bank of America for several months — but hasn’t shown any signs of life lately.


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After unveiling the ‘Vintage Collection’ last month, Casio G-SHOCK is now celebrating its 35th anniversary with the ‘We the Gs‘ campaign. Built around mysterious live activations, limited collaboration pieces and graffiti installations, the campaign will see thirty five representatives from Singapore showcasing different facets of street culture as well as an exclusive collaboration between G-SHOCK and a high profile graffiti artist.
Launched now, the Casio G-SHOCK ‘We The Gs’ campaign will also feature a competition element, where fans will be tasked with guessing the identity of the various masked collaborators. Winners will be rewarded with an exclusive anniversary watch designed by the artists. If none of these watches tickle your fancy, check out these 12 watches a deserve a place on your wrist.


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Good news for inflation-weary Americans: There will be no price increase on Costco hot dogs.
In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Monday, CEO Craig Jelinek answered in one word when asked if he would raise the price of a branded product at the food court: “No.”
Costco continues to post strong sales even as other retailers say consumers are frugal and spending more on services than on products. It also avoided another recent problem for many retailers: excess inventory that builds up in warehouses and stores that must now be packaged or marked down.
However, amid nearly four decades of high inflation, Costco raised the prices of some food items. This prompted speculation that the super-low price of a hot dog might also be on the block. The combination of hot dog and soda has sold for $1.50 for decades. It caused Article Mental Floss from 2018 for re-treatment.
In the article, Jelinek recalled reaching out to Costco co-founder and later CEO Jim Sinegal. He told him that the company was losing money because of the iconic food product.
“One day I came to (Sinegal) and said, ‘Jim, we can’t sell this hot dog for fifty dollars,'” Jelinek said, according to the article. “We are losing our rear.” And he said, “If you raise (the price of) a fucking hot dog, I will kill you. Understand.” That’s all I really needed.”
Another aspect of Costco’s business has also come under scrutiny: when membership fees might increase. The vast majority of Costco’s profits come from annual fees, not product sales. Historically, membership fees have increased every 5.5 years, and the last time they were increased was in June 2017, which, according to Cory Tarlow, an analyst at Jefferies, will lead to an increase soon.
On Monday, Jelinek told CNBC that the membership fee is “not in discussion at the moment.”
“I made it very clear,” he said. “I don’t think now is the right time. Our subscriptions are still high.”


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The TG01 is the first smartphone to run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset Mobile operator Orange has announced that it will have exclusive rights to sell the new Toshiba TG01 smartphone from Friday. ...
For years, IBM has provided customers a complicated plan based on four-hour rolling average of workload consumption
Data explosion and big data analytics behind Cray deal, claims HPE
Deliveroo plans to use the investment to expand its London-based technology team
The alleged criminals include five Russians who remain at large


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Singapore retail sales surged by over 13 percent in July, growing at a slower pace than June, as inflation hit new highs during the month.
According to figures released by the Department of Statistics on September 5 (Singstat), Singapore retail sales in July rose 13.7 percent year-on-year, cooling off from the revised 14.9 percent growth in June, equating to a 0.6 percent increase month-on-month. Retail sales dipped 1.4 percent between May and June.
Excluding motor vehicles, year-on-year growth came in at 18.1 percent in July, down from the revised 19.9 percent increase in the previous month, the department said.
For July, the estimated retail sales value in July was SGD 3.9 billion (USD 1.9 billion), of which 12.7 percent came from online retail sales.
Sales rose year on year across almost all categories. The exceptions included motor vehicles, supermarkets and hypermarkets, mini-marts and convenience stores industries.
The decline in sales of motor vehicles corresponded to the lower Certificate of Entitlement quota this year, Singstat said.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets, as well as mini-marts and convenience stores, saw a fall in sales compared to a year ago. In July 2021, there was a ‘Heightened Alert’ period, thus encouraging more people to stay home and leading to a higher demand for groceries. The wearing apparel and footwear industry recorded the highest year-on-year increase in sales at 68.3 percent, partly attributed to higher demand for bags and footwear.
Overall inflation for July came in at 7 percent – the highest in 14 years since it reached 7.5 percent in June 2008, according to the Strait Times. Core inflation, which excludes costs of private transport and accommodation, totalled 4.8 percent in July, fuelled by higher prices of food, electricity and gas.


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Brits enjoyed a final night of partying before the 10pm lockdown curfew comes into force this evening.
Pubs, restaurants, bingo halls, casinos and cafes are among the venues affected - with caught staying open beyond closing time facing fines of up to £10,000.
Last night revellers across the country were pictured making the most of the late-night freedom.
In Soho, London, people gathered to enjoy meals outside and drink into the night at their favourite pubs and bars.
On a rainy night out in Leeds, people queued for entry into venues.
Later in the night, crowds poured into the street - some ending up slumped on the floor as they made their way home.
Ahead of tonight's lockdown curfew, the evening resembled a fairly normal night in towns and cities across the country.
But that is set to change in a just a number of hours when venues will close their doors at 10pm.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move on Monday in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19, with the number of confirmed new infections reaching 6,178 yesterday.
Work canteens are also affected - unless they can show that there are no alternative options for staff.
Although cinemas and concert venues are affected by the curfew, they will be allowed to stay open beyond 10pm for performances to finish.
Films and concerts must have started by 10pm and bars have to close, however.
The new rules come on the same day the list of places where people have to wear face masks is also expanded.
Venues are restricted to table service to prevent people gathering in large groups at bars.
Explaining the new rules, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons: "To help the police enforce this rule I’m afraid that means, alas, closing and not just calling for last orders because simplicity is paramount.
"The same will apply to takeaways, though deliveries can continue thereafter.
"I’m sorry this will affect many businesses getting back on their feet but we must act to stop the virus from being transmitted in bars and restaurants."
The hospitality industry warns that the curfew could cause job losses.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality said: "A hard close time is bad for business and bad for controlling the virus – we need to allow time for people to disperse over a longer period.
"Table service has been widely adopted in some parts of the sector since reopening but it is not necessary across all businesses, such as coffee shops.
"It is hard to understand how these measures are the solution to fighting the disease when Government data shows that just 5% of infections out of the home are related to hospitality.
"Where such restrictions have been put in place locally they have not cut infection rates, merely damaged business and cost jobs."
Businesses that have to close at 10pm
- Restaurants, including restaurants and dining rooms in hotels or members’ clubs
- Businesses providing food or drink prepared on the premises for immediate consumption off the premises
- Cafes, including workplace canteens (with some exceptions, listed below)
- Bars, including bars in hotels or members’ clubs
- Public houses
- Social clubs
- Bowling alleys
- Amusement arcades or other indoor leisure centres or facilities
- Funfairs (indoors or outdoors), theme parks and adventure parks and activities
- Bingo halls
- Concert halls


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Those shiny yellow MetroCards, precious keys to the subways gates, are on their way out. By 2019, the MTA wants to get rid of their current MetroCard system, which is expensive to maintain and inefficient pretty generally. So the agency is about to begin requesting proposals to a new kind of payment system, one that would allow you to enter the subway without needing a separate card or token or whathaveyou.
Adam Lisberg, a spokesman for the MTA, noted to WNYC that the main thing is that the agency “wants to get out of the business of issuing the fare payment mechanism.” But cutting out that middle part isn’t more than an idea yet. “We want to be able to adapt to what customers want,” Lisberg said. Examples of the payment system could include tapping a credit card with a chip in it to the turnstile, or swiping a barcode on your smart phone.
That new system isn’t going to be cheap or easy, though. Outfitting the 468 subways stations in the city with a new kind of payment system might cost around $450 million (or, knowing the MTA, much more than that). But all going to plan, come 2020, those shiny yellow cards are going to be mere novelty items.


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Africa currently boasts the highest rates of crypto adoption in the world. Its crypto markets which are mostly restricted to P2P trading, have recorded tremendous growth in the past year.
The entrance of fintech offering a variety of crypto solutions to the populace has brought African investors to the forefront of crypto adoption. From unemployment to struggling economies, a number of factors drive the crypto adoption rate in the continent.
Data shows that between 2020 and 2021, the adoption rate grew 1,200%, translating to an additional $105.6 billion in crypto traded in the continent in the space of a year. Just like the rest of the world, the pandemic that sent countries into lockdown had rocked the continent to its core. Inflation, unemployment, and poverty rates shot up. Leaving citizens in tight, desperate situations, to which crypto provided a solution.
The high rate of adoption on the continent has not gone unnoticed by prominent players in the crypto space. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is quoted saying that “Africa will define the future” of cryptocurrencies.
And “The State of Crypto-Africa,” a research report on Africa’s burgeoning crypto market, stated present economic and demographic trends made Africa “one of, if not the most promising region, for the adoption of cryptocurrencies.”
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Hedging Against The Economy
African countries have experienced some of the highest inflation rates in the world. Sudan had seen almost 200% inflation rates, while the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, recorded inflation rates of up to 17%.
With rising inflation rates, currency values have gone down, and dragged down the buying power of the populace along with it. This is why citizens have had to look for ways to hedge against the rising inflation rates in their countries.
The reduced buying power shines through in the percentage of global crypto value owned by Africans. A Chainalysis report shows that African investors account for only about 2% of global crypto value, despite having the highest rate of adoption in the globe. This number is insignificant given the fact that Africa currently makes up 15% of the global population.
Investors in the continent are however not deterred by their reduced buying power. If anything, the devaluing of various African currencies have shown just how important it is for residents to find alternative vehicles to save and invest their money.
Earning A Living With Crypto
One interesting factor that has led to the high adoption rate in Africa has to do with its high unemployment rate. It is estimated that about 42% of youths in Nigeria, who make up about 50% of the labor force, are unemployed.
This has sparked the unemployed to turn to crypto as a way to earn a living. Given that this population is made up of young people who are more inclined to adopt new technologies, they have taken to the crypto market like fish to water.
Decentralized finance options like staking has gained footing in the country, presenting a way for the residents to earn passive income on their cryptocurrency. The Africa fintech space is booming as startups race to provide an eager population with crypto products. And with the rise of the startups have come novel technologies to the African market, which the population have embraced with open arms.
Sergey Ordin, marketing director of Roy Club, an international crypto community, noted the ease with which Africans take to new technologies. Sergey pointed out that Africans were more likely to explore new financial opportunities where others would be more conservative, and the young people are driving the adoption in their pursuit of financial independence.
Commenting on this, Sergey explained that Africans “have no problem with mastering new technologies.” The Roy Club revealed that interest in its free educational products like Roy School and Roy Academy are very high, and citizens are eager to learn about the crypto market.
Remittances And New Opportunities
Crypto had begun to gain footing on the continent when remittance fees had increased. Africa currently has the highest remittance fees in the world, with commissions as high as 8.9%, compared to the global average of 6.8%.
This is where the search for alternative methods of remitting funds had begun and crypto had provided the perfect solution for this problem.
Users could send funds directly to their loved ones back home and would only need to pay network transfer fees on the blockchain, which were considerably lower than the commissions taken by traditional payment processors. And as the remittance market boomed, crypto trading had grown with it.
Passive Income With Roy Club
Earning passive income with staking in Africa has become quite popular, especially amongst its youth population. Popular staking pools like UMI offered by the Roy Club are currently operating in Africa as citizens take advantage of this new way to earn.
Staking in the UMI pool provides users with returns of 5% on staking pools with 50,000 UMI and up to 40% for pools with 1,000,000,000 UMI. Users often pool their resources in these staking pools in order to increase their ROIs (return on investment).
Earning money through crypto for day to day living remains one of the biggest drivers of crypto adoption in Africa. Buchi Okoro, CEO of Quidax, notes that a high percentage of its users are utilizing the platform as a way to “earn a living.”


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Cars with manual transmissions are making a modest comeback, but with tens of millions of drivers lacking the ability to operate a stick shift, analysts don’t expect a big jump.
Auto Information company Edmunds.com says that vehicles equipped with manual transmissions accounted for 7% of autos sales so far this year. That compares to a 3.9% share of sales in all of 2011.
If the trend holds, the manual transmission share of auto sales will be the highest since 2006.
“A combination of factors – from the growing age of vehicle trade-ins bringing more manual drivers back to market, to a greater proportion of smaller cars on the road – is creating a small spike for stick shifts,” said Ivan Drury, an Edmunds.com analyst. “But even though manual cars are on the rise now, they’re on track to be virtually extinct in the next 15 to 20 years.”
Automakers are offering fewer vehicles that have a manual transmission as an option. Edmunds.com found that 64% of all 2012 model year vehicles are available only with automatic transmission. Ten years ago the number was a much smaller 48%.
Technology and pricing trends have ended some of the traditional advantages that manual transmissions had over automatics.
At one time, manual transmissions always achieved better fuel economy, but with the advent of six- and eight-speed automatic transmissions, that’s no longer a sure bet. Edmunds points out that the automatic version of the Ford Focus has better fuel economy than its manual sibling.
Similarly, a car with a manual transmission once was always less expensive than the same model in an automatic. Several General Motors vehicles, including the popular Chevrolet Cruze and the Cadillac CTS, now cost the same for both versions, according to Edmunds.com.


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Washington Wines Grow An Industry, Attract Visitors
With 740 wineries and some 350 vineyards, Washington is the second-largest wine producer in the United States.
Uncork a bottle and raise a glass – Washington state deserves a toast for its thriving wine sector.
Home to more than 740 wineries and some 350 vineyards, Washington is the second-largest wine producer in the United States. The industry brings in more than $8.6 billion annually, and is responsible for more than 27,000 jobs in the state. Since 2005, state has increased its vineyards by more than 43 percent to above 43,000 acres today.
While Eastern Washington grows the majority of the state's grapes, wineries are a statewide business -- and passion.
“The wine industry really crosses the entire state,” says Ryan Pennington, communications director for the Washington State Wine Commission. “Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville is known as the founding winery, and now the entire region of Walla Walla has become a premier wine destination with more than 100 wineries.”
Located less than 20 miles from Seattle, Chateau Ste. Michelle spans 105 acres and features two wineries focusing on white and red wines, respectively.
"I love making wine in Washington because of the fascinating, unique grape-growing conditions and the pioneering spirit of our amazing growers,” says Bob Bertheau, head winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle.
The state's wide variety of wineries is also positively impacting area tourism. More than 2.4 million visitors head to Washington's wineries and vineyards each year, generating an economic impact of $1.1 billion.
“Having a healthy wine sector makes the state more attractive,” Pennington says. “We're not just selling a product – it's a way of life.”
Given the success in recent years, it's no surprise that, on average, a new winery opens up every two weeks.
“The industry has seen truly phenomenal growth, especially over the last five to 10 years,” Pennington says. “We certainly expect we will continue to see strong growth.”


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Tesla’s Elon Musk Focuses on Direct-to-Driveway Deliveries
Before Tesla blew past expectations for vehicle deliveries this week, Elon Musk was on Twitter promoting a months-old service that remains a bit of a mystery to the legions of electric car fans that follow the company’s every move.
But based on Daan Hermsen’s experience, the growth of Tesla Direct could play a role in helping the company maintain momentum. The 30-year-old medical plastics industry salesperson living in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands initially planned to pick up his metallic blue Model 3 from a Tesla facility in Tilburg about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from home before finding out he’d been chosen for direct delivery.
The program, called Tesla Direct, offers some buyers of the Model 3, S, and X the option to have their car dropped off right to their home or office. Musk and Tesla have said little about how prevalent the service has become since it started last year, and the company didn’t mention it in its statement Tuesday announcing that worldwide deliveries surged to 95,200 last quarter.
“My neighbors saw it arrive, and now they want to drive it,” Hermsen said. The only drawback he encountered was that the delivery specialist put some miles on his vehicle by driving it to his home in Amersfoort.
In his tweet on Monday, Musk quoted a follower in Santa Clara, Calif., who likened Tesla Direct to Amazon’s Prime service. The CEO seemed to appreciate the comparison.
Tesla’s experimentation with home delivery should come as no surprise, given the company’s approach to retailing has been somewhat unique from the beginning. It’s flouted the franchise dealership model and sold cars direct to consumers, which allows Musk more flexibility to try something different.
“Customers desperately want an easier buying process with at-home delivery,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at car-shopping researcher Autotrader. “Elon Musk is spot-on with consumer desires.”
In the days leading up to the quarterly sales deadline, Musk had implored Tesla employees to “go all out” to hasten shipments of vehicles on order. It’s unclear what role, if any, the direct delivery service played in what the company said were marked logistical improvements last quarter.
While a number of questions remain about Tesla Direct—including how cost-efficient and scalable it’s been—interviews with customers who’ve used the service yielded some clues to how it works. They describe taking delivery either from a flatbed truck driver or a specialist who gets behind the wheel personally and drops the car off in a driveway or office parking lot. The specialist then hails a ride back to a Tesla facility.
“We made significant progress streamlining our global logistics and delivery operations at higher volumes, enabling cost efficiencies and improvements to our working capital position,” Tesla said in its statement Tuesday. Representatives for the company didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tesla Direct.
Eric Okon, the co-owner of a corporate car service in New York City, had two Model 3s delivered to the company’s office in Queens on June 28.
“It was certainly convenient,” Okon said. “It was a quick process; it was really easy.”
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—The fall and rise of VR: The struggle to make virtual reality get real
—Microsoft is pressing delete on customers’ digital bookshelves
—Jony Ive’s departure means big changes are coming to Apple
—As workplace burnout gets more attention, could more tech be the answer?
—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily
Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune‘s daily digest on the business of tech.


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Are developed countries pulling their weight in the climate crisis?
Share Now on:
Also on today's program: the Fed plans how and when to taper bond-buying, and a new deodorant product is beset by supply chains setbacks.
Segments From this episode
Two words: interest rates. On stuff like mortgages. Business loans. Keeping them low keeps capital flowing in this pandemic economy.
There are more disasters than Congress budgets for. And the federal fiscal year coincides with peak hurricane and wildfire season.
Personal care products company Bite faced a lot of obstacles to launch its aluminum-packaged deodorant during the holiday shipping season.
Developed countries pledged $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poorer nations mitigate and adapt to climate change.


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Pokémon Go launched in the US, Australia, and New Zealand last week and will be launching in Europe in Europe and Asia ‘within a few days’. Android users in countries where the app wasn’t released yet have already figured out a way around to download the APK but it’s a bit trickier for iPhone users.
A lot of Lebanese are already using the app and there’s a scheduled meetup for Pokemon Go players in Lebanon in Beirut Souks that will be followed by a 10K walk with plenty of “pokéstops” on the way lol!
What is Pokémon Go?
For those of you who are still wondering why people are going crazy over that game, Pokémon Go is a mobile game that uses your phone’s location services and camera so that you can catch Pokémon in real life. The game uses augmented reality to make it look like whatever Pokémon you’ve stumbled across is indeed standing right there in front of you. This means that if you are walking around the streets of Achrafieh, your avatar is moving inside the game and you need to physically walk to a specific location to catch Pokémon.
What’s good about this app is that it is quickly becoming the best exercise app out there. However, a lot of incidents were reported so far, including a girl finding a dead body, people using the game to rob others, a lot of injuries, privacy issues and the fact that some people’s houses are pokespots.
We are still safe here in Lebanon but not for long. Pokémon GO Mania is coming soon!
Here’s a video that shows you how it works:


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Keepers of the Way T-shirt Contest is in full swing and the announcement will soon be in about the winning design! Much thanks to all who submitted designs.
This contest is geared toward obtaining an image that depicts the honoring and elevation of Afrikan Ancestors. The image will be printed on t-shirts and sold as a fundraiser for Keepers of the Way Ancestor Celebration.
The winner of the contest will receive:
A free t-shirt
Recognition on Facebook
Recognition in the program
Blind judging of the designs will be done and the winner will be announced on January 29, 2012.
So, keep visiting us to see the winning design and also check out the auction page. You still have time to submit items for this very worthy cause in celebration of our Ancestors.


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Nov 11, 2014 · Would you eat the newly approved genetically modified potato now set for commercial planting in the US? Studies suggest that most would not (though you won’t even be told thanks to the lack of GMO labeling), and now major food scientists are speaking out over the reality that the Franken potato may come with ‘worrisome’ and unknown consequences.
Mar 28, 2017 · Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency along with the Food and Drug Administration approved three new types of GMO potatoes as safe for human consumption. The approval allows the J.R. Simplot Company to plant the three types of potatoes this spring and start selling them in the fall.
The approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last week gives Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Company permission to plant the potatoes this spring and sell them in the fall. The company said the potatoes contain only potato genes,...
GMO Potatoes Will Hit Stores and Restaurants Soon…If They Haven’t Already. by · Published March 2, 2017 · Updated March 2, 2017. GMO Potatoes Will Hit Stores and Restaurants Soon…If They Haven’t Already by Daisy Luther. If you prefer to avoid genetically modified foods, here’s another one to avoid.
- The Organic Prepper
The EPA joins the Food and Drug Administration who approved the potatoes as safe to eat in early January. The approval on Tuesday gives Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Company, self-described as one of the biggest privately owned food and agro-business companies in the United States, permission to plant the three types of potatoes this spring and sell them in the fall.
3 Comments on “GMO Potatoes; Good or Bad?” Dave March 16, 2017 at 1:21 pm # At first I was all for GM thinking the nitrogen fixing gene in legumes could be transferred to other crops to save expensive fertlliser.Also it would cut down the pollution from nitrate run off into our rivers and drinking water.How naive can you be.
Jan 17, 2018 · Sweet potatoes were naturally made using GMO techniques If you look at the packaging for Alexia Sweet Potato Fries (which are actually very good) you will see “Non-GMO” and that annoying GMO Free butterfly label.
Dec 03, 2012 · Thanks to the indomitable spirit of that people, a ten-year ban on GMOs takes effect this week in Peru! It not only bans GMO crops like Monsanto’s BT-Corn, but also expands on a prior law that required all foods on supermarket shelves that contain GMOs to be labeled.
' Amflora' (also known as EH92-527-1) was a cultivar developed by BASF Plant Science for production of pure amylopectin starch for processing into waxy potato starch. It was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission, but was withdrawn from...
GMO foods are such an embedded part of our food system these days, but it’s not difficult to think back to a time when food was simpler and healthier. How did we get to the point that genetically modified organisms infiltrate so much of what we eat? In a recent issue of Rosebud Magazine, GMO expert GL Woolsey took a look at the history of GMOs.


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Maruti Suzuki Says Retail Hit Due To Second Wave
Maruti Suzuki Says Retail Hit Due To Second Wave of COVID-19 pandemic has unquestionably made things troublesome got a great deal of ventures, and the auto area was one of them. Furthermore, right when we were seeing indications of the car business gradually refocusing, the country was hit constantly wave of the Covid. Maruti Suzuki India, specifically, says that the organization’s retail division took a significant piece because of the close complete lockdown forced in a few states to check the dramatically rising instances of COVID-19 across India. Truth be told, near 25 states had forced a lockdown or some type of development limitation.
Talking with carandbike about the effect of the subsequent wave, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India said, “When we began in April, it was with awesome boundaries set up. We had a decent bob back in Q2, Q3, Q4 of a year ago, and there were a ton of appointments which were forthcoming. Retail was going fine the new inflow of client interest as far as appointments and enquiries was quite enormous. However, unexpectedly the COVID second wave came through, and that was at some point in the second seven day stretch of April, and that is the point at which the treat began to disintegrate as far as retails. What’s more, we had a great deal of states which were under lockdown, nearly, for our situation, 80% of display areas were shut. We needed to shut down 2500 display areas, and retails endured an awful shot.”
In May 2021, Maruti Suzuki India’s all out deals remained at 46,555 units, which was 71% less contrasted with 159,691 units sold in April 2021. This was fundamentally in light of the fact that after government mandates, the organization needed to close creation from May 1 to May 16 to redirect oxygen from modern use for clinical purposes. Presently we should call attention to here that these are discount numbers, which implies creation was likewise influenced a month ago.
Having said that, Srivastava says that creation was not as terrible as retails on the grounds that, in contrast to a year ago, this time around the inventory network was somewhat less influenced. That is on the grounds that the lockdown was not upheld in the mechanical regions such a great amount in the majority of the states. He said, “Retail turned into a test and creation restarted after the COVID wave began to ebb a tad. As far as we might be concerned, it re-began around May 17, and we are presently during the time spent sloping up the creation.”
Featuring the justification such an effect on retail deals, Shashank Srivastava said, “Yes it has influenced retail on the grounds that COVID’s spike level this time has been quite high. They are multiple times higher than what they were a year ago. Additionally, this time the geological spread is by all accounts bigger. Prior it was somewhat more kept to the metros and the greater urban communities, however this time, I think, the spread has been to more modest urban communities and country regions.”
One of the significant explanations for Maruti Suzuki’s predominance in the Indian market has been its determination of portions. It has consistently tapped volume rich sections with parsimonious and reasonable models. Maruti orders a critical piece of the portion of the overall industry as of now. The organization began its excursion in 1982 with section level models like the famous Maruti 800 and Omni in 1980s and afterward kept on presenting models in higher fragments beginning with the Zen and afterward proceeding to dispatch vehicles like WagonR, Swift, Dzire, Baleno and afterward the Vitara Brezza and Ciaz. Pushing ahead the organization is prepared to execute a similar diagram, attracting motivation from its victories the past.


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Tesla has not received “a single penny” of government assistance for Giga Berlin: report
Tesla has not received “a single penny” of government assistance for Giga Berlin: report :- A new report from Germany says that Tesla Gigafactory Berlin might be doing something very interesting. So far, the government has not given the Model Y factory a single cent in aid.
Since almost a year ago, Giga Berlin has been making Tesla Model Y crossovers for the market. Even though the factory is still getting up to speed, it already has tens of thousands of employees. In a previous statement, Brandenburg Economic Minister Jorg Steinbach said that about 9,000 people work at the facility.
Read AlsoI love Jesus and vagina, Nick Cannon parodies a Christian Mingle advertisement
According to the German newspaper BZ, the government has not given Giga Berlin a single cent since construction began. This is surprising because the German government usually helps companies build new factories. The federal and state governments sometimes pay up to 45% of the factory’s costs, the article said.
In fact, Tesla sent in a request for funding in November 2020, which is more than two years ago. But so far, Tesla hasn’t been successful, according to Brandenburg’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. “So far, “Tesla has not received a single cent of funding so far. A state aid notification procedure is currently underway in Brussels for Tesla’s application,” the Ministry said.
Read AlsoMegan Fox makes Machine Gun start up
The EU Commission would decide whether or not to approve funding for Tesla Giga Berlin and how much it could get.
The German newspaper says that the company itself is the main reason why the government doesn’t give Giga Berlin money. Tesla moves quickly, and it changes its plans when it sees better ones. This is true for the company’s cars, and as it turns out, it’s also true for its factories. Tesla was said to have planned to spend 1.1 billion euros at first, but the company “changed the application amount very often” and kept sending in new extensions for Giga Berlin.
The Ministry did say, though, that Tesla’s request for government funding is “ongoing.” It is also said that Tesla is about to get 6.8% of the funding for Giga Berlin. This means that the funding could reach 136 million euros if the construction costs reach 2 billion euros.
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Gallery’s menu: boiled egg and landscapeThough it doesn’t display every piece of modern art, the place’s name ― Total Museum of Contemporary Art ― makes sense. The name originates from the gallery’s goal of inserting visitors into a creative context.
To promote its 30-year history, the museum is presenting “D.I.Y. Do-it-yourself: Beyond Instruction,” a series of exhibits featuring its most prized collections as well as recent acquisitions.
Visitors not only gaze at artwork, they participate in the works’ making. For instance, “Mobile Washroom” is a wooden box restricted to males who can wash their clothes inside.
In one corner of the gallery, life-size Chinese chess pieces are scattered about. The curator, Lee Young-chul, has created a chessboard on the floor with black tape, where people can play a game.
“The purpose of this exhibit is to create a mobile, dynamic exhibition,” says Mr. Lee, who is also a professor at Keimyung University. “We want people to interact with and become involved in the artwork, you know?” he says. “Not just observe, but partake.”
Food abounds in nearly every corner and hallway of the gallery -- bowls of strawberries, dishes of crackers, boiled eggs and rice cakes. Those on hand can have a bite as they study an abstract. “I want people to have a good laugh when they come here,” Mr. Lee says. “I like creating fun.”
The gallery is filled with various art forms: architectural models, photographs, paintings, engravings, display art, pop art, tapestries, furniture, objets d’art and machines.
More than 70 artists from Korea and abroad have their works on exhibit at the gallery.
Sections of the gallery bear such titles as “Bird’s-eye View,” “Moving Art Shop” and “Library,” the latter where artbook catalogs from past exhibitions are on display. In the “Garden of Equality” section, works by famous artists -- both nationally and internationally -- adorn the walls, from Dennis Oppenheim and Jonathan Borovsky, to Julian Schnabel and Hong Woo-hyeon.
When “D.I.Y. Do-it-yourself” opened last week, the art critic Kim Hong-hee, the sculptor Jeong Bo-won and the painter Kim Goo-rim were among the gallery’s many visitors.
by Choi Jie-ho
The gallery is located in Pyeongchang-dong, northern Seoul, and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. It is closed Mondays.
The exhibition runs through July 13.
For more information, call (02) 379-3994 or visit www.totalmuseum.org.
The Total Museum of Contemporary Art is a nonprofit gallery. Since its opening in 1977, the gallery has gained a reputation as a patron of avant-garde artists.


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As Coronavirus is expected to cause an economic downturn of up to 3% per month, CDK, CitNOW and RAPID RTC take action to help their dealer customers.
Newton Honda will highlight its place a as a key player in Croydon’s local economy when it hosts a debate led by the town’s Chamber of Commerce.
The Bank of England has told car loan providers they are at the risk of action against reckless lending due to the ‘spiral of complacency’ from lenders.
Black Horse is expecting to see increased challenges in the second half of this year as the regulatory and economic climate becomes more uncertain.
NatWest has written to businesses to warn it may have to charge to accept deposits if interest rates are cut below 0%.
Automotive Management Live: Where franchised and independent dealers will find everything they need to know about operating a modern showroom and service and repair facility fit for the digital age.
When: November 12 2020
Where: Birmingham NEC
Find out what features are in this month's, and future, issues


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Sprouts Farmers Market will open its first two stores in Colorado today, at 5150 W. 120th Ave. in Westminster and 9751 S. Parker Road in Parker. Sprouts is a specialty grocer with 28 stores nationally.
ADA Technologies Inc. of Littleton completed the spinoff of its distributed-sensor division to form a new company, Advanced Distributed Sensor Systems Inc.
LogRhythm, a Boulder-based company that compiles log data, announced that Regis Corp. has deployed its solution to automate log and event management, analysis and reporting for compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
The World Soy Foundation announced that Broomfield-based WhiteWave Foods is expanding its commitment to a project that provides nutritious meals to schoolchildren in Ghana as well as sustainable economic development in the West African country.
Qwest has launched a new generation of interactive retail kiosks in 11 shopping centers in Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota, Washington and Arizona, and has plans to open 31 additional locations across its 14-state region.
Range Fuels of Broomfield has received a grant, with a value up to $76 million, for an ethanol plant in Soperton, Ga., using wood residues and wood-based energy crops.
Aramark Healthcare announced it has been selected to provide food, facilities management, clinical technology, patient transport and environmental services at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital.
ProLogis, a Denver-based distribution-facility operator, leased about 174,000 square feet of space in Shanghai, China, to Mitsubishi Logistics.
Rivet Software, a Denver-based provider of financial communications and analysis solutions, has launched CrossTag XBRL Creator, a Web solution designed to shield nontechnical business and accounting users from the complexity of XBRL programming.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. of Durango and Cold Stone Creamery have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to negotiate a co-branding agreement between the two brands.
Re/Max International Inc. of Denver announced it has added more than 500 new franchises to its global network in the first three quarters of 2008. Re/Max is represented in 69 countries with more than 105,000 sales associates.
Creative Food Concepts Inc. of Denver is consulting on and designing the new amenities building for an information-technology campus in Bangalore, India. The 350,000-square-foot building in south Bangalore will include a large food court and two fine-dining restaurants.


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Inside the Making of KFC's New Mac & Cheese Bowls
With all the fervor about a certain fried chicken sandwich in the news, you might not be paying attention to another brewing battle in the fast foood word: the war over macaroni and cheese. Starting August 26, KFC is launching Mac & Cheese bowls as part of the chain's $5 fill up menu.
The bowls are a twist on the Famous Bowls that are already on the menu, but rather than having a base of mashed potatoes, they have, natch, a base of mac & cheese. They're then topped with popcorn chicken and more cheese. They'll be available in both original and spicy—the spicy version comes with chicken coated in Nashville hot sauce. They'll be rolling out in participating restaurants around the country, and the company teamed up with YouTube personality Kalen Allen for a promotion around them.
It's a canny move as fast food restaurants increasingly move into the mac & cheese space. Earlier this month, Chick-fil-a announced that they're making mac & cheese into a permanent menu item. But more than that, the bowls signal the shift in the way that operations have been working at KFCs across the country, thanks to an innovation behind the scenes called "scoop to order."
Watch: KFC's New Cheetos-Filled Sandwich Is a Glorious Nightmare
Basically, for years, KFC operated by having restaurant workers pre-scoop the sides into separate containers and then put them in a warming station, ready to be picked up and packaged when a customer ordered their meal. This meant that an employee would have to put in hours scooping off the line. Since April, however, KFC now longer follows that system. The sides are in warming trays near the other items, allowing for employees to scoop them to order for a fresher, hotter side. Having the sides in one spot rather than preportioned also makes it easier to innovate with combining those sides, so things like the Mac & Cheese bowl are easier to construct.
KFC's Chief Operating Officer, Monica Rothgery, who helped shepherd the system through, explained that she hopes the system is better for customer experience as well as better for the employees inside the KFC. Rothgery, who began as a restaurant general manager at a Taco Bell in 1992. "My goal has always been to do what I can to make things better for people working in the back," she said. "I always ask how the system is going and if employees want to go back to the old way." In her experience, no one has.
That's good news for fans of KFC, and it's good news for the people who work there, too.


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As VocaLink looks to soon power a real-time ACH infrastructure in the U.S. — in addition to supporting payment systems in the U.K., Singapore, Sweden and Thailand — the two companies are focused on what’s next for faster ACH networks.
There’s no question that the global opportunity is there — of the world’s top 50 markets, ACH payments represent 50 percent of the transactions made by consumers, businesses and governments. And there is another upside: only 18 countries around the world currently make real-time ACH payments available.
With the demand for immediate payments on the rise, Mastercard’s acquisition of VocaLink will clear the path to see exactly where the partnership can take faster ACH payment technology and how those payment landscapes will be impacted.
To see what’s next, Michael Miebach, chief product officer of Mastercard, told Karen Webster that one need only to look at the reason why these two companies were brought together in the first place: to extend Mastercard’s reach to a whole new set of payment flows, segments and use cases that the company has not traditionally been a part of and to scale VocaLink’s technology around the world.
And once the transaction is finally closed in a few weeks, Miebach said that Mastercard and VocaLink can begin jointly reaching out to key markets and engage in dialogues to gather input that will help determine their now collective priorities.
Examining What’s Possible
Miebach explained that the acquisition of VocaLink will give Mastercard the opportunity to redraw the lines of what’s possible in commerce.
While the capability of tapping directly into a bank account to enable payments is exciting, Miebach said, there’s also the challenge of overcoming the threat of disruption that some banks and merchants fear most.
Miebach said that although there will be markets and use cases in which payment card technology may not necessarily be in the best position to optimize a particular payment flow or solve a particular customer need, Mastercard is focused on identifying and pursuing those segments where there are opportunities to apply ACH technology as a starting point.
Like bill pay, and commercial payments where there are clearly identified needs and friction points that the application of faster ACH technology can address, he explained.
In the U.S. market specifically, VocaLink has been identified as the infrastructure that The Clearing House and their member banks want to leverage for the faster payments opportunity.
Miebach said delivering on that infrastructure is expected to take place during the second half of the year, and at that point in time, the focus will be on seeing where the infrastructure can take faster payments going forward.
At this point, Miebach said that’s still evolving, but emphasized that he believes Mastercard will be exceedingly well positioned in that dialogue to drive partnerships with different players, including banking partners, merchant partners and innovators.
“I think right now the focus will just have to be to get [The Clearing House/VocaLink] infrastructure in and equip the U.S. payments market with faster ACH technology,” Miebach said, “and then we’ll start to see what we’ve seen in the U.K., which is applications mushrooming on top of it.”
Ditching the Paper Check
One of the biggest opportunities presented by VocaLink’s faster ACH payments is the ability to modernize the paper-based, analog businesses that still use checks to pay bills.
“If you look at the world of payments that are non-cash, you have to get excited about the huge opportunity that’s being presented by checks,” Miebach stated.
He explained that the capabilities of ACH coupled with the evolution of the technology itself presents a significant opportunity for businesses to lessen their grip on paper checks.
Miebach mused that even with all of Mastercard’s efforts to displace cash around the world and the progress being made, the actual percentage of cash usage isn’t actually declining all that much because of the overall growth of spending.
So, while cash may be a payment method that just sticks around forever — or at least for a long time — checks are definitely on Mastercard’s list of a more near-term use case for where ACH technology can make a big dent.
So too are cross-border payments, he said.
“If you think about the ability of connecting fast ACH networks around the world, that gives you another glimpse of what might be possible,” Miebach said.


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Local fishermen can't sell their catch after COVID-19 closes restaurants, slows exports
Published Tuesday, April 7, 2020 5:47PM PDT Last Updated Tuesday, April 7, 2020 8:15PM PDT
VANCOUVER -- It’s halibut season in British Columbia, and while the catch is good, fishermen across the province are facing problems selling their fish. COVID-19 has significantly slowed the pace of sales to restaurants and overseas of one of the region’s biggest exports.
Doug Kostering, a fisherman who docks in Port Hardy, had a two week delay to this start of his halibut fishing this year as the offices that handed out licenses were closed because of the virus. He estimates that two week delay alone resulted in an up to $30,000 loss in revenue.
“Wolves are howling at the door,” he told CTV News Vancouver.
But Kostering is one of the lucky ones - he was able to pay his bills a little late. And he sells to Skipper Otto, a direct-to-consumer seafood distribution company that connects home cooks directly to the people catching their fish, cutting out the middleman. Members subscribe and pay up front at the beginning of the season, so fishermen know there’s money when the catch comes in.
Others are struggling to find buyers when they come into port.
“Fishermen are in an uncertain industry to begin with. Fishermen traditionally take all the risk up front – they take out lines of credit, they take out loans, they do all the work to fix up their boats and get ready for their upcoming season,” said Chris Kantowicz, Skipper Otto’s COO.
“And they do all that in hopes that not only will they catch fish, but once they have that fish in hand, that there will be a market for it. It’s a lot of risk and all of it lies with them.”
That risk has become liability this year, with COVID-19’s impact on the global supply chain. Fishermen who usually sold their catch to restaurants or restaurant suppliers have had the industry drop out from under them with country-wide restaurant closures.
And those who sell to companies exporting overseas have found an alarmingly reduced market for their product, with many borders and processing plants closed, and little to no demand.
Companies like Skipper Otto are doing well in this climate, as conscious consumers turn to local food. But there’s still a lot of fish and nowhere to sell it.
That’s because the fish caught in Canada doesn’t usually end up in the grocery store. It’s a premium product and is exported to countries that eat much more fish, or served in restaurants. Canadians don’t depend on fish. They can choose beef, pork and chicken as their primary proteins, said Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
"Fisheries and seafood are seen often as a luxury item. Canadians are not necessarily willing to pay too much for fish and seafood."
The fish we do buy, which is cheaper, Charlebois said, is imported from abroad. A huge segment of Canadian seafood is exported, but most of what we actually eat is imported. And that means COVID-19 disruptions make a big difference to both local fishermen and in the aisles of the grocery store.
“Supply chains across the globe are really struggling to have workers to move fish along,” Kantowicz said.
The fact that the fishing industry can’t sell to restaurants means a lot of that premium-grade fish is ending up in grocery stores, Charlebois added, so we won’t see empty seafood displays anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean consumers will buy the more expensive, local product.
"A lot of people have lost their jobs and are on a tight budget,” he said. ”Sometimes some of these options are not affordable."
B.C.’s local salmon stock, already beleaguered by disease, climate change and last year’s rockslide on the Fraser River, could take a hit.
"Salmon is probably the most popular species in retail, so that could be problematic for the industry as a whole,” Charlebois said. “With agriculture you can't postpone seasons. COVID has its own agenda which may force industries to halt activities - including fisheries."
For Kostering and his fellow fishermen, that means a tough season ahead.
"Just trying to get the bills paid and keep afloat basically, for this year,” he said. “And just trying to weather the storm like everybody else."
Some parts of the industry are pivoting to keep their product moving. Organic Ocean, a restaurant supplier, has switched a direct-to-consumer model for the duration of the pandemic. It used to sell to restaurants worldwide, including some with Michelin stars, but that’s been put on hold because it can’t get its fish overseas.
Dane Chauvel, the company’s CEO, said he hopes customers stay with them through the pandemic. It has set up a Shopify page, and with the help of fishermen and a local processing facility, is taking some of the catch that no longer has a market and donating it. On Wednesday, it will be bringing in 3,000 lbs of fresh lingcod for Goodly Foods Society, which operates in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
The organization estimates the donation could provide up to 10,000 meals, and says it will be shared with multiple charities.


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Google has announced an application that turns mobile phones into a virtual wallet in partnership with Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint.
Google Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) to make secure payments simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal.
Initially, Google Wallet will support mobile payments with a PayPass-eligible Citi MasterCard and a virtual Google Prepaid card.
"Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You'll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet," Google said in a blog post.
Google Wallet will require an app-specific PIN and in the first release, all payment card credentials will be encrypted and stored on a chip - the secure element, separate from the Android device memory and which is only accessible by authorised programs.
For businesses, Google Wallet is an opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by offering a faster, easier shopping experience with relevant deals, promotions and loyalty rewards, the company said.
"Today, we've joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce," said Stephanie Tilenius, vice-president of commerce and payments at Google.
"With Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint we're building an open commerce ecosystem that, for the first time, will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline," Tilenius said.
Google Wallet, currently being tested in the field, will be available to consumers in a few months. However, Google did not give an exact date.
Google is also testing a variety of consumer deals, such as discounts on shoes discovered on a Google search advertisement.
Google Wallet will only be compatible with the Nexus S 4G, available on Sprint, but the company says it plans to expand support for more phones.
At the launch in New York, Google and its partners invited additional issuing banks, payment networks, mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, point-of-sale systems companies and merchants to join the initiative, emphasising that the initiative is built on an open commerce ecosystem to promote choice and innovation.


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Europeans may have to pay more for barbecues this summer as African swine fever decimates hog herds around the world. Producers in the European Union are the big winners, with sales to China climbing 43% through May.
The Nebraska Pork Producers Association is proud to welcome participants in the 2019 Pork Leadership Program. Each participant shares unique experiences that shape their perspective based on their particular career path as well as their personal involvements and interests.
Germany said any escalation of U.S. tariffs on metal imports into a full-blown trade war could cause tangible damage to the global recovery, although the tariffs themselves should have only a limited effect.
Despite a wild fall, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects a warmer-than-normal winter for the western two-thirds of the U.S. They don’t expect any areas with cooler-than-normal conditions.


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The news comes from Android Authority, whose sources also claim to know a few specifics about the upcoming LG G Flex 2. The device should mark a “major upgrade” over last year’s model, potentially sporting a 1080p OLED display. The new phone could also be slightly smaller than the original 6-inch phablet, and may offer an improved version of that same self-healing coating.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard similar claims about the G Flex 2. Back in May, Evleaks claimed the device could launch in early 2015 with an incredible new feature that’s “even more unique.” We’re still not sure what LG has up its sleeve, but it looks like we may get an official answer in a little over a month from now.


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Will There Be Enough Fruit Pickers This Season?
There is a potential shortage of seasonal workers in the fruit grower industry due to COVID-19. The fruit picking season is almost upon us, so a plan is needed to ensure the industry survival. Nic Hansen is the president of Fruit Growers Tasmania who gave some insights to this issue.
“The berry season across the state starts in October and runs through to about May. It is the longest of the three main fruit seasons. The second season is the cherry season starting in mid-December until the first week of February, then it is the apple season”
The berry industry alone requires many seasonal workers each year, around 4-5 thousand workers. It is not just picking the fruit, but many forms of work during the season including supervision, ferrying of fruit back and forth, forklift drivers and in the packing houses.
“We presented a mini submission to the Premiers COVID recovery plan with a 3-4-point plan on how we have addressed potential worker deficiencies this coming year”
They have a current website called Harvest Trail, where workers and employers have a shared site dedicated to which work is available. They have also suggested that backpackers get a free pass on the Spirit of Tasmania as due to the type of visas they hold to come into Australia, it would be easy to set up.
Nic hopes that by September - October, things will be getting back to normal and the fruit industry can run smoothly for another season.


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Kroger Co.'s stock jumped Tuesday after the parent of the Ralphs grocery chain said its quarterly earnings rose 16% and it raised its outlook for the year.
Kroger credited price cuts, wider varieties of foods and merchandise and improved customer service for its growth.
The Cincinnati-based company, the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, is facing tough competition from discount chains led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and from higher-end niche players such as Whole Foods Market Inc.
"Our results are being achieved by a balanced approach and are being impacted by more than just the price," David B. Dillon, Kroger's chairman and chief executive, told analysts.
The company's stock rose $1.16, or 5.2%, to $23.49 after hitting a 52-week high of $24.33 during the day.
Kroger earned $214.7 million, or 30 cents a share, in its fiscal third quarter ended Nov. 4, compared with $185.4 million, or 25 cents, a year earlier.
Revenue rose 5% to $14.7 billion.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected earnings of 28 cents a shares on revenue of $14.86 billion.
Sales at stores open at least five quarters, considered a key gauge of industry performance, rose 4.9% including gasoline sales, and 5.3% excluding fuel sales. The company expects same-store sales growth to top 5% in the fourth quarter, excluding gasoline.
Kroger raised its estimate for earnings-per-share growth to 8% to 10% for 2006. The grocer previously estimated per-share growth at 6% to 8%.
The new range implies earnings of $1.41 to $1.44 a share, compared with year-earlier earnings of $1.31. Analysts expect $1.45 a share.
Dillon said that even though gasoline prices had come down, Kroger still seemed to be benefiting from customers shopping close to home, saving money by eating meals at home instead of in restaurants and wanting to eat at home with their families.
Lehman Bros. analyst Meredith Adler said in a recent note that Kroger's strategy had led to a strong, improving competitive position.
"Kroger appears to be reaping the benefit from the decision made several years ago to invest in lower prices in many of its markets and to identify the key nonprice factors that would make customers happy," Adler wrote.


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Official licensed products maker Gray Parka Service has revealed a new lineup of Sleeping Pokemon Figures on Lighting Cable.
To celebrate the launch of Detective Pikachu, Nintendo has released a launch trailer for the Nintendo 3DS game.
Amazon Japan has started offering Pokemon Center’s Pikachu and Eevee Easter 2018 plushies and mascots today.
Two weeks ago, The Pokemon Company revealed they were going to release new standard size plushies for Piplup, Lucario, and Croagunk at Pokemon Centers across Japan.
Amazon Japan has started selling the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX commemorative merchandise to overseas buyers.
Japanese accessory company Max Games is releasing a Pikachu and Poke Ball Joy-Con pouch for Nintendo Switch in Japan on April 27.
The Pokémon GO Eggstravaganza is making a return on March 22, 2018 at 1pm PT for a week.


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Apple VS Samsung Patent Battle Sheds Light On iPhone’s Secretive Design Process
Image via Nebojsa Markovic / Shutterstock.com
Tech giants Apple and Samsung have found themselves back in the courtroom this month, thereby prolonging their roughly seven-year run involving iPhone design patent infringements.
On Tuesday, Richard Howarth—one of two lead designers behind the iPhone and a senior director helming Apple’s design team—accused Samsung of stealing the “essential flavor” of the iPhone through blatant rip offs. It was during this trial involving Samsung’s violation, where Apple is demanding US$1 billion in damages, that Howarth described Samsung as having hijacked the iPhone’s iconic setup to say, “We’re cool, too.”
Howarth is the brainchild behind two design patents that sit front-and-center in this Apple-Samsung patent lawsuit. The first specifies a black, rectangular front face with rounded corners (D’677), while the second outlines something similar but with the bezel (D’087).
At the core of the lawsuit is the debate surrounding what, precisely, constitutes an “article of manufacture” that the patent truly governs?
Apple argues that the patents should protect the entire iPhone, seeing as how the “phone is an idea.”
“The whole thing is the phone… You can’t take just a part and say ‘Let’s protect just that,’” Howarth asserted, adding that while a phone could be taken apart with the correct tools, Apple’s patents are much bigger than that.
Samsung, on the other hand, disputes that it should just be that particular component of the gadget.
As such, the jury’s decision and outcome of this case could have a major influence on the power of design patents in the tech world.
Apple’s VP of procurement Tony Blevins also testified, albeit slightly emotionally, as reported by CNET, largely due to the sacrifices the iPhone design team had to make throughout the production process, only to discover Samsung subsequently stealing from them, not to mention, brazenly.
Blevins recounted working tirelessly on the iPhone “for years,” including “late nights and weekends,” giving up family time, and forgoing birthday celebrations.
“We filed for patents and tried to do things in the right way so we could enjoy the fruits of our labor,” explained Blevins, who added that the debut of Samsung’s similar phones came with “every negative emotion you could imagine.”
According to Howarth, Apple had rejected “hundreds and hundreds” of iPhone prototypes before the final model was introduced in 2007. Among these were experiments sporting tried-and-tested designs, including an octagonal bezel, one with rounded edges only on the left and right, and another with a light gray front. All these, however, “didn’t represent what [Apple was] trying to do,” which was to ultimately build something relatable and understandable.
On top of this, Apple’s procurement approach differs greatly from the rest of the industry.
While nearly every other company applied the building-block philosophy, that is, purchasing the best components before building the product, Apple functioned in the wholly opposite direction.
It starts with the design before determining the necessary ingredients. Blevins revealed that he’d once spent two-and-a-half weeks inside a factory, just trying to figure out how to downsize the iPhone’s vibration motor so that it would fit nicely.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s VP of Product Marketing, admitted during cross-examination by Samsung’s lawyer that the brand does conduct tear-downs of rivals’ products to study their components, but firmly added that it never copied what they had done.
“That’s the difference between right and wrong,” said Joswiak.
Apple has already received a US$548 million payout from Samsung, but a US$399 million portion of this could be decreased or increased, depending on the jury’s decision.
[via CNET, main image via Nebojsa Markovic / Shutterstock.com]


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A US delegation will participate in the 5th India-US cyber dialogue in New Delhi this week and interact with industry representatives to build strong regional partnerships with key stakeholders working on a range of cyber issues.
The US delegation is being led by Christopher Painter, US Department of State Coordinator for cyber issues, who along with the National Security Council Staff, will lead the American engagement on the broad set of cyber policy issues.
ALSO READ: Sushma Swaraj slams Pakistan on terror, says Kashmir is ours
The fifth US-India Cyber Dialogue is part of an effort to build strong regional partnerships with key stakeholders working on a range of cyber issues, focusing on promoting an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet that benefits all users.
Daniel Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, will lead the US-India Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Working Group which includes industry and government participation from both countries.
They will attend public events to engage with civil society and Indian youth on Internet and digital economy issues, a media release said.
ALSO READ: Google displays its Bday via its ‘Bday doodle’!
At the ICT Working Group, it will be discussed how the US and India can work together to help expand the benefits of the digital economy to both of the countries and increase internet connectivity through programs like the Global Connect Initiative, which has a goal of bringing 1.5 billion new internet users online by 2020.


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Every week, Pokemon GO holds a Raid Hour event which greatly increases the number of Tier 5 Raids taking place and there will be four of these events happening in April 2023.
Every Raid Hour in April 2023 takes place on a Wednesday from 6 PM to 7 PM local time. These are the dates and featured Legendary Pokemon in 5-Star Raids during the Raid Hours this month:
- April 5 – Lugia
- April 12 – Landorus (Incarnate Forme)
- April 19 – Tapu Bulu
- April 26 – Tapu Bulu
What makes the April 2023 Pokemon GO Raid Hours even more exciting is that the shiny versions of all of the featured Legendary Pokemon will be available. This includes the shiny Tapu Bulu, which will be making its Pokemon GO debut this month!
The exact chance of catching shiny Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO is around 5%. This means that, on average, one out of every 20 shiny Legendary Pokemon you encounter will be shiny!
Also, don’t worry if you’re busy during any of these Raid Hours- these Legendaries will be available to catch for at least one week each. Make sure to check out the April 2023 Pokemon GO Mega and Legendary Raid schedule for more information!
In addition to these Legendary Pokemon, a brand-new Legendary is making its Pokemon GO debut in April. Find out the date and times for Regieleki Elite Raids so you don’t miss out on catching one!
Also, don’t forget to participate in the April 2023 Pokemon GO Spotlight Hours too!


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Warner Bros. recently created a new label specifically designed to publish Harry Potter games. Off the back of that announcement last month and the reveal of a new Pokemon Go-like game titled Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the company has now unveiled another new game set in the Potter universe. Called Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, the new title is a narrative RPG set in the famous school for witchcraft and wizardry, and it's coming to mobile in 2018.
Warner Bros. and developer Jam City say the new game will allow players to "create their own character and experience life as a Hogwarts student" by "progressing through their years" at the school. Along the way, you can participate in magical classes such as Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Duelling Club.
Warner Bros. hasn't revealed anything more about Hogwarts Mystery as yet, except that it's coming to iOS and Android. It will join Wizards Unite, which is also launching on mobile next year. That game will see you roaming the real world collecting power-ups, defending locations, and exploring your environment, much like Pokemon Go. Warner Bros. has also teased that a new Harry Potter game is in the works for consoles, but nothing else is known about that project for now.
There have been many Harry Potter console games over the years, but none recently. The eight movies got their own tie-in games from Electronic Arts, while Lego Harry Potter versions from Warner Bros. came later. Additionally, there was a Quidditch-themed game called Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup. A Harry Potter Kinect game was also released.