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‘We can’t not be a horror game because that’s what Dead Space is’, says EA Labels president
Fears that Dead Space 3 is leaving behind its horror roots have been addressed by EA Labels president Frank Gibeau. In an interview with CVG, Gibeau admitted that the studio is trying to make the game “more broadly appealing” – a clear indication that it is softening – but he also said “[we] definitely do not want to piss off our fans”.
Dead Space 3 is introducing drop-in/drop-out co-op for the first time, pairing Isaac Clarke with the newly introduced John Carver. There appears to be a greater focus on action gameplay, but fans are concerned that this may come at the expense of the horror, which is what the series is known for.
Gibeau put forward the defence:
“We’re very self aware of that – we listen to the fans and we hear them, we’re going to be releasing more assets over the coming months that show you how deep the horror is. It’s definitely not getting away from gore or horror, but at the same time it’s opening up to a larger audience by adding some elements.”
Hear that? It’s the sound of a marketing team binning all of its promotional material and scurrying around in search for grim-looking assets.
In his hands-on session at E3, Majiesto felt that the addition of co-op did take “away from the chilling atmosphere that being completely alone in the first two games created”. His view was: “Knowing that someone’s got your back (for now, at least) relieves some of the tenseness of the game.” There was however enough in the demo to reassure him that this could still offer the frightning experiences fans want:
“That’s not saying there aren’t any typical Dead Space surprises. The blistering cold winds of the planet confine your vision to just a few feet in front of you, and Necromorphs have a tendency to randomly pop out of the snow. It’s these elements that remind me that this is a Dead Space game, and not just another third person co-op shooter.”
Is abandoning the horror in favour of a more action approach such a bad thing? We liked Dead Space 2, but we also felt that it ran out of ideas long before it finished. Would we want more of the same?
Let’s hear your thoughts…


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Chinese manufacturer Hasee is still relatively unknown in this country, but they have been trying for some time to get a foothold in the German market. They are known for making really cheap TVs and other electronics including notebooks. So I guess it’s not surprising that they’ve taken leap into thegame with a 14 inch device that we got to go hands on with at IDF Beijing 2012.
The unit comes with an Intel Core i3 processor and a 14-inch display and it comes with a mixture of a plastic and aluminum which goes in line with the 550€ expected price point. This is likely a prime example of the type of low end Ultrabook we can expect when they start rolling out over the next few months.

domain: news


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Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev and Mexico-based Grupo Modelo have confirmed they are in talks to sell the remainder of Modelo to Anheuser-Busch InBev, which already owns a non-controlling 50-percent stake in Modelo. Both sides say although discussions are taking place, a deal — with an expected price tag of $12 billion — is not certain.
Moody’s downgrades banks; Blackrock fund manager leaves; Twitter suffers an outage; AIG docks a chief for an inter-office relationship.
The markets jump on reports central banks are putting plans in place to prepare for the Greek elections; UK bankers say they will take whatever steps necessary to protect their currency; the video game industry continues its free fall; Allen Stanford is sentenced to 110 years in jail.
McDonald's sees a widespread digital revamp as key to reaching its audience. Job postings shed light on what may be in store.
From eating in an airplane to serving food from U.S. war zones, CNBC.com has compiled a list of unusual restaurants.
Hostess Brands said the Schiller Park, Ill., bakery where Twinkies were invented in 1930 will close, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Russian food safety watchdog says it's found "numerous" breaches of sanitary regulations at four McDonald's restaurants in Moscow.
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Update: Samsung's stretchable display tech might be away off but a sliding screen for a phone or tablet might be here a lot sooner.
While all of us are muddling out way through 2021, Samsung is out here living in the year 2050 with its new stretchable display technology. Unlike folding or rollable screens, these free-form displays can be "stretched in all directions like rubber bands to change their shapes," making for some seriously sci-fi applications.
Samsung posted news of the work its researchers have been doing on its blog, saying that now the "establishment of flexible displays [is] behind us," the next frontier is stretchy displays that allow for "both high-resolution visuals and portability" simultaneously.
- Best smartwatch right now: Top picks for every budget
- Catch up on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 rumors
- Plus: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 2 — biggest differences to expect
Researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) managed to create a device that combines a stretchable organic LED (OLED) display and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor which measures and displays the wearer's heart rate in real time. You can check out this "stretchable electronic skin" form factor, as Samsung dubs it, in the images above.
Interestingly, the researchers found the display to be pretty robust; while being worn, the device wasn't impacted by wrist movement, and it was noted that it could be stretched by up to 30% with no affect on performance. It even survived being stretched 1,000 times. The material is also extremely effective when it comes to sensing biometrics. Samsung notes that when attached to a moving wrist, the sensor "was found to pick up a heartbeat signal that was 2.4 times stronger than would be picked up by a fixed silicon sensor."
The technology is still in its early stages right now, with the initial applications seemingly more suited to the medical field, but as it's adapted, we could see future fitness trackers evolve into a similar form factor.
"The strength of this technology is that it allows you to measure your biometric data for a longer period without having to remove the solution when you sleep or exercise, since the patch feels like part of your skin," says principal researcher Youngjun Yun.
"You can also check your biometric data right away on the screen without having to transfer it to an external device. The technology can also be expanded to use in wearable healthcare products for adults, children and infants, as well as patients with certain diseases."
- More: Check out our roundup of the best cheap smartwatches


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This article sees Pop Up Power Supplies talk about why well-designed outdoor space is crucial to ‘highly amenitised’ offices…
Yorkshire manufacturer Neaco sources 100% of its raw materials in the UK and has seen a major increase in its competitive strength amid soaring energy costs and global supply chain issues.
Gatic drainage products from Alumasc Water Management Solutions (AWMS) have a well-established reputation for the use of innovative materials and manufacturing techniques.
The latest figures from the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI), published in October, reveal that builders’ merchants’ value sales were +10.0% up in August 2022 compared to the same month in 2021.
F.H. Brundle’s range of composite decking boards offer a robust, sustainable and easy to maintain alternative to timber. They’re incredibly durable and suitable for a variety of outdoor uses.
There is a growing movement in healthcare design and architecture to make better use of outdoor spaces. Pop Up Power Supplies has more…
Brick manufacturer Vandersanden is expanding its Texture Generator with paver textures for garden and landscape projects.
The contribution that heritage sites and historic buildings make to the UK’s economy is significant, enabling the country to leverage value from unique assets. Pop Up Power Supplies has more…
Since the day SureSet opened its business, their resin has been used worldwide for permeable resin bound installations. This is why, in 2020, they launched ProResin.
George Parker, Director of Pop Up Power Supplies, answers five of the most common questions asked by specifiers and site owners regarding power distribution units for outdoor spaces.


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EU aims to further shield own chip and tech sector
The European Commission will publish new measures to further ensure the economic security of the EU. It wants to protect European tech sectors from the influence of other economic powers.
According to Bloomberg, the EC is introducing a list of new measures this week to further ensure the EU's e... Read more
Synopsys acquires Ansys for €32 billion
Synopsys plans to acquire simulation software company Ansys for $35 billion (€32 billion).
The acquisition of software developer Ansys could become the largest in the tech sector since Broadcom's $69 billion acquisition of VMware last year. The two parties, working together in several areas, h... Read more
China can’t mass produce modern chips yet, but it is a matter of time
The United States has been investigating China's Huawei. Huawei recently presented a modern 5G smartphone with an advanced 7nm chip. With that, Huawei seemed to be able to work around the sanctions the US have imposed to keep China from modern chip technology. According to U.S. Commerce Secretary G... Read more
ASML isn’t worried about export bans, says CEO Peter Wennink
Even in the unlikely event that all exports to China are prohibited, ASML expects to stay on course, CEO Peter Wennink suggested at a recent investor meeting.
ASML is one of the world's largest chip production equipment manufacturers. The company's machines allow customers to fabricate chips. T... Read more
Intel announces 13th Gen Core Raptor Lake
Intel is launching the 13th Gen Core 'Raptor Lake' series. The processors primarily focus on gaming, but content creation and productivity should get a boost as well. Intel wants to achieve this with an improved core count (up to 24 cores) and a hybrid architecture. The company claims Raptor Lake r... Read more
Intel lowers revenue forecast due to PC sales drop
Suppliers face revenue drops due to decreasing PC demand. Intel recently adjusted its revenue forecast for the rest of the year.
PC and smartphone sales are on the decline worldwide. After a two-year boom in remote working and education, the numbers trend downwards. Contributing factors are inf... Read more
NXP turnover increases substantially
NXP saw its turnover increase substantially in the first quarter of this year. In particular, automotive chipset sales grew strongly.
In the first quarter of 2022, the chip manufacturer realised a total turnover of 3.14 billion dollars (2.99 billion euros) -- no less than a 22 percent increase ... Read more
ASML warns of long-term shortage of chip manufacturing machines
ASML forecasts a two-year shortage of chip manufacturing machines. CEO Peter Wennink shared the expectation in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
According to ASML CEO Peter Wennink, chip manufacturers will face machine shortages over the next two years. Supply chain problems originati... Read more
European Chips Act unveiled: where will the 43 billion euros go?
The European Commission has unveiled the European Chips Act. The proposal aims to double Europe's chip production by 2030.
From 2030, Europe should be responsible for 20 percent of all chips worldwide. The road to that goal has been mapped out over the past two years. The European Chips Act clar... Read more
EU halts antitrust inquiry on Nvidia and ARM deal
EU antitrust regulators have paused their inquiry into Nvidia's proposal to join hands with British chip designer ARM — the largest deal ever. However, the European Commission said it awaits more information about this acquisition and its implications on the competition before deciding whether to... Read more


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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reportedly froze bank accounts belonging to four fintech companies for up to 180 days after a Federal High Court in Abuja granted an “ex parte motion”. After Micheal Kaase, a Nigerian leader, filed the ex parte motion on behalf of CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the request was granted.
Accounts are frozen to permit further investigation
According to a ReportThis temporary bank account freeze will allow the CBN and the CBN to launch new investigations into the activities these four companies. Numerous Nigerian media outlets identified these companies as Rise Vest Technologies Limited. Bamboo Systems Technology Limited. Chaka Technologies Limited. Trove Technologies Limited.
The report suggests that the CBN took the ex parte motion after preliminary investigations revealed that the four companies were operating unlicensed assets management businesses. The central bank also accuses financial technology firms of using currency from the Nigerian foreign market to purchase foreign bonds / stocks, in violation of the CBN circular dated July 1, 2015.
Nigeria has faced foreign exchange shortages in recent years. This has led to a continued depreciation in the naira. CBN has put restrictions or limits on how much foreign currency ordinary Nigerians can withdraw to banks as a response to the falling value of the Nigerian naira.
Imperturbable FinTech companies
CBN has also prevented cryptocurrency companies accessing the country’s financial system. Recently, sales of currency to exchange bureau operators were also stopped. Despite these CBN interventions however, the naira continues losing ground against major currencies. The parallel market naira rate against the US Dollar is 1: 515 at the time of writing. The official rate, however, is unchanged at 1 to 411.
While the CBN case was being presented against the financial tech companies, a Nigerian prosecution told a Federal High Court judge, that foreign exchange deals made with the four companies “made Nigeria’s Naira weaker than the US dollar, thus the need to block their accounts from 180 days.”
There is however another. ReportRise Vest Technologies Limited CEO Quotes It is reassuringUsers will be assured that their company’s business activities will continue as before and that the issue will be addressed with regulators. Bamboo Systems also agrees. RecountTwitter users were informed by the company that it was reviewing it by its “legal- and government relations” teams.
What do YOU think about this story. Please comment below to let us know your thoughts.
Credits to the images: Shutterstock. Pixabay. Wiki Commons
WarningThis article is intended for informational purposes only. This article is not intended to be a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any product, service, or business. Bitcoin.comThis company does not provide advice on investment, tax, legal and accounting matters. The author and the company are not responsible for any damage or loss resulting from or allegedly from the use of any content, good, or service mentioned in this article.


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- GMC has announced that the upcoming 2022 Hummer EV will have removable roof panels.
- GMC says that there are four roof panels and a front T-bar that get removed.
- The Hummer EV is claimed to make 1000 horsepower and be able to reach 60 mph in 3.0 seconds.
General Motors' notoriously gas-guzzling Hummer is set to make a comeback in 2022 as an electric pickup and SUV, but other than that, we know very little about it so far. GM has claimed it will have 1000 horsepower and be capable of doing zero to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds, and now we also know that it'll have removable roof panels. Yes, like a Jeep Wrangler.
The GMC Hummer SUT will come standard with the removable roof panels, although when asked about the availability on the SUV, GMC declined to comment. We also don't know whether or not the electric Hummer's roof will be offered in both hard- and softtop versions like the Jeep Wrangler. The four roof panels and front T-bar will be able to be removed manually by one person, GM spokeswoman Tara Kuhnen told Car and Driver, and there's no connector over the top of the front and rear window.
The Hummer EV is expected to be offered with one, two, or three electric motors. One motor would be for a rear-drive model, and the other two layouts will be for two all-wheel-drive variants with some pretty serious acceleration. GMC claims that in its top form, the Hummer will have 1000 horsepower and produce 11,500 lb-ft of torque—although that number may be a bit misleading.
GMC will also offer multiple trims and configurations for the Hummer EV, including a work-truck configuration and a more capable off-road variant. Pricing should be around $70,000. We'll find out much more about the GMC Hummer EV in the coming months.


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A very well-known Somerville brewery brand is expanding its operations to Everett – officially taking over the former Down the Road Brewery on Bow Street and brewing their first batch of beer this past week on site.
Aeronaut Brewery of Somerville’s Union Square began to take over the large brewery complex last February when they signed a lease on the Down the Road space. They were slowed by COVID-19, but began picking up the pieces last month on the expansion. Down the Road was a strong brewery brand and contract brewer in Everett for several years, but abruptly closed when founder Donovan Bailey died of a heart attack late last year.
Though a sad story, Aeronaut’s Lee Hatfield said they are ready to keep the beer flowing and pick up where Down the Road left off.
Aeronaut is an established brand in Somerville, having been started by three friends in 2014 and quickly outgrowing the Letter Factory location they started in some years ago. Co-Founder Dan Rassie and Ronn Friedlander – who met while attending MIT several years ago and started home brewing in their backyard soon after – jumped at the chance to expand to Everett.
For the brewery, the focus right now is increasing their volume and pushing it out further into the wholesale distribution market.
“It will help us to get into the wholesale market more,” said Hatfield. “That’s the big push in craft beer now with COVID-19 restrictions in place. It’s important to produce more beer, can it and get it out the door. So, the main purpose is the brewery operations. We will use the tap room, but we see it as something we’ll focus on later. We were running out of space a long time ago in Somerville and this will give us 3.5 times the production capacity and up our output a ton.”
Right now, Aeronaut makes 4,000 barrels per year in Somerville. Their capacity in Somerville is 8.5 barrels per batch. The Everett location has a capacity of 30 barrels per batch.
“That’s a big jump for us,” she said.
The increased production at the two brewery facilities will allow them to further saturate the local market with wholesale distribution, but also push out to the New England region.
“It worked out because it was a great location and an existing brewery,” she said. “We didn’t have to start from scratch. We could just start up.”
Aeronaut is very happy to now be a part of the Everett brewery scene in the Village and Lower Broadway areas – known by producers as The Fermentation District. They said they are excited to get to know the other producers, the community in Everett and participate in all of the events that take place.
“We love Somerville and Somerville is core to our brand,” she said. “This is going to be an exciting next step to bring that sense of community to a new place with and existing community.”
Aeronaut Brewery is on the agenda for the License Commission for its Aug. 17 meeting to discuss a new Farmer’s Pouring License – which permits them to use the tap room. Hatfield said they are interested in opening up the patio later this summer for service.


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Trade Minister Paul “Chet” Greene wants small manufacturers and creative industries to pool their resources to make it easier to get their products into the international market.
Greene’s suggestion comes after a young businessman, Khalil Francis, who owns a clothing line, spoke about the hardships and restrictions he and others experience in trying to export their goods.
The cost attached to such expansion was one of Francis’ concerns.
While Greene acknowledges that this is a challenge to local manufacturers, he says cooperation among small business owners is vital.
The Trade Minister says the export market has not been very friendly to small businesses in micro states, and that it will take joint creative ideas to cover them.
Another challenge, Greene says, is that one manufacturer is unable to fill a container with its products. Therefore there must be practical ideas in place to allow local products to be shipped to the USA and other markets.


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You have to pay a big price for being famous - privacy. Recently, Rani Mukherjee decided to go for shopping at Khan Market in Delhi, thinking that she might not be recognised but she almost ended up being mobbed by the public.
Rani, who is currently shooting for Rajkumar Gupta's No One Killed Jessica in Delhi, did some shopping unescorted, and without her driver, as the market is just a kilometre away from her hotel. Just as she was beginning to enjoy window-shopping, she heard some people calling out her name. To her surprise, a huge crowd had gathered around her.
Sensing the danger, Rani called his driver to pick her. Luckily, she was zoomed back to her hotel before the crowd turned too big. And her secret day out was spoiled!


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The US dollar also had a disappointing start to the week, apart from against sterling, thanks to poor economic data. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from the Institute for Supply Management missed its expectation, falling more than expected. With this hinting at a slowing economic recovery, the US dollar fell by the most in three weeks, making losses against most of its major partners as the pace of quantitative easing tapering comes under scrutiny.
There is no largely significant US data due today, with factory orders likely to be the most influential. As such, investors will be looking ahead to the labour data in the coming days as they mull over the strength of the economy.
Wondering when to buy or sell US dollars? Call your trader now for the latest news, rates and updates.


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Enova Community Energy names Kurri Kurri, in NSW Hunter Region, as the site for its first "shared battery" – a part of the retailer's peer-to-peer solar trading trial.
Gold Fields taps APA Group to add 13MW solar and 4.4MW/4.4MWh battery storage to existing gas power facility at its jointly owned Gruyere gold mine in W.A.
Schneider Electric's XW Pro IEC inverter meets CEC safety requirements, paving the way for its use in Australian homes.
Solar plus storage microgrid being installed at Soboba Band of Luiseño Indian lands, an area threatened by wildfire-related power outages in California.
Hybrid Systems-built solar, battery and diesel microgrid proves able to go 'hydrocarbon free' during the day, and run a W.A. clay mine on solar only.
UK-based green power retailer launches in Australia with promise of 40c/kWh solar feed-in tariff and “cutting-edge” virtual power plant technology that will optimise battery storage ROI and power bill savings.
New documentary TV series tells story of how a solar and battery storage system went off-grid and into battle to help save a house and its nine occupants from the devastating bushfires that ravaged Kangaroo Valley in NSW in January.
New office building in Glasgow will be Scottish city’s largest upon completion in time for COP26 in 2021, as well as fully electric and zero carbon emissions.
Tesla and Octopus Energy launch UK retail offer that promises to deliver a 75% electricity bill discount, as long as you have solar, a Powerwall 2, and preferably a Tesla EV.
ARENA-backed project will build 51 all-electric, high-efficiency solar homes in south-west Sydney that will generate more power than they consume.
Swedish furniture giant and sometimes rooftop PV retailer Ikea is about to begin work on an industry-leading, grid-connected commercial solar and battery microgrid based on its Adelaide store.
Zen Energy installs 1.27MW of PV across three campuses of Trinity College as part of South Australia Solar Schools educational program.
An Energy Queensland network trial focusing on accommodating more, and smarter commercial solar has quietly shown the way on how it may work for consumers.
Ground-breaking solar, battery and gas microgrid built to power remote W.A. gold mine is complete and cutting fossil fuel consumption by up to 13%.
Solar Analytics has released a new solar energy management solution, in line with its role as a Relevant Agent under South Australia's new PV regulations.
SolarEdge says new residential three-phase hybrid inverter range will offer "unprecedented design flexibility" and better returns for rooftop solar systems.


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A medical marijuana shop is set to open later this year near downtown Silver Spring.
Green Thumb Industries, the distributor, will open the dispensary later this year, Bethesda magazine reported.
Maryland law now allows up to two stand-alone dispensaries in each of the state’s 47 legislative districts. The Silver Spring store expects to serve up to 150 patients per day.
The company also has a notable partner: former Baltimore Ravens player Eugene Monroe. Monroe was the first active NFL player to publicly request the league allow players to use medical marijuana.


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Nike are launching their first Muslim sportswear headscarf, the Nike Pro Hijab - and the response was vocal, to say the least.
@pilasaci https://t.co/VXfBPoEc7a— 8/24 (@8/24) 1488935510
According to a Nike statement:
The Nike Pro Hijab has been a year in the making, but its impetus can be traced much further back to Nike’s founding mission, to serve athletes, with the signature addendum: If you have a body, you’re an athlete.
But one voice emerges from the discourse as somewhat more relevant: that of Amna Al Haddad, Olympic weightlifter from the UAE.
Along with figure skater Zahra Lari, 27-year-old Al Haddad actually tested the product, which is due to be launched in 2018.
In response to the online furore, the six-time gold medallist shared a statement on her Facebook and Instagram, along with a powerful picture:
It surely will encourage a new generation of athletes to pursue sports professionally, and without us athletes who fought for this right and made it happen, Nike wouldn’t “just do it".
Al Haddad told FEMAIL:
I felt that people were confused by the launch and I was inspired to raise awareness that with such a product Nike isn't dismissing anyone else's previous work, or oppressing women, that it is simply including Muslim female athletes who require such a product.
It's an expansion and a beautiful one that Nike is becoming a well-rounded brand that caters to everyone and all sports.
Both posts have already garnered responses from both sides of the fence:
But at the end of the day...
More: 35 breathtaking cartoons in response to Trump's 'Muslim ban'
More: Nike has a hijab design for sportswomen and people can't handle it


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In the past several months, most reports were suggesting that the current generation of this luxury SUV will carry on for another couple of years. These days, it seems certain, as the 2020 Lexus GX460 is about to come with novelties that will make it competitive for another couple of years. According to the latest reports, we are about to see a fine amount of novelties for the next year. Naturally, most of them will be in terms of styling.
The testing model has been spotted and it wears a camouflage at the front end. Also, we are about to see some interesting tweaks on the inside. Mechanically, we probably won’t see any notable change. The 2020 Lexus GX460 is about to continue with the familiar powertrain and other parts. All this indicates that we could see it on the market a little bit earlier than usual, but still not before the last quarter of the year.
2020 Lexus GX460 Redesign
Despite the update, the 2020 Lexus GX460 won’t change in terms of base design characteristics. It will remain one of the rare bird in the luxury segment that still rides on a traditional body-on-frame. These days, this is probably the main reason why GX is still popular. Simply, many drivers still appreciate more its impressive off-road characteristics and utility, than better on-road driving characteristics, which is typical for most rivals.
In terms of the styling, this update is about to bring a fine amount of novelties. Of course, most of them will come at the front end, where we can notice a camouflage on the testing model. We expect modifications on headlights, grille and other parts, which will bring this old SUV closer to the brand’s new design language. So, count on narrower headlights, more accentuated spindle grille etc.
When it comes to the interior design, the latest reports suggest that the 2020 Lexus GX460 won’t change too much. Practically, the biggest novelty will be a new steering wheel, which should be borrowed from Lexus’ passenger cars. Other than that, we don’t expect any notable change, even on the dashboard. Of course, new color schemes seem very likely. Also, some reports suggest that we could see a new touchscreen, along with a new infotainment system. We are still waiting for the official confirmation.
Other than that, we count on a familiar layout. In terms of size, this is pretty much typical mid-size SUV, which comes with standard three rows of seats. Also typically for the class, the third row isn’t that generous when it comes to legroom and should be left for kids. When it comes to the cargo area, you can count on about 11.6 cubic feet behind the third row, while the overall capacity goes up to 65 cubic feet.
In terms of tech goodies, there is a chance to see a new infotainment system, along with the touchscreen. According to the latest reports, the new infotainment system would come with many improvements and include smartphone integration goodies like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other than that, we could see a couple of additions to the current list of standard equipment, which includes things like satellite radio, HD Radio, a nine-speaker stereo, a 120-volt household-style power outlet, Bluetooth, two USB ports, and a moonroof.
When it comes to safety, the latest reports suggest that most of the features will be standard already in base versions. This includes systems like front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning etc.
2020 Lexus GX460 Engine
Under the hood, we count on the same, well-known V8 engine. It is a 4.6-liter unit, which delivers 301 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque. Latest reports are suggesting that the 2020 Lexus GX460 could come with a nice power boost. That would definitely be a great novelty. If this happens, don’t be afraid that this power boost could negatively affect fuel economy. It is already pretty bad, as the GX returns just 15 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. On the other side, max towing capacity is pretty good and goes around 6.500 pounds. When it comes to the transmission, count on the same 6-speed automatic gearbox.
2020 Lexus GX460 Release Date and Price
The 2020 Lexus GX460 will come with updates. However, it looks like it won’t come much earlier than usual. Most likely, it will hit the market sometime in the last quarter of the year. When it comes to the price, we don’t expect bigger changes compared to the current model, which starts at around 52.500 dollars.


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These are days of hectic tourist activity and the databases managed by the sector keep offering us figures. According to the flight, hotel and car rental search engine Jetcost, Alicante is the Spanish city with the highest concentration of requests from the United Kingdom. Palma de Mallorca is leading the search from Germany, Malaga from the Netherlands and Barcelona is attracting interest from the French, Italians and Portuguese.
According to this tourism management company, the search for flights has increased by 150% compared to the first three months of the year, and that for hotels by 210%, so that the demand for Easter (Easter for the British) reached similar levels to 2019. Another interesting fact: users are spending 30% more time than before evaluating their different options before booking their trip, indicating a greater interest in finding good deals.
AirBnb detects that the Valencian Community, Andalusia and the Canary Islands are the areas most sought after by Spanish travelers
As for Spanish travelers, the database of the AirBnb rental platform detects that the Valencian Community, Andalusia and the Canary Islands are the most sought-after areas for their Easter getaways, in a clear commitment for a time sunny.
And in terms of urban tourism, Seville, Madrid, Malaga, Granada, Barcelona, Cadiz, Valencia, Cordoba, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Alicante form the Top 10 of the cities most in demand by national travelers.
Según las tendencias observed por Airbnb, muchos españoles están planeando prolongar sus escapadas de Semana Santa, porque aunque los viajes de entre dos y seis días representan mayoría de las búsquedas para estas vacaciones, casi la cuarta parte de los huéspedes asking for estancias de más de one week.
In the Valencian capital, it should reach -or even exceed- the hotel occupancy ceiling for the year, around 90%, from Maundy Thursday to Holy Saturday, according to the estimate of the Municipal Foundation for the Promotion of Tourism, Visit Valencia.
“Given that we hope to enjoy a sunny Easter, the occupancy rate could reach levels very close to 100% thanks to last minute reservations”, says the Mayor of Tourism of València
In the survey of the hotel sector of the city, an occupancy of 89% is recorded on Maundy Thursday; 94% on Good Friday; 92% for Holy Saturday and 74% for Easter Sunday night. Tourism adviser Emiliano García said that “since we hope to enjoy a sunny Easter, the occupancy rate could reach levels very close to 100% thanks to last minute bookings”.
García stressed that “this is great news both for the accommodation sector and for the restaurant sector and other complementary tourism sectors”. The city councilor stressed that “the sector has worked very hard to emerge from these two years of pandemic and has shown a capacity for adaptation and exemplary work”.
Two years ago now, during the last holy week before the pandemic, the occupancy forecast in Valencia was lower than today. And despite this, the definitive final occupancy was 90% for Maundy Thursday; 92% on Good Friday; 91% on Holy Saturday and 73% on Easter Sunday.
Valencia in The Guardian
“One of the best markets in Europe, cradle of paella and a unique green space”
“A local guide to València: home of paella, one of the best markets in Europe and a unique green space.” Under this title published this Sunday Guardian a report on Valencia. The architect and graphic designer Juan Suay offers a series of recommendations to the readers of the British newspaper, starting with the gastronomic ones (of a fideuà – “a Valencian paella made with pasta instead of rice” – at the restaurant Yuso or a round of tapas on the terraces of Benimaclet), followed by musicals (the Sunday concerts in Viveros and the pergola in the Navy; jam sessions in The viti, where faculty from the Berklee campus perform; Is feastthe café of El Cabanyal which organizes jazz evenings on Thursdays).
He also recommends bike rides along the old river bed, which highlights the neighborhood’s struggle that rejected a freeway to achieve a large park, to “the famed City of Arts, an ultra -modern concert halls and museums designed by Santiago Calatrava”. Finally, Suay recommends immersing yourself in the Valencian nightlife, which is divided into three: the post-work aperitif, dinner, and “the serious drink”, which he proposes to end in Barraca, in Sueca, with a “Berlin-style techno”. night “.
The Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies has also offered data that, throughout Spain, still predicts sales 10% lower than the figures recorded in Holy Week 2019, but in the case of the Valencian Community they are much closer to those of then. , barely 3% less.
The president of the employers’ association, Carlos Garrido, recalled that travel agencies were charging half as much as before the pandemic during Holy Week 2021, for which there was a “significant jump” this year compared to l ‘last year.
Agencies perceive an increase in the number of tourists traveling to other countries, although they are still 10% lower than before covid-19
The fact that the reservations were made much later than usual stands out, almost at the last minute in the case of Spanish customers. And the favorite destinations of travelers during their national journeys remain the coasts and the islands. Only the Balearic Islands improve on the 2019 figures, while the Canary Islands are also 3% below 2019.
Travel agencies are also seeing an increase in the number of tourists traveling to other countries, although they are still 10% lower than before covid-19. There are still destinations that continue to be closed, such as Japan, and others where heavy restrictions remain in place. In addition, foreign tourism is affected by the war due to the closure of airspace in the conflict zone and the decrease in travelers to countries surrounding Ukraine.
The agency sector believes that the Russian invasion could have a more “medium to long term” effect due to rising fuel prices and inflation, which leads to a loss of purchasing power for customers.
20,742 travel voucher reservations
Turisme has registered a total of 20,742 reservations in three months through the Travel Voucher to travel to accommodation in the Valencian Community until the end of May, of which almost 4,500 correspond to the dates of Easter.
From January 17 to May 31, a total of 71,629 users have registered and 30,500 bonuses have already been distributed, a figure that increases fortnightly with new shipments.
Applicants to the Travel Voucher 2022 program can choose between a short stay with a minimum of two consecutive nights, opting for a 50% discount, or a long stay, with a minimum of 5 consecutive nights, with a 60% discount.
Most of the reservations made through the Travel Voucher 2022 program, around 88%, correspond to short-stay reservations, according to sources from the Generalitat, who recalled that this new edition of the Travel Voucher has an initial budget of 15 million euros and should benefit 100,000 users.
For Easter alone, almost 4,500 reservations have been registered, which represents 50,000 additional nights for this Holy Week, which is helping to revive the economy and employment in the tourism sector.
By province, for these holidays in Alicante a total of 2,676 reservations were made, in Castellón 993 and in Valencia 461, while the most requested destinations were Benidorm, Calp, Peñíscola, Altea, València Elx , Dénia , Morella, Finestrat and Alicante.
Currently, the Bono Viaje 2022 program has 1,040 member companies (463 from the province of Alicante, 207 from Castellón and 370 from Valencia), ranging from travel agencies, hotels, blocks or tourist apartment complexes , campsites, rural lodging houses and housing management. companies for tourist use registered in the Tourism Registry of the Valencian Community.


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I plead guilty to enjoying a cold beer or two, and I’ve watched with amazement as the decade-long bull market in the craft beer industry shows no signs of abating.
Maritz Research acquired evolve24, a business analytics and research firm that uses traditional and social media to measure perception, reputation, and risk. Through their combined capabilities, both companies will offer business clients customer experience research that is more relevant and actionable, helping companies improve their businesses and their bottom lines.
No evolve24 personnel will be downsized. The two Chicago staffers will stay there. St. Louis employees will move to the Maritz campus in January 2011. Evolve24 will keep its name and operate as a stand-alone business unit.
“The marketing research world is changing,” says Jim Stone, executive vice president and chief research officer of Maritz Research. “Thanks to social media, mobile technology, and other emerging technologies, consumers are taking control of the conversation around their brand experiences. evolve24 is on the leading-edge of its space, using advanced techniques in both psychology and Web intelligence to capture, analyze, and predict reputational risks and opportunities for its clients.”


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Chief executive Mark McCafferty was cautious about the coming year, especially in its hard-hit corporate travel market, which makes up nearly a quarter of its overall business.
He said: 'Just because we got to January didn't mean companies were going to start spending again on travel and entertainment. It is really a question of waiting for the economy to return in the second half of the year.'
McCafferty said Avis always trims its fleet by 30,000 in September but last year it got rid of a further 5,000 vehicles to compensate for the shortfall in customers. He said that there were early signs of a recovery in overall demand.
Avis also said its leisure business was seeing further signs of recovery. New contract wins from the Automobile Association and other customers helped its Centrus business, which supplies replacement cars for people involved in non-fault accidents.
Pre-tax profits for the year to 31 December fell to £89.5m before tax and exceptional items from £109.6m a year earlier. Turnover rose to £782.5m from £736.9m.
Revenue trends across the group as a whole were down 5% on the previous year. The total dividend is pegged at last year's level of 5.8p.
Meanwhile, Avis said finance director Chris Cowan would quit the group in April to join financial markets broker Prebon Yamane. Headhunters have been appointed to find a replacement.
Alun Cathcart will step down as non-executive chairman in May, and will be replaced by senior non-executive director Sir Bob Reid. Cathcart is to join Belgian automotive group D'Ieteren, which is an Avis Europe shareholder.
- More about:
- Automotive Equipment (car Industry)
- Financial Markets
- Jaguar (car)
- Stock And Equity Market And Stock Exchange


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May 17, 2007
Vietnam's shrimp exports to Japan to undergo semicarbazide testing
Japan-bound Vietnamese shrimp exports will undergo semicarbazide (SEM) testing, the National Fisheries Quality and Veterinary Directorate (Nafiqaved) said.
The SEM testing will be a compulsory requirement by Japanese authorities.
Japan has recently found SEM in six consignments of Vietnamese seafood exports of dried shrimp, salted shredded meat and seafood spring rolls.
SEM is a banned food substance in Japan.
Nafiqaved has named four more Vietnamese companies will get eligibility certificates for exports to Japan. These are Nha Trang Export Seafood Processing Company, Vietnam Northern Viking Technologies Co Ltd, AMANDA Food Company Ltd, and the My An workshop.
Nafiqaved has already informed the General Department of Customs of the exclusion of the four establishments from examining the exports.
These four companies have been previously found as containing prohibited substances.
About 300 Vietnamese seafood processors can freely export to Japan without further inspections.


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What you need to know
- A new Cortana UI is hidden in the latest preview build of Windows 10.
- It introduces a new conversational UI, similar to what's available on Android and iOS.
A brand new Cortana experience for Windows 10 has made its first appearance in the latest preview build being tested by Windows Insiders. The feature was spotted by Albacore on Twitter, and is currently hidden in the latest build, but can be enabled via third-party tools. The experience is very similar to the Cortana experience on Android and iOS, with a conversational UI that encourages typing over voice.
The new Cortana experience is labeled "beta," and since Microsoft hasn't yet unveiled this new UI there's no official word on when we can expect this to show up for testing officially. It's likely we'll see this ship to the public with the Windows 10 20H1 release in the spring of next year, however.
Microsoft has been working on a new conversational Cortana experience for Windows 10 for a while now. In fact, it's something I wrote about back in 2018. Today, we're finally seeing the result of those plans take shape, and it's very exciting. Up until earlier this year, Cortana seemed pretty dead, but with a refreshed focus announced at Build, there's a lot of cool new features and experiences coming soon to Cortana.
Part of this work was completed with the last Windows 10 feature update, where Microsoft split up the Cortana and Search experiences to make way for a new Cortana experience that isn't deprioritized over search. Multiple users assumed the split meant Cortana was going away, but it actually meant the opposite. Microsoft split the two features up so that it could build out Cortana as a much more versatile and productive feature without getting in the way of search.
We're excited to see what Microsoft has planned for Cortana. What are your thoughts on the new Cortana experience? Let us know in the comments.
Join us for the latest Windows Central Video Podcast
We're live with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you're there!
Review: Kensington's SD5500T dock works with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 PCs
The SD5500T docking station is compatible with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, opening it up to use with more devices. It's similar to some other great docks out there, so how does it measure up?
How to play Minecraft Dungeons Beta
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These are the best PC sticks for when you're on the move
Instant computer, just add a screen! That’s the general idea of the ultra-portable PC Compute Sticks, but it can be hard to know which one you want. Relax, we’ve got you covered.


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In about two hours, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock taught public officials a valuable lesson about the meaning of the word “essential.”
When he announced the city’s stay-at-home order on March 23, Hancock said recreational marijuana dispensaries, as well as liquor stores, would not rise to the level of “essential.” The Denver residents who quickly formed long lines at liquor stores and pot shops disagreed.
That’s where the trouble began for Tim Cullen, CEO of Colorado Harvest Company.
The announcement “created chaos on that afternoon,” he said. Throngs of people rushed stores, contradicting Hancock’s earlier advice not to “panic buy.” The mayor’s office issued new guidance just a few hours later and told Denverites to get out of line and go home.


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The deal would help BT sell bundled fixed and mobile services read more »
Fixed netowrk operator BT is considering buying a UK mobile network, and is in talks with the owners of O2 and EE read more »
The tool is a joint project of multiple privacy groups who investigated malware used to target journalists and human rights activists read more »
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Nokia X is aimed at weaning people onto Windows Phone read more »more blogs ..
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Following HP's dispute with Autonomy, we look back at other HP acquisitions in this Computerworld UK slideshow.
Skype In Depth
Andrew Fearn on culling systems, creating ‘a single view of the patient’ and moving to video consultations read more »
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Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said on Wednesday that he has filed a shareholder proposal with Apple for a much smaller stock buyback plan than he has advocated previously, as he continued to pressure Apple to share more of its cash pile. "Gave $AAPL notice we'll be making a precatory proposal to call for vote to increase buyback program, although not at $150 billion level," Icahn said in a tweet. CNBC said Icahn's plan calls for a $50 billion buyback program. Icahn had been urging Apple to buy back $150 billion worth of shares.
Tips on going beyond Facebook and Twitter with emerging social media marketing channels like Vine, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest
from About.com Entrepreneurs: What’s Hot Now
We’ve been in this business for a long time now…I guess you could call 10 years a long time…and as a result, we have built up a whole lot of ‘stuff’ that needs sorting out. When I say ‘stuff’ I mean websites. We just have too many of them and then there are the domain […]
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc has replaced its "Hide All" button with the more succinct "Unfollow," letting users block all messages and posts from selected friends. The latter alternative severs ties with that person on the social network, without notifying them. The goal of this change is to help people curate their newsfeed and see more of the content that they care about," Facebook said in an email. Facebook began rolling out the "Unfollow" button and a related change to its users on Monday.


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China imposes blanket ban on sale of flavoured e-cigarettes but exports will continue
In a major crackdown, China on Monday banned the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes across the country. The ban is an attempt by the Chinese government...
Chinese and European e-cigarette associations sign Code for Responsible Marketing
The European e-cigarette association Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) recently decided to update its Code for Responsible Marketing in order to demonstrate the responsibility of...
Brand RELX Releases 2021-2022 Annual CSR Report
RLX Technology (NYSE: RLX), known for its RELX-branded e-cigarette products, released its annual corporate social responsibility report Envisaging a Better Future recently, highlighting its effort...
ZOVOO DRAGBAR ceramic core disposable is launching in Morrisons
ZOVOO, the 'Best Newcomer' brand in the e-cigarette industry, has recently released its new DRAGBAR Z700 GT, which will soon be on the shelves in...
The Supermarket Giant Tesco is Launching a Range of 12 Elf Bars in UK This Week
Convenience retailers concerned over arrival of vape brand Elf Bar at Tesco
Geekvape Partnered with Cloud Vaping in Paris France
Recently, Geekvape announced the official debut of its Paris, France co-branded vape shop with Cloud Vaping.
Southern District Of New York Dismisses Putative Class Action Against E‑Cigarette Manufacturer Relx Tech
On September 30, 2022, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed with prejudice a...
Elf Bar Released A New Disposable Vape ELFBAR CIGALIKE
The all-new Elf Bar Cigalike, is a fresh idea from ELF Bar. More quickly delivering the nicotine dose than freebase nicotine, salt nicotine offers a smoother vape.
ICCPP’s Voice at GTNF: Technology Innovation and Digital Transformation Lead the Future of Vape Industry
ICCPP Group was invited to participate for the first tim and shared on stage a series of their research results in product innovation, ceramic core technology, biodegradable materials, etc.
ALD Awarded the 2022 Golden Leaf Award for “Reducing Environmental Impact Innovation Award”
ALD was honored to participate in the 12th Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) held in Washington, D.C from September 27-29, 2012.


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( Which research chemical company will be the first to offer clenbuterol in pickle juice ? )
Gatorade isn’t the only greenish drink that athletes crave. A new study indicates that pickle brine could help athletes when they need it most.
Researchers say the juice at the bottom of a pickle jar is more effective at staving off crippling muscle cramps than water.
To prove the salty premise long believed by some trainers and serious athletes, scientists induced toe cramps in male college students after forcing the subjects to bike to the point of mild dehydration. The average cramp lasted about two minutes and 30 seconds.
A new study has revealed that pickle brine might be more effective than sports drinks at treating muscle cramps, confirming a longstanding assumption in the sports world. Football players, cyclists and triathletes have been sipping dill-flavored drinks, including bottles of Pickle Juice Sport, for years.
They then repeated the experiment and gave the cramp-afflicted athletes “2.5 ounces of either deionized water or pickle juice, strained from a jar of ordinary Vlasic dills,” according to The New York Times’ Well blog.
Those who downed the brine stopped complaining of cramping within 85 seconds — about 37 percent faster than the water drinkers and 45 percent faster than when they didn’t drink anything at all.
The study might come as a shock to some fitness fanatics, but it didn’t surprise Brandon Brooks, who has been selling a dill-flavored athletic drink called Pickle Juice Sport for years.
“I rolled it out as a novelty beverage, but pretty soon the trainers and the teams were saying, ‘You guys have the tiger by the tail here — you don’t know what you’re dealing with,'” said Brooks, who’s found a way to brew the drink without even using any pickles.
Brooks’ beverage has become a common sight on the bike frames of cyclists, in the fridges of triathletes, and even on NFL sidelines, where he says the New York Giants have been his biggest customer.


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This new application provides motivation to those who need it
A new app called Sweatcoin tracks user's activity and pays accordingly in its digital currency, which can then be used to purchase further exercise classes or personal trainers.
Every 1,000 steps equals one sweatcoin (SWC). The digital currency can be used to buy items from the app's store. Vivobarefoot shoes cost 250 SWC and an exercise class with Clubbercise costs 45 SWC.
The app is currently only available on iOS but the founder, Oleg Fomenko, has stated that they are currently working on an Android version. Speaking to Reuters, Fomenko said
"This whole business is pegged to making movement valuable. Eventually, sweatcoin is going to have a rate of exchange tied to the British pound."
The app is not yet available in the Irish iOS store, but is proving popular in the UK. Four London start-ups signed up to Sweatcoin as part of an employee rewards-program offering. Employees can earn extra days off, subsidised healthy meals or free massages in exchange for sweatcoins.


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by Alison Lueders, Great Green Editing
If you live in Florida, it’s easy to take good food for granted. We are often a stone’s throw away from orange groves, beef cattle grazing placidly in pastures, or strawberry fields that stretch to the horizon. Local produce stands and farmers markets abound.
But when viewed through a sustainability lens, a different picture emerges. Large agribusinesses and “factory farming” have provided a reliable food supply for those of us in the States, but entail costs that often aren’t calculated or recognized.
For example, according to Climate Progress, the average meal in North America travels 4200 miles from farm to table. The greenhouse gas emissions from transport alone are significant, and that’s just a small fraction of the total. At the same time, the amount of pesticides and herbicides that remain on certain foods – even after washing – is so great that it prompted the Environmental Working Group to release the list of “The Dirty Dozen” and the “Clean Fifteen” produce items to help consumers steer clear of the worst offenders.
So, what to do? A single post can’t do justice to the complexity of the issues here, but recommendations on which there seem to be general agreement include:
- Eat local – Buy local produce or join a community-supported agriculture farm like Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. The farm, which has about 400 members, is currently accepting applications for the 2012-2013 growing season. If your plans call for dining out, pick one of the many local restaurants that feature local and organic items on its menu. These include Cafe Dufrain, The Refinery, and Boca.
- Buy organic to avoid the pesticides and herbicides that adhere to commercially grown foods. Organic food demand is growing. According to the Organic Trade Association, the organic foods market passed the $29 billion mark in 2011 and is expected to increase at roughly 9% annually. That demand is evident in places like Sarasota, where the distributor Global Organic Specialty Source is moving to a new, larger 80,000 square foot facility and plans to add 60 jobs. And a new Whole Foods Market opens later this year in Northdale, the second Tampa location for that company.
- Compost food waste – The website Practically Green explains why this is good, how you do it, and which products can help. Anyone can compost – including apartment dwellers and people with no yard. Those with a yard or garden can turn leftovers into nutrient-rich fertilizer.
In the spirit of “Think Globally, Act Locally”, here is additional information on sustainable food and farming:
- Check out “Local Dirt Magazine” – a quarterly publication that features the latest on the “slow food” movement here in Tampa Bay.
- How Urban Farming Can Transform Our Cities – This article includes a breakdown of the greenhouse gas emissions of food at all stages of production.
- Warming-Driven Drought and Extreme Weather Emerge As Key Threat to Global Food Security – This article explains the connection between extreme weather and risks to our food supply.
Next week, we’ll look at green happenings in the realm of education – from schools that are greening their campuses to programs that teach sustainability principles to students at all levels. See you then!


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Huobi Futures has launched its latest 4.2.0 upgrade on June 14, and introduced a new futures product — Bi-Quarterly Contracts on June 15. These contracts join Huobi’s successful stable of derivatives trading tools and come soon after the successful launch of perpetual swaps earlier this year.
The decision to further enrich the offerings from the Huobi Futures team comes after topping the daily trading volume in coin-margined perpetual swaps only a few months after it launched.
The first quarter of the year saw derivatives market trading volume on Huobi Futures reach $438 billion, accounting for 22% of the total market trading volume. Huobi Futures’ 24-hour trading volume of the coin margined perpetual swaps market amounted to $5.46 billion on May 12, 2020.
Huobi launches products relative to user demand and the Bi-Quarterly upgrade will also allow higher leverage options up to 125X in nine mainstream cryptocurrencies with 36 trading pairs.
“Huobi also has added weekly and quarterly futures products previously. We believe the Bi-Quarterly product can certainly provide a broader range of options for our users,” said Ciara Sun, VP of Huobi Global and Head of Global Markets.
“The popularity of Futures trading in cryptocurrency has been on the rise though 2020 with the market noting an uptick in institutional trading for these products. Huobi’s own platform noted institutional interest growth to rise to near 40 percent on its Futures platform in Q1 of 2020.”
“These investors will be able to benefit from the latest upgrade and the new product offering. Additionally, there will be an adopted locked margin optimization, which can improve asset utilization and reduce position margins, and an API upgrade to look out for.”


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- Dana Hull
A group of Tesla investors has accused the company of mismanagement and is seeking a meeting with its board to discuss the performance of Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.
The 17 shareholders, who hold more than $1.5 billion of Tesla stock, said Musk is distracted by his commitments to other companies and must be reined in, according to an open letter they sent to Chairwoman Robyn Denholm and Director Ira Ehrenpreis Friday.
They want the board to come up with a plan to do so and seek to remove directors too closely tied to the CEO.
“There is collective frustration,” said Ivan Frishberg, the chief sustainability officer for Amalgamated Bank, which has 722,070 shares in Tesla across its various funds.
“Over the last year, it became quite clear that Tesla suffers from a governance problem.”
Amalgamated Bank, New York City pension funds, and other signatories to the letter want Musk to focus so he can navigate the increasingly competitive EV market and regulatory scrutiny.
The carmaker is now worth half its $1.2 trillion market cap on April 4, 2022, when Musk first disclosed his stake in Twitter, the investors pointed out. He ultimately bought the social media company and has run it since October.
“It is unprecedented to be a CEO and also be running two other companies at the same time,” said Courtney Wicks, executive director of Investor Advocates for Social Justice, which represents several faith-based investors. “I can’t imagine any other board allowing a CEO to have as many outside business activities.”
Earlier this year, another Tesla investor — who isn’t associated with the letter — filed a resolution asking the company to create a plan to address its reliance on Musk. Tesla’s board has recommended shareholders vote against the proposal at the company’s May 16 annual meeting. This year’s proxy contains just one resolution, down from eight in 2022.
The letter goes on to a list of series of other issues the investors argue put the company at risk. Among them: the company’s litigation with the state of California over the treatment of Black employees at Fremont factory, the use of mandatory arbitration and the termination of employees who were involved in a union organising effort in New York.
The group also criticised Tesla for opening a showroom in Urumqui, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.
Tesla bumped up each variant of its high-end models by $2,500, raising the cost of the sedan and sport utility vehicle by 2 to 3 per cent. The Model S and X now start at $87,490 and $97,490.The move claws back some of the steep price cuts imposed earlier this year, which have squeezed profit margins. Tesla shares traded up less than 1 per cent on Friday in New York. The automaker’s operating margin shrank to 11.4 per cent in the first quarter.


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Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing has admitted that incorporating Motorola Mobility into the Chinese electronics-maker's fold proved a tougher job than expected in saying the company is predicting continued smartphone losses in the "short term." The turnaround plan includes a heavy push for high-end handsets in the US. Lenovo will unveil a pair of smartphones at a June 9 event, Yang said.
Internet of Things startup Netatmo has debuted its developer platform, which is aimed at increasing the number of apps that work with its products. With 14,000 developers already using Netatmo's APIs, the company will focus on giving developers access to its weather station, smart thermostats and cameras and increasing its enterprise customer base.
Semiconductor firm Intel has purchased a startup to help it develop more products of the future, including self-driving cars. The acquisition of software maker Itseez will add Internet of Things and other capabilities to Intel's toolkit. "While the possibilities are exciting, the reality requires solving a myriad of technology challenges," Intel's Doug Davis wrote in a blog post.
GameStop revenue slipped 4.3% in its fiscal first quarter. Net income dipped to $65.8 million, from $73.8 million the year before.
Microsoft is reportedly working on a slimmed-down, more affordable Xbox console for release this year, as well as a console capable of handling virtual reality that is expected to launch in 2017. The releases could signal a new console strategy for Microsoft, in which new systems hit the market more frequently.
Eero, maker of a wireless mesh routing system that boosts Wi-Fi signals, has landed $50 million more in funding from Menlo Ventures' Menlo Opportunity Fund. The round of funding brings eero to $90 million in total capital as the company prepares to launch its devices in more than 500 Best Buy stores and online at BestBuy.com.
Google will launch a facility in Novi, Mich., for developing autonomous vehicles in an effort to expand its work with US automakers. Google and Fiat Chrysler are working to develop 100 driverless minivans, but struck out on its efforts to make a similar agreement with General Motors. "Many of our current partners are based here, so having a local facility will help us collaborate more easily and access Michigan's top talent in vehicle development and engineering," a Google blog post said.
Adoption of 4K Ultra HD TVs in North America is on pace to reach 48% in 2020, up from 5% in 2015, data from a Strategy Analytics report indicate. Demand for big-screen TVs is driving adoption, with 11 million homes expected to have at least one 4K TV by the end of 2016.
Microsoft's HoloLens augmented-reality goggles are based on the company's Holographic Processing Unit, which is made up of multiple Tensilica digital signal processor cores, each set to run HoloLens-specific instructions. Also inside the AR headset is an Intel "Cherry Trail" system-on-a-chip device, made with a 14-nanometer process and running Windows 10.
Slack has tripled its number of weekday daily active users to 3 million over the past year, the company said. The team communications app notes 1 million users have been added in the past six months. Overall, Slack boasts 930,000 paid seats.
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FRANKFURT (S&P Global Ratings) - S&P Global Ratings believes that, in 2018, demand in the three main segments of the global shipping industry (dry bulk, tankers, and containers) will outstrip supply for the first time in several years.
“The lighter new vessel delivery schedule for 2018, compared with 2017, combined with our expectation of sustained imports of commodities, and longer distances traveled, point to rising charter rates across shipping industry this year—with the exception of container liner segment, which, we forecast, will see flat to slightly negative growth in rates,” said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Izabela Listowska. “What’s more, given the fundamental improvement in supply conditions, as signified by ship orderbooks being at all-time lows, we think recovery in shipping rates could continue beyond 2018.”
We therefore expect industry conditions to strengthen in 2018 for the most of 17 shipping companies we rate globally.
However, we see a risk that vessel owners, renowned in the industry for their historically poor supply discipline, could embark on an ordering spree in anticipation of better times ahead. This would disrupt the encouraging supply trend and constrain charter rates. But, assuming a typical lead-time from ship ordering to delivery of 18-24 months, we expect a slowdown in supply growth for at least the next few quarters, regardless of ordering activity.
Sustained global demand for commodities is essential for further improvement of dry-bulk shipping rates. For product tankers, we forecast a cyclical upturn in rates following soft rates in 2017, as the new vessel delivery schedule for this year is close to historical lows. In contrast, we forecast flat to slightly negative growth in freight rates in 2018 for container liners, given uncertainties about their maintenance of supply discipline.
While in our base case we assume no major glitches on the demand side—underpinned by our firm 2018-2019 GDP growth forecast for all major contributors to global trade volumes, especially China, but also the eurozone and the U.S.—all eyes are on the supply side and orderbooks, which will essentially shape the shipping industry beyond the likely solid 2018. If owners refrain from aggressive ordering and supply tightens further, we could see momentum in charter rates continuing into 2019.
Only a rating committee may determine a rating action and this report does not constitute a rating action.


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Alan Watts, President, Asia-Pacific at Hilton, was in India for the launch of a 619-key dual-brand resort in Bangalore in partnership with Embassy Office Parks REIT, a real estate investment trust. In an interview, Watts spoke about the Indian hospitality industry catching up with China, the disproportionate focus on the luxury segment, and why India is a key market for the company. Edited excerpts:
What are Hilton’s expansion plans in India?
We have 24 hotels for sale today in India and 14 under construction. When it comes to the hospitality market in India, the hospitality sector in particular is at the beginning of its journey. If you compare India to China, India has only 2.6 million keys or rooms for 1.4 billion people compared to about 3.2 million guest rooms for 1.4 billion people in China.
This means that in the longer term, India’s expansion in terms of GDP, urbanization and modernization of major cities, is expected to become the third largest accommodation market in the world. Both in the domestic market, where the majority of business is today, but also from the perspective of the Indian outbound market, this is a critical market for us. We need to make sure we are building our brands where our customers want us to be.
India is still a minnow since Hilton has about 460 hotels in China and 24 in India.
The difference between this market (and India) is a matter of time. Obviously, China was ahead in terms of hotel investment, and a lot of Chinese companies have government investment. Thus, some of the state-owned vehicles are investing in the travel and tourism sector. In India, the under construction pipeline of all brands is much smaller, but it will eventually catch up and quickly. So that’s an unfair comparison today but longer term, it’s not. The demographics of the two markets, their GDP growth and, indeed, India’s competitive advantage, especially among young people, are yet to be realized.
Which segment do you see the maximum growth coming from?
I definitely think it’s in the mid-range and full-service segments. These properties like the Hilton Garden Inn and the Hilton, that’s where the market will mainly grow, as it has in China.
People are entering the workforce at a younger age and buying into the entry level hotels and then buying into their careers so to speak. These big hotel deals we’ve done in China, they’re all at Hilton Garden Inn prices. So the huge explosion has not happened in India yet.
What about the luxury segment?
I think luxury gets a lot of attention. There are many credible players in luxury, but this is not where the explosion will follow compared to other markets.
Are you bringing new brands to India in the coming years?
We are always on the lookout for ambitious luxury for our Conrad and Waldorf Astoria brands, but we will continue to grow with our core brands.
Hilton is the most recognized and loved brand in hospitality, so we continue to build on that. You won’t see any new creative brands for India and we think it’s the mid-sized and full services that are seeing the growth.
Many of your competitors have ventured into homestays and boutique travel, how about you?
We are looking at Hilton Garden Inn which meets this need and we have a brand called Hampton which is the fastest growing brand in China.
We may roll out Hampton in the future as mid-range demand grows. But in the short term, we will continue with Hilton Garden Inn which has been our main vehicle.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Mint reported to Congress today that since its debut a year ago, the Golden Dollar has won popular support, especially as Americans discover the convenience of using the coin in everyday transactions.
The 21–page report details the marketing and promotional campaign that helped educate the public and build strong awareness of the Golden Dollar since the coin’s release on Jan. 27, 2000. Some 700 million Golden Dollars were circulated in the first year, seven times the initial projection of 100 million coins.
“The Mint expects that even more will make their way into commerce once the novelty of collecting a 2000–dated, golden–colored coin tapers off and 2001–dated coins make their way into people’s hands,” the report said.
Congress in 1997 authorized the Mint to produce the new Golden Dollar to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin that was introduced in 1979. The Golden Dollar features the image of Sacagawea, the Shoeshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition nearly 200 years ago.
“Just as Sacagawea was instrumental in the success of Lewis and Clark in charting new territory in the 19th century, she will proudly lead the American public to a more practical and convenient way to pay for their purchases in the 21st century,” the Mint said in the report delivered to Congress on Friday.
The Golden Dollar is also making money for America. In fiscal year 2000, the Golden Dollar made a profit of $800 million, part of the $2.3 billion profit that the Mint returned to the U.S. Treasury last year.
According to surveys, marketing studies, and focus group research, the Mint also found that:
* 83 percent of Americans are aware of the Golden Dollar;
* Nearly 78 percent said they supported the decision to issue the coin;
* 42 percent of American adults have received a Golden Dollar; and
* 57 percent said they would use Golden Dollars in their transactions once it becomes more commonly circulated.
The report also identifies the eight business sectors distinguished as target markets for increased usage of the Golden Dollar: financial institutions, retailers, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, the vending industry, transit authorities, government agencies, and the entertainment industry.
Click Report to see an entire document.
Click Adobe Acrobat Reader to download plug–in.


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It’s been a slow news week, but it looks like the folks over at the Verge have managed to land their hands on some exciting information. According to their tipsters, HTC and Samsung are both working on some new LTE-equipped Windows Phone devices. While it’s been previously mentioned that LTE support will come with the Tango update, the phones will come with a pre-Tango version of Windows Phone that supports the 4G network.
HTC’s phone has been codenamed the Radiant and Samsung’s phone has been codenamed Mandel. No word on the specs of the HTC Radiant, but the Samsung Mandel is said to feature a screen larger than the 4.3″ Samsung Focus S. Both of the phones are expected to be launched in early 2012 alongside Nokia’s LTE Windows Phone. Expect to find out more about the LTE devices at CES or Mobile World Congress 2012.


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Though desktop 3D printers are a relatively new method of manufacturing, you might argue that they’re already at a plateau. You can print cute figurines, teacups that might have a leak, and sometimes replacement parts for certain objects, such as gears — not the most useful items in the world. However, what if you were able to 3D-print an invisibility cloak? Researchers at Duke University have done just that.
New findings published by quantum scientists in Germany could pave the way towards computer chips that use light instead of electricity to control their internal logic. Where today’s silicon-based electrical computer chips are capable of speeds in the gigahertz range, the German light-based chips would be some 1,000,000 times faster, operating in the petahertz range.
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Select Your local website
Qatar Airways concluded its highly successful presence at Expo Milano 2015 in Italy this week, where it showcased its award-winning five-star service and hospitality
Qatar Airways has been voted “Best Middle Eastern Airline” for the tenth consecutive year at the 26th Annual TTG Travel Awards
On Thursday 1 October, passengers travelling through Qatar Duty Free (QDF) at Hamad International Airport (HIA) were the first in the world to enjoy a Giorgio Armani airport fashion event.
Qatar Airways has announced its highly anticipated daily direct services from Doha to Sydney starting from 1st March 2016, the third Australian city in the Qatar Airways network
Qatar Airways joined executives from various airlines and airports around the world at the Global Aviation Festival held in London on 15th and 16th September 2015, to showcase its end-to-end customer experience offering


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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Showing pride for the Steelers through fashion has not always been easy for female fans.
But that’s about to change with the release of the NFL ‘s new line of fashions for women.
“Forty-five percent of the NFL fan base is women,” Steerlers Style stylist Ariel Lawrence said. “So it seemed logical to create a line of clothing for women.”
The line includes pajama pants, ruffly nightgowns and tops featuring studded and sparkly Steelers logos.
“You can wear it to church, you can wear it to work, like especially with all the new stuff,” said Mindy Kendi who won a contest as the most fashionable Steelers fan. “With some of the rhinestones and stuff, you can dress it up, dress it down. It’s just great and it’s very feminine.”
Saturday and Sunday at Heinz Hall, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., fans can see the debut of the new collection and shop.
There will also be a fashion show Friday night to kick off the weekend Style Lounge event.
Fashion designer and wife of Steeler’s player Mike Tomlin, Kiya Tomlin, will debute some of her new designs at the fashion show. Pittsburgh-based retailer, American Eagle Outfitters and NFL Nike will also have designs on the runway.
Other festivities include black and gold manicures, a photo both and New Era will be fitting people for the Steelers 59Fifty baseball cap.
More Local News
More Steelers News
More Reports From Kristine Sorensen


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Google probably already knows what search terms you use, what Web pages you’re viewing, and what you write about in your e-mail – after all, that’s how it serves up the text ads targeted to the Web content on your screen.
Pretty soon, Google may also know what TV programs you watch – and could use that information to send you more advertising, leavened with information pertinent to a show.
A system recently outlined by researchers at Google amounts to personalized TV without the fancy set-top equipment required by previous (and failed) attempts at interactive television. Their prototype software, detailed in a conference presentation in Europe last June, uses a computer’s built-in microphone to listen to the sounds in a room. It then filters each five-second snippet of sound to pick out audio from a TV, reduces the snippet to a digital “fingerprint,” searches an Internet server for a matching fingerprint from a pre-recorded show, and, if it finds a match, displays ads, chat rooms, or other information related to that snippet on the user’s computer.
Letting Google listen in on your living-room activities may sound like a privacy nightmare. Given the recent firestorm over AOL’s accidental releasing of search records for 685,000 members, consumers are more sensitive than ever to how search companies might misuse personal information, deliberately or not.
But the fingerprinting technology used in the Google prototype makes it impossible for the company to eavesdrop on other sounds in the room, such as personal conversations, according to the Google team. In the end, the researchers say, the only personal information revealed is TV-watching preferences.
Google research director Peter Norvig predicts that the prototype, which uses an audio identification technique invented outside Google and applied to a uniquely large database of recorded sound, will eventually evolve into a product. And it’s attracted plenty of attention from technology watchers, who see a big potential payoff for Google and other companies if a system for bridging TV and Web content can be made practical. For now, though, it’s still an early-stage research project.
“We weren’t really pitching an application that we want to do here and now, but rather a concept,” says Michael Fink, lead researcher on the project. Fink works at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and is spending the summer at Google. “We wanted to open people’s minds to the possibility of using ambient audio as a medium for querying web content,” he says.
Computer science researcher Yan Ke and colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University laid the groundwork for the idea when they created software that reduced audio segments to very small fingerprints. The program, which runs on a conventional PC, converts spurts of sound into two-dimensional graphs, and uses computer vision algorithms to weed out background noise and boil down the graphs to a few key features that can then be translated into electronic bits. In this way, one second of audio can be reduced to four bytes of information – meaning the fingerprints for an entire year of television programming would add up to no more than a few gigabytes, according to Fink.
In Google’s prototype, the fingerprints alone are transmitted from a user’s home computer to the company’s audio database server, where they’re compared with the fingerprints from almost 100 hours of recorded video. A special algorithm developed by Fink and Google colleagues Michele Covell and Shumeet Baluja reduces the possibility of mismatches; in tests, the system achieved a “false positive” rate of between 1 percent and 6 percent, meaning that only six or fewer times out of 100 did it match audio fingerprints from the user with the wrong snippet of audio from a recorded show (with irrelevant information showing up on the user’s screen as a result).
It’s accurate enough that TV viewers might find the supplementary content Google sends useful. Nicole Kidman fans, for instance, might enjoy knowing what dress she’s wearing on a broadcast of “Extra!” or where they can buy a similar outfit. Or ads for Cooper Minis might appear whenever the car showed up in a TV rebroadcast of The Italian Job.
All of this would work only if someone first manually notated what is onscreen at any given moment in a broadcast. With the volume of TV programming broadcast every day, that would be a tedious job. But in some cases it could be worthwhile for Google and advertisers, Fink says. “Say I’m an advertiser, and I would like a link to my website to appear with a specific episode of Seinfeld. We could open each moment of audio to a bidding process. The Google model of advertisers bidding for related words on Web pages, which has proved to be very successful online, could be carried over.”
And the information Google sends doesn’t have to be one-way – it could also invite viewers watching the same program simultaneously to join a chat room, and administer surveys.
When word of the research first appeared in the media, some bloggers and other technology watchers reacted with horror; many assumed that the background conversation picked up by the microphone in Google’s system would be uploaded to Google. But the technology makes it impractical; at four bytes, the fingerprints don’t contain enough information to reconstruct the original sounds in a room. “Some people did get the impression that we had an open microphone that was going to listen in on them,” says Norvig. “Clearly, that was not what we were doing. We are transmitting a key that can be matched but not reversed. That said, users are giving up some information – and that’s something they have to decide about.”
Whether users could adapt to this new form of monitoring is uncertain. But the revenue opportunities are clear – if the system works, that is. “It’s a devilishly clever way to bridge those old and new media technologies,” says Michael McGuire, an online media analyst at Gartner Research. But everything would depend on how accurately Google could match audio segments, he says. “You could imagine that if they were just a little bit off, it would drive you insane, in terms of the type of advertising you’re seeing. And if it was far removed from what you were watching, you’d be jarred and maybe angry.”
Fink’s team is working on making the false-positive rate even lower – so users don’t get Doritos ads with their Masterpiece Theatre. But there’s another challenge, notes McGuire: how to divide the attention of the viewer. “Presumably, broadcasters and advertisers wouldn’t want anything so absorbing on the computer that it pulls viewers away from the actual broadcast. And even though the crowd that surfs the Web while they watch TV already knows how to multitask, they might ignore or block the online media stream if it starts to get too obtrusive. So [Google] would have to find a balance between information overload and effective advertising.”
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TORONTO — CN announced the acquisition of more than 1,000 new domestic containers to better serve manufacturers and distributors of grocery and consumer goods in domestic markets across Canada and grow the railway’s participation in the segment.
Roughly 80 per cent of the new containers are heated, ensuring year-round quality service for temperature-sensitive goods; the balance of the boxes are standard dry containers.
Jean-Jacques Ruest, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer of CN, said: “CN’s intermodal service is more cost effective than truck while offering customers truck-like transit times and a lower carbon footprint. CN has established a growing business transporting temperature-sensitive goods in long-haul markets across Canada. Our continued investment in infrastructure will benefit the reliability of the supply chains of our grocery, consumer goods and manufacturing customers. Together, we want to grow with them.”
Approximately 540 containers will be used to renew CN’s domestic container fleet, while another 520 new containers will increase CN’s overall domestic container fleet to almost 6,000 units.


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TORRANCE, Calif. – Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) and Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) have officially announced plans to increase production capacity for Kubota equipment in the U.S. by building a new manufacturing plant and expanding its existing operations in Gainesville, Georgia. The company’s expansion plans come on the heels of KTC’s recent announcement that it will relocate its U.S. headquarters to Grapevine, Texas, in an effort to get closer to its major markets and customers.
The new Georgia plant will be located 3 miles from KMA’s existing facilities. The new building will be an estimated 502,000 square feet. The existing KMA facility, which has been in operation since 1988 and employs approximately 1,300 people, will also undergo enhancements to increase its production capacity to support Kubota’s growing turf business. “The demand for Kubota products continues to grow in the U.S.,” said Hironobu Kubota, president of KMA. “We estimate that this expansion of our operations will allow us to increase production capacity by 60 percent over the next five years.”
Construction of the new facility in Gainesville is expected to begin in September 2015 with a goal to begin mass production in spring of 2017. The new plant will manufacture Kubota’s RTV series utility vehicles, with the capacity to produce 50,000 units annually.


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What is it going to take to find sustainability in the business of local news?
The future of local media business models is likely to be shaped by a variety of factors, including changing consumer habits, advances in technology, and new revenue streams. Here are some potential sources of inspiration for local media businesses looking to adapt and thrive in the years to come:
Embrace digital platforms
As more and more people consume news and other media online, local media businesses must find ways to deliver content across a variety of digital channels, including social media, mobile apps, and streaming services. By embracing these platforms, local media businesses can reach wider audiences and tap into new revenue streams, such as sponsored content, pay-per-view events, and digital advertising.
Focus on niche audiences
Instead of trying to be all things to all people, local media businesses may find more success by targeting specific niche audiences. This could include covering topics or interests, such as sports, food, or politics, or catering to specific demographic groups, such as seniors, millennials, or families. By focusing on specific niche audiences, local media businesses can build loyal followings and generate revenue through targeted advertising and sponsorships.
Experiment with new revenue streams
Traditional revenue streams for local media businesses, such as print advertising and subscriptions, may no longer be enough to sustain a profitable business. To adapt to the changing media landscape, local media businesses may need to experiment with new revenue streams, such as events, merchandise sales, and crowdfunding campaigns. By diversifying their revenue streams, local media businesses can reduce their dependence on any one source of income and create new opportunities for growth.
Collaborate with other media outlets
Local media businesses can also benefit from collaborating with other media outlets, both locally and nationally. By sharing resources, pooling audiences, and cross promoting each other’s content, local media businesses can expand their reach and create new opportunities for revenue sharing and sponsorships.
Invest in community engagement
Local media businesses have a unique opportunity to engage with their communities and build strong relationships with their audiences. By investing in community outreach, such as hosting events, partnering with local organizations, and soliciting feedback from readers and viewers, local media businesses can build trust, loyalty, and a sense of ownership among their audiences. This can lead to increased engagement, higher readership/viewership, and more opportunities for revenue generation.
What do you think?
Do you agree, or disagree, with any of the suggestions above? Personally, I think it all sounds worth trying, but that is beside the point. ChatGPT wrote those answers for me in about 10 seconds. I didn’t edit any of it.
Generative AI could be the most disruptive technology to our industry and our society since the arrival of the internet. Every discipline in our business will be affected, one way or another. We should all be studying, testing and sharing best practices, to find opportunities to improve how we can serve our communities. Perhaps this will cause the end of the world as we know it. But maybe this technology could help us unlock the value needed to find sustainability in the local news business.
Tom Shaw is first vice chair of the LMA Board of Directors, and chief product officer of Shaw Media.


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Prompted in part by Annie Leonard's new video "The Story of Bottled Water," the International Bottled Water Association released a video of their...
Prompted in part by Annie Leonard's new video "The Story of Bottled Water," the International Bottled Water Association released a video of their own extolling the virtuous conduct of bottled water companies.
It's great that bottled water companies recycle and support environmental organizations, but that doesn't change the fact that the core of their business is taking private control of a free public resource on which our lives depend, packaging it in disposable plastic junk, and selling it back to people at a huge profit.
But what about emergency provisions? From the press release that came with the video:
Floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, boil alerts and other events often compromise municipal water systems. IBWA members contribute millions of gallons of water each year to the affected victims. Lifesaving bottled water cannot be available in times of pressing need without a viable, functioning industry to produce it.
I'm not sure we need a commercial bottled water industry to prepare for emergencies. Why can't FEMA keep stocks of water on hand?